Some things that make me happy...

Lately, I've been a little mopey. I've felt like the universe itself was out to make me feel terrible. All my reasoning for this is really shallow and has no merit, but I'm hoping I'm not the only person out in this big world that's ever felt like all the small things quickly become insurmountable. Not only that, but it's not just one small insurmountable, but one right on top of the other until you have a basket full of small things that seem too big and will take too much to overcome.

I realize that this is not a becoming state of mind and in an effort to get over myself, I decided to think about a few bright spots and focus on them instead of how picked on I feel.

1. Disney re-released Sleeping Beauty. I loved this movie as a kid and we never owned it. The only way I ever saw it was at friend's houses or if it was rented. When I learned it would be available to own soon I had to have it. Robert surprised me with it and since then Nate and I have watched it almost daily. I love the fact that Nate loves it, too.
2. Like most women, I love shoes. It's my goal in life to have a closet dedicated only to shoes. Not really, but a girl can dream. I do, however, hope to have a pair of shoes in every color of the rainbow. I found these purple ones online while I lived in Chicago. I LOVE them and totally forgot about them until yesterday when I rediscovered them and wore them to church. Aren't they pretty???
3. Nate...oh, Nate. He gets brushed aside a lot during the days because Maggie requires more immediate attention. I feel bad about this, but at the same time it's good for him to know that the world does not revolve around him. Maggie loves this exersaucer and is in it pretty frequently. One day, when I didn't have Maggie, I found Nate, stripped down to his Batman underwear, stuck in the exersaucer. He was big enough to get himself in, but not big enough to get himself out. I don't know how long he was there, but when I checked on him he was sitting there looking completely resigned to his position. It made me smile. A child's idiosyncrosies can always brighten a day.
4. I like my desserts. I'm not a huge dessert person, but I enjoy a good one like everyone else. What I absolutely LOVE is when I can have a dessert and not feel bad about it and (here's the key) have it taste good, too. Awhile back I saw a cooking show that made some cranberry ginger cookies. I didn't write it down and tried to find it online. I never could find the exact recipe I saw on TV, but I did find this one. My picture doesn't really do them justice. The recipe is perfect because it only makes 18 cookies (so you don't have 3 or 4 dozen to scraf in the following days) and this is a recipe that smells like the season. I love the smells of spices cooking and it gears me up for the holidays. I recommend these cookies for anyone who needs a treat but not 2 hours at the gym.

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2/3 cup applesauce
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries (recommended: Craisins)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Stir until well blended.

Scoop 2 tablespoons of batter and drop onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Flatten each cookie with the back of the tablespoon. Repeat until sheet is full, being careful not to crowd. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Cool on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes. Store in an airtight container.

To make a cookie-frozen yogurt sandwich, place 1 small scoop of fat-free frozen yogurt on a cookie and top with a second cookie.

So there it is, my attempt to see the positive. There's a lot more out there to make me smile. So when the world brings me down, I'll let those things pull me up.