Happiness is...A Good Book

Reading books is very high on my list of favorite things to do along with crafting and music.  I have been really busy lately so I haven't had time to sit down and enjoy a good book in way too long.  But that's all about to change.  Now that the holiday show is over I have a little more time to relax while I work on Christmas and consignment orders and I can't wait to read some of the books I have been wanting to read all year.  

Another reason for my renewed excitement to read is this.

My sister gave me a Kindle Fire for my birthday so now I don't have to drive to the bookstore to get a book.  I can download it whenever I want to!  I'm so excited!  I love that I can use it for more than reading books, too.  Words with Friends is so huge on that thing!  ;-)

I finally started reading The Hunger Games this week and I am hooked!  I can't stop reading!  I asked for book suggestions on Twitter and Facebook this weekend so I have a good list to keep me reading for a while.  I'm so glad people sent suggestions because I am terrible at choosing my own books.  This is going to be a great holiday season!  

Do you have any good book suggestions for me?  I would love to hear them. 

Happiness is...Yoga

Well, I'm getting my Sunday Happiness post a little late but it's still Sunday!  It's been a busy crafting day for me.  I didn't get a lot done but I'm happy with it.  :-)

Today is about looking back on the week and reflecting on something that made me happy.  I recently started practicing yoga and it makes me very happy.

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About a month ago I started a fitness class at Lockhart Mixed Martial Arts and I love it.  It feels so good to make time to take care of myself.  I get so caught up in my to do lists sometimes that I forget to take that time. 

One of the days during the week in fitness class is dedicated to yoga and pilates.  I've been wanting to try out yoga classes for a long time now so I was very excited.  I loved it!  I wanted to do more!  My friend Linda and I tried out a yoga class at Black Swan Yoga in Austin.  We went to a class and it was hard!!  I'm hooked!  I was ready to go back the next day!  I didn't because I was so sore that I could barely even move, but I wanted to!  ;-)  We went back the following Saturday.  

Another yoga studio called Yoga Yoga in Austin is having free classes at Barton Springs every Saturday morning in May so we're going to that for the next few weeks.  I loved having yoga class outside!  The weather was beautiful and when I started to get really hot a breeze would come to cool me off.  

If I didn't already have to wake up at 5:00 in the morning this is how I would start my day.  This is a video by Lilyana Heimberg.  She is one of the instructors at Black Swan Yoga.

Happiness is...Acting Like a Child

As an adult when someone tells us we are acting like a child they don't mean it in a very good way.  Well, I think we need to turn it around and see it in a whole new way.  We can learn a lot from kids.  I think we should try acting like them more often! 

Think about it.  Kids are so free.  If they want to sing really loud in the middle of a store they do.  If they want to twirl around in circles for no reason they can.  They can wear the craziest outfit and no one thinks they're crazy.  They live with no regrets.

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Kids don't have a lifetime of people putting them down or telling them what they shouldn't be.  They don't have the self-consciousness that we develop as grown ups.  Everything is still new and magical to them.  As adults we just get through the day sometimes.  We lose sight of all the magic around us.

I saw this video for the first time yesterday and fell in love.  You may have already seen it.  I'm not sure how long it has been around.  Yes, it is a cell phone commercial.  Just ignore that part and enjoy the fun of it and what it's saying.  It made me think about how much more fun it is to act like a child.  So, Why not be like that more often?  :-) 

I hope you have a wonderful day!  My goal for today is to enjoy myself and act like a child as much as possible.  :-)

Happiness is...Nap Time

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I love naps!  It's one of my favorite things.  I just wish I had more time to take naps.  I get so busy that I never have time to just stop what I'm doing and lay down to relax.  Remember when we were kids and didn't want to take naps?  What were we thinking??  I long for the days when naps were a required part of the day.  ;-) 

Naps are the perfect way to refuel.  I think that I am more productive when I have time to stop and rest every once in a while.  When I feel too tired I have more trouble concentrating and I am way less productive.  I would love to live in a place where everything just shuts down every day for a while so we could all rest.  How wonderful would that be???

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Are you wondering what prompted this little ode to naps?  Probably not, but I'll tell you anyway.  :-)  Well, I have been thinking a lot about nap time a lot lately.  I made a nap mat cover and pillow case for a friend's daughter this weekend.  I think it turned out pretty good.  Hopefully it fits the mat.  I'm a little nervous about it.  I used the measurements she gave me and added the seam allowance and an extra three inches so it would be loose and easy to slide over the mat but it looks a little small.  We'll see!  Maybe I'll be making another nap mat cover very soon.  ;-)

I made a little Craft Academy drawstring bag to match the sheet set, too.  I thought it would be a nice little gift.  I was so flattered that she thought of me when she needed something sewn for her. 

Makes me happy!

Happiness is...A Long Weekend

Yep!  I'm finally taking a couple of days off work.  I can't actually afford to go anywhere but I'm excited to have a few days away from my normal routine.  I always have this little guilty feeling taking time off but I'm trying to just ignore that and have fun!  :-)

Since I have four whole days off I decided I would take some time to get some stuff done around the house and work on some craft projects I have been wanting to do.  I probably won't get to everything I want to do but that's okay.  I'm so excited!!

I thought I would share with you some of the fun things I have planned for my weekend.

I'm going to sleep as long as I want to for as many of the days as I can...

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...and take naps when I feel like it.

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I'm going to drink my coffee slowly and enjoy every drop of it.

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I have tons of reading I would like to catch up on.

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This is my reading list.

 Beezus & Ramona

The Little Prince

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Wolves at the Gate

I want to try to catch up on some of my shows, too.

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I want to go for a walk at Stagecoach Park and take pictures.

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I'm going to help a friend set up a blog.  EEKS!!! I have no idea what I'm doing!  This should be interesting!

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I am for sure going to work on craft projects!

I have lots of fun projects and recipes from Craft Academy...

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...and I want to work on some personal projects, too.  I have a few things that I've been wanting to try out for a couple of months and just haven't had the time.  Yes, they all involve felt!  :-)

I'm going to start cleaning out my extra bedroom (it's a mess!!!) to get it ready to become my craft room!  I have a few things planned but it will have to be a work in progress for a while...I have to wait until I have some money to spend on it.  For now I'm just going to get it cleaned out and usable for crafting.  I'll keep you posted on the progress as I go.

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On Tuesday I'm going with a group of friends to Girlie Night at Alamo Drafthouse.  They are showing 10 Things I Hate About You!  This is one of my favorite movies!!!

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Last but not least...the most important part of my long weekend...

I'm going to...

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I hope you have a fun  and relaxing weekend, too.  Do you have any big plans this weekend?

p.s. I will be back later today with week eleven of my 365 project!  See you later!!  :-)

Happiness is...Spending Time with Friends

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Life gets so busy sometimes that I think we forget how important it is to spend time with friends and just have fun.  We get so caught up in going to work and running errands and whatever else and fun time with friends gets pushed aside.  We need to remember that our fun time is just as important as our work time.  It's what gets us through the less fun parts of life.  :-)

I have been trying to make more of an effort to spend time with my friends lately for a couple of reasons. They're my friends so I like to hang out with them.  And I think it's imortant to make time to do things I enjoy.  I find that when I get super busy with everything I feel sad and then I don't want to do anything.  I need time to refresh and get ready for the next crazy time.  ;-)

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Recently I went with some of my friends to the Glee-Along at Alamo Drafthouse.  I loved it!  We sang and danced and acted silly.  It was so nice to forget about everything and just go have have fun!

Before the movie they played 80s videos! Awesome!!! 

We had so much fun at the Glee-Along that we decided to try out Girlie Night this week!  It was playing at the downtown Alamo again.  I love going there!  I hate driving downtown but, luckily I have friends who are nice enough to volunteer to drive.

They played Adventures in Babysitting!!!  Who doesn't love that movie?? 

Before the movie they showed internet videos with cute animals and dancing babies!

Next month they're playing one of my favorite movies of all time - 10 Things I Hate about You!!!  I can't wait!

Makes me happy!

Happiness is...Random Acts of Kindness

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I had a really great experience on Saturday that inspired me to write this happiness post.  It wasn't any amazing or life changing moment.  It was just one little random act of kindness that made me smile.  I told this story in my craft adventure post but I wanted to revisit it here one more time. 

I spent my day on Saturday shopping for craft supplies and one thing that I needed was turquoise double fold bias tape.  I soon found out that this was impossible to find.  I went to three stores and could not find it anywhere.  But in that third store I started up a conversation with a lady that was looking at the bias tape about her beautiful fabric.  She asked me what I was looking for and I told her.  She just happened to have the last package of the exact thing I had been searching for all day.  After we talked for a couple of minutes she ended up giving me the bias tape and wouldn't take no for an answer.  This made my day!

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I am a receptionist at my job.  One of my duties is to assign conference rooms for meetings.  Of course this means that everyone comes up  to my desk and asks me where they need to be when they forget.  Well, today someone came over and asked me where her meeting is so I just told her like I always do.  Before she walked away she said, "I just wanted to tell you that you do a great job."  It made me feel so good to know that someone appreciated what I do there.  Most of the time I just assume that I am invisible at work since I am at the front desk by myself almost all day.

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It's pretty great how a couple of nice words or one small gesture can change so much.  Think of how great it feels when someone says something nice to you.  Imagine what the world could be like if more people looked outside of themselves and practiced just one small act of kindness every once in a while.

I want people to feel the happiness I feel when someone pays me a compliment or does something that makes my day.  I plan to spend  my week trying to find ways to pay it forward with random acts of kindness.  Hopefully the kindness will spread from me to the people around me and then to the people around them...

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May God bless and keep you always

May your wishes all come true

May you always do for others

And let others do for you

-Bob Dylan

Happiness is...Happy Mail

Getting mail is so fun!!  Usually all we seem to get in the mail is bills or junk mail, but then sometimes we open up that mail box and find some great surprise inside.  That's the best feeling!!!

I love the great feeling when something I ordered finally comes in the mail and I open the mailbox to find it waiting there for me!  I think sometimes the anticipation of the package coming is actually more exciting than the thing I ordered. 

I can't even imagine how excited PostSecret creator Frank Warren must feel when he checks his mail!  He is very lucky!

I saw these really cute necklaces at The Renegade Craft Fair but I was trying to not spend a lot of money there so I didn't buy one.  Silly me forgot to get her card, too!!  Luckily my friend Velma found the shop on Etsy and she was able to order the necklace.  I got one for me, my mom and my sister!  I went a little crazy!  Velma was so awesome and kept me posted on the status of the package the whole time.  It was so fun!  The necklaces came in on Tuesday so I will get them from her when I see her on Sunday!  I'll post pictures when I get them.  I'm so excited!!!

The real reason for this happiness post is to tell you that I signed up to participate in this amazing thing called Happy Mail.   I found Happy Mail on the creator's blog called Inspired Mess.  It's a really great blog.  You should definitely read it. 

The basic idea of Happy Mail is this...

You sign up and fill out a survey.  Your survey will be given to someone and you will get their survey.  During that month you send them one post card and a fun little package of goodies that you pick from the information on the survey.  They will do the same thing for you.  Doesn't that sound like so much fun??  I'm supposed to find out who my partner is this weekend.  I can't wait!  I'm going to buy some Austin postcards from my coworker Glade.  She makes cards and sells them in her Etsy shop Glademade.  I am so excited to start searching for goodies for my Happy Mail partner.  And I'll be watching my mailbox all month long to see what my partner sends me!

Have you gotten anything special in the mail lately?  :-)

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Makes me happy!

Happiness is...Fortune Cookies

Not so much eating fortune cookies because they aren't nearly as good as they used to be.  But don't get me wrong.  I still eat them!  I'm all about the fortune.  It's so fun to open up the cookie and see what it says!  The possibilities are endless!

Sometimes fortunes are full of wisdom...

Sometimes they are just silly!

The silly ones are my favorite!!

I recently discovered the Soft Thai Summer Rolls at Firebowl Cafe and I am hooked!!  I get them every Wednesday before church!  So, I've been reading a lot of fortunes lately.  It's my favorite part of the meal!

A couple of weeks ago I got this fortune.
It makes absolutely no sense...that's why I like it!

I was sitting with my friend and his daughter and after I read it
she asked her dad what the end of the rainbow looks likes. 
Too cute!!! It made me smile!

Look at all these cute fortune cookie crafts!

Crochet

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FELT!!!

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I loved this fabric cookie so much I had to make it.  It is so cute!!!  I found the pattern at Brassy Apple.  The pattern said to glue the wire and ribbon down but fabric glue wasn't holding and hot glue made it fold weird, so I ended up just stitching the wire and ribbon to the fusible fleece.

I wonder what the fortune says...

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.

Art is knowing which ones to keep."  -Scott Adams

(It's really a quote more than a fortune, but I liked it.)

Makes me happy!

Happiness is...Singing Along to the Radio at the Top of Your Lungs

...and not caring who sees you! 

Yep!  I'm one of those people.  I just go for it and sing like I'm good at it...and I don't care if anyone sees me.  It's like when I get in my car I'm in a little invisible bubble where no one can see me.  Well, I must be in an invisible bubble because that's the only thing that would explain all the inconsiderate people who cut me off when I'm driving!!  ;-) 


I just love to sing along when I listen to music.  I like to experience the whole song and not just listen to it.  I know...I'm weird!  I'm okay with it!

These vintage radios are awesome!!  I may need to start a collection of my own!

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I love music!  It is the one thing that is guaranteed to make me feel something.  I think we all have this connection with songs that can't really be explained.  A song can trigger a memory or make you see something in a completely different way.  And sometimes it just makes you smile!  :-)  It's pretty amazing!!!

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I'm trying to figure out how to embed songs into my blog posts, but until then this will have to do.  Could only find this live version.  If anyone knows how to embed songs I could use your help.  I'm trying to figure out Grooveshark.  I saw it on an Chelseybell's awesome blog Always Learning.  Her blog is fun!! 
Maybe in the next post.  :-)

Ruthie Foster - Up Above My Head

Makes me happy!

Happiness is...Light Bulb Moments

Don't you love it when you have spent a lot of time trying to figure something out and then you suddenly have a light bulb moment and it all makes sense? That's the best feeling! It's especially fun when you get to help someone else learn a new thing and they have an awesome light bulb moment.

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My light bulb moment came last night when I tried to make a button for my blog to link to my 365 project on Flickr.  I tried the code on the tutorial at A Few of My Favorite Things and for some reason I could get the link to work but not the picture.  So, I looked around the internet and found another code on ehow and tried it. 

Guess what!  IT WORKED!!!  I figured it out!!  I'm so excited!!!

Here's my button!

It actually goes to my Flickr page when you click on it!!

The post on  A Few of My Favorite Things was great because I learned what you have to do to make a button and I learned how to get the url for the actual picture.  I'm sure the code was fine.  I probably just did something wrong when I was copying and pasting.  Now I'm going to try to make a button for my blog and use the tutorial for creating a scroll box so it can be copied and placed on other sites, too!

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I think my favorite light bulb moments happen when I can help someone else learn something new.  I was supposed to help a couple people learn to make a felt notebook cover at Whatcha Makin' on Monday night.  Well, one person couldn't make it and we started a little late, so we didn't get very far.  I was only able to teach my friend Noemi and her daughter Sarah how to sew a blanket stitch by hand. 

On Wednesday Noemi wrote the sweetest message on my faceook page.  She wrote, "Happiness is having Marci teach me how to blanket stitch".  It made so happy to know that she enjoyed what I showed her.  Then on Wednesday night Sarah came up and told me she had been practicing her blanket stitch all week and was getting really good at it. I'm so excited for her!!! She is very talented!!

I hope I have more opportunities in the future to teach things at the Whatcha Makin' group.  I love crafting so much and it feels so good to be able to share it with other people! 

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Makes me happy!!!