Chinese lantern flower – Phipp’s Conservatory – Spring 2017
So small.
So delicate.
So intricate.
So powerful.
So bright
without a light.
Nature’s symbol
of life’s joy.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
#cherishthemoments
#onebeautifulthingeachday
Partly cloudy?
Partly sunny?
Sunshine on a cloudy day…
What could be more divine?
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Do you happen to have A SONG in your head about right now?
One New Beautiful Thing – Along My Daily Walk
One New Beautiful Thing.
As you walk along life’s pathway –
which often seems to go the same ole’ way,
Challenge yourself to find
just one new beautiful thing each day.
Open your eyes and open your heart –
it is right there in front of you if only you look.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
In case you forgot to remind yourself this morning…
It’s a new day ready for fresh beginnings.
Your smile can light up a room.
Your beauty is way more than just your appearance.
You alone are more than enough.
You are doing a pretty awesome job at this thing called life.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
PS – I also need to remind myself of this, and these maple tree seedpods I fondly remember as “helicopters” from my childhood spring days at Grandma’s remind me of the hope each day brings and the beauty and potential we all have within just waiting to be shared.
Cherish the Moments!
Terry’s Chocolate Orange Double Chocolate Cookies.
I’ll bet some of you are surprised to see me baking cookies again after the past month of wedding cookie baking.
But those cookies are gone. And we were invited to a friend’s house last weekend for a little get together, and guess what I was asked to bring???
I had a couple of Terry’s Chocolate Oranges in the pantry that I’ve been waiting to make something yummy and chocolatey with, and so I found a recipe that I modified to include them.
They were yummy! A double chocolate chewy, fudgy cookie with a hint of orange.
I had to laugh when a friend said he didn’t really like chocolate cookies – while he was eating his fourth one!
Hope you will give these delightful treats a try!
Ingredients:
Directions:
Cream butter and sugar in electric mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Mix in baking soda and salt. Slowly mix in cocoa powder and flour until combined.
Gently stir in chopped Terry’s Chocolate Oranges. Refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Drop by tablespoonful onto baking stone or cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes just until set and beginning to crackle.
Leave on baking stone for 5 minutes after removing from oven to begin cooling. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Sunrise on Forsythe – Mars, PA – 5/8/17
Even if no one bothers to look…
The sunrise, of course, doesn’t care if we watch it or not.
It will keep on being beautiful,
even if no one bothers to look at it.
Yesterday morning I was on the road very early
and couldn’t resist driving down one of my favorite roads in our little community.
It was a cold, but sunny morning
with a nip in the air and frost on the grass.
As the warmth of the sun shone,
the steam and fog rose from the ice crystal-kissed earth and cold creeks and ponds.
I drove home slowly on my way back from my early morning run,
sipping my steaming coffee, but drinking in the beginning of a new day.
I wish I took time to notice it more often….
It’s there – just waiting for me to enjoy its beauty.
And with or without me –
that sunrise just keeps on being beautiful!
It made me think a bit too…
About being beautiful.
No – not Hollywood beauty…
not Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition beauty.
But about being a beautiful person –
in my heart and in my thoughts and in my character and in my actions.
And I want to make an effort to be a beautiful person…
even if no one bothers to look.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Gene Amole also wrote a book I just bought on Amazon called “The Last Chapter.” I look forward to reading it and will share my thoughts.
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you.
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow…-Kahlil Gibran
Next Sunday is Mother’s Day.
Last Saturday my youngest “child” got married.
My greatest honor in life has been being a mother.
But as this wise verse from Kahlil Gibran in The Prophet reminds me,
I may have housed their bodies, but I cannot house their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow.
I am so proud of the men my boys have become.
As I watched the youngest celebrate marriage, and the oldest toast his brother last weekend,
my heart swelled.
Somehow we managed to do a good job.
And I couldn’t have done it without my husband – their father – by my side.
As I look at this photo I took at Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh a few weeks ago of a Momma Duck (made of flowers by the way) and her little ducklings, I was once again reminded of the privilege I was bestowed in life to be a mother. I am now also blessed with two beautiful “daughters”-in-law and the great privilege of being a “grand”mother.
I am so grateful.
Here’s to all the moms out there!
Cherish the moments.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Purple Lilacs in Vase
The Scent of Lilacs
Your petals are so delicate.
Your lavender color exquisite.
But it is your sweet fragrance…
Your uniquely undeniable scent –
Much like an aura –
That always draws me in.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
My Favorite Roasted Brussels Sprouts.
After all the cookie recipe posts of late, I thought I would share an amazing vegetable recipe I recently tried and LOVED!
I recalled seeing one of those hyperlapse videos someone shared on Facebook that looked so yummy, so I wrangled these up last Sunday for Hubby and me. We loved them.
Throw all the ingredients in a Ziploc bag to toss together early in the day or right before serving. Spread them on a baking stone or sheet and roast to yummy goodness!
If you are a brussels sprouts lover, I think you are really going to enjoy this simple, delicious recipe.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut tough bottoms off brussels sprouts, and then slice in half. Throw in a gallon Ziploc bag. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle in garlic salt and pepper. Add Panko crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Shake and massage bag to full incorporate and coat all brussels sprouts.
(If doing ahead of time, place in refrigerator until ready to roast.)
Pour contents of bag onto baking stone or shallow baking sheet. Roast approximately 20 minutes until browned and tender, stirring once or twice during roasting.
Enjoy!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Even the rockiest, roughest of roads
often have patches of beauty.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 