Things that have made me smile recently...

I have a little folder on my desktop. In it, I keep pictures of things I see on facebook, or another blog that make me smile. Some of them are projects that I'd like to do some day... some are just words that make me smile. Here are a few...

Here we have an amazing piece from A Little Bit Funky (link to the right!) The color just brings JOY to my heart!

Wise, wise words. I found this on Pinterest. I have lived these words.

Another Pinterest pic. I want to feel the rain. :)

And this one... this one hit me. LOVE. Going to have to order this and hang it in my home. You can find it here.  My favorite line? "If you are looking for the love of your life... stop. They will be waiting for you when you start doing things you love." I don't think this could be any more true. Stay tuned to hear more about that one. ;)

Wow

Tonight I had an amazing meeting with some wonderful ladies. We sat and discussed the things we do to make ourselves happy... we shared things about ourselves, and I got pumped. Loved every minute of it. Then I had to give out  my blog address and suddenly I wondered how long it had been since I had posted. Wow... almost a year? That. is. crazy.  The past year has .. but I am happier have been in a long time. So now my goal? To start sharing that happiness again. Tonight I was reminded that there is power in words. And I miss this. <3

It's getting chilly

As the temperatures begin to drop, our daily habits start to change here in the Midwest. We find our winter coat deep in the closet. We go buy a new pair of gloves. We find that ice scraper deep in the trunk of our cars. We eat more soup. We get out the crockpot. And we start drinking more hot cocoa.

When I was a kid my mom would make a huge batch of hot cocoa at the beginning of the year, and we would have it for the entire season. All we had to do was warm up some water on the stove (or now in the microwave!) and we had instant comfort. Now I do the same for my kids. You know you want the recipe! So here it is. :)

• 10 cups dry instant milk

• 4 3/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

• 1 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 3/4 cups powdered non-dairy creamer
In a large mixing bowl, combine milk powder, confectioner's sugar, cocoa powder, and creamer. Makes about 15 cups mix, or enough for about 45 servings. Make sure to store in a sealed container.

I usually add about ½ cup to a cup of hot/boiling water. You can add more or less depending on how strong you’d like it to be. Don’t forget to add the marshmallows!