A Provence dream come true

Daily Gratitude

• Dreams. They are real, they are important. For me, they are how God gets his work done. 
• Friends and family who support you are a priceless gift. There are so many that are important to me. I will mention Claudia specifically, as she's been an integral piece of my recent endeavors. I am so thankful for you!
• Thank goodness for my Eddie dog. He gives me such unadulterated love and devotion. What would I do without that beautiful boy? 

My dream becomes a reality

You know that dream. The one that you tucked away because it was the wrong time or was seemingly indulgent or was just too big. That was my Provence Dream. Since I was a girl of about 16 I had a dream of traveling to the south of France. Someday, I would say. Someday I will smell the lavender fields and the sea mist. Someday I will shop the markets and walk the winding roads. Someday I will visit the structures that have housed man and beast for hundreds of years. Someday I will nibble on glorious cheeses and sip beautiful wine. Someday I will pray in a chapel older than memory. Someday...

The rustic countryside of Provence

That someday is now! 

Through the convergence of answered prayer, a college friendship, Facebook connections, and university course work, I am in the heart of Provence. I love how it happens. Let me show you where I stayed.

Freshly mowed hay field across the valley filled with wild oak and pine trees

My friend and her husband live in Buoux located in the Luberon Parc in Provence. This is an arid region covered with lavender, hay, and wheat fields. The hills are crisscrossed with networks of twisting narrow roads. The buildings, be they hundreds of years old or newly constructed, are made of indigenous stone and plaster.

Shepherd's cottage converted to a full service gite.

The old farm house has been added to and updated numerous times over the past century

Old and new converge

Rock walls, rock pathways

The view from my French window

Beautiful cross situated on the property. A gift from the original owner to his wife

How lovely to sip a cup of coffee under the wild oak trees

Supper alfresco is always inviting

Being here feels just like I thought it would. Yet, one cannot imagine the layers of history that is filled with war, conquest, defeat, love lost, love gained until you fully immerse in a place. La belle France, I am thrilled to be here! You are a dream come to reality.

When the Spirit moves

Daily Gratitude

• Rest and rejuvenation. Oh, how beautiful a good night's sleep is! I've had a string of restless nights and this morning I woke feeling ready for the work I must face: packing and hauling boxes. 
• Grateful for the generous help of loved ones. Yay! Moving is made fun when people you love are lending a hand! 
• Coffee, I love you. Yes, I tell you this often. But, please know I never take you for granted. 

Moved by the Spirit

As I am packing away most of my possessions and putting them in storage, I find myself distracted by things I haven't seen for a while. This morning I found these paintings. I was going through a beautiful spiritual metamorphosis and attempted to put some of this change on paper. I'm not an artist, so this was a new thing for me. When I found these today, it reminded me how beautiful this time was and it reignited the Spirit within.

Out of the Darkness Came Light

When the Spirit Moves

Cracked Pots 

Readying the Harvest

Gift of Life 

A thousand ways grateful

Today I am just grateful

I believe that every good thing comes from God. There are a myriad of good things in my life and I want to say Thank You to Him. I like how King David expresses his gratitude:

Thank you! Everything in me says "Thank you!" Angels listen as I sing my thanks. I kneel in worship facing your holy temple and say it again: "Thank you!" Thank you for your love, thank you for your faithfulness; Most holy is your name, most holy is your Word. The moment I called out, you stepped in; you made my life large with strength. Psalm 138:1 

Today I have a thousand ways that I'm grateful

Please indulge me as I say that I'm thankful for the ways God expresses His love for me. Here are just a few:

• My Sarah. The words to describe my beautiful, talented, shining daughter escape me. I am not skilled enough yet in this craft of words to tell the deep emotions that rise when I consider her. Yet, I continue to try. Today they are the colors bubble gum pink, smokey grey, and mysterious violet. 
• New lipstick. The scent encountered the first time one twists up a fresh tube of lipstick is a little bit thrilling. The smooth surface of color is perfect and I almost hate to mess it up. Yet, I can hardly wait to dress my lips with the slickness of the new shade. I like it...
• Sally Cat. She persistently pursues my affection my insisting to be on my lap when I'm at my computer or reading in my big green chair. My lap is her throne. 
• My Creator. I can't begin to comprehend the ever evolving, ever expanding universe. I will never get my mind big enough to fully enter the world of quantum physics. The intricate details of things big and small boggle my pea brain. All I can say is, wow! God, the harder I look, the deeper I delve, the more honored I am to be called your beloved. 

• Lively conversations about good reads. When a fellow read-acholic can get as excited as I do, well, it's pure heaven! Learning from someone I respect about a new book or being introduced to a new author is mind expanding. Yes!
• Icy cold martinis. Yep, the crisp ginny juniper essence barely cut with a kiss of vermouth. Oh...! 
• Friday morning phone chats with mom. Our standing weekly date is Friday morning at 8:00. I call mom, she answers with a sunny hello. The previous seven days are encapsulated.
• Warm hugs and kisses from friends. As I venture out in the world and encounter friends, I am happy to embrace them in greeting. The brief moment of closeness fills me with joyful energy that keeps my shine going. 
• Planning family gatherings. My family is a lot of fun, as we're a creative bunch. Getting together for Easter holiday is going to be an event. Just like it always is. Excited conversation. Amazingly creative food. The planning part is almost as fun as the doing part! 

• Soap. Gorgeous French milled soap. Hand-crafted organic soap. Prettily wrapped boutique soap. Italian goat's milk soap. Mmmm, I love you all!
• My girl friends. I thought to list each, then realized the list was so very long. And, what if I inadvertently missed one dear?! May the richness you've added to my life return to you tenfold. Each of you are rare and beautiful gems. I wear the love of our friendship with honor.
• Job interviews. I'm actually showing up on employers' radar. Many job seekers feel that all their efforts are going into some black hole at the far end of the universe. I think a few of my letters of interest have ended up there as well. Yet, the lovely opportunities I've had are confirming that I really do got it going!
• My Morgan. To have a son who honors me, expresses in his life some of my own dreams, and who still on occasion calls me "mommy" is a delight beyond expression. Thinking of him conjures visions of sparkling surf, homemade pizza, and all things "suvvy." 
• Eddie Dog. Rambunctious, adorable, crazy Eddie. My little buddy is super glued to me and I love it.

• Robust and complex coffee. You all already know my love affair with java. I'm just saying I'm thankful...again.
• The rushing creek down the road. It has come to life with the melting snow. It's fresh. It's wild. It's sparking with spring!
• My guy friends. You champion me. You validate me. You challenge me. Some of you think I'm pretty. One or two even think I'm sexy. I love you!
• Peace in times of strife. Trusting in God's provision during lean times has taught me the sweet joy of falling into Him. They ways He cares for me are precious. 
• Yummy smelling things like exotic incense, the top of a baby's head, sun-warmed tomato plants, freshly baked pumpkin pie, a freshly showered man, a perfectly scented candle, money (the green kind), and warm laundry from the dryer. 

The list goes on.... pot roast with carrots and potatoes, cards in the mail, snuggling, bird baths, an eager audience, completing a to-do list, funky and cool jazz, mint tea, junking treasures, foreign films, my bed after traveling, seeing the potential in another person, baby clothes, a balanced checkbook, a hike in the woods, the car wash, getting flowers, the robins in the tree out my window, praise for a job well done, plane boarding passes, the full moon, synchronicity, long and hot showers, tree canopied roads, reading poetry with a friend...

Today I am a thousand ways grateful. 

The first camping trip of the year

Daily Gratitude

I'm shining today because I'm grateful for:

• An extra hour of day light in the evening. Not loving loosing an hour in the morning, but know that I will adjust in a couple of days.
• Warm showers and washing machines. These were the two things I ran to immediately upon returning from my first camping trip of the season! 
• The safety of both of my kids. Both Sarah and Morgan took trips and came home with great memories. I'm so thankful they've returned happy and sound.

Ah! The great outdoors! 

When friends learned that Mountain Girls Adventures Genia and I were going camping this weekend, they shook their heads like I was nuts and told me to keep warm.  Even the cashiers at Walmart and Winco Foods had funny, wondering looks on their faces. Why in the world would anyone want to go camping in early March?

Because there's adventure in going and doing! 

Camping is something I've done since I was a kid. Most of the time I've wilderness camped. That is, going into remote locations where there isn't another human in sight. Nor are there water and power hookups, restrooms, showers, or tidy tent pads. Occasionally, I will camp in a campground. Usually not by choice. However, this trip it was a great decision.

Genia has a long history of summer adventures at Farragut State Park in northern Idaho. And, while we packed plenty of gear for tent camping, she thought one or two nights in one of the cabins would be fun. She made a good choice!

This little cabin is just great! It includes bedding and a log table with two small benches. It's wired for power, so there were lights and a heater/air conditioner unit. It sleeps five, however we thought it was just great for two people with a dog. Fortunately, Genia is small, so she could fit the little bunk bed. Eddie and I were grateful for a full sized lower bunk. 

So, maybe it wasn't wilderness, tent camping. But, it was pretty close! We still had outdoor cooking and outhouses. We packed in our water and used our flashlights. And, campfire smoke permeated our clothes. It was camping.

While hot dogs, hamburgers and smores are the mainstay of most camping trips, I like to fix up healthy and fun food ahead of time. This trip I thought it would be fun to try new camping recipes. Here are a few:

Pumpkin Apple Pancakes

1 large egg

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1/ cup canned pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 apple peeled, cored, and shredded

2 tablespoons butter, divided

Syrup

Mix together all ingredients except butter and syrup in a bowl. Melt 2 teaspoons butter in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Spoon batter by 1/3 cup portions into pan, making 3 or 4 pancakes at a time. Cook turning once, until cooked through, 8 to 10  minutes. Continue making pancakes with remaining batter, adding more butter to pan for each batch. Serve with syrup and more butter. Camping note: Mix dry ingredients and place in small ziploc bag. Mix all wet ingredients except apple and place in small ziploc bag. Place the two small ziploc bags, the whole apple, and measured butter all in a large ziploc together. Before preparing to mix and cook, peel, core and shred apple. 

Mexican Squash

3 Mexican Squash

1/2 heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

Coarsely chop squash. Place in pan with cream. Cover and simmer until squash is soft. Add salt and pepper. Serve!

Salade aux Trois Légumineuses (3 Bean Salad)

1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
8 ounces of fresh French green beans
1 1/2 cups garbanzo beans, cooked and drained
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 shallots, chopped

1 tablespoon Herbs d'Provence

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil

Bring a large pan of water to boiling. Add edamame and green beans. Cook 4 minutes. Rinse with cold water and drain. Combine edamame, green beans, garbanzo beans, and red pepper a bowl. In a small bowl, combine shallots and remaining ingredients, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzled dressing over bean mixture and toss. Camping note: Place bean salad in a large ziploc bag or plastic container.

Curried Lentils

2 cup dried lentils
6 cups water
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 teaspoon garlic chili paste
Sour cream
Fresh cilantro

In a medium pot, bring water, lentils, and bay leaf to boil. Cover and turn reduce heat for 20 minutes or until lentils are soft. Drain and discard bay leaf. In a separate pan, add oil, onion, and tomato. Saute until tender. Add garlic, curry powder, cumin, salt, and chili paste. Add lentils and cook and additional minute. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.  Camping note: Place lentils in a large ziploc bag or plastic container. We topped the lentils with a bit of shredded cheese rather than sour cream and cilantro. 

Chipotle-Lime Mashed Yams

4 large yams (about 2 pounds)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped chipotle chile in adobo sauce

1 tablespoon adobo sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

Boil quartered yams in a large pot of water until soft. Drain and remove skins. Mash yams in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Camping note: Place mashed yams in a large ziploc bag or plastic container. 

I didn't get a picture of this, but it was sure yummy!

Mashed Avocado with Hummus

2 cans drained garbanzo beans
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup tahini
1 lemon, juiced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon salt
1 large, ripe avocado

In a food processor, make a coarse paste with the garbanzo beans. Add oil slowly as the processor continues to make the beans a thick paste. Add tahini and mix in. Add lemon, garlic, cardamom, and salt to make hummus. If serving immediately, smash avocado separately and stir into hummus. Camping note: Place hummus in a plastic container. Wait to mash and stir in avocado right before serving.

There were several more, but I'll post them on Mermaids in our next issue in May.

What a wonderful, beautiful, adventure-filled time! Coffee by the fire in the morning. Stars shining brightly against the dark, frozen sky at night.

Hiking around the hillsides and along the beaches.

Sharing the invigorating air, spectacular sights, and excellent conversation and laughter with a great friend.

What an exceptional way to start the season! 

Pinspiration: Floral Abstract

Daily Gratitude

I'm shining today because I'm grateful for:

• Waking to the sound of birds. This morning the birds were calling one another in the morning light. It made me smile knowing they are getting ready for the business that Spring brings.
• Mermaids of the Lake, the online magazine I co-publish with my best friend Debbie. Sometimes writing and editing, organizing layout and design, working with other writers, and such can be a load of work. Yet, it's so worth it when it's done. A finished issue feels wonderful.
• My coffee maker. Enough said. 

Pinspiration: Floral Abstract

Have you had a pinspiration? It's a term coined by Pinterest followers. Being an ardent pinner, I have pinspirations frequently. More than just loving all the beautiful, interesting, creative things on Pinterest, I'm actually having fun cooking a few recipes and doing some of the projects. And, I'm finding that sharing these experiments with another pinner doubles the fun! (See my Pinterest related terms below).

Last weekend I visited my daughter, Sarah. She's a university students attending school a few hours away. Sarah (also a pinner) and I planned to do a project together. You know, mother-daughter bonding. We cruised through both of our creative boards. There was so much to choose from! Many were complicated, requiring more time and money than we had. We narrowed things down to an art project I'd pinned a few weeks ago. How to Paint a Floral Abstract in Acrylics appealed to both of us.

Materials needed for the project

• Acrylic paints - Use a variety of colors 
• Paintbrushes - 1 flat paintbrush for painting the background squares, and 1 or 2 small round paintbrushes for painting in the details.
• Canvas - choose a square or rectangular canvas in any size you want. I used a 12"x 12" canvas.
• Ruler - for measuring the grid
• Pencil - for drawing the grid

The first step was to pencil in 12 3x3" boxes on the canvas. Then paint each square.

Once the squares dried, I painted a boarder and a circle in each. No need to be precise with this project. In fact, I thought going at it a bit free-style adds to the look. I used all sorts of colors, making the boarders and circles differing sizes.

Sarah took off on a completely different path. She drew precise angles resembling a quilt pattern. Her color scheme was five colors.

My circles soon turned into the center of flowers. I began adding petals and such to the centers. Again, being a bit loose, sometimes extending into the boarder. 

Sarah's boxes filed with angles and blocks. Pretty colors!

Reinforced with an excellent cup of coffee, I continued to apply layers upon layers of petals. They were then embellished with dots. This was really taking quite a bit of time! Not being an artist who uses acrylic paints, I didn't realize how much time it would take. I made a boo-boo or two, so painted over a few places. You can see that on the bottom right corner and on the top row. Oh well, still having fun!

At this point, it was time for me to head for home. Sarah and I compared our pieces. Wow, what a different approach to the same project! 

Finally, each of the boxes were filled with a crazy, dotted flower. Lastly, I painted the sides with black paint.

Seriously, this project turned out way more whimsical than how I usually express myself! Yet, I had a wonderful time. Working side-by-side with Sarah was fun. It was interesting seeing how we each approached the creative process. She is studying Architecture, so it makes sense that she comes at things with precision and takes care at every step. I, on the other hand, dove into the project with complete lack of restraint. Even our shared paint tray demonstrated that. Sarah's paint blobs were neatly placed in a row. Mine, smeared all over, took up two-thirds of the tray! 

Overall, the Pinterest project deserved medium-high scores 

Here's why: The link from Pinterest to the web page went directly to the featured project, the project was clearly stated on the web page, the steps were easy to follow, the project turned out somewhat similar to the tutorial, and we were able to modify it to our taste. The only lower mark being it isn't a beginner project and it should be stated that familiarity with acrylic paints and brushes is required. 

Another Pinterest project

Earl Grey Cupcakes is another Pinspiration project I did. The process is documented on Mermaids of the Lake.

Want to know more about Pinterest?

Pinterest is a tool for collecting and organizing things you love.
Pin is what you do when you find something on the webs that you like.
Pinner is someone who uses the tool a lot!
Pinspiration is an inspiration one gets from seeing something pinned by another.

I would love it if you followed my boards! I love pinning great quotes, inspirational ideas for decorating, recipes that are interesting and unusual, various art expressions, and images of the types of things I collect. Find me here: Pinterest.com/ShelleyHepler

Life is...

Daily Gratitude

I'm shining today because I'm grateful for:

• My leopard print ear muffs. What a funky Christmas gift! Morgan, my son, gave me a pair of ear warmers that are wired with speakers. Listening to my music is now not only more comfortable, but a cozy and stylish experience. 
• An organized dresser. Loaded up a big mug of coffee and happily organized my dresser. Being neat and tidy behind the scenes feels clean and good.
• Conversation with friends. I am refreshed and filled. My BFF Debbie and I indulged in hours upon hours of hanging out. No movies, no music. Just good dialog, laughter, and yummy food. Ahhhhh.....

Wise and beautiful words for today from Mother Teresa

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.

Life is beauty, admire it.

Life is a dream, realize it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.

Life is a duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.

Life is sorrow, overcome it.

Life is a song, sing it.

Life is a struggle, accept it.

Life is a tragedy, confront it.

Life is an adventure, dare it.

Life is luck, make it.

Life is too precious, do not destroy it.

Life is life, fight for it.

~Mother Teresa

Image source: Live HapILLY

In the waiting

Daily Gratitude

I'm shining today because I'm grateful for:

• Beautiful, crystalline sunshine. The air is crackling with frigid energy today. Add a little coffee, and we have the perfect morning!
• My sister, Leslie. What an amazing woman! She has creative talent like an artesian spring, endless generosity of heart for her family and community, and a bright mischievousness in her eyes that delights. I'm so blessed to have her as my dear friend.
• Dreams of inspiration. I love nighttime and daytime dreams. Do you journal them? I do!

A thought or two about waiting...

Time is very slow for those who wait

Very fast for those who are scared

Very long for those who lament 

Very short for those who celebrate

But for those who love time is eternal

~William Shakespeare

Being the action-oriented person that I am, waiting doesn't come naturally to me. It's been an uncomfortable place, making me feel passive and inept. I've felt much like this definition of waiting:

intransitive verb do nothing expecting something to happen: to stay in one place or do nothing for a period of time until something happens or in the expectation or hope that something will happen

There was too much of this kind of waiting in my life in last year. The pining, anxious, worrisome type. When will work come? How will I honor my financial commitments? What will happen to the goals and dreams I believe are right? Who will come to love and cherish me? There's nothing wrong or bad about these questions, rather it's the attitude or place from where I asked them.

Crazy! I am a woman of alacrity, meeting the world with an eager smile and a ready attitude! What happened to the bright, shiny girl who loves challenges and change? Waiting. Waiting did it. Yet, upon contemplation, I remembered that there are different kinds of waiting. 

In the new year, I am going to honor the every-ready quality of temperament that God gave me. There's still some waiting ahead. However, I've decided to embrace this version of waiting:

intransitive verb be ready or available: to be ready or available for somebody to take or use

Yes! I can turn a heavy, burdensome thing into something good, something powerful. And, as an added measure, I'm committing to an extra dose of love. Loving the place I am in, being in the ready for challenge and change.

I'm thinking this new year is gonna be amazing!

I want feel like I'm in an Italian movie

Daily Gratitude

I'm shining today because I'm grateful for:

• The treasure of being loved. I have wealth beyond measure when I examine the richness of my friendships. Truly, there's nothing more precious than being cared for by the people in my life.
• Generous gestures. Today I was treated to a wonderful woman's networking luncheon, then to a great cup of coffee in a really cool place. Nice!
• Prep time to do His plan. God doesn't just push us out into a situation without giving us time to get ready. I appreciate the training and preparation process.

On Grey Days Like Today...

This foggy, chilly time of year makes me want to snuggle in with a cozy blanket, a rich cup of robust coffee, and a few biscotti. Escaping to Italy is on the agenda by way of a great chick flick set in bright, sunny Tuscany, Liguria, Campania, or Veneto. Here are a few I fall into every year at this time.

I want to feel like I'm in an Italian movie

or, Per il vostro divertimento!

Bread and Tulips or Pane e tulipani 

This award-winning romance comedy film was directed by Silvio Soldini, and stars Licia Maglietta and Bruno Ganz. The story is about an Italian housewife who finds herself stranded during a family vacation. Instead of waiting for her controlling businessman husband, she hitchhikes her way home, only to impulsively detour to Venice. There she finds accommodations with a restaurant maitre d' and soon finds herself enjoying her a life.

I love this movie because it's quirky and so different. Yet, the yearning to live one's own life, fulfilling secret dreams transcends cultures. Most any woman who has a husband and children to tend can escape in this story, even if it's just for an hour or so.

Enchanted April

This film is an adaptation of Elizabeth von Arnim's 1922 novel, The Enchanted April. It was directed by Mike Newell, and stars Alfred Molina, Joan Plowright and Miranda Richardson. In the story four dissimilar women in 1920s England leave their damp and rainy environs to go on a holiday to a secluded coastal castle in Italy. The women come together at a castle and find rejuvenation in the tranquil beauty of their surroundings, rediscovering hope and love. The film was shot on location at Castello Brown in Portofino, Italy. This same castle was where the author of the book stayed in the 1920s.

Oh, to spend a month or two in an Italian castle! The wisteria and sunshine speak to my heart, as do the friendships that form between these women and the men they love. I never tire of this little gem.

Italian for Beginners or Italiensk for begyndere 

This film is a 2000 Danish romantic comedy film written and directed by Lone Scherfig. The film stars Anders W. Berthelsen, Lars Kaalund and Peter Gantzler. Here we see Italy through the eyes of three Danish women as they meet for Italian lessons at the local community center. The class serves as a way of bringing various residents of the town together, each of whom is dealing with loss or pain, out of their loneliness and into interactions with other people. It's a film about fulfilling dreams.

Want to change everything you know about love? This movie is funny, spontaneous, heart-warming, and touching. It makes me laugh and feel good!

Under the Tuscan Sun

Under the Tuscan Sun is a romantic comedy drama film written, produced, and directed by Audrey Wells and starring Diane Lane. The film, set in Cortona between Tuscany and Umbria, is about a recently-divorced writer who buys a villa in Tuscany on a whim, hoping it will lead to a change in her life.

This one is my very most favorite. I have seen it at least ten times, maybe more. Can you say sunflowers, wine, love, and transformation?

Letters to Juliet

This is an American romantic drama film starring Amanda Seyfried, Chris Egan, and Vanessa Redgrave. The story is about a young American woman who travels to the city of Verona, home of the star-crossed lover Juliet Capulet. She joins the "Secretaries of Juliet" who respond to letters to Juliet seeking advice about love. After answering one letter dated from 1957, she inspires its author to travel to Italy in search of her long-lost love.

Long lost love served up with wine, rolling hills, and letters. More, please!

The English Patient 

This movie is a romantic drama film written for the screen and directed by Anthony Minghella. It won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Staring Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche and Kristin Scott Thomas, the story is about a doomed and tragic romance set against the backdrop of World War II. In a field hospital in Italy, a nurse from Canada, is caring for a pilot who was horribly burned in a plane wreck; he has no identification and cannot remember his name, so he's known simply as "the English Patient," thanks to his accent.

Get comfortable and settle in, this one is long and winding. The lush and complex plot is worth every minute.

Yes, this grey time of year, when I'm missing sunshine and warm breezes, I pull out the movies and say, 

I just wanna feel like I'm in an Italian movie! 

Today it's a coffee day

Daily Gratitude

I'm shining today because I'm grateful for:

• My coffee maker. What would I do with out this beautiful little machine! I'm especially thankful on a morning like this.
• God's master plan. Even on days like today, when the future is foggy from my perspective. In the plan-within-a-plan that God has, I know crazy, amazing things are up ahead.
• The choices my children are making. Both are at university, working hard at preparing for professions. I hope they're making time to enjoy being 20-somethings.

Today it's a coffee day...all day

Being the energetic and action-oriented person I am, days like today surprise me. I guess I am grateful that I rarely wake up groggy and fuzzy. I'm told there are a few million people who start their day this way. Yikes!

This morning caffeine is my best friend (sorry Debbie, you are being temporarily moved to second place). Together we have a lot to get done: job applications and cover letters to compose, pine needles to rake and bag, meet a new friend for more coffee, and gather inspiration for Mermaids. 

MUST...BE...SHINY...TODAY....

Coffee, it's a girl's best friend. At least, this girl's!