Fun on Friday – Links Around the Web

Hey all! I just wanted to pop in real quick and say hello! I’ve been frantically working on lots of new stuff lately, and I can’t wait to share it all with you. Until then, I thought I would share a few amazing things I’m loving right now from around the web:

1. These Kate Spade wine bottle stoppers make me want to open all the wine in my house just so that I can use these pretty stoppers! That’s a lot of wine!! Well, it is the weekend, right?!
2. This Magical Disney Proposal Story is the coolest I’ve ever read about. Check out her ring…and those custom engagement MagicBands!!!
3. Metallic are my favorite. I especially love these gorgeous metallic sequined bridesmaids dresses. Head over to Style Me Pretty for tons of metallic and sparkly wedding ideas!
4. Ice cream is one of my best friends. Yeah, I befriend inanimate objects! Head over to Sara Harvey’s site to catch an adorable DIY with those pretty little wafer cookies…here’s a hint – she makes them look like ice cream!
5. I’ve been on the lookout for a crochet pattern for little hexagon pouches. I want to make hexagons that I can stuff like little raviolis and make into a quilt. I havn’t begun yet, but I think I found a hexagon pattern!

Well, my dears, that’s it for today. I hope you all have a happy and healthful weekend! All my love!

28 Days of Adding Happiness – 12 Links From Around the Web

So, last night I was trying very hard to finish up yesterday’s 28 Days of Adding Happiness post, which I have been super excited about and looking forward to for a while now, but I could barely see! I’m seriously not exaggerating. You see, ever since we moved to Knoxville in 2010, and then, even more so since we moved to SLC area in 2011, I have been stalked like prey by allergies. They have chased me tirelessly no matter where I run or where I hide. I’ve managed to remove myself from their radar through the use of incredible vacuums, out-of-this-world air filters, essential oils, local honey, and what I considered to be the greatest allergy medications ever, but this year, they have caught me by the shirt tails and dragged me down to my knees where i grovel and beg them to release me.

Last night was completely and utterly horrible with eyes so itchy and watery that i could barely see and sneezes coming at regular intervals. I had taken two different allergy medications (don’t worry, the double up was approved by my allergist) in addition to a nasal spray, but nothing was giving me any relief. the misery was over the top, and there was nothing I could do.

I’m so sorry. Can you all forgive me? Please? Oh thank you a million times over!

Okay, so moving on….the post!

Here are the links that I’ve been dying to share with you all:

This woman’s slightly harsh but very real talk about business has helped my so much! (some foul language)

I have been dreading my next birthday, but this post has me feeling a little bit better about it all. I feel like I’m actually prepared!

Success is something we all aim for, right? Here are some secrets to it!

I’ve been waiting very impatiently for this book to finally go on sale.

I’m pretty certain that fitted sheets are the enemy of all women, but this just might even the score.

I love this lady, and this idea is the greatest thing ever! What a grand idea!

This Oat and Pecan cake with vanilla ginger frosting recipe that is nothing but raw vegan goodness! I can’t wait to try it!

This sugar rush in a box!

Bugs have never been this cute!

Loving this adorable and simple garland DIY!

These awesome party favors can make any party that much better!!

And finally…. cupcakes are my favorite, but this cupcake kit brings them to a whole new level!

Happy weekend, and don’t forget to hop over to Sara’s blog to see her awesome posts tonight! I happen to know that you will not be disappointed! She has some A-MAZE-ING stuff going up tonight!

28 Days of Adding Happiness – 28 Ways to Bring Happiness to Others

As I read Sarah’s post yesterday, I was so touched by her honesty. She is so right about our purpose here to love each other. If we are all honest, isn’t it really the relationships that we have that are what make life worth living? Its the people that we love and the people that love us that make each day worthwhile and that make our lives complete.

Lately, I’ve been feeling that stretch she talked about. In a year’s time I’ve gone through two huge yet rare medical diagnoses, a major life changing surgery, losing my job due to disability, my husband getting laid off a week after my surgery, learning to walk again, opening a business, going to school full time, and testing our vows in our first year of marriage. Every day I go to bed exhausted! I go to bed wondering how I’m ever going to get up the next morning and face the world again. But, each day I wake up next to my best friend, and I know that no matter what, he is going to love me, and no matter what, I am going to love him!

That relationship is what makes life worth living. It’s what brings a smile to my face throughout each day. Most of all, it’s the thing that life is beautiful, and crazy, and wild, and fun, and adventuresome, and perfect in its imperfections!

Sarah’s post yesterday leads right into what I wanted to share with you today. Other people can be a huge part of our lives, yet we don’t always show them how much they mean to us. It’s important to show people, whether they are our spouse or the stranger that took our order at the ice-cream shop, that they are important to us. Who knows, you might be the only person that shows them a smile today or the only person that thanks them for working so hard.

I’ve compiled a list of 28 awesome ways to show some appreciateion to others and give them a reason to smile. Today is about not being happy yourself, but about spreading that happiness out and sharing it with others. Today is about adding happiness to our life by adding happiness to the lives of people who matter. So, here you go, 28 ways to show some love:

1. Call a family member.
2. Compliment a stranger.
3. send a handwritten note.
4. Ask people for their opinion. It will make them feel valuable!
5. Leave a positive comment for management about a hard worker that you noticed.
6. Bring a treat to work to share with your coworkers.
7. Leave flowers on a neighbor’s front porch.
8. Give out a hug!
9. Send a text to let someone know you are thinking of them.
10. Send flowers to you mom for no reason.
11. When somebody helps you, thank them, and use the name on their name tag.
12. Leave some change at the vending machine.
13. Sing and dance in the car at a stoplight. Instead of stopping when somebody looks at you, look them in the eye, smile, and keep on singing!
14. Leave a note for your loved one where they will find it later.
15. Walk an elderly neighbor’s pet for them.
16. Buy an extra newspaper at the dispenser machine and leave one for the next person.
17. Tie some balloons to the playground equipment at a local park.
18. Donate to a local food pantry.
19. Drop some quarters where a child might find them.
20. Send your pastor or church leader a card.
21. Tip your grocery bagger.
22. Help a mother by taking her cart back to the cart corral.
23. Leave a note on a public bathroom mirror.
24. Write “thank you” on your restaurant receipt and leave it for the waiter or waitress.
25. Leave one of these for someone.
26. Hand out these to someone.
27. If you and your spouse or your roommate have designated chores, go ahead and do theirs without telling them. When they realize what you’ve done, it will make their day!
28. Go ahead and hold hands! It reminds people that you need them!

I agree with Sarah that this experience of blogging back and forth with Sarah and sharing all of this happiness with each of you has been such an awesome experience. It has been both challenging and rewarding. This series has made me realize some wonderful things, and I’m having so much fun. I hope each of you reading our posts is loving the series just as Sarah and I are loving the experience of sharing each post. Stop in at With Love Paper Goods tomorrow for Sarah’s new post, and don’t forget to come back here on Friday for some great linkups around the web! I can’t wait to share some pretty things I’ve found with you all!

28 Days of Adding Happiness – 10 Easy Ways to Create More Happiness in Your Life

Hello Friends! I’m really, really sorry that I didn’t get this post up yesterday. As you all know, sometimes in life, the unexpected happens. At those times we can choose to panic and still try to get 28 hours worth of life lived in one 24 hour day, or we can take a few deep breaths, prioritize it all, and get done what we can get done. Yesterday was one of those days for me. It couldn’t have been a more appropriate time for my world to fall apart seeing as how yesterday I was going to write about 10 ways to create more happiness in your life, and I actually had to take my own advice yesterday. It’s crazy how things happen sometimes!

10 Ways to Create More Happiness in Your Life

1. Move! Park a little further away, take the stairs, stand up while you fold the laundry, chase your dogs around the yard for a few minutes…These are all ways to get you moving. If you can’t commit to 20 -30 solid minutes of exercise each day, at least try to get in 30 minutes of movement spread out throughout the day. Getting up and moving will make you feel so much better, and in turn, add a little happiness to your life.
2. Sleep! When we don’t get enough sleep, our bodies don’t function as well as they could. Sleep is so important. I always find that I can accomplish things a lot faster and better when I am well rested. Sleep makes me less grumpy toward others, too. Adding even an extra half hour of sleep to your day can add just a little more happiness to you life.
3. Eat! These days, everywhere you look there’s another diet popping up with promises to make you the next Victoria’s Secret model. Nearly every one I know seems to be on a diet., but what if we stopped with the whole diet game and just chose a lifestyle? What if instead of counting every single calorie you take in, you simply started eating in a way that made your body feel good? Fruits and veggies are important, and we all know that. Try to include a few more of them in your day, and they will be sure to add some happiness to your life!
4. Make lists! You know you have about a million things going through your head each day and all kinds of things to remember. Write those things down. It will save you the stress of remembering them…or worse – forgetting them. Making lists will ensure you always remember the things you need to do, the places you should go, and all the little things in between. Making lists will add just a little more happiness to your days.
5. Prioritize! We can only do so much. Every day, we are given 24 hours and in those hours we still have to sleep, eat, exercise, work, etc. and that all takes time. Each day when you get up, take some time to think about the really important things you need to do that day. When you prioritize everything, you ensure that the things with high priority are sure to get done, and the things with lower priority can be done if you have time. Since we aren’t all superheros, if we don’t get it all done, at least we know that the most important things got done.
6. Smile! Right now I want you to try something. I want you to smile, and I don’t want it to be just a small curve of your lips, I want it to be a big, huge, genuine smile; I want it to be the kind of smile you smile when you can’t stop laughing! Sometimes the simple act of smiling can be enough to brighten your day and add a bit of happiness to your life!
7. Connect! Get off Facebook and actually connect with somebody in you life. Social Media is a fantastic tool, and it certainly has a place in our lives, but it cannot possibly replace human interaction and connections. pick up the phone, make a dinner date, play a game! These are the real life things that matter. Connecting with the people you love instead of staying glued to a screen all day or all night will add some happiness to your life!
8. Journal! I know we don’t all have the time or even the patience to sit down each day and write pages and pages about how our life is going at the moment, and you don’t need to if that isn’t your thing. I found a great way of journaling a few years ago that has become a daily habit of mine. Each day at the end of the day, I write one sentence detailing something important that happened that day. It could be as simple as “I made it to work early today, and it felt so good to not have to rush.” or as huge as “I got married to my best friend today!” Taking a moment each day to reflect on your day and find one positive thing about your day that you want to remember, will add happiness to your life!
9. Say No! In the past I found myself stressed out because I always seemed to have a million things I needed to do, and a lot of the time they were things I didn’t really even want to do or have the time to do before I even committed to doing them. If you find yourself always saying yes to people and filling your calender up to the brim, go ahead and stop. When something really doesn’t interest you, it’s okay to say no. When your schedule is already full, it’s alright to pass on something. Saying no every once in a while will free up your schedule a bit, take your stress levels down a notch, and add more happiness to your life!
10. Free Time! Are you one of those people that have every minute of your day planned out from the exact minute that the alarm goes off and you hit the snooze button twice, until the minutes you close your eyes at night? If you are, you need to give yourself a break! Give yourself a half hour or even an hour each day to do nothing, or at a minimum, to do exactly what you want to do at that given moment in time. Even if you have to write it down in your planner “free time to do anything I want” it will be worth it. In that free time, go ahead, read a book, take a bath, sip on a glass of wine, meditate, do what makes you feel good. Giving yourself this opportunity to do what you enjoy, will absolutely add happiness to your life!

Do you have some other suggestions for adding happiness to your life? I’d really love to hear what you do each day to bring about some happiness in your life. Leave me a comment below telling me all about it. Then click on over to Sarah’s blog for today’s 28 Days of Adding Happiness post. She’ll be sharing some great links with you today. I’ll be back tomorrow to share one of my favorite places to go for some yummy happy treats here in my town!

Have a great afternoon! Oh, and a fantastic weekend! Happy Friday everyone!