Simple Ways to be Happier at Home

As we approach a new year, I am looking for small things that I can do to make my family, my home and myself happier in 2013.  I found this list and think it has many good, simple ideas.

Here are a few simple things you can do every day to feel happier at home.

1. Make your bed. In a popular post last month, I explained the many benefits of daily bed-making. Gretchen Rubin, New York Times best-selling author of The Happiness Project, explains that this three minute task is one of the simplest habits you can adopt to positively impact your happiness.

2. Bring every room back to "ready." I learned this trick from Marilyn Paul's clever book, It's Hard to Make a Difference When You Can't Find Your Keys. It's a known fact: Clutter causes stress; order creates a haven from it. This mood-boosting routine is simple: Take about three minutes to bring each room back to "ready" before you depart it. (Unless you have a toddler, or a partner who likes to simulate earthquakes, three minutes should be sufficient.)

3. Display sentimental items around your home. One reason that experiences (and memories of those experiences) make us happier than material things is due to the entire cycle of enjoyment that experiences provide: planning the experience, looking forward to the experience, enjoying the experience, and then remembering the experience. Make your home a gallery of positive memories.

4. Start a one-line-a-day gratitude journal. Before bed, simply jot down one happy memory from that day. (If you have kids, you can ask them, "What was the best part of today?") Reflection is an important part of happiness, and pausing to reflect on a positive event from each day cultivates gratitude. (An added bonus: Later, when your memory is defunct, you will already have all of your meaningful adventures recorded!) If you have trouble getting started with journaling, consider buying a book to guide you. Simple Abundance, by Sarah Ban Breathnach, is a great one.

5. If you can't get out of it, get into it. This tip comes from The Happiness Project. I love the message: The dishes are not going to clean themselves, so you will do it, and you will like it! (Unless, of course, you can outsource this job, in which case I say: Nice work!) Otherwise, get into doing the dishes. Feel the soothing warm water on your hands. Enjoy the tickle of the tiny bubbles. Crank your favorite album at an unusually loud volume, do a couple fist-pumps while shouting "Can I get a hell yeah for the dishes? Hell! Yeah!" and pretend you love it.

6. Before you get up each morning, set an intent for the day. In The Art of Happiness, the Dali Lama says ""Every day, think as you wake up: today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it." Wow. What a wise man. I tend to wake up with a strong visceral reaction that says, "Attention human beings: Be afraid of me before coffee. Be very afraid!" Setting a daily intent makes a huge difference. Your daily intent could be something like "be productive" or "enjoy today's delicious moments" or it could be something more specific like "say thank you to my loved ones today." But it should not be another "to do" item on your list.

7. Do small favors for your housemates, expecting nothing in return (not even a thank you!). (That's right, I said it: nothing!) Mow the lawn for your husband, but don't expect him to pat you on the back. Make the bed for your wife, but don't try to get bonus points for it. Take the trash out for your roommate, just because. The ability to cultivate strong, healthy relationships is one of the biggest contributors to health and happiness, but when you start to keep score, the benefit is lost. (No! It's YOUR turn to clean up the dog poop!) It's a well-known fact: When you do good, you feel good.

8. Call at least one friend or family member a day. You can do this while you clean, while you make the bed, or while you walk the dog. Texts and emails do not count! Make an actual phone call to a loved one, just to chat and catch up. We humans are social beings and studies show that even when we don't feel like it, even if we are naturally introverted, socializing with our loved ones makes us feel better.

9. Spend money on things that cultivate experiences at home. Save money for a new grill for parties or a new DVD for family movie night — something that will encourage you to have people over and entertain. Plan a summer barbeque, invite your closest friends, kick back and relax. (And don't forget to print out the pictures to remember the good times.)

10. Spend a few minutes each day connecting with something greater than yourself. Whatever your spiritual beliefs — or non-beliefs — may be, studies show that connecting to a high power is correlated with happiness. Just stepping back to realize that we are part of an enormous universe can put some perspective on your annoyance with the those-are-definitely-not-mine-and-they-are-abso-fricking-lutely-repulsive socks under the coffee table. Before bed, spend just a few minutes contemplating something larger than yourself. Take a walk in nature. Write in a journal. Create a sacred space in your home. (Or if spirituality is really not your thing, create a home spa: light some candles, soak in a hot bath, delve into a good book… are you feeling better yet?)

From Apartment Therapy

Viceroy Homes

Last week we were in Canada and had the pleasure of staying with friends who just built their dream house on a lake.  Their new home is gorgeous!  High ceilings, lots of windows and beautiful details like white washed wide-oak floors.  The house was designed and built by Viceroy, a company that custom builds houses.  They used a private contractor for the interior.  It was amazing!

While walking around the countryside, we popped over to see their neighbor's home, also a Viceroy.  Shirley, the neighbor, was kind enough to invite us in to see her professionally decorated home.  It was gorgeous too! 

I am sold on Viceroy and have already decided which design I want when we find the perfect plot of land on which to build. 

Red Velvet Cake

I made this recipe over the weekend and it was fantastic!!  The only thing that I would change is the food coloring - it blended into the cake and therefore wasn't needed.  I did hear today however that originally beet sugar was used in Red Velvet cake and that is where the red color came from.  I wonder where I could find beet sugar?

The BEST Red Velvet Cake Recipe. Easy. Moist. Homemade

Recipe type: Dessert

Author: Divas Can Cook – Monique

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 35 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Serves: 12

This is the best red velvet cake I’ve ever had! Super moist with the perfect, classic red velvet taste. Everybody that I make this for loves it!! Hopefully you will too!

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 Tablespoon of unsweetened, cocoa powder
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1-2 oz. red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar
• 1/2 cup of prepared plain hot coffee (don’t skip this ingredient)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and vegetable oil.
4. Mix in the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and red food coloring until combined.
5. Stir in the coffee and white vinegar.
6. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients a little at time, mixing after each addition, just until combined.
7. Generously grease and flour two round cake pans with crisco and flour.
8. Pour the batter evenly into each pan.
9. Bake in the middle rack for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not over bake as cake will continue to cook as it cools.
10. Let cool on a cooling rack until the pan are warm to the touch.
11. Slide a knife or offset spatula around the inside of the pans to loosen the cake from the pan.
12. Remove the cakes from the pan and let them cool.
13. Frost the cake with cream cheese frosting when the cakes have cooled completely.

No Knead Bread Recipe

I am trying this recipe for bread out and hoping the mix of flours (cake and farm-bread) work together well!

No Knead Bread Recipe

Servings: One 1-pound loaf

No Knead Bread Recipe is adapted from Mark Bittman of NY Times who got it from Sullivan Street Bakery. When the recipe first came out, it was the blogging community who took the bread to new heights, especially Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of The Bread Bible. I followed Rose's experiments through the weeks and learned from her recipe adjustments and the why's of how this bread works.

Ingredients: 

3 cups bread flour

 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast

 1 teaspoon fine table salt (or 3/4 tablespoon of kosher salt)

 1 1/2 cups warm water
Covered pot (five-quart or larger cast iron, Pyrex, ceramic, enamel...something that can go into a 450F oven.) 

Directions:

1. Mix dough: The night before, combine all ingredients in a big bowl with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together. It will be a shaggy, doughy mess. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 12-20 hours on countertop.

2. Shape & preheat: The dough will now be wet, sticky and bubbly. With a wet spatula, dump the dough on a floured surface. Fold ends of dough over a few times with the spatula and nudge it into a ball shape. You can use your hands if you like, just keep your hands wet so that the dough does not stick. Place a large sheet of parchment paper on counter. Plop your dough onto parchment paper. Lift parchment paper up with dough and place into a large bowl. Cover bowl with a towel. Let it nap for 2 hours. When you've got about a half hour left, slip your covered pot into the oven and preheat to 450F.

3. Bake: Your dough should have doubled in size. Remove pot from oven. Grab the ends of the parchment paper and lift entire wobbly dough blob out of bowl into pot. Doesn't matter which way it lands. Shake to even dough out. Cover. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover, bake another 15-20 minutes or until the crust is beautifully golden and middle of loaf is 210F. Remove and let cool on wired rack. If not eating right away, you can re-crisp crust in 350F oven for 10 minutes.

(Recipe from: Steamy Kitchen)

Lemon Cake and Rio

Lemon cake (from a white cake mix) with whipped cream icing and lemon zest topping.

Colorful buildings in Rio.

Old street sign in the Santa Theresa neighborhood, Rio.

Rustic Plum Tart

Rustic Plum Tart

Crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2″ pieces
3 tablespoons ice water

Filling
1 1/2 lbs. plums, halved, pitted and cut into slices
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)
1/4 cup apricot preserves

Blend flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water; blend until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoons if mixture is still dry. Gather dough into a ball, flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss plums, 4 tablespoons sugar, ginger, cinnamon in a bowl. Roll dough on floured surface to 12 1/2″ round. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Mix 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon flour in a small bowl; sprinkle over dough leaving 2″ plain border.

Arrange plums in concentric circles on the dough, leaving 2″ plain border. Drizzle with melted butter. Fold dough border toward center. Brush border with egg glaze; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake tart until plums are tender and crust is golden, about 35-45 minutes.

When making tarts in pans, use one that is nonstick and has a removable bottom.

Stir preserves in saucepan over low heat until melted. Brush over plums. Cool tart 1 hour on baking sheet. Run long knife until tart to loosen. Transfer tart to serving plate and serve at room temperature. Makes 6 servings.

Easy Bread Pudding

Ingredients

• 1 (10.75 ounce) loaf day-old bread, torn into small pieces
• 4 cups milk
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup butterscotch or chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. 
2. In a large bowl, combine bread, milk, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla and butterscotch chips; mixture should be the consistency of oatmeal. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven 1 hour, until nearly set. (It should have a "thigh wiggle" or wiggle as much as a well endowed thigh.) Serve warm or cold. 

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Motivation to Exercise

• How you feel after a workout. I always feel great after a good workout. It’s a high. And I let that motivate me the next time: “You know how good you’re going to feel, Leo!”
• Having fun. Exercise should be fun. If it isn’t, try a different kind of activity that you enjoy. As long as you’re moving, it’s good for you.
• How you’re going to look. Imagine a slimmer, fitter you. Now let that visualization drive you.
• I'd like to return to my 2008/Canadian figure! I went to the gym 3-4 times a week and went down two dress sizes.
• Magazines. It motivates me to read fitness magazines. Not sure why, but it works.
• Blogs. I enjoy reading blogs about people who are into running, or losing weight. It can show the ups and downs they go through, and you can learn from their experiences.
• Rewards. If you exercise for a few days, give yourself a reward! A week? Another reward. Do it often in the beginning.
• Fitting into new clothes. Wanna look good in a smaller size? Work out!
• I want to fit into my old pre-pregnancy clothes!
• Being attractive. That’s always a good motivator, as I’m sure we all know. 
• Stress relief. Wound up after a long day at the office? Get out and work off that stress. It makes a world of difference.
• A workout partner. Best thing I’ve done.    
• I miss my exercise partners - the girlfriends who would work out with or without me, but who got me up and out the door.  I miss the chats at the gym, the walking and discussing everything from politics to setting up friends together.
• An exercise class. Sign up for a class, perhaps with a friend, and you’ll be motivated to get there and work out.
•  Classes have always worked really well for me. The pressure of keeping up with the group, the fun music...but I am not a member of a gym right now.
• A coach or trainer. Worth the money, just for the motivation.
• I am going to try exercising by myself but know this is a fall-back option.
• An exercise log/graph. For some reason, writing it down is extremely important. Really. Do it for a week and you’ll see what I mean.
• Your before picture. You often don’t realize how far you’ve come. Take pictures.
• A 5K race or triathlon. Just sign up for one, and you’ll be motivated to train.
• The dread of feeling “yuck” from not exercising. I hate how I feel after not exercising. So I remind myself of that when I feel tired.
• The scale. It’s not motivating to weigh yourself every day, as your weight fluctuates. But if you weigh yourself once a week, you’ll be motivated to have it keep going down, instead of up. Combine the scale with the measuring tape, and measure your waist.
• Reaching a goal. Set a goal for weight, or your waist measurement, or a number of days to work out, or a number of miles to run this week. Setting and tracking a goal helps motivate you to complete that goal. Make it easily achievable.
• Posting it on your blog. Tell people you’re going to lose weight or exercise daily, and report to them. You’ll make it happen. 
• A blog seems too public, but telling my husband or emailing a friend may be good. 

                                                                                                                            From: zenhabits.net

You're probably telling yourself something like "I should exercise right now. If I don't work out, I'm never going to get fit." This statement has many hidden obstacles. For one thing, feeling like you should do something makes it seem like work, or an obligation. That's no fun. You're also thinking about what will happen if you don't exercise--in other words, you're threatening yourself with punishment (the image of being unfit). Subconsciously, you're flooding your mind with negativity. Instead, remember that exercise is a choice, and it's about whether you want to, or not! And instead of thinking about how you'll look if you don't work out, think about how great you'd look if you did!

• Focus on starting, rather than finishing. When you focus on finishing something, you direct your attention to a vague, highly idealized future. Visualizing a finished project is motivating for many people, but for someone who’s having a hard time starting a task, visualizing a hard-to-grasp future can be overwhelming — even depressing. The solution in this case, then, is not to focus on finishing, but on starting. Forget for a minute about the finish line, just concentrate on giving your first step. Bring your focus from the future to what can be done right now. We all know that if we start something enough times, we'll eventually finish the task. Starting — all by itself — is usually sufficient to build enough momentum to keep the ball rolling.

• Get back on the horse. Have you not exercised for a week? A month? A year? A decade? Who cares? Don't punish yourself. Don't think about how hard it is to get fit. Live in the Moment. Do you want to get in shape? Then work out. Eventually, you'll get momentum going, and you can fine-tune your routine. But that will come naturally, from feeling good about yourself and wanting to take better care of yourself. Until then, just establish in your brain that working it out is a choice, a fun choice.

                                                                                                          From: www.wikihow.com

                                                                                                         

What to do with old bananas?

Banana Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 ½ large bananas)
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 2 cups of flour
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground mace or nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1 cup of pecans (walnuts and chocolate chips are fine alternatives)

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.

2 In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which in turn will give the cookies their lift and rise.

3 Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined.

4 Fold into the batter the pecans or chocolate chips if using. Drop in dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.

Makes about 30 cookies.

Welcome New Year!

Follow your heart.  

Be true to yourself.  

 Do what you need to do fulfill your dreams.  

Say what you need to say.  

Be kind to others.  

Offer a helping hand when you’re able.  

Love those who deserve to be loved, and cherish the bond you share.  

Appreciate all the things you do have.  

Smile.  

Celebrate your small victories.  

Learn from your mistakes.  

Forgive.  

And let go of the things you can’t change.

January 1, 2012