The Happiness Project

My friend Erica, who has a wonderful Blog called Celebrating Today, mentioned this book called "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin. It sounds so wonderful to me! And I am going to follow Gretchen's happiness challenge through her blog and probably purchase the book also. I wish I has started at the beginning of the year :) I am going to be putting her weekly challenge on the side of my blog every week for any of you want to follow and do it too. Here is the link to her Happiness Blog. We can all use a little more happiness and self improvement right?! So, here is a quote from her book and summary if you are interested:

"I always figured I'd eventually stop twisting my hair and wearing running shoes all the time. I'd remember my friends' birthdays. I wouldn't let my daughter watch TV during breakfast. I'd spend more time laughing and having fun. I'd be more polite. Then, one April day, on a morning just like every other morning, I had a sudden realization: I was in danger of wasting my life. I was that the years were slipping by. 'What do I want from life, anyway?' I asked myself. 'Well...I want to be happy.' But I'd never thought about what made me happy or how I might be happier."

Synopsis

What if you could change your life without really changing your life? On the outside, Gretchen Rubin had it all—a good marriage, healthy children and a successful career— but she knew something was missing. Determined to end that nagging feeling, she set out on a year-long quest to learn how to better enjoy the life she already had.
Each month, Gretchen pursued a different set of resolutions—go to sleep earlier, tackle a nagging task, bring people together, take time to be silly—along with dozens of other goals. She read everything from classical philosophy to cutting-edge scientific studies, from Winston Churchill to Oprah, developing her own definition of happiness and a plan for how to achieve it. She kept track of which resolutions worked and which didn’t, sharing her stories and collecting those of others through her blog (created to fulfill one of March’s resolutions). Bit by bit, she began to appreciate and amplify the happiness in her life.
The Happiness Project is the engaging, relatable and inspiring result of the author’s twelve-month adventure in becoming a happier person. Written with a wicked sense of humour and sharp insight, Gretchen Rubin’s story will inspire readers to embrace the pleasure in their lives and remind them how to have fun.

Yummy Recipe and Quote

I thought I would fill your tummy's and minds today. hehe. Here is

the tummy part...sooo tasty.

CREAMY ORANGE CAKE

Ingredients:
1 cup boiling water
1- box (4 serving size) orange flavored gelatin
1 box Betty Crocker White cake mix
3/4 cup frozen (thawed) orange juice concentrate
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 egg whites
1/4 cup water
1 container (12 oz.) Betty Crocker Whipped vanilla frosting
1 container (8 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 for shiny metal or glass pan (or 325 for dark on nonstick pan).
Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with baking spray or flour.
In a small bowl, mix boiling water and gelatin until gelatin is completely dissolved. Cool slightly, about 5-minutes.

In a large bowl, beat cake mix, 1/4 cup of gelatin mixture, 1/4 cup of the orange juice concentrate, the oil, water, egg whites with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2-minutes, scrapping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan. Reserve remaining gelatin mixture and orange juice concentrate.

Bake 30 to 35-minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Poke warm cake every inch with fork. Place 1 tablespoon of the reserved gelatin mixture in a small bowl; set aside. Into remaining gelatin mixture, stir remaining 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate; pour slowly over the cake. Cook cake completely and about 1 hour.

In a medium bowl, gently stir together frosting and whipped topping; frost cake. Microwave 1 T. gelatin on high 10-seconds. Using 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon, place small drops of gelatin mixture over frosting. With spoon or toothpick, swirl gelatin into frosting. Store covered in refrigerator.
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I have been reading this really great book lately, for probably a month now because it takes me FOREVER now to get through a book cause by the end of the day I am to exhausted to read. It is called, Everyday Parents Raising Great Kids. Great book, I highly recommend it. I read this perfect quote from it and it kind of has become my mission statement for how I want my home to be & how I want to raise my kids, so here it is:

"I really wanted my home to be a place where family members felt valued, encouraged, and loved, and where they could learn how to live well. I wanted it to be a place where each one could grow, develop, laugh, play and hug. I hoped it would be a place where they could make mistakes and feel someone was there to listen to them, help them, teach them, and set a good example for them. I did not want them to feel i devalued them because they struggled. I wanted our home to be a place that, when the time came to leave and head out on their own, they would miss it, and want to come back with their own children. I wanted each one to say they came to know service, caring about others, kindness, faith, and gratitude better because they lived in our home and were apart of our family."