Inspiration

It's a beautiful gray misty breezy day.
I could run a mile and jump a fence!

And yet, I sit in the Santa Barbara Public Library.
I've got tunes in my ear buds and a smile on my face

Because

I am studying and researching and writing and feeling so creative.
I just took a break and checked out a blog I like to follow.
It made me smile even more.

Striped Jammies: tutorial, tips, and a bedtime story
"http://www.dana-made-it.com/"

A Sweet Treat

A Sweet Treat
Some days are just perfect.
This morning the sky was a little cloudy but the temperature was toasty. What a nice combination for a morning out. Wendy and Ansley and I walked along the path through town and into “the Farm”. We had a great walk and some good girl talk. What a lovely morning but the best part was the cookies Wendy shared with me after our walk.
Yumm. Oatmeal, white chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips and a hint of cinnamon.
Cookies and milk = delicious
I hope your day is a good!

Today what is in my heart is the curiosity of scents. Smells make the mouth water or eyes tear. They delight us and remind us.

Smells can make you smile.

The smell of a baby just after a bath. Her hair still wet and curling around her head. The smell of a litle boy who has been playing in a dirt hill. How about the smell of children in a swimming pool.

I love the smell of a good campfire. Springtime. Anytime after rain. A snowstorm on the ski hill. Just mowed grass. My lilac trees. Grape juice. Pineapple juice. Brussels Sprouts.

The sweaty smell of teenage soccer playing boys - that smell is okay while they’re on the field but oh, when they get in the car, open all the windows and laugh hard or you’ll cry. Shin guards.

Freshly laundered sheets and towels in a hotel make me feel good. They’re obviously laundered in some commercial grade detergent but they remind me of a hospital and the joy of giving birth to my children.

The smell of a two-stroke engine (a snowmobile) always warms my heart and reminds me of Uncle Phillip.

Grandma’s house smells like it always used to. It smells right.

How long can a scent linger on the air? How do scents linger?

Several years while at Martin’s Cove, I smelled a scent on the air. It was my first clue that I needed to learn about G. G. G. Grandma Alice. I don’t know how it worked, but I did know that I was supposed to pay attention.

Smells are curious things. They delight us and remind us. The remembering is good.

Today is my Mother's birthday so

I am going to make a birthday cake.

I thought I'd make Pflaumen Kuchen because

I have a few firm plums which even the missionaries won't eat

They're very tart but I'm pretty sure a little sugar will do the trick.

I found a recipe online for

Oma's Pflaumen Streusel Kuchen and

since my favorite dessert comfort food is

Streusel Kuchen, Oma's recipe sounded great.

Even better than that though,

I have my Dad's recipe for Streusel Kuchen.

Oh my mouth is watering. I can't wait until it's baked.

I'll call it

Grammie Memorial Pflaumen Streusel Kuchen.

We had a ball in Costa Rica last spring.

What fun trips do you have planned for this year?

Costa Rica

Oh buddy, let’s go!

Exploring’s so fun!

We’ll swim in the ocean,

then play in the sun.

Would you like to climb

in the mountains so tall?

How about a hike to a

huge waterfall?

A day at the beach! Oh

we might hunt for shells,

A day in the jungle! Can

you hear the birds yell?

Chattering monkeys

make us giggle and smile

Big Brother Tree Frog wakes

up once in a while.

Costa Rica will be so fun

we all know.

Bring sister, and Daddy

and Mommy, Let’s go!

--

How to Learn to Write.

The Experience of a First-Year Author.

Writing from the heart will bring truth to my words.

“God has given us the gifts of the Spirit to allow us

to be drawn more closely into His circle of love”

… As we receive these gifts of the Spirit,

“our faith in Him will increase and our true destiny

will be fulfilled.” Elder Robert D. Hales.

I believe that this is true and so as I begin this blog,

my commitment is to always write truth.

That truth may not always be factual

but I will always write from my heart.