The Happy Woman Store

I’m reading a great book right now. It’s called The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner. Priscilla’s father often told her a story called “The Paper Bag Story”. Basically, this is the gist of it. Take your problems, challenges, annoyances in life and put them into a paper bag. Then, imagine that everybody else in the universe has done the same thing. All of the bags are thrown onto one big pile. Now, here’s the big question: if you could pick any of those brown bags full of problems, which would you pick? I don’t know about you, but I’d be scrambling around looking for the bag with my problems in it. Just a little something to ponder this week…..

We’ve got our store stocked with yummy fall sweaters & cozy fleece jackets — and we’d love to see you if you’re planning a trip UP NORTH to look at all of the lovely colors. Here are some pics from our store. Call us if something tickles your fancy — we’re happy to ship anything to you….

My mom and dad bought a little cabin in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan about 32 years ago. It’s not huge, but it sits on this gorgeous wooded lot with a stunning view of Whitefish Bay.

At the pinnacle of our family’s use of the place, we all drove 5 to 6 hours every Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day weekends to make beach fires, shoot off illegal fireworks, drink Bloody Caesar’s, and play a ridiculous amount of euchre. But, people get married, have families, move away, start businesses, you know how that goes. Anyway, Steve and I and Coco spent this past weekend there breathing fresh air, listening to the sound of the waves, and drinking Bloody Caesar’s. And I must say: Miss Coco seemed to enjoy a most excellent time. Here she is guarding the sandbar from pesky seagulls.

And this picture shows her engaging in one of her favorite activities: building sand castles! She is the blur at the top of the page.

Always ready to assist in the kitchen, here she puts her two cents worth into Steve’s world-famous chili.

And, a trip to the cottage just isn’t worth it if part of the time isn’t spent catching a nap on the couch.

Okay, so I admit it. I’m the quintessential midwest girl when it comes to food: I adore comfort food. When the leaves start to turn and the temperatures begin to drop, I find myself turning to my cookbook for my favorite soups & stews. Just made this one last night and it was delicious. Here’s the recipe:

Ground Turkey and Black-Bean Chili

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups finely chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
2 large garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 pound ground turkey breast
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add bell pepper, onion, carrot and garlic; saute until tender, about 12 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin; stir to blend. Increase heat to medium-high and add turkey; break up with spoon and saute until turkey is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Add beans, broth and tomato paste and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer chili until liquid thickens, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper.

It’s getting a little nippy around these parts lately (high 40’s last night, can you believe it?), so I’ve been spending a little downtime in my, as my friend calls it, “The Princess Tub”. It’s a 5 foot long soaking tub. I’m not really into jets, just lots of hot water and a place to calm my nerves for a bit. I’m also into a glass of wine, an open window for breezes and bird sounds, and some really good smelling tub stuff. And, guess what? We just happen to have some for sale on our site (imagine that!). These bath salt packages also make great gifts for frazzled friends! Click here to see all of them!