10 #Tips for a #HappyLife - Be Thankful

This is what I'm most thankful for...

We all have problems to deal with, no matter where we come from. Concentrating on the things we have to fix, we often forget and take for granted the parts of our lives that are working properly! If we could refocus away from the negative once in a while to be thankful--for what we have, for the positive things, for the things going right--the world would be a brighter place.

Negative nags at our attention. Negative needs us to figure out a solution. Negative needles us to complain and criticize. There's too much negative out there these days.

Stop! Don't let negative consume you. Take a break and think about what you're thankful for. Remember what's good about your life.

It won't make the problems go away, but they will be more manageable with a new, positive outlook.

10 Tips for a Happy Life:

1. Breathe
2. Smile
3. Be Thankful
4. ...

Thanks for listening! Hope you moms had a marvelous Mother's Day!

Tara Tyler - The Lazy Housewife

Water Splatter Art

When my kids were little, they loved doing crafts. That's almost hard to believe now that they are all teens and grown men. 

Believe it or not, there was a time when they got as excited over the craft caddie as they did over pizza boxes.  

One of their favorite summer time crafts was water color splatter art. 

It's a craft that's so easy and great for a rainy day. 

On regular printer paper, let them paint a picture with water color paint. 

Allow to dry, then crumble like you're going to throw it in the trash. Yep, just wad it up in a ball. They can even bat it around for a bit, though if they're like mine, that will mean broken furniture. 

Put the art in a folder and on the next rainy day (a warm one, but without thunder and lightning!) take the water colors out and allow the rain drops to splatter them. 

Lay out on a table covered with a towel (so they don't stick) and allow to dry. 

After they dry, they are softened and even the oddest paintings can become abstract works of art. 

Did you know that most colored pencils work like paint if you dip them in water? 

Sunday is Mother's Day, so...

Souper Easy

I love Italian wedding soup, you know the spinach-loaded soup with meatballs and tiny bits of pasta? Delicious. I especially love it when I can get it from an Italian restaurant, because to make it at home can be a lot of work. The meatballs alone can take an hour, not to mention chopping the onions and garlic for the broth.

But I have an easy cheat for a soup that is very much like Italian wedding soup. Maybe we could call this cheater version American Live-Together-Avoid-the-Hassle soup.

At the grocery store, grab the following:

Add the whole bag of spinach to a pot with enough water to cover all the leaves. Add a packet of the onion soup. Mix then cook on low on the stove top.

Bake the meatballs in the oven on a cookie sheet and set aside.

Once the spinach is softened, probably about an hour, add a half cup of the orzo. Boil for approximately 10 minutes or until it is softened.

Once the orzo is softened, add the cooked meatballs and serve.

So easy and delicious.

Pair that with Ashley's Boozy Beer Bread and you have a dinner your family will think you broke a sweat over, but only took minutes to prep.