Spring is Almost Here!

The Robin's have returned and that is so wonderful. At 7:30 this evening, a Robin was still singing in the tree in my back yard! That is SO wonderful! The weather ended up being nice, so the kids were playing outside, and they needed to run off some energy.

So today's Happy Thoughts are:
Robin's singing in a tree
Kids playing outside

The Easter Bunny Loves Me!

I have to be my own Easter Bunny, but I treated myself well this year! I didn't buy much but I bought one of my favortie treats:

• Chocolate covered marshmallows

So for today's Thing That Makes Me Happy:
Chocolate covered marshamllows in my Easter basket.

Food, I Love Food!

As I sit here looking at yet another 8 inches of snow, I can't help but think of warmer weather! So without further ado, here's my list of food tht makes me think of warmer weather!
Warm Weather Happy Thought Food:

• Red, White & Blue popsicles


• Iced tea, enojoyed on a summer's evening while the sun sets


• Frozen grapes


• Stroh's Bumpy Cake ice cream in a waffle cone


• Tomatoes, fresh from the garden


• Corn on the cob


• Watermelon (spiked or not)


• Margaritas, on the rocks, no salt, an extra shot of Cuervo


• Frozen peanut butter M&M's


• Grandma's potato salad

So for today's Thing That Makes Me Happy:
I can't wait to enjoy popsicles, while watching a summer sunset!

Reflections on Days Gone By

With all this thinking about things that make me happy, I decided to pick up my old notebook and see what things are in it. Some of the things are things that have made me happy since childhood. Some are things that make me happy just because. And Some aer things that made me happy a very long time ago. When I wrote things in the notebook, they were in no particular order. I just wrote them down as they came to mind.

Here's the first 10 things in my notebook:

• Walking in the rain
• Splashing in puddles
• Water gun fights
• Writing secret admirer notes
• Getting flowers for no reason
• A smile of reassurance
• A wink from across the room
• Carnival rides
• Milky Way Dark candy bars
• Carmel apples in October

As I reflect on these, many memories come to mind. So most of these are happy memories. There's a story behind each of those entries, most of which are almost 20 years old. I still like walking in the rain, and getting flowers for no reason.As for the smile & the wink, those are things that can make any girl smile, yet these particular entries meant SO much more at the time.

So for today's Thing That Makes Me Happy:
Looking back, and still being able to smile!

Giving Up Shopping for Lent

Today is yet another cold and grey day. I'm really looking forward to the warm weather; warm, not hot! It's Good Friday, and that means Lent is almost over. What does this mean to me? I get to resume shopping! For lent, I gave up buying things I don't need. This has been quite a sacrifice for me. I love to shop on line, and that's why I have a craft room full of stuff I don't use! So, what's my happy thing today? It's learning to think before I buy!

This has been an unusually rough Lent season, and I know I'm not the only one who has been faced with many challenges. I am hoping that my sacrifice will only be rewarded. I have learned some self-control, so that's a good thing. I actually have started looking at things and asking myself, "Will I actually use this, or am I buying it just because it's cool, or a good deal?" Yet at the same time, I have a list of things I cannot wait to buy! To add to my Lent sacrifice, I am trying to wait until April to buy many of the things I want. Yes, I have ulterior motives for waiting, but I'm still waiting! I have added another 9 days to my Lent sacrifice! But I think I can do it! I once gave up coffee for 83 days, so this should be a little easier.



So for today's Thing That Makes Me Happy:
Learninging it's OK not to buy something just because it's on sale
(Don't tell my husband!)

Spring is Almost Here!

This morning, as I rolled over and hit the snooze button for the fourth time, I realized I heard something outside. What is that noise? I know I've heard it before. Oh, my! It's birds! The birds have returned! Woohoo! Normally, the birds drive me nuts because they wake me up around 4:45 a.m, and that doesn't make me happy. But this morning, it made me happy! I've spent the last 5 months in cold, snowy, rainy, grey weather, and I am SO ready for spring! Bring it on!

So for today's Thing That Makes Me Happy:
Birds singing in the morning

My 10,000 Things to Be Happy ABout

Many years ago, (do I dare say almost 20?), my very best friend gave me the book 10,001 Things to Be Happy About. It was a book that made me think about the simple things that bring joy to my life. As I read the book, I began to highlight the things I shared with the author. And that lead me to start a notebook of my 10,000 things to be happy about. It amazed me how many simple things can bring joy to my seemingly intense life. Have you ever stopped to think about the simple things that make you happy?

Tonight, as I rocked my youngest son before bedtime, I realized those moments are soon to be just a distance memory. I must enjoy every millisecond now, because he's going to outgrow our quiet time, and in a few years, I'll be lucky if he evens wants a good-night hug!
After I tucked him into his crib, I decided to look for my the old notebook, and I found it, tucked away in the closet with so many other forgotten books. As I read the almost 20 year old entries, I was still surprised how the entries could still make me smile. Some of the things are from a time long left behind, but somewhere in my heart, those moments will stay precious. And some of the entries are things I still enjoy today.

For example, one entry is "watching a baby fall asleep while listening to Pachabel." That entry was made while I watched my now 16 year old niece fall asleep. It was the July 4th, 1992. My niece was about 4 months old, and I had taken in her the house so she could nap. I turned on my Pachabel cd, and just watched her fall asleep. I didn't have children at the time, and also had no intentions of ever having children at that time, but the moment was SO precious. Now, 16 years later, I rock my own baby to sleep while listening to Vivaldi. My oldest son liked Pachabel, but the youngest prefers Vivaldi. Each night, I take in every moment of our bed time ritual, because I know it won't be much longer, and this particular ritual will have to wait for the next generation. And that can be a long, long way off, please!

So for today's Thing That Makes Me Happy:
Rocking my own baby to sleep, while listening to Vivaldi.