My Happiness Project: June

Having been inspired to take my happiness into my own hands by the book "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin, I have decide to give it a go. I was certainly motivated enough to get on it in the middle of the year instead of waiting until the beginning of the new year when most resolution endeavors begin. This just couldn't wait and I wanted to really get into the business of enjoying more the beautiful life that is before me.

It might not be perfect, or anything close to it, but it is what God has given me and it is filled with great beauty and love and I am here to embrace it. I can't say that I feel like a sad person or a grumpy one, but I do feel the need to "up my attitude" and really enjoy each moment the best I can. Life has a way of throwing all sorts of stuff into the pot, mostly good, some bad, some dreadful, but it seems that attitude really makes all the difference in where it takes you, or better yet, where you take it!

So, with that in mind, I have set out 12 months of resolutions and one to grow on. I had 12 areas that I thought could use some introspection and work in the near future, and these make up the short list. There is more to come in the years that follow. But for now, these topics are the ones that I am hoping will make a big impact on the happiness and joy I recognize in my daily life. And this is what June is all about:

Order: Get it Together

"Pure hearts in a pure home are always in whispering distance of Heaven."     ~ David O. McKay


We have such a constant level of chaos going on around here that it is super easy for things to get all willy-nilly around here. And when things get all willy-nilly around here - my brain joins in. And when my brain gets all willy-nilly, I can't seem to function at a very respectable level. Chaos totally brings me down and makes want to just say no to everything, even those things I should be saying yes to. But if I can't consider an option fully, then I don't want anything to do with it - I have to know what I am getting into.

So, to help me bring more order to my everyday life, I came up with the following areas of focus:

Swap Rooms
Get Rid of Stuff
To-Do List
Cleaning Plan
Tool Trouble
Kids' Schedules
Meal Planning
Selling Stuff

Each of these things will be an important step in reaching my goal of creating MUCH more order around here. And I am certain that will help my head not feel so cloudy and distant from what we have going on. It is now the 5th of June and I am happy to report that I have already accomplished a LOT of the things I had mapped out to accomplish each of these areas of focus. I will report here on what was done and how it was done and when it was done and  that is how I will know if I am really making progress toward bringing more happiness into my life and consequently the lives of my family members.

And since Tool Trouble is practically done, I will definitely be reporting on that right away. And let me start by saying it is all good news!

So here's to continually moving forward and upward and bringing others along with you. Happiness is a great place to be, and especially with the people you are surrounded by!

You might have noticed that there is absolutely NO MENTION of butterflies in this post until now, yet, there is the photo - that was just a happy moment in my garden when I took a quick break away from my Tool Organizing project. It was good to step away from the dust and grime and enjoy a beautiful little creature - such a fun visitor to have!

He Loves Me!

There isn't anything else I need to add - oh, except that ...  I LOVE HIM BACK!!!!

13 Years!

We've made it this far ... don't mean to be greedy, but I'm looking forward to 50 more years (and then some)!

This is one of my favorite photos we snapped that day - cheesy I know - but cheese is just soooooo good!

Happy day to all - and Happy Anniversary to my love!!!

Hello

Hi there - my name is Jenny. It's the name I have gone by for MOST of my life, other than those years in Junior High and High School where Jen was the more "mature" adaptation. Soon after, however, I came to realize how much more fun it would be to cling to my youth, and I switched back to the more childlike moniker. I haven't looked back since, especially when all those gray hairs starting popping up in my 20's!!!!

Here I am (thanks to Instagram and my newly acquired iPad) UTAHJENNY:

And here is my amazing CO-PILOT and love of my life:

(don't worry, his bark is worse than his bite)

Then there is my first-born lovely, TWEEN 1:

Closely followed by my second-born darling, TWEEN 2:

Then we have our little soccer-Pokemon-lego-head sweetie, THE BOY:

Rounding out the pack is the kid that makes me feel like a first-time parent all over again, THE TORNADO:

But our family introduction wouldn't be complete without our neurotic, gorgeous feline/canine, FELIX:

And that sums us up pretty well - 'tweens, dogs and toddlers and everything in between. This is what consumes every minute of my day and this is where I'll be taking a minute here and there to post where we're going and how we're getting there.