I decided that after being rattled this week by the earthquake and now readying for a major hurricane, that it is time to figure out a way to create happiness during this upcoming weekend.  I am expecting a full house with my daughter A on her way home from NYC and my son D, who is still at home for the summer too (luckily I don’t have to drive him back to school this weekend.)

Here’s my 10 tips for how I am going to stay happy for the next two days.  If you have any other happiness tips to share, please leave a comment:

1. Take a relaxing bath: I’m going to add some of my wonderful lemon bath salts, that I buy at Whole Foods and mix with epsom salts, to my bath water.  It smells so fragrant and helps me de-stress.  Ooh, ooh, ooh, I just found this recipe for lavendar bath salts on the Whole Foods website and I have most of the ingredients too.  Maybe I will use the lemon salts in the morning and take another bath with lavendar in the evening.

2. Buy some fresh flowers to decorate my house:  Fresh cut flowers make me happy. If I’m going to be cooped up in the house all weekend, I want some pretty flowers to look at.  If the lights go out I’ll just shine a flashlight on them.

3. Bake some chocolate chip cookies: I love the smell of chocolate chip cookies when they are baking in the oven.  Eating warm chocolate chip cookies with a tall glass of cold milk definitely will make me happy.  Sure hope the electric doesn’t blow so I can have that cold glass of milk.

4. Light up my life with fragrant candles: I did find my flashlight (like my son D directed me to find) and it does have working batteries.  However, when the batteries die, and they will, I will light some lovely candles and put them in my family room and in my bathroom too.  I will be very careful and only keep the candles burning while I am in the room.

5. Read my September issues of Vogue and InStyle: Yes, yes, yes – pure happiness is reading all 1400 pages of fall fashion editorial and advertisements.  These mags will keep me busy all weekend.

6. Go buy some new stylish rain boots before the rain comes on Saturday:  I’ll likely need rain boots  to splash around in all the puddles that will surround my house on Sunday after the hurricane passes.  Such fun I will have splashing in puddles…happy, happy, happy.

7. Watch “Singing in the Rain”- a perfect movie for a very rainy day.  Gene Kelly movies make me happy and I just may sing along. Hope it is available on Netflix.

8. Cuddle Up With A Good Book:  I’ve been wanting to find time to read “One Day” on my Kindle.  Once I finish with all my fall mags, I’ll have plenty of time to read a book.

9. Cuddle Up With My Boyfriend L: I’m going to do this cuddling tonight to bring me pre-hurricane happiness.

10. Cuddle Up With Myself: I’m going to do this tomorrow night and catch up on all the sleep I’ve missed this month due to my menopausal moments.  Ooh, ooh, ooh, maybe,  I’ll buy the new Barbara Streisand CD ” What Matters Most,” to listen to as I drift off to nappy land.

So, these are my 10 tips for staying happy when the hurricane hits the east coast this weekend.  I hope that my condo on the corner at the shore remains grounded as well and makes it through the storm.  I will try not to worry and practice my happiness meditation ohms as well.

I will also follow Courtney Cachet’s “10 Hurricane Tips From A Miami Girl,” to make sure I keep myself and my family safe.  Courtney is right, I must prepare and not take this hurricane scare lightly.  I remember how my mom survived without power for days after a bad hurricane hit Florida several years ago.

For all my blog readers on the east coast who are bracing for the storm, stay safe and be happy.

Judi