Finding Happiness

Today is the United Nations International Day of Happiness. 

I have read posts on facebook, blogs, and articles all day about what made people happy today. For many it was their children, having the day off or coming home from work, or spending time with friends or family.
Everyone finds happiness in different things, and I'm sure most of us at some point in our lives have felt it hard to find happiness at some point. Some of us are very fortunate in the way we live, and others less so. Many people look to others, or objects in order to seek happiness, and can't understand why the feeling doesn't stay. We sometimes get stuck on what other people have, and what we don't have.

I have experienced my own struggles finding happiness in the past. It took a long time, and a lot of work on myself before I could consider myself truly happy with the person I am and the life I have. It goes without saying that I find happiness in my children, my husband, family and friends. But I have realised that happiness comes from within. It doesn't get given to you, you have to find it, work for it, and appreciate it when you have it. 

I believe that there is happiness in the smallest most insignificant everyday things, and this is where I find many of my happy moments. The moments that make me feel truly lucky to be me, and have what I have, and just appreciate the things that are so often taken for granted and overlooked. Sometimes we feel we need a big moment to feel happy, when high expectations can often lead to disappointment.

I am happy when I am snuggled under my warm, soft duvet on a cool morning; I lie there and think about how nice it feels in that one little moment, warmth, comfort - something I am grateful for. I am happy when I have that first sip of my hot, sweet cup of tea in the morning, and I can feel it warming up by whole body. I am happy after I have a shower. I smell nice, and feel fresh, with soft skin and my hair is clean and silky.

The little, tiny moments that we don't usually dwell on, you need to dwell on! When you get that feeling, and think "this is nice", that one second feeling, hold onto it and enjoy it. 
So when you feel like you can't feel any happiness one day, find something, something little, because it's there. There will always be somebody in this world worse off than you, so take pleasure in the little things.

        Image from Etsy.

Breakfast in a Jar

My husband leaves for work really early in the morning. Half the time he either skips breakfast because he runs out of time, or he is running out the door with a piece of toast in his hand. After I made my Easy Toasted Muesli the other day, he said "yum, I can take some to work in a jar". Light bulb moment!

The rage for a while has been the salad in a jar. This is the same concept, an easy way to take your breakfast (or snack) to work or anywhere you are on the go.
You could add some blueberries or other fresh fruit, and put some yoghurt in the bottom of the jar like I have done here. >>>

If you prefer your muesli with milk, you could take along your jar of muesli and fruit, with a spoon, and a small glass bottle of milk. Just pour the milk in the jar and enjoy!

My favourite place to get jars and milk bottles is Maisy & Grace.

Recipe: Easy Toasted Muesli

I am pretty fussy when it comes to my muesli. I have tried many different types and brands, only to be dissapointed. I know raw muesli is better for you, but I can't help being a toasted muesli fan! I think it's the crunch that gets me.
The recipe I'm going to give you can be doubled if you want more. I didn't really measure my ingredients, so the amounts I am giving you are an approximate. There are no real rules to making this - add what you like in the amounts you like. I can think of so many more yummies to add if I had them in my pantry at the time! 

Ingredients:

2c rolled oats
1/2c shredded coconut
1/4c sunflower seeds
1/4c chia seeds
1/2c sliced almonds
1/2c chopped dried apricots
1/2c chopped dried medjool dates
3T coconut oil
1-2T honey

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C, and line an oven tray with baking paper.
Melt the oil and honey in a saucepan. Mix the other ingredients together in a large bowl, then drizzle the oil and honey mixture over the dry ingredients. Mix well to coat.

Spread the mixture out in the oven tray and bake for about 20 minutes, stirring the mixture after 10 minutes when it's golden, and again after 15 when the rest is golden.
Store in an airtight container and enjoy!

Note: I am already onto making my second batch of this, it got gobbled up so quickly in our house! Super delicious!

Painted Antlers

I think this must be my favourite project I have done so far. I have always loved the idea of deer antlers in home decor, but when I saw some that had been painted I just knew I had to paint my own set. I am going to mount these on my wall and use as a coat hook or for my jewellery.

I am lucky in that my husband is a keen hunter and he had some that he didn't mind me using. 

If you don't have your own hunter to supply the antlers, you may be able to ask around at hunting clubs, or a deer farm. You could also try looking on buy/sell websites.

You will need:

• Deer antlers
• Basic craft paint suitable for use on most surfaces. I used a three colour combo but you can use as many or little different colours as you like
• Primer which you can get from any craft shop - I used Gesso
• Paint brush

First of all I gave the antlers a wipe down to remove any dust or dirt. 

I then painted on two coats of primer, letting the first coat dry before painting on the second. When the primer is completely dry you can go wild with your chosen paint colours! 

I tried using tape to wrap around the tips so I got a clean line when doing the black stripes, but the paint leaked through because of the uneven surface, so I just did it without as well as I could.  

Teacup Succulent Garden

Today I combined two things I absolutely love...pretty teacups and succulents.
I have quite a few vintage teacups in my collection, and I'm always on the lookout for more. I love to bring them out and use them, and I'm always looking for a new way to display them.
Succulents are about the only plant that I can't kill, which is part of the reason I love them! I love their simplicity, texture, shape, and the different colour combo's are just gorgeous.
Now i'm no expert, so follow my instructions at your own risk! But this is how I made mine:

• x1 Pretty teacup
• Selection of succulents
• Cacti & Succulent Potting Mix if you can find it. I used regular potting mix.
• Gravel or small stones 

I placed some small stones in the bottom to give the soil some drainage. Succulents like dry soil and you need some drainage to prevent rot.

Then I placed some potting mix on top, and made small holes with a pencil which I then planted each succulent into.

Place more small stones or gravel on top of the soil - this keeps any moisture away from the base of the plant which may cause them to rot. Only give your succulents a little water when the soil feels dry.

Place your teacup succulent garden in a sunny spot and enjoy your pretty, easy-care garden!

DIY Cleaning Products

We have (for what seems like forever) been struggling with one of my girls who gets eczema. It seems like we have tried everything - changing her diet, changing bath products, trying every cream there is, and nothing seems to work. It always comes back. I believe that healing her eczema has to come from the inside out, but there are definitely irritants in our everyday life which make it worse and that I want to try and eliminate. 

So I became a little research crazy as I do when I get into something I'm passionate about, and couldn't believe what companies can put in their products - and don't even have to tell us about! They don't have to put the ingredients on the product which to me screams we have something to hide. This scared me a bit, and I have become really interested in natural alternatives now. I don't want to use anything that might harm or irritate my daughters skin, or that might be harmful to my family in any way. I understand it's not for everyone, but for me it gives me peace of mind that I'm doing this one little thing for our health. Especially when my daughter has a flare up, I will do anything if it may have a positive effect on her.

Through all of my research I have found some great recipes for making my own products. The two I am sharing with you today are using the ingredients I found in most recipes and that I found worked the best personally. They are so easy, and real money savers, as well as being natural and you know exactly what is in them - no hidden nasties. Once you stock up on the ingredients you need you can easily whip up more when you run out.
The first two I am sharing with you are a Washing Powder, and an All Purpose Kitchen Spray. Make sure you read my notes after the recipes for some product tips.

All Purpose Kitchen Spray:

800ml Water
1t Baking Soda
Few drops of Liquid Castile Soap (see notes below about my fave)
10 Drops of Essential Oil - lavender or vanilla are nice

Pour all ingredients into a 1L spray bottle. Shake well before each use to disperse the oil.

I just love this spray, I find it works much better than my store bought chemical cleaner, and smells much nicer too! You can use other essential oils if you like.


Washing Powder:

1 cup Washing Soda Ash
1 cup Baking Soda
60ml of Liquid Castile Soap 
6 drops Essential Oil - lavender is nice

Mix the baking soda and washing soda together in a food processor, then drizzle in the liquid soap and essential oil. Process until it is well mixed through and it will look just like store bought washing powder. Store in an air-tight container and use about 2T per wash.


Notes: Washing Soda Ash can be purchased in most health shops. I bought mine on Trade Me (New Zealand buy/sell website), a 2kg bag for just $9.

You can use 1/2 bar (grated) of soap instead of the liquid soap if you like. The brand I used is Dr Bronner's Castile Liquid Soap Baby Mild - as I know it's ok for my girls and has no nasties. You can purchase it here.

You need to use the real deal essential oil (the expensive stuff!) I found a great range at the local health shop for around $12-$15 a bottle. It may pay to avoid the essential oil if anyone in your family has eczema - fragrance can often be an irritant.