Make your Cake and Eat it Too

I have been watching episodes of "The Cake Boss" lately and have seen Buddy make some absolutely incredible cakes. I mean everything he does with cake is absolutely crazy and unbelievable and looks delicious.Watching all those cakes being made and eaten made me crave some cake so I got a Halloween fun-fetti cake mix with matching frosting from Wal-Mart (Buddy would not approve) and made me a cake. One thing about living not so far above sea level is that things turn out more moist and I LOVE it!!!  So my cake may not have been some amazing decorated thing but every time I walk by it I take a little bite and smile.  I let my kids have some last night and it put me and them  in a good mood even though my youngest only eats the frosting (where did she learn that from?). Then I was thinking about it and realizing that cakes really are a happy food. They are usually made for some happy occasion and every recipe I have had is delicious and eating it makes me happy (except when thinking about the calories, but that is another post altogether)!  So next time you are in a funk either drive to New Jersey and order a cake from The Cake Boss watch an episode of The Cake Boss for some inspiration or make your own - but any way you do it - it will put you in a good mood. Bake your Cake and Eat it Too.

Inside Jokes

Today I was thinking about inside jokes and how fun they are to have.  There are a number of people in my life that all I would have to say is one word or phrase and we would be laughing forever. With my roomies from college all I would have to say is "retainer" or "silverware" or "bike tire" and we would not be able to stop laughing. With my husband all I would have to say is "Amberly" or "hokey-pokey" or "panini fries" and we would be splitting a gut. With my brother all I would have to say is "bub-rub" "sledding accident" or "leprechaun" and we could go on for hours.  Inside jokes are gifts given to us to remember when something hilarious happened that made us laugh really hard. They are memories. Mostly good, some embarrassing and some stressful that became funny after the fact.  I probably have at least one inside joke with almost everyone I know whether they know I do or not. :)  Today being able to think up some of my old inside jokes and memories I put myself in a good mood. Try it - it's fun.

You're the next Contestant...

The other day I was on the treadmill at the gym (natural good mood enhancer - exercise) and I plugged my headphones into the channel that was showing "The Price is Right". It had been a LONG time since I had watched this show. I mean I haven't seen it since the "remember to spay and neuter your pets.." Bob Barker days. I forgot how much I loved this show. The first guy up was so excited - you know how they get - jumping up and down pointing to the audience etc.. well this guy was especially excited. Just watching him made me excited for him. So of course it was revealed that he would be able to try to win a brand new Jeep Cherokee. Well if you thought this guy was excited to be a contestant now he was overcome.  He was getting down doing break dance moves and his girlfriend in the audience was fainting. Well as luck would have it, he won that Jeep. And watching him get excited made me smile and even laugh out loud (those people exercising by me without headphones probably thought I was nuts but, Oh well).  And then watching contestant after contestant get excited to be called and excited if they won - that show is all about happiness - happiness that you have got a quick chance to do something great -to earn a quick reward. I decided then and there that first of all, someday I want to be a member of that audience and second of all, that show puts me in a good mood. Watching Joe Shmo off the street try to win awesome prizes just has a way of putting a smile on my face. So DVR a few episodes of Price is Right to watch on your hard days. It is sure to bring a smile to your face and maybe even a chuckle. And you might even learn the correct price of a hand blender - so double the benefit and watch. :)

"Shhh" Whip Cream

Tonight my kids wanted ice cream. So me, being the wonderful mom I am gave them ice cream and for a treat I had bought the "shhh" whip cream. You know what I am talking about the kind that goes "shhhh" when you push the little nozzle to the side. The yummy deliciousness of pure air colliding with sugar and cream = "shhhh" whip cream.  So after scooping them up some Cookies and Cream Great Value ice cream in the paper carton (best cookies and cream out there by the way - introduced to it by a friend to whom I am forever in debt :))  Anyway I scoop it up and then put some "shh" on the ice cream in their bowls and then straight into my mouth. Well of course my kids want to try some straight into their mouth too. So there began a hilarious family moment of putting "shhh" whip cream into my kids' mouths and having them crack up so hard when it got in there that it came right back out their mouth or nose and sometimes they actually swallowed it. So what if I had a huge mess to clean up at the end - the "shhh" whip cream brought me laughter and joy and made my kids smile and laugh.  Thank you for compressed air. Thank you "shhh" whip cream for being so delicious. Today you put me in a good mood. So go out and buy a container of it and when you are sad - open the fridge - spray some straight into your mouth and feel the guiltless fun of the "shhh".  I think it is pretty low in calories too - such an easy cure to those bad days.

Country Living

I used to stare at the pages in Country Living magazine and love seeing how people lived where there was such beauty all around them. Growing up in the west has it's own beauty - I'll say that - but I would dream of the fall's people were experiencing in the East where there were millions of trees with all the gorgeous leaves and fall festivals and pumpkin patches etc... I have never really experienced fall I feel until moving here. It is absolutely incredible. Every time I go out on a drive I feel I am on a scenic parkway. The reds and golds are beautiful There are multiple farms that let you come pick apples and pumpkins and have activities for the families. I LOVE it! I have fallen in love with fall all over again. A couple days ago we drove out to a farm to do some activities and the drive out there was unbelieveably beautiful with the scenery. There was a gorgeous lake in the middle of it all and the trees surrounding it seemed like they were on fire because of the colors and I was just awestruck with how close I live to so many beautiful spots. This put me in a good mood. Everyone keeps telling me just wait until winter sets in - you'll be hating life but for now I LOVE going outside and the crisp air and the pumpkins on porches and the falling leaves. I am going to enjoy it while it lasts and make my own Country Living Magazine article to enjoy. I love it!

Yellow Balloons

In high school I had a part-time job working at a party store. I was a pro at putting together amazing balloon bouquets.  I ended up loving it.  I especially loved the clear yellow balloons. I learned then that yellow was my favorite color. Wearing yellow. Receiving yellow flowers. Tying yellow balloons together. Whatever it was I loved that color. So the other day I was having an average day and threw on a yellow shirt after my shower and I immediately felt better. I am not kidding. Colors are powerful. Yellow is a happy color - so for an immediate mood shift put on a bright colored shirt - it will help.

At that job I also learned that I love balloons. Mainly because they make you look UP. I love how like flowers - when you receive balloons you are happy and it usually means a happy celebration. Balloons make you focus on things heavenward instead of getting so caught up in things only you can see. I have heard of a few instances where at funerals people let balloons go with memories of the person who died tied to them and then every year on the anniversary of their death they do the same. I love that. I love that instead of going and staring at a grave you let go of balloons that cause you to look up into the heavens and know that the spirit lives on. Balloons put me in a good mood. So if you're ever feeling down go into a party store - find the high school worker and ask for a balloon bouquet. It will do the trick.

Invitations

Today I got a phone call from a new friend inviting me over to her house. It put me in a good mood. Someone knows about me, thinks of me and likes me enough to invite me to something. Being invited to something is a sure remedy for a bad mood (unless it is Jury Duty or a blind date or some event you really don't want to go to). But in general, being invited makes you feel included and it improves your self esteem.

I remember in the 8th grade there was this party that it seemed "everyone" was invited to. Even though the boy lived right down from the street from me and we had grown up together I guess I wasn't popular enough to be invited to his big boy/girl birthday party.  I waited for him to hand me an invitation but it never came. I was sad but then after some digging realized some of my other friends weren't invited either. So I held an "un-invited" party for all of those he forgot to invite ;) and we had a BLAST. (not to mention we spied on the party that was going on and it was not cool without us there - believe me!) So whatever the event - being invited makes you feel special.  On the other hand if there is a time when you are not being invited anywhere then buck up and do your own inviting because there is always friendships to be made by just making a phone call and saying, "want to hang out? go on a walk? our kids to play together? go out for my birthday? watch a movie? Play b-ball?" It could be anything. Being invited and doing the inviting are two things to put you in a good mood. At least it worked for me today.

Accents

People who have certain accents put me in a good mood. For some reason bad news sounds a little better if it is given in an Australian or British accent or even Irish or anything European.  Just think about it...wouldn't it sit better with you if someone says (insert Australian accent) "I'm sorry mate, but your credit card has been declined". Or (insert Irish accent here) "Sorry Laddie, but those coupons are expired" Seriously - those things said with an accent don't sound as bad.

I would be in such a better mood if everyone who gave me bad news or every customer service agent I had to deal with had a European or Australian accent. I am not kidding.  Personally I am very bad at imitating accents they all seem to come out as some mix between Asian and Irish and Southern. But for some reason accents make me take notice of people that I might not have before. They make me smile and therefore put me in a good mood.

It does have to be the kind of accent where I can still understand their English - German/Spanish/French/African/Asian accents- those I don't think have the effect on my mood as much as the other ones I have mentioned above. German accents make me scared. Spanish accents make me nervous. French accents make me doubt. African accents make me wonder. Asian accents make me stressed. But the Australian and European accents have a good affect on me and make me interested and happy. Call me an "accent snob" but that is just the way it is. Accents make me appreciate culture and diversity make me feel different ways but there are those certain few that put me in a good mood. So if you need a little boost in your day just start talking in a different accent OR "youtube" some video footage of different accents - sure to make you smile.

Gratitude

Once I started keeping a "gratitude journal"and every night I would write what I was thankful for that day. I  tried not to repeat myself and didn't run out of things to write down but eventually I just ran out of time or desire to do it regularly. So I have started a little "I am thankful for..." sidebar on here that I will add to each day so when you can't think of anything in your life to be thankful for - you can come here and remind yourself of a few things. 

It is my knowledge that we have a living prophet upon the earth to guide us and give us council. This last weekend I listened as he gave a talk on how important it is to have gratitude in our lives. The part that hit me the hardest was when he talked about things we left un-thanked - intending to give thanks for but we never do. I know that I love to get thanked for things whether it is from my husband thanking me for cleaning the house or from a friend thanking me for a phone call - it always makes my day and attitude better. Someone recognizes the things I do - I am not alone in the world. I think a lot of times I live a "thankless" life so to say. Getting up doing the things I do and it isn't that I can't do the things I do unless I am thanked and I don't expect to be thanked for every little thing I do, but when I am - wow - it is like for the next while I feel better about doing what I am doing because someone notices. So as I think about what I learned from this talk I realize that if you want a quick fix to your mood just think of a time that someone has thanked you and if that doesn't work or you can't think of a time in particular go out and thank someone for something they have done for you. An attitude of gratitude is a sure fire fix to those bad mood days.

Vitamin D

I was sitting eating my lunch today and all of a sudden a ray of sunlight shone on me from my patio door. I leaned back, closed my eyes and soaked it in. It has been raining all week here - so it was great to see the sun for a few moments and as I was soaking it in I thought of how powerful the sun is. Right now there are places converting the sun's energy into power for lighthouses, boats, houses, and even factories.  I thought about how there are articles and reports on how everyone needs Vitamin D everyday for a healthy life - at least 15 minutes of sun light daily will do wonders for your energy and mood. This is a proven fact. Amazing that "The Son" - as in Jesus Christ will do the same thing for us. If we can give him 15 minutes a day or more of our time whether in prayer or scripture study or reflection - He will give us energy/strength/courage and more.  When I was a teenager I would sometimes sport sunglasses inside and when someone would ask me - "Hey Bec, why are you wearing your sunglasses inside?" I would say, "because when you're cool, the sun shines on you 24 hours a day".  Just a fun joke to say - but in retrospect it is something to think about. Even in "rainy" times of our lives there is a "sun" that can shine on us 24 hours a day. The One who gave His life for us. Sometimes we may have to be other people's "sun". And sometimes we may have to make our very own "sun light" for our stormy days. But no matter what we can convert the energy from "The son" and "the sun" into ways to bless our family's lives and neighbors lives.  So today a ray of sunshine put me in a good mood. What can it do for you?