BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY! 

Katherine Jenkins and the Mormon Tabernacle choir

THE PRAYER

The Paso Doble

TOO PRETTY TO EAT  

www.lizybbakes.com

I had a cookie decorating business for 12 years. I lived and breathed cookies and cookie cutters. Whenever I see edible works of art, and there are many out there, it brings back some good memories. 

Here is the best sugar cookie recipe I have ever used and the recipe for making your "royal icing" actually taste good!

SUGAR COOKIES

 2 c. butter (no substitutions)

4 egg yolks 

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

4 - 4 1/2 c. flour

Mix dough and chill for at least an hour. Roll out on floured board to 1/4" thickness and cut as desired.  Place on Parchment covered cookie sheet and bake at 350 for approx. 12 minutes.

ROYAL ICING

2 lbs powdered sugar

3 TBS powdered egg whites

Place the dry ingredients in your 

Kitchen Aid and mix.  Slowly add water to thin. To flavor add...

1/4 tsp almond flavoring

1/2 tsp clear vanilla

1/2 tsp butter flavoring

OPTIONS - 1/4  tsp orange extract   

                    1/4 tsp mint extract

www.bakedideas.com

Happy Decorating!

LIFE IS A CIRCLE

Years ago I had a friend whose life seemed perfect... perfect husband, healthy. happy children, a to die for beautiful home and lots of money. At a time when I was struggling to hold things together financially from month to month, her life seemed like a fairytale. 

Actually most of what I saw was perception. Things got considerably more stable for me and she had to give up her home and many of her dreams. It broke my heart for her. Everytime I pass her house I think... "That's L's house, no one else should be living there."  In that moment I realized no one escapes life's struggles.

"It's not what happens to us in this life that matters, its what we decide to do about it."

I watched an amazing movie yesterday, one that I had never heard of but because it had Judith Dench in it I took a chance. It is called PHILOMENA and is the story of an Irish woman who goes in search of the son she was forced to give up for adoption.  She is aided by a rather grumpy and cynical reporter named Martin.

Anthony renamed Michael Hess

The movie, which is based on the real life events of Philomena Lee, is well told. With a couple of twists it gently leads you to a surprise ending. I found much more there than just a story. Its about dealing with the harshness of life and deciding to choose forgiveness and love over anger and bitterness. 

Although Philomena and Martin are at opposite ends of the spectrum they manage to travel this road together. They even bring the journey full circle.

I don't want to give away too many details but I highly recommend it. There's more there than meets the eye. You can watch it on Amazon.

In the the final scene Martin quotes T. S. Elliot

... and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started, and know the place for the first time. 

I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED THE RAIN...

who knew there was a name for that

I have always loved the rain. Lying beneath all my quilts at night and listening to it beat against the windows and the roof is one of my favorite things. My youngest daughter once lived in an apartment that had a tin roof. What a wonderful sound that made. 

A friend of mine posted this on facebook... who knew there was a name for people who love the rain

Visiting Seattle for the first time last summer gave me a new perspective on the word pluviophile. It rains a lot there and its cold. I think I'm a occational pluviophile.

  SEATTLE RAIN BY IRIS SCOTT

I had a friend that went shopping everytime it rained. "I'm from the Northwest" she said, "You can't let the rain stop you... just take your umbrella and go!"

She was made of hardy stuff. 

 

Home in the rocky mountains, my favorite rain is in the summer and autumn. Its the best when there's  lightning and thunder thrown in the mix. I can sit on my porch and feel safe and still have a front row seat for all the drama.  

A couple of summers ago I was staying in a cabin outside of Jackson Hole. It had been such a wet Spring that the river was too swollen and treacherous to raft so we spent the day wandering around, shopping, eating and acting like tourists.  At one point everyone went on a stagecoach ride except for me. I stayed with the dog. Sitting in the park it began to lightly sprinkle. Oh the smell and the cool air... it was heavenly.  It wasn't long after everyone had returned that it became a downpour.  It left us sequestered in the car for nearly 20 minutes. It was mother nature at her best!



I love the rain, it clears the air, makes everything fresh and is perfect for kissing, dancing and singing!


"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... its about learning to dance in the rain."

CHANGE IS IN THE WIND...

I'm just not sure which directions it is blowing

Here is my deepest darkest secret... I LIKE CHANGE. I'm pretty sure its a character flaw.  I do have constants in my life... faith, family, creativity and teaching but within that framework I love to shake it up.  When my children were little they would laugh when people would ask about our Christmas traditions... "Oh we don't have any. My mom likes to do something different every year." The only constant was... WE CELEBRATED CHRISTMAS!

Even though I'm very sentimental about family I wanted to surround us with something new. I think a destination Christmas is a perfect idea.

My mother was a traditionalist and I, being her only daughter, was expected to follow suit. Our Thanksgiving dinners were identical  every year, right down to the parsnips with bacon and the sweet potatoes with brown sugar and mini marshmallow.  Imagine my delight when I discovered you could bake a sweet potato and then drench it in butter with salt and cracked pepper... YUM!

This little "flaw" has followed me all my life.  I have taught 2nd grade, sold skin care, designed t-shirts, taught piano, owned a cookie decorating business and now I work as the children's librarian. Its not that I wasn't successful, I was. Its that after a while, I get bored and I want to move on.



I have asked myself a million times ... "why can't I just pick something and stick with it for 30 years?"  I don't know, I just can't.  Maybe the things I've picked were not authentic with who I really am. I am past mid-life and I have to figure this out.

So, once again I have come to the fork in the road.  I'm bored! I know that change is coming but I have no idea what direction the wind is blowing or how I should set my sails.

Winds from the east... Mist comin' in... Like somethin' was brewin', about to begin...

Bert from Mary Poppins

I just heard about this new books by Marlo Thomas... It Ain't Over till its Over   There are 400 pages of stories by women who have re-invented their lives at a variety of ages. Most were 40 and older.  I bought it from Amazon and I can hardly wait for it to arrive.

Hope this book helps me unlock my future.


Have you re-invented your life? I would love to hear your story or your advise.

CLICK TO GO TO AMAZON

EDITH, AUDREY AND GIVENCHY...
three people, three dresses, the story behind the story!

In 1954 Audrey Hepburn was cast in the starring role of the original Sabrina movie. In that movie she is transformed from a shy waif into a sophisticated Parisienne. Edith Head was picked to design the costumes but she and Audrey did not always see eye to eye. Audrey had a style of her own and knew how to dress her very slender figure to its best advantage. She insisted that she pick her own wardrobe. Billy Wilder, the director, consented.

Since her transformation occurred in Paris, Audrey wanted to wear real Parisian Couture clothing. Her friend sent her to see Cristóbal Balenciaga in Paris but he was in the middle of producing his collection and could not help her.  He sent her to Hubert de Givenchy. Givenchy also was in the middle of a collection but allowed Audrey to see his work.  

She picked the three key outfits for the movie from his line... The beautiful collarless suit she returns home in, the gorgeous organza formal with blue embroidered flowers and the now iconic black dress.  Audrey asked him to re-do the neckline of his original black dress to cover her prominent collar bone. It became known as the "boat neck" and caused a sensation among American women. The dress would later be referred to as the "Sabrina'

The costume department had to duplicate Givenchy dresses in case something got ruined.  Edith Head sketched the little black dress and signed her name to it. Everyone assumed it was her own design. She never corrected them.  In fact she accepted the Oscar for the "Best Costume Design" at the Academy Awards. Audrey was horrified and called Givenchy to apologize. She promised him it would never happen again.

Givenchy never said a word until after Edith's death. Only then did he reveal the costumes were actually his designs.

He and Audrey became dear friends and he dressed her personally and professionally for the rest of her life. She wore his gorgeous clothing in Breakfast at Tiffany's

She is quoted as saying... "His are the only clothes in which I am myself. He is far more than a couturier, he is a creator of personality."

SPRING BREAK... SPRING CLEANING
Its time to get to work!

   

You would think because its Spring Break I would be going to some exotic place. Actually I'm only going as far as my walk in pantry, at least for day one. While I was recovering from my surgery I ate whatever anyone brought me and I was glad for it. I never gave my pantry a second thought. When I did finally venture downstairs I was shocked. Pretty much a "bomb" had gone off in there!!!!


All the grocery items were stuffed "willy nilly" everywhere, a 50 lb bag of dog food had been added (I have a "granddog" that visits occationally) and a HUGE box of paper goods was sitting on the floor, (my middle daughter's gentle way of saying we don't always have to eat off of the good dishes and no one wants to wash them)  

I'm back and this little room is getting a deep cleaning.  So excited I may not sleep tonight.







Try this simple recipe. It will make your house smell heavenly.
One lemon sliced
3 tsp vanilla
a few sprigs of rosemary
Cover with water and simmer.

"Cleanliness is next to Godliness"

Some attribute this saying to the Bible but its actually not there. The first reference goes back to Sir Francis Bacon who said it in a slightly different way... "Cleanliness of the body is deemed a reverence toward God." Then two centuries later John Wesley wrote, "Slovenliness is no part of religion, cleanliness is indeed next to Godliness."  The Amish use it, the Hebrews claim it, and I use to say it to my kids when it was time to clean house.  They just rolled their eyes and grumbled...  I laughed :)

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MAKE-UP FOR OLDER WOMEN

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