It’s spring! I know I’m not the only one who’s happy to see this season. This is my wish for you:
Until next time,
Ann
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Monthly Archives: March 2015
Don’t Worry… Be Happy
I have a friend who never uses her favorite plates or tableware for fear of who knows what? She’s never said. She only wears her good jewelry and the outfit that makes her feel pretty on special occasions. She covers her favorite sofa with a slip cover to keep it nice, and she usually puts herself last. But hey, life is short! It is often predictable.
My friend deserves to be happy, and so do you. Promise me that you’ll at least think about that…
Until next time,
Ann
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Attitude is Everything!
The other day, one of my daughters was about to tackle a difficult task. When I wondered how she planned to make it through, she replied, “I’ll figure it out. Besides, I only have to it once, so it’s no big deal.” Now that’s what I call a good attitude! I like to think she got that positive, can-do outlook from me.
Although I love this photo, I have to say that to me, attitude isn’t so little. It’s HUGE! I am a big believer that one’s attitude can make or break anything and everything in our lives.
So I have to ask: What’s your attitude? If it isn’t the best, what will you do to boost it? Here is a blog by by Paula Lawes with some great ideas on that: http://bit.ly/1DkAZW9 . Check it out!
Until next time,
Ann
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Jumbo Island Cookies, aka Don’t Let Those Bananas Go Bad!
I used to hate when the bananas at my house got a little too ripe. Then I discovered this mouth-watering cookie recipe. With bananas, chocolate chips, coconut and macadamia nuts, how can you go wrong?
Jumbo Island Cookies
Ingredients
1 2/3 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
6 Tbsp butter at room temperature
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup mashed banana
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Directions
Sift together flour, baking power, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; set aside. Using a mixer at high speed, beat butter for 2 minutes. Add sugar and mashed banana. Beat for 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Turn speed to low and add flour mixture. When incorporated, turn off mixer. Stir in chocolate chips, coconut, and macadamia nuts.
Using an ice cream scoop (coat with oil so this gooey batter doesn’t stick), drop onto a greased cookie sheet (I use Silpat instead). Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees, until lightly golden. Let cool 1-2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks.
These won’t last long enough to store, but if you must, use an airtight container.
Until next time,
Ann
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Change… It Does the Mind Good
Here is a profound bit of wisdom for you to think about. Try it, and you’ll see that it’s true!
Until next time,
Ann
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Romance… It Does the Reader Good
One reason I write romance is because I believe in love. And after all, love does make the world go round. Also because I enjoy a good story where the hero and heroine suffer and fight to get what they want–often head-to-head against each other. Where the odds are often stacked against them both in life and in love. But after all that suffering and angsting, in the end love triumphs, and the other challenges and hurdles just might get solved, too.
Life is full of bad news and sad endings. Why not indulge in stories that we know will have the payoff we all dream of–an optimistic ending?
Until next time,
Ann
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Springing Ahead… Way Ahead….
Here in the Pacific Northwest, winter has been unusually mild. Flowers are pushing up through the earth and trees are blooming– a full month early!
forsythia in our front yard
flowering magnolia across the street
I hope we don’t have a frost that will kill these flowers–or hurt our orchard mason bees.What are orchard mason bees, you ask? These amazing critters are used throughout the U.S., to pollinate fruit trees in orchards, as well as flowers and vegetables. They are gentle creatures (they avoid humans and don’t sting!), and are active for only a short time each spring. We buy them at our local hardware store. They come in a glass vial and can be stored in the refrigerator until the weather is warm enough to release them. (I wanted to show you the vial, but it got thrown away…)
orchard mason bee
Once a female works her magic, she lays eggs in a partitioned house, adds the pollen she has gathered, and seals each partition with mud. These bees aren’t able to bore into wood and make their homes, so we bought this little house at the same hardware store where we purchased the bees.
our orchard mason bee house
The female leaves the eggs to gestate and grow until the following spring, when as full-fledged bees, they break free and work their magic. This year, despite placing the bee house in a sheltered and relatively safe place, a predator of some kind ate all the eggs! We had to buy more.
With the sunny, warm weather we’ve been having, our orchard mason bees are already hard at work. I can hardly wait until the fruits of their labors bring us an abundant crop of veggies and fruits.
If only writing worked this way, with a big burst of work and creativity, and then a long period of seemingly nothing, while ideas hatched and grew into full-fledged, mature ideas. Instead, I’m hatching ideas all year-round, so many that I’ll never be able to turn them all into stories! Ah well, we writers to what we can…
Until next time,
Ann
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I Swear, I’m Working
There are time when this froggie could be me!
Writing is hard work, even when it looks like loafing. I often sit and gaze into space. Or fiddle with a pen and a pad of paper, making silly doodles or jotting down a word or a phrase. Or open a book or magazine to read, and end up simply staring at the page. Sometimes I even watch the tube or listen to the radio without absorbing a word.
When I do these things, I’m working–I swear! Creativity requires lots of daydreaming and thinking. What-if, could it be done, is it possible, how and where, who and why–these are the stuff of which stories are made.
At the moment, I’m busy editing a book, whipping it into shape for publication. I’m spending countless hours every day making the story as good as I am capable of making it. This process also requires serious thinking and focus, but at this stage, at least for me, most of my thinking happens at the computer.
But soon enough, I’ll be back to looking very much like a goof-off. Now you know the truth–I’ll actually be hard at work.
Until next time,
Ann
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Fear Is Just A Four-Letter Word
Or so I tell myself. Because while fear can be a powerful motivator, it can also be the opposite, rendering us virtually paralyzed. That’s why this image is such a great message.
Just how does one go about conquering fear? There are many books and articles about doing just that. Here are some simple steps you can take, courtesy of Tess Marshall, who guest-blogged at Goodlife Zen.
(A quick aside: Don’t confuse simple with easy. These steps are easy to understand, but may take a great deal of work.)
1. Don’t believe your negative thoughts- Train you mind to think positive and learn to expect the best.
2. Let go of the outcome- Remain open to the possibilities.
3. Create a space for gratitude- Remember all your past successes, your strengths and determination.
4. Be comfortable with the uncomfortable- Learn to get through the things you fear.
Tess Marshall actually shares 10 tips in her blog. To get the rest, visit: http://bit.ly/1FIFDKw
Have you ever walked through a fear and come out on the other side? I have and the exhilaration, empowerment and freedom I felt was like nothing else! The next time I set out to face a fear, I remembered what I had done before, and walking through it was easier.
Give it a try. You’ll be glad you did.
Until next time,
Ann
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