March Winds May Blow

I host a Joy Luncheon at my circa 1890's cottage once a month and give a brief talk about "Creating a Life of Joy".  This picture is of me speaking to a recent group in my home. 

We always have a great time, and I love meeting old and new friends who attend. 

In the month of March we listen to the wind blow the winter away (hopefully).  This March came in like a lion in my part of the world. It was cold and rainy, but today is cold - yet filled with sunshine.

I love spring flowers, and especially the daffodil (or buttercup as we here in West Tennessee call them). Whatever name you might call them, they are lovely and usually the first flowers of spring that bloom.

Filling my home with the sweet scents of  buttercups makes me happy.  There is no other smell quite like the perfume they give off.  It makes me think of my sweet Mother. These were her favorite flower (well, next to roses).

In  the early spring I would always plan a trip to Mother's to go with her to a field covered in buttercups, and we would pick buckets of them.  This is one of my cherished and favorite memories.

"The memories we make with our family is everything."

            - Candace Dameron Bure

"Some memories are unforgettable, remaining ever vivid and heartwarming."

                         - Jospeh B. Wirthlin

Strawberry cake is another good thing about Spring. This is a picture of a dessert from the Joy Luncheon. Strawberries are now readily available, even throughout the winter months, so we are blessed by this. 

Strawberry season in Tennessee is usually the month of May, but we celebrated strawberries early this year. 

The taste and smells of foods can bring memories to our minds. 

"Memories are the key not to the past, but to the future."

                        - Corrie Ten Boom

When we think about our good memories, it causes me to want to make new, good memories with those whom I love now. 

"The kitchen is the heart of every home, for the most part. It evokes memories of your family history."

                                  - Debi Mazar

"It's great to reminisce about good memories of my past. It was enjoyable when it was today. So learning to enjoy today has two benefits:it gives me happiness right now, and it becomes a good memory later."

                            - George Foreman

Create a memory today by doing something enjoyable: baking something that smells and tastes delicious, placing flowers around which give the scent of happiness, or doing an event which causes a great memory.  

We are in charge of our own happiness!

A great idea for early springtime inside is to plant your own wheat grass in a container.  Use a waterproof container.  I like to use something long and narrow to place in the center of my table.  Or you may like the look of several pots of the green at different heights and levels for impact. 

You can line your container  with plastic if need be to protect from water.  Fill the container, almost to the top, with good potting soil. Then sprinkle wheat seed over the entire surface. (You may buy a small quantity of wheat seed at your local plant nursery.) Then cover the seeds with more potting soil.  Mist with water.  Place this in a sunlit room, misting daily.  

It usually takes about 10 days to get a full display of grass (depending on the amount of sunshine), but it is beautiful; such a rich, fresh, spring-green.  I like to place little ceramic  sheep or bunnies in the grass. These containers of grass will make you happy!

"The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land."

                   - Song of Solomon 2:12

Spring is on its way so just hang on. We want it to come - can hardly wait after the wet winter. Doing things inside our homes to make it look, smell, and feel more like Spring will lift us up. Have happy colors of greens, yellows, and shades of pinks around. Think Up! Think Spring!