happy list

 

1.      Getting handwritten letters in the mail from friends you haven’t seen in ages.

2.      Reading old journals and seeing how far I’ve come.

3.      Singing opera in the shower. Very loudly.

4.      Driving through rural Missouri with the windows rolled down at the height of autumn color

5.      Pictures of babies smiling.

6.      A full moon

7.      Tea cups. Especially blue china ones.

8.      Singing “The Sound of Music” while running up a grassy slope with my arms flung wide.

9.      Watching Tex gallop across the field in early morning.

10.   Finding the perfect treasure in an antique store.

11.   Warm bed sheets fresh out of the dryer.

12.   Huge mansions with turrets and bay windows

13.   Intimate devo time with church friends.

14.   Sunlight pouring through the stained glass windows at church.

15.   Taking selfies with Catherine and Olivia.

16.   The sound of children laughing and screaming on a play ground

17.   hearing my dog snore when she sleeps:)

18.   The smell of a candle burning.

19.   A live orchestra playing waltzes.

20.   Soft cuddly puppies when they groan in their sleep.

21.   The general chaos of our family during Christmas.

22.   Bright red cardinals in a snowy apple tree.

23.   Having pointless conversations with my very good friends because we understand each other so perfectly.

24.   Scuffling around the house in my slippers

25.   Watching birds on the feeder through the kitchen window.

26.   Puppies playing in the snow.

homemade notebook

     This craft should have been a part of my Christmas blog series, but I had to wait until after the holiday since it was a gift for my friend Catherine.

It is a simple little notebook made with blank paper and a scrabble board. The idea came to me (believe it or not) when we were playing scrabble. Since we happened to have 4 extra scrabble games lying around, (don't ask me why-- as a family we are fairly obsessed with the game) I was able to begin work immediately.

 

note: the game board is too thick to be professionally spiral bound at any office store. Thanks to a Dewalt drill and some binder rings from Wal-Mart I got the job done quite nicely myself. Who needs a fancy spiral-binding-machine?

 

The most difficult part of making this notebook was measuring the dimensions and cutting everything proportionally. It took me a while to decide how large I should make it.  Thankfully scrabble boards already have grids on them to make the job easier:)

 

 

I was quite pleased the result. --Can't wait to make more! Maybe (someday in the future) I will make some with different game boards. Monopoly perhaps? Risk? Sorry? Look out. I'm going to start haunting the thrift stores for more supplies.

trip to the art museum

      Pablo Picasso phrased it perfectly: “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” That's what I feel like every time I go to the ballet, listen to opera, or visit the art museum. Appreciating the arts is a way to enter a surreal world of romance and beauty, mystery and intrigue.
     Yesterday, when Dad to us to the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum in KC the dust was completely washed off my soul:)

 

Pure emotion emanated from every painting.

Some paintings were full of exuberance and happiness.

 

 

Others were peaceful and meditative. 

 

Some masterpieces of art were ancient and mysterious. I wanted to know what stories these miniature mummies could tell from their thousands of years of existence.

 

This painting (titled "Wrapping it up") was one of my favorites. It is telling an open-ended story: one that the painter leaves for you to finish. Are they friends? or is this a courtship? will it end happily? I'd like to think so. They look so happy:)

  

Visiting the art museum showed me to look at all the different perspectives in life. You might be surprised if you do....

  

     photo credits go to Cabe Dey! Despite the fact that his camera has a broken light meter, he managed to take excellent pictures.

turning over a new leaf

Writing is not a chore. Even though I love to write and create images in my mind, I still have many things to learn. Do not write forcefully, expecting it to be perfect. Instead write with emotion and sensitivity. The imperfection of your creation will just add to its beauty; people will be able to relate to it.

Well, I have been making writing a chore—something I dread doing because I ‘have’ to do it ‘for my blog’. Foolish Laurel! I have been neglecting my Loyal Friend---it’s sorta been sitting these last two years, waiting for me to do something extraordinary with it.  I’ve made the decision to remedy that, or Landsflicka won’t live much longer.

So I got this amazing book at Barnes and Noble last night called “Blogging for Bliss” by Tara Frey. Her lovely ideas and suggestions have given me inspiration to turn over a new leaf on Landsflicka. No longer am I going to write half-heartedly on a once-a-month basis. No. Instead I am going use it like my battered journal: give it the attention it needs for revival, and fill it up with little pieces from my life.

               I must confess that I was tempted to start over with a new blog, but with much thought I concluded that perseverance must prevail! I shall remain loyal and keep carving out my little space on the internet. Everyone is welcome to read over the musings of my soul. Please share your thoughts and tell me what you would like to see.

Homemade Christmas {hot chocolate}

     Though this recipe is already on the world wide web, I just had to share it with you! It makes so much hot chocolate mix that I am going to have to give some away for Christmas. Once again my mason jars will come in handy for that:)


HOT CHOCOLATE:

(Makes 15 cups of mix or 45 servings. I know! That's a lot!)

10 cups dry milk powder
4 3/4 sifted confectioners sugar
1 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups powdered non-dairy creamer (there are different flavors)

and don't forget some small marshmallows, and peppermint sticks:)

Chocolate was discovered in the 16th century when Spanish explorer Cortez brought it to Spain from the Aztecs Indians. The Spanish made it a hot sweetened beverage and guarded their precious drink carefully---  It wasn't until a century later when it began to spread across Europe. That's when chocolate houses started up in England and became extremely popular. Thank you Cortez! :)