Five things that make me happy

I am feeling down for a few different reasons, so in an effort to cheer myself up, here are five things that make me happy right now.

1. Oikos Greek Yogurt has some new flavors, and I am kind of obsessed. For lunch I just had Toasted Coconut with some fresh pineapple cut up in there. YUMM-O!!!

Banana cream is FANTASTIC (might be my favorite of the ones I've tried). Orange Cream is good. I haven't tried Key Lime but I have one in the fridge I'll try soon. 

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2. I am loving New Girl this season, wondering if Nick and Jess are ever going to get together. But my DVR cut the show off, and I have no idea how it ended last week. He said good-night and then it was over for me. Did they go their separate ways or not? Please, if you know, fill me in! This show makes me laugh every single week. Love it so much.

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3. And because I need to laugh right now as I juggle a hundred different things (not really, it just seems that way to me most days) I love this book that I'm reading right now. So fun. So funny. I love Nate and this book totally deserves all the buzz it's been getting.

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4. I broke down and got HBO last month because I couldn't stand the thought of waiting for who- knows-how-long to watch the new season of Game of Thrones. Well, since getting HBO, I've watched a few movies I hadn't seen or even thought about for ages.

Rocky. Back to the Future. Sister Act. My oldest son even watched Back to the Future with me, and he really liked it. I'd forgotten what a GREAT movie it is. Definitely one to watch with your tweens/teens if they haven't seen it yet. Anyway, hooray for movies that stand the test of time!

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5. And finally, bangs. I grew out my bangs two or three years ago and really tried to make it work, because I had this thing in my head that a lot of people think bangs are not stylish or something. I don't know. But last week I was tired of it and I asked my stylist to give me bangs again, she did, and I am so much happier. Not nearly as cute as Reese, there, of course, but yay for bangs, I say!

So what about you? What's bringing you a little joy these days?

Only one more month!!

Today is August 20th, which means, just one more month until this book comes out!!!

I didn't have a second book planned. But when so many readers e-mailed me, asking if there would be another book, I decided to write one. This book is my gift to all of the fans of It's Raining Cupcakes, and I can't wait for you to read it!

If you are planning on getting it when it comes out, it would actually help me out a lot if you went to your local book store and pre-ordered it in the next couple of weeks. This means you buy it now, and when it comes in, they let you know it's in, and you have your very own copy, guaranteed. If a book gets a lot of pre-orders (at a bookstore), that's a good thing for an author, and they are likely to order more copies than they usually do. I've heard many people are saddened by the closing of Borders. The truth is, if we want book stores to stay in business, we must support them.

Anyway, I know some kids have been waiting a long time for September 20th to get here. I'm so happy it's almost here!! In a few weeks, I'll be announcing a special SURPRISE for everyone who gets the book and reads it in the first few weeks. There will be a special question you answer, via e-mail, and when you do, I send you something really fun!!

Monday Motivation - on Happiness

 

"Happiness is a warm puppy." ~ Charles Schultz

It's the little things in life, isn't it? When I think of my grandma, I think of this extremely happy person because every day, she looked for and celebrated the little things. She told my husband, soon after we were married, that it's the little things that bring joy in a marriage. A walk together, an ice cream cone together, a laugh together. 

On their hunting trips, she had a special spot where she'd go to watch the sun set, in awe, time and time again, by the colors that would fill the sky.

Sometimes in life, we get all bogged down in waiting for the big things. Or we get discouraged because the big things we want don't happen. We tell ourselves, if only THIS would happen, life would be so much better. 

I went to a one-year-old's birthday party over the weekend. There is something almost magical about the way a one-year-old takes joy in every thing he touches. And while I spent time with him, he put me under his spell, and the worries I'd had earlier in the day faded away. 

And as I left, I vowed to worry less. To stop wondering and waiting for what comes next, and instead, enjoy the moment for what it is. Easier said than done some days, yes?

After Ingrid Betancourt was released from her captivity (she was kidnapped while campaigning for the Columbian presidency and spent six-and-half years in the jungle), one of the things she took the greatest joy in was going to the supermarket and buying whatever fruit she wanted. A little thing that most of us probably take for granted.

A sweet, Honeycrisp apple. A colorful sunset. The smile of a child. A warm puppy.

All a reminder to me that happiness is here, all around me, every day. Success that I wish for some days won't bring me happiness. It might bring other things that would be nice, but it won't bring me happiness. That is mostly what I wanted to tell myself today.

A sweet day

I made these applesauce cupcakes (the recipe is in the back of the book):



and received these from my family:



because today is the official release day of this:



For a delicious blog post with lots of beautiful cupcakes and a very sweet review, head over to Jama's blog and tell her your favorite kind of cupcake for a chance to win one of two copies!!!

This day is a dream come true for me. I've dreamt of having a middle-grade novel on the shelves for a VERY long time. And the ten-year-old Lisa who loved to bake and dreamt of traveling, like Isabel (the main character), is pretty darn happy today too.