Making happiness happen

Today Natty B and I got craftastic. Remember baby Lincoln's Cowboy and Indian themed birthday party? His tepee was covered with these fantastic, colorful pennants that Katie made.

Every time I pass a display of paint squares I take a few to add to my collection. There are so many different things you make with them and they're such a better quality and winder spectrum than plain construction paper. Today we cut our squares up into isosceles and scalene triangles.

 We hot-glued the pieces to friendship bracelet string to make giant strings of pennants. Any time I get time to craft I feel so at peace-- it sounds really cheesy but it's true. I remember in my second grade field placement in college I got to go finger paint with my students on art day. I was so excited to be doing something creative and messy. The teacher noticed my enthusiasm and told me "Art is good for the soul." We are made to create and build and design and make new things. Instead of just taking everything in, shouldn't we be adding to the world we're living in? I want to give more color, more joy, more fun, more pizazz to whatever I'm part of.

Gretchen Rubin wrote a book called The Happiness Project about her search for a happier life. She tried all sorts of strategies, philosophies and routines but one of the biggest things that I took away from the book is that you just have to do it. Happiness doesn't just happen. Make the things you love to do a priority. Create time to breathe and relax. Surround yourself with people that encourage, inspire and support you. Silliness is important and valuable. Don't let the things or people that don't really matter control you. Use kind words, pray often, create new things and make yourself proud. The life you're living really is what you make it-- and you'll contine to choose what to make it every single day.

Natalie strung up her new pennants on her bedroom wall to add some extra flare by Josh Hutcherson's face. Mine are going up on the white board in my classroom so every day can be a party in English Comp. Today we made happiness.