Importance of Having a Dream & What to do While the Boys are Away!

"What is most essential is invisible to the eye!" ~ From "Le Petit Prince" by Antoine de Saint Exupery.

I am pretty certain (a quick search would confirm this) that I used this very quote to frame another post many (many) posts ago. I come back to this quote time and again because it rings so true for me. The book "The Little Prince" is all about the importance of dreaming and I believe wholeheartedly that the things that really matter are matters of the heart (the things that we don't immediately see when we look at someone).

Sophia helped me bake dreamy island cookies for our farm delivery yesterday. She was so enthusiastic to be in the kitchen with me. I taught her how to use a butter knife to level off the flour in the measuring cup and she was thrilled. Her eyes lit up- "Cool, Mom" she said as a smile appeared across her face.

My husband and son have been on a road trip together this week and it's just been me and the girls. I decided to redecorate our guest room without the boys around and it has inspired me to recognize a dream. It's actually a dream I have had tucked away for quite awhile but this week has helped me to recognize it, claim it as mine and share it with you.

The couch in the picture pulls out to a bed and the room is so cozy now for a weary traveler to rest.

My dream is to some day run a (small yet simple) bed and breakfast in my home.

It would be a space for people who need a bit of pampering and self-care a quiet place to get away from it all.

I would make special treats from my recipe book and set it out for breakfast and then pack cookies and biscotti for guests as they head out to explore the area. I would offer warm towels and heated coffee mugs. I would provide stamped postcards with a pen at the writing desk. (Tiny touches that would make guests feel special).

For now, it will remain as a dream. My house is awfully busy with the hustle and bustle of raising kids but someday the house will be so quiet that my dream may just have a place and time to come true.

For now, it's been fun to have a little extra time with just the girls and an opportunity to dream.

I bet that you have a dream of your own. What is it? Have you named it? Do you take tiny steps today so that one day it will come true? If not, what are you waiting for?

Rainy Days, Trolley's & Relationships

It's been raining a lot today on Cape. It's been a nice break from the heat and humidity we've been having. I decided to bake cookies for the farm first thing this morning. I made a batch of dreamy island cookies and I wanted to get a batch of my cranberry biscotti started too but I got a call earlier than expected that Bella's camp bus was arriving.
She spent a week in New Hampshire--I missed her like crazy but it was such a blessing that she had so much fun. We stopped by the Farm on the way back from camp pick-up to deliver at least a few packages of cookies for sale. I love to bake although with three kids around for the summer I feel pulled in many other directions too and never bake as much as I'd like.

Sophia has been wanting to ride the Falmouth Trolley so I dropped things needing my attention on Thursday and we hopped a ride to Woods Hole. She got a special treat and I had a large coffee from "Pie in the Sky". We walked down to the Aquarium and Sophia loved watching the seals swim around in the water. Later that night we met some friends at the Popponessett Marketplace for a truly out of this world Lobster Roll and a fun concert.

As far as relationships go I was thinking that they can be (at times) so delicate and fragile. In other words they can be our greatest joy and blessing and also our biggest obstacles.
When I baked this morning I pulled my butter out of the freezer and as I had less time than usual I decided to soften it by popping the sticks in my microwave. I let them stay in a little too long so the butter was more melted than I wanted it to be. I like my butter to be soft but not melted. I didn't want to waste the butter though. The cookies came out tasting the same but I noticed a slight alteration in the texture. Something probably only I could detect.
Like the butter melting too quickly and affecting how the cookies turn out the same can be true for my relationships.
If I alter what I do or how I participate in a challenging situation I find that my relationships instead of getting harder actually have an opportunity to change or grow. In other words by doing less I just might get more.

Whale Shaped Sugar Cookies, Bella's Birthday & Views from a Bike-Ride!

What a week it's been. I was unexpectedly pulled into a bit of a drama and I found myself needing to step back and take stock.

Over the years, I have learned (through trial and error) how to look at a situation and see what my part is and also what my part is not.
It's been an invaluable experience for me because for many years I often felt I was entirely at fault in any miscommunication or problem especially with family members. What a blessing to finally know that I'm not the cause of everyone else's misfortune or problems. I'm only responsible for my tiny plot of my life.

In the midst of the drama I managed to provide my daughter Bella with the most beautiful and simple yet attention to detail filled fourteenth birthday celebration. One of the details involved personalized shoe shaped sugar cookies as part party favors for each of her guests.

I also managed to bake and deliver whale shaped sugar cookies to the farm for sale and went on the most magnificent bike-ride (pictured above). I also realized how very loved I am by so many close and attentive friends who immediately offered words of kindness and care for my well-being.

In the end I always return to the things I love the most like bike riding, hanging out with my kids and (always) a bit of baking.

Celebration Cookies!

By Monday I already knew what I wanted to put in my latest cookie creation although it's been a busy week with catching up with friends and hosting house guests that I didn't have much time to sneak away for baking and testing new recipes.
In fact, I had to turn away two new customers because I barely had the time to bring my cookies to the farm. I made sure I went into my kitchen first thing this morning to get a batch of Dreamy Island Cookies started.
I'm calling the new recipe, Celebration Cookies. I've put dried blueberries, dried cranberries and white chocolate in them as a tribute to the Fourth of July Holiday. They have a unique texture and sweet taste. I love them.
I invited my son in for a taste and as I anxiously awaited his response he said, "they're so good"!
We're going to a Cocktail Party tonight to Celebrate the completion of a home that my husband has been a large part in the renovation of and I think I'll bring the host a package of my new cookies to try.

Fireworks at Falmouth Heights & Creating a New Cookie!

We rode our bikes down to Falmouth Heights last night to watch the fireworks. We decided to let Sophia ride on Tommy's Handlebars instead of her own bike--and she had a blast!

I decided over the weekend to create another cookie.
It's been almost three years since I came up with Dreamy Island Cookies--and those have been my all time favorite...

Although it's time to try something new. I promise to post what I come up with after testing variations in my kitchen.

Eating Cookies at the Beach & Blueberry Pancakes!

We spent a good part of the afternoon and into the evening hours at Sandy Neck Beach yesterday. It was a perfect day for a bit of off road fun and catching up with old friends.
In the morning I dropped off a bunch of my cookies for sale at the Coonamessett Farm Store and packed enough to take some to share at the beach. We stayed late enough to enjoy the setting sun and a nice fire.
While the cousins were visiting earlier this week I decided to make them pancakes with fresh blueberries for breakfast one of the mornings. One of my nephews thought they were the best pancakes he'd ever had. With complements like that I told him he could stay as long as he wanted.