Ten Ways To Be Happier In Your Home (Cont'd.) + Tartelette Lemon Cakelets









Found this list on apartmenttherapy.com and was inspired! Hopefully it will inspire you too!
1. Make your bed.
The book The Happiness Project, explains that this three minute task is one of the simplest habits you can adopt to positively impact your happiness.
2. Bring every room back to “ready.”
I learned this trick from Marilyn Paul’s clever book, It’s
Hard to Make a Difference When You Can’t Find Your Keys. It’s a known fact: Clutter causes stress; order creates a haven from it. This mood-boosting routine is simple: Take about three minutes to bring each room back to “ready” before you depart it. (Unless you have a toddler, or a partner who likes to simulate earthquakes, three minutes should be sufficient.)
3. Display sentimental items around your home.
One reason that experiences (and memories of those experiences) make us happier than material
things is due to the entire cycle of enjoyment that experiences provide: planning the experience, looking forward to the experience, enjoying the experience, and then remembering the experience. Make your home a gallery of positive memories.
4. Start a one-line-a-day gratitude journal.
Before bed, simply jot down one happy memory from that day. (If you have kids, you can ask them, “What was the best part of today?”) Reflection is an important part of happiness, and pausing to reflect on a positive event from each day cultivates gratitude. (An added bonus: Later, when your memory is defunct, you will already have all of your meaningful adventures recorded!) If you have trouble getting started with journaling, consider buying a book to guide you. Simple Abundance, by Sarah Ban Breathnach, is a great one.
5. If you can’t get out of it, get into it.
This tip comes from The Happiness Project. I love the message: The dishes are not going to clean themselves, so you will do it, and you will like it! (Unless, of course, you can outsource this job, in which case I say: Nice work!) Otherwise, get into doing the dishes. Feel the soothing warm water on your hands. Enjoy the tickle of the tiny bubbles. Crank your favorite album at an unusually loud volume, do a couple fist-pumps while shouting “Can I get a hell yeah for the dishes? Hell! Yeah!” and pretend you love it.
6. Before you get up each morning, set an intent for the day.
In The Art of Happiness, the Dali Lama says “”Every day, think as you wake up: today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it.” Wow. What a wise man. I tend to wake up with a strong visceral reaction that says, “Attention human beings: Be afraid of me before coffee. Be very afraid!” Setting a daily intent makes a huge difference. Your daily intent could be something like “be productive” or “enjoy today’s delicious moments” or it could be something more specific like “say thank you to my loved ones today.” But it should not be another “to do” item on your list.
7. Do small favors for your housemates, expecting nothing in return (not even a thank you!).
(That’s right, I said it: nothing!) Mow the lawn for your husband, but don’t expect him to pat you on the back. Make the bed for your wife, but don’t try to get bonus points for it. Take the trash out for your roommate, just because. The ability to cultivate strong, healthy relationships is one of the biggest contributors to health and happiness, but when you start to keep score, the benefit is lost. (No! It’s YOUR turn to clean up the dog poop!) It’s a well-known fact: When you do good, you feel good.
8. Call at least one friend or family member a day.
You can do this while you clean, while you make the bed, or while you walk the dog. Texts and emails do not count! Make an actual phone call to a loved one, just to chat and catch up. We humans are social beings and studies show that even when we don’t feel like it, even if we are naturally introverted, socializing with our loved ones makes us feel better.
9. Spend money on things that cultivate experiences at home.
Save money for a new grill for parties or a new DVD for family movie night — something that will encourage you to have people over and entertain. Plan a summer barbeque, invite your closest friends, kick back and relax. (And don’t forget to print out the pictures to remember the good times.)
10. Spend a few minutes each day connecting with something greater than yourself.
Whatever your spiritual beliefs — or non-beliefs — may be, studies show that connecting to a high power is correlated with happiness. Just stepping back to realize that we are part of an enormous universe can put some perspective on your annoyance with the those-are-definitely-not-mine-and-they-are-abso-fricking-lutely-repulsive socks under the coffee table. Before bed, spend just a few minutes contemplating something larger than yourself. Take a walk in nature. Write in a journal. Create a sacred space in your home. (Or if spirituality is really not your thing, create a home spa: light some candles, soak in a hot bath, delve into a good book… are you feeling better yet?)

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Collection Of "Something
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Tartelette Lemon Cakelets Bonus Recipe

Makes about 12 filled cakelets

Ingredients:

  • 2/3 cup all purpose flour (also works with Jeanne's all purpose gluten free flour)
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • zest of a lemon
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 4 egg whites
Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F and position a rack in the middle.
  2. Sift together the flour, cornstarch, lemon zest and sugar together. 
  3. In a stand mixer fitter with the wire whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until soft peaks.
  4. Add the flour mix to the egg white and fold gently with a large spoon.
  5. Spoon the batter, a couple of rounded tablespoons at a time onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the cakelets are golden and puffed up.
  6. Let cool completely before filling with the vanilla bean whipped cream.
Filling:

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 vanilla bean
Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream and sugar until soft peaks.
  2. Cut the half vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds out with the back of a pairing knife. Add the seeds to the cream mixture and continue to whip until firmer peaks form.
  3. Fill the cakelets with a couple of tablespoons of vanilla bean whipped cream refrigerate until ready to eat.
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Recipe from Tartelettes

Savio Firmino Classic Furniture, Italian Style

Classic Italian furniture is distinct but Florence, Italy's Savio Firmino’s Collection really captures this style's essence. The Collection is on the expensive side - but take a look - it is absolutely delicious.


The chaise lounge or aka the 'fainting couch' - can you even get enough of it! I think I have a need to lay down, pull the decorative large decor pillow from the fur rug up onto my tummy and top it off with a good book. Yummmm........


Collezione 1941 (Bathrooms Collection) - If you like luxury designs and minimalism is definitely not your thing; if you dream to create a bathroom similar to the royal styles of the 19th century ~ and ~ if you dream to surround yourself by beauty and splendor, then you will love Savio Firmino Collezione 1941.


Savio Firmino doesn’t follow fashionable modern trends. It creates unique and wonderful furniture, with Collection 1941 made in the neoclassic style. Every piece in the collection is defined by its refinement and elegance, almost each piece decorated by jewels and gold or silver leafs. Sophisticated hand-engravings make this bathroom set even more marvelous. This bathroom design is timeless and created to calm and relax.






Notte Fatata (Bedding) is Italian for magical night - and more specifically, is Savio Firmino's bedding collection for the baby nursery and even the older child. The pieces can adapt with your little tiny princess even as she turns twelve. The furniture collection has a exquisite traditional design and comes in light gentle colors and to make it the ultimate in luxury, Notte Fatata can be covered with gold or silver foil.
Check out how the Notte Fatata baby cot piece can be easy transformed to a big and comfortable kid bed and the swaddling table can become a practical sideboard.

To see more Savio Firmino furniture, go to the Something Beautiful Journal's article "Decorate A Dreamhouse in Beverly Hills, California for a luxury, unconventional-chic look. Click Here.


This furniture is worthy of a Tuscan mansion - and I thought it worthy of writing about in my Something Beautiful Journal. For more information, go also to Savio Firmino. The Savio Firmino line is a high end , Italian line of luxury furniture and bathroom decor, is available through the Something Beautiful Shoppe, but not shown publicly in its regular pages. Please contact us directly and a designer will be assigned to work with you.  Call 1-888-338-4490, or email us at  Editor@SomethingBeautifulJournal.org  Working with an interior designer helps assure you get the look you desire while helping eliminate costly mistakes.

British Barn Remodel - Check This Out!




If you check out the whole house, via Remodelista you can see they created a main space, all other rooms are accessed from the area shown in the above photograph.



A publication called "The Modern House Estate Agents" highlighted this incredible British barn conversion house for sale. Now called "Great Saling Barn," it is a fantastic remodeled project, containing both living space, five bedrooms and two reception rooms, and extensive workspace under a vast roof. The property is a thrilling combination of both contemporary and historic, a cathedral style barn from the 14th century.

Barns as living spaces have much of the coolness of living in a loft but with even more light and space and warmth created by all the wood."

Go to "The Modern House Estate Agents" or Remodelista for more on this barn or Pocknell Studio to see more projects.