100 Days Of Happiness

[Rhedyn]

As many of you probably know I have been dealing with depression all of my adult life in one form another. I think it's very easy to overlook the things that bring a little bit of joy into our lives when we are down, whether we are depressed or just having a bad day. As a result I'm challenging myself to find one thing every day that brings me happiness and to document it so that I have a log of joyful things to look back on and to remind me that even on the dark days there are things that lift my mood and remind me why I fight and strive to live to the best of my abilities.

Welcome to the 100 Days Of Happiness Blog Challenge.

I hope that you will find my snippets of happy things lift your mood too if it's flagging and make you smile like they have done me. Feel free to play along if you want as well, the more the merrier.

[Rhedyn]

I was going to write about my day out today, how I went for a long walk down at the sea front and did some sketches (something I hadn't done in a long time) but then this happened. The sun was setting, the sky was grey and I had a feeling I should go outside. I saw the most beautiful rainbow spread out across the sky at the back of my house. I love rainbows. They're really special to me and always manage to make me smile despite the fact they are so fleeting.

[Rhedyn]

Ever since I went on holiday on my own for the first time a couple of years ago I have had a light fixation. On the headboard of the bed where I was staying were these lovely flowery fairy lights. I used to have them on in the evening while I was writing and they brought me all kinds of happy feelings. These heart lights are the ones I have hanging over my studio area at home, having them on helped to give me a nice little pick me up today.

[Rhedyn]

I needed this reminder today and remembering what I already have made me smile.

[jouzinka]

Just wanted to let you know that I've been reading Rhedyn and think it's a wonderful idea. :)

[Rhedyn]

Thank you jouzinka <3

[Oreo]

I'm watching and reading too. I could use some reminders. :D

[inghippo]

[gerreccia]

Hello Rhedynn, redhead picniccer, we 'met' in my approval process. I have dalliances with the depression thing myself. I'm here if you like but so often one just wants to say 'fuck off' and gently smile.

[Rhedyn]

I'm watching and reading too. I could use some reminders. :D

You're very welcome here, Oreo! <3

Awww, thanks inghippo ~offers hugs back~

Hello Rhedynn, redhead picniccer, we 'met' in my approval process. I have dalliances with the depression thing myself. I'm here if you like but so often one just wants to say 'fuck off' and gently smile.

Hello again and congrats on your approval! I won't say that but yeah, sometimes you just want to be alone to wallow for a bit when you're feeling down. I always have to remind myself that things are not as bad as my mind likes to tell me they are. Thanks for stopping by!

[Caeli]

I think this is a great idea.  :-) I know a lot of people do the "1 picture per day during the year", but I made a resolution to find things during the week (I usually manage daily, but I don't always take pictures) that I appreciate, that make me happy, that make me grateful, and that remind me of who and what I want to be.

So I'm following along too. <3

[Rhedyn]

Yay! That's great Caeli! <3

Reminding myself to take pictures is taking some getting used to, particularly with making sure my camera is close to hand. Some days may be text entries if I miss the photo opportunity but I'm going to try my hardest to get visuals as they seem to work the best for me when I revisit the posts.

[FetishFantasies]

Hello Rhedyn, I don't know if you remember me but for the past couple of days you have been posting on my application while I wait for approval. I just wanted to let you know I am following this thread and think it is a great idea. Depression has plagued me for most of my life and the only way to cure it is by changing the way you view things. If you can stay with this for 100 or more days I have a feeling you will be training your mind to have a more positive outlook on things. I myself have started meditating much more and focusing on my spirituality and it has helped a little. I am training myself to live in the moment and learning to enjoy it.

Anxiety is fear of the future, Depression is dwelling on the past, Peace is in the present.[/i]

[inghippo]

Awww, thanks inghippo ~offers hugs back~

thank you!!

*give hugs back!

excellent work Rhedyn! I like this thread a lot, if you need any help with this thread just send me a pm!

First thing to keep in mind, you're not alone!

We're a community and we help each other.

:)

[Rhedyn]

Hello Rhedyn, I don't know if you remember me but for the past couple of days you have been posting on my application while I wait for approval. I just wanted to let you know I am following this thread and think it is a great idea. Depression has plagued me for most of my life and the only way to cure it is by changing the way you view things. If you can stay with this for 100 or more days I have a feeling you will be training your mind to have a more positive outlook on things. I myself have started meditating much more and focusing on my spirituality and it has helped a little. I am training myself to live in the moment and learning to enjoy it.

Anxiety is fear of the future, Depression is dwelling on the past, Peace is in the present.[/i]

Hello again FetishFantasies! I do indeed remember you and thanks for following! I hope that by doing this I can do just that. Meditating is a great way to help find balance and peace. It's something that I am trying to get back into a regular practice of as I know it helped me a great deal when I did it every day. Mindfulness and living in the moment really does help too, it's easier said than done at times but I feel that living with gratitude and an open heart attracts good things and helps us heal.

thank you!!

*give hugs back!

excellent work Rhedyn! I like this thread a lot, if you need any help with this thread just send me a pm!

First thing to keep in mind, you're not alone!

We're a community and we help each other.

:)

Thank you very much!  :-)

[Rhedyn]

Because you can never have too many rainbows in your life!

I went out for the day to a small town near where I live and came back with more multi-coloured beauties. The rug was a gift from my Mum and the sun catcher I treated myself to, mainly because tomorrow is one of my favourite festivals of the year. It reminded me so much of the maypoles we used to dance around when I was younger until they banned them from the school I went to. I used to love doing the maypole dance, it was so much fun to see how the coloured ribbons wove together.

[Cassandra LeMay]

Because you can never have too many rainbows in your life!

Truer words have rarely, if ever, been spoken. 

Wonderful idea for a blog, Rhedyn. I enjoy following it almost as much as I enjoy some of the amazing work in your gallery thread. :-)

[Rhedyn]

Truer words have rarely, if ever, been spoken. 

Wonderful idea for a blog, Rhedyn. I enjoy following it almost as much as I enjoy some of the amazing work in your gallery thread. :-)

Awww, thank you! ~blushes~

I'm glad you are enjoying both!  ;D

[Rhedyn]

I saw this on tumblr today and it really struck a chord with me.

[Rhedyn]

Today I made some pretty, miniature charm bottles.

[Rhedyn]

I had a terrible migraine yesterday afternoon so this is my post from Saturday as I couldn't even have the laptop on thanks to the sensitivity of my eyes...

Even before my headache kicked in yesterday I wasn't looking forward to the day, just because I wasn't in the mood to play party with the kidlets toys. It's been scrawled on my calendar that today would be Rebecah's (the toy lion) birthday party which meant I was supposed to prepare and host a fabulous birthday lunch for her ~sigh~

I realised just how much the kidlets were looking forward to it when I got up and found them dressed up and entertaining all the toys that had been invited. I remembered I had a cardboard cake stand in the kitchen cupboard somewhere, so after fishing it out I made an afternoon tea party lunch complete with sandwiches, vanilla cupcakes (pictured above) and a pot of tea. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be despite the fact I wasn't in the best frame of mind and what made it worth while was the look on the kidlets faces and the enjoyment they got out of the lunch.

The title "Best Mum Ever!" went a long way into softening my mood as did the resulting hugs and kisses  ;D

[Rhedyn]

So today royally sucked. I've felt very lonely and ostracized lately but today it just compounded into this massive ball of stupid down feelings. I went out for a walk and noticed how everyone had friends and people around them who loved them and my brain started doing the mean thing it does in telling me that there's a reason why I don't. By the time I got back I was mentally and physically drained so in came the panic attack and general self loathing that followed. Once I had gotten past the nasties and did a few things that helped lift my mood including taking a nap, I went through the photographs I had taken on my walk.



I found this and it made me smile to remember the fence that had been adorned with colourful knitted flowers. I had forgotten I'd even seen it let alone taken a picture of it but they reminded me how beautiful people are in their quest to spread joy to others through something as simple as a knitted or crocheted flower.

[Rhedyn]

We went for a walk today to a small public garden near our house, I love visiting there through the seasons to see the array of different plants and flowers. I took a large number of photos, mainly of plants, which I will post in my Gallery but for here I wanted to share the simple beauty of these blossoms. They certainly brought a smile to my face.

[Cassandra LeMay]

Beautiful. It sounds like this walk turned out better than the one yesterday. I'm glad about that. :-)

[Rhedyn]

Thank you, I had a much better day on Monday  :-)

[Rhedyn]

Need I say more?

[Rhedyn]

Having a super productive day working on my business.
It's mainly been admin and sorting through my photography (an example of which is above), to find things worth selling as prints but I got a crazy amount done today.
Now if only I could push myself to get these results every day!

[Caeli]

That's awesome, Rhedyn!

Sometimes it just takes a certain day or a certain mood.  I know most of the time, I'm a bit of a slob (with my room) and I leave stuff everywhere, and in my car... but then one day I'll just spend a few hours cleaning and cleaning and cleaning, just because I felt like it. :P

[Rhedyn]

I agree Caeli... it's an awesome mood lift when it's all done too, at least until the next time it's piled up  :-[

[Rhedyn]

Yesterday was super stressful, the kind of day where your whole body feels tense no matter what you do.
To relax I spent some time on my cross stitch project, it helped a lot.

[Caeli]

That's beautiful, Rhedyn!

[Rhedyn]

Thanks Caeli! It's one of those super slow projects but so worth it <3

[Rhedyn]

This is yesterday's slice of happiness, an evening spent by candlelight with a glass of wine and the gentle babbling of my indoor water feature.

[Rhedyn]

I've been struggling a bit today with the idea of where I belong in the world.
If I am able enough, good enough, hell even passable at what I do and who I am.

I suppose it doesn't really matter, it's all about doing things in your own way and finding those that your way speaks to.
They always seem to make themselves known one way or another.

[Rhedyn]

Fresh flowers on the table <3

[Rhedyn]

My strawberry plants are springing to life again!

[Cassandra LeMay]

Indoor water feature, candlelight, beautiful flowers on the table, and now home-grown strawberries? I want to live were you do. ;D It all sounds and looks rather lovely.

[Rhedyn]

Thank you! I like to surround myself with things I enjoy, I think it's surprising how much of a mood lift the little things can give  ;)

[Rhedyn]

I finally managed to get to the crystal shop today on a day when it was actually open to buy the rutilated quartz I've been after.

[Remiel]

Oh my God, how have I not noticed this?

These pictures are beautiful, Rhedyn.  Keep up the good work.

[Rhedyn]

Thanks Remiel! I'm glad you like them <3

[Rhedyn]

Today has been a day filled with good things though I don't have any pictures of them so I'm posting a picture of the primroses in my garden and listing the things that were awesome about today, because who doesn't like primroses?

A latte and reading time in my favourite coffee shop
I finished all the work I had listed for today
I have a ton of new ideas to keep me busy tomorrow
I got caught up on RP posts
It was a lovely sunny and warm day
We had pizza for dinner
I have a whole evening now in which to relax

Yeah, today was a thoroughly happy day  ;D

[Rhedyn]

The little lady made this for me. It's now pinned on the cork board in my studio <3

[Rhedyn]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6CcxJQq1x8

I was reminded of this ad, it's one of my favourites.

[jouzinka]

Hahahaha, that's an awesome ad, Rhed! XD

[Rhedyn]

It really is! I'm glad you enjoyed it jouzinka! They made a whole set of them where the cats were taking over the milkmen but that first one is my favourite  ;D

[Rhedyn]

The batteries in my camera needed recharging yesterday so I didn't get the picture in time to post until today.
Yesterday I noticed that the rose bushes in my garden are beginning to bloom, it always makes me happy to see them bud and watch them open out  :-)

[Rhedyn]

I finished refurbishing the bed for my dolls house. I got hold of a ton of furniture for the dolls house I finally finished building this year.
It was all pink and Hello Kitty themed so I've been working through each piece, painting it up and changing it to suit the look of the house that I want.

[jouzinka]

It really is! I'm glad you enjoyed it jouzinka! They made a whole set of them where the cats were taking over the milkmen but that first one is my favourite  ;D

You post the awesomest things. :) Like your dreads place.

[Rhedyn]

Awwww, thanks jouzi <3

[Rhedyn]

[Rhedyn]

My plans for today went awry for several reasons but as it happens it turned out for the best.
This is a sneak peak at what I found in the charity shop today... but shhhh... don't tell anyone! It's top secret!  ;)

[Rhedyn]

I spend a lot of time worrying about what might happen, it's a habit I have been working on breaking but I still have days where it happens. Today has been like that but then I remembered that for every 'bad' thing that has happened in my life a lot of good has come out of it.

[Cassandra LeMay]

You should definitely post that in the "words of wisdom" thread in the Games/Socalizing board. It's a very nice quote to keep in mind.

[Rhedyn]

Noted! I'll see if I can find the thread.

[Cassandra LeMay]

Silly me could have linked you in the first place: https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=197685.0

[Rhedyn]

No worries, I found it anyway but thanks for returning with the link  ;)

[Rhedyn]

Why the picture of an old wall? You may be wondering.
Well it got me thinking about life in general today... a dangerous thing, I know.
Seeing this old wall in a park near my house made me think about all the things I feel are missing in my life and how I pine for them at times. Like the wall it can feel like things are crumbling, stones fall and chip away just as we lose things in the course of our life. It feels like we have big holes when things, people, relationships and opportunities move out of our lives but the structure remains. It's still strong enough to stand and given time and effort can be repaired.
I thought this was fitting given my mood this week, that no matter what comes and goes in my life I am strong enough to deal with it and, in time, see the beauty that is left behind.

[Cassandra LeMay]

When I look at this wall I see something beautiful. I see ledges where lizards can sunbath, I see spaces between rocks where bumblebees might find a place to nest, and I see a surfaces plants can cling to so they can grow.

I also see something beautiful not despite the unevenness and the holes, but because of them. This wall could be fixed. The gaps could be closed, the surface smoothed and plastered over, but then it would no longer have any character. As it is, this wall has it - character.

And holes can never exist on by themselves. They are always holes in something. And that means they are always surrounded by something better one can look at.

[Blythe]

Just wanted to comment, since I've been perusing this blog and trying to catch up on it. ^^ I finally got here to page 3, and I must say that I really like the idea behind this blog. I also love the pictures...but in particular, the picture of your rutilated quartz, Rhedyn, was really gorgeous and made me feel pretty uplifted. Gotta love quartz.  8-)

[Rhedyn]

Thanks Blythe! I'm happy you're enjoying it! Quartz is awesome, that's the first piece of rutilated quartz I've acquired but I love it. I'm a bit of a crystal fiend, I've been collecting them and using them since I was a child  ;D

[Rhedyn]

I'm a day behind, this is yesterday's happiness.
I decided to revisit my minecraft world after a rather long break. Before leaving I had begun expanding on the tiny, two building NPC village I found, building more houses and a little garden for them to roam in after being fenced in between the two buildings to protect them from zombies.
After finishing the buildings I started ages ago the villagers started having babies!
This is Paddy Wack, the first born...unfortunately he died, I think he fell down the well so I had to cover it in glass, but he was the first of many new villagers that started spawning.

[Rhedyn]

Yesterday I woke up to see all of the rose bushes in my garden in bloom.
They all seem to open at the same time over the whole garden, it's such a pretty explosion of colour!

[Rhedyn]

Strawberry update! We picked our first four strawberries from our garden plants today!
The kidlets scoffed them and I didn't even get a bite but it was great to see them so thrilled and excited about something they had helped to grow.

[Rhedyn]

This is a strange one but I was taking photographs of some bead work I have been doing on black velvet and one of the photographs was out of focus. I thought it looked really pretty... happy mistakes make me smile.

[jouzinka]

It looks really artsy. :-)

[Rhedyn]

It does, doesn't it? It made me think of those out of focus pictures of lights.

[Rhedyn]

I don't have a picture to share for this one, mainly because my happiness centered around having a visitor for the day. Although it was fairly short noticed and a somewhat unexpected over night stay it was nice to have some adult company for once.

[Oniya]

I'm a day behind, this is yesterday's happiness.
I decided to revisit my minecraft world after a rather long break. Before leaving I had begun expanding on the tiny, two building NPC village I found, building more houses and a little garden for them to roam in after being fenced in between the two buildings to protect them from zombies.
After finishing the buildings I started ages ago the villagers started having babies!
This is Paddy Wack, the first born...unfortunately he died, I think he fell down the well so I had to cover it in glass, but he was the first of many new villagers that started spawning.

I love that texture pack!  Do yours make the Jawa noises?

[Rhedyn]

It's definitely my favourite texture pack! Mine just make the regular villager noises, though the baby villagers are higher pitched. The Jawa noises would drive me crazy!

[Rhedyn]

After the hustle and bustle of having a house guest Tuesday, yesterday I managed to get out for a walk without the kidlets while my mum was visiting. The weather wasn't great but I got a takeaway coffee, read the last chapter of the book I've been reading, met a rather excitable German Shepherd pup and got to admire the view.

[Rhedyn]

I walked a different route from usual today and came across this public art installation entitled Everywhere Means Something To Someone - The War Memorial. The poppies are crocheted and strung over all of the black fences along this road which winds down the cliff towards the harbour.

[Rhedyn]

I had an evening chilling and playing Minecraft last night.
I finally finished the structure of my new house where I can overlook the NPC village I'm expanding  ;D

[Remiel]

Ooh! What texture pack are you using?

[Rhedyn]

That would be the Sphax PureBDCraft texture pack   :-)

[Rhedyn]

Yesterday I pulled out my holdall, ready to pack for my holiday.
It's covered in Mr Men which has the added bonus of not just making me smile but also a lot of the people that see me carrying it around.

[Rhedyn]

I feel like I've been stumbling a lot this last couple of days, I needed this reminder.

[Rhedyn]

Because it's true.

[Rhedyn]

A group of random items or a work of art?
This is actually a new mixed media piece I'm working on though it doesn't look like this anymore having had layers of tissue and paint added so far.
There's still a lot of work to do on it but I've been having a lot of fun making something random.

[Rhedyn]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0pDlAE8Yi4

Kittens and chocolate digestive biscuits? Yes please!

[Rhedyn]

I had a rough day yesterday because I was stressed about everything I have to get done before my holiday.
As a result I had a massive headache and had to spend the day in a dazed state of taking pain relief and resting so I got nothing done.
This seemed an appropriate reminder.

[jouzinka]

Sorry to hear you were stressed out, Rhed. Hopefully things will get gradually better before you hit holidays. :-)

[Rhedyn]

Thanks jouzi <3

I'm feeling a lot better today, especially now I've chosen my seats on the plane and have a list of all the things I need to get done. Everything was going crazy in my head yesterday and I hate feeling disorganized.

[Rhedyn]

Behold! The calming influence of teh bunneh!

[Cassandra LeMay]

Behold! The calming influence of teh bunneh!

Too cute for words! Thanks for sharing. :-)

Your blog definitely needs more bunnies, for one can never have enough bunnies.

[jouzinka]

Awwwwww, what a cutie!

[Rhedyn]

Too cute for words! Thanks for sharing. :-)

Your blog definitely needs more bunnies, for one can never have enough bunnies.

~laughs~ I'll keep that in mind  ;)

Awwwwww, what a cutie!

Isn't it just! Makes a change from crazed plot bunnies  ;D

Days 42 - 46 will be posted when I get home and go through all my pictures and stuff. No doubt they will be centered around my trip. Please look after the bunny while I'm gone ;)

[jouzinka]

* jouzinka cuddles da bunneh.

Wish you an uneventful journey there and back and copious amounts of fun on your trip, Rhed. <3

[Rhedyn]

Thank you jouzi! <3

[Blythe]

Behold! The calming influence of teh bunneh!

This is a marvelous bunny; it brightened my day to see it. It really does have a calming influence!  :-)

[Nadir]

I really, really adore this blog <3

[Rhedyn]

This is a marvelous bunny; it brightened my day to see it. It really does have a calming influence!  :-)

Relaxed bunny is relaxed! I'm glad it made you smile Blythe :-)

I really, really adore this blog <3

Thank you Dim Hon! I'm really happy you're enjoying it!

I'm back now from my holiday, feeling rather tired and I have a headache from the long flight and general lack of sleep while travelling, but I am home and it's much cooler here than it was in New York. The humidity was crazy over there but I had a wonderful time <3

[Rhedyn]

My happiness on Saturday was the fact I was going on holiday.
It was the first time I had flown anywhere on my own and the furthest I've ever been from home so I was both nervous and excited at the prospect.
I felt very proud of myself for doing it and conquering my social anxiety that day.
It made me realise that I could do it when I had to and I'm very glad that I did.

[Rhedyn]

The absolutely best thing to happen on Sunday was getting my new play collar.
I absolutely love it, I mean it's purple! What's not to love about that?

[Rhedyn]

Monday we went shopping and I bought some Minecraft LEGO!!!!!!

[jouzinka]

*squeeeeee* It's a Rhed! Welcome back. :-)

[Rhedyn]

~giggles~ Thanks jouzi! It's good to be back. Also, I keep forgetting to say but I really love your rainbow hair avatar, it's all kinds of awesome <3

[jouzinka]

Thank you, dear. :-) It's definitely a favorite. <3

[Dovel]

The absolutely best thing to happen on Sunday was getting my new play collar.
I absolutely love it, I mean it's purple! What's not to love about that?

Monday we went shopping and I bought some Minecraft LEGO!!!!!!

Two great toys to enjoy! It is wonderful to have you back again.

[Rhedyn]

Thank you, Dovel <3

My LEGO obsession has begun again... I just have to keep the kidlets from losing all the pieces  :-\

[Rhedyn]

Tuesday was bittersweet given that I knew I would be leaving that evening to fly home.
We went to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens where I got a couple of souvenirs, this wind chime being my favourite.

[Rhedyn]

Wednesday - You may wonder why I have a picture of a lilac pencil for today...
It was a gift from my little man to say welcome home <3

[Rhedyn]

Thursday - The front of the house currently looks like this. I love this climbing plant and it's flowers and try to enjoy it for as long as I can before I have to pull it up for the sake of the brickwork.

[Rhedyn]

Friday - I made this reminder for myself today as I have a terrible habit of hanging onto guilt and shame regarding my mistakes, even the small ones.

[Rhedyn]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhJOUMGhhwE

Today - Football season does not fill me with joy, but if the World Cup was like this then I would totally watch it...

[Rhedyn]

New Pens!!!
~Rhedyn has a thing for pens~

[Rhedyn]

So I'm officially over half way now with this little challenge and my inspiration for today's post came from a lovely PM I received concerning this blog.
Quite simply today's slice of happiness is YOU!
Everyone who has been reading and visiting my blog, whether you comment or not.
It really does give me an amazing feeling of happiness and love to know that people have been looking and enjoying it.
Thank you <3

[Rhedyn]

I've been going through my flower photographs today from the botanic gardens <3

[Rhedyn]

It's about time to harvest the lavender again.

[Rhedyn]

One of several random, ten minute sketches I've been doing to kick start the creative juices.

[jouzinka]

Oh, I love this bl... WHAT?! You have a mentor badge?! :O

Congrats, Rhed!

[Rhedyn]

~laughs~ Yep! SURPRISE!!

Thanks, jouzi <3

[Cassandra LeMay]

*bows* Congratulations to your new job.

I guess now you'll have to come up with a few more standard questions for newcomers, to spice things up a bit. ;D

[Rhedyn]

Hey now! You better not be dissing on my questions  :P

I'll have you know that there's only so much of my own craziness that even I can tolerate!

[Rhedyn]

A little snuggly kitty relaxation is in order today after a lot of writing and the brain fuzz that is beginning to set in because of it.

[Rhedyn]

I don't have a picture for today's happiness because it was spending some time with my love in the evening.
Yesterday was a tough day for me and my mood, I didn't really think anything would lift it properly.
The smiles I had in the evening and the chance to just talk helped me a lot.

[Rhedyn]

"You...ok?"

Today I have really appreciated all the people who have checked in on me after my rough day yesterday.
I'm feeling much better today and, while I'm not trying to insinuate they're cats, this picture I came across seemed to illustrate today's point quite well.
That and I love cats.

[Cassandra LeMay]

Well, cats are cute creatures. That, and it's easier to read human behaviour into their acts and expressions than with many other animals. I guess both taken together makes them fairly easy to like.

That aside, is black-and-white becoming a new photo trend with you, or is it just a coincidence that this is the second one in a row?

[Rhedyn]

It's just a coincidence, though I do love black and white photography  ;)

These are not my own pictures though, I should point that out. Just ones that popped up on my tumblr feed and seemed to fit.

[Rhedyn]

Chocolate was a necessity today and Maltesers are one of my favourites.
The adverts for them make me giggle too  ;D

[Rhedyn]

The start of a new painting inspired by the lavender in my garden.
I got in a little bit of a mess last night (well early hours of this morning really), while playing with paint and inks.
This is one of three I started in shades of blue and experimenting with different effects.

[Rhedyn]

I found these in town today in a sale for 79p  ;D

[Rhedyn]

Yesterday evening I relaxed and played some Dragon Age Origins.
I had this game when it first came out on the Xbox 360 but never completed it so I thought I would try again.

[Rhedyn]

More painting has been happening today and that always makes me feel happy.
This is a sneak peek at part of the new one.

[jouzinka]

Did you complete it yet (the game, I mean, I know paintings take a while)? :-)

[Rhedyn]

Did you complete it yet (the game, I mean, I know paintings take a while)? :-)

Not even close yet  :-\  I'm currently recruiting forces to tackle the blight. I'm pretty slow with RPGs as I really like to explore (it's even worse with Skyrim as I'm always getting distracted as I run around).

[jouzinka]

Not even close yet  :-\  I'm currently recruiting forces to tackle the blight. I'm pretty slow with RPGs as I really like to explore (it's even worse with Skyrim as I'm always getting distracted as I run around).

:D I never really got into games like that. I was in MMORPG, but still to this day I think that I was more drawn in by the social aspect (of forming alliances) than the game itself.

BUT as long as you're having fun, explore on! That world looked really richly built. :-)

[Blythe]

Yesterday evening I relaxed and played some Dragon Age Origins.
I had this game when it first came out on the Xbox 360 but never completed it so I thought I would try again.

Such a good game! I hope that you enjoy playing it; I know I did when I played it.  :-)

Also wanted to mention that I thought your paintings were pretty neat. ^^

[Rhedyn]

:D I never really got into games like that. I was in MMORPG, but still to this day I think that I was more drawn in by the social aspect (of forming alliances) than the game itself.

BUT as long as you're having fun, explore on! That world looked really richly built. :-)

I've played a few MMORPGs too, I had some great fun with them but now I find I'm so sporadic with the time I get to play I end up opting for single player RPGs. It's a fun game though, more tactical than 'hack-n-slash'   :-)

Such a good game! I hope that you enjoy playing it; I know I did when I played it.  :-)

Also wanted to mention that I thought your paintings were pretty neat. ^^

I really am! I particularly love the random conversations the party members have with each other when they're walking around, they do make me giggle! With any luck this time round I'll actually complete it.

Thank you, Blythe <3  I've been having a lot of fun doing them this week.

[Rhedyn]

Yesterday's happiness: My little lady made me a gift <3

[Rhedyn]

This is not my photo but I didn't have a chance to get a picture of the magpie that was in my garden this morning.
I watched it for a few minutes, it was a young bird that had obviously just learned to fly and it was both funny and heart warming to watch it half hop half fly around my garden investigating.
It lost it's balance a couple of times while trying to get on the shed which made it fall, but it used it's wings to catch itself and didn't give up.
There was a lesson there, I think.

[Rhedyn]

Yep, more painting from me today. My favourite so far is this background I layered up on a small canvas.
It was inspired by the colours in the sky yesterday at sunset.

[Caeli]

Yep, more painting from me today. My favourite so far is this background I layered up on a small canvas.
It was inspired by the colours in the sky yesterday at sunset.

I love the color choices, Rhedyn!  Beautiful job. :-)

[Rhedyn]

Thank you, Caeli! <3

[Cassandra LeMay]

I love the color choices, Rhedyn!  Beautiful job. :-)

Someone took the words right out of my mouth. Couldn't agree more. :-)

[Rhedyn]

Someone took the words right out of my mouth. Couldn't agree more. :-)

Aww, thanks, Cassandra LeMay! <3

[Rhedyn]

I'm exhausted! Mum visited today and we disposed of a load of old junk that had been sitting around in the garden shed.
After that we went for a walk through the large graveyard near my house and I took some photographs, though not as many as I would like as my camera batteries died shortly after arriving there. There were loads of really beautiful celtic crosses, I'm going to have to go back to take more pictures soon.

[Rhedyn]

Garden visitor!
Again this is not my photo, the squirrel that has been visiting me every morning is happy to sit there outside my window until I actually pick up my camera so I had to find a representation.
The visits have been making me smile though, it's unusual to see them in the gardens where I live but this little guy keeps coming back.
He enters the garden around the same time every morning from my neighbour's fence and scurries across our driveway and lawn.

[Rhedyn]

I fell into a bit of a downer yesterday evening so it was minecraft time. With a lot of my favourite mods having been updated I reinstalled them and played around, first building a work room which, despite being lit fairly well spawned monsters in it to greet me home from my exploration. I decided to build a lava feature to help light it up and here it is. The house above it comes next which I'm looking forward to doing thanks to the furniture mods I have installed   ;D

[Oniya]

Love the lighting fixture!  There are some modpacks that let you hit F7 to show where things are dark enough to spawn (a red X means any time, a yellow X means without sunlight).  Not sure what pack you're playing, or if you're self-installed, but I find them indispensable!

[Rhedyn]

Ohh, now that would be handy! Thank you, Oniya! I'm playing self installed mods so I'll take a look around and see if there's a stand alone mod like that to give it a try.

[Rhedyn]

I had great fun last night building my minecraft lego set.
It was actually my second round making it as the kidlets took it apart the first time to play with it.
Unfortunately I had to search for some of the pieces to finish it again but I did get hold of them.

[jouzinka]

It's super prettyyyy! :-)

[Rhedyn]

It's cute, huh? I'm definitely going to get more of the different sets. They all clip together in different combinations and you can move the separate sections around (that one is made up of four sections). Yep... I admit it... I'm a Lego fan.

[jouzinka]

That makes two of us. Always been a fan of puzzles and building sets and Legos and all that. :-)

[Oniya]

Minecraft = Lego + zombies.  *nods*  How can you go wrong?

Edit:  The F7 thing is apparently part of NEI (Not Enough Items)

[Rhedyn]

Absolutely! Minecraft is the best of both worlds <3

That's awesome to know! I already have NEI installed so I will give F7 a go when I play again. Thanks for the info   ;D

[Rhedyn]

Yesterday's slice of awesome:
Completing chapter 5 of Mice & Mystics which resulted in a close call with the house cat Brody, three of our characters levelling up and some good loot being collected.

[Rhedyn]

On Sunday things seemed to come together for me after a rocky weekend. I realised that people have been coming into my life and are already there that give me so much joy. Whether it be friendship, love, hugs when I'm down or just being there to listen to me vent when I need to without turning me away or making me feel bad for how I'm feeling and changing.

I am so grateful for these people, they all know who they are. I could never adequately express how amazing they are and how much they have helped me but I certainly hope that they know. They are helping me grow into a better, stronger and more confident person and that makes me truly happy.

[Rhedyn]

Another close up snippet of the third blue painting... just a peak until it's done ;)

[jouzinka]

I love your blog so much, Rhed. <3 Sometimes it reminds me of the things that are happy in my life too. :-)

[Rhedyn]

Awww, that's really awesome jouzi! Thank you <3

[Rhedyn]

This Tumblr find today reminded me of even more wonderful stuff to smile about.

[Rhedyn]

Just a rose from my garden, nothing more, nothing less.

[Peripherie]

Just a rose from my garden, nothing more, nothing less.

Gorgeous! ^_^

[Rhedyn]

I'm glad you like it Peri <3

Most of the roses in my garden have been and gone now but these ones are the late bloomers.

[Rhedyn]

Remember the background I painted on Day 65?
Well I finally discovered what I wanted to do with it and finished it this morning.

[Peripherie]

That is just gorgeous. I love those colors! My mother is an artist/painter and many of my favorite paintings of hers are her landscapes! Really pretty !

[Rhedyn]

Aww, thank you! <3

I very rarely do landscapes but I'm really pleased with how it turned out   ;D

[Dovel]

It looks beautiful, Rhedyn. Its amazing to see how it progressed from Day 65 to now.

[Rhedyn]

Thank you, Dovel! I'm glad you like it <3

[Rhedyn]

So there's only twenty five days to go until the one hundred days are complete... it seems to have gone so fast!
Today there was an unexpected thank you gift in my grocery delivery from the local family who provide my organic fruit and vegetables for me.
Apparently it was my 150th delivery so to celebrate they included a card and free bottle of organic wine <3

[Rhedyn]

After the week I've had and the fact I am so self critical at times I really needed this reminder yesterday.

[jouzinka]

We are always so hard on ourselves, aren't we? You rock. <3

[Peripherie]

That was such a nice gift and gesture! And I really like that quote. I need to remember that as well.

From where I am sitting I agree with jouzinka - even with (and especially because of) all the things you have going on, you are awesome!

[Rhedyn]

You ladies are seriously awesome, you know that right? <3

[Rhedyn]

I really struggled to find anything to be positive about yesterday, such was the day for me.
This picture I found on tumblr does, however, illustrate the one thing that really kept me going... not just over the the day but over the whole week.
It's a shoutout to everyone who has offered me an ear and positive comments, support, hugs and patience with me when I'm feeling at my worst.
When I have days like I did over the weekend I really notice just how many people care and it helps me to get through...plus the picture's cute <3

[Caeli]

Having a strong support system is important.  :-)  I'm glad that you find strength in your network and circle of friends/supporters.

I recently embarked on my own 100 Days of Happiness (#100HappyDays via my Instagram) and have been having a blast finding photos for every day.  My issue is more that I don't always remember to take a photo when I'm in the moment / enjoying my day, and a lot of times at night I'll stop and think "gah! I need to post a picture for today!"

[Peripherie]

Having a strong support system is important.  :-)  I'm glad that you find strength in your network and circle of friends/supporters.

I recently embarked on my own 100 Days of Happiness (#100HappyDays via my Instagram) and have been having a blast finding photos for every day.  My issue is more that I don't always remember to take a photo when I'm in the moment / enjoying my day, and a lot of times at night I'll stop and think "gah! I need to post a picture for today!"

I'm not on a "100 Day challenge" but I made this yummy new healthy recipe that I really wanted to share and it looked awesome on the plate. I even had my phone out JUST to take a picture... I didn't. Doesn't look so awesome in the leftover container. :P

[Rhedyn]

Having a strong support system is important.  :-)  I'm glad that you find strength in your network and circle of friends/supporters.

I recently embarked on my own 100 Days of Happiness (#100HappyDays via my Instagram) and have been having a blast finding photos for every day.  My issue is more that I don't always remember to take a photo when I'm in the moment / enjoying my day, and a lot of times at night I'll stop and think "gah! I need to post a picture for today!"

Ooo... that's great! I do the same thing, which is why a lot of my posts come the day after or I end up having to use a stock photo. Some of them have been things that a photo wouldn't make sense for either or that I can't post here for one reason or another, it's definitely been awesome to do though.

I'm not on a "100 Day challenge" but I made this yummy new healthy recipe that I really wanted to share and it looked awesome on the plate. I even had my phone out JUST to take a picture... I didn't. Doesn't look so awesome in the leftover container. :P

D'oh, I did that too with something I made several nights ago. I completely forgot to take a picture of it and what was left at the end didn't look all that appetizing... it was till yummy though   ;D

[Rhedyn]

Played some of my modded Minecraft last night as I was having a building itch. My little house is built though most of it is underground.
I had a lot of fun with the furniture mods and found an abandoned mineshaft full of goodies... happy days <3
The itch came from ordering another Minecraft Lego set yesterday which should arrive today  ;D

[Rhedyn]

The End... yep, it arrived and I couldn't help myself, I had to build it straight away  ;D

[Peripherie]

Ah, legos. I miss them so!

[Rhedyn]

If I had the space and the money I would buy a lot more of them... ~grins~

[Rhedyn]

A party invitation arrived today for my brother's 30th in August <3

[jouzinka]

YAY for straight into alcohol delirium. ;D

[Rhedyn]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65scQU

I had a giggle with the little lady after school yesterday where we were singing and dancing to this song while the little man look at us like we were a couple of weirdos.

[Rhedyn]

Not my picture but it is of the lightning tonight in my area, the thunderstorm has cheered me up greatly.
It's been so hot and humid here, I didn't realise how awful I had been feeling until the storm hit and the air cleared.
I'm sitting here by an open window, watching the lightning flash the sky purple. It's so pretty <3

[jouzinka]

* jouzinka beams herself right into Rhed's house.

Me wants some fresh air too. It's too hot in here, I'm nearly suffocating and not sleeping well. :-(

[Rhedyn]

Oh noes! ~fans jouzi~ That's what I was like all last night and all day today, it was actually difficult to breath as the air was so warm and kinda thick.

[Rhedyn]

I haven't been up to much with the humidity and the headaches it has been giving me since Friday though yesterday I did a rough composition on another small canvas background ready to work on in the week.

[Rhedyn]

More painting stuffs yesterday... working on the third blue background layer by layer.

[Rhedyn]

It was Sports Day for my eldest today, their house team came second overall <3

[jouzinka]

Cheers for your eldest! And me loves the color choices on your paintings, Rhed. :-)

[Rhedyn]

~grins~ Thanks jouzi! I'm glad you like them <3

[Dovel]

More painting stuffs yesterday... working on the third blue background layer by layer.

This is very beautiful.

[Rhedyn]

Thank you, Dovel <3

[Rhedyn]

I had a weird day yesterday, the kind of day where you feel like you can't do anything right and that your judgement is kinda off.
I think, as usual, it was my depression playing me around. I decided to treat myself to a new leather wrap journal from my favourite journal makers.
That's a picture of the one I ordered though it won't be here for a few weeks as they are handmade to order.

[Rhedyn]

Playing around with the TerraFirmaCraft mod for Minecraft.

[Rhedyn]

I've been doing a lot of cleaning and sorting out today, I've barely scratched the surface of what needs to be done but it's nice to see relatively clutter free rooms for once.
My favourite part though was taking the time to clean and revamp my meditation spot in my bedroom.

[Rhedyn]

Yesterday was an art journalling day.
I use my art journal a lot though lately it seems to be coming into play more when I have something difficult emotionally to work through.
That's not a problem in itself, I find it very helpful and therapeutic in fact but I am trying to add in some more positive pages too to balance it out a bit.
This was one I did yesterday to remind me to believe in myself and look at all the wondrous things in my life.

[Rhedyn]

Time for some colouring in, methinks  ;D

[Oniya]

I saw some of those in the craft store a few days ago.  Ironically, they were in the 'Kids' Crafts' section. XD

[Rhedyn]

~laughs~ That's pretty funny. I have to keep it hidden from the kidlets as they are fiends for any type of colouring in. Mine was actually found in the adults section of my local craft store... I couldn't pass up the opportunity particularly when the pages are all floral inspired patterns  ;)

[Rhedyn]

This gave me a much needed giggle yesterday.

[jouzinka]

*snickers*

[Rhedyn]

The bad news is one of the pretty buttons on my favourite dress broke off.
The good news is I found it and it now features in my art journal.

[Rhedyn]

I found my little travel journal yesterday after two months of looking for it!
I actually squealed when I realised where it had gone ~laughs~

[Rhedyn]

I had an insanely busy day today, from having to drag the kidlets to the shop for groceries to spending the entire afternoon cleaning and sorting out their bedroom.
As a treat and to brighten up the dining room table I bought myself these gorgeous Gladioli which will flower all the way up the stalks in a couple of days <3

[Rhedyn]

Yep this has been me the last couple of days... one thing that is sure to make me smile and banish the grumps is grumpy cat though  ::)

[Rhedyn]

The grumps has had me forgetting this, so it's a reminder for myself to expect success in what I do, not failure.

[jouzinka]

*just hugs*

[Rhedyn]

~hugs jouzi~

[Rhedyn]

My muse has been going crazy lately but I've been unable to find the time to write because of the kidlets.
Today I was determined to get at least a couple of posts done so I occupied the kids with some homemade playdough and snuck up to my bedroom with a coffee and my muse.
Despite a couple of interruptions I did manage three replies for my stories which really cheered me up.

[Rhedyn]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72xn8O1vJb0

Yesterday's small thing that made me smile was being sent this song by a friend.
I found it poignant and very fitting for where I am in life right now.

[Rhedyn]

And so we come to Day 100... I'm heading off in a few hours with the kidlets for a short break which I am sure will provide me with my last post for this blog. It'll be posted when I get back on Wednesday  :-)

[jouzinka]

Enjoy the trip, Rhed! :-)

[Dovel]

Have a good time on your trip!

[Rhedyn]

Thanks guys <3

I'm back now, it was exhausting but we had fun and I may have found another Lego shop and bought myself another Minecraft Lego   ::)

[Rhedyn]

It seemed fitting to me to finish up with Monday's view from the Pier in Brighton.
We took a walk their shortly after arriving to see the sun begin it's slow descent over the sea.

We had a busy but lovely trip, the kidlets enjoyed themselves a lot and were thoroughly exhausted at the end of each day though thankfully weren't too grumpy because of it.

It's strange to see the Day 100 up there, the challenge is now complete and I really hope that everyone has enjoyed reading this blog as much as I have creating it. I've had some lovely messages from people both here and by PM and I'd like to thank everyone for taking the time to read, comment and send me those messages.
You guys have really helped me to keep posting to it, even on the days when I struggled to find happy things <3

[Cassandra LeMay]

Well, the purpose of this blog, as I understand it, was to collect a journal of happy memories that you can look back to, to cheer you up when you need it. The hundred day challenge may be over, but it would be great if you could let us know here if this collection of moments will actually serve its purpose for you.

That said, thank you for sharing many beautiful, motivating, and funny pictures with us. I really enjoyed this while it lasted. :-)

[jouzinka]

Thank you for sticking to this, Rhed. I have enjoyed reading the blog immensely and I hope it has been a positive influence in your life. <3

[Rhedyn]

It really has, it's gotten me into the habit of looking out for the little things that make me smile whether it be as they happen or at the end of the day. This blog will definitely serve as a reminder of all those things for me. It just goes to show that no matter how bad a day you're having you can always find something to find happiness in.