It seems like over the past several years, I've seen a lot of emphasis placed on doing what you love. Doing what you love brings great joy and who doesn't want to be happy? But so often we jump immediately to the big stuff like "Am I happy in my career? No? Then change careers." But really, the small stuff can be just as important, if not more important. It's the small, day-to-day stuff that can really add up. Why do I bring this up? It's silly really, but for the past two mornings, during my morning runs, I've listened to my Pandora Christmas music station. I'm currently trying to keep my runs slow as I ease back into the routine, and my normal music mix just gets me going too fast. So I tried a country music mix for a few mornings, which I enjoyed. But yesterday I thought why not give Christmas music a try. I love everything Christmas, especially the music. I'm such a sucker for Bing Crosby and White Christmas. But then I felt a bit silly. And t...

Last night, while my hubby enjoyed a night playing cards, my girls and I enjoyed a night of cookie baking and movie watching. We began our evening making homemade Oreos recently shared by Bakerella . We had a lot of fun measuring, tasting, mess-making, etc.. The cookie batter turned out awesome, even with different chocolate chips and cocoa powder. Unfortunately, since I'm not the best at reading ahead before starting, I soon discovered that due to a few hours of chilling, we weren't going to be eating homemade Oreos before bedtime (even a fairly late bedtime). Boo hoo! The girls were actually very understanding, so we chilled the dough, watched our movie ( Princess Diaries ), and went to bed. And then the cookie making continued in the morning, because there's no better way to start the day than with fresh baked Oreos! Yum!

Fall wreath made with wire hanger, burlap strips, and fabric scraps Do you ever find yourself so inspired that you just can't sleep? So inspired that your heart races with excitement? So inspired that your mind races with ideas? I certainly do and that's what I am experiencing right now. I am inspired in so many ways it's crazy. This always seems to happen as we approach this time of year . Fall is coming! I really treasure everything about fall, whether it's the cooler weather, football Sundays, hot tea, and the smell of cinnamon. Family time visiting Apple Hill and local pumpkin patches. Time spent baking yummy treats and making seasonal crafts and decor. Celebrating Halloween and my daughter's birthday and Thanksgiving. What is not to love about fall? And to top it off, the arrival of fall brings us closer and closer to the most wonderful time of the year--Christmas (today marks just 100 days until the big day--Yay!)

This summer, a little over a month ago, I ran my first half marathon. 13.1 miles! For me, it was 2-1/2 hours of running with a brief walk through the various water stations. An amazing accomplishment for someone that struggled with just one minute of running a little over a year ago. So I was proud! I knew it would be a big deal, so I often talked about getting a 13.1 decal for my car window to mark the occasion. And I did! In fact, my family presented me with my new decal just moments after I crossed the finish line and I couldn't have been more excited, or exhausted. I proudly placed that decal on my car window and my heart sings every time I see it. It holds such incredible meaning and memories. I love seeing it every time I open the garage in the morning or walk to my car in a parking lot. As I once again noticed my decal this morning, I had a thought. Wouldn't it be great if we could all have decals celebrating our proudest moments? Something the whole world could see, bu...

She Chose Happiness , originally uploaded by  byjen . This week I finally found the time to watch the videos for Christy Tomlinson's new  She Art class (of course it was in the middle of the night because my puppy Sprinkles and then my three year old, Katherine, wouldn't let me sleep). After seeing the videos, I had no choice but to fit in the time to make my very own She Art. It just made my mind race with ideas and inspiration. My little heart was just racing with excitement as I created my background and girl. I really enjoyed using colors that I wouldn't normally use together. I felt comfortable knowing that if I got to a point that I didn't like, there was always another layer coming that could change that. There are some little things I wish I had done different, but all in all I am in love with my girl. She makes me so happy, as well she should right?.