Wordless Wednesday

 

This handsome man would be my brother….it was SO great to spend the week with him and his wife, Nicole.  I adore him.

Apple “Pie” Oatmeal

 

Today is National Pie Day….so I should really be posting about this pie:

But to be honest, the recipe needs a little tweaking before I share it with you. 

So, instead let me tell you about this Apple “Pie” Oatmeal. 

I rarely eat breakfast.  I know, Most Important Meal of the Day….blah blah blah.  I often find myself starving at 1pm realizing that I haven’t had anything in my belly all day.  Growls heard for miles.  So I decided that I need to make it easy, and quick, if I am going to give breakfast a go in the mornings.  On colder winter days, I really like something warm.  Cold cereal and milk on a WA rainy morning isn’t going to cut it.  And I don’t have time in the morning to make a hot delicious breakfast.  So I am taking a short cut.  I can pre-make this Apple Pie topping for my oatmeal, and then in the morning it just takes about 5 minutes to make some hot oatmeal.  I have time for this.  And it is so delicious…..and kinda healthy.  All that fiber from the apple and oatmeal.  I keep telling myself this…..it’s working. 

Apple “Pie” Oatmeal Topping

Makes enough for four servings

Ingredients:

2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and diced small (I like G.Smith because they hold their crunch after cooking)

1 tbsp Butter

2 tbsp Brown Sugar

1 tbsp Cinnamon (depending on how much you like cinnamon)

Directions:

Melt the butter in a skillet.  When melted, add diced apple to the pan.  Let the apple “sweat” and soften a little (not too much).  Then add brown sugar and cinnamon, stir to combine.  Continue to cook the apples for about another 5 minutes to give the sugar a chance to caramelize a little.

Put the warm apple mixture into a heat proof container that can be sealed and put into the fridge.  Allow the mixture to cool before closing and refrigerated.

Use within 5 – 7 days.

It’s simple.  Cook up your oatmeal, either on the stove or in the microwave.  Take a 1/4 of the mixture and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, and top your hot oatmeal with it.  Delicious and good for you.  And I will admit, when I eat it it gives me an extra boost of energy…..and the neighbors don’t complain about the growling my stomach makes. 

Well….happy National Pie Day!  Hope you are enjoying some yummy pie today!

 

Show me your pie!

Today is the Pie Party!  Time to show me your pie!  Seriously…..show me your pie!  Pretty Please?

A couple of weeks ago I noticed a lot of talk of pie, and a pie party….on twitter of course.  And then a Pie Party event on FB….realized I must participate.  I bake enough pie.  And I had a couple of pie recipes that I wanted to try out too.  So the wheels started turning.  Thank you so much to Shauna, Gluten Free Girl, for starting the Pie Party….hope we have more of these!

First, I made this Blueberry Cream Pie….and damn was it good.

Then, I got the idea of making a S’Mores Pie in my head.  And couldn’t shake it.  Canada Day was coming up, 4th of July right behind it….and what says summer celebrations more than a S’More??  Not much. 

Attune Foods was kind enough to send me a box of their Organic Honey Graham Crackers a few weeks back, with hopes that I would make something delicious with them.  And I sure did.  This pie is incredible. At first I was worried that I wouldn’t have enough of the Attune Foods graham crackers left to make the crust…the little mice that are my children seem to have been making their way into the box and helping themselves!  Luckily after turning them into crumbs in the food processor I measured….and voila…enough.  whew.  minor crisis averted.

I love a baked Graham Cracker Crust…I think baking it just gives it a nuttier flavor and tends to be more stable when slicing.

Graham Cracker Crust:

Measure 1 1/3 cup of graham cracker crumbs, mix with 1/4 cup of sugar, add 5 tbsp melted butter, mix together to coat all the crumbs with a bit of butter.  Press into pie dish.  Bake at 350 for 8 – 10 min.  Let cool completely before pouring in pie filling.

Easy Peasy right?

Now I have a love of all things pie, but lately a GOOD chocolate cream pie has been creeping its way to the top of my list lately.  And this recipe makes a GOOD chocolate cream pie!

Chocolate Cream Pie Filling:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 cup heavy cream, plus 1 3/4 cups
• 3/4 cup milk (I used 1%)
• 3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Pinch salt
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Instructions:

In a small saucepan combine sugar, 3/4 cup heavy cream, milk, cornstarch and pinch of salt, and whisk until smooth. Place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil, whisking from time to time for the sugar and cornstarch to dissolve and the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking at a low boil for an additional 5 minutes, whisking constantly.

In a bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and whisk thoroughly. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and whisk over the heat until thoroughly combined and very thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl, and whisk in the chocolate, butter and vanilla. Continue whisking until thoroughly combined (it will be very thick). Cover the mixture with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface and refrigerate until cooled to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Once the chocolate mixture is cooled.  Whip the 1/2 cup of whipping cream with powdered sugar until you get stiff peaks.  Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.  Pour the chocolate filling into the graham cracker pie crust and chill in the fridge for about 3 hours.

Now….for the Marshmallow part of the S’more….the most important part! (in my book)  You can’t just throw on a marshmallow and all it good.  It MUST be toasted.  right?  So I cut marshmallows in half, covering the chocolate layer with them….then let Jason take the torch to them to “toast” them for me…..he did such a good job…look:

And then….you have this:

Beautifully toasted marshmallows, creamy rich chocolate filling, amazing graham cracker crust….S’MORES PIE!!!

Perfect for any summer night. 

Did you make PIE for the pie party??  Show me your pie….leave me a comment with a link…would love to see what you made!

Wordless Wednesday

Last day of KINDERGARTEN!  I am officially the Mama of a 1st Grader….gulp!

I am so proud.

Wordless Thursday…

 

I know I am a day late with this post….and I hope you will forgive me. The day got away from me.

A great friend of mine (Mia Cupcake) asked if I would be interested in a 30 Day Photo Challenge….of course I said yes, and that I would give it a go….We started last week and decided to post ever Wednesday.  Here are my first 6 photos….

1. A photo of yourself:

2. A photo of what you wore today:

3. A photo of your favorite place to be:  (Wherever these two are!)

4. A photo from a high angle:

5. A photo of whatever you please: (Jason bought these for me….good husband)

6. A photo from a low angle:

Come back next week to see another weeks worth….

Mixing together two favorites

 

Every once in awhile a light bulb goes off on the baking side of my brain.  And sometimes that light bulb ends up with awesome results like this one…..

I was having a pretty crappy day yesterday, but this is not the time or place for those issues….so when I have a crappy day I try to think of things that make me happy.  I will also say it was a little gloomy yesterday too, and I was missing all the sunshine we had last week.  So I decided to create some of my own sunshine, in the form of LEMON CURD.    And even though I would be happy just eating said lemon curd out of the jar with a spoon….I figured the family would rather something else yummy for snack/dessert.  And since this pound cake recipe turned out SO well, I decided to combine the two. 

I bring you….Vanilla Bean Pound Cake, with Lemon Curd swirled inside.  It is TO DIE FOR.   Basically I just layered the pound cake batter with the Lemon Curd in between….and the curd stayed nice and soft.  Just perfect.

If you are every having a bad day I strongly suggest you make some of this….you can’t help but smile at a bowl of bright yellow lemony goodness.  Trust me.  It worked for me. 

Look at this cake:

Old Fashioned Recipes

I love recipes that get handed down from other generations.  I have several that I have been lucky enough to receive from my mother and Omi.  But this one isn’t from my family.  My amazing friend, Laurie (aka @SuperSlush) was kind enough to share her Grandmother’s Pound Cake recipe with me….and told me it would be ok if I posted it here to share with you all.   This recipe is very basic, but absolutely delicious.  There are so many different things you can add to this recipe to make it even more delicious depending on your mood….on my first attempt to make this recipe I was in the mood for a Cherry Lemonade….a la Sonic.  So I added these…

Maraschino Cherries!! Oh, and some lemon.  I love these cherries…I really don’t care how they are made, or what goes in them…they are yummy. 

Old Fashioned Pound Cake   Recipe Graciously Given by Laurie

Preheat to 350. Grease a 10 inch bundt or tube pan.

Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
2 sticks butter
1/2 cup shortening
6 eggs
3 cups flour
1 cup milk

Cream sugar, butter and shortening until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping sides in between additions. Alternate flour and milk, starting and ending with flour. Pour into greased bundt/tube pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

To make this a Cherry Lemonade Pound Cake zest and juice two lemons and add to the sugar, shortening and butter while creaming.  Drain a jar of maraschino cherries (save the juice to make a powdered sugar glaze), and fold in cherries before putting batter in pan.

To make the cherry glaze mix the juice from the jar of cherries with powdered sugar until you achieve the desired consistency.  Pour over cooled pound cake.

Look at this cake….but look quick, it wont last long….

Thank you, Laurie for sharing your Grandmother’s recipe with me…and for letting me pass it on to all of you.

xo

Monkey Monday

 

I got my “craft on” yesterday.  I use to be a big crafter.  I would obsess over scrapbooks, card making, knitting (failed miserably), attempted to crochet, quilting, stamping….you name it – I have the supplies for it.  Seriously, I have enough crafting supplies to open a small store.  When we lived in CT I would visit the JoAnn Fabrics so often they knew Jakob by name!   But baking and cooking have temporarily taken over my creative brain.  I really should sort through all the crafting supplies and sell some of it…to pay for new baking pans and sprinkles. 

I saw a picture of this on Pinterest (if you love to be inspired by all things beautiful you must check out pinterest) and thought it would be a fun thing to make for the students in Jakob’s class.  A cute little incentive to do some reading.  And it involves gummy candy…come on, we all love gummy worms.

So easy.  I took little cellophane bags (the same ones I use for my cookies), put in three gummy worms, and staple on the cute little tag.  I downloaded some free tag templates, glued onto red card stock and folded it over the top of the bag. 

Jakob was SO excited to take them to school and hand out to his friends.  And they were all pretty happy to receive them.

Are you allowed to take in treats like this to your child’s class??  If so, what do you like to take in for a special treat?  Ideas and links always appreciated!

Thoughtful Thursday

It’s not them, it’s me…

I realized this morning that the escalation in naughty behaviour by my precious little boys isn’t actually so, and that the problem has been with the way that I have been reacting to said behaviour.  I have lost my Zen Mama Groove.  I am usually a much more mellow, easy going Mama.  Not letting the small things get to me.  Something changed.  Since the move here I have been saying that they boys behaviour has deteriorated to the point of disaster, and that I am at my wits end.  But maybe it is me.  Have I just given up trying?  Have I just lost the ability to handle them?  To have fun with them and enjoy their craziness and go with the flow?  I think so.  And this makes me sad. 

I need to lighten up.  Find my place again.  I have started taking the steps to get back into the groove that I enjoy.  Playing with my boys, baking, creating, getting involved in volunteering, learning.  Do what makes me happy.  Tired of worrying what people think or perceive as reality and get back to what really matters.  My boys.  All three of them.  Be kinder.  Talk sweeter. And stop being so hard on myself. 

Gone in 21 hours….

And 10 of those Aiden was sleeping!  Aiden has devoured 75% of this yummy cake:

Aiden is my baked goods fiend.  He will try my creations and ask for them over and over again.  Jakob likes certain things I make; chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, sugar cookies, and chocolate cake.  But when it comes to new things like scones, biscuits, or this ah-mazing Strawberry Cake, he hesitates.  Not sure if he will like it he immediately says “No, Thank You” rather than taking a bite to see if he likes it.  Quite frustrating as this goes with ALL food, if he isn’t sure he will like it he refuses to try it.  Makes for a very limited diet for him.   But I digress.

Aiden makes it easy for me to consider if a recipe is a success or not, usually by how quickly he devours it.  And I will guarantee that this recipe from Maria, Two Peas and Their Pod, is a KEEPER.  With strawberries about to come into season here, I can picture this being made many times over.  And will make it with other berries as the seasonal fruit comes in. I look forward to making it again and adding a little bit of lime to it….maybe a glaze?  Not that it needs it.  It is light, a delicate crumb, with the burst of berry slices peeking out.  It is called a cake, but I had no problem serving and eating this for breakfast….Aiden inhaled his piece! (I also recommend eating this with a little dollop of whipped cream….just saying!)

You can find the recipe HERE.  And while you are there, check out Maria’s recipes for cookies….she always has great cookies going on!

Salted Vanilla Bean Caramel Sauce

 

Yes, it is as wonderful as it sounds….check out my guest post over at She’s Becoming Doughmesstic and show Susan and I some LOVE!

Wordless Wednesday

Cherry Lime Scones….

I used my “go to” scone recipe (find it here) and added in HUGE dried cherries, some lime zest, some lime powder, and then glazed them with lime juice, powdered sugar and more lime powder.

Just for an afternoon snack with a good cup of coffee.

Monkey Monday–Brave Mama

We are expecting a visit from the Tooth Fairy any day now.  Jakob has his FIRST loose tooth.  And this freaks me out.  Totally.  Jakob is quite relaxed about it all, when asked how is tooth is doing he basically shrugs his shoulders and says “good”.  Nothing more.  He is not one of those kids that is constantly wiggling it either.  I can remember pretty much wiggling it till it popped out! 

There is something about my big boy losing his first tooth that totally grosses me out.  It’s icky.  A part of him is going to fall out of his mouth.  And even though it is a fact of life, that it means that he is growing up (which also makes me sad), it still gives me the heebie jeebies.  Totally irrational. 

So now comes the planning.  I try (and sometimes fail) to make the big milestones something to remember.  We make a big deal out of family traditions around the holidays, birthdays, etc.  I am trying to figure out what to do for this first loose tooth.  I am thinking tooth cookies (I already have the cutter), a dinner of his favorite soft foods, and…..I am stumped.   I need your best ideas.  Oh, and I need to know how much does a tooth go for these days?

I did a little bit of surfing on Etsy and found these lovely little tooth fairy pillows….

I suspect there will be a late night Etsy purchase later today…I mean, they are just the cutest right?

Please….let me in on your families traditions for this huge milestone.  If you have blogged it or read about someone else’s experience, leave me a link.  I need your help!  Jakob will appreciate it.

Wordless Wednesday

THIS is how you eat a cupcake….

Happy Birthday, Jakob!

 

Today Jakob is six years old.  Holy Smokes, we managed to keep him safe and sound (minus a few bumps and bruises) for six whole years.  That is an accomplishment.  Seriously, it is.

Last night I was trying to remember what I ate for dinner the night before Jakob was born, and I was sad that I couldn’t remember.  Probably not the most important thing to have to remember, not like his birth weight, the hours (minimal) of labour….etc.  Jason looked at me like I was crazy. Guess he didn’t think it was so important to remember either.

I cannot believe that this little babe is now six.

And that he is now this big.

I cannot wait to see what he will look like in another six years.  I wonder (probably too much) about what my boys will be like when they are older.  I should probably slow down and enjoy them as they are now instead of wondering what they will become.

Well….Happy Birthday Jakob!  We love you will all our hearts.

ps….this is one of my fav Jakob’s Birth pics.  It is Grandpa with Jakob in the hospital.  I miss him every day and know that if he was still with us, he and Jakob would be the best of friends.

Pie Love(r)

 

I adore a good piece of pie.  The flaky crust, the yummy filling….I am drooling.  I prefer a fruit filling, but am not one to turn down a cream, pumpkin or pecan pie.  

When doing some research a few months ago about all the places (mostly food related) that I wanted to visit in Seattle when we moved out West, I stumbled on High 5 Pie.

I knew that it would have to be one of the first places I check out.  So last week when I was in desperate need for a break from these crazy boys, I tweeted that I was heading to Seattle for some pie, and did anyone want to join me.  I was super excited when a new (and awesome) friend said that she would be in the city and would love to join me.  Yippee!  Pie and conversation….yes, please.

Libby and I decided to share a couple of slices so that we could, without huge guilt, try two slices out of their incredible looking selection.

Lemon Shaker

and Maple Blueberry

I have to say that I can’t decide which I enjoyed more….they are both delicious and so different from each other.  I had never heard of lemon shaker….but it is a candied lemon peel filling.  Tart, tangy and just a little sweet.  Perfection.  Loved that the Maple Blueberry was a one crust pie with a crumble topping…it was so great.  Had those tiny blueberries that just burst with juice when you bite them. It was so good that is what I chose to bring home to Jason.

So, if you are ever in Seattle, and want to go for some pie….this is the place.  And call me, I’ll join you for a slice!

 

Blueberry Pie Love

It is a week until Love Day.  I adore Love Day (otherwise known as Valentine’s Day)!  Even though I try to Love BIG every day, there is still that spark of Valentine’s Day that fills me with even more love.

To celebrate this upcoming day of love, I thought that it would be fun to shower my loved ones with some of my favorite goodies…..one for each day of the week before the big day.  Fun and full of love right? 

So today I decided to make a couple of mini Blueberry Pies.  I don’t think the boys have ever tried blueberry pie…..a shame, I know. 

Mini Blueberry Pie (makes 2 – enough to share with little ones)

Blueberry Pie:

Ingredients:

2 cups Fresh Blueberries

1/4 cup sugar

3 tbsp Flour

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Preheat the oven to 425 deg.

I will admit – I cheated and used a store bought crust – and this brings me a little shame (I suffer from sever pie crust failure).

Roll out the crust a little bigger than pre-made – you need it a bit bigger to cut out the right size for the bottom crust.  Use the edges of the pie dough to cut strips to make the lattice top.  I chose to cut out a few little hearts to celebrate the occasion.

Butter the cute mini pie plates, place the dough in the plate and make sure there aren’t any air bubbles under the crust.

Place berries in a medium sized bowl and gently stir in the sugar, flour, and lemon juice.  Let sit for a few minutes to merry before spooning into your pie shell.   Gently give the berries one last turn and then spoon the mixture into your pie shells. 

Take the strips of pie dough and create the lattice top.  Use a wet fingertip to secure the lattice to the bottom shell.  Cut off excess.

Using 1 egg and a tsp of water create an egg wash.  Brush the egg wash onto the crust and then sprinkle with some sugar.

Bake at 425 deg for 15 minutes.  Then reduce oven temp to 375 deg.  At this time check to see if the lattice top is getting too dark (mine was a little) – if it is tent the pies with foil.  Bake for another 30 – 40 minutes til filling is bubbly and crust looks baked.

Let cool before digging in.  I recommend eating Blueberry Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream, if you have it.

Enjoy….and don’t forget to Love BIG.

Thoughtful Thursday

Well, the Mama Guilt is on overload today.  My buttons are like a brand new touch mouse pad….so sensitive.  I am not sure what is going on, but Jakob and I have been battling for weeks.   We have our good days, and good moments, but for the most part we are not liking each other very much.  There are just a few behaviours that drive me up the wall, WHINING and BACK TALKING are at the top of that list.  Jakob has always been a whiner….he thinks that if he whines he will get what he wants. Not so much.  For some strange reason he has now decided that back talking is the way to go as well.  Again, not so much.  There are days that my tolerance for his behaviours is pretty high, but these last few days that is not the case.  I have spent more time yelling and arguing with him (I know, arguing with him is not the way to go), than I have loving on him.  This makes me feel so guilty.  I understand that this is just a few days out of a (hopefully) long life together, and that I shouldn’t let it get to me, that we all have these days….but it kills me.   

I want to have fun with my boys.  But it is hard for me to have fun with them when I don’t feel that they deserve it for acting poorly.  I am in a catch 22 position.  And here we are thinking about driving to the Jacksonville Zoo on Saturday….and Jakob has been misbehaving in school and he and I had a huge blow out this morning walking to school.  Do we still go?  Will he consider it a reward for his bad behaviour?  Or do we suffer for it too and stay home, knowing that it will be a rough day of whining that we didn’t get to go?

I need help.  I need a way to hold back my anger and not let this take over.  I need to figure out how to explain to Jakob that this behaviour wont be tolerated and that it is just disrespectful to talk to us like that.  I need to get back to parenting with love, not a raised voice and punishment.  I am taking any advice you may have for me.  Lay it on me, books, strategies, things that have worked for you, bribes, anything….please.  I feel desperate at this point.

Sunday Supper and a National FOOD holiday!

 

Happy National Pie Day!!  I know, holidays for food.  But did you know that each day of the year is a holiday for a different kind of food?  Check out my friend Susan’s blog for a daily round up for each special food’s holiday.  Incredible, right?

Pie Day!  I have many favourite kinds of pie.  I love a great lemon meringue, chocolate cream, strawberry, cherry….etc.  But nothing beats a really great APPLE pie.  It has to be really great.  This past Thanksgiving the Stenzel’s were invited over to the household of Team Wallace for dinner.  It was an honour to be included in their family celebrations.  And of course I wanted to contribute, I begged to be able to contribute.  To show up empty handed would have been awful for me.  Nikki was kind enough to oblige my desire to cook or bake and asked me to bring an apple pie. Just one??  Yup, just one.  So I was on the quest to make the BEST apple pie I could find.  And it would have to be tested before Turkey Day.  Poor Jason.  He a lot of pie that month (though didn’t complain once).  After several different crust and pie fillings, it was decided that The Pioneer Woman’s Dreamy Apple Pie would be what was served at Casa Wallace.  It is perfect.  It isn’t easy to describe this pie.  Just perfect.  I love a single crust apple pie. Don’t get me wrong, I love a flaky pie crust…but this pie doesn’t need that double crust. It has a crunchy nutty topping that is heaven….probably why she called it a Dreamy Apple Pie.

For National Pie Day, I decided to make mini versions of this pie.  I cut the recipe into thirds and baked them in these really cute mini pie plates I picked up at World Market (did you know I collect pie plates??).  A third fit perfectly….baked them for 45 minutes and they were done.  As all apple pie should be served, I scooped a perfect scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top. And then Jason suggested some caramel sauce….a decadent finish, but not necessary.  For Thanksgiving I made The Pioneer Woman’s Maple Whiskey Sauce, which later was named Pie Crack by a certain Wallace.

I recommend pie.  For any occasion. A simple Sunday Supper, a birthday, a more traditional holiday, but definitely for today….National Pie Day!

Did you make a pie today??  What kind?  Have a recipe to share?  Share a link!!

Thoughtful Thursday

I am not sure if I have mentioned it on here….but I am starting my own ”Happiness Project”.  If you aren’t familiar with it, you can check out the blog here….and pick up the book here. Gretchen Rubin spent a year working on becoming a happier person, one month at a time, tackling new resolutions and creating her own Twelve Personal Commandments, the Secrets of Adulthood and Four Splendid Truths.

The basic premise of it is taking small steps each month to try to be a happier person!  And this is not to say that I don’t think I am already a happy person, because I am. I love my life.  My marriage is in a great place, even though he is thousands of miles away.  My boys are a joy as always, even when they drive me to pour a glass of wine at 5 pm. And I a loving being a stay at home Mama again, and working on my cookie biz.  I just believe that there are things that I may be missing that could make me a happier person.  Personal growth is never a bad thing right??

I find her Twelve Personal Commandments to be inspiring in themselves.  I forsee post it notes around the house reminding me of them.  Here they are:

1. Be Gretchen – I plan on Being Tania!
2. Let it Go
3. Act the way I want to feel
4. Do it NOW (this is going to be a tough one for me)
5. Be polite and be fair
6. Enjoy the process
7. Spend out
8. Identify the problem
9. Lighten up
10. Do what ought to be done
11. No calculation
12. There is only LOVE

Pretty simple, yet kind of profound.  Wouldn’t life be easier if we all followed these?

So today was my first day.  I have decided to pick and choose the different “resolutions” from each month and add a couple of my own.  Make sense?  To kick start my Happiness Project I will be making the following additions and keep track of them each day – giving myself a gold star for each as Gretchen would say.

• Clean the kitchen before going to bed (I am sad to say that this is hard for me! but Jason will be happy about it!!)
• Clean out the closets (time to downsize this place before we move – this make take more than one month!)
• Tackle a nagging task
• Use my To Do list
• Follow the “One Minute Rule” – don’t put something off that only takes a minute to do
• Observe the evening tidy up – pick up the toys, shoes etc before going to bed
• Try not to raise my voice as much
• Exercise – this is going to be another toughie – but there is no reason that I can’t fit it into my day

There you have it.  This is the start of something good.  I can FEEL it. And I plan to post my way through it.

Let me know if you have any tips on being a happier person, if you have done your own Happiness Project, or leave me a comment of support!