Finding Your Happy Place: Part 15 (Finale)

Go there in your mind. Then bring it to life.


For me, the best place to be is sitting alone in the middle of the forest as far away from any other person as I can possibly get. It is not always possible for me to do that when I need to, so instead I find myself imagining being there. This helps me feel centered and happy so much better than anything else I have tried.

So, think of where your happy place is. Where do you feel comfortable? What makes you happy? What do you enjoy doing with your time? Your happy place can be anything. It can be a family Christmas party you remember from your childhood, your great grandfather's farm, or a beach filled with ocean sounds and flitting birds, and scuttling crabs.

Think of what you consider to be "a happy place."

Relax your body by sitting wherever you're most comfortable.

Start breathing slowly. Inhale, count to 4 slowly, then exhale. Repeat until your body feels calm.

Now turn your concentration to your happy place.Remain still breathing slowly, think about the symphonies that are going on around you. Listen to the way that your family members are laughing, or take in the scent of the stables. Think about things that you love, and the things that you miss. Continue this process as long as you like.


When you feel ready, discover your true need. Keep your thoughts on where your happy place is, find a part of what is in your happy place that you may be missing today. Figure out a way to bring that feeling into your life. Make a goal today to make your day to day life feel more like your happy place.

Backpacking With A Baby

When our son was 2 months old, it was time to hit the trail. Our friends and their two kids(girls, age 8 and 6) where ready to embark on their first backpacking trip. So in total we had 5 people on our trip who had never hit the trail before. Because, this was an experimental trip, we decided a short trip one night only and only 4 miles total. It was a great trip. Everyone had a good time, and we all learned a lot.

Here are the big things that stuck out to me, that might help you if you decide to take a very young baby backpacking.

Wild Woods Baby

Hydration, H2O, Water, Agua, etc: It was June and weather conditions were pretty hot. I needed way more water than we thought I would need. Thankfully everyone packed plenty. Being 2 months post-partum, breastfeeding, and summer heat made it necessary for me to drink everyone's excess water. I can't believe how thirsty I was for the entire trip. In total, I think I must have had 9 liters in the 24 hours we were out, and I was still thirsty when we got back to the house. I think even if the weather was cooler I still would have needed more water than is normal for me.

My backpack modification. 

Baby Carrying: I modified my husbands backpack and an Infantino baby wearing backpack to fit together, so that he could carry the baby on his chest. It was fairly simple. I cut off the waist strap on the Infantino, made new seams(using a sewing machine), and replaced the buckles on both backpacks with buckles that would marry. It turned out great! My husband and our boy were both very comfortable. Daniel even said having the baby on his chest helped to balance out the load on his back. He said he thought he could probably even carry more weight this way.

Chilling out at our campsite. 

Diapering:We packed 8 flour sack towels and 2 diaper covers for our baby. He breastfed like normal and loved looking around at all the new scenery.

Play Time: We brought a large piece of plastic to lay on the ground to serve as a "blanket" as well as the ground cloth for our tent.

Sun Protection: Babies this young are not recommended to wear sunscreen, so to protect him we dressed him in footie pajamas and had him wear a "Gilligan" style hat. 

You Can Make A Cake At Home

Hello beautiful people, 

Today I was struck with an idea that many of you might have thought you could never achieve. But I know, YOU are fully capable of making great cakes at home! They may not look as professionally polished as some that you might find at a bakery, but they will still be beautiful. I know that you can do it. You will need a few supplies. An icing bag or two(You could use a ziploc if you want), and two icing tips(a small writing tip, and a star tip) for the bag. (Note: If you want to create more elaborate designs, some other tips may be necessary) Everything else you need you should already have lying around your house. Here is a smattering of cakes that my family has enjoyed over the last several years, and details about how they were created. 

 This is a fun cake to make. The girls always love this cake. It is made by baking the cake in an 8 cup measuring cup. We use the Pyrex measuring cup. Then cut a small whole in the top of the cake and push Barbie's legs into the top of the cake. Then apply icing. The blue icing was applied with a butter knife. The skirt detail and top were created with a star tip. The writing and other details were created with a small writing tip.

 Sometimes adding fun pieces to the cake can really make the decorating pop. The curly candles and pinwheels on this cake made it special. The chocolate icing was a applied with a butter knife. The words, with a small writing tip, and the rest of the details with a star tip.

The base of cake this cake was baked in a large bowl, and the head cake in a smaller bowl. The whole thing was covered with white icing using a butter knife, and the detail added with a star tip and a small writing tip.

 This cake was baked in a 9x13 cake pan. The whole cake was covered with white icing using a small butter knife. Then shiny purple sprinkles where applied over the whole top of the cake. Rainbow sprinkles where added in a small stripe down the middle to create a rainbow road. Then the border details were added using a star tip and a small writing tip. The toys were taken from the birthday girls collection and the numbers were purchased at our local grocery store.

 Sometimes the cakes are incredibly simple. This is two small round cake stacked and covered with white icing. The candles were purchased at the local grocery store.

This cake was made by stacking four 8" round cakes. The entire cake was covered with white icing, applied using a butter knife. The hair was created using a star tip and swirling the icing around. The rest of the details were created with a small writing tip. The ears and horn were cut from a glittery piece of poster board paper. The numbers were cut from the same paper and glued to skewers which were then pushed into the cake.

 This cake is a cookie cake that my was thrown together in about 10 minutes. It looks a little messy because it was done with such haste. It still looks pretty cute though. Buttercream icing applied with a small writing tip.

 This cake was mad by using two circular cakes for each side of the track and two rice krispy treats to create the center. A butter knife was used to smooth white icing over the entire cake. Crushed Oreos were used to make the "dirt." and a blue icing was applied with a small writing tip.

 This cake was made by layering two round cakes with a filling between them. The white icing was spread on with a butter knife. The purple border was made by bouncing a star tip along the edges. The words were written with a small writing tip.

 This is a cake that was made in a 9x13 cake pan. A butter knife was used to spread white icing all over the cake. A star tip was used to create the border and the cross detail. A small writing tip was used to create the lettering. The doves were purchased from the dollar store and applied to cake with icing.


As you can see, your cake does not have to be what would be professionally considered showstopping. It can be beautiful and meaningful. AND you can save a bundle of money. May all your celebrations be made better with a delicious and inexpensive treat. If you have questions about anything you have read in this post or about anything else you think I might be able to help you with, please ask in the comments below. Happy caking!

~Daisy