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Wow – what a week! Last weekend, my husband and I took our kids to Iowa to spend the week with Grandma and Grandpa. When we arrived home, I collapsed into bed only to be jarred awake a few minutes later by the phone ringing. It was one of my sisters and she told me I needed to get to the Emergency Room ASAP… our brother was not doing well and things weren’t looking good.

I arrived at the ER to discover my brother in a horrible state. He was hallucinating, dehydrated, extremely weak and his chest sounded like a fish tank gurgling along. His oxygen level was very low and he was in tremendous pain. To make matters worse, he was nauseous from the chemo he had earlier in the week and he couldn’t throw up because the tumor was blocking his esophagus. He also had pneumonia in both lungs, but couldn’t clear his chest because of the tumor blocking his esophagus. Can you imagine how horrible that would feel?

I watched helplessly as my sister-in-law dealt with the “do not resuscitate” orders… nurses came in and out just trying to keep him comfortable. It was one year to the day that my friend Ann lost her battle with cancer. I was cursing cancer and hating what this disease had done so quickly to my brother.

I ended up staying the night with him at the hospital. I had to leave for a short business trip to Chicago the next morning and as I gave him a hug and kiss goodbye, I honestly was fearful that this would be the last time I saw him alive.

Our friends here at home and those of you who heard the news online committed to praying relentlessly for him, his doctors and his family. I’m excited to tell you that those prayers have worked…my brother has taken an unbelievable turn for the better, thanks to your prayers and the innovation of a great doctor who has apparently gone through something similar with his own family recently.

It was discovered that the tumor had punctured a hole in my brothers trachea and esophagus causing everything from his feeding tube and other fluids to leak out into his lungs and body cavity. The doctor decided to perform surgery to put a stint in his esophagus and it worked! He came out of surgery and is now able to eat, drink, cough, breathe again. After seeing him on Sunday and then visiting him again today, I can’t believe the improvement in just these few short days.

His prognosis is still the same… he’s not going to be with us all that much longer, but we are thankful that we have awhile longer to have him in our life.

So, today’s happiness project is a long story but boils down to one thing. I’m thankful to have my brother alive. Actually, make that two things… I’m thankful for your prayers as well. I’ve received so many kind emails, phone calls, tweets, facebook messages from all of you. Thank you so much for keeping our family in your thoughts. It is so appreciated.

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Happy Summertime, everyone! You know the warmer weather makes me especially happy after the harsh winter we’ve had. I thought I’d share a little dose of what’s been making me happy lately….

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It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted a happiness report over here. It’s not that I haven’t had things to be happy about…it’s just that I have been so busy with regular life lately to actually sit down and share some things with you all.

First off, last week a friend of mine and I went to one of my newest places to go to in Kansas City. High & Dry is in a little house where my new pal Jamie does the most amazing thing with furniture and home goods. I’ve purchased a table from her and a hutch and keep going back for more goodies. I got the cute little red plate above plus a lot of other neat things at her studio during this past visit. Just walking in there and being inspired by her work makes me happy! (Also, if you are interested in where those little snack mix cones came from, head over to my guest post on the Mom it Forward blog where I give a review of the neatest cookbook, Picture Me Cooking.)

I had an absolute “pinch me” moment last week when Beth from I Should Be Folding Laundry asked if I would be interested in contributing some pictures to a March of Dimes fundraising Etsy store she was opening. As I read through her email, I kept thinking… “but wait, I’m not a photographer!” Then, as I read further down where she listed the names of the other 9 photographers who would be contributing, I felt so honored. The names on the list were all people I have greatly admired for so long now for their talent in photography. I’m not sure that I belong with this talented group, but I sure am tickled to be there.

The photo above is one of four pictures I have for sale at the Etsy store, June Afternoons. Click here to see all four of my prints for sale. To see the entire selection of prints (and books) available from all of the artists, click on over. All proceeds go to benefit The March of Dimes.

Kelly (7) and Ella (4) share a room and 99% of the time it is a complete disaster. Even when they clean their room, it is still like glimpsing at tornado alley. Today, as I do about once a month, I got totally fed up and spent a good part of the day cleaning their room. 5 large donate bags and 3 bags of trash later I was done. Their dressers were gone through, their closet was completely cleaned out… under the bed and dressers were cleaned and vacuumed. Can I tell you, doing this kind of work… when I actually sit down and take the time to really do it and don’t have a lot of interruptions, gives me the biggest happiness boost! It feels so good. Give cleaning and decluttering a try next time you need a happiness boost.

If you want a really good laugh, check out this website “Dear blank, please blank.” It is “spit diet coke all over your computer screen from laughing so hard” funny.

I hope you all have lots of happy encounters lately! What’s is on your happiness list currently?

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It seems kind of wrong to be posting about happiness today. The tragedy and devastation going on in Japan is so sad. I’ve found it hard to tear myself away from the news and worrying about those people still searching for their loved ones. I can’t even fathom what they are going through, and I find myself glued to the news updates, hoping for some glimpse of a happy ending for at least some of the people over in Japan.

With that being said, if you are anything like me and get pulled into news stories so deeply that it effects your overall being, then maybe a little reminder of happiness is in order. What do you think?

To start off my Happiness Report, I have to say as much as I love soup, I am more than happy to see salad weather finally approaching us! Sun, longer days, fresh fruits and veggies are just around the corner and I can’t wait!

Another thing that made me smile in a big way happened this week. I have been blogging for close to 4 1/2 years and for the first time in Dine & Dish history, my husband made a comment on my blog! Something about the Being Irish post and sharing his Grasshopper cocktail recipe made him feel compelled to come out of the woodwork and make an appearance.

I bought these cute pink polka dot straws and some other products from an Etsy store called Hey YoYo. All of the products they have at Hey YoYo are smile inducing. From colorful polka dot straws to fun cupcake liners… even her business cards bring a smile to my face! If you love fun and whimsy, you’ll have to check out the Hey YoYo Etsy store.

Photo courtesy of Beth from the blog OMG! Yummy

Earlier this week on Twitter and Facebook, I asked some of you to share your favorite posts you wrote or pictures you took in the month of February. In return, I received links from many of you that really made me smile. One such post that stood out to me was a post by Beth from the blog OMG! Yummy. Beth’s post starts out with this picture of her Grandma and then goes on to talk about her Grandma’s Bubula recipe. It makes me happy to read about how food can evoke such strong memories in people. Beth went on to tell me that her sweet Grandma lived to be 100, and if this picture weren’t cropped you would see her holding her great-granddaughter, causing her to smile that precious smile.  I told Beth that I think I’m going to print out this picture of her Grandma and hang it up where I can see it everyday. How can you be grumpy when you see a sweet smile like that each day?

Reading your favorite posts from last month made me happy to. If you didn’t get the chance to share your favorite blog post or photograph from February, please share the link in the comments below. I’ll make sure to head over to take a look and comment.

Here’s to a happy week for all! Best wishes.

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It has been a great week, with a few warm days mixed in… gives me some hope that spring will truly be here sometime in the near future (of course, our weather is horrid today, but I’m trying not to think about that!)

My happiness this week has to start off with making homemade, fresh pasta noodles. I know that I’ve already written a whole post about it, but it made me so happy, it deserves a mention here too!

I stumbled upon the most beautiful blog this past week… I spent way too much time looking through the pictures, reading about life by the beach and dreaming. If you haven’t had the chance to take a peek at A Beach Cottage – Life by the Sea, head over there. It is a lovely and dreamy space!

Amy has a really cool, detailed post over on the GoSavor site about the Crema Coffee Shop in Nashville, TN. The second I saw this post it made me smile. When I was in Nashville a few weeks ago, Amy, Cheryl. Kristan and I spent some time in this coffee shop (which was formerly an automobile garage). It was the most quaint and quirky place I had been to in awhile. Just seeing Amy’s post reminded me of how much fun I had with those ladies that day!

I’ve been going to the gym happily and regularly for almost 2 weeks now, and although Leah hasn’t been a fan, I certainly am. I decided to start the Couch to 5K running plan as well. It would make me really happy to be able to run a 5K later this spring!

And finally, nothing makes me happier than having a reason to celebrate. Life is too short and we need more celebrations, don’t you think? My friend Carissa from the blog Good ‘n Crazy just hit 10,000 followers on Twitter and she is celebrating with a fun Twitter party and some really great prizes (Barnes & Noble Nook, iPod Shuffle, and more!) Make sure to hop over to her blog and check it out. She’d love to have you celebrate with her!

That’s it for me this week. I love reading your own happiness snippets each week. Thanks for sharing them in the comments section. Have a happy rest of your week!

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The sun is shining, the snow is almost off the ground, we are supposed to have a high of 70 degrees today, and my kids are off school until Tuesday. There is a lot to be happy about right now! Welcome to the 4th installment of The Happiness Report!

I’m not a big coffee drinker. Unless we have company over, we don’t make coffee. There are some days, however, where a latte or something similar is just exactly what I need. I pulled through the Starbucks drive through yesterday, picked up a Caramel Latte and felt instant happiness at the first sip….

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Another week and more happiness to share with you all! Thanks for sharing what made you happy with me last week. From planting herbs, setting up curbside recycling, blogging & week in reviews, reading books, keeping resolutions, celebrating and receiving much deserved praise, you all had some really simple and inspirational things making you smile! Hopefully you’ll share what’s making you happy in the comments section again this week.

Right now, I am in a state of “bliss” and exhaustion, if it is possible for the two to go together. I am currently in Nashville, TN at the Blissdom 2011 conference. Jyl, from Mom it Forward, sent myself and 8 other women to represent their brand at this fantastic conference. Being sponsored by such a wonderful brand, connecting with old friends and meeting new friends truly is something that makes me happy!

In addition to that, this is what popped up on my happiness radar this week:

As I mentioned above, I am currently at the Blissdom conference. This morning I got to listen to an opening keynote speech that I truly needed to hear. Brene Brown, author of the book The Gifts of Imperfection, spoke about vulnerability and deeper connections with others. I heard her speak at the Evo conference and was as equally impressed, but felt like she was truly talking to me this time around. I ended up buying her book I was so moved by her speech. Some of my takeaway quotes from her talk were:

• “Connection is what gives our life meaning and purpose.”
• “Vulnerability is the key to loving and living with our whole hearts.”
• “Worthiness has no prerequisites.” –> Typically love this one as someone who often gets caught up in comparing myself to others and feeling like I’m not good enough.”
• “When you say you don’t care what people think and you mean it, you have lost the capacity to connect.”
• “Find and be a friend that would move a body” –> I’m lucky to have some friends like this… thank you body moving friends!
• and finally, she shared what Oprah has hanging outside of her office…LOVE this. “You are responsible for the energy you bring into this room.”

Happy stuff, I tell ya’!

Other things?

I discovered this new to me “pin board” website called Pinterest. You put a “pin” in things you like out on the web and it collects them on a “board” for you on their site. Like a bulletin board of things you love. Pretty cool, isn’t it?

If you are a mom, you must go take a look at this post by Straving Artist Ink. It makes me happy when people trust us so much that they share their most vulnerable moments. THIS, my friends, is truly being open to vulnerability!

And finally, because I can’t help but be a little materialistic from time to time, every single item in the Etsy store, Kitty Rogers Photography, makes me happy! Cute stuff!

Oh, and hot tea… hot tea and the calm time to drink it, thrills me to pieces. (The picture is part of my Project 365 which I share over on my Photo Journey Blog.)

Now, it’s your turn! What has made you happy this week? Share in the comments, leave a link, or give me a shout out on Facebook or Twitter. Who knows? What makes you happy may be featured in a future Happiness Report! Even if you don’t share, take a moment to remind yourself that no matter what is going on in our lives, we all have a lot to be happy about!

Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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