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Recipe: Cherry Dessert Danish

Hello Sweat Love Muffins!

Here it is! My recipe for Cherry Dessert Danish, as promised! This is one of Pauli’s favorite desserts, and every person I’ve ever made it for giddy claps for it again and again, so I hope you love it!!!

I’ll walk you through this easy peasy, uber yummy for your taste buds and tummy dessert … with pictures the whole way through.

Overall, you’ll need 4 main parts to bring your dessert Danish together:

1 tube of Crescent Rolls (Yep, I cheat on this one, lol. But we still buy organic to make these fully organic for Pauli.)
Ooey Gooey Cherry Filling
Yummy Tummy Streusel Topping
Sweet Kiss Glaze

First up. The Ooey Gooey Cherry Filling.

Ooey Gooey Cherry Filling:

1 bag of frozen dark sweet cherries
2 tsp of cornstarch
small sauce pan
spoon
measuring spoon
cutting board and knife (optional)

Now, of course, you could use any ol’ can of cherry pie filling you want if you want … but really, this is fast and easy, and way better scratch-made!

I personally like to cut up my cherries into small little bits (thus, cutting board and knife), but I’ll leave that up to you and your preference. You don’t have to cut them up. I just do it because I like the bite sizeyness of it!

So I cut up my cherries into lil bits, and add them to my sauce pan. Add in 2 tsp of cornstarch, and start stirring over medium heat until the cherries thaw, heat up, and the cornstarch thickens the juice into a pie filling like thickness. (You do not need to add any water, as the cherries will thaw and juice naturally.) (Also, you could add sugar if you want – like a can of store bought cherry pie filling. But honestly, you don’t need it. The cherries are already sweet and yummy all on their own. And it’s a place you can omit the sugar, and you won’t miss it. Your body will thank you!!!)

Next up, Yummy Tummy Streusel Topping :

½ cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup softened butter
Small bowl
Spoon

In small bowl combine 1/2 cup flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp of cinnamon, and 1/4 cup butter.

And last to premix/premake before assembly, let’s make the, Sweet Kiss Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 tbsp of milk
½ – 1 tsp of vanilla to taste
Small bowl
Spoon

In small bowl, mix together 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2-3 tbsp of milk (enough to get drizzle consistency for the glaze), 1/2 – 1 tsp of vanilla (to taste). Yep, it’s that easy. (Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the glaze mixing step. Just mix until smooth and drizzle-worthy.)

Assembly Time!!!! PREHEAT OVEN TO 375 degrees F!

Pop open your can of crescent rolls and separate into 2 “columns” of dough on your baking sheet. (I recommend lining your baking sheet with baking paper for easier cleanup as this assembly will get a little, but happily, messy.) The crescent triangles might try to separate a bit; if so, just gently smoosh ’em back together.

Using either a knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough with matching slices on each side of the column. You’ll be folding them over after you put the cherry filling in.

Next, spoon about half of the cherry filling down the center of each Danish column.

Now you can fold the dough flaps up and over the cherry filling. The flaps can touch, but they don’t have to, and most likely won’t for the whole Danish strip. It’s okay. It’s how it works!

Now the excitement starts to kick in … you can start to see how the Danishes are coming together when you sprinkle the crumble streusel topping on. Simply, gently spoon on the crumble streusel topping (roughly half for each Danish). It’s okay if the topping crumbles off to the sides a little bit. You can try scooping it back on, but sometimes it just wants to fall onto the pan. Let it go. It’s okay.

Time to Bake, and then Glaze!

Now, it’s time to bake these tummy yummy Danishes. Bake the Danishes at 375 degrees F for 11 – 14 minutes until the dough looks lightly golden brown.

You don’t have to wait, but I encourage you to let the Danishes cool for about 10 minutes, or even more, … so that when you drizzle on the glaze it doesn’t completely melt away.

Once your Danishes have cooled a little bit, using your spoon, drizzle on your glaze. I do crisscross back-n-forth motions up and down each Danish until I’ve used up all of the glaze. Pauli’s mouth waters the whole time, while he has to wait. Once we get to this stage, he starts pouring his very large glass of milk! LOL, but for realz!

From here, you can slice your Danishes into whatever serving size calls your taste buds, tummy, and heart. Pauli like 3 1/2 – 4″ wide slices. Once the Danishes are fully cooled, we freeze whatever he doesn’t eat the first night. That way, he has snacks on demand whenever he wants.

And that, my sweet lovely honeybuns, is how you make Pauli’s Cherry Dessert Danishes! So easy! Soooooooooooooo YUMMY!!! If I could still eat gluten, I would gobble these up, and Pauli and I would race to eat the most! LOL. As it is, those days are in the past for me. Awww, boo face. But it’s okay. If you missed my Cherry Crumble a la mode recipe, that’s how I get my gluten-free fix now – and it’s truly delicious as well!

Pauli and I hope you enjoy your Cherry Dessert Danishes to the yummy in your tummy max!!!

Until next week …

Loving you Big Time and Hugging you Tightly!!! Would love to see a pic of you gobbling up your new dessert!!! Feel free to write me at marykate at loveandbighugs.com.

Love and Big Hugs,

More Happiness from Mary Kate

Find more happiness, love, big hugs, support, gratitude, POSitude, and Self-Care in these POSitude cards!

Needing some self-care, love and support? Wanting hugs? Treat yourself or someone you love to these Big Loving, Big Hugging daily inspirational, motivational, and empowering POSitude cards! They really can make a big difference in your day!!!

POSitude Cards. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs! Found at Etsy

Get Your POSitude On!

Feel happier! Supported! Loved! Hugged!

Bring brightness and goodness into your day, and into your life!

What beautiful souls like you think about their POSitude cards!

These cards are colorful and cheerful! They stay on my desk at work and have made for great conversation with colleagues. I look forward to choosing my daily pick me up. I reflect on my current mood or what inspiration I need for the day. I do have a few favorites that I’ve used more than once or have displayed longer than just a day.

These cards remind me to stay positive and believe in myself!

Stephanie Shay, 4th grade teacher

I love my POSitude cards! I pick one to display on my refrigerator for the week. Reading the card makes me happy and gives me a variety of ways to stay positive in my daily life. It has also become a conversation piece for all who enter my kitchen.

Karen Henry, Retired 4^th Grade Teacher, Personal Assistant

The Positude cards have made a difference for setting the tone during meetings. I have set them in the middle of the meeting table and while we are settling in, people pick them up and read them. This small gesture makes a huge difference in the quality of the conversations we have during our 1:1 meetings.

Mary Freer, University Research Department Administrator

I love my POSitude cards! They are so cute, and the messages are very uplifting and inspiring!

Mary McMurtry, Retired Bookkeeper, Mom, Grandmom

Get inspired every day with a deck of my new POSitude cards! Each deck has 35 different full-color, fun, happy POSitudes (36 cards total, with one card sharing suggestions on how to get the most out your POSitudes.) Available in my Etsy shop. Check them out and learn more, now!

You can find these POSitude cards in my new ETSY shop!!!

Looking for self-care to share love and big hugs for all ages?

How a treasured friendship lost gave me something life changing to be grateful for! Lub's Very Happy Day! Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

Lub’s Very Happy Day! is filled with delightful brightness and big huggy smiles!

Lub is the happiest, PINKest, most love-filled monster, Ever! Her big, PINK heart is always with her, and it beams brightly in everything she does!

Lub loves you!

Join Lub as she shares with you her love and very happy, monster-ifically delightful day! Feel playful and bright, smile big, and be happy! Have fun and be cheerful!

You can find copies of Lub’s Very Happy Day! to adopt at Amazon!

Self-Love and Self-Care with Positive Reaffirmation

Self-Care and Self-Love with Positive Reaffirmation. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

Hello Beautiful Bright Stars!

If repetition is key, then tell yourself how much you love you. Tell yourself kind things. Tell yourself supportive things. Give yourself positive reaffirmation every day. Self-Love and Self-Care with Positive Reaffirmation is POWERFUL!!!

We are constantly bombarded with so much negativity and drama, every single day. It’s in our news, our social media, and our entertainment. It’s in our daily lives. Depression and anxiety rates are up. And for anyone who has ever been in an abusive relationship, one of the first truths that holds is “if you hear it long enough, you begin to believe it.”

This is a form of reaffirmation. And reaffirmation is POWERFUL. When subjected to it negatively, it diminishes and disempowers us. It brings our lives and our mental and emotional well-being down, which in turn impact our physical well-being negatively.

BUT, when practiced POSITIVELY, reaffirmation can powerfully change your life for the better. So MUCH BETTER!

So let’s use this POSITIVE REAFFIRMATION POWER for AWESOME Transformation in our lives!!!

Repetition Is Key! Repeat goodness to yourself every day!

And remember, the only relationship you have complete control over in your life is the relationship you have with you … so repeating goodness to yourself every day is something that is completely in your control!

Self-Love and Self-Care yourself with Positive Reaffirmation to transform you and put that smile on your face and the glow in your heart!

I talk about my POSitudes … a POSitude to me is a positive statement of love, reaffirmation, support, self-care, kindness, gratitude, and giant PINK & LOVE filled hugs! POSitudes are gentle reminders and guidance I use daily to support myself and that I share with you to help you live a happier and healthier life.

For me, my POSitudes and POSitude cards are vital and amazing and wonderful! I keep my cards on my desk and near me all the times. And for today, I want to focus on some of the positive reaffirmations that are incredibly meaningful to me. I encourage you, please, if repetition is key, then tell yourself how much you love you. Be kind to you. Tell yourself supportive and nice things. Tell yourself these things:

I am loved!
I am irreplaceable!
I am wonderfully unique with a light that only shines when I am in the room … the world needs my light!

I am enough!
I am needed!
My heart is big and beautiful!

I can do this!
Every little bit I do is better than not doing anything at all!
I am strong, and I will heal!

I am worthy of my love, kindness, and patience!

It’s Valentine’s, and I love any day dedicated to love. Especially now more than ever when there seems to be so much negativity in the world. So for this month of love, take that first step … self-love and self-care yourself with positive reaffirmations. Use the POWERFUL tool of transformation to enlighten and empower you! Be kind to you. Say nice things to yourself. Think of something you like about yourself and remind yourself of it daily. Tell yourself supporting things. Hug yourself! Big Time!!! Put the smile on your face and the glow in your heart for your happiness and healthiness! Love you!

Until next week …

Keep telling yourself positive, happy things about you! Self-love and self-care yourself with POSitive Reaffirmations!!! Give yourself the power you need to transform you and your life into the happiness and healthiness you want for you!

Be my Valentine! I love you with my big, happy, PINK heart, and I’m hugging you so SQUEEtastically tight!

Love and Big Hugs,

More Happiness from Mary Kate

Find more happiness, love, big hugs, support, gratitude, POSitude, and Self-Care in these POSitude cards!

Get Your POSitude On!

Feel happier! Supported! Loved! Hugged!

Bring brightness and goodness into your day, and into your life!

What beautiful souls like you think about their POSitude cards!

These cards remind me to stay positive and believe in myself!

Stephanie Shay, 4th grade teacher

Karen Henry, Retired 4^th Grade Teacher, Personal Assistant

Mary Freer, University Research Department Administrator

I love my POSitude cards! They are so cute, and the messages are very uplifting and inspiring!

Mary McMurtry, Retired Bookkeeper, Mom, Grandmom

You can find these POSitude cards in my new ETSY shop!!!

Looking for self-care to share love and big hugs for all ages?

Lub’s Very Happy Day! is filled with delightful brightness and big huggy smiles!

Lub is the happiest, PINKest, most love-filled monster, Ever! Her big, PINK heart is always with her, and it beams brightly in everything she does!

Lub loves you!

Join Lub as she shares with you her love and very happy, monster-ifically delightful day! Feel playful and bright, smile big, and be happy! Have fun and be cheerful!

You can find copies of Lub’s Very Happy Day! to adopt at Amazon!

Be Love

Hello Beautiful Lights of Love!

I’m a week late and a cherry dessert Danish recipe shy, but my dad died last week, and between coping with his loss, family drama and trauma, and my chronic fatigue, I find I’m struggling. So for now, let’s talk about the message that beats loudest in my heart, body, and soul: Be Love.

I promise I’ll get you that recipe, but for today, in this month of love, let’s talk love.

To me, there are 3 big hearts in Being Love:

Surround yourself with love
Share your love with others
Love yourself

Surround yourself with love

There’s a saying out there that says you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. It’s an interesting idea, and one I believe in. People who stand by you and bring you up help you be your best self; whereas people who do the opposite, make it so much harder for you to be your best self. Living in POSitivity, happiness, love, kindness, and support is heartwarming, smile making, and energizing; whereas, dealing with criticism, angst, sadness, frustration, and drama drags us down and saps us of our energy. So pick your people well.

Find people who love you and who you love. Create your world of love and support by filling it with people who care about you and love you!

Share your love with others

Be it friends. Family. Your special human. Fur babies. All of these. Grow your love by giving it to others and sharing it. Build on commonalities. Experience new things together. Strengthen your relationships with POSitivity and acts of kindness. Be thoughtful and learn more about each other.

And in this month of love, I challenge you to grow your love even more by giving of yourself to someone in need. Make someone’s day. Pick any person who you feel needs a little extra love, help, kindness, and be an expression of love for them. Brighten their day. It doesn’t have to cost money. Just do something that is thoughtful for them. Something that lets them know they are not alone. That someone cares about them. That they are worthy. Quite simply, the difference we need to make in the world starts with each of us.

Imagine how much happiness we can make by being thoughtful for someone in need, giving him or her some love, kindness, and attention. It’s a beautiful thing!

Love yourself

This is the one I think is hardest for most. We’ve been taught to be self-critical to succeed and excel in a competitive world. I feel like we’ve learned not to be patient with ourselves. We’ve learned to be excessively critical and unforgiving. We say mean things to ourselves. Undermining untruths. Have you ever said to yourself things like: I’m so fat. I’m not pretty enough. I’m not that smart. Or maybe you’re a little craftier about it and less direct. Perhaps you say things like: She’s so thin. She’s so pretty. She’s so smart, … all the while using those statements as quiet comparisons to judge yourself by.

It’s amazing and daunting how automatic we can be in self-degradation. And the thing is, in actuality, it’s self-abuse. There’s a destructive effect that comes with constantly telling ourselves negative things about ourselves. If we tell ourselves these negative things long enough, we can start to believe them. It works the same as if someone else is saying negative things to us.

We haven’t really been taught to approach ourselves with kindness, love, and patience. We could instead say things like, “I’m going to find ways to eat and live healthier,” if we feel we are overweight. Or, “I am going to find a haircut that highlights my striking cheekbones, or brightens my eyes,” if we don’t feel confident about the way we look. Or even, “I’m going to learn and experience something new to grow my knowledge-base,” if we feel we could know more.

If repetition breeds belief, then start telling yourself positive things. Good things for you to know and believe about yourself. Reaffirmation is POWERFUL!!! Use it to grow your self-love and self-confidence. And in the areas where you feel you need growth and improvement – give yourself the patience and time you need to grow and learn new things. To become the reality of yourself you want to become. Love yourself!

So in this month of love, I challenge you to tell yourself something positive about yourself each day, even if it is the same thing every day, all month long. Find something you like/love about yourself and tell yourself out loud every day this wonderful thing. It can be something you’re good at like, “I am kind kind to others!” Or it can be something about you physically like, “I have a bright smile!” Or even something emotional/mental like, “I am resilient!” Pick anything – one thing or even many things – and keep reminding yourself every day of the goodness in you. Reaffirm yourself. Love yourself, even if one little bit at a time … because I promise you, you are worth your love!

Until next week …

Loving you Big Time and Hugging you Tightly!!! Remember, surround yourself with love, share your love with others, and love yourself. Together we will make life a happier place to be!

Love and Big Hugs,

More Happiness from Mary Kate

Find more happiness, love, big hugs, support, gratitude, POSitude, and Self-Care in these POSitude cards!

Get Your POSitude On!

Feel happier! Supported! Loved! Hugged!

Bring brightness and goodness into your day, and into your life!

What beautiful souls like you think about their POSitude cards!

These cards remind me to stay positive and believe in myself!

Stephanie Shay, 4th grade teacher

Karen Henry, Retired 4^th Grade Teacher, Personal Assistant

Mary Freer, University Research Department Administrator

I love my POSitude cards! They are so cute, and the messages are very uplifting and inspiring!

Mary McMurtry, Retired Bookkeeper, Mom, Grandmom

You can find these POSitude cards in my new ETSY shop!!!

Looking for self-care to share love and big hugs for all ages?

Lub’s Very Happy Day! is filled with delightful brightness and big huggy smiles!

Lub is the happiest, PINKest, most love-filled monster, Ever! Her big, PINK heart is always with her, and it beams brightly in everything she does!

Lub loves you!

Join Lub as she shares with you her love and very happy, monster-ifically delightful day! Feel playful and bright, smile big, and be happy! Have fun and be cheerful!

You can find copies of Lub’s Very Happy Day! to adopt at Amazon!

Recipe: Cherry Crumble a la mode
MK’s Happy, Healthier, Gluten-free, Valentine Love Goodness for YOU!

Recipe: Cherry Crumble a la mode. Gluten-free. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

Hello hungry, happy, love muffins!!!!

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and I’ve got a recipe for you! It’s my Cherry Crumble a la mode, a happy, healthier, gluten-free bowl of big grinning goodness for you!!!

I’m gonna walk you through, step-by-step for this super easy, super yummy dessert … and I’m going to do it with pictures the whole way through!

So let’s hit the basics. What you are going to need:

Ooey Gooey Cherry Filling:

1 bag of frozen dark sweet cherries
2 tsp of gluten-free cornstarch
small sauce pan
spoon
measuring spoon
cutting board and knife (optional)

Lip Biting Crumble Topping:

1/2 cup gluten-free oatmeal flour
1 tbsp of brown or cane sugar
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 cup of melted butter
mixing dish
spoon
measuring spoon and cups

Unforgettable Additional Needs:

baking bowl (I use a 1 qt glass baking bowl.)
gobble bowls
serving spoons
gluten-free vanilla ice cream and scooper
Oven mitts
Oven pre-heated to 350 degrees F

OK … now that you’ve got all your goodie making items gathered … let’s do this! It’s so easy and so good, you’ll be making this All. The. Time!

First up. The Ooey Gooey Cherry Filling.

Now, of course, you could use any ol’ can of cherry pie filling you want if you don’t need gluten-free, or if you are in a rush … but really, this is fast and easy, and way better scratch-made!

So I cut up my cherries into lil bits, and add them to my sauce pan. Add in 2 tsp of gluten-free cornstarch, and start stirring over medium heat until the cherries thaw, heat up, and the cornstarch thickens the juice into a pie filling like thickness. (You do not need to add any water, as the cherries will thaw and juice naturally.) (Also, you could add sugar if you want – like a can of store bought cherry pie filling. But honestly, you don’t need it. The cherries are already sweet and yummy all on their own. And it’s a place you can omit the sugar, and you won’t miss it. Your body will thank you!!!)

Next up, the Lip Biting Crumble Topping.

I make my own gluten-free oat flour, but feel free to buy yours pre-made. If you want to make your own, all you have to do is put gluten-free rolled oats into your food processor and pulse until you achieve a fine-ish/coarse flour. And voila! … easy made oat flour.

Once you have oat flour, add 1/2 cup of oat flour + 1 tbsp of sugar (your choice) + 1 tsp of cinnamon + 1/4 cup of melted butter and mix together. I then let mine sit or a moment, cuz this cool thing happens … the butter will kind of harden up a bit, turning your crumble into a solid-ish blob. I then break it up into crumbles with my spoon to add on top of the Ooey Gooey Cherry Filling.

(Actually, letting the crumble harden wasn’t something I originally set out to do. It just happened while I was spooning the cherries into my baking bowl, and I ended up loving the effect. Of course, you don’t have to wait. If you’ve got your cherries already in the baking bowl, spread out your crumble any ol’ way you want … it’s your happy dessert!)

Once you have your Ooey Gooey Cherry Filling and Lip Biting Crumble Topping all ready to go, grab your baking bowl. Scoop in all of your cherry filling first. Then crumble on your topping. Check out the pictures … I’ve shown you from the top, and from the side for perspective.

All you have to do now is bake your Cherry Crumble in a 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes …

And wait patiently … which is way harder than it sounds. Cuz it smells good baking!!!

tick tock … tick tock … come on buzzer!!!!

Ding! Fantastic!!! Grab your oven mitts and let’s get your cherry crumble out of the oven! The topping should be all golden brown, and the cherries will be bubbling hot!

Oh my!!! It’s tempting to just start scooping it into bowls and gobbling it … but if you do, it will melt your ice cream something fierce. So … my sweet love muffin … patience. It’s only going to be a few more minutes … and then you can gobble up all of this goodness!!!!

Once you’ve waited for your Cherry Crumble to cool for a lil bit … think warm to hot-ish warm (not hot-ish) for your desired serving temp. Once your cherry crumble cools to Ooey Gooey Gobbly Warm … scoop some out into your gobble bowl, add a scoop of your favorite gluten-free vanilla ice cream, and dig in!!!!

The cherries and the ice cream are a total dream together, and the crumble topping adds a tasty slightly crunchy texture that just adds the wallop of goodness to make this one of my favorite go-to’s for dessert!

Plus, in case you didn’t notice, we only added a tbsp of sugar to the whole dessert, so besides what is in your ice cream, this is a low added sugar dessert! And I love that!!!!

I hope you love, love, love this dessert as much as I do! Ever since I had to cut gluten from my diet for health reasons, I’ve been struggling to build up my menu options for yummy nummies … and anything with bread, cake, cookie, crumble parts is a real trick for making new goodnesses that are just as tasty as anything you remember from when you could eat gluten. And this dessert is SO GOOD!!! You will not miss the gluten, nor the extra added sugar!

I hope you’ll give this Cherry Crumble a la mode a try, especially for Valentine’s Month! It’s always good to treat yourself and those you love to healthier yummy nummies for your tummy tummy … and your face will be so happy, too!

Next week, I’m going to give you another delicious cherry dessert to plan for. It’s not gluten-free (so I can’t eat it), but Pauli LOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVES this dessert, and he puts in eager requests for it all of the time. He says you absolutely need to know … so I will share my recipe for Pauli’s Favorite Cherry Dessert Danish with you!!!

Until next week …

Loving you Big Time and Hugging you Tightly!!! Would love to see a pic of you gobbling up your new dessert!!! Feel free to write me at marykate at loveandbighugs.com.

Love and Big Hugs,

More Happiness from Mary Kate

Find more happiness, love, big hugs, support, gratitude, POSitude, and Self-Care in these POSitude cards!

Get Your POSitude On!

Feel happier! Supported! Loved! Hugged!

Bring brightness and goodness into your day, and into your life!

What beautiful souls like you think about their POSitude cards!

These cards remind me to stay positive and believe in myself!

Stephanie Shay, 4th grade teacher

Karen Henry, Retired 4^th Grade Teacher, Personal Assistant

Mary Freer, University Research Department Administrator

I love my POSitude cards! They are so cute, and the messages are very uplifting and inspiring!

Mary McMurtry, Retired Bookkeeper, Mom, Grandmom

You can find these POSitude cards in my new ETSY shop!!!

Looking for self-care to share love and big hugs for all ages?

Lub’s Very Happy Day! is filled with delightful brightness and big huggy smiles!

Lub is the happiest, PINKest, most love-filled monster, Ever! Her big, PINK heart is always with her, and it beams brightly in everything she does!

Lub loves you!

Join Lub as she shares with you her love and very happy, monster-ifically delightful day! Feel playful and bright, smile big, and be happy! Have fun and be cheerful!

You can find copies of Lub’s Very Happy Day! to adopt at Amazon!

Focus On What You Can Do

Dear Gorgeous Souls!

Focus on what you can do, and you will feel a happier and healthier difference in your life!

Here’s you walking along in all your sunshiny potential …

…when suddenly, DRAMA!

It could be you caught a news clip. Or you got some bad news. Or someone is mean to you. … This list can unfortunately go on and on, as I’m sure you know. Life can be like that. But drama happens with you willingly engaging in it, or with it [drama] trying to force itself on you.

Either way … drama is not good. It’s a downward spiral that can lead to stress, which leads to inflammation, which leads illness, disease, and even for some, death. Wuuuuut????

The bottom line: Unhappiness hurts you!

But there is a solution here. It’s easily said, but if you are a drama junkie, it’s not so easily done. Drama is eye catching. It incites the senses. It irks you. Compels you to engage and respond. You’ve got experiences. Opinions. Facts. Feelings. And the energy drama can stir up inside you can’t stay in there. It needs to get out of you. You need to express yourself. Be heard. Be important.

The problems is that a lot of the time, how we express ourselves in the midst of drama isn’t always helpful. It doesn’t fix the problem. It doesn’t resolve the issue. And we end up going around and around with our drama and the stress it creates, and the downward spiral goes even deeper.

Thank goodness we have the power of choice in our own lives! And the “simple” solution that we can choose:

Focus On What YOU CAN DO!

If it’s a situation, relationship, a moment in time, or an experience happening around you, near you, or with you stuck in the middle, ask yourself: Is this something I can personally fix? Is there something I can do to help resolve this situation or make it better? Do I really need to be around this person? Do I really need to do this thing?

If the answer is NO, get out of there! If you can’t help, but you are engaging anyway, you are putting yourself into a moment that will make you feel helpless or inert or some other negative something … but if there’s nothing you can do, except be in the middle of whatever it is, you are taking on an unnecessary stress burden. And the negativity you gain from it is something that you will then have to deal with for yourself. Why do that to yourself?

If the answer is yes – FANTASTIC! You can make a difference, and that can make you feel really good! You can have a positive impact and feel useful! So then:

figure out what you can do
make an action plan
do your action plan
then get out of there!!!

Be effective! Make a difference! Then move on!!! And heal yourself from any lingering stress that came from the efforts of helping resolve or fix the drama!

If it’s informational, ask yourself this: Is this something I need to learn or know? What do I need to learn from it or know about it?

If the answer is NO, get out of there! If you don’t need to know it; if it won’t grow you, help you become a better person, etc; if it isn’t something that will help you become more informed so you can make better choices, then … honestly … you don’t need to know it. It’s information that will only burden you unnecessarily.

But if the answer is yes – FANTASTIC! It’s an opportunity to grow you, become a more informed person … all you have to do is handle the difficulty of whatever the dramatic informational moment is. So:

learn it
know it
then get out of there!!!

So let’s take a quick moment to talk about how to activate your choice. How can you focus on what you can do? Well, start by asking yourself the questions above, and then, if you find yourself having to engage in the drama – set limits and establish boundaries. And if you don’t have to engage in the drama, then eliminate it from your life entirely.

Setting limits and boundaries comes in handy for negative or toxic people or situations in your life you are not prepared to stop engaging in yet, or that you don’t know yet how to stop engaging in.

When you have to engage in the drama:

set your limits and boundaries
stick to them (Value yourself. Love yourself. And be strong for you!)
get in, get done, get out
then self-care and TLC yourself back into wellness!

Eliminating the drama entirely from your life comes in handy for easier, less complicated dramas … like when the media jerks us around like string puppets, playing on our emotions, over sensationalizing the mundane or insignificant, etc. We really don’t need that in our lives, so tuning out, turning it off, and ignoring it is a great step to protecting ourselves: emotionally, mentally, physically … the whole of us.

For self-care, remember to do things like:

yoga
smiling
walking
eating something nutritious & healing
journaling
deep breathing
taking magnesium supplements
practice gratitude and POSitude
use your happiness toolbox
doing whatever positive, self-loving thing you can to help you heal!

As a general intention to help you be happy and healthy, separate yourself from all of the drama you can. And whatever you have to deal with, find positive ways to manage, cope, heal, and recover. Here’s the important thing about drama. It’s drama. It’s a conflict of intentions that creates an emotional response. If it is not drama that you need to or want to experience, then get it out of your life. Because drama creates stress, which causes inflammation, which leads to illness and disease. And you are an important person. You are valuable and irreplaceable. When you are happy and healthy you function better for yourself and for those around you. You are worth your love and self-care. And you are far more important than so much of the drama we experience every single day. So focus on what you can do, and you will feel the happy, healthy difference it makes in your life!

YAY!!!

Until next week …

Loving you so big and brightly!!! I’m sending you light and love to hug you the biggest!!!
May your days be drama-free, and when they can’t, surround yourself with people who will love you, support you, help you, and be the best with you!

Love and Big Hugs,

More Happiness from Mary Kate

Find more happiness, love, big hugs, support, gratitude, POSitude, and Self-Care in these POSitude cards!

Get Your POSitude On!

Feel happier! Supported! Loved! Hugged!

Bring brightness and goodness into your day, and into your life!

What beautiful souls like you think about their POSitude cards!

These cards remind me to stay positive and believe in myself!

Stephanie Shay, 4th grade teacher

Karen Henry, Retired 4^th Grade Teacher, Personal Assistant

Mary Freer, University Research Department Administrator

I love my POSitude cards! They are so cute, and the messages are very uplifting and inspiring!

Mary McMurtry, Retired Bookkeeper, Mom, Grandmom

You can find these POSitude cards in my new ETSY shop!!!

Looking for self-care to share love and big hugs for all ages?

Lub’s Very Happy Day! is filled with delightful brightness and big huggy smiles!

Lub is the happiest, PINKest, most love-filled monster, Ever! Her big, PINK heart is always with her, and it beams brightly in everything she does!

Lub loves you!

Join Lub as she shares with you her love and very happy, monster-ifically delightful day! Feel playful and bright, smile big, and be happy! Have fun and be cheerful!

You can find copies of Lub’s Very Happy Day! to adopt at Amazon!

The only relationship in my life that I have complete control over is the relationship I have with me.

My relationship. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

Hello Beautiful Blossoms,

I don’t know if what I’m about to say is going to resonate with you or not, but I hope so, because I believe it 100% through and through from my heart to my bones and back!

The only relationship in your life and this whole wide world you have complete control over is the relationship you have with yourself.

I can love me. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

You can choose to love yourself. And like yourself. Or not. But I hope you do. I know this isn’t always an easy thing. Especially when you’re down and going through rough times. But if ever there was a time when you needed yourself more, I don’t know when that is.

Find something. Anything that you like about yourself and focus on it. Grow it until it glows inside of you. Until it’s something you love about yourself!

And if you can’t even think of one thing, then think of something that you’ve always seen in others, something that you like and want to be. And find a way to be it. Grow it. Live it. And you will have something you love about you!

I can like me. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

It’s a great place to start!

And if you already have a list in your head of all the things you like and love about yourself – wonderful! Write it down! Remind yourself often! Trust me, the reaffirmation is a GOOD THING!!!

I can take care of me. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

I know so many people who can say that they are their own worst enemy, or their harshest critic. I used to be one of them. Why do we do this to ourselves. To make ourselves better? To challenge ourselves? To force ourselves to reach higher limits?

I stopped treating myself this way, because it’s such a negative way to try to accomplish growth. And I’ve learned, negativity in gets negativity out. When we criticize ourselves to improve ourselves, the improvement comes with a shadow founded in something akin to self-loathing. How can that ever be loving growth for ourselves?

I can respect me. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

Taking care of ourselves requires a willingness to invest in who we are and who we want to become. Do we want to be happy? Do we want to be healthy? Will will care enough about ourselves to build happiness and healthiness into our lives? Will we respect ourselves with positive reinforcement, reaffirmation, and acknowledgement of our strengths and give ourselves patience for the things we need or want to work on?

I can be the me I want to be. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

Will we be brave enough to grow ourselves into the lovely people we want to be? Can we find kindness in our hearts to be kind to ourselves and give ourselves room to grow and learn and live, one moment, one day, one heartbeat at a time?

I can be kind to me. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

And when we get stuck, or have trouble, or fall, or even fail when trying on something new, or trying to grow ourselves and our lives stronger, will we see that we are human and perfection is impossible (and exhausting)? Will we respect ourselves, love ourselves, be kind to ourselves, and forgive ourselves, so we live and learn, and grow and move on to become brighter blossoms?

I can forgive me. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

Will we set goals that we empower ourselves to reach by:

thinking each goal through
determining what steps we need to take to make each goal a reality
and then activating an action plan to take the necessary steps to make each of these goals a reality?

Or will we set ourselves up for failure, by putting expectations on ourselves with no course of action to achieve them?

I can be my own best friend. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

In the simple truth that is:

The only relationship in my life that I have complete control over is the relationship I have with me, we each have choices. And as undeniable facts go, there is simply no one in your life you will spend more time with than you. Everywhere you go, there you are.

Every waking moment. Every sleeping moment.

Every happy moment. Every sad or angry moment.

Every accomplishment and triumph. Every failure.

Wherever you are, whatever you do, the only person who will always be there with you, will be you.

Wouldn’t it, sweet wonderful blossom and dear love … wouldn’t it be wonderful, if for all of these moments you could share time with your best friend, biggest supporter and fan, the love of your life? Someone who makes you feel happy and good and loved. Someone who cares completely about you. Someone who would drop everything to be there for you.

Well, the good news is that you can. Because you can choose to be your own best friend!!!

Be my own best friend POSitude. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs. — Total excitement! Here is a preview card from my upcoming new deck of POSitude cards! Get some more POSitude in your life! Stay tuned for more details!!!

Here’s a happy opportunity to have a self-caring chat with yourself. Take this quiet moment to acknowledge yourself. Share with yourself the goodness you see in yourself, or the goodness you want to grow in you. It can be a starting point. A moment of reaffirmation. Whatever you need it to be. All you have to do is click on the image below and print, and you can write to yourself your thoughts and words. It’s a moment just for you!

And honestly, here’s the thing:

YOU ARE WORTH INVESTING IN YOU!

Writing myself a love letter. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

All you have to do is choose you!

Choose to be your own best friend!

And if you missed last week’s post, “I am worthy of my love, kindness, and patience: starting the year off right!” please check it out. I share with you a self-care-check-in that only takes moments, but helps you make meaningful moments to change your life for the happier and healthier better!

Until next week …

Loving you so big and brightly!!! I’m sending you light and love to hug you the biggest!!!
May you spend your day hanging out with your best friend!

Love and Big Hugs,

More Happiness from Mary Kate

Find more happiness, love, big hugs, support, gratitude, POSitude, and Self-Care in these POSitude cards!

Get Your POSitude On!

Feel happier! Supported! Loved! Hugged!

Bring brightness and goodness into your day, and into your life!

What beautiful souls like you think about their POSitude cards!

These cards remind me to stay positive and believe in myself!

Stephanie Shay, 4th grade teacher

Karen Henry, Retired 4^th Grade Teacher, Personal Assistant

Mary Freer, University Research Department Administrator

I love my POSitude cards! They are so cute, and the messages are very uplifting and inspiring!

Mary McMurtry, Retired Bookkeeper, Mom, Grandmom

You can find these POSitude cards in my new ETSY shop!!!

Looking for self-care to share love and big hugs for all ages?

Lub’s Very Happy Day! is filled with delightful brightness and big huggy smiles!

Lub is the happiest, PINKest, most love-filled monster, Ever! Her big, PINK heart is always with her, and it beams brightly in everything she does!

Lub loves you!

Join Lub as she shares with you her love and very happy, monster-ifically delightful day! Feel playful and bright, smile big, and be happy! Have fun and be cheerful!

You can find copies of Lub’s Very Happy Day! to adopt at Amazon!

I am Worthy of My Love, Kindness, & Patience:
starting the year off right!

I am worthy of my love, kindness, & patience. Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

Hello Beautiful Blossoms!

Happy New Year!!! It’s a brand new year and brand new decade! It’s a very cool and SQUEE time! We can start afresh and anew, or if we know we are on the path we want, we can keep going! Either way, here we are on day 2 of what will be the best year we make it, and I’m all for starting the year off right! First and foremost, let’s just acknowledge the most basic and simple truth for all of us … say it with me … “I am worthy of my love, kindness, & patience!”

Uh, I’m not sure I heard you. A little bit louder this time … and for good measure, let’s add a big smile on your face, with your hand on your heart, and some serious POSitude-ing conviction in your voice!!!!

I am worthy of my love, kindness, & patience!!!

Yes, you are, my sweet love muffin!!! You are so worthy of your love, kindness & patience! So hug yourself with a big smile, and a deep, intentional breath!

Cuz we’re going to do a quick, little, but VERY HELPFUL and ENLIGHTENING personal self-caring-check-in to help you get your BIG YEAR of self-loving, self-caring, love, kindness, and patience started off right!

We’re going to take a moment to do a little self-caring-check-in to see where you are in your happiness and healthiness; determine what your do-able, priority goals are; and then figure out what steps you need to do to activate your biggest, do-able goal … the one you are most ready to tackle!

So let’s get to it! All you have to do is click on the pic you see right below, grab a scribble pen or pencil, and be honest with yourself. This is a quiet moment just for you. You don’t have to share this with anyone. It’s all for you. And no worries. There’s no gimmicks or catches. This little self-caring-check-in is totally free and ready for you to dig into. It won’t take you long, but it will make a BIG DIFFERENCE! And it will give you guidance to get your year started off right. So, just click and print, and voila!

Welcome to your new year, new decade, and your new, ever growing, ever creating, happier and healthier you!

I am worthy of my love, kindness, & patience: starting the year off right! Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs.

Until next week …

Loving you so big and brightly!!! Hoping your self-caring-check-in helps guide you to a perfect starting point for you new year! Looking forward to sharing more with you and loving and hugging you big time!!!
I’ve got some exciting, tasty, dessert recipes planned for upcoming posts along with some informative self-caring info and guidance, and some very SQUEE-tastic self-love opportunities coming your way!!! I’ve been creating with so much love, happiness, and healthiness in mind for you … I can’t wait to share! I am filled with gratitude you are here!

Love and Big Hugs,

More Happiness from Mary Kate

Find more happiness, love, big hugs, support, gratitude, POSitude, and Self-Care in these POSitude cards!

Get Your POSitude On!

Feel happier! Supported! Loved! Hugged!

Bring brightness and goodness into your day, and into your life!

What beautiful souls like you think about their POSitude cards!

These cards remind me to stay positive and believe in myself!

Stephanie Shay, 4th grade teacher

Karen Henry, Retired 4^th Grade Teacher, Personal Assistant

Mary Freer, University Research Department Administrator

I love my POSitude cards! They are so cute, and the messages are very uplifting and inspiring!

Mary McMurtry, Retired Bookkeeper, Mom, Grandmom

You can find these POSitude cards in my new ETSY shop!!!

Looking for self-care to share love and big hugs for all ages?

Lub’s Very Happy Day! is filled with delightful brightness and big huggy smiles!

Lub is the happiest, PINKest, most love-filled monster, Ever! Her big, PINK heart is always with her, and it beams brightly in everything she does!

Lub loves you!

Join Lub as she shares with you her love and very happy, monster-ifically delightful day! Feel playful and bright, smile big, and be happy! Have fun and be cheerful!

You can find copies of Lub’s Very Happy Day! to adopt at Amazon!

So let’s get to it! All you have to do is click on the right here, below. No worries. No gimmicks. This little self-check-in is totally free and ready for you to dig into. It won’t take you long, but it will make a big difference! And it will give you guidance to get your year started off right. So, just click and print, and voila!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Dear Bright Stars and Happy Holiday Hearts!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Pauli and I celebrate Christmas, and if you celebrate Christmas, we wish you a very merry holiday! For those of you celebrating Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, Las Posadas, Diwali, Chinese New Year, HumanLight, and Newtonmas, we also wish you a very happy holiday! We wish you all love-filled days!!!

We hope you will celebrate with us in sharing our joy in love, kindness, fostering positive relationships, giving of our hearts, happiness, healthiness, POSitude, gratitude, self-care, peace, and earth-care!

Living Like Lub! My bright star is shining brightly with love! Mary Kate Kopec. Love and Big Hugs!

Each of us are bright stars with light and love to give and share! We hope you shine brightly, always!

Loving and Hugging you BIG TIME with our whole hearts!!!

ps: If you find yourself all up in the stress, drama, sadness, and/or hectic chaos that can happen during the season, please remember to take a moment for yourself, take a deep breath, find a quiet healing space, relax, find calm, just be. Remember, we’re here for love. Love and big hugs, and positive, happy time spent together will go further than any other gift. You and your heart – that’s what is important and what they love! So give yourself precious time to self-care and feel your own goodness. You are wonderful and beautiful and bright! You are a bright star!!! And you are loved!!!

Until next week …

Thank you for being here with me! I am filled with gratitude for being able to share my love and big hugs with you, and for spending this time with you! You are wonderful, and I wish you peace, light, love, laughter, healthiness, and happiness in abundance. May your days be filled with kindness, goodness, and gratitude!

Love and Big Hugs,

More Happiness from Mary Kate

Find more happiness, love, big hugs, support, gratitude, POSitude, and Self-Care in these POSitude cards!

Get Your POSitude On!

Feel happier! Supported! Loved! Hugged!

Bring brightness and goodness into your day, and into your life!

What beautiful souls like you think about their POSitude cards!

These cards remind me to stay positive and believe in myself!

Stephanie Shay, 4th grade teacher

Karen Henry, Retired 4^th Grade Teacher, Personal Assistant

Mary Freer, University Research Department Administrator

I love my POSitude cards! They are so cute, and the messages are very uplifting and inspiring!

Mary McMurtry, Retired Bookkeeper, Mom, Grandmom

You can find these POSitude cards in my new ETSY shop!!!

Looking for self-care to share love and big hugs for all ages?

Lub’s Very Happy Day! is filled with delightful brightness and big huggy smiles!

Lub is the happiest, PINKest, most love-filled monster, Ever! Her big, PINK heart is always with her, and it beams brightly in everything she does!

Lub loves you!

Join Lub as she shares with you her love and very happy, monster-ifically delightful day! Feel playful and bright, smile big, and be happy! Have fun and be cheerful!

You can find copies of Lub’s Very Happy Day! to adopt at Amazon!

100 Books – 100 Happy, Smiling Kids!
Lub’s Very Happy Day!
Holiday Donation Book Drive

Hello Precious Bright Stars!!!

It’s that time of year again! It’s time to help kids smile big and bright and feel love and happiness in their hearts!!! Christmas can be a difficult time for children in need. There are so many families who for so many reasons cannot afford to gifty-gift their kids at Christmastime.

Having connections to the medical community, for instance, I know that parents fighting cancer oftentimes face tremendous medical expenses that make Christmas even more difficult. Then there are the kids of low income families. And even right before I started writing this blog post, I was reminded of the children who themselves are hospitalized at Christmas fighting their own battles. This list goes on. And so for me, I thought … let’s help make some kids smile big this holiday! My special gift to give always is love and big hugs … and this year, I have a very special way of sharing those big loves and big hugs. She happens to come in the form of an adorable, lovable, happy monster named Lub who is having a very happy day! Thus 100 Books – 100 Happy, Smiling Kids! Lub’s Very Happy Day! Holiday Donation Book Drive was born.

Pauli and I were never able to have kids, so our nurturing hearts found other ways to share and spread love! And Lub’s Very Happy Day! story and activity book is one of those ways! This year we have already donated one classroom set of Lub’s Very Happy Day! books to a 4th grade classroom in Bay City, MI. And I got this big idea … Let’s do a Lub’s Very Happy Day! holiday donation book drive to get 100 copies of Lub’s Very Happy Day! donated to kids in need, so we can make at least a 100 kids smile … cuz Lub will do that to you … she’s big on making smiles, sharing love and happiness, and giving hugs! … And then, if 100 books get donated, we can do a random hat drawing for one lucky donator to win a classroom set for another classroom of their choice! Also, as I mentioned a moment ago, a nursing friend of my reminded me that there are children who will be confined to their hospital rooms for the holidays, and so I’m also open to the gift set of books being donated to children in hospitals.

With all of this in mind … let’s be the loving, bright stars we are and share and donate! Let’s make a happy, smiling big, loving difference to kids in need! Here’s how!

Help me put smiles on at least 100 kids’ faces this holiday season by buying a copy of Lub’s Very Happy Day! and donating it to the charity that moves your heart (Toys for Tots, your church toy drive, etc).

In return, I will donate a classroom set of Lub’s Very Happy Day! books (up to 30 copies) to the winning participant’s classroom of choice (to be determined by random hat drawing).

This holiday donation book drive ENDS Sunday, December 15, 2019, midnight, EST.
The recipient classroom of the classroom set of Lub’s Very Happy Day! books (up to 30 copies) must be in the continental United States.

You buy a copy Lub’s Very Happy Day! from Amazon
You send me proof of your purchase to marykate at loveandbighugs.com
I will put your name in a hat for a random drawing for every copy of Lub’s Very Happy Day! you donate.
You donate the copy to the charity that moves your heart (Toys for Tots, your church toy drive, etc).
When we reach 100 copies donated, I will draw a random name from the hat and donate an inscribed, classroom set (up to 30 copies) of Lub’s Very Happy Day! books in the winner’s name! (Shipping to classroom’s school included.)
It’s that easy!!!

Lub makes kids of all ages smile big and instantly feel happier. She can’t help it … she’s drawn that way, lol!

What the kids are saying about Lub and her very happy day story and activity book!

“My grandson thinks Lub is cool! We love Lub’s Very Happy Day!” Kris B. Elkhart, IN

“I read Lub’s Very Happy Day! to Ethan (6) and Ally (5), and they said it’s full of joy, and it made them feel happy!” Karen H. Hamburg, MI

Maybe you are wondering what Lub is all about … well, she’s very much me in my kid-like, loving, cute monster self … so when I wrote her story I thought about things I love, and I wanted to fill her story with happy images of some of my favorite things. So that’s exactly what I did!

I love cute monsters – so of course Lub would have to be adorable.

I love PINK – so, lol, of course – Lub’s the PINKest monster, EVER!

I love LOVE. Love in all it’s kindness. Giving and sharing. Compassion. Big Heartedness. Playfulness. Silliness. All of it!

I love nature and being outdoors. The sunshine. The woodland creatures. Adorable buggy boos. The flowers and the trees. And oh how I love bright, sunny, warm blue skies with fluffy cotton ball clouds floating by … and all the imaginary shapes I can see!

I love reading, creating, playing, eating healthy snacks.

I love spending happy time with friends and loved ones.

Lub’s Very Happy Day! is filled with delightful brightness and big huggy smiles!

Lub is the happiest, PINKest, most love-filled monster, Ever! Her big, PINK heart is always with her, and it beams brightly in everything she does!

Lub loves you!

Join Lub as she shares with you her love and very happy, monster-ifically delightful day! Feel playful and bright, smile big, and be happy! Have fun and be cheerful as Lub lovingly models healthy behaviors, like:

Being happy

Smiling big

Having fun

Being kind

Spending fun time with oneself

Having independence/self-reliance

Being imaginative

Having positive friendships

Napping

Eating well

Having compassion

Enjoying silliness

Valuing companionship

Being grateful

Watch your child’s face brighten with big smiles at every adorable page turn. Kiss them goodnight with happiness floating in their heads and big smiles filling their hearts!

Additional Features of Lub’s Very Happy Day:

Adorable, bright, full color, happy art and images spark big smiles

6 Delightfully fun coloring activity pages included

Positive, lighthearted, and encouraging

Fun to read and experience

Feel Lub’s love, happiness, and fun! Bring her home to share now!

Until next week …

Thank you for being here with me! Thank you for donating your love and big hugs to this 100 Books – 100 Happy, Smiling Kids! Lub’s Very Happy Day! Holiday Donation Book Drive and helping me help at least 100 kids to smile big! I hope your holiday season is filled with love and kindness, big hugs and big love, laughter and squee, and healthiness! And the biggest smiles, ever!!!

Love and Big Hugs,

Holiday Door Decorating Contest?
Challenge Accepted!

Hello Happy Holiday Hearts!

So. Story time. LOL. Pauli comes home from work about a month ago and says, “They’re having a holiday door decorating contest at work …”

No need to finish that statement. “Challenge ACCEPTED!!!”

Challenge Accepted!

In under 90 seconds I’d grabbed the nearest writing implement (a blue highlighter) and a piece of paper, then super scribbled up my instant idea. Pauli was eating BBQ at the time, and he smiled as the ink spread. A couple of drops of BBQ sauce later, and he nodded. He loved it!

“So we’re in?” he asks. “We’re SO in!”

LOL.

The Power of a Smile – Our Purpose!

You know I’m all about the power of a smile! Smiles make people feel happier. And happier is healthier. And happier and healthier at the holidays means we can eat more chocolate with less guilt. LOL. Let’s be real. I never feel guilty about eating chocolate! Chocolate is filled with powerful phytochemicals and antioxidants and it comes from the cacao plant … so it’s salad at its most delicious!

Back to those smiles! It’s the holidays, and the holidays can be stressful for many. Even unhappy for some. I want to do everything I can to make the holidays have smiles and happiness as much as possible for all!

So. Let’s get to decorating the happiest, smile-inspiring door yet!

Planning Stage!

For planning purposes, I knew I wouldn’t be able to doodle-art all the elements on my computer … my printer doesn’t print door-sized art … lolz … so I decided to get bulletin board paper and paint the larger scene, then doodle-art the detailed fun bits (like Santa and Rudolph) on my computer to be printed out on cardstock, cut out, and mounted with mounting squares to the painting for a 3-D effect. … oooooh, giddy clapping … sounds squee!

I ordered the bulletin board paper, and while I was waiting for it to come in, I started doodle-arting!

My Doodle-arting Begins!

Quick trip through clipart searches for some style inspiration, and voila, I was off and doodle-arting to my heart’s content! (Doodle-art time is so calming and peaceful, and it makes me feel really happy! Gets my brain all destressed and relaxed. Love it! Hope you’ll give it a try … even just for fun. It’s really good for you!)

To give you an idea of what my doodle process looks like:

For my design plan, I needed multiple door smile-making happies: Santa, a sleigh, Rudolph, some stockings filled with LOVE, a Christmas tree, a snowhuman, and a wreath!

Next up, the door painting. The bulletin board paper had arrived!

I’d had Pauli take a whole bunch of measurements of his door and surrounding area to help guide me. His door isn’t quite 3 feet wide, and I’d found 2 feet wide white paper for the painting … and by awesome luck, we found some amazing nighttime looking paper with stars – PERFECT for the outdoor scene portion of our door. OMG-Totalloo SQUEE!

A few years ago for Christmas, when I was first getting my digi-doodlebug skills going, I made a Christmas pic to share with my peeps on social media. I used it for my inside scene inspiration. Here it is!

Time to Paint!

Pauli helped me hang the bulletin board paper up, and I got to sketching in the outlines.

All doodle-sketched in, I grabbed my paint brushes and my acrylic paints and got going on the background first. (The nice thing, to me, about acrylic paints is that they blend well, and they dry pretty quickly. So it’s fairly easy to keep layering in each bit and layer. Also, they’re water-soluble, so super easy cleanup!)

And then, layer by layer, my doodle-art started coming to life! Every new color brought me happiness and big smiles to my heart. And Pauli got more excited with each stage – especially when I got the fire all done … he loves the fire in the fireplace!

Door Assembly Time!

All the while I was painting, Pauli got to cutting out all of the 3-D decorating bits. Scissors and exacto-knifing it up. I’d be painting in my studio room, and I’d hear him out in the living room … “You’re kidding, right? You don’t really expect me to cut around all these little lights on the antlers, do you?????” LOL. I’d smile and keep painting, and he’d get back to exacto-knifing the details. His poor little finger is still hurting. But a partner-project is a partner-project, and sometimes we just have to take one for the team … Getting people to smile isn’t always the easiest of work. LOL (No worries … I’ve been TLC’ing his little finger back into happiness. In all fairness, cutting out is really hard work, and Pauli did an amazing job!)

With everything painted and all the cut-outs cut out … it was time to assemble everything! Pauli went to work armed with the night sky paper and mounting squares. He did a great job getting the sky in place!

Now for the painted house scene parts! After work, Pauli came home to get me … sweat pant p.j.’s, silly hair, and all, but ready to go! And off to Pauli’s work we went. Once there, assembly was pretty straightforward. Each bit is its own piece: the roof with chimney, the second floor windows with candles, the Happy Holidays banner, the first floor fireplace, and the fireplace rug (bottom of the door finisher).

Finishing Up & The Big Reveal!

All we had to do was double up the mounting squares to add depth and use them to add the final happy, smile decorating bits!!! Oh, and a lil bit of white paint for some smoke coming out of the chimney! And here it is the … the big reveal …

A cool and fun unanticipated location artifact is how the hallway lighting outside Pauli’s door lends perfectly to the scene setting with the inside of the house being all lit up, and the outside of the house being dark, like at night.

But so you can see the details all come together, I asked Pauli to take a picture with the flash. It over brightens the door, but you can see Santa and Rudolph so much better!

Holiday door decorating contest? Challenge accepted! We hope you love our door! We hope it makes you smile and feel a delightful spark of happiness! We wish you a very happy holiday season filled with love, happiness, laughter, and kindness!

More from Mary Kate

This was a pretty big art project. It took Pauli and me a week to do. If you like the idea of Arting It Up for happiness, but don’t want to take on a big project … I’ve got the happiest little activity sampler for you! It’s a 7 day Arting It Up challenge. Instead of doodlebugging everything out from scratch, I’ve given you daily cute, happy, little coloring scenes that only take a few minutes to color, but give you precious moments of peaceful, restful, relaxing time to yourself. And I’ve added in some space for you to have gratitude and love yourself for something you’ve done each day. In short, it’s simple happiness for you that will also help you feel healthier. And it’s FREE … just click below!

Ready to take my Arting It Up for Happiness and Healthiness: Color Me Happier 7 Day Challenge?

Arting It Up for Happiness and Healthiness Color Me Happier 7 Day Challenge Mary Kate Kopec Love and Big Hugs

Each day support your healthiness with feeling less stress, less anxiety, more happiness and more positivity!

Easy, fun, happy, silly, adorable, and totally supporting you!

7 days of Love and Big Hugs!

Delightfully cheerful & colorful art will lift & brighten your smile!

11 loving, big hugging, and supporting pages include proven happier and healthier promoting strategies:

Smile-making, positivity-promoting, happy coloring blocks
Gratitude Acknowledgements
Self-acknowledgement Reaffirmations
Includes “how to get the most out of this challenge” intro page & a summary reflection page

Arting It Up for Happiness and Healthiness Color Me Happier 7 Day Challenge Mary Kate Kopec Love and Big Hugs get button

Find more gratitude, POSitude, and Self-Care from me at Etsy!

You can also check out my new ETSY shop!!!

Looking for a gift that will put a smile on your face and help you feel happier? Treat yourself or someone you love to these Big Loving, Big Hugging daily inspirational POSitude cards!

Get Your POSitude On!

Feel happier! Supported! Loved! Hugged!

Bring brightness and goodness into your day, and into your life!

Get inspired every day with a deck of my new POSitude cards! Available in my Etsy shop. Check them out and learn more, now!

Until next week …

If you start to feel overwhelmed this holiday season, love yourself and take the time you need to breathe and heal. Feel love and happiness, take time to laugh and breathe, share kindness, and know that I’m hugging you with the biggest BIG LOVE so tight!

Love and Big Hugs,