The Old Dogwood Blooms Again -Spring in Mars, PA
I Can Only Strive…
Welcome back
from your dormant rest.
Blossom and bloom
and boast your beauty.
I can only strive
to follow your example.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
I Can Only Strive
Photography
Expect Surprises
Expect Surprises.
Around the bend…
on the other side of the bridge.
Along the edge of the road…
after the rain.
Before the “main event”…
in simple places.
In between the drops of rain…
when the sunshine peeks.
Look closely…
and pay attention.
Expect surprises.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
This photo was taken on the property of a country wedding we attended this past weekend. It was a several-hour, stay-overnight kind of trip to a remote place that was full of happy, special, loving surprises.
The Best Mother’s Day Gift
Grandma’s Bleeding Heart – A Mother’s Day Flower
The Best Mother’s Day Gift.
When I was a young, extremely naive, stay-at-home mom
to two energetic and spirited little boys,
the perfect Mother’s Day “gift” would have been
an hour or two of peace and quiet all to myself to do whatever I pleased.
But now that I am an older, experienced, working-outside-the-home mom
to two amazing and independent young men,
and have gained two “daughters”
and a granddaughter too…
the perfect Mother’s Day “gift” has become
an hour or two of time together
to love and laugh and appreciate
the greatest gift of all…
The gift of
being a Mom!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Upon Closer Inspection
Upon Closer Inspection.
It may appear
to be just a rock
sitting amidst the flower bed
Like so many
things we are used to seeing,
but fail to really notice.
Take some time…
Don’t overlook
the whole universe of activity.
Take the time
to notice the details
you’d otherwise miss…
Upon closer inspection.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
All of the Sudden
Flowering Crabapple Tree, Mars, PA – Spring 2018
All of the Sudden.
You wait.
You wonder.
You anticipate.
And then
one day
you blink.
And all of the sudden
the beauty and joy and delight
appears.
All of the sudden.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
In the Darkness
In the Darkness.
Sometimes
the most
beautiful,
wonderful,
exciting
things
show up
in
the
darkness.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Showing Your True Colors
Goldfinch – Mars, PA – April 2018
Showing Your True Colors.
If you could show your true color,
what color would you be?
Yellow is the color of sunshine, hope, and happiness.
Yellow stands for freshness, happiness, positivity, clarity, energy, optimism, enlightenment, remembrance, intellect, honor, loyalty, and joy.
Bright yellow is an attention getting color, and when used in combination with black, it creates one of the easiest color combinations to read and see from long distances. This is why school buses, taxi cabs, and traffic signs are painted yellow and black.
If you were a color – would you be yellow?
If I could be as beautiful as this goldfinch that visits our backyard, I sure would be.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Don’t Stop Working for It
Pine Squirrel in the Spring Snow – Mars, PA – April 7, 2018
If you
can’t stop
thinking
about it,
Don’t stop
working
for it.
This little cutie is an American Red (Pine) Squirrel that hangs out in our back yard with the birds and other bigger squirrels (and chipmunks and turkey and deer and Charlie of course). These little squirrels only stand about 6 inches tall, being just a bit bigger than a chipmunk, and weigh about a half of a pound (200-250 g).
Saturday morning, we awoke to another Spring snow with two or three inches on the deck railing. This little bugger was not giving up on his quest to get to the (ahem) “bird” feeder for breakfast. I caught him burrowing full force through the snow that was taller than him when on all fours, but he was determined…. and he got there.
He reminded me not to give up and not to stop working on what we want and where we want to go.
Thanks little buddy!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Coconut Dark Chocolate Dream Cookies
Coconut Dark Chocolate Dream Cookies.
Are you a coconut lover?
Is dark chocolate your chocolate choice?
Would you choose a Mounds bar even if you are a little nutty?!
Then these cookies are definitely your dream come true!
They didn’t last long in our house.
I used Moser Roth 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate I purchased at Aldi. YUM!
Not a coconut fan?
Make them for someone who is…
You just might earn Betty Crocker Baking Super Star status .
Just sayin’…
Coconut Dark Chocolate Dream Cookies*
Ingredients:
- 1 cup solid coconut oil
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped dark chocolate
- 2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Cream coconut oil and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add in egg and vanilla, followed by baking powder, salt, and flour.
Stir in chopped chocolate and coconut.
Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto baking stone or cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned and set. Cool completely.
Enjoy!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
* Original recipe slightly adapted from Add a Pinch.
Tiny interesting choices
Tiny Interesting Japonica blooms, Mars, PA – April 2018
Tiny interesting choices.
Take wrong turns. Talk to strangers.
Open unmarked doors. And if you see a
group of people in a field, go find out
what they are doing. Do things without
always knowing how they’ll turn out.
You’re curious and smart and
bored, and all you see is the choice
between working hard and slacking off.
There are so many adventures that you
miss because you’re waiting to think of
a plan. To find them, look for tiny
interesting choices. And remember that
you are always making up the
future as you go,
Isn’t this great advice?!
Remember there is more to life than just working hard or slacking off…. there is so much “in between.”
Cherish those moments!
Look for those tiny interesting choices that are making up your future… your life.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 