Be Happy

This life is taking a turn, my friends. Hopefully, a dramatic one. Last night I watched the documentary Happy. The production team travels "from the swamps of Louisiana to the slums of Kolkata in search of what really makes people happy. Combining real life stories of people from around the world and powerful interviews with the leading scientists in happiness research, HAPPY explores the secrets behind our most values emotion."

I realized there's a lot I haven't been doing. I've been selfish and ungrateful. I've been more concerned with myself than with others. I've been afraid of a lot of things. While I was watching the movie, I made a list of categories that the movie discusses, and what I can do in each category to bring happiness into my life.

I want to share my list with you, and I hope you feel inspired to make some changes and additions to your life and to the lives of those around you.


Health
Walk every day. Raise my heartbeat. Break a sweat. Take a yoga class. Eat more vegetables. Take vitamins.

Work
Get a job that fulfills me. Spend my time wisely. Exercise my skills. Make money (it really is a part of happiness).

Education
Learn. Finish my last two classes. Take a photography class. Take a graphic design class. Learn new skills. Teach people. Maybe take a dance class.

Activities
Spend more creative time. Do art. Do more journaling. Dedicate a certain amount of time to creative writing. Join a choir. Expose myself to music, art, and other cultural things. Surround myself with people I love. Invite people into my home on a regular basis. Do service daily and intentionally. Use cleaner language.

Religion/Spirituality
Be more prayerful. Read scriptures daily. Repent more. Be more involved with church. Make church a spiritual event rather than social.

Family
Spend regular time with family. Get pregnant. Prepare for motherhood. Strengthen relationships with siblings and parents.

Home
Keep a clean and beautiful home. Decorate. Organize. Make my home a place where the Spirit resides. Reduce sources of stress or contention from the home.

BOGO

The holiday season is almost here, so I wanted to offer an awesome promotion for ads!

BOGO!

If you buy one ad, you'll get the same ad for the next month! You'll be getting two ads for the price of one! Buy one, get one free! Two months at half price!

Ok. I don't know how else to phrase it.  Go buy any single ad, any time in the next two days, and I'll edit the ad to go for two months. The holiday season is a great time to advertise, as people do lots of blog searching for gift ideas, recipes, party ideas, giveaways, and traditions. I've got some themed giveaways planned, and they're going to get lots of attention!

Click here to buy an ad. 

This promotion is good for all ads, including blog consulting packages. On November 1st, this smokin' hot deal will be over, so get it now! If you'd like me to edit the start date on your ad, I can make it begin whenever you want. Send me a message.

Marvelous Monday Hop!

Good evening, everyone! Welcome to Marvelous Mondays week 17! I hope you all have had a great weekend. This week's co-hosts are:

Julie from This Gal Cooks (HOST)

Tess from The Framed Lady

Leslie from Violet Imperfection

Sara from Milwaukee Kitchen

Be sure to stop by these wonderful blogs and say hello! We cannot wait to see what you have to share this week! Did you miss last week's features? Have no fear; you can check them out right here!

If you are interested in co-hosting, please contact Julie (thisgalcooks@gmail.com) and let me know when you would like to co-host.)

<a href="http://www.thisgalcooks.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q543/jmurkerson/marvelous_zpsaba40276.png" /></a>

Rules:
1. A follow of your hosts via Google Friend Connect, Twitter, Blog Lovin, Facebook or RSS Feed is greatly appreciated. 
2  Check out your fellow bloggers' projects. Leave them some wonderful comments to let them know that you stopped by.
3. Link up your recipes, crafts or DIY projects. No giveaways or shops, please.
4. Grab a button. It's not mandatory but it helps get the word out about the party.

Not today.

I had a topic I meant to write about for today, but after some very scary, traumatic events yesterday, my brain isn't allowing me to say much more than:

Sorry, no real post today.

Thanks for always being so supportive and kind with your comments! I appreciate everything you guys say.

I'm going to go breathe into a paper bag now.

Life: may cause drowziness

I don't know what's going on, but I've been SO TIRED lately! I hit a wall around 8:00 pm, and I'm ready to go to sleep! My eyes feel super dry, I yawn nonstop, and can't focus on anything for more than an hour (unless it's TV).

Here's the weird part: I'm not pregnant. I checked. Twice.

I worked a ton of hours last week (though I think every childcare hour counts as 3), so I was completely mentally depleted. I'm not used to being around children for long amounts of time. I don't especially like children. But I'm good with them, and word gets out. If you watch one person's kids and they don't die, suddenly you're the go-to nanny/babysitter for the whole community.

I'm not complaining. It makes great money, and I like taking care of people. But last week, I spent 144 hours straight caring for children. Literally. 144 hours in a row. I was burnt out. I was tired of crying kids. I was tired of peed on beds. I was tired of child conversations. I was tired of 2 loads of laundry every day. I was tired of watching Power Rangers instead of Breaking Bad. I was tired of baby tantrums.

I was plain-old tired. Is it any wonder, then, that it feels like my bedtime around 8:00?

I left Conrad home with a child on Saturday for about an hour and "ran to the bank." I actually did go to the bank, but I spend a good half-hour in See's Candy, buying a whole box just for myself. I came home and hid the box. I have since eaten all of the chocolate.

I'm beginning to understand motherhood. Motherhood is exhaustion. Motherhood is "going to the bank." Motherhood is hidden grown-up candy. Motherhood is a secret moment locked in your room trying to not cry, just because you're so stinking tired.

But I'll tell you something. Quiet time and alone time are so much more gratifying when they're more rare. And the happy smile from a just-fed child, or the snore of a napping baby, or the smile on a kid when you're picking him up from school. Those are darn great moments.

Check out my guest posts here and here.

We made it to 600! I'm looking for bloggers to donate for a giveaway!

Wahoo! We hit the big 600 last night, and to celebrate, I'm having a big giveaway! If you'd like to donate an item or ad space, fill out the form below!

This is a great way to gain some exposure for your blog without the commitment of sponsorship!

DUE TO THE OVERWHELMING AMOUNT OF DONORS, I HAD TO CLOSE DONATIONS. SEE THIS POST TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY, WHICH IS NOW LIVE.

Spanakopita

For dinner the other night, I made this amazingly tasty Maple Dijon Chicken and Spanakopita. If you haven't heard of this tongue twister, it's a Greek spinach pastry. I had never had it before, but had seen it and thought it sounded delicious. 

What you'll need:
1 roll of filo dough (a box comes with 2 rolls), thawed
1/2 cup melted butter (and a kitchen brush)
1 box of frozen spinach, or you can steam your own (once wilted and wrung out, it should add up to about a cup)
Feta cheese (As much as you want. Just eyeball it. I used about 1/2 cup, and I wished I had added more)
1/2 red onion, chopped and sauteed
salt and pepper
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (this seems like a lot, but do it)

Add spinach, feta, onion, salt, pepper, egg, and dill to a bowl and mix. Set aside.

Brush the bottom of a 9x13 pan with butter. Lay down a sheet of filo dough so that it goes over the edge of the pan. You'll probably need more like 2 sheets per layer. Brush butter between every layer. Alternate butter and sheets for about 8 layers. Spread the spinach mix evenly over the dough layers.

Fold the dough that was over the edge onto the spinach (so that none is hanging off). Layer the dough and butter again until you use the rest of the dough, making sure that no dough goes over the edge. If you have extra butter, just brush extra on the top.

Bake in a 350 oven until golden brown on top, about 30-40 minutes.

It smelled amazing while it was baking. I ate a piece while it was still warm, and it was unbelievable. It was buttery and flaky, and the spinach mix tasted like that super yummy spinach dip they give you at family restaurants.

Then I shamelessly ate another piece.

Huge Giveaway!

Its October!

Its Fall!

That's enough for me to have a giveaway & I brought 14 friends along with me!

And its Winner Takes All!

Geek Can Be Chic / Ever So Anna Designs
{{Ever So Simple Design}}
The Framed Lady
{{A Featured Ad Space}}
Jellibean Journals
{{1 Bag of Dark Roast Costa Rican Coffee}}

Slogan Adventures
{{2 months  ad space}}

Big Apple Mami
{{Medium Ad Space for November & December}}

Pamela's Heavenly Treats
{{Mini Cupcake Ad Space}}

Juggling Act Mama
{{1 month 300x100 Mama's Spot Ad Space}}

BaxtronLife & Yellow Umbrella
{{$20 Gift Card, Winner choice between Michael's, Amazon, Target and Starbucks}}

Dear Brighton 
{{Featured Ad Space 250x150}}

Sabje's Blog
{{2 months normal ad space}}

Boys Oh Boys
{{XL Ad Space}}

All My Love for All My Days
{{3 months medium ad space}}

Yours Truly
{{A custom post signature}}

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I am lucky to have 14 amazing women joining me this week for this amazing giveaway!

Stop by their blogs, get to know them!  You'll be glad you did!

Rules & Information

You must be a follower of Singledou[b]t!

All entries will be verified!

It is winner takes all!

HAVE FUN! 

SPREAD THE WORD

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A non-parent caring for a child

Conrad and I have been babysitting a six-year-old boy for the last 4 days. It's been an eye opener. Here are some things I've learned about children and motherhood.

+ Pull-Ups do not necessarily prevent pee from getting on the bed. They slightly lessen the amount that soaks  into the mattress.
+ It's hard to eat a bagel when you have a loose tooth.
+ If you ask "Did you brush your teeth?" and the answer is "yes," the answer is really "no."
+ If you ask "Did your Pull-Up leak?" and you hear silence, the answer is "yes."
+ Children are most underfoot when they have spilled soda all over a computer keyboard and you're trying to clean it up quickly. This is also when they request "steak."
+ Turn on Spongebob if you need alone time.
+ You may think your house is childproof, but it is absolutely not. You'd actually need to completely remodel to make it childproof.
+ When your husband is helping a six-year-old wash his hair, and you can hear the encouragement and instruction from the kitchen, it's pretty much the cutest thing.
+ Assembling a weight-set while the child is still awake is not a good idea. He will want to show you how much weight he can lift, and then he will want to show you how to take the screws out of the rack. It is just generally dangerous.
+ Waking up extra early to get the kid ready for school is worth it once the kid is at school. You get several hours of uninterrupted alone time.

Where I want to go: Portland

Oh, wait. Not that Portland. Oh wait, YES that Portland!

sources of images in order: 1//2//3//4//5//6//7//

Year-round rain means year-round scarves, boots, and cups of tea. Wet pavement at night is the best thing. Cafe's with an abundance of couches and warmth are the other best thing. Portland has all the best things. We're wanting to plan a trip to Portland in the spring, but we aren't sure the best time of year to go. Anyone have any suggestions for places to visit, things to see, shows to go to, or restaurants to eat at? Any local Portlandians have any suggestions?

The Years

Twenty-seven of them. Infinite more to go. Happy birthday to Conrad!

You sexy thang. Everyone wish my gorgeous husband a happy birthday!

How do you read blogs?

pretty living pdx//ashpants//taush. o//life created

When I come across a new blog, there are a few ways I might read it. 

If I instantly fall in love with the blog, I may go all the way back to the beginning and read the whole thing. I may begin reading, then fall in love, and just keep going. Or I may check back only when a new post is uploaded. Or I may check back only occasionally, depending on my mood for their content.

Mostly, if I like a blog, I'll follow them via GFC and check their blog as new posts are uploaded. Occasionally, I'll really click with the blogger and read all of their posts.

How do you read blogs? What are some of your favorite blogs, that you've read all the way from the beginning? 

Return The Favor Hop

Welcome back this week for another round of the Facebook hop!

Leave your email address to be notified every week before
the link-up goes live as a reminder! Never be at the bottom of the list again ;)

If you would like to be a co-host in the future, please send an email to chelsea@yourstrulyblog.com and let me know what type of hop {Twitter, Facebook, GFC, Bloglovin'} you'd most like to co-host!

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Follow your host & co-hosts

Share the hop with others, whether it be via Twitter, Facebook, your blog, etc!
Come link up with @chelseaoliviaxo for the Facebook hop to find new friends! http://www.yourstrulyblog.com/2012/10/return-favor-hop-week-12-facebook.html
Feel free to copy the code for the button from above and put it up on your blog.

Take a couple minutes to visit some other people who have linked up and let them know you stopped by from the Return The Favor hop - and hopefully they will return the favor!

Chelsea from Yours Truly
Nicole from Me + The Moon
Amanda from mommy is coocoo
Ami from AliLily
Dawn from LeroyLime
Katie from Loverly She
Tess from The Framed Lady
Jen from Frazzled 5

Salted Caramel Apple Pie

I made this super delicious caramel apple pie the other day. It was absolutely delicious. I don't even want to tarnish its deliciousness with an attempted description. Instead, I'll just tell you how to make it.

But first, let me rant about how stupidly difficult and frustrating it is to try to make your own pie crust. Just buy it. Seriously. Buy it.

First, prepare your ingredients.

2 pie crusts (I used Marie Callendar's frozen).
3 apples, cored, peeled, and very thinly sliced
Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg (just a pinch)
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp flour

1/2 jar of Smuckers' caramel sauce (you could make your own, but really, I'm all about cutting corners)
Sea salt for sprinkling
1 egg, beaten

Allow one pie crust to thaw while you prepare the filling. Keep the other one frozen. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 F.

Toss the sliced apples in a bowl with the lemon juice. This prevents browning and adds extra flavor.

Mix the cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and flour, then pour over apples and mix to coat evenly.

Remove the frozen pie crust. In the frozen crust, layer 1/3 of the apples so that there are minimal gaps. Drizzle 1/3 of the caramel over the apples. Layer another 1/3 of apples, then caramel, then apples, then caramel.

Pull the thawed crust out of the tin, and flatten on a clean, floured surface. You could do a lattice like I did, which is sort of difficult and time consuming, or you could cut shapes out and place them on the top of the pie. You could even just place the whole crust on top of the pie. If you do that, just make sure to cut several vent holes. Drizzle any remaining caramel over the crust, then sprinkle sea salt to your heart's content!

Brush the beaten egg over the pie crust. This gives the crust a beautiful golden brown color as it cooks.

Place pie on a cookie sheet to catch any overflow. Bake in 375 oven for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

The caramel will be runny, so the pie will be very saucy. I recommend serving with vanilla bean ice cream.

It would also be amazing with some melted cheddar cheese, cinnamon ice cream, or whipped cream! What's your favorite kind of pie, and accompaniments for pie?

I'll Follow Back: Facebook Edition

A few weeks ago, I wrote an I'll Follow Back post, and I got some great suggestions on people to follow! It's also a cool way to see who sees your blog posts.

I decided to do another one today, only Facebook Edition!

So here we go:
If you have a blog, and you like my facebook page, comment on my facebook page, let me know that you follow, and leave your facebook page link. I'll follow you back. Straight up. I'd super-duper love it if you also followed my blog via GFC, but it's not mandatory.

Also, who else is flipping out that October is half-way over? I've got some serious Fall-itis. I'm decorating my house, wearing sweats, and I even baked a salted caramel apple pie. You heard me. Baked. I'll share the recipe later. It was amazing.

Date night: The Bay

Back in the heart of summer, Conrad and I bought tickets a while ago for a David Byrne and St. Vincent concert for last Wednesday. It was at a small, outdoor hotel venue down by the bay. It was the teensiest bit chilly, which was wonderful. The sky was cloudy and purple. 

We ate at Bali Hai, a restaurant right over the water, and just walking distance from the venue. 

The concert was super fun. We snuggled under a blanket and enjoyed the music. David Byrne, the former lead singer of the no-longer band The Talking Heads and St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) made an album together, so we heard lots of their collaborated songs as well as their own songs. It was super dancy and fun. Best song of the night: Burning Down the House. If you don't know it already, then I have two things to say to you: shame on you, and go look it up.

Sorry about the picture quality. It was pretty dark. We had awesome seats. 

Fall Transition

Here are some little Fall arrangements I've put together around my house! I love seasonal decorating. We had some Fall milestones this week: it rained for the first time, I started burning my Fall candles, and I've begun wearing sweaters and boots (and don't sweat profusely).

Here are some tips for making your home feel like Fall.
+ Put long cinnamon sticks in a clear glass vase. You'll kill two birds with one stone by putting out something that looks really cute and smells good!
+ Mix and match with your themes. Pick any Fall or Holiday theme or object, and go crazy! I went with pumpkins, since I felt like they would carry all the way through November. I've mixed pumpkin candles, real pumpkins, and wood or ceramic pumpkins, all in various colors (but all neutral). You could do the same thing with leaves, pine cones, spider webs, bats, etc.
+ Burn your favorite candles, or make your own home deodorizers. I'm already burning one candle called White Christmas, and this one, which is my all time favorite. For home deodorizers, just put some water in a saucepan and add anything that smells good to you. Some really yummy scents are sliced lemon, ginger, cinnamon sticks, or a sprig of Rosemary. Combine to your heart's content!
+ Put your favorite blankets on your bed. Now that the nights are cooling down, you can make your bed a little warmer and fluffier. Add your favorite quilts and pillows!
+ Schedule some super yummy Fall meals, like chili on rice, beef Stroganoff, and your favorite soups! Crock pot apple sauce and apple butter are also great to add to the list.

Hope you're feeling inspired for Fall!

What kind of driver are you?

The incher

This person feels no need to ever completely stop, ever. They begin slowing for a light 200 feet in advance, and slowly inch their way forward. The space between them and the car in front of them could usually hold at least two cars. This person tends to drive 15 miles under the speed limit. This person takes forever to pull out of a parking space, and is known as The Wall in parking lots.

The speeder/tailer



This person is always in a hurry for no reason. This person often drives an obnoxious "street racing" style car, who's rims have been cheaply painted black. There may or may not be purple or lime green flames on the sides of the car. The muffler has been removed, causing surrounding cars and pedestrians to feel as if they are about to be thrown into a wood chipper. I generally try to give people the benefit of the doubt, but this person, 99% of the time, does not deserve it. There really is no reason for him to be speeding. His wife is not in labor (the driver could never get a wife, as he hops from sales job to sales job, spending all his money on things like a matte black paint job). Also, nobody is thinking "That guy looks so cool pushing 80 in a school zone." We're all thinking "I hope that guy gets jail time and a huge fine." This guy is known as The Hazard in all aspects of life. In parking lots, we call him The Stealer, because he swoops into the spot you've been waiting for.

The lane blocker

This person is timid. He wants to make a right-hand turn at a light, but chooses to turn very widely, confusing everyone around him. While most drivers will pull into the right hand turn lane next to the other cars, this person worries greatly that his car won't fit, so he pulls forward slightly, and stops, blocking the lane for other drivers who have a smidge of bravery. This guy is also known as The Wall, like the incher.

The twin



This person matches the speed of the person next to him, no matter how fast they are going. This makes it very difficult to change lanes, because if you speed up, they speed up, and if you slow down, they slow down. If you get the chance to speed up very quickly and get in front of this person, he will usually flash his brights at you, or flip you off.

What other kinds of driving personalities are there? What kind are you?

Happy Leif Erikson Day

Did you guys see the Leif Erikson Day episode of Spongebob?



My favorite part is "Yenger Denger Denger."

Anyways, today I'm over here! Go check out my guest post on Dalayna's blog.

Cheeseburger Puffs

Conrad is a big, wonderful man-child. He mostly prefers kid food, and he's relatively picky. He commonly requests dinners like pizza, burgers, pigs in a blanket, hot dogs, and pancakes. So when I come up with a recipe that's easy and along the lines of his usual favorites, it's a big hit.

These cheeseburger puffs are super fast and easy, and your kids (or other picky eaters) will inhale them. It's a great dish because you can change a lot of the ingredients and get something equally delicious.

For 8 puffs, you'll need:
1 can of refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 pound of ground beef (or turkey)
1/4-1/3 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, or other favorite cheese
1/3 can of cream of chicken soup or cream of cheddar soup (honestly, whatever you have in your pantry will work. Cream of mushroom is fine, too).
1/2 onion, chopped (I used red onion, because that's what I had.

Saute the onion in a large skillet for 5 minutes. Add the ground beef to the skillet, and brown. Season with seasoned salt and pepper. The onion will continue to cook. Drain fat, and transfer the meat and onions to a mixing bowl.

Stir together the cream of whatever soup and the meat and onions. Once mixed, add cheese.

Spoon a generous amount of the meat mix onto the crescent triangles. Fold so that the meat mixture is contained (or mostly contained). If desired, sprinkle any remaining cheese on the dough balls. Bake as the crescent roll package directs, or until the rolls are golden brown.

Makes 8 puffs. Serve hot. My husband and I dipped them in ketchup, and we ate them all. If you have a bigger family, I'd double the recipe. The leftovers microwave really well.

 

Eyelash Update!

Check these babies out. I'm not wearing any makeup. I probably will not ever wear makeup ever again. I can sleep in them, shower, and swim in them, and always look totally made-up.

Definitely a recommended service.

Uplifting blogs vs. "train wreck" blogs

We've all seen it. That blog. The blog that contains endless posts of complaining, self-embarrassment, and hilarious bitterness.

And we love it. It's relatable. 

But what about when the blogger writes a long, ranting post, only to delete it ten minutes later, post a follow-up post, and explain that they deleted the post because someone said something mean? I've seen a couple blogs do this, one of which has done it multiple times, and it makes me want to unfollow them. 

If you are going to use your blog as a rant venue, you need to have thick enough skin to handle the comments that might follow. Am I right?

Then there are blogs which have an intense spiritual/religious undertone in every post. We've all seen them. 

And we love it. Again, it's relatable, but it's also uplifting. It reminds us to be grateful and positive. 

I'll be honest, though. Sometimes I'd rather read the gritty blogs. 

What about you guys? Do you prefer the uplifting blogs, or the [usually funnier] ranting blogs? 

October Group Giveaway!

This month's giveaway features three of The Framed Lady's sponsors! Be sure to check out their blogs and follow for a chance to win ALL of these awesome prizes! To become a sponsor and participate in the monthly group giveaways, check out the available packages here. Sponsoring other blogs is an awesome way to grow your readership, and also to find other blogs! 

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