Renovations: Let's face it, HAPPY needed a make-over!

'a HAPPY how to' has been a working progress for a couple of years now.  I’ve had some good posts and some bad ones.  It’s the life and reality of being a busy writer.  Still, I want to give those smiling faces lots of attention.  So here’s the deal, I thought about giving HAPPY a face lift.  She’s had a lot of work done; it may take a little bit for the “swelling” to go down.  So please be patient.

The first thing you’ll notice is that there are several NEW pages.  These are straight off of my pinterest account.  I find so much inspiration shuffling through others discoveries…I thought it might be fun to do a little building based off of that.

Teacher Things: For the aspired and experienced.  Some of you may have picked up by now that I am studying to be a teacher.  Not only that, but currently I substitute and I teach a group at church once a week.  There's LOTS of resources out there for teachers and I wanted to share things that I have found here.  This may include websites, projects, crafts, lesson plans, tips, parties, and much more!

FOOD: Low calorie and otherwise.  We all love food.  Some of us like to cook it but we all love to eat it.  Whether your a calorie-counter (guilty!) or a fan...this is where you'll find the JUICE.  Find recipes and more!  If there is a specific thing your looking to cook, let me know!

a work of ART: It's what you make it.  One way for sure that I've found happiness is through expressing myself.  You might try something new, or maybe you just want to be inspired.  Find out more on this page - want to build something but not sure how, just ask!

LOSE it.  We should all try to be the best we can be...and as cliche as it sounds, exercising and eating properly have helped me to do just that.  Need training techniques, motivation, tips, and more?  Look no further, HAPPY has it!

 

...The other thing you might notice is that there is a new Creative Commons copyright license.  I feel official!  Take a look at that below if you have any interest in using my HAPPY.

What other improvements can HAPPY make?  List your suggestions in the comment section below.

 

Like Water to a Sponge: My Relationship with Reading

 

My fingers brushed along every spine.  I walked along the rows of bookshelves, entranced by the options.  A trip to the library for me was not an “in and out” experience.  Every time I would feel completely indecisive.  What should I read?  It all looks so intriguing with the colorful covers and bold striking titles.  Places like Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million make bank off of people like me.  It takes honest strength for me to walk out of book store and not look like Gus-Gus off of Cinderella; a stack of books so high, my chin is the only thing keeping them from flying all over the place. 

As we speak, I have several books glaring at me, waiting to be read, mulled over, and loved.  Letters to a Young Teacher by Jonathan Kozol, a loaner from a teacher friend (what aspiring teacher wouldn’t want to read this?); The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, current popular teenage read borrowed from a youth member at my church; The Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto, loaned from my concerned father about our education system (this looks a little intimidating as it presents like a text book); Old Yeller by Fred Gipson, Ralph S. Mouse and Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary, old treasures thrown out and discovered; Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien, a fifth grade favorite and possible cultural point book review candidate; Matilda by Roald Dahl, ‘I can’t believe I saw the movie as a child and didn’t realize it was a book’ must-read; and finally Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls, I picked this up because I read The Glass Castle and fell in love with the authors sassy but well-spoken nature. 

My waiting list of books varies to say the least.  Most were suggested by friends and family, I love to bond with people through reading.  Others have worn out pages and are stamped from old libraries and teachers with forgetful students; somehow they found a home on my book shelf.  No complaints.  I will read them so that their pages continue to wear, but also because I may have a chance to hand them out to my own absentminded students.  And then there are the books I have chosen for myself. 

The excitement I feel for my new collection of Children’s Literature is high to say the least.  I have a second pile of books from one of my classes and they are glaring just as hard as the first.  Imagine Belle from Beauty and the Beast.  She loved to read, it’s apparent from the beginning of the movie.  She loved to read so much that she was given the library at Beast’s castle.  What a gift!  Ever since I could remember, I’ve wanted to absorb the words of our time, give consideration to each of them, and to adore them. 

“Like water to a sponge."

List your favorite books here.

Cyber Diary

A lot of the emails we get on a daily basis are what we categorize as, "junk email".  Most of them are from our favorite shops and they contain the newest sale options or thrifty bargains. Unless a birthday is coming up or I just realized I have an abundance of money lying around (because that happens so often), I delete them.  

The other emails we receive are the professional emails...you know, the ones with to-do lists, outstanding projects, the refined budget, or upcoming events.  These, although important, aren't the ones we look forward to.  They aren't the ones I look forward to.

I like the ones from the people in my life; my family and friends.  These emails hold a sense of value that those other correspondents do not.  I love looking back over emails and see how my relationships have evolved.

What is your favorite email?  Maybe it’s a message from your brother, telling you how your niece talked about you during her Show-and-Tell session.  Or perhaps you want to save the email from your boss in which he praises your insight and persistence in finishing a particularly difficult project.  And of course, you’ll want to save the sweet flirty emails from your crush or love notes from your significant other.  

Ruby Red Slippers

One of my favorite movies is The Wizard of Oz.  I can remember sitting down and watching what seemed like a really old movie.  The black and white soon transformed into a magical world of color, munchgins, high hopes, and a long journey.  Dorothy was a character that resembled innocence and determination.  Her braids and basket shouted sweet while her new ruby red slippers spoke of a passionate longing for familiarity and family.  Those shoes not only dazzeled the yellow brick road, but it remains an iconic symbol of good ole home.  It makes me think.  She simply had to put on ruby red slippers and click her heels three times to find out what she loved best: home.  I had a pair of shoes that did this for me.

Granted, these shoes were not of a brilliant color and they definitely did not shine; more importantly, they did not look like something a girl would wear.  Rather, my shoes were dull and brown that laced up my ankles, as these were boots.  Bulky, cheap, pleather boots.  Aside from the vast difference in appearance, these shoes offered the same comfort.  After spending minutes putting them on, I wouldn't click them together.  Not even close.  They were not my secret weapon in getting me to what I loved best, but I was offered the safety that a home would offer.  

My dad wore boots a lot.  Mainly because he was a solider in the army.  His boots were symbolic of his bravery and hardship for a country he called home. Mine did not carry that much weight and burden.  But I looked to my boots the way my dad might have looked at his; the way Dorothy eventually looked at hers.  They reminded me of my dad's courage and it gave me courage.  I felt like I could do anything.  I thought, 'with these boots, I can climb a mountain!'  or 'with these boots, I can travel through any kinds of weather!'.  I don't know where those boots are now, but I can remember wanting to wear them all the time.  Now my 'go-to-shoe' is a pair of tennis shoes...

What are your favorite shoes?  When did you get them?  Why do you love them so much?  Write about those shoes that made you happy and paste a picture of you sporting those kicks.  

The Ugly Stuff

Sometimes happiness can come from the ugliest things.  I'm taking this approach with the latest news feeds from the 2012 Presidential Election.  I wasn't like the obscene dancers on TV, I didn't wiggle and jiggle when the President was re-elected.  It might take me a few days to adjust to the ugly... next four years. But, happiness can stem from this.  God is in control.  He has a plan and it is sovereign.  So, while I adjust I might just create a little ugly of my own.  I'm going to be a creature maker.

I'm going to invite a few friends over, crack open a bottle of wine, and I'm going to craft the ugliest monster I can possibly fashion.  It will help with the adjusting.  I will give this little monster a ridiculously sweet name, a history, a life story.  I will love this monster.

Confused yet?  Use the Very Easy Creature Recipe.

Here's what you'll need:  2 sheets of felt (cheap...fancy...homemade...however you feelt), embroidery thread in a complimentary color, scissors, a marker, a file folder (or cardboard), buttons, bits of yarn, scrap fabric, beads, and other accessories.

Start by drawing a simple shape for your creature on the file folder/cardboard.  If you’re a novice crafter, stick to a simple shape for your monster like a square or a rectangle.  If you’re a comfortable crafter, you can choose a more adventurous shape.  Use a copier to blow up these templates 200% (or any size that will work with your felt).

Cut out your template.  Trace it on the felt twice.

You now have the front and back of your creature cut out of the felt.  Sweet!  Now, you need to sew the two halves together.  Put the two pieces on top of each other.  Make sure that the “ugly sides” – the side of the felt with the marker trace line – are facing out.

Sew the two sides together.  If you’re an excellent seamstress, you’ll make tiny perfect stitches.  If you’re like me, you’ll do the best you can.  Be sure to leave a 1-2 inch hole unsewn.

Flip your creature right-side out through the unsewn hole.  Fill the creature with stuffing.  Chopsticks are handy if you’re stuffing long and skinny arms or legs or other bits.

Sew the stuffing hole closed.

Make a face using buttons, markers, embroidery thread, and anything else you have on hand.

Lilo had the right idea...

...like I said, I'm adjusting.

Language Guru

While I was in Guatemala, I realized just how vital it is to know at least the basics in other languages.  It was hard to communicate.  I found myself doing a lot of hand gestures...pointing to colors or buildings.  When it came to actually having to use Spanish 101, my vocabulary was slim.  While I was there I picked up a few nice sayings, "Hermosa bailarina" (beautiful dancer) or "Dios es amor" (God is love).  So in all this effort to communicate I thought about how nice it would be to learn to compliment someone in another language.  It seemed to go a lot farther in Guatemala than "Hola" (hello).

Here are a few of my favorites!!

Spanish     Me ecanta el sonido de su risa... I love the sound of your laugh.

 

French     Tant que vous etes la, je ne m'inquiete pas ou nous allons... as long

               as you're there, I don't care where we go.

 

Dutch     Je maakt me een beter mens...  You make me a better person.

 

Filipilino     Mayroon kang maraming klase...  You have a lot of class.

 

Latin     Qui habitu procedit ut puteum cum tone de corio tuo...  That dress goes so well with the tone of your skin.

 

Learn how to compliment people in another language, but make sure the compliments are unique and quirky and slightly crazy. 

Cheering for America: A small testament for a big country

Election day is closing in for 2012 and already it has been an eventful year for the red, white, and blue.  The olympics kicked up the dirt in patriotism and all Americans threw up those #1 foam fingers and unraveled their pom-poms.  Mitt Romney's slogan, whether you are with or against him, is something we should all have as bumper stickers: "Believe in America".

We are a people, a nation.  Shouldn't we essentially be on the same team?  Whether in swimming, racing, or dancing, aren't we all excited for America to be the best it can be?  Politics always has my head spinning.  Aside from the nominations, the beliefs, and disagreements, I can't wrap my mind around it.  Sometimes it seems so simple... can't we all just get a long?  

At the end of the day I'm cheering for America.  She is my team.  At this next event, I will not be wearing a bold red or a diligent blue but a combination of the three colors that resemble a strip and a star.

Let your inner cheerleader out by attending an event where you can cheer people on – a marathon, sports game, or a parade will do the trick.  Cheer with abandon and let yourself become a super fan!  Write about the experience in the comment box below.