Somewhere in the Middle

Happiness

I love books but I'm not particularly fond of collecting them. I rarely read a book twice and space is at a premium in my home. When S & I married we used to buy lots of books and an Ikea bookcase was the first piece of furniture we bought. After living in Germany for 2 years we went back to the US with two pieces of furniture... an armoire and a bookcase! lol! Twenty years later we're accumulated a quite bit more. I've sold or given away most of my books but there are just some books I can not part with. And as I was unpacking some boxes I found my collection of "soul feeding" books. You know which ones those are... books that friends & family give you or those that have beautiful sentiments written inside. And of course those books that make you feel good or are just such amazing stories you can't part with them. 

For me, one of those books is "Selma" by Jutta Bauer. It's a sweet little book about happiness. And sometimes you need a little reminder to make you appreciate and love your life. 

For those who haven't read "Selma". The story begins with a lonely little dog...

When I just couldn't take it anymore, I went to the wise ram....

"What is happiness?"

"Happiness? Let me tell you the story of Selma..."

"Once there was a sheep named Selma... Every morning at sunrise, Selma would eat a little grass... She would play with her children until lunchtime...exercise in the afternoon... eat some grass... have a little chat with Mrs. Miller in the evening... and finally fall fast asleep."

Asked what she would do if she had more time Selma replied...

"Well, I would eat a little grass at sunrise... play with my children until lunchtime... exercise in the afternoon... eat some more grass... have a little chat with Mrs. Miller in the evening... and finally fall fast asleep."

"And if you won a million dollars?" she was asked. 

"Well, I would love to eat a little grass at sunrise... play with my children... exercise in the afternoon... eat some more grass... and it would be nice to have a little chat with Mrs. Miller in the evening... before finally falling fast asleep."

I read this story yesterday to Lil' C and I asked him what he though happiness meant and this what he said...

" It's when you're loved, cared for, getting attention, playing, and one more thing... feeling special."

I couldn't have said it better myself. ;)

Hello Fall

There is no doubt about it... I'm an autumn girl. I absolutely adore this time of the year from the weather to the colors and the holidays we celebrate during the next couple of months. It's a beautiful time of the year here in Europe. For me, fall represents a new beginning. I suppose it has a lot to do with the beginning of a new school year which brings all sorts of changes. Plus it's an opportunity to meet new people and take advantage of different opportunities.

My schedule is a bit more laid back this year so I'm hoping to take advantage of the time and do some things I've missed like blogging and cooking. I also have a long, long, list of art/craft and sewing projects I want to complete.

This past weekend, I celebrated the beginnning of the fall season with pumpkin pancakes. The recipe was super easy and the pancakes were delicious! Almost as good as the Williams Sonoma Spiced Pumpkin Pecan mix & I saved myself $15! Had I added some sugared pecans to my batter I think my mix would have been just as good but Lil'C doesn't like nuts so I skipped that step. I did drizzle my pancakes with maple pecan syrup. Delish! 

So in honor of the Autumn season I'm dedicating the next month to cooking with pumpkin! Bon Appetit!

Note: Right now Lil' C is obsessed with all things Moshling. So last month I sewed Little Jeepers, his favorite moshling. Even Jeepers helped us celebrate by sharing our pumpkin pancakes! lol!

I love how Lil' C posed him... Fork & knife in each hand, ready to eat! lol! I suggested we take another photo with a plate of pancake crumbs and Jeepers wearing a little syrup but C wasn't having any of it! lol!