May you live a long life Full of gladness and health With a pocket full of gold As the least of your wealth May the dreams you hold dearest Be those which come true May the kindness your spread, Keep returning to you!
what a difference a year makes!
Happy Birthday to my birthday twin!
Love…jammie
lโรญ breithe sona dhuit!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
Believe in love.
Believe in magic.
Hell, Believe in Santa Claus.
Believe in others. Believe in YOURSELF.
Believe in your dreams.
If you don’t who will??…Jon Bon Jovi
Nollaig shona dhuit…that’s Irish for Happy Christmas!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
Aaaaahhhh….The Holidays! …from Thanksgiving through Christmas, there’s so much to be thankful for…and thank God for our camera phones to capture the special moments.
an old friend comes to town…we had our children at the same time back in Illinois & now we’re welcoming grand=babies togetherniece Alyse, husband Matt and 2 kids in town from Colorado
lucky to call these fabulous neighbors my friends too
…and some beautiful holiday decorating that I thought I’d share….
my sister’s festive holiday tableand a few fun vignettes from my friend, Julie’s home
…and lastly…I’m off of work for two glorious weeks, so you’ll find me watching one of these warm & cozy holiday movies…
Can you name the movies?…and there’s one missing
that I’ve already watched. Can you guess what it is?
….or reading our book club book, The Heart’s Invisible Furies, that I’m loving so far…and a few more that are on my reading list…before heading out on a trip to Portland, OR.
Have a FABULOUS weekend!!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
Vorfreude…what’s that, you say?? It’s a German word that means “the joyful, intense anticipation that comes from imagining future pleasures”. I was looking for inspiration for my Motivational Monday and thought, “anticipation” is always motivational/inspiring. In looking back at previous posts over the years, it’s a theme I’ve revisited more than a couple of times. I guess that means that I love having something to look forward to….oh, and this study shows that it’s always a good idea!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
I’m not sure how I got there (possibly @wrightkitchen …gorgeous pics), but through some mutual Instagrammers that I follow…you know “you might like” “friend’s of” etc… I landed on @saltyseattle and followed her. Go check out her Insta account right now and just look at her gorgeous pasta creations! They’re colorful, fun and whimsical!
I was very lucky, and so excited, a few months ago to win The Cook’s Atelier cookbook from another Instagrammer, @thefrancophiles (have I mentioned how much I love Paris& France in general?) I’ve looked, from cover to cover, through the stunning photos and loved the stories that are shared about French life and the mother-daughter journey of getting to this place in their lives, but wow those recipes take some dedication and time. I think I am going to try the gougโยฟre recipe at some point, but that might be my only foray into French cooking. This leads me back to Salty Seattle and the excitement of finding out she had a cookbook coming out in October. Seemed a bit more manageable and fun for me.
Oh, how I wanted to make fun pasta! I ordered the book, borrowed a pasta making machine from a friend, shopped for the very specific ingredients, and had so much fun this past Saturday trying my hand at pasta making. First I read her very funny commentary throughout the book, which made it less cook-booky and then dove right in. Some people start with basics, perfect them, and then move on to the “advanced” techniques….but that’s not me. I’m impatient and wanted to make polka dot pasta, so I skipped to the “advanced pasta sheeting techniques” section and went for it! I wanted red pasta with black dots. The end result wasn’t perfect…I’m also not a perfectionist…but it was reasonably two toned, fun to make and gives me something to practice and strive for next time….i.e thinner dough, more “black” ingredient, and use of a rolling pin when making patterned dough to make it more manageable.
this one came out a light gray…will perfect the black next time!
looks a bit like watermelon instead of polka dots, but I’m not discouraged!
I realized when I was done, that the rolling out of the dough and the feeling of accomplishment when I was done was a bit akin to Pizza Monday. A fun activity that delivers yummy results…and probably different every time, like pizza! I envision future pasta making sessions with the grandkids…fun and messy…and kind of like playing with playdough!! Yes, I’m getting a simple pasta machine for myself!
Go buy this cookbook, check out her Youtube channel, and have fun making colorful pasta…no dyes, just natural colorants from nature!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
lucky to call these fabulous neighbors my friends too
….in the spirit of giving, 
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Look back where you came from and let yourself feel proud about your progress….YOU’RE KILLING IT!!!
I’m not sure how I got there (possibly 
I realized when I was done, that the rolling out of the dough and the feeling of accomplishment when I was done was a bit akin to Pizza Monday. A fun activity that delivers yummy results…and probably different every time, like pizza! I envision future pasta making sessions with the grandkids…fun and messy…and kind of like playing with playdough!! Yes, I’m getting a simple pasta machine for myself!
“The ballot is stronger than the bullet.”…Abraham Lincoln