Tag Archives: Happy

Happiness Friday!

Good afternoon!!

Since it is Friday – YEAH FRIDAY!!! I thought I would dub Fridays “Happiness Fridays”!! This will be the day that I share with you all of the things, both big and small, that make me happy!! My hope is that maybe it might inspire you to think about what might make you happy too!! 😉

My Friday Happiness List:

  1. My sweetie – what an AWESOMELY supportive man he is!
  2. Laughter!!! I truly believe that laughter is the best medicine!
  3. Luxurious bedding! Who doesn’t love to squiddle down into FABULOUSLY soft sheets, and plush, yummy, comforter and pillows!! Now I can’t wait to get back to bed!!! 😉
  4. A new shiny magazine in the mail! Ok, this might be one of those areas in my life where I may need you to schedule an intervention – because I have WAAAAAAY too many magazines, but there is just something about seeing that new periodical arrive in my little mailbox that really makes for a happy girl!!
  5. The kiddos in my life! I am so fortunate to have such a wealth of children in my life!!! I have nieces and nephews that both my sweetie and I have the best time hanging out with!
  6. A really good long nature walk!!
  7. My peeps at work! I may not relish my day job, but I do LOVE the people I work with!! They truly make every day SOOOOO worth it!! 🙂
  8. Lindor Truffles. Ok, this one had to be said! Their ooey-gooey-slowly-melt-in-your-mouth-goodness!! Oh yeah! Now I have to go see if I have one of these anywhere!!
  9. Washi tape!! These come in every conceivable design and they are so easy to use EVERYWHERE!! I am a sucker for Washi tape!!
  10. Being ALIVE!!!

Life is just so good, and there is really SO MUCH to be happy about!!

Here is to a truly HAPPY Friday!! 🙂

Signature Line

If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!!

 

I am a Sucker For…List it Tuesday

Good afternoon!

I ran across a post on one of my favorite blogs, Artsyville. Every week, Aimee, chooses a topic to art and then post about, and she calls it “List it Tuesday”. Well, I have to tell you, I was immediately inspired! Between my love of arting, and love of making lists I thought that this weekly challenge would be right up my alley!!

This week’s topic is “I am a sucker for…”

Here is my sucker list:

I had so much fun doing this, and it gave me a reason and an excuse to get back into my art studio this evening!! I hope that I am able to make this a weekly feature of ChristinaVille!! 🙂

Here is to a FABULOUS evening! 😉

 If you want to have a different life, you have to live differently!

Having a FABULOUS Day!

Good afternoon!

I am having such a FABULOUS day, that it made me feel froggy enough to want to share how my day has been going since I decided to start a revolution in my life!! 😉

Here is something I texted to myself after having completed the first portion of my walk this morning:

“WOW! I feel AMAZING!! I just spent the last 1/2 hour walking from my old High School all the way to one of my first places of employment, downtown – and all I can say is WHOO! HOO! My sweetie was very surprised I made it down to him so quickly!! We are now at one of the local Starbuck’s where he is playing on his computer and I am thoroughly enjoying a nice large glass of ice water!! I am not sure what to do now, but I am having the hardest time holding still now. Who would have thought that the act of expending energy, would actually give you energy? What a good day!”

After sending this to myself, I tried really hard to hold still and read  a little, and I just couldn’t do it – hold still that is. So, I decided to walk a little bit further. I ended up spending the next hour or so walking everywhere I could think of just taking pictures like a maniac! It was soooo much fun!! I finally had to have my sweetie come pick me up because my camera battery had died, and my back up was dead too! So, here I am now at home, at least for a few hours before we go out to dinner with a girlfriend of mine this evening! I can’t wait!!! 😉

Here’s to having a FABULOUS day!!

 “If you want to have a different life, live differently!”

 

 

Randomness Tuesday!

Me and My Sweetie

Good evening!

To say I am having a GREAT day is an understatement! There is not really one thing I can put my finger on that has made it a great day, but really a bunch of little things that have just really made me a happy girl!!

I had a good day at work today, pretty typical, but I am really feeling like I am holding my own on my team – FINALLY! I did get all beautified up to go to the office today, including putting on a dress and lashes, which always makes me feel more confident. I am not sure why I don’t take time to do that every morning!! Usually my morning consists of taking a shower, throwing on one of 5 basic outfits I wear almost every day (out of a whole PLETHORA OF CHOICES!!), and then off to work with a clean face and mostly wet hair!

My girlfriend Dawn has really inspired me to be brave and try new things with my look, like I said a couple of nights ago, but last evening she was saying that she has spent a ton of time watching tutorials online on how to do different makeup and hair techniques, so as soon as I got home I decided to see what I can find. MAN, I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED!!! There is so much hints, tips, and advice out there! That was really fun! I am not sure what I am going to try yet tomorrow, but I know that I will at least try SOMETHING new, and I am sure that will be exciting!!

Another thing that is REALLY contributing to my level of happiness today is that my house is clean!

LIKE REALLY-HONEST-TO-GOODNESS-EVERYTHING-IS-IN-ITS-PLACE-CLEAN!!
WHOO! HOO!!! 😉

I told Dawn that it was her fault, that if she wouldn’t have come over last night, it would never have gotten that way! I really need to invite my friends over MORE OFTEN!!! What an AMAZING feeling!!

My Sweet and Beautiful Faye!

My sweetie is also in a good mood. He is working again, and he is just soooooo much happier, which in turn, makes me soooooo much happier!! I just LOVE seeing him having a good time, feeling like he is helping his customers!!! Tonight, on his way home from work, he even brought home a yummy, but healthy Subway dinner with a light Jamba Juice for desert! WHAT A GOOD MAN I HAVE!!! Thank you, Love!!! 😉

Me!

My official plan this evening is that I am going to watch Pride and Prejudice. Jason and I went with Dawn and Errin earlier this week to go see the new Three Muskateers movie, and I feel in love with Matthew Macfayden again!! SO DREAMY!!! 😉 I must have a thing for men who are rough and tough, but really a romantic at heart – oh, and the British accent doesn’t hurt either!! 😉 So I am going to get my fill of him in this movie this evening!! LOL! 😉

I did warn you that this was a random kind of posting, and sure enough it was!!! Until tomorrow…

Have a FABULOUS evening! ;-)

NOTE: See you at Chunky Dunkers tomorrow evening! I will have posted by 7-ish!!! (Pacific time!!!) GO CHUNKY DUNKERS!!! 😉

Working Out & Feelin’ Groovy!!

Good evening!

I have had a very busy, but very satisfying day today!!

First of all, dare I say it??? but work is actually getting better! I am not sure why, but the vibe in the office is really lightening up and it is making easier to want to be there day in and day out!! I think we can all finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, and so far – IT’S NOT A TRAIN!! WHEW!! 😉

At the end of work today, I had another Zumba class, and I must tell you – I am still pretty sore from Tuesday’s class, so mamma was modifying LIKE CRAZY today!!! 😉 Still left sweaty, sore, exhausted, and so glad that I done it!!! This is a six week class, and I can see that as the weeks go on it is going to get easier because I am going to have learned all of the dances. But, let me just tell you about an amazing moment that happened in class this afternoon. Those of us who were new, were learning moves to a new song. Well, one of the moves in this dance is something I have seen actual dancers do. I am not sure I know how to describe what it was, but it is basically where you plie, and your entire upper body sways left and right as your arms follow along – kind of like you are pretending to be a field of wheat in a nice breeze, It is a great stretching move, and in that moment, it was almost as if time had stood still, and I was graceful. I felt the motion from my abs all the way up to my fingertips, and it was right there, in the middle of crazy Zumba class that I felt real peace. Is that just crazy??? It was quite the divine moment for me. I am going to try and look it up on YouTube and see if I can find that dance move so that you can see what I am talking about.

Anyway, class ended and I came home and had a really healthy dinner with my sweetie; baked potato with fat free vegetarian chili – so DELICIOUS!! YUM!!

After sneaking in an episode of Bones – yes, we are STILL trying to get caught up!! It was time to go swimming!! I love swimming. I have loved swimming for as long as I can remember. I can remember swimming in my grandfather’s pool with my mom, dad and sisters and just having soooo much fun! Well, this evening, being as sore and tired as I am, I still managed to squeak almost an hour in!! My sweetie makes swimming fun, now!! We just talk, and play, and chase each other, kind of like little kids!!

Well, we have just gotten back to the house, I am sitting in his bathrobe, that smells just like him – I just LOVE that smell, and we are enjoying our dessert, which is a bowl of fresh strawberries, some light cool whip, and two graham crackers. I mean, seriously, what could be better than that???

After I am done for the night, I am going to head upstairs and get a little reading done – I am reading all about southern women, and southern culture/lifestyle! I think I have somehow tapped into a part of my heritage or something! I am just CAPTIVATED!! Anyway, more on that in another post!!!

One last thing before I go…I was reading an article this morning, and it was basically 3 friends stating 5 things that they do that make them happy. It made me think about that all day. So before I share my 5 Happy Things with you, I want to ask you to share with me in the comments section above, Dad, I am talking to you too!! 😉 What are 5 things that make you happy!! I know 5 might seem like a lot, but you can do it!!

My 5 Happy Things are:

  1. Car rides in the country (My daddy used to take my mamma out for drives in the country, and I have ALWAYS thought that was just SOOOO ROMANTIC!! Good job, Dad!!!)
  2. Sitting in a comfy corner, snuggled under a fuzzy blanket, reading a great book with my girls sleeping in my lap!!
  3. Sipping sweet tea out on the back porch while enjoying the sounds of nature, and of course that is always better with someone you love!
  4. Finishing something I never knew I would ever get the opportunity to start – like belly dancing, a collage class, or Zumba!!
  5. Helping someone just for the sake of seeing the expression of happiness, and gratitude on their faces.

I can’t wait to see your lists!!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

A Night of Private Lessons!

Good evening!

Tonight was my belly dancing class, just in case you have been hiding someplace and hadn’t heard me say it for the umpteenth time!!

BELLY DANCING THURSDAYS!!!

WHOO! HOO!!

Hee! Hee!! Hoo!! Hee! Hee!! Hoo!!

Ok, I have gotten myself back under control!! 😉


Tonight I wanted to share a bunch of pics that I took this morning while I was taking a walk to go into the office. It was very cold here, and foggy, and I thought that the world seemed very ethereal and magical this morning with all of the hazy fog. So, I took some time just finding some shots that I thought were BEAUTIFUL! I would love to hear your thoughts about them!!

Ok, onto my class this evening. When I started this belly dancing class about a month ago, there were 5 of us, then we became 6 for a couple of weeks, last week we dropped to 4, and I am not sure what happened this week, but there were only 2 of us there, and the other lady had to leave early! BUMMER!!


BUT TO MY SURPRISE! I got to have about a 20 minute private lesson with the dance instructor and one of the students from the advanced class! That was really awesome, and that means that I know some dance moves that everyone else doesn’t!! YEAH!!!


HOWEVER!!! There are two moves that I am going to have to really practice on! They are both spinning moves and you do this thing with one of your feet that you do a 180 degree turn, and let me tell you MAMMA IS GONNA HAVETA FIGURE OUT TO SPIN THIS SHIP IN A SPLIT SECOND!!! SHEESH!! Let’s just say it is going to take me some practice, and maybe some slippy socks!!! LOL!! 😉

I can’t say it enough! I truly LOVE this class, I look forward to it all week!! It is exhausting and energizing all at the same time! I am becoming better coordinated, balanced, and graceful, three things I thought could never be associated with me, and through lots of practice, I am getting better, and better, a little every week!!

While I was waiting for the instructor to get there, I was sitting out in the waiting area with a tall, graceful woman, who looked to be in about her 80’s. She was VERY OBVIOUSLY a dancer, with a dancer’s body and a dancer’s posture! So I got to talking to her, asking her questions, like I have a tendency to do, and I found out that she has been dancing since she was 6, she has 4 dance instructors because no one can keep up with her, and she tells me,

“I can’t help it, when my feet hear the music, they just can’t hold still, so I have no other choice but to get up and let them dance!”

She was right, not 5 minutes later, there was a private lesson going on in the next room, and the music started playing. She got up to watch, and before you know it she was dancing all around the waiting room, and down the hall! It was actually quite beautiful and made me smile all the way down to my liver. 😉

I pray that when I am 80 something, I am able to say,

“I can’t help it, when my feet hear the music, they just can’t hold still, so I have no other choice but to get up and let them dance!”


If only we were all so lucky to find a physical activity that gave them this much joy and pleasure!! I am truly blessed!

Have a FABULOUS evening!! 😉

A Creative Day!

A lovely pic taken & sent to me, by my sis, Alex!! 😉

Good morning!

I have just gotten into the office and am getting ready to start my working day! The sun is shining and my entire desk is just glowing in the sun – I LOVE IT!!! It is such a different feeling then being here when it is grey, rainy, and cloudy! However, I am not complaining! I am just soooooo thankful to have such a nice large window to be able to see out of!!! BLISS!!

Tonight is my belly dancing class, and I have decided to leave the office about 1/2 an hour early today so that I can go accomplish one of my weekly assignments for the book I am reading, ‘The Artist’s Way’. The assignment is, is that I am supposed to choose 5 creative careers other than the career I am doing, and then choose to act out one of those careers in your life sometime this week! Well, today is that day!!

My 5 Creative Careers for me are:

1.     Professional Blogger
2.     Photographer
3.     Writer/Author
4.     Home Boutique Owner
5.     Magazine Editor

Actually, that last one is brand new! Magazine editor just popped into my head, and had to bump off another career choice off of my list, which was Fashion Designer.

I have decided that if there is a way to do it, I would love to blog full time! One of the things I keep stumbling across is that your blog should have a niche, and I am not sure if up to now it has actually had one. So, if I had to choose a niche – it would still have to remain kind of general, because I have soooo many interests, but I would like to think that my blog would be about living – more specifically finding joy and satisfaction in living your life while honoring your authentic self. For me that would mean, sharing my life with you, my readers, and giving hints, tips, advice, and how-to’s for all sorts of things that I have and am learning along the way.

Is that a niche??

Hmmmm…I am not sure!

It doesn’t matter, I am becoming a fast and firm believer of start where you are, with what you’ve got, learn along the way, and before you know it you will be where you always knew you wanted to be!!! My belly dance instructor keeps saying, “Stop thinking so hard, get out of your own way, you are doing the actions, so just let them happen!”

This maybe should be my life’s motto!?!? 😉

So I am getting out of my own way, and I am blogging every day now, as most of you know, but today, I am going to get out into this sunshine and start playing photographer. I am not going to judge my work, I am just going to get the shots into the camera and share them with the universe!!! and I am just going to see what happens!!

Have a FABULOUS morning!!! 😉
~Christina

Catch-Up Tuesday!

Good evening!

I have to tell you that today has been such a very good day!! REALLY!!! The sun is shining, Chris and I have help at work now, which is DIVINE!!! Plus Julie really is VERY SWEET, so she has been a joyful addition to our team!!

I am sorry that my posts have been a little sparse the past two days! I had gotten caught up in a book – yes, I still do read, EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE!! I just finished reading  City of Fallen Angels, by Cassandra Claire, with my girlfriend, and co-worker Chris. She had finished it before me, which meant I HAD TO GET IT READ so that we could discuss!! WHEW!! So that is what I have been busy doing.

Ok, I got the last few pages read right before bed last evening! and can I tell you???

WHAT A HORRIBLE ENDING!!!

There is a movie that came out in 1982 that my mom used to watch A LOT when I was a little girl, it was called The Pirate Movie. Well, at the end of that movie, the main character, Mabel, who had been having a pirate dream for the length of the movie, realized she was getting a bad ending. She start calling out, “I want a happy ending! I want a happy ending!!” and the dream froze and, long story short – she got her happy ending!! Well,

I WANT A HAPPY ENDING!! I WANT A HAPPY ENDING!!!

For those of you who haven’t read City of Fallen Angels yet, Chris and I are both sooooo dang frustrated that we have to wait probably another year before we get to find out WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!! UGH!!!

What is a girl to do??

Hmmm… I could always start another book???

😉

As I said earlier in this post, it is so nice and sunny here today – the first real feeling day of Spring!! FINALLY! This cheery, warm weather has started me dreaming about my farm again!! I am so ready to go out and find my farm! Today would be the most DELIGHTFUL day to go out and play in the gardens, take a nice leisurely walk, and spend some time laughing with my sweetie in the great outdoors!!

My sweetie is out working on a roof for a customer, and so I am home alone for dinner. I had a pretty big lunch today, so I have decided to do a light fruit and veggie based dinner tonight – kind of like a mini cleanse!! I have had a lovely pear, a nice crisp apple, and some freshly sliced strawberries!! Later, when/if I get hungry again, I have the makings of a fresh, crisp, green salad, which should be DELICIOUS!! if I get really hungry, we have some fresh baguette in the kitchen too, that I can tear a chunk off of!! Or maybe I can add about an ounce of cheese to the mix, for some calcium-rich protein! YUM! We’ll see! (NOTE: this is my attempt to live spontaneously! WILD? I KNOW!!!!)

I have decided to start buying only organic produce. It is more expensive, but I think in the long run, it can only help us by not consuming quite as many chemicals as we have eaten in the past! So, we have been eating organic produce for a few days now, and I have to tell you, that I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of a lot of these foods. They just taste better. More flavor, richer, somehow!! It has been less than a week, and I am already hooked!! Go figure!! Thanks for the words of encouragement, Sis!!! 😉

Tonight, I am going to do a little more reading, but I think I am also going to go take a nice walk out in nature, and just soak up as much vitamin D as I possibly can!!! Doesn’t that just sound lovely???

Have a FABULOUS evening!!

Note to Chunky Dunkers: I can’t wait to see all of you at our Chunky Dunker’s Club, here tomorrow night!!! It will be great to talk about our ups and downs in our efforts to getting fit and healthy!! If anyone would like to join us – I should have the night’s post published by 6:30 PM! The more the merrier! GO CHUNKY DUNKERS!!! 😉

Getting to Happy!

Good morning!

I am up REALLY early this morning!! I think my body and I are finally starting to work together!!! I take my tired self to bed earlier, and my body can then get me out of bed with my first alarm that goes off at 5:30 am. AAAH!! That feels GREAT!! What a novel concept! If I take care of my body, it will take care of me!!

So, here it is, 6am, and I am dressed and ready to go to work! I have stopped to take a mental check of how I am feeling this morning, and I have to confess, I am happy! Like consciously, in the know happy! What a FABULOUS feeling!

This morning, I thought I would start something different for me. I would LOVE to post an interview once a week from someone who interests me. Just to get the ball rolling, and really because I am still yet a big chicken, I decided that just to break the ice, I would interview MYSELF first!!

Interview: Christina Basso-Lenz.

Christinaville: What’s a simple activity that consistently makes you happier?
Christina: I always feel absolutely rejuvenated after getting together with family and friends. It doesn’t matter if we are getting together for a cup of coffee, the holidays, or just a random Tuesday! When we get together, we re-energize each other through laughter! You can’t help but leave their company feeling happy!!! I love my peeps!! 😉

What’s something you know now about happiness that you didn’t know when you were 18 years old?
I don’t think I gave any thought to happiness whatsoever when I was 18, I just assumed I always would be happy. Not that I was happy all the time, I was plagued with insecurities and doubt, but I assumed happiness was something that I deserved – like it was going to be given to me.

Now that I am 35, I am much more comfortable in my skin. I now realize that happiness isn’t something that I am entitled to, happiness is an active choice. Barring anything catastrophic, I will be happy if I choose to do/be/have the things that I deem make me happy. I am the deciding factor in my own happiness, and if I want it, I have to go out there and get it. No one is going to give it to me.

Is there anything you find yourself doing repeatedly that gets in the way of your happiness?
Dreaming big and then not taking action. This has been something that I consciously struggle with. I have this little bubble of fear that has a tendency to hang over my head, and I worry about being a failure or disappointing the ones I love. I have to constantly remind myself that this is the only life I ever get, and if I am going to get out there and do it, now is the time!

Is there a happiness mantra or motto that you’ve found very helpful?
I have a strong foundation of faith and I like to remind myself that God has a bigger dream waiting in the wings for me then what I can see right in front of me. Whatever troubles or struggles are going on right now they will pass. It is up to me to look for the lesson in whatever it is that is going on in my life at any given time so that I am ready for the bigger blessings heading my way.

Has there been a book that has been particularly useful?
A helpful book for me is any great fiction that can whisk my thoughts away to distraction. My favorite for that is probably something like Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, or The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. I love the idea that I get to step into other women’s lives, and get to share some of their adventures with them. I have become infatuated with the idea of the southern belles.

If you’re feeling blue, how do you give yourself a happiness boost? Do you have a comfort activity? (like reading children’s books).
There are a few things that do this for me. Purchasing a new journal, or a good quality pen – I love writing my thoughts down on paper. There is something about fine paper, a smooth-writing, heavy pen, and large swirly penmanship that are immediately calming to me.

I also love getting creative whether that is doing some interior design, creating jewelry, or handcrafting a little something for a friend. I love seeing the joy that something I can make can bring to someone else!

Do you have a comfort food that adds to your happiness?
I do have a few of comfort foods that I love to partake in when I am feeling blue – all of them from my memories of my mamma’s kitchen; her fried chicken, baked pork chops, lasagna, those are all foods that can whisk me right back to being a happy little kid in her kitchen!! YUM!

Is there anything that you see people around you doing or saying that adds a lot to their happiness, or detracts a lot from their happiness?
My husband and I have been married almost 16 years, and because we don’t have children of our own, I really notice peoples’ parenting skills, or lack thereof. In my observations there are so many parents who don’t actually take the time to raise their children. They seem to think that great adults just happen all on their own. It makes me sad knowing that those parents will miss out on knowing what great adults their children could have become with some healthy and consistent guidance.

Have you always felt about the same level of happiness, or have you been through a period when you felt exceptionally happy or unhappy – if so, why? If you were unhappy, how did you become happier?
I have always generally been a happy person, but there have definitely been dark periods in my life. My darkest times have been during those periods where I have lost loved ones, but the most difficult was when I lost my mamma, 11 years ago. I have been able to get through those times by surrounding myself with a bunch FABULOUS family and friends – the ultimate support team. They remind me why I work so hard at living my life to it’s fullest; because life is short and yet so very precious!

Do you work on being happier? If so, how?
Yes, I try to live consciously, to be in the moment. One of my hobbies is photography, and sometimes I have to remind myself to get out from behind the camera and see what is going on in real life, not just through my lense. I have a tendency to live my entire life that way – through a lense, as if all of this is make believe and I will get another chance to live my real life.

Have you ever been surprised that something you expected would make you very happy, didn’t – or vice versa?
Yes! Growing up in a family who really didn’t have much materialistically, I was sure that if I acquired this certain thing or that particular object, then I would be happy. I have since learned that is an American myth. Matter of fact, the more stuff that you own, the more bogged down your life can feel. Happiness is all about the people you surround yourself with and the experiences that you choose to partake of. All of this other stuff is just fluff.

Anything else to add?
Get out there and go find your ladybugs! (Under the Tuscan Sun movie reference: “Listen, when I was a little girl I used to spend hours looking for ladybugs. Finally, I’d just give up and fall asleep in the grass. When I woke up, they were crawling all over me.”)

Have a FABULOUS morning!!! 😉