7 Habits of Highly Happy People
1.Be a Part of Something You Believe In – This could be anything. People may take an active role in their local city council, find refuge in religious faith, join a social club supporting causes they believe in, or find passion in their careers. In each case the physiological outcome is the same. They engage themselves in something they strongly believe in. This engagement brings happiness and meaning into their lives.
2.Share Time with Friends and Family – A happy life is a life shared with friends and family. The stronger the personal relationships are and the higher the frequency of interaction, the happier a person will be.
3.Reflect on the Good – Quite often people concentrate too much of their attention on negative outcomes and leave no time to positively reflect
4. on their successes. It’s natural for a person to want to correct undesirable circumstances and focus closely on doing so, but there must be a healthy balance in the allocation of personal awareness. It is important to mindfully reflect on the good while striving diligently to correct the bad. A continuous general awareness of your daily successes can have a noticeably positive affect on your overall emotional happiness.
5.Exploit the Resources You DO Have Access To – The average person is usually astonished when they see a physically handicap person show intense signs of emotional happiness. How could someone in such a restricted physical state be so happy? The answer rests in how they use the resources they do have. Stevie Wonder couldn’t see, so he exploited his sense of hearing into a passion for music, and he now has 25 Grammy Awards to prove it.
6.Create Happy Endings Whenever Possible – The power of endings is quite remarkable. The end of any experience has a profound impact on a person’s overall perception of the experience as a whole. Think about reading a fairly well written, thought provoking novel. Now imagine the ending totally sucks. Even if the story was captivating up until the ending, would you still be happy recommending the novel to a friend? People always remember the ending. If the ending is happy, the experience creates happiness. Always tie loose ends, leave things on a good note, and create happy endings in your life whenever possible.
7.Use Personal Strengths to Get Things Done – Everyone possesses unique personal strengths. We all have different talents and skill sets. Emotional happiness comes naturally to those who use their strengths to get things done. The state of completion always creates a sense of achievement. If this achievement is based exclusively on your own personal ability to get the job done, the physiological rewards are priceless.
8.Savor the Natural Joy of Simple Pleasures – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the best things in life are free. They come in the form of simple pleasures and they appear right in front of you at various locations and arbitrary times. They are governed by Mother Nature and situational circumstance and captured by mindful awareness. It’s all about taking a moment to notice the orange and pink sunset reflecting off the pond water as you hold hands with someone you love. Noticing these moments and taking part in them regularly will bring unpredictable bursts of happiness into your life.
marc and angel hack life



all photos courtesy of the fabulous...http://prettyyoungthings.tumblr.com

inspiration overload....I love when that happens.

crustations and sea air

Most afternoons, this is where my family can be found. Digging about the seaweed and finding little treasures.
Seafans are my favorite.

Olivia loves to find the little rocks and shells.

Kyan is all about these funky sea crustations.

We have no idea what they are half the time, but joking about what they may be is part of the fun.

Anthony gets a kick out of finding the obscure items that have been thrown overboard.

But, we love nothing more than enjoying it with friends. May we always be blessed with visitors eager for some beachtime.

lunchtime memories...

And just like that, she is our big Kindergartner.

Tucked away in her backpack were these petite lunches.

Made with love and craftiness for sure.

After seeing these on Wendy's blog about a year ago, I was hooked.
What a cute, not to mention memorable way to eat lunch.
And honestly it's not anymore work than a normal lunch packing which is fantastic.
Bento happy I am.
Despite my best efforts though, Olivia would much rather buy from the cafeteria.
Go figure.

Cheers to back to school time!

Papa O...

...or as I love to call him, my Dad.

The man that I get all my craftiness from for sure.

It was nothing he ever pushed on me, it was always something I just saw him doing.

My first memories of him making things, were his stained glass workings.

Amazed by the array of colors, I always wanted to be out in the garage when he was creating things.

After slicing my thumb on a piece of glass, I lost interest and went back to my Barbie's.

And then there were lots of memories of him making gold and silver pieces.

I loved playing around with the ring sizer the most.

As I got older, he filled me in on birthstones and gems in general.

At that point the teenage years had set in and boys reigned higher on the priority list.

But now that I am older, I am picking his brain for all the little details.

Watching closely as he works.

Turning to him for helpful hints and even using some of his old tools.
Here he had just finished an itty bitty ring for Olivia.

The picture brings tears to my eyes, because it is full circle.

What he does for her, he used to do for me.

And what I spend my time making, she sees.

She will remember.

This all makes me very happy.

I love you Dad.

summer...please stay and make yourself at home.

Tell me it's not time to for Olivia to start Kindergarten yet.

and it's time for the air to start getting crisp.

I throughly love your sunshine beating down on us and endless hours spent on the beach.

Finding any reason to enjoy frozen yogurt.

And letting the day take us where ever it may.

Summer, please keep us company a bit longer.

xo

The Ramirez family

krafting and such.

There is something so special about making custom orders.

My sister in law and family were just visiting for a week.

In between beachtime and Rockband, I made these little ones for her.

I had such fun sitting on the living room floor tossing around ideas with her.

She is taking these back to Dallas with her to be dangled upon her friends.

Enjoy girls. And the adventure in the studio continues.

Seriously, this room is so tiny, it's hard to get a good picture.

Hopefully you get the just.

After hours of wrestling this kraft paper, I finally covered all the walls.

As I was wrestling, all I could think was why in the world people used to wallpaper EVERYTHING?!?

All that goop and mess...eeks.

In an attempt to leave no damage to the existing (nasty) wallpaper, I first went the double sided sticky tape route.

After completing about half the room, the walls started coming down around me...literally.

You can imagine how pissed I was.

Then out came the staple gun in full force. It worked like the champ it is.

Then to finish it off a little I used a huge roll of vintage grey, velvet ribbon as a border.
Wah la....much better I think.
Now to bring in the goods and make this room functional.

anchors away...literally

"How do you guys feel about the wallpaper?"
This is what our sweet rental agent asked us as we were signing the lease papers for the new place.
Husband response.."Oh, our kids love it, but my wife isn't crazy about it."
You think.?.
I mean, we are at the beach and so the whole nautical theme should go right?
eeks, and they even were nice enough to leave the matching picture to go with the wallpaper.
How sweet.

So in a ditch effort to not remove the wallpaper (I've heard this is a heinous feat), I decided to cover it up.
Sort of 2009, wallpaperish, not have to paint it, cover up.
In my stash of things, I came across a HUGE roll of kraft paper that I had bought at Lowe's.
Original purpose for it was to use it to wrap gifts, but we'll see how it goes.
Anything is better than the current hopefully.
And if it's successful for $7.29 for the roll of paper + my time, I will be thrilled.

Transformation is for my at home studio for "me feel pretty" in a style reminiscent of the pictures below.
Shabby chic, meets France in Ventura, if you will.

1. Vintage Pink Crinoline, 2. white paint chips, 3. Bountiful Venice, 4. Shabby Chic-Rachel Ashwell, 5. Vintage Pop Bottle Case, 6. and so it begins......, 7. Sugar*Sugar Studio, 8. Cartier Boutique (store interior) photo 694, 9. france june 09_44, 10. Candy For My Eyes, 11. WIP: Future Craft Room : 4/27, 12. she likes to create

So it's nearing 10pm now.
The kids are in bed.
Wine is poured.
Staple gun is in hand.
Wish me luck.

surrounded by a sea of boxes.

Let the moving commence.
Tomorrow is the day of our big self move 2.5 miles away.
Are we crazy....maybe a little to do such a short move.
Change is good though right?
As the cardboard smell is waifing through this house, I find myself very anxious.
So off I go to clean like Rosie the Robot.
Be back soon....

"What do you want to be when you grow up Olivia?"

Dancing with the Stars...I guess we are busted on what we watch at home huh?

Can't blame her for dreaming big though.

Now to enjoy the next few months before real school starts..yikes.

Happy summer!!

fruition...

WOW.

Thank you to all of you who showed up or encouraged me through this first street fair.

It was a success on many levels and my mind is spinning with new ideas.

To take a little dream from a corner room in my home and out into the world to share it with all of you, leaves me speechless.

My heart is full.

Thank you thank you.

eeks,tomorrow is the big day.

"Me feel pretty" is about to take flight.

Where finally all my hard work will move from this bookshelf, to a pretty little 10x10 spot at Seabee Days.

The excitement is overwhelming, in a fantastical way!

It's a small venue, but a perfect place to start.

Funny this morning as I was setting up my canopy that I was clearly the new kid on the block.

If you live in Ventura county, come by and see me.

It would be fantastic to see some familiar faces.

For now I have to get spiffed up for Olivia's preschool graduation.

Amazing how time flies.

Dressing her in a cap and gown at age 4 is just surreal.

She is a smart little cookie though and I will for sure be the proud mom crying as they say her name.

Cheers to a wonderful weekend.

Tears of joy...I love when that happens.

So it was, back in April, I took an amazing workshop class with the sweetest Christine.

Her talent is beyond and I couldn't wait to make one of these beauties.

To say I was nervous to solder for the first time was an understatement, but I was thrilled to find how simple it was.

Not to mention calming, as I watched the metal flow.

So this is what my end product turned out to be.

For my Mom...

Seeing this picture always brings tears to my eyes and I knew there could be no better one to use for this project.

It was taken of my my and aunt (twins) when they were about 3.

My aunt has since passed, hence the wings.

My hope is that this brings you peace and joy Mom.

As much as it did me to make this treasure for you.

They are candy store goodies to me.

and I do love candy.

Keeping busy with this little guys too.

Charms galore for necklaces.

It's a little less than 2 weeks away from my first street fair and I am sure getting excited.

a little nervous too....any tips for me?

bright and shiny

These little gems have sure been keeping me busy as of late.

My house smells of solder and glue from making lots of other handmade rhinestone, soldered goodies as well.

It's so exciting.

My Etsy shop had a much needed makeover and will be seeing some my things soon.

Off to make some more...just wanted to share.

houseguests are always welcome here.

We vow to entertain via Rockband.

Feed with In n Out.

Craft up some fun stuff.

Have tricycle races.

and whatever else suits your fancy.

We love having people come and visit.

The Liebs and Sparks were no exception...we miss you guys already.

crafty in the kitchen

Without a doubt breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.

So much so, that I can eat it for dinner too.

Recently I had splurged at Costco and bought the big thing o' croissants.

This is a rarity because I find them delightful yet oh so bad for me.

But they won the battle and came home with me in order to make

Coconut croissant french toast.

BAD. Bad. bad.....but really so so delish.

If you crave coconut as much as I do, give these a whirl.

Cut croissants in half and set aside.

Then wisk 2 eggs, milk, cinnamon, and healthy splash of coconut flavoring together in a bowl.

dip croissants in batter and let the excess drip off completely.

Then cook just like normal french toast.
Top with butter and raspberry syrup (if you have it).
Enjoy.
These babies are pretty filling, so making less is really more with this breakfast treat.



Hope everyone had a happy Easter weekend.

We sure did.

ps... blog, I've kinda missed you

When housebound with sick kiddos who are sleeping much more than normal, conquer those to do list projects with that extra time.

This chandelier has been at the top of my list for awhile and finally I got to it. yipee.

Renting houses always brings upon some decorating challenges for me.

The question of how can I make what they currently have up look better for us and our style?

solution 129:

Cut strips of muslin and wrap the heck out of that wrought iron and flair it up with a piece of vintage jewelry that I found for a dollar.

I'm liking how it turned out and am amped to start some more overdue to do's.

This is about as crafty as I get these days.

hello 29

Anthony does not quite understand my facination with old things, but he surprised me with a trip to this place.

Is it wrong to love old metal and glass this much?

bye bye 28

So this was my list.
One year ago tomorrow, I wrote these thoughts down and then tucked it away.
Curious to see how that theory of "The Secret" plays out.
Completion rate 18 of 28.
Not bad I suppose.
soon to follow..
29 of 29.

impromptu night out

Randomly I flipped through our local paper and saw that Iliza Shlesinger

was doing stand up Friday night, 20 minutes from our house.

I loved her on Last Comic Standing and she more than delievered at our show.

My reality TV nerdism was totally satisfied tonight.

giving it a whirl.

This whole meal planning thing that is.

I am really a craving eater so I couldn't narrow it down to a what night we eat what list.

But, this is my attempt at a trusty "I want to make dinner easier" list.

On tonight's menu....Chili and cornbread.

Not my kids favorite, but it's cold here and a hearty dinner sounds yummy to Mom and Dad.

We trump the whiny I want Mac and cheese cries tonight.

Recipe goes like this.

1lb ground beef

1 small tomato sauce can

1 regular sized can of diced tomato

1 can kidney beans

a couple splashes of beer

cinnamon

garlic pepper

cumin

1 pkg. of chili seasoning mix.

Brown meat with cinnamon, cumin and garlic pepper.

Just keep shakin' it on until it makes a nice covering over the meat.

When browned add to a pot with all the other goodies.

warm up.

Serve on white rice

top with a dollop of sour cream and lots of sharp cheddar.

I like a little dill pickle too.

Cheers to a warm Academy awards night.

oh don't forget the cornbread with honey butter.

for the love of American Idol...

"Mine rocks way harder than yours, pretty hair boy."

It was one of those rare times.

Like once in a 5 year span rarities.

I wanted to take Anthony to do something he had yet to try. (nearly impossible)

Something I could teach him. (who am I kidding)

Indoor climbing it was.

If you have not tried this sport yet, I really encourage you to give it a whirl.

It's so exhilarating and the sense of accomplishment you feel after reaching the top is indescribable.

Just Google indoor climbing gym in your city.

So mission accomplished for a wonderful date night for us.

I am a child of the eighties.

I loved Bottle Caps, Razzles, Jolly Ranchers and all that other goodness. and I have always thought it would be fun to be a blond.

Pictured above is my beloved charm necklace.
I LOVED this thing as a kid.
Sadly my favorite one was the mini toilet.
Weird and still not sure why that was the coolest one, but so it goes.

explanation of the pictures....

a dress up Rock band/ beer pong party.

a little collegesqe, sure, but it keeps us young right?

and as far as the blog absence goes, sorry mom.

I know you have missed the pictures and stories.

My crafty table has gathered quite the layer of dust in the past few months and I just thought I had nothing much to share.

But I do miss sharing the little things with my friends and family on here.

So I decided to let go of this self imposed "my blog must be a certain way" mentality.

Embrace and share the randomness that happens in my day to day.

Cheers!

I love this Christmas feeling.

I'd be willing to bet that Walt Disney had to have been the grandfather of Clark Griswold.

Because let's be real...there is just no such thing as too many lights.

I hope you and yours are truly enjoying this holiday season too.