Sometimes, the smallest things in life can bring a little cheer. We refer to them as teeny tiny happinesses. Here are the moments which brought me joy today…
Teeny Tiny Happiness #1
I opened my inbox this morning and found my friend Mazza the Toymaker’s Halloween newsletter. How cute are these little guys!
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Teeny Tiny Happiness #2
I bought this pocket SAS survival guide at a discount book stall for $4.
When I brought it home, Small Man said, “I’ve been looking for that, mum, how did you know?”
How did I know my quirky son would like a compact book on building artic shelters and figuring out which monkeys were safe to eat? Just a lucky guess…
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Teeny Tiny Happiness #3
Our six lovely ladies laid six gorgeous eggs today! I can’t decide if we should scramble them for breakfast, or turn them into a triple batch of marshmallows.
By the way, if you’d like to ooh and ahh over some perfectly formed eggs, have a look at Christine’s entries in her local show!
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Teeny Tiny Happiness #4
I am stupidly happy that my handbag has a pocket on the outside which is exactly the right size for a car park ticket…
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Teeny Tiny Happiness #5
Someone rang me today to thank me for my “unfailing optimism and quirkiness”. I was very chuffed by the compliment!
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Teeny Tiny Happiness #6
I can’t tell you how happy I was to discover that all the fish in our pond are still there – but the mosquito larvae are not.
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Teeny Tiny Happiness #7
This morning, my friend Maude, who lives across the road, came over for a cup of tea. M and I are both early risers, so we’ll often have a cup of tea at 6am, before the rest of our families are awake. It’s such a lovely, gentle start to the day.
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Teeny Tiny Happiness #8
My lovely friend Wendy owns The Fresh Green Bag, a company which specialises in reusable grocery bags. I was soooo taken with her new range of mini bags that I bought some to share with you. These are brilliant – I now have two in my handbag at all times.
They fold down to teeny tiny…
…and open up to carry a large load of shopping. I recently brought home six kilos of groceries in one!
Would you like a couple of these incredibly cute minis?
I have ten to g1ve αway – five sets of two. I’ll happily mail these to both Australian and international addresses.
Please εnter before 21st October by sharing with us one little thing that’s brightened your day. And please make sure to tell us if you’re based in Oz or overseas.
Wishing you all a wonderful day filled with many teeny tiny happinesses!
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Congratulations to Kitty, Intolerant Chef, Preppy Pink Crocodile,
Judy and Keri! I’ll be emailing you all shortly!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
One little thing that brightened my day today: my daughter finished organizing her room all by herself this afternoon! Also it rained today. Since we’ve been needing some rain here that was pretty exciting too. :-) I’m based in Oz.
I love the idea that the survival guide can be bought as an iphone App. There’s really no such thing as a wilderness anymore if you have a mobile phone! :)
I’m not applying for the g1ve away – we’re falling over reusable bags here and have far more than I ever need to use at one time. There are different sorts for every occasion, made of plastic, hessian, nylon and cotton, and already including a teeny tiny foldaway. It’s worse than having to choose a handbag when I go out – which bag is most appropriate?
Wow………There are so many things that I am thankful for today.
Top on my list though is the fact that yesterday in Chile the rescue tunnel was finally finished… and starting Wednesday the 33 miners that have been trapped 700 meters underground for over 2 months will finally start being brought up to the earths surface !!!!!!
Technology is AMAZING….and God is good!!!!
Sorry ….forgot to comment that I live in Chile! So do not worry if it is impossible to win the pr1ze….I just loved the concept of the c0ntest and feel that living every day with an attitude of gratitude is of vital importance to us all….so I am thrilled to simply participate!!!!!!
Making my first ever batch of oat and spelt flour pancakes, then eating them with chunky home-made marmalade for a late breakfast.
Oh Celia-
You brighten my day!
I come to your website before my own- before facebook- before my email account.
Because you have BREAD and Chocolate, and marshmallows, and CHOOKS! And because of your smiling face!
The changing leaves and sunlight reflected on the trees is doing a happy moment right now. :)
Thanks for all the encouragement!
Lovely post Celia. It reminds me of my luck journal, which I’ve rather naughtily not filled in for rather too long a time. Just before going to sleep, I write down all the happinesses teeny tiny or mega that have happened that day – even on a bad day, it’s amazing what you can find.
Love the bags – and horrah, we get to play this time.
Today, am watching a bowl slowly filling up with a beautiful rosie juice of rosehips, hawthornes, crab apples and quinces – am going to make jelly of course.
I’m on the Sunshine Coast and arriving home from work today the rain is pelting down, it’s blowing a gale and my day just went from grey to gorgeous when I see my son’s puppy coming out into the storm, with what can only be described as a huge smile, prancing and wagging his whole body with joy at seeing me. What a way to feel loved!!
I have been able to spend the last week at home with my husband who has been working away since May. I have been able to visit him several times since he’s been working (he’s 12+ hours away driving distance) but its not the same as time off at home. It’s Thanksgiving here in Canada and I’m thankful for our time together.
What a lovely post! I’ll be hunting out the SAS survival guide iPhone app for DH!
My teeny tiny happinesses for today were picking apples from our own trees to make a big apple pie to go with Sunday dinner (though tempered with the teeny tiny sadness of many of them having earwigs lurking inside); the smell of a chicken cooking with thyme and lemon in the slow-cooker, knowing that dinner is sorting itself without any attention; and seeing a pheasant fly in and land on our front lawn, browse around for a while and then whizz back off to wherever it came from!
Thank you Celia for your inspiring lesson in optimism!
After experiencing Teeny Tiny Grumpiness #1 moment when my 3YO son woke up at 5.15 after a resless night, Teeny Tiny Happiness #1 moment was when he lay next to me on the lounge and put his arm around my neck, kissed my forehead and asked me if I was OK.
What a great way to start a rainy Monday morning :)
So many things have brightened my weekend- having a house full of friends and home-cooked food; bread victories; seeing cherries setting on my trees; and my blueberries laden with flowers.
Oh, and I am in New Zealand :)
Thank you all – how lovely to get up and be greeted with all these responses! :)
Judy, that’s truly wonderful news about the miners!
I love it – teeny tiny happinesses – like dots we can join to map out our lives.
While camping the happinesses start my day – a snuggle from one or both kids and a perfect cappuccino made by Andrew!
I love those bags you gave me. I have them in my handbag all the time too. They are small enough to live there and now I actually use them. Not like the vast quantities of the standard type that are at home and that I never remember to take shopping.
That’s such a nice way to put it, SG – it’s like teeny tiny dots of joy that interconnect through the day! :) So glad you’re having fun camping (you need to buy the iPhone SAS survival guide for the kids – great stuff in there about how to build a bear trap).
The wee bags are just the bees knees – I absolutely adore them – really pleased that you do too!
Hi Celia,
What a fantastic list. I love the comment made by your friend. Quirky & optimistic is definitely a compliment.
My day was brightened this morning by the sound of my 5 month old playing with his dada’s lips & chattering away.
The little things in life really are the best.
Those bags look great, a very generous g1veaway.
Have a lovely week full of much more Teeny Tiny Happiness.
Kitty, love your blog! All those tiny moments when they’re babies are heart treasures forever. :)
I’m a snippet and a g1veaway….how cool!
Just found your blog, I like it.
One little thing that brightened my day yesterday was rescuing a new little chicken and giving it back to Mummy Chook. The chicken had somehow escaped their pen but I had finished for the night and was inside. Just thought I’d go check on them and I heard it cheeping so picked it up and put it back in. Chickens are so cute and soft. Love my chooks.
My days are full of things that brighten how I feel. I think we need to do some simple things just for us, every day.
Barb.
Today I am very happy that I finally managed to find a mobile dog washer to come and wash my disgusting dogs who found the overflow for the septic tank on the weekend!! They discovered that rolling in it made them very happy. It took about 10 calls to find one who comes to the Adelaide hills but I have finally found one who is prepared to tart up a very smelly border collie and and silly but sweet Irish wolfhound.
A big happy-the local health inspector just left after his annual visit to inspect my kitchen because I bake for the local markets–I passed. It always makes me so nervous.
Cute little bags! I wonder if I could fit one in my overcrowded handbag?
Sorry, I’m back again as I just realised that I didn’t say where I was from and you asked so nicely and all…
I am in WA, Australia. A great place to live.
Thought I might leave my blog address too, I hope you don’t mind?
Barb.
Note: I’ve linked it to your name for you, Barb. :) Celia
My happiness for this morning is I was able to give a new-ish friend having a hard time a big bag of organic silverbeet from my garden.
I love reading everyones little moments of happiness. Lovely…
I’m waiting for a friend I haven’t seen in years due to her living in the UK, and now moved back to Sydney. A dear, dear friend who just gets me…I’m a bit excited.
I discovered that adding a teeny tiny bit of red palm oil to organic chili and cinnamon hot chocolate not only tastes fine as it gives a slightly more creamy taste, but also seems to stop a skin forming on the top of the milk if you’ve managed to over heat the milk a teeny bit too much. That teeny tiny milk skin can really ruin your hot choc experience sometimes.
The one little thing that brightens my day is letting my chookies out in the morning. I just love to hear their little cackels as they follow me to the feed bin. My chooks give me lots of Joy.
My little (or quite big really) happiness today was just now. One of my oldest and dearest friends who moved interstate about 15 years ago is moving back to Adelaide for 6 months – I can’t wait to do our nattering face-to-face instead of by phone!
I have 2 bits of tiny happiness today. One is discovering all the teeny tiny tomato seedlings that have self seeded in the vegie patch, and the second is turning up (late) to get my daughter from school to be given a beautiful daisy wreath she had made while she waited. I wore it proudly!
It’s easy to let the teeny tiny bad things spoil things, like moths nibbling through the fabric of our day. Instead we need to embrace the teeny tiny good things like grace notes enhancing the music of our lives. Thanks for reminding me Celia!
Fabulous uplifting post Celia. My teeny tiny happiness right now is having read your post.
:-) Mandy
Ah, you’re sweet, Mandy, thank you! :)
I am very happy for you that 26 people have replied to your post. I am very happy for me that finally after friends of ours have purchased one Jane is coming around to the modern wonder that is ROOMBA, happy days !!
Moo {:0)
Oh and I must tell you my Dad proudly took me into his garden to show the monstrous broad bean plants he has.
His first atttempt at a crop in 40+ years of having a vegie patch out the back. Some have 4 baby beans from one leaf node he is chuffed.
Wow, Moo, good for him! Please let me know if he comes up with any brilliant recipes for them…
Thank you all for sharing – so many happy moments today! It’s made me very cheery indeed.. :)
My most recent teeny tiny happiness was my sister ringing me up to ask whether or not if she left a comment, she might win a mini bag? And people say I’m an optimist…hahaha
Celia..it was a long way down to write this message but had fun reading everyone’s happiness spots!
A great post..teeny tiny spots of happiness today for me..an early wake up coffee with hubby and a long distance phone call from my mum this morning.
The recycle bags look fantastic….I’m happy to participate with a quick message as always, not in the giveaway as you know I’m long distance! xx
My 6 month old baby girl & my 2 year old son cracking each other up just by making silly sounds! (Plus your blog with it’s yummy recipes – my favourite still to make is the Nutella scrolls!). Cheers Rebecca (Oz)
New friends who get as excited over the shape of eggs and home grown produce as much as I!! Wonderful post, Celia, thankyou :) I really like the idea of Choclette’s luck journal and what a find with the survival guide!
I absolutely LOVE this post Celia! It’s so inspiring and it’s so important to appreciate the teeny tiny things! Love those bags that you gave me too!
Teeny and tiny happinesses – there are so many if I just stop and look out for them instead of rushing. Mine … HoneyB proudly bringing tiny nobbly pumpkins to playschool. Oh and Himself wearing my favourite shirt on him. Good start to my Monday I reckon. But it was this post that made me really see it.
I love your TTHs!! I had one yesterday as I drank my favourite thé rouge in my kitchen at the house listening to the clucking of the neighbour’s 5 hens and one today when I looked at your little crystal angel.
Anna
[…] this vein, shamelessly borrowed from the lovely Celia’s fabulously uplifting post from yesterday, this is my list of teeny tiny moments of […]
Hey gorgeous people, thanks for joining in! I’ve had my first TTH for the day – it’s only 7am, and Small Man and I are having a discussion about Sputnik. ;-)
getting an email today which turned my potential secondary PhD supervisor into my actual PhD supervisor, giving me my full panel!
does that count? it’s pretty teeny tiny now, as i don’t need it until next year but it certainly made my day :)
Aaahhh Celia, what a heart warming post, thankyou for posting it because it makes me smile & automatically think of all the fabulous things in my life too. Things are going great in my life & its all because of a series of teeny tiny things as well :)
My not so teeny tiny happiness….
A misplaced Austrailian, who charmingly befriended me in Chilean Patagonia.
My day started off rough when my anxiety ridden 5yo made getting ready for the first day back at school (term 4 in WA), a nightmare.
Seeking refuge afterwards at my mums, my teeny tiny happiness occurred when out of the blue my just 2.5yo told her Nanny
‘you have a very nice garden nanny …. lots of green leaves ‘
And she was right, which was why I had sought sanctuary there :-)
Big thanks to NQN for directing me here :-)
What a fun giveaway! Today was such a sad day for my group of friends as one lost her husband. But one of my best friends called me and left a message to say she loves me and is so grateful for our friendship. It made me smile and cry at the same time. It a good way. I think its so easy to never say things like that to our friends. It meant a lot!
My puppy sleeping on my feet while I pop on blogs never fails to make me a happy girl too!
Oh and I am in Upstate NY, USA.
Nico, it absolutely counts! I know that’s a big thing – you must be pleased! :)
Anna, I’m so pleased to hear that! If anyone has a positive attitude, it’s you! :)
Isabel, finding an Aussie friend in Chilean Patagonia sounds very exotic. :)
Kerry-Anne, I hope you’ve reached the end of the day and everything’s ok with your little one. Big Boy cried for a whole term when he started school, so you have my empathy! But I’m glad you found some solace at your mum’s!
Preppy, I’m sorry to hear about your friend. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment for us!
PS. TTH for this afternoon – Small Man came home from school saying that now he had his SAS survival book, he wanted to watch Bear Grylls in Man vs Wild..sigh.. :)
I’m glad your son enjoys his SAS survival handbook.
My TTH was reading your post and all the comments. It made me slow down and reflect on my day.
I am thankful for every day with my family, and our time together. The children seem to grow up so fast. Sometimes I seem to get too busy with all the household tasks and forget to take time to see the small things, the teeny tiny happiness. Thanks for the reminder! (By the way, I live in Canada.)
My teeny tiny happiness is deciding to open the web and come to your site and to have the pleasure of reading yours and about 50 other humble reminders of being present and open-hearted.
Thankyou,
Craig
Manuela, Craig, thank you both very much! I’m so glad the post brought a little cheer to your day! :)
Hi Celia,
I live south of Sydney, and what always brings a BIG smile to my face is the family of blue tongues that live our backyard. The mum and dad are getting so used to me that they barely move from their sunbathing when I walk around them to the laundry (they do move when my 3 yr old comes running outside though:) As an added bonus they eat all the snails and slugs so that I haven’t lost a seedling this spring – now that really makes me happy!
Cherie
My teeny tiny happiness was found when I opened up my email inbox to find an email simply saying…
“I reckon this verse sums up [part of] your character/life :)
A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22”
Little compares to being able to bring a teeny tiny happiness to others!
I’m based in OZ
Oh Celia, you brighten every day in our home! I just love your blog and it always makes me smile. Thanks to you, my French husband is very happy with his home made butter…yummo!
Today my lovely neighbour bought in a beautiful instant garden for our deck. There are three types of lettuce, and three herbs, parsley, rocket and thyme! You can all check out his wonderful business at http://www.agrowingbusiness.com.au – in return I gave him some of my homemade butter. Happy neighbours!
My children always seem to know when I need a little bit of happiness. In my darkest hours they always come up with a rainbow of hope for me. My happiness comes from raising children who turned into young adults I love to be with. Thanks for your blog.
Plan B
Teeny tiny happinesses are like whirling dust motes turning in a shaft of sunlight in an open door
there are so many; playing Star Wars with minilego pieces last night and being told I could be Princess Leia was pretty good :)
You’d be the perfect Princess Leia, Jo! :)
Especially if I could spell my name right LOL. Tutak’s middle name is Leah, so I default to that, whoops.
Thank you all! Cherie, your family of blue tongues sound wonderful, and Keri, what a fabulous neighbour to have! :)
Lisa, great quote – someone obviously loves you! :)
Beth, having children who grow up to be amazing adults must be the best thing!
YOUR moments of happiness make me smile! I’m a person who gets excited when I open the window in the morning and it smells like Jasmine – it means it will be a good day!
And your eggs look beautiful! I’ve kept the blown egg shell from my first hen and it’s travelled with me after moving from the country to the city and soon to America!
So many happinesses!
I am happy and grateful for my friends all over the world, my fine family of mencats, but those are big things. I am grateful for sharp knives for the kitchen and sharp scissors for work. Work to do and lots of interesting paper to fold.
Other Teeny Tiny Happinesses, my seven fish in my pond, cell phones, my studio group of artists, and pillows. Pillows are awesome.
Hugs, Maz
My teeny tiny happiness for today: buying pumpkins to decorate the house for our first-ever American Halloween! I think I may be more excited about this than 6yo Miss B….As you know, I’m overseas now (sniff) but would love another lovely earth-friendly Aussie item to add to my collection!
Strawberries, we have star jasmine growing in our yard – it has the most amazing aroma when it’s in bloom!
Maz, sharp knives – I can totally relate – last night I was slicing tomato with a super sharp knife, and I had a TTH moment.. :)
Nancy, pumpkins! How exciting! Did you know that a pumpkin for carving costs $20 at the markets here? :)
My teeny tiny happiness happened tonight when my teenage son came in the kitchen and said “Wow Mom, those carrots are delicious – are they farmer’s market carrots?” And they were – I love the fact that he can tell the difference and that he loves them.
I also stupidly love the pocket in my purse that holds tickets and car receipts.
I have way more reusable bags than I will ever be able to use, including a lovely purple one that is the same size as your friend’s creations but I wanted to share happiness.
From Seattle, WA
Lynn, thanks for joining in – so nice that someone else understands how fab the car ticket pocket is! :)
Like you, I’m enjoying watching our boys grow up to be discerning eaters. Small Man told me last week that the boys at school had never seen an apple as large as the one he had – and they didn’t know you could buy them at the markets!
Brightest moment today was learning my 16 year old daughter had to use her best guy friend as her fashion model for her wearable paper mache newspaper dress.. He is soooo good to do this for her as her model backed out!
I’m in Victoria Australia :)
Barbara.
Her best guy friend sounds like a star, Barbara! I don’t know many teenage boys who would do that! :)
I am a Sydney westie and I am happy tonight that my homemade vanilla extract – which is how I found your blog in the first place – has developed enough to be used in the children’s favourite quick cake – cinnamon teacake! it already had a great flavour after only a few months in the vodka. so thanks Celia. (And I am still chuffed that I have some lovely vanilla beans left over for other uses too)
Our cat had been injured in a cat fight and I noticed that today she is walking on all four paws again – YAY!
Also I was telling my children that when I was young my mum (typical CWA country cook) used to make marshmallows and I found your recipe here so I will give it a go on the weekend.
Anne, thanks for letting me know – so happy your vanilla extract worked out well (and that your cat is on the mend!) :)
LOL – I have to say I am stupidly excited that even though a massive storm just hit here I got heaps and heaps of washing dry and the helpful thunder warned me to bring it in! talk about teeny happiness!
Off to bake something – i think i will try custard tarts (sans bay leaf, avec vanilla extract).
LOL – the storm just passed through here as well! I was grateful because the garden was looking a bit dry after yesterday’s scorcher! :)
Hi Celia,
today I received 2 teeny tiny bits of happiness in the shape of 2 teeny tiny bags! Thankyou so very, very much! I haven’t used one yet, but MiddleC grabbed one to walk to the shop with the dog. She said it was perfect!
Lots of huge happiness to you!
Hi Celia,
Today I also received my two teeny tiny bits of happiness! They are perfect….. roll up so small & yet big enough to fit a fair amount of impulse buys at the market… They will be living in my handbag.
p.s….more butter on the way!
Thanks a million & I hope all of your days are filled with tiny tiny happinesses.
xx
Chef, Keri, thank you both for letting me know! Keri, we had a whole litre and a half of cream go past its expiry recently, so we made a huuuuge stick of butter! It’s such a lovely thing to have on hand…