The Search for Miss Direction: Come on, Get Happy!

In my MOPS group I am on the steering committee as the person who is in charge of publicity. My main job is to write the newsletter. I have LOVED taking on this role in the group as I really enjoy putting together the newsletter for every meeting. I have had a lot of fun coming up with a 'theme' for each newsletter and sharing all kind of fun things with our fabulous group of ladies. So when I sat down last week to come up with some ideas for this week's edition, I was excited to learn that March 20th is the International Day of Happiness as declared by the United Nations beginning in 2012. So have you had your does of happiness today? No, then keep reading we Gatchel's have made a day of it and are willing to share some of ours!

To celebrate the first day of Spring (which I'm not going to mention then that there was white stuff falling around here all morning. Nope, we're doing happy!) Dairy Queen was giving out free ice cream cones today. So to improve our happy, after I had a fabulous morning crafting and hanging out with my friends at MOPS, when I picked up Kayla from school we headed over to get ours. Kayla had a twist with sprinkles and I asked for a vanilla in a cup with sprinkles to save for my Noah Joe. Is everybody happy?

Mikayla and I painted her nails a fun shade of sparkly green and then it was off to get Noah from the bus. When the kiddos got home they did their coloring maps of Kansas. I'll let them explain below.

I tried my hand at another Kansas feast tonight with Kansas City Steak Soup, Apple and Sunflower Seed Salad and Honey Whole Wheat Bread. The soup was perfect to keep away the chill today! According to what I read this soup, which actually thickens up into almost a stew, is popular at quite a new Kansas City restaurants. Everyone here liked it, especially Grant who always appreciates steak in his meal :) I was a little wary of the salad as it combined romaine lettuce with a green apple, dill pickle, sunflower seeds, tomato and ranch dressing but oddly enough it was quite a yummy combination. Both my kiddos are now officially addicted to sunflower seeds. I've been meaning to get in a wheat recipe all week (another one is coming on Sunday!) and the smells that came from my bread machine this afternoon made this the perfect choice. Plus, honey is important to the Kansas economy (it is one of the US' largest honey producers) so this was a great choice. Happy tummies at the Gatchel's tonight!

I got a HUGE dose of happy this afternoon when Dayton officially kicked OSU out the NCAA basketball tournament. Any OSU defeat makes for a happy Kristi. As I write, my Wolverines are currently taking on the Wofford Terriers (who the heck is Wofford anyway? I have NEVER heard of this school before Selection Sunday.) and I'm hoping my boys in maize and blue make me happy, too. My kiddos were happy because after their baths I let them watch some of the game while we worked on the "We've Been There" state. We officially got Kansas up on the wall tonight, though sadly sans stickers as no Gatchel's have been to Kansas. Mikayla and I decided we need to remedy this so we can go and fill our car full of sunflowers and spread a little happiness.

Speaking of happy, we're going to carry it over into tomorrow with one fabulous Friday. The kids have been looking forward to this all week as I have promised them a viewing of "The Wizard of Oz." If that we're enough, Pizza Hut was founded in Kansas, so along with our movie I'm going to try my hand at recreating the famous Pizza Hut pan pizza and the pizza hut dessert pizza. Noah's looking forward to PJ day at school tomorrow and the fact that he's only there for half the day. Can't wait! So until then...

Kansas Fun Fact of the Day: The First United Methodist Church in Hutchinson was built in 1874 during the time of the grasshopper plagues. The grasshoppers came during the construction of the churches foundation but the pastor continued with the work. As a result, thousands of grasshoppers are mixed into the mortar of the original building's foundation.