New Books

Today, I went shopping for this:

  

And I came home with this…

And this…

First, I am so surprised that he wrote a book and second, I am so curious to see what he actually remembers. :)   I mean the man is a force freak of nature! Have you ever seen him without a cigarette in his hand?  And does he still have his original liver?  I really want to know!  I can’t wait to dig in to this one.

And the Contessa’s new book does not disappoint.  Today is the first day of her newly released cookbook called Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?   I already took a peek and there are several new recipes that I can’t wait to give a try. 

I’ll be back soon…I have some reading to do.  I know, it’s only rock and roll, but I like it.  :)

What Really Makes You Happy?

I started reading a delightful book today called The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. It chronicles the year in which the author documents her efforts to discover what really makes her happy. She thoroughly researched the topic of happiness and set happiness goals for her self that she deliberately put into action and then documented her resulting happiness levels. She also includes all the little bits of wisdom she learned along the way and I have to say that I found lots of wisdom here. The book breaks down her happiness quest month by month and encourages the reader to set about creating their own “Happiness Project” by encouraging each person to think about what uniquely makes them happy. I am so enjoying reading this and it has me thinking…

I feel as though I have been in the middle of my own happiness project without really knowing it. Last year I started this blog. It really does bring me much happiness! It lets me create and document things I am interested in and gives me a place to talk about them. And the best part I’ve learned is that there are a lot of other people out there that are interested in some of the same things I am.

I am trying to be more thoughtful about how I spend my time and trying to make sure that I am spending it in ways that truly make me happy. I’ve made a lot of changes. Some might be quick to say that I am having a midlife crisis. I don’t think so. It’s true that my kids are older and don’t need me as much but you know what…My kids are older and don’t need me as much!! I feel like so many doors are starting to open up because the things that use to occupy all my time and energy are no longer consuming me! This is a great time!

I am about half way through the book and my book reading has been diverted temporarily because I discovered that Gretchen Rubin also has a blog which is also called The Happiness Project. Yes! Another blog to add to my long list of favorites. :) So I am jumping back and forth between the two.

So how about you? Have you made any changes lately that have brought more happiness into your life? I’d love to hear about them. :)