Baking cookies makes me happy. Here's a good old fashioned recipe.

Chocolate/Peanut Butter/Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies – Gluten Free!

 

In a sauce pan, bring to a boil the following 4 ingredients:

½ cup butter (1 stick)

½ cup milk

4 tablespoons cocoa

2 cups sugar

Boil for one minute and remove from heat.  Add the following 3 ingredients:

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup peanut butter

2 ½ cups oatmeal

Mix well.  Drop teaspoon sized pieces of batter onto a tray lined with waxed paper.  Cool.

These are an old fashioned, very rich tasting recipe—more like candy than cookies.

Enjoy!

I must be really happy because I have 5 sisters!

This is a good one I found on the yahoo shine website.

Your emotional well-being isn’t just about your genes or the kind of home you were raised in. It turns out that some pretty interesting factors—backed by science—play a role in how joyful you feel:

You were a smiley student

Adults with the biggest grins in their college yearbook pictures were up to 5 times less likely to be divorced decades later than those who looked less happy, according to a new DePauw University study. A smiler’s positive disposition may attract other happy people or rub off on a spouse.

You have a sister

People with at least one female sibling report better social support, more optimism, and better coping abilities, according to a study presented at the British Psychological Society’s annual conference. Sisters appear to encourage communication and cohesion in families.

You're not glued to the TV

The happiest people spend 30% less time parked in front of the tube, according to a University of Maryland study that analyzed 34 years of data from more than 45,000 Americans. They’re more likely to spend time socializing, reading, or attending religious services—habits that are linked to better moods and health.

You keep souvenirs on display

People who use mementos or photos to remind themselves of good times better appreciate their lives and are happier, says Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD, a professor of psychology at University of California, Riverside. Good memories remind you of your “happiness potential” and promise that soon you can reach it again.

You make exercise a priority

People who exercise more are less likely to be stressed and more likely to be satisfied with life, according to Danish researchers. Compared with sedentary people, joggers are 70% less likely to have high stress levels and life dissatisfaction, the study found. Couch potatoes who start moderate exercise—the equivalent of 17 to 34 minutes a day—experience the greatest happiness lift.

You have a healthy love life

Physical intimacy is a key contributor to happiness, found a study by Dartmouth economist David Blanchflower, PhD, and Andrew Oswald, PhD, of England's University of Warwick. Married people report 30% more sex than singles, which may be one reason they also report being happier.

You hang out with happy people

Socializing with a cheerful person in your neighborhood increases the likelihood that you’ll be happy too, according to a new study. How often you get together matters most, say the researchers: People who live within half a mile of a buoyant buddy increase their odds of being happy by 42%. If the friend lives farther away (within a 2-mile radius), the chances drop to 22%—probably due to fewer get-togethers.

You stay warm with hot cocoa

Clutching a steaming beverage—coffee and tea also do the trick—can elicit a flood of positive feelings, according to a Yale University study. This may be because people associate physical warmth with emotional warmth, say the researchers. Study subjects held cups of either hot or iced coffee; those gripping warm mugs were more appreciative of friendliness in others and also felt more generous and trusting themselves.

You have two best friends

Among 654 married adults, those who said they had at least two “best friends” (not necessarily including one’s spouse) were likelier to have better mental well-being, says a study. But additional friends didn’t lead to any more happiness than just a pair.

Be Generous, Be Happy and Healthy.....

This thought comes from a Martha Stewart magazine.  I couldn't agree more:  "To improve your outlook and maybe even your well-being, start giving.  "Generous actions activate a part of the brain that is associated with feelings of joy, with hormones linked to feelings of compassion and calmness, and with slight elevations in immune strength," says Stephen Post, director of the Center for Medical Humanities., Compassionate Care and Bioethics at Stony Brook University in New York.  Studies have shown that volunteering for even a few hours per week has a beneficial effect, and older adults who report high levels of volunteerism have been shown to live longer.

This completely reaffirms my beliefs, taught to me by my church, through the scriptures where Jesus says, "Lose yourself (in service) and you will find yourself."  And also from the scriptures, "When you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are in the service of your God."  And God will bless you with happiness.

Have a generous, service filled day!  Here's a picture of my son doing service when he was a missionary in Mexico:

Wouldn't life be awesome........

.....if you had this kind of attitude ALL the time!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rK0kZFkg&feature=player_embedded

I love this girl!  Talk about positive affirmations! 

Here's some good thoughts on stress.....

Stress

A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience,
 Raised a glass of water and asked,
 "How heavy is this glass of water?"

 Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

 The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter.
 It depends on how long you try to hold it.
 If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.
 If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.
 If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance
 In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." 
He continued,
 "And that's the way it is with stress management.
 If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,
 As the burden becomes increasingly heavy,
 We won't be able to carry on."

 "As with the glass of water,
 You have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.
 When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

 "So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home You can pick it up tomorrow."

"Whatever burdens you're carrying now,
 Let them down for a moment if you can.
 So, my friend, Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while." 
Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon,
 And some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet,
 Just in case you have to eat them.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be
 "Recalled" by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again,
 It was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time,
 Because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well.
 Just get up and dance.

* When everything's coming your way,
 You're in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you.
 The more you have, the longer you live.

* You may be only one person in the world,
 But you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

 

5 Keys to Happiness By Greg Soltis, LiveScience Staff

If you're not happy and you know it read along.
You've watched "Seinfeld" re-runs, splurged on yourself and downed pints of Ben and Jerry's. Nothing's helping. Maybe you're one of the 20 million Americans diagnosed with depression, you're bottoming out or you just want something to improve your day.
Here are five ways — some admittedly challenging — to help you get that much-needed mood boost:

My Mom and Dad, 50th Wedding Anniversary

I picked good parents!!!

1. Pick good parents
In Happy Land, genes trump environmental factors, according to the experts. And a study in the March issue of the journal Psychological Science scores another point for the gene team: Differences in DNA that could explain why some people tend to have an extra bounce in their step might also underlie the tendency to be more emotionally stable and socially and physically active.
Genes do not provide free passes from the doldrums, and other external factors will still try to mow you down. But, heredity could provide some people with a horde of happiness that they can draw from when the good times aren’t rolling.
And Canadian researchers' ability to genetically stifle depression in mice in 2006 indicates that human happiness could one day be improved by manipulating genes. This was the first time science throttled the throes of any organism. Mice bred to be void of the gene, called TREK-1, acted as if they had been downing anti-depressants for at least three weeks.
2. Give it away
It only takes $5 spent on others to make you happier on a given day, according to a 2008 study. And selfless acts can also help your marriage become a more enjoyable experience for you and your spouse.

After performing good deeds, people are happier and feel their life has more purpose. But is the act selfless if you expect something in return? Maybe it just depends on how you look at it.
3. Ponder this
Think of a happy place. And you, too, like Happy Gilmore, might sink that putt and earn back your grandmother's house — or overcome your own hurdle.
Humans are more resilient than we think and can endure trying times, as demonstrated in a 2005 study that tracked mood changes in dialysis patients. They were in a good mood most of the time despite having their blood cleaned three times a week for at least three months. But healthy patients envisioned a miserable life when asked to imagine adhering to this demanding schedule.
As Winston Churchill said, "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
4. Work out
Consistently breaking a sweat, along with medication and counseling can help people battling depression by sapping lonely and vulnerable feelings.
Exercise improves one's state of mind in part by affecting the body's levels of two chemicals: cortisol and endorphins. The adrenal glands of angry or scared people produce cortisol. This increases blood pressure and blood sugar, weakens the immune response and can lead to organ inflammation and damage. But working out burns cortisol, restoring the body's normal levels.
Running, biking or using an aerobic exercise machine also causes the brain to release endorphins — the body's natural pain relievers — into the bloodstream. The body foregoes the negative side effects of drugs while still experiencing a natural high. To gain the most from your workout, make sure its intensity reflects your stress level. And challenge your body to continually adapt by varying the exercise’s length and intensity.
5. Live long
If you have the right genes and are selfless, optimistic and active but still find yourself down in the dumps, just give it some time.
A study of 2 million people from 80 nations released in January found that depression is most common among adults in their mid-40s. Among Americans, the worst of times hit women around age 40 and men about age 50.
But with age humans are more inclined to filter out the negatives while focusing on what they enjoy.
Americans in their golden years tend to see the glass as half full, despite their increased doctor visits and chemo treatments. After battling cancer, heart disease, diabetes or other health-related obstacles, 500 independent Americans from age 60 to 98 rated their own degree of successful aging as 8.4 on average, with 10 being the highest in a 2005 study.

Me and my sis.  Circa 1968.

Happiness, it seems, takes time.

Happiest States: Hawaii Moves into First Place

AP – A couple walks along the water's edge at Lanikai Beach in the haze of heavy 'vog' giving the sky, ocean …

Jeanna Bryner
LiveScience Managing Editor
LiveScience.com jeanna Bryner
livescience Managing Editor
livescience.com – Tue Feb 16, 10:16 am ET

If you needed an extra twist of the arm to set off on a Hawaii vacation, here it is: The big-wave state was the happiest place to live in 2009, according to a newly released national survey.
Topping the well-being list among all 50 states, Hawaii pulled ahead of the 2008 leader Utah. But Utah and its neighbors still have plenty to smile about. Nine of the top 10 well-being states reside in the Midwest and the West. The south didn't fare so well, taking seven of the 11 lowest well-being spots on the list.
The results come from interviews with more than 350,000 American adults who took part in the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index in 2009. This is the second year of the survey.
The well-being score for each state is an average of six sub-categories, including: life evaluation (self-evaluation about your present life situation and anticipated one in five years); emotional health; work environment (such as job satisfaction); physical health; healthy behavior; basic access (access to healthcare, a doctor, a safe place to exercise and walk, as well as community satisfaction).
The top 10 states and their average well-being scores (out of a possible 100 points):

• Hawaii: 70.2
• Utah: 68.3
• Montana: 68.3
• Minnesota: 67.8
• Iowa: 67.6
• Vermont: 67.4
• Colorado: 67.3
• Alaska: 67.3
• North Dakota: 67.3
• Kansas: 67.2

A complete list of the 2009 happiest states is here.
Hawaii also topped the charts for life evaluation, emotional health and physical health, while West Virginia scored the worst on those indexes. Utah was number-one for work environment, scoring 10 points more than the worst state, Delaware.
Bad news for Mississippi, which scored lowest on the basic access index. For healthy behavior, Vermont topped the list while Kentucky scored the worst.
Overall, state well-being stayed pretty stable from 2008 to 2009. Only four states - South Dakota, Mississippi, Hawaii, and Iowa - upped their scores by two or more points compared with 2008. Wyoming had the greatest drop of 1.3 points since 2008. Compared with 2008, 18 states moved in a negative direction, 27 in a positive direction, and five stayed the same.
As for why one state tops the list while another fails miserably, in the past researchers have looked at the relationship between 2008 well-being scores and various factors, including economic indicators, education levels, personality traits and levels of inclusiveness. They found the states with higher gross regional product (GRP) per capita (level of productivity and standard of living), higher income levels and higher median housing value, were significantly happier than poorer areas.
In addition, the happiest states in 2008 tended to have more residents with advanced educations and jobs that were considered "super-creative," such as architecture, engineering, computer and math occupations, library positions, arts and design work, as well as entertainment, sports and media occupations.
Level of inclusiveness was also important, according to the research on the 2008 scores, with some of the states scoring best for well-being also being the most tolerant.
If you're wondering if people in a particular state are happy, you might just want to ask them. Another team of researchers reported results last year in the journal Science showing that a person's self-reported happiness matches up with objective measures of well-being. A separate happiest states list, generated from the individual surveys of this study, differed from the 2008 and 2009 lists that relied on the Gallup-Healthways data.
Essentially, the team publishing their work in Science used their data to statistically create a representative American. That way they could take, for example, a 38-year-old woman with a high-school diploma and making medium-wage who is living anywhere and transplant her to another state and get a rough estimate of her happiness level.

• Happiness Makes Us Adventurous
• Happiness Is ... Being Old, Male and Republican
• 5 Keys to Happiness

• Original Story: Happiest States: Hawaii Moves into First Place

LiveScience.com chronicles the daily advances and innovations made in science and technology. We take on the misconceptions that often pop up around scientific discoveries and deliver short, provocative explanations with a certain wit and style. Check out our science videos, Trivia & Quizzes and Top 10s. Join our community to debate hot-button issues like stem cells, climate change and evolution. You can also sign up for free newsletters, register for RSS feeds and get cool gadgets at the LiveScience Store.

15 Simple ways to be happier in 2010

This article was written by Janice Taylor, a Life and Wellness coach at Intent.com
 

"Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking." ~ Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
 
With Marcus Aurelius Antoninus' quote in mind, I invite you to explore these 15 Simple Ways to create happiness in 2010!

1. Be your own BFF (best friend forever). Enjoy your own company. Embrace everything about you! Without a doubt, it's the most important step towards being a happy person.
2. Smile, giggle, snicker, or chuckle! Smiling releases serotonin in the brain, which instantaneously gives your mood a lift.
3. Dream big in every area of life. Set your life in motion and manifest your heart's desire.
4. Shut the doors and the windows tight! And then put on your favorite song and sing out loud. Let it rip!
5. Cook a healthy, delicious meal. Serve it up pretty and savor the flavor, one bite at a time.
6. Expect a miracle. Believe that something wonderful will happen for you today. The universe is waiting to shower happy blessings on you.
7. Meditate, pray and chant. Research shows that people who are spiritual tend to be happier and healthier than those who are not.
8. Pull up your best pair of warm socks. Wiggle your toes and enjoy a cozy kind of bliss.
9. Sleep baby sleep. Seven or eight hours each night should increase your energy and decrease your moodiness.
10. Count your blessings daily. Gratitude, the emotion of thankfulness, is one of the key ingredients for living a happy life. Make gratitude a habit and happiness will be yours.
11. Wake up early! Start the day off on a happy foot, with a happy thought. The morning hours are full of spiritual energy and prana (life force).
12. Let the sun shine in. 20 minutes of sunlight per day improves mood and wards of Seasonal Affection Disorder (SAD).
13. Take a hot bath. Feel the tension melt away as you sink into a pool of happiness.
14. Say "Good Job!" Give yourself permission to pat yourself on the back. Recognize your accomplishments and positive qualities.
15. Happiness is contagious! Surround yourself with happy, positive people who share your values, your goals and dreams.

Happy New Year!

I sincerely hope you all have a wonderful 2010, and that it is a much better year than 2009!

Here's a great website featuring creative women, if you're interested: http://www.wherewomencreate.typepad.com

I've been reading Julia Child's book, My Life in France.  What a delight!  I can really relate to her in so many ways (maybe not quite as enthusiastically about learning to cook French food, but still...)  I loved her thoughts on how living in France expanded her mind and soul.  Moi aussi.  And her initial frustration/embarrassment in learning to speak French, "I loathed my gauche accent, my impoverished phraseology, my inability to communicate in any but the most rudimentary way."  But after living there five years, she became fluent!  Good for her.  I wish I could say I was fluent in French.  At one point in my life, I was fairly fluent, but not good enough, not by a long shot.  And what I knew way back when is now sorely gone or at least very rusty.  I want to get it back, and be even better than before.  Maybe this year?

Julia Child was a California girl (like me) and felt inadequate intellectually.  I remember feeling almost exactly like how she describes herself in France, "I was bothered by my lack of emotional and intellectual development.  I was not as quick and confident and verbally adept as I aspired to be......upon reflection, I decided I had three main weaknesses:  I was confused (evidenced by a lack of facts, an inability to coordinate my thoughts, and an inability to verbalize my ideas); I had a lack of confidence, which caused me to back down from forcefully stated positions, and I was overly emotional at the expense of careful, "scientific" thought.  I was thirty-seven years old and still discovering who I was."

I laughed at Julia's description of her sister, "Dort" driving around the Place de la Concord, chasing an insensitive man who had rammed her back bumper, yelling out, "Ce merde-monsieur a justement crache dans ma derriere!"  (translation: This shit-man just spat out into my butt!)  Its easy to say really stupid things when you're learning a new language!  Funny.