With a ton of leftovers remaining from yesterday’s crock pot breakfast casserole, lunch today was a no-brainer.
I reheated the breakfast casserole and enjoyed it with a bowl of sliced strawberries.
And now I’m officially burnt out on crock pot breakfast casserole.
Little Things, Big Joy
Over the weekend, as I snacked on a bowl of Corn Pops, I thought to myself, “It’s kind of ridiculous how much joy I get out of snacking on this simple, sugary bowl of cereal.”
The cereal reminds me of snacking on Corn Pops as a child and transports me back to Saturday mornings spent watching Doug with my sister.
I then started to think about other little things that bring me a surprising amount of joy and thought it might be fun to hear what seemingly small, silly things make you guys oddly happy, too!
A few little things that bring me an odd amount of joy:
- Sadie’s tail-tucked run: I’m not sure if this is something all dogs do when they’re feeling particularly nutty, but whenever Sadie’s energy is absolutely off the wall, she runs around our backyard in circles with her tail tucked underneath her body. Ryan and I always laugh when the tail-tucked run comes out to play because we know she’s feeling extra spastic.
- Warm, cozy pajamas: Perhaps it’s because I live in Florida and am only able to wear winter pajamas to bed for a month or so out of the year, but extra-warm pjs make me feel so cozy and happy!
- Ridiculous group texts: I love it when a group text with friends spirals out of control and becomes completely ridiculous and hilarious. (Speaking of funny texts, this Cat Facts text I saw on Pinterest is too funny not to share.)
- Fun socks: There’s something so fun about wearing goofy socks. It’s a simple joy, but wearing heart socks on Valentine’s Day or pumpkin socks on Halloween makes me smile.
- Evening walks with Ryan and Sadie: Walking around the neighborhood with Ryan and Sadie at the end of the day is one of my favorite simple activities. It gives us a chance to catch up, vent, laugh and enjoy some time outside.
- A cappella music: I listen to music all day long and love a wide variety of music, but I am constantly amazed at the unbelievable talent of a cappella groups like Straight No Chaser and Pentatonix. And this video by Bobby McFerrin is freakin’ awesome. <—Watch it!
- Gel pens: As someone who takes a lot of notes for my freelance work, I absolutely love a good gel pen. If the gel pen writes in a fun color, that’s all the better!
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Visiting the library: I used to visit the Palatine Public Library regularly when I was growing up and my love for libraries has stayed with me as an adult. I love browsing for a new book and enjoy the quiet, warm atmosphere. (Bonus points if I can check out the book I want to read immediately and don’t have to wait on a long wait list!)
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Adorable Instagram pictures: My favorite Instagram account to follow is Vizslas of Instagram because adorable pictures of vizslas always make me smile. Another fun Instagram account? Sam Has Eyebrows. The cat has eyebrows and it just cracks me up.
Question of the Afternoon
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What is something simple that brings you an unusual amount of joy?
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I 100% agree on group texts and messages. Right now all of my college girlfriends and I have a running group facebook message and it feels like we are all together again. My husbands hilarious laugh also brings me so much joy! Seeing how excited he gets a sporting events makes my heart leap with joy as well. He is a forever little kid and I love it!
I’ve been really enjoying watching these 2 cardinals hang out at my bird feeder! Spring is almost here!
My husband talking to our future daughter, who is currently in my belly. It brings me lots of joy. 🙂
I also love colored ink pens 🙂 Purple is my fave, and I use a light blue when I’m in meetings or interviews and don’t want other people to read my notes! So sneaky.
Drinking coffee at my desk in the morning is pretty great. I sit down to go through the overwhelming number emails I’ve somehow recieved overnight, and for some reason my tumbler of coffee helps a lot!
What a great post! Hearing and seeing the birds busy getting ready for spring always makes me smile on my walks at the moment. As do the flowers that are starting to appear. Just being outside in nature generally snaps me out of a funk. Oh, and I love novelty socks, too. It was owls yesterday and polka dots Saturday!
The sun shining!
And my husband’s kisses after he gets home & right before I fall asleep 🙂
Ohhh my gosh!! I laughed so hard at the cat texts. That is hilarious
I love when I can cook for the fun of cooking… not because it’s dinnertime and we have to scrounge up something to eat but the kind of cooking when I have oodles of time for perfection… and a glass of wine 🙂
OH OH AND popcorn and a movie is my favorite night at home with the Mr…. IS IT FRIDAY YET!?!
That cat!! So cute!! I love a good ol’ bowl of cereal and chilling in my pajama or yoga pants.
Do you remember the gel pens that smelt of their colour!? They were the highlight of my school days (along with all the serious, important learning that I was doing…obviously).
If you like a cappella you should check out The Other Guys – they did a brilliant version of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance about Wills and Kate getting married. It’s filmed in the beautiful St Andrews in Scotland, where they studied. It’s not vocally the best thing you’ll ever hear (although some of their other stuff has reached high up in the classical charts in the UK) but it cracks me up every time, and is a sure fire way of putting a smile on my face! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAlnM7RUDcA
A simple date night at home is always perfect. Or when one of my crazy cats does something funny. Always brings a smile to m face!
The sunshine:)
I’ve never seen a dog run with its tail tucked under itself, unless its running scared from a larger dog! You’ll have to record it sometime and post it.
Little things that make me smile: talking to my grandmother, doing something nice for someone else, the sore-ness in my legs after kicking my butt at the gym this weekend, and knowing that I’m going to surprise my dad for his birthday on Wednesday by showing up for dinner!
-AJ
FitTravelerAJ.blogspot.com
On Saturday, I went and got my car cleaned both inside and out because the weather was nice. Getting in my clean car afterwards felt SO good. I was smiling like a lunatic for a good 30 mins while driving around. It’s the little things like that!
Oh I love how you mentioned Doug!! That brings back SO many memories….and I serioulsy love COrn Pops and just had a craving for them yesterday!!
my husband calls some nights “dialogue nights” where we just sit and talk about who knows what — like last night we created our “Weenis Rodeo List” aka bucket list! He is my biggest joy & just talking, laughing, and snuggling is my biggest joy!
My dog lily makes me smile every time she wags her little butt at me…aww
have you heard of BuluBox before?
check out my blog post with a review today: http://www.runningathousandmiles.com/2013/03/my-first-bulu-box-review.html
Drinking strong tea and eating cereal early in the morning when no one else is awake brings me so much joy.
I’m laughing so much at the Cat Facts Text!
Over the weekend I spent the day with my dad and for lunch we had bagels with cream cheese and chocolate milk on the side. It was so random but I was so happy from the inside because it really reminded me of being a little child again 🙂 Chocolate milk just makes me feel good hahah I dont know how to explain it but I haven’t been that content in a while! Just thinking back to our little lunch makes me smile 🙂
Night time snuggles with the Hubs is one of my absolute favourite things to do. I also get an abnormal amount of joy from the first sip of a fizzy drink and naps!
I love this post- such a cute idea!
My simple joys are when the peanut butter jar gets low enough to have oatmeal in a jar and having a full tank of gas because I feel like I can drive anywhere I want 🙂
I am the absolute same way about libraries! I adore them and love them and I hope we always have them. I have vowed to never, ever have any sort of E-reader unless libraries are no longer around and it’s the only way to get books. Plus, it saves a TON of money. I check out so many cookbooks and have found so many awesome recipes. That’s another joy of mine. I love having free time and just going from front to back looking through a new cookbook.
Aww, how could your sweet Sadie not make you smile and bring you joy? My Sadie puppy dog does the same for me, too! I especially appreciate her personality and her scent. Is that weird? Most people think that dogs smell bad, but I really think she smells good. It definitely brings me joy! 🙂
Oh my gosh, Zeke does that too! I thought he was the only one! We always call it his “crazies” because he’ll run around like that making a funny growling sound. Most of the time it comes out of nowhere too!
Oh my!! I know exactly what you mean about the tail tuck run!! My dog Lucy does the same thing!! We call it her butt-tuck! It’s so funny! You definitely know they are in a good mood when the tail and butt tucks and they turn into little Tasmanian devils whipping around in circles “)
When I’m petting my dog and she sighs and rests her paw on my arm.. It makes me smile every time!
Simple joys:
Soy lattes
When my dog snores/purrs when he’s laying on the couch next to me
Going grocery shopping at Whole Foods—never gets old & I always discover something new eah time
Cozy slippers
Between working two jobs and being a full time college student my schedule is very hectic that I hardly have any down time. My simple joy is a hot cup of coffee and browsing the book store. If only I had more time to do so.
Hi Julia! In answer to your question, your blog is something simple that brings me great joy. No. I’m not trying to be a brown noser! Your blog makes my day (and gives me some fantastic recipe ideas!) Also, hands down, peanut butter and running, hence the name of my blog. They’re such little things that brings me such joy. I especially love running with my dad. It means the world to me. Last but not least, oatmeal. I eat oatmeal nearly everyday, and I think I may be a bit obsessed! Either way, it makes me look forward to breakfast! Anyways, I linked you in my ‘Blogs I Love’ page in my blog, and I hope that’s alright. (If it’s not, I’m happy to take it down.) Love from Texas, Katherine.
Time to sit down, blog, and drink tea.
Also, shark tank on Friday nights with my husband. We’re that cool.
It may be weird, but I actually really enjoy the early morning. I usually get up to run before work, and if I don’t run I’m still going to work, and if it’s Saturday I’m running…but on that rare occasion where a day off from work and a day off from running coincide, I love to just sit on the couch with a big bowl of cereal and some coffee and watch tv or read a book while it’s still quiet outside.
I LOVE group texts. They always get out of control and it’s so funny.
I am a teacher and hearing my students say “thank you” when I have helped them is all I need to get me through the day!
Not gonna lie, definately thought this was the “baby” post, where you tell us that you and ryan are finally having a cute little baby!!!!! I was pretty excited, but hey I’m still excited for this post! The little things in life are always the best things, like my starbursts jellybeans that i literally could not stop eating today, or the way my dogs tail puffs up and wiggles when she gets excited. Or seeing the different colors in the morning mould together and disperse to reveal the sun, it gets me every. single. time 🙂
I thought the same thing!!!
I love warm pjs, gel pens, and a capella groups! I also love my books on CD, I commute a lot for my jobs so it’s great to get my “reading” in on the way 🙂
Hey Julie! I have a random question for you–have you ever used soy protein isolate? The hubs and I have used whey protein but today he bought soy protein isolate since it’s lower in cholesterol. I’m just curious if you have used it, like it, know if it’s good for building muscle, etc.? Thanks!
I LOVE my pajamas, acapella gospel groups as well, coffee, sitting in MY chair, picking up my children from school. You should check out “First Day”. They are awesome. e
I love clean sheets and getting in bed before 10! Comfy,cozy with a good book to read. AHHHHH!
I love simple fun text messages! And warm and fuzzy socks
I don’t think I own maybe one pair of white socks because I also LOVE fun, crazy, colorful socks. My Victoria Secret Flannel PJ’s, my 2-year-old saying “I luv sho”, Almond Joy Coffee Creamer, and my cozy pillow that just cuddles my head every night. All of these things bring me such great joy!
I want to see a video or at least a picture of the Sadie tucked tail!
Julie, I have two whippets who do exactly what you described, it’s called zoomies, whippets do it often and it’s so funny to watch.
Your blog is an inspiration to me, I feel like I know you! Thanks for sharing.
Leann
My dog also does the tucked-tail run when he is feeling particularly spaztic!! I never knew if it was a common dog thing or not. How funny!
One little thing that brings me joy is reading your blog every day! 🙂
Reading blogs makes me feel good and happy 🙂
The first cup of morning coffee. A run through the woods. A hug from my kids. A glass of wine.
Fresh, clean bedding. Brushing / playing with my hair. Autumn leaves changing colour.
The little things are the best 🙂 Sometimes it’s when I am biking back from the gym and no one is awake and the sun is gorgeous. And I love those PJ’s! I have the ones in the middle 🙂 JCrew, right?
Love crock pot breakfasts so yummy! The cat with eyebrows is too funny! Right now I am following @sunnytheshihtzu since I have shihtzus I go crazy for the pictures! Waking up every morning to my family makes me very happy 🙂 hope you have a great week! Love + Shine Courtstar
Our little pup definitely runs around with his tail tucked and runs in circles around the room or outside while he is excessively excited. We say he is boot scoot’n and laugh hysterically every time. Dogs are so wonderful!
running or walking along the ocean as the sun rises makes me so happy, and it makes me smile no matter what. Also, picture messages from my sister with her dogs makes my day!