Sugar Cookie Heaven

One never knows where the next cookie recipe will come from or how good it will be.

Recently, while grocery shopping at Aldi's, instead of the regular market, I came across many items with bargain price tags.

Pure vanilla extract , as opposed to artificial, was one of them.

A bottle cost less that $5 so I put two into my shopping cart as I love baking.

The side of the box the vanilla came in held a recipe for sugar cookies.

Because gifts of lots of cookies are given for all occasios, I decided to give the recipe a shot.

It was simple and quick, both pluses in the baking world.

There was no call for chilling the dough for hours before baking.

The pleasant fragrance of baking cookies filled the apartment.

The extra heat from the oven warmed things up. 

All cookie recipients sent their praises for the sugar cookies. 

That surprise trip to Aldi's was a good call.

The cookies were a hit this round and will be made again in the future, all because of the purchase of a box of pure vanilla extract.

Short Month, Long Winter

                 Two candle-climbing angels, without candles, guard a glass Valentine heart.  

February is inching its way to the month's end.

A glance at the calendar noted there are only
28 days in  this month.

A memorized elementary school blurb from childhood flashed through my mind.

"Thirty days has September, 
April, June, and November.
All the rest have 31, except February, that has 28."

Yup.  That little ditty is still stuck in the brain after seven decades of life and that's amazing.

So it's time to take down the beautiful Valentine's Day cards, strip the dollhouse of hearts and tiny Valentines, and put away other telltale signs of the day of love.

More snow fell on top of the many inches we had already received this week. 

However, it was not half as bad as some parts of Massachusetts that got whomped.

Here's goodbye to Cupid. 

Hello to more thoughts of the spring, including gorgeous flowering plants and heavenly bird song,  to come!

Hope springs eternal!

A "Sweet" Suggestion

Some public places, such as beauty salons and tax services, have small bowls of candy on desks for clients.

In one office, the secretary told me to help myself to any candies desired.

I selected one small heart-shaped piece of Dove chocolate. 

Inside the foil wrapper came a treat even more special than the candy.

There was a saying there that really made me smile and think.

It read,  "Laugh until your heart overflows."  

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU LAUGHED UNTIL YOUR OWN HEART OVERFLOWED? WHAT MADE YOU LAUGH?

Complete Joy in Little Things

As one gets older, we become more aware of  small pleasures and gifts given to us by nature.

When in the midst of raising kids, working full time jobs, and trying to juggle a million different things, it's harder to see the things  that bring us joy.                                                                                          

For Valentine's Day, my daughter and son-in-law brought me a gorgeous fluted milk glass vase (that used to be mine, ha ha ha), filled with glorious pink roses!

They are so large that some of them can fit in the palm of one's hand.

Every time I glance at the small table where meals are eaten, it's possible to look at those gorgeous blooms in my very favorite color. 

They bring so many smiles a day that it would be impossible to count them.

Flowers are among the most dazzling of gifts that make our hearts sing.

Singing, in itself, can also be a gift and listening to others sing, as well.

Music is another one of those precious pleasures that make life quite wonderful.

WHAT ARE SOME SMALL THINGS THAT BRING PLEASURE IN YOUR OWN LIFE? COULD YOU SHARE A COUPLE?

Love or Gold?

 

The white sign with the golden letters packs a powerful message.

Gold can come and go but love is forever.

Would it  be okay to have love and maybe a little bit of gold, along with it?

That might be the ideal. 

Not only is it important to love others, it's imperative to love one's self, too.

If a person fails to love him or herself, first, how can it be possible to love others?

Even though marriage vows say a husband and wife are together  " until death do you part,"  love still doesn't go away when one of the spouses dies. 

Love is forever, throughout eternity.

Wishing you lots of love today, whether you give it or receive it, or, best yet, a little bit of both.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF LOVE?