Happiness – Page 12 – Gracious Rain

February 26, 2014February 28, 2014

Real Live Peanuts

100 Happy Days 3

003 Does anyone besides me remember getting a handful of these little thingys in the bottom of your Christmas stocking? I’ll admit that I never really knew what to do with them at first. I’m mean, they just got in the way of all the good stuff and made everything salty. But then, once all the candy was gone and all that was left was the peanuts, we’d put them in a big bowl on the front room coffee table. I remember my mom showing me how to roll them on the table to crack them open. It was funny to see her make a big pile of shells and not seem to mind the mess at all. Plus, after all those days of fudge and peppermint and gum drops…a little pinch of salt tasted so good.

Nowadays, I grab a big bag of un-shelled, salted peanuts at Costco and pull out a handful every now and again. They still snap the same on the counter when I roll them just like they did for my mom and they still have that pinch of salt.

Oddly enough, I think the mess is the best part of all. Reminds me of my mom at Christmas.

And that just makes me happy.

February 24, 2014February 22, 2021

A New Car

100 Happy Days #1

001

Yeah, I’m quite certain this pretty little thing is making me happier than anyone has a right to be. I’ve never actually walked in to a car dealership and bought a car..like ever. But to walk in and say, “Yeah. That one,” and drive out with it was…well…

it was magic, I tell you.

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Please understand that I’ve behaved quite well for a number of years–19 in fact. Truth be told, I have loved this crazy, silly red van that has driven all my children to every single important thing that could possibly be imagined. It’s been a solid old trooper…indeed.

But…

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it never made me look out the window…

and giggle.

February 24, 2014February 24, 2014

Can You Be Happy~

for 100 days in a row?

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What is it exactly that makes you happy anyway? Hmmmm?

Every day I’m going to submit a picture of something that made me happy, and see if I can keep it up for 100 days.

December 30, 2013January 31, 2019

Christmas Rewind

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I can’t, for the life of me, figure out where this season went.

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We were asked in November to be in charge of the church Christmas party…

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and by the time we were finished with that…

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the season was terrifically upon us…

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ready or not.

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The tree went up in a whirl wind and though Rhen put all his ornaments on and I put all of my ornaments on–still, it looked oddly bare. I came to the conclusion that even though we had packed the tree quite full with decorations, we were missing Dane’s ornaments and Jillian’s ornaments–that they took with them when they got married.

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Funny how there were ornaments that I subconsciously waited all year to see again, and then discovered that they are hanging on other trees in other households these days. We had a severe lack of ballerinas and footballs on the tree this year.

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But I did manage to get a new nativity to add to my growing collection. Forgive me for this one–it is a bit irreverent, but it made me laugh so hard when I saw it that…well, it needed to be mine.

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Strangely, I keep waking up with a quick shiver thinking, “Ooooh, Christmas is nearly here!” and then jolt to the realization that it has come and gone and I’ll be expected to put it all away in a day or two…for another whole year. How can it be?

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I’m not ready, I’m not ready, I’m not ready. I’m not finished with candy canes, and stockings and wrapping presents and seeing Christmas lights and looking at baby Jesus. Why, I don’t remember seeing people open their presents and I haven’t even made my special fudge yet. Something is dreadfully wrong with this picture.

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I want to look at the calendar and find that it’s December 5th and the happiest season of all is still ahead. That would be so lovely. I’m game for a big Christmas season stall out. What do you say?

Maybe we’ll just keep playing the music and watching the shows…

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