Words to live by

I have been taping Oprah ever since we got a DVR, so I haven't missed an episode for... a while. I haven't watched every single one - just the ones that are interesting to me. I watched her last show the day after it aired and don't have the heart to delete it. I don't know if you had the opportunity to watch it, but it was AMAZING. I cried almost the whole way through the show. I want to share some of her words with you now. You all know my feeling about having a calling in life, and her words just confirm my own beliefs.

"What I knew for sure from this experience with you is that we are all called. Everybody has a calling, and your real job in life is to figure out what that is and get about the business of doing it. Every time we have seen a person on this stage who is a success in their life, they spoke of the job, and they spoke of the juice that they receive from doing what they knew they were meant to be doing. We saw it in the volunteers who rocked abandoned babies in Atlanta. We saw it with those lovely pie ladies from Cape Cod making those delicious potpies. ... We saw it every time Tina Turner, Celine, Bocelli or Lady Gaga lit up the stage with their passion. Because that is what a calling is. It lights you up and it lets you know that you are exactly where you're supposed to be, doing exactly what you're supposed to be doing. And that is what I want for all of you and hope that you will take from this show. To live from the heart of yourself. You have to make a living; I understand that. But you also have to know what sparks the light in you so that you, in your own way, can illuminate the world."

Dear Heather,

I remember when we went to preschool together and had our pictures taken. The photographer told us to smile as big as we could. Mom got mad at me for having such a huge smile. You looked so tiny in your picture, with your curly red hair and big smile, too. I remember that summer at Granny's house, right after Grandpa died. We played Bloody Mary in the attic and got so freaked out because we couldn't wash the diamond off the mirror. I remember Holly played the same game in the attic bathroom all by herself, while we sat outside listening in fear, and then making us scream our heads off when she came running out, covered in red food coloring. I remember taking a drag off your cigarette when you came and lived with us for a little while. I didn't know how to smoke, so I kept inhaling and you yelled at me to stop after seeing my face turn green and then laughed as I doubled over and coughed up a lung. I have never smoked since. I remember watching you get married to Gerry at Aunt Fran's house. You were absolutely stunning. I remember watching your babies for you, and couldn't believe you had two girls! Our family loves girls, don't you think? I remember hearing about your diagnosis on my birthday. I remember sitting outside with you, just being quiet, enjoying nature. You loved nature. I remember coming to visit you at Huntsman. I think you had the best room in the building. You could see almost the entire Salt Lake Valley from your picture window. I remember sitting outside on the deck, confessing to your mother about things we did together that nobody knew, and having a good laugh afterward. I remember coming to be with you every day. I remember sitting in the bedroom, holding your hand and feeling the presence of Granny, Grandpa, and Uncle John. I remember the desperate pleas Fran and I made with the hospice to make sure that you were as comfortable and pain-free as possible. I remember hearing you say, "I love you. You're my best friend."

I love you. I miss you. Happy Birthday.

Love, Me

Serenity

I was enjoying my 30 minute book break while waiting for Rachel at her flute lesson and noticed these dark and foreboding clouds creeping up. I snapped this picture on my Android phone with the Vignette app. I love this weather.

CREATIVITY!!!

So I'm considering this partial creativity because it involves.... creating. I have ALWAYS been a hater of all things baked. I've tried bread and failed miserably. I can't even make sugar cookies without problems. I LOATHE baking.

Then a friend of mine posted a recipe for cinnamon pull-apart bread and I just had to try it because I love cinnamon. And this recipe has cinnamon AND nutmeg. And it worked!

Anyway, so I had a major success with the first loaf of this bread, and an even better success with the second go around. Then I decided to try some sweet dinner rolls. Success! Then I decided to try a bundt cake. Success! Yesterday I went out on a limb and made those dinner rolls and a different bundt cake. SUCCESS!

Today in my new found love of baking I went out and bought a few things I shouldn't have. I'm on a high from baking (although don't ask me to bake cupcakes. I'm so sick of the cupcake craze.) so I bought two 8" cake pans, a pie/cake transporter, a pastry brush (yes, I have never owned a pastry brush) and.... this beauty!



There's an old commercial that had a jingle with something like, "If I'd have known you were coming I'd have baked a cake..." Well guess what! If you come over to my house, I'll bake a cake and serve it to you on my new, shiny cake plate.

... Silly post about a stupid cake plate, I know. Maybe I've inhaled too much flour in the past 24 hours.

I cannot stop watching this

Mesmerizing.