General

Re: Cheap Cheer-ups

swtnsassy — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:12:34 GMT

This is a great topic! My "cheap cheer-up" is calling my best friend who proceeds to tell me how lucky I am and how there are plenty of folks who aren't as lucky and to just get over myself! She always shoots straight with me and she makes me laugh! She is the only one I could call at 3:00 am and she would come out and help me bury the body! LOL

Re: Cheap Cheer-ups

mary w. — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:05:39 GMT

When my husband built a pond on our property 12 years ago, he found a big long rock. He situated this rock so that when you sit or stand on it you are actually 3 feet into the pond and yet still dry. He told me it was my prayer rock. It has been used for this many, many times, but I also like to sit out their and watch the 12 ducks someone gave us play in the water. I like to take my dgd out their. Sometime I sit their and fish with my 16 y/o ds. It is a great way to stay in touch with him and sometimes his friends. My son and his friends like to shoot pellet guns and or play paintball games. In town you have to pay to play paintball but out here you just don't aim anywhere near MoM or Dads cars. Our pond has catfish and perch in it, it has also been used for science projects for our homeschool. We also have had great pot luck dinners with friends that ended with a huge water balloon fight. Yes, adults were included and I have pictures to prove it. We have also played flashlight tag after dark with a group of our sons friends. We have made wild flower boquets with our daughter and her friends, using flower and greenery on our property and empty soup cans. We have had game night/movies/card for our friends with everyone bringing their own favorite snack. We have also had meteorite parties at night with friends and their children. When we knew their was to be a meteorite shower locally, we bake cookies in star shapes and mix some punch or juice and sit in the bed of our pickup in lawn chair to stay away from the ants. We put the smaller kids propped up on the hood of our stationwagon and watched for falling/shooting stars. This has made lasting memories in our lives.

Re: Cheap Cheer-ups

chocolatechic — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:15:55 GMT

arianasilver:
chocolatechic:
Take a hot cocoa mix packet. Mix just the barest of dribbles of hot water in till it becomes the consistency of fudge or a little thinner...

And then some of us just open a hot cocoa packet, lick thier finger and stick it in there, lick mix off and repeat.
I also stick a spoon in the peanut butter jar, pull out a heaping teaspoon full and eat it. Yeah, I totally do that. I'll admit it!

Or you could sprinkle the hotchocolate mix over your peanutbutter....ooOOOooooooo

Re: Cheap Cheer-ups

MarthaMFI — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:44:22 GMT

I used to do that when I was kid!! mixing hot choc mix with a little hot water :)

Re: Cheap Cheer-ups

dlw — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:15:28 GMT

Hanging out with friends.

Spending time with ds who finds joy in everything.

Making homemade chocolate pudding,,,reminds me of picnics that I went to as a kid down by the river.

Making popcorn and inventing new toppings. Current favorite: italian seasonings and parmesan.

Swimming in the backyard pool.

Sitting in the backyard under all the trees enjoying just being.

Reading and listening to music.

Water my flowers.

Making cards and sewing gift bags.

Re: Cheap Cheer-ups

Mimi — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:17:28 GMT

Chocolatechic, I made your "fudge." Thanks!

Arianasilver, I'd be #4!

Re: Cheap Cheer-ups

shelliajean2 — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:39:09 GMT

Make that 3 of us on the spoon and peanut butter thing. Both my boys do this too. I do love peanut butter!

Shellia

Re: Cheap Cheer-ups

Luvd_Lioness — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:58:12 GMT

arianasilver:
I also stick a spoon in the peanut butter jar, pull out a heaping teaspoon full and eat it. Yeah, I totally do that. I'll admit it!

You're not alone!

Re: Cheap Cheer-ups

arianasilver — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:25:53 GMT

chocolatechic:
Take a hot cocoa mix packet. Mix just the barest of dribbles of hot water in till it becomes the consistency of fudge or a little thinner...

And then some of us just open a hot cocoa packet, lick thier finger and stick it in there, lick mix off and repeat.

I also stick a spoon in the peanut butter jar, pull out a heaping teaspoon full and eat it. Yeah, I totally do that. I'll admit it!

Re: Cheap Cheer-ups

chocolatechic — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:15:22 GMT

Mimi:
Chocolate chic, I believe that I have a chocolate deficiency which could be contributing to my current mood. (There aren't even chocolate chips left in the pantry! I've resorted to mixing cocoa powder & sugar in my peanut butter to tide me over until my next trip to the store.)

There is another thing you can do when you are desperate. Take a hot cocoa mix packet. Mix just the barest of dribbles of hot water in till it becomes the consistency of fudge or a little thinner...

My sister and I used to do this when we were desperate.

Re: Cheap Cheer-ups

MarthaMFI — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 04:33:03 GMT

lots of the same things everyone has listed cheer me up! except maybe the jogging lol.

reading a good book in peace

stopping to appreciate my garden or a lovely walk though the woods.

my pets

cuddling my kids

working on the lovely arbor idea!

Re: Cheap Cheer-ups

re-tired — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:27:34 GMT

I love,love,love riding my scooter in the early-ish part of the morning while it's stil cool. I'm planning on a small trip in the morning and I may even pick us up some donuts.

I have been really trying to cheer myself up by figuring out how to make a bluw jean purse for my niece just the way I want it.

And of course there's always the poodles. I just climb in the bed and everyone comes (except BG) and I pet as many of them as I can at once. Then Backster want to cuddle and be rubbed under his chin, LB will stretch out down my side, Doodles will curl up by my feet, Lily will crawl up on DH's pillow and Sugar and Eddy get on the chair and just go to sleep. It's a peacful scene until DH's tries to come to bed. And that gripe session is fun. Because it's the poodles griping at him for bothering them!

re-tired

Re: Cheap Cheer-ups

Mimi — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 02:56:39 GMT

So many great ideas!

After reading someone's suggestion about blowing bubbles, I noticed the bottle I got as a favor at a recent graduation party. I went into the back yard and blew bubbles for the cats and through the fence to my neighbor's dogs. I felt like a little kid.

A lot of people I know have recommended watching videos at www.joelosteen.com when I'm down.

Ever since someone on here suggested it, I've been watching re-runs on www.hulu.com and www.surfthechannel.com. There are 293 episodes of Bewitched alone. Who can be depressed while watching Aunt Clara?

I also enjoy taking pictures with my digital camera. Film is not such a distant memory for me that I don't appreciate the fact that every click is absolutely free.

Chocolate chic, I believe that I have a chocolate deficiency which could be contributing to my current mood. (There aren't even chocolate chips left in the pantry! I've resorted to mixing cocoa powder & sugar in my peanut butter to tide me over until my next trip to the store.)

Thank you for all of the ideas everyone!

Re: Cheap Cheer-ups

misscas — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:21:37 GMT

A hot/cool bubble bath (depending on time of year), one cap of bubbles so it's frugal
Read a library book or watch a video
A long walk or bike ride
Time spent cross stitching, embordering, crocheting or knitting
Watching television
Free day at the art museum

Re: Cheap Cheer-ups

Lynnea Berr — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:28:43 GMT

Walk the dogs and foster dogs around the block, in a park, individually or together. This can also be a couples or family activity by volunteering at a local rescue group or humane society. It's outdoors in fresh air so it clears the head and gets bodies moving. A favorite place is in the Metro Parks where there are wildflowers on wildflower trails in the spring and the rustle of crisp fallen leaves in the fall. I have a favorite path where a diabetic dog and I walked many years ago.

Drive a leg of a rescue transport getting dogs out of shelters and into rescues. Transports are often several legs and across several states. There is a group for nearly every major highway in the United States. It's a drive and it is also charity miles, so tax credit is involved for the mileage driven. You must be very organized to do this because the animals are literally travelling from death row to a new life. There is a book called Fifteen Legs about rescue transports.

File paperwork and organize so my house looks better.

Look at beautifully illustrated books on canning and preserving and read scrumptious recipes.

If I am having chicken, I might put mango chutney on it. Oh, I am making myself hungry!

Explore my city or a nearby one -- go to a museum, a greenhouse, a large library.

Genealogy -- interviewing those in the family oldest about their lives and who is related to whom in what way, then mapping it out in a family tree program. Getting them to identify who that is in those old pictures, and labelling them. (Far too many picture albums get dumped at thrift stores or in the trash because people don't seem to care where they came from or how their families came to put down roots where they are.) If you don't have pictures of the people, all you can ever wind up with is pictures of their headstones when and if you can find where they are buried.

Another thing that I do is go to a book I have called "Leslie Linsley's Weekend Decorating, 1,001 Quick Home Decorating Ideas, Tips and How-To's", and pick a project.