Starting the week by writing the Happy List is something I’ve been doing for the last few years. It’s my chance to sit down and reflect on the little or big things that made me smile in the previous week, as well as to record some of our family adventures.

Five Happy Things {Week 41/2025}

I found a book token with some money left on it so treated myself to a copy of the new Dan Brown book The Secret of Secrets. It’s hardback and heavy but a gripping story. This will be book 19 of my 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge, I think I was a little ambitious for myself this year.

It’s the time of year for Sixth Form Open Days and my son has asked to go and visit a few. It’s strange thinking about the next step after GCSEs already but I’m glad he is thinking about his future. Our diary is filling up with dates and deadlines.

My Pretty Fabrics & Trims Christmas Countdown is coming along nicely. I’ve stitched up to day 5 so far and the patterns are really fun to stitch. I’ve had a busy few evenings sewing on Scouting badges, but I’m hoping to get back to my sampler this week.

I enjoyed a fun day out at The Knit and Stitch Show at Ally Pally on Friday. I booked a couple of workshops to try, and made a re-useable fabric cracker and a macrame brooch. I wrote about the Knit and Stitch Show here, as well as my purchases.

We took the teens to the Pop Up Farm pumpkin patch over the weekend. It’s our annual tradition and we picked a selection of pumpkins. Each teen wanted pumpkins for their room, as well as a larger one to carve later this month.