CUP-Cake

My wonderful friend Maxine bought me a very thoughtful gift for Christmas, which I only just got round to trying out a couple of weeks ago. This was the result...

They are cake moulds in the shape of cups. CUP-cakes! And they even come with these adorable matching saucers to serve said cupcakes on. Oooh...how terribly British.

I felt massively smiley when I proudly rescued these from the oven, and was doubly pleased to enjoy the tasting process :)

Scrub-a-dub-dub

There is nothing more indulgent than treating yourself to a nice hot bath or shower after a long day, especially if you've got a range of spa-worthy products that you look forward to using.

I've been a massive fan of Soap & Glory products for years now, but those creative geniuses just keep producing more gems for me to try out. And with 3 for 2 at Boots on all Soap & Glory products right now, what better excuse?!

This product makes me SO happy it's unreal. And while, yes, it does do a fantastic job of leaving skin silky smooth (in fact, this is easily the best scrub I've ever used), that's not the reason I use it. The scrub is heavily scented with an overwhelmingly delicious maple syrup smell, which means I absolutely cannot wait to jump straight in the shower every morning. It puts me in the best mood before work - there really is no way you can be stroppy when you smell like a pancake. Nom nom nom.

The Happiness Project

On my recent excursion to Waterstones, I stumbled into the 'dreaded' self-help section. I can never quite understand why it is imperative that I not be seen here, maybe because I'm not:

a) quitting smoking
b) a sex addict
c) recently divorced

But anyway, I was simply looking for another book to do with finding happiness. So far I've read The Power and The Secret (by Rhonda Byrne), and another book called Read Me, I'm Magical (can't remember author's name sorry). These have been great, but instead of reading someone laying down the laws of banishing negativity etc, I am really looking to find someone else's real life experience of looking for happiness themselves and how they set out to achieve it.

I really am finding that setting the goal of 'be happier' is quite ambitious if you don't know what you're doing!

In said self-help section, I noticed a book titled 'The Happiness Project'. Ooh, now I'm listening. And this very book looks to be exactly what I have been looking for. The author, Gretchen Rubin, has been on her own personal quest and tells us all about her experiences so far. Unfortunately I didn't have enough pennies at the time to make the purchase, but I've found the website today...

http://www.happiness-project.com/

and I am absolutely made up to see that Gretchen has started a campaign, The 2011 Happiness Challenge - I have obviously signed up :)

It's really great to see all the comments people have made about how they vow to make 2011 happier years for themselves and the goals they have pledged. Anyone can join, go for it!

Nom Nom Nom

Ok so the company's name isn't actually Nom - it's called Neom - but I can't help but have munching noises in my head whenever I see it.

Neom specialises in 'luxury organics'...basically, fancy bath and home stuff that helps the environment. They have a menu of holistic candles to choose from (which I plan to work my way through!), and each has a description of its benefits and the emotions that it induces/balances.

So far I've only tried Rebalance, which is a blend of mandarin, cinnamon and clove...

"Put away the Prozac. De-stress with this deeply warming, rich, spicy, earthy scent that acts as an antidepressant. The stimulating spicy oils also work as an antiseptic and natural disinfectant which helps when cold and flu are about. Also perfect for: Zapping germs when colds and flu are rife"

The scent is AMAZING. It smells like Christmas, but not so Christmassy that you'll feel a tool using it any other time of year. I leave it on my hallway radiator, and as soon as I walk through the front door I can smell it.

They are a bit pricey at £12 for a travel candle (which lasts 20 hours), but it's well worth treating yourself because they sure do work. I was feeling massively run down before the holidays, and an hour of this in my bedroom sorted me right out.

Nom nom nom.

Brekkie

Phew...8 days between posts - guess my New Year resolution of blogging every day is taking a hit slightly! In my defence, I have a shiny new man keeping me occupied. Which makes me happy. Which is what the blog is all about :)

I haven't had jam on toast in ageeeees, always makes me feel like a kid again. Today's breakfast did not disappoint...it was sticky, I made a mess all over my desk and somewhat in my hair. It was AWESOME. And the resulting hyperactivity sure brightened my day!

Small things...small minds

This. Blows. My. Mind.

A rubber Zebra with moving limbs.

I wish it belonged to me.

My Weekend

I love the weekend. I love that I can have a lie-in...though I never stop feeling guilty about it! And I love afternoon naps (as you may have guessed from earlier post). Yes, sleep does seem to be a recurring theme in my weekends. Couldn't decide what to blog about today, many things I have to be happy about - so I'm going to list them instead...

I had a cat chat with Maxypants, my best friend. This makes me immeasurably happy :)

I got to see my man - hugs, kisses and compliments aplenty. And we shared a great bottle of Italian Red...he's teaching me that there are many more choices around than just Echo Falls (no judgement)

I have caught up on 9 episodes of Grey's Anatomy, and had my toxic fix of Dr McDreamy. Like all McDreamy junkies, sadly I will never be satisfied.

I have made 5 servings of lamb and red wine stew and 2 servings of carrot and corriander soup. That's lunch covered for the week. High five!

And my friend finally got round to posting some pics on Facebook of our Christmas gathering - the highlight of which is this...

Joben is obsessed with bags of any kind. I wish I was so easily amused!

Black Orchid

Not just making me smile today, but making me smile everyday, is Black Orchid by Tom Ford.

There is nothing more uplifting and mood-altering than a damn sexy fragrance, and this by the infamous designer has 'vixen' written all over it. Only a suave gay gentleman could fully understand how to embody female sexuality in a bottle!

Firstly, the bottle is beautiful. I can't help but carry it with me everywhere, strategically placing it on my workdesk and waiting for colleagues' interested glances.

Secondly, my man said he loves the way I smell...which to me makes it all the more worth its exclusive pricetag!

Thirdly, the fragrance itself is powerful, alluring and striking - which is exactly how it makes you feel the moment the scent envelops you. £42 to feel like a million dollars? Maybe you can't buy happiness, but it would certainly seem that you can buy compliments ;)

p.s. I want to be this woman.

Thank You Please

The real story behind this blog starts with one little word that - until recently - barely entered my conscience at all.

GRATITUDE

After looking for answers about why I failed in my attempts to be happy, my eldest Uncle in his infinite wisdom told me to start counting all the wonderful things in my life. Once I started, I couldn't believe that there were thousands more amazing things to be grateful for, than the small number of negative ones that had pulled me down. All it takes is a simple shift towards thanking the world for your blessings, and you'll be surprised by how many things you can find to be grateful for each day.

At the risk of sounding like a 'new age hippy', The Secret by Rhonda Byrne laid down the foundations for my thinking.

My new year's resolution started early on in December, when I woke up one day and decided that I needed this tattoo. It says 'gratitude' in Sanskrit, and serves as my daily reminder to be grateful for everything :) so far, so good!

Take pen + paper...how many things do you have to be thankful for?

Come To Bed...

Get your mind out of the gutter! When I put the words happiness + bed together that's not what I mean ;)

One thing guaranteed to perk my day up is a nice, cosy nap in bed. A quick cat nap is all I need to refresh my mind, boost my energy and put a smile on my face. After an hour wading through Waterstones and getting lost, I'm realising I'm not so hot on the alphabet any more. Or at the very least, that is my excuse for dedicating fifteen minutes to look through their entire Where's Wally collection. With no purchases made but a souvenir headache, I came home and took sanctuary on my bed :)

Are you pro-nap or anti-nap? Apologies for the poor picture quality - the cat joining me in my cat nap is my kitten Joben.