Feel Like A Good Cry?

Crying. It's kind of a funny topic to broach at a happiness blog, I guess.

But in reality, crying can go a long way towards improving a person's mood and even their health. It's really an interesting concept I think; to consider all the aspects and ramifications of this emotionally-charged life process/bodily function. 

I did an online search one day last week about the benefits of crying and found a LOT of information about this topic. Yes, I was having a difficult day. No, I didn't actually cry about it.Reading through these articles took my mind off other things though, so that was a plus.

Here is one of the more interesting and informative crying posts from: Divine Caroline.

In the past few years, I haven't cried all that much. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Maybe, I've just tried harder to "hold things in" when I'm sad or depressed. According to many articles though, letting go and having a real good cry is often the better way to deal with a stressful event,day.....

 Do you often cry often and does it help to cope?  

(If it's not too personal to share.) 

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Craving Pancakes!!!

                           

I was doing some online searches today for: buckwheat, buckwheat pancakes and buckwheat flour and found this post over at Simple Bites that includes 3 pancake recipes: Buckwheat, Cornmeal and Whole Wheat. They all sound really good!

Pancakes have been on my mind for a couple of days. Need to restock the pantry and fire up that griddle!!!

Speaking of buckwheat, did you know that it is not actually a grain? That it is a distant "relative" of rhubarb? You can read about that here.

I'm a fairly recent convert to the big delicious world of pancake-lovers. I didn't like them as a kid.  And buckwheat ones, well they are right at the top of my favs.

I also previous posted about pancakes (with another recipe) here.

What is your favorite type of pancake? If you have a recipe link to share, please do.


                               

Photo courtesy of Flickr. If you click through the photographer has also included his recipe for these pancakes in the comment section under this photo. That is one scrumptious pancake stack! :<)

 I make good pancakes but mine are NEVER this uniform in size!!! LOL

A Bit of Spring Pink on Yet Another Grey Day...

I am getting SO tired of the weeks of almost continuous grey, cloudy days; here in Interior BC.

This photo of beautiful cherry blossoms photographed a couple of years ago on our main street; always makes me smile.

              

I hope this oh so pink spring photo and  haiku poem brings a smile to your day too. :<)

                                          
How's your weather?
Any signs of spring where you are?

PS: And if you are in need of a giggle on a gloomy or otherwise day, check out Mr. Cheddar as you've never seen him before!  ;<)

Mr. Cheddar: He's a Sophisticat!

After living with Mr. Cheddar for almost 5 years, I thought I knew everything there was to know about his likes and dislikes. But last night, I found out something new.

Mr. Cheddar is a big Matt Dusk fan!

In case you haven't heard of Matt Dusk before, here's one of his videos: Matt Dusk: Back in Town

Joe and I have been fans of this Canadian singer for a long time. We saw him in concert years ago and have a several of his CDs. He is a wonderful performer.

Last night while Joe was doing the dishes and I was working on some knitting, we had a Matt CD playing. Mr. Cheddar was almost finished his din-din except for a the last few kibbles left in his bowl. 

Normally, when Ched is eating, we make sure that all is quiet and if we have music on, we turn it off so that he can enjoy his food with no noise to bother him.

Well, here's the funny part. Ched made seven (yes seven) trips to his kibble bowl to have a couple of bites, while Matt was singing in the background. And every time we turned off the music, he stopped eating! Apparently, Cheddar likes some mood music to go with his vittles.

How's that for one sophisticated feline?

Mr. Cheddar has never done this before. It's obvious that he is a big fan of Matt Dusk. Perhaps already a fan on his Facebook page etc...I wonder if Matt Dusk is a fan of Mr. Cheddar's? A lot in common already. They are both such good-looking guys with lots of talent! :<)

It really was a hoot, watching Mr.Cheddar dining to Matt's crooning! I only wish I could have captured it on video with sound. Maybe next time. ;<)



A Haiku to Celebrate Valentine's Day

                                                  

Also submitted for the Haiku Heights prompt: Desire

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day.   :<)

A Sweet Valentine's Treat for Your Sweetie!

February.....

The month in Canada that usually heralds the last, cold blast of winter. On the plus side, February is also the month of love and Valentine's Day! And what better way to celebrate than to make some oh so easy, homemade chocolates for you and those you love.

I have quite a collection of chocolate heart boxes from over the years. Some so beautifully decorated, they are like works of art. I find it hard to discard/recycle these. So much better to fill them up  again, with yummy chocolates from the kitchen. ;<)

The following is a recipe from my cookbook: Not Just for Vegetarians that was also featured in my craft book: A Year of Crafts,  years ago as a Valentine's project. They are very easy to make but still decadent and delish.

Hope you give these a try.

And do share with your own sweeties!

                     

Easy Chocolate Hazelnut Clusters

vegetable oil cooking spray

60 whole shelled hazelnuts

6- 1 oz. squares or 6 oz.( in total ) semi-sweet dark chocolate (try to get organic, it is so worth it)

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

                                           

Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.

Arrange hazelnuts in clusters of 4, spacing evenly on the cookie sheet, allowing at least 1" between each cluster.
                      

Melt the chocolate and butter over very low heat, using a double boiler, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

                       

Drizzle melted chocolate over each nut cluster, coating each one completely.
                                

Allow to cool at room temperature, then refrigerate.
                                        

Place clusters in foil/paper candy cups or individually wrap in foil. Store in the refrigerator.
                                                

Makes 15 large clusters. Just right to fill a medium-sized Valentine's box! :<)

***

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Recipe from: Not Just for Vegetarians, Delicious, Homestyle Cooking the Meatless Way by Geraldine Hartman. All rights reserved. 

Mixed Messages from the Groundhogs!

There were mixed messages being delivered by the groundhogs of Canada and the U.S. today.

Click here to see another adorable photo and details of this year's weather predictions from these furry experts.

I'm going with the ones that said we are in for an early spring. :<)

Happy Groundhog Day!!!!

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Mr. Cheddar Unwraps His Prize!!!

                                        

Woohooo!! Mr. Cheddar struck pay/kibble-dirt when he won this recent contest in the Lazy Cat category.

Thank you to everyone who voted for the Chedster on Facebook.

We appreciated all of your votes!

Not that the Ched is ever lazy in reality but he does like his napping time, as seen in this winning photo:

                                                

And here's Mr. Cheddar opening his prize basket:
                                      
                                       

I've hit the Jackpot !!

                                               
Yummmm....and yummier!  Lots of food. And a couple of fun toys too.

 

                                         

                      

Meowmie, let me read the card for myself!!!

                 

There's a lot of kibble in this basket; that will last a loooooong time.
A coupon for another big bag included too. And in one of Ched's fav flavors, Trout.

                                        

Yet another reason that we definitely need another feline to share our home.
Mr. Cheddar, totally agrees. Hopefully soon. :<)

Never Underestimate the Power of a SMILE!

How's this for one happy flower?
                                         

                                                         

Daisies always make me smile. I gave this one a bit of an "embellishment" ;<)   But in real life, no embellishment is required, when it comes to beautiful and genuine smiles.

                                         

A smile can change our day; sometimes change our life.

Or the life of someone else, when we share a smile.

We should never underestimate the impact a smile can have.

The power of this simple gesture is truly amazing.

Smile: at those you love, to let them know they are special and never taken for granted.

                      

Smile: at strangers, especially people who look sad or lonely.

                       

Smile: at yourself, in the mirror. Or in the reflection of a window.

                             

Smile: and make the world a better, happier place. :<)

                        

And sending a smile to my "daisy" blog pal : Teri

Your daisy creations always make me smile.

Smile: Also my suggestion for this week's OSI prompt.

Word of the Week: Renewal

First, a timeless Christmas tune to set the mood... :<)

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

gotta love Luther's silky, sexy voice....

What a wonderful time of year to think about: renewal.

I was so happy to see this as a prompt over at OSI, especially at this special time of year.

Thanks dear Sandy for the great suggestion!

I hope that 2012 is a wonderful, prosperous and special year for all of my readers.

                    

Here's to the wonder and possibilities of  renewal.

 And to wishes and dreams that do come true!

 

Happy, Happy Holidays!



***

PS: I'm taking the month of January to complete my novel so I won't be posting for a while. I'll still be blog-visiting now and then and back to posting in February. See you all soon.

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Also submitted for the OSI prompt: Renewal

Mr. Cheddar Needs Your Votes!

Calling all Facebook fans.

Mr. Cheddar has an entry in a photo contest, in the "lazy" cat category.
He's not lazy of course but cat-napping is a close second!!!! 

Click here to vote for Mr. Cheddar and to check out the competition.

Personally, I think the Ched's a "paw-in" but I may be just a bit biased LOL

Thanks for your support, from me and the Cheddar. :<)

Word of the Week: Inspiration!

That's how I've been feeling lately: truly inspired!

You may remember this previous post about my current novel project. Well, my little journal has been filled since that post was written. I have been writing my novel, on my computer since then.

 For the most part, it's been going very well. I did come to a point where I felt a "stuck" and I could no longer continue to just write the story, without taking the time to create several, detailed reference pages to work from. Too much information about characters, locations etc... to try to remember.

I did a lot of research and trial and error at that point, trying out various novel writing software programs and suggestions, looking for something that would help, not hinder my progress. And to help me get organized in a way that would make writing the rest of my book easier.

I've come full-circle now on this after trying out the "bells and whistles" of  many of the choices of novel writing software currently available.

For me, working with a typed and printed outline, character and location pages, in a binder to refer to, seems best. It's not distracting as I found some of the software programs to be, with the various windows and files/folders to open, when looking for the information I need.

When it all comes down to it, if it's not making the story move forward, why use it?

Having an outline and scene ideas typed out for the whole book has been very helpful. It's like filling in a puzzle. Instead of being unwieldy and overwhelming, to move forward and type a couple of hundred more pages to complete my novel, now I look forward to my writing time each day.

And speaking of writing time. I've decided to take the month of January to complete the first draft of my novel. Complete! Yes, I think it's possible but only if I make my novel top-priority for a while.

So, I've decided to take the month of January off from blogging entirely. Maybe do some visiting now and then, at my fav blogs but no posting. As you all know, blogging can take up a lot of time, if you factor in writing posts, visiting, taking photos for posts, research etc... And if I'm ever going to finish this book, I need as few distractions and diversions as possible.

I'll be back here at Happy Break with a Christmas post on December 25th as I couldn't resist the OSI prompt for that day; it's such a good one. Thanks for the great prompt suggestion: Sandy C !

                      

Here's to a creative and inspiring new year, for all of us!

Word of the Week: Melody

                                            

I love the word: melody

                           

 I've been thinking about all the melodies we hear throughout life.

And how life itself is also one, continuous melody. The high notes and the low. The beautiful and bittersweet. Fast and slow. And so it plays on...

I hope you enjoy this photo (not mine but I love it) and the poem too, which I wrote a few years ago.

                          

The Melody of Life

 

                        

Mother’s: sigh.

Baby’s: cry.

Hushed by a gentle,

Lullaby.

                

Starlit, summer nights.

Giggles and childhood fun.

Round the campfire.

The old tunes draw everyone.

                         

Teen’s rebellion; IPODs blare.

Feet flying fast.

As passions flare.

In perfect rhythm, to the latest:

Metal Stallion?

                          

Sweet scents of lilac spring.

As young lover’s dance.

Hearts in time to;

tender notes of romance.

                      

Mid-life’s song.

The beat goes on….

Hips a swayin’

While the golden groove keeps playing.

                              

Old folk’s bliss.

Holding hands; they reminisce.

Bittersweet memories of their Autumn’s,

First Kiss.

                          

The melody of life goes on…

Song to song.

As the years roll along.

Sealing memories in their own special way.

Pressed between pages that will never fade.

                                   

 GHH/ 2008

                           

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Link to the original post/comments

                       

                    

Wishing you a wonderful week, G :<)

Word of the Week: Snow

Walk on a Winter's Day



Chilled to the bone, the frosty sheer air.
Winter again unrelenting, inevitably here.
The stillness of a new untouched morning,
Still ours alone to share.

The trees, a wonderland of beauty,
Boughs lush with white diamonds,
Dreamlike, in a haze of soft gray sky.
A picture,well-worth a thousand words.

Bundled and mittened, we walk on….
Determined, sure-footed,facing the elements.
Brave against the chill.
Your hand in mine, snug and secure.
The cold less bitter,because you are near.

Step after step,we trudge the brilliant white mile.
Smug in our solitude with nothing to fear.
With chocolate and kisses, waiting in the warmth.
To welcome us home again; so glad you are near.

GHH




Growing up on the Canadian Prairies, we spent many a day out in the snow. And snow it did; sometimes with "drifts" reaching as high as the roof of the house!

Blizzards, stay-at-home snow days,ice forts,skating rink in the backyard, snowball "fights", walking in the deep snow, frost on the trees.....lovely, cherished memories.

 I love the snow!


I hope there is plenty where we are, this Christmas.
 

"The snow: a blanket of diamonds in the winter sun."


I wrote this description many years ago. I still love the image it conjures up. :<)


 

Link to the original post at My Poetic Path, with a tribute to my dear brother Wendell.

 He was a December baby. I miss him so much. Even more so, this time of year. Hugs to you dear Wendell.

This poem was not written for him specifically, but I think he would have enjoyed it.