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Hi Amy (aka Mizamylou) here. My first “365 days of bliss” post here on the Sweet Shoppe Blog. I was really struggling with what to talk about in this post, because right now my life is anything but BLISSful. So I had to dig deep and find a little bliss and I am so glad I did! Normally during the summers, my family spends a LOT of time at the beach. Like every other weekend. And while we have been blessed to have gone to the beach camping a few times this summer, it’s not been what we are used to. Times are hard financially and my husband is working two jobs, every single weekend. NO days off. So even the trips I did to the beach were without him, and I was starting to feel lonely and like my family wasn’t whole. It was hard to find bliss or happiness anywhere, until I got to thinking about what it actually means, and that you can find it if you look hard enough in simple every day things! So I spent a few days daydreaming while at my desk at work, thinking of something simple but fun and spontaneous that my kids and I could do on a shoe string. And you may laugh, but I clipped some coupons, sent my hubby off to his 2nd job delivering pizzas with a kiss and we were off. I didn’t tell the kids where we were going or what we were doing, we just left. Had the windows down, music up loud and I just tried to set a goofy, fun-loving mood. We went to Sonic first, where they acted like they were 5 again, including my too-cool-for-you 19 year old. He played on the jungle gym and rode the mechanical horse. They all did! We scarfed down Coney dogs and banana splits and Route 44 drinks and had a blast. Then, because mom had another coupon and is just cool like that, we went to Krispy Kreme donuts and got a couple dozen donuts, including Cheerwine flavored which my oldest loved! We watched them making a fresh hot batch and watched them turn the “Hot Donuts NOW” sign on, which they thought was hilarious. You would have to know me, but I love me some KK, I even have a Christmas ornament on my Tree that is a replica of that sign, so they thought that was a hoot. I can’t tell you how many thousands of times we went out to eat and never had that much fun, because it was always something to do to get on to the “next thing” and I never really slowed down and just enjoyed a night out in our own little town, just me and my “babies”. At 19, 14, and 12, they aren’t going to be little forever, ha ha. I looked up Bliss in the dictionary and this is what I found “utter joy and contentment”, and that’s exactly what I found that night, even if just for a few minutes. I guess the point of my post is, times are hard everywhere these days it seems, but if you walk away from reading this remembering anything, remember that you may have to look a little deeper to find some bliss in some small things, but it’s there. The smile of your children’s faces, an ice cream cone, a yummy hotdog, a gooey donut, just driving around singing and chasing cop cars (don’t ask about THAT one!) Here’s to a wonderful summer of Bliss for each of us!!

(kit “Stay-Cation” by Jennifer Barrette, template 2 many photos, #76 by Janet Phillips. Font, DJB Quirky Rachael by Darcy Baldwin. All available here at the Sweet Shoppe)