Smiling. It's a Good Thing.

I recently read an article about how smiling changes your mood. Just the act of your lips curving upward triggers good feelings. I have no idea if there is any scientific data to support this. In fact, I've read the opposite in other posts on the Internet.

But it's Wednesday, and I'm not a human behavior scientist, so bear with me.

Anyway... On Monday, I pushed the grocery cart through the slushy parking lot toward the store as the freezing air bit my face. My mood? Not good. I'd woken up overwhelmed with the kids home (again), a pile of laundry (as usual), a grocery list to write (yep), and a forecast of eight to eleven inches more snow on its way (NO!). So I'm zooming to the tea and coffee aisle, certain I'm missing something, irritated at the price of brown sugar, and I remember the smile article.

Has it come to this? I have to force myself to smile in an attempt to get in a good mood?

Yes. It had come to that. And, yes, I did force myself to smile.

And something glorious happened. I felt light, happy. I giggled!

It's been a long winter. A long, cold, stuck-inside, constant snow, icy roads, white sky, when-will-it-end winter. But I broke out of my rut. With one little smile.

Until next Monday...

What do you do when you're in a funky mood? 

Have a terrific day!

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Adorable Doggy Friends

We're snowed in again. Did I mention our area is heading into the second ice age? I'm pretty sure I live in Antarctica, not Ohio, as originally thought. Anyway, all the freezing temperatures, blowing winds, and endless snowflakes have numbed my brain.

To combat the numbness, I baked double-chocolate peanut butter chip cookies. Played a little candy crush. Read a few magazines. Listened to an old CD. Even colored my hair. But it wasn't until I found these adorable, snuggly doggy friends on BuzzFeed that I really felt better.

Meet Peet and Tally! Sometimes you just need a little "cute" to perk you up!

What perks you up? 

Have a terrific day!

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Ranting About Winter

In my part of the Midwest, we've only had one or two days above 30 degrees in the last month. Far too many single digit temps for my taste. It's...brrr....cold here!

White, white, and more white. Yeah. Winter.

I miss walking outside. When it's below 30 and there's an additional windchill, the outdoors isn't fun. 

The continuous overcast days further depress my mood. As I write this it's sunny, but we typically have four to five days of cloud cover in a row. Freezing and no sunshine? Yikes. Oh, and let's not forget daylight is on a curfew. It's below the horizon by 5:30pm. Don't expect to see it before 7:00am, either!

What ends up happening is I sit around more. A lot more. And sitting leads to no energy. No energy leads to staring at the white sky, the white ground, and wondering if winter will ever end. Will it? WILL IT??

To add to my desperation, I read an article in the Washington Post, "The Health Hazards of Sitting," by Bonnie Berkowitz and Patterson Clark. (They included a handy-dandy poster about the dangers of sitting if you're interested.) In addition to the frigid temps, the lack of sun, the endless winter, I'm also hurting my body by sitting. Great.

It's enough to send this girl to the mint chocolate chip ice cream, the Doritos, and the 24 pack of Coke. 

The other day I bought a T-shirt and couldn't remember the last time my arms hadn't been covered by long sleeves. It will be months before I'm able to wear the new tee. It might be forever...

Do you live in an area that reminds you of Antarctica this year? Sending you a virtual hug! 

Have a terrific day!

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December Organizing: Good for the Soul

December and organizing. Enemies, right?

Wrong.

Sure, we all have too many things to do this month, and organizing gives us the shakes at any time of the year. How can I possibly suggest adding this dreaded task to a month full of errands, parties, and temptations?

The short answer? It will put you in a good mood.

Yes, you'll want to cram a dozen snickerdoodles in your mouth and shoot anyone who comes near you while you're organizing--no biggie. When you finish, your soul will lighten. Your brain will find a teeny bit of room for possibilities. It's true!

We have a "scary closet" in our basement. It's full of photo albums, toys, board games, books, and out of season coats. For months I couldn't push my way into this small room. Last weekend I got serious. Pulled everything out. Grabbed trash bags. Forced the kids to decide what stays and what goes. The closet is now organized and even has room for more storage. I can't tell you how delighted I am to know this room isn't bulging anymore!

One of our pantry shelves was an explosion of napkins, paper party plates, and who knows what else. Every time I opened the door, I saw a big mess, which made me think I should clean it up, but I just shut the door. Yesterday, I organized that beast. No more guilt!

I'm also tidying my computer files and organizing my address book (what better time to do this than while filling out Christmas cards?).

Honestly, the pantry situation took about twelve minutes to fix. The computer files? Thirty minutes. My address book? An hour tops. The scary closet took two hours but was worth every second.

Without all of these known clutter areas in my house, my soul feels lighter. And yours will too!

What problem area in your house can you organize before the new year? 

The fabulous, Jennifer Hale, hosted me on her blog yesterday! Stop by to read "Busy Mom? Find Peace in Your Day."

Have a terrific weekend!!

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Woolly Bear Caterpillars

One of my favorite things from childhood was finding woolly bear caterpillars. I grew up in the country, in Michigan, where woolly bears are common. Their fluffy bodies remind me of a kitty's tail. I love cats!

Over the years, we've moved to different areas, and once routine woolly bear sightings became rare. Imagine my delight when I saw five of these caterpillars this weekend.

I posted the following picture on Facebook Saturday. This was one of the caterpillars I came across.

A few friends of mine discussed the winter ramifications of the stripes. A narrow brown band supposedly means a harsh winter while a wide brown band signifies a mild winter. One problem? This one had a black band rather than a brown band. The colors had flip-flopped! The other woolly bears I saw had the traditional black bands with a wide brown stripe.

I'm going to use my unscientific analysis to predict a MILD winter. Hey, why not? The markings must mean something, right?

Here are a few links to learn more about the cute woolly bear caterpillars.

http://cropsci.illinois.edu/news/woolly-bear-caterpillars-and-weather

http://www.almanac.com/content/predicting-winter-weather-woolly-bear-caterpillars

Do you remember any special insect from your childhood? How do you predict a mild or severe winter?

Have a lovely Monday!!

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Winter Highway at Dusk

I drove at dusk recently and marvelled at the beauty of January in northern Ohio. I doubt many people would find a stretch of midwest highway pretty in the dead of winter, but this part of the country is embedded in my soul, and I can't help but love it.


See, the sky is prettier on snowy January days. Indigo clouds are outlined against a peach and wheat-colored sky as the sun descends. The dark brown and gray tree trunks and branches add mystery to the view. Now and then you'll see a hawk perched high on an electrical wire, watching the fields below for mice and other dinner choices.

Tiny wisps of snow swirl for a few miles then disappear.

Forests get broken up by large fields, and you have to stay alert for deer who love to leap on the highway as the sun goes down.

Exits sometimes lead to small towns that welcome the highway with their glowing lights. But I like the stretches of nothing the best. It's where my head clears and I hear my life.

There's something magical about a winter highway at dusk.

How is your weather? Cold, warm, balmy? Do you enjoy this time of year?

Have a wonderful weekend!

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A Winter Hour in Michigan

Large, dense snowflakes swirl to the ground outside our patio door. The house is silent--man, how I love silence--and I'm brainstorming a topic for today's blog.

Nothing.

I stare out at the gray sky, the white snow, the black branches of the bare tree out back. I glance down at our dog, curled up under two blankets. Reminds me how I layer my clothes each morning. First the T-shirt then the extra-fuzzy sweater. Under no conditions will I wear a scoop neck in January. Too cold.

Later, I brave the slippery, slushy drive to school. There's an art to driving without all wheel drive in the winter. If it's slippery, you don't always completely stop at a stop sign. You slow down to a crawl and if no other car is coming, you drive through, otherwise you'll likely get stuck. Also, when turning, you need to take your foot off the brakes and gas or your vehicle won't always make the full turn. You don't expect to be able to stop behind the car at the stoplight in front of you; sometimes you'll hit a patch of ice and end up more next to the car than behind it.

When we make it home, I say a silent prayer of gratitude. I shovel and my hair gets drenched from the snow melting as it touches my warm head. Then I come inside and am thankful I live where I do. There's something refreshing about monochromatic colors, a tense ride in the car, and an exhilarating shoveling session--at least until tomorrow when I'll look out at the gray landscape and sigh.

This basic, ho-hum day is perfect for the romance writer in me. It allows me to feel the frustration of waiting, the longing for something better, warmer, and brighter, and the gratitude of being alive--all vital to convey in a romance novel. If life sparkled every minute, I would not be able to write a realistic heroine.

So tell me, what's your weather like today?

Have a terrific Wednesday! And if you haven't heard, Keli Gwyn (one of my favorite people!!), just signed her very first contract with Barbour Publishing!! Congratulations Keli!!! Please stop by her blog (linked above) and celebrate with her!

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