Hi friends! Welcome to my first Happiness Report of 2014. Coming down off the holidays is always a bit of a bummer, but I’m doing my very best to try and find the silver lining! We had a very, very low key holiday…dare I say it was almost boring? My family wasn’t able to get together because of distance and weather, so the only real celebrating we did was with Nick’s family in Iowa. We had a great time, but the rest of break has been pretty uneventful.
So, with that, let me share with you what’s been making me happy lately!
First of all, isn’t this picture AMAZING? We loved Michigan so much when we vacationed there this summer, but this gorgeous picture reminds me exactly why I wouldn’t be able to handle living there. I am a winter weather wimp!
Friends, your comments on this post are so inspiring and make me smile. Love you all!
I don’t know about you, but I am so tired of food. I created this Pinterest board and will be grabbing tons of recipes for my weekly menu plans off of it in the coming months! Follow it for inspiration too!
We saw this movie twice over break and loved it so SO much! Have you seen it yet?
I have never binged watched a show on Netflix before, but Nick and I decided to make it our mission to watch Scandal during our time off. I am hooked! We made it through the first 2 seasons in just a matter of a few days. After emerging ourselves in non-stop DC drama, I had no idea what day it was, who our President was, and what was reality and what wasn’t. I was THAT into it! I’m happy to discover that Season 3 is on Amazon, so you can guess what we’ll be doing this week. Do you watch Scandal?
Nick got me an iPad for Christmas, and I’ve discovered the Pocket app (LOVE it!). I pocketed this article on happiness resolutions, this blog post on answering difficult emails with love (thanks, Naomi for sharing!), and this roundup of the best “How I Work” posts of 2013.
Is it silly that I ordered one of these books for 2013?
Finally, I held off on making breakfast yesterday and Kelly got tired of waiting so decided to make the Chocolate Almond Muffins seen in the photo above. Recipe coming in the next week!
Well, Nick and I have a hot date with Leo D and Kyle Chandler tonight so I’d better go. But first, I’d love to know…what’s been making you happy lately? Make sure to leave a comment on this post to spread a little happy cheer!
Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Hm. I know I posted a comment on your “Invest 2014”, but I don’t see it :/ We’ve seen Frozen twice! And I have “Let It Go” on perpetual repeat…not sick of it yet. Love that movie so much. Yay Disney!
My girls are currently creating a Frozen play in our basement… with tickets and everything. We’re a little obsessed!
Weather has been a bummer so far this winter….especially here in Iowa….I wonder if we were in Manchester at the same time? What’s been making me happy lately? Hot chocolate, fresh bacon from a local butcher, new books for Christmas and those couple of hours after the kids are in bed!
I am in love with you salad pinterest board!! I am on a salad binge right now, so it is perfect!!
Isn’t it lovely?? Let me know if you want to contribute to it! I’ll add ya!
I would love to! Thanks!!
The book I’m currently reading (Good Stock by Sanford D’Amato) would be on the list, as well as scheduling some quiet time to read it today.
Oh I’ll have to go look that up! Thanks for sharing!
Sure thing! 🙂
I am cracking up that the first item that makes you happy (not living in Michigan) is my reality – LOL!!!! That lighthouse photo is insane!!!! Happy Downtown Abbey Day!! xo
I hope you are staying inside until July!
Fun post! It is dang cold in the mitten! Predicting -40 for Tuesday!! Help me! That means more school off! What’s making me happy lately….I’ve entertained casually a lot and am planning a surprise for a friend this week, this is making me happy!
I can’t even fathom -40. At all!
That Michigan photo is AMAZING and also makes me happy I no longer live there! haha! And, how have I not heard of that Leo Wall Street movie?? Oh wait, it’s because I am theater CLUELESS ever since having babies. lol! Can’t wait to hear how it is and rent it later this year. 😉 Hope you had a great date night!!
Oh Nikki, The Wolf of Wall Street was so so so raunchy. I almost (and should have) walked out. You aren’t missing much.
Good to know! I’ll skip it then! 🙂
My happiness has come from renew friendships. There’s people that I’ve been on rocky terms with in the past and we’re moving on from that. Its wonderful!
That’s so wonderful!!! Life is too short.
I took at the happiness list. Interesting that material acquisition didn’t feature on the list. However the human race, especially those that live in the west, are still bombarded by social media into believing that material acquisition will bring us happiness. One thing that can certainly help us achieve greater levels of happiness can be found on the following link: http://y55happy.com/
I am ‘focusing’ on not wasting all of this wonderful ‘stuck inside because it’s so cold outside” day reading and napping. I have a big pot of turkey noodle soup simmering on the stove. I might even talk myself into vaccuming.
P.s. Kristen, I posted a comment on your last post, but I am not seeing it now. Ate some of them missing?
Oops! I am such a dufus. Never mind about not seeing my comment. I looked for a “see older comments” link, but it was so tiny on my tiny phone that I didn’t see it.
So sorry that you ended up not loving that movie 🙁 But SOO happy that you’re as obsessed with Scandal as I am! I just watched what there is of Season 3 on Amazon and Im dyiiing for February 27th! (Why do they have to wait so long to return!? :-O )
P.S. Lucky you, your daughter making breakfast! 🙂
I am happy I finally get to “meet” you in less than month! I feel like we have been friends forever. 🙂
Me too!!!
Scrumptious Salads is looking, well….scrumptious 😉 That cold pic is truly amazing but Southern Cali is fine for me!
I love your happiness reports, Kristen! Thanks for sharing them 🙂 Stay warm today!
I always try to stay super conscious of the after-holidays-let-down, and not let it get me down…it takes effort, especially with the bitter cold we’ve been having. That MI photo is scary and awesome all at the same time! On the lighter side of cold, our family LOVED “Frozen”, too! And that salad board…swoon. So fresh and tasty, you’re reading my mind. What’s making me happy right now…our fireplace, a super soft etsy cowl I received from a girlfriend, my stove top espresso pot, the dark chocolate/coffee bar I found in the gourmet chocolate section, and the Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook I received for Christmas (it’s def more of a read than I anticipated). Happy New Year, Kristen!!
I loved Frozen too! Not the best Disney movie by any means, but the best message I’ve seen 🙂 Glad your new year is off to a great start!
Love these! And I’m totally going to order a My Social Book per your recommendation — such a cool idea! If you have an affiliate code or anything so that you can get credit, holler! 🙂
And here’s an interesting article my friends and I have been discussing about Wolf Of Wall Street. I can hardly believe this guy is real — http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/life/one-little-word-2014/.
Gah – copy/paste error. Here’s the article!! http://www.vulture.com/2013/12/jordan-belfort-real-wolf-of-wall-street.html?mid=vulture_newsletter&om_rid=AAAeVp&om_mid=_BSweXcB83VHdB0
Loved loved Frozen. I cried. And yes coming off the holidays is a bummer. A total high. Always had wished I had a January baby 🙂 hope you are doing well in this cold weather. Keep warm and enjoy your IPAD.
This may seem redundant now, but my Kindle is making me happy. It has lead to more reading, which is interesting because I have always loved reading. But it makes it easier, so I do it more. I also started the daily readings of Simple Abundance, which helps me stay grounded at the end of each day, my boyfriend and I read it out loud together and share what we got from it. I took my niece to see Frozen while they visited from Ca. I loved it!
I’m so glad you are loving your Paperwhite!! It truly is one of my favorite things!
Is Simple Abundance a blog or book?
Loved Frozen- it is seriously my favorite Disney movie now!
Hey there. Can you explain why I would want a reader service like Bloglovin with liked posts vs Pocket?
Hi Kim,
Sure! With a reader service you have to subscribe to a blogs feed for it to show up . For pocket, it’s basically a visual bookmark space for anything you want t save on the web…even sites you aren’t subscribed to. They basically serve two different functions .
Does that help?
Thanks!
The How I Work series was FAB! Thanks for sharing that!
My happiness is seeing (this is gonna sound weird) my kitchen table absolutely a DISASTER because I’m in creative planning mode … I’m in full on GSD mode and it [weirdly] makes me happy. My family clears a spot with just enough room for their dinner plates and they don’t say a word 🙂 Lucky for me, they love me unconditionally!