Merry Wishes with a Sprinkle of Sugar!

Christmas time is not only a season of Love, Giving, and Hope, it is a season of remembering…our minds return to the days when loved ones who have passed celebrated with us. And when I came across this old photo of our children from 1997, I couldn’t help the feeling of warm and fuzzy in my heart.

A season of noble fir fragrance, festive decorations that bring joy…

and cozy evenings with a flickering fire or dancing candlelight.

A season of traditional baking while adding a new sinfully, delicious recipe…

Toffee Bars:

1 c. salted butter, 1/2 c. sugar, 2 c. flour, 1/2 c. chopped pecans or walnuts (optional), 1/2 c. toffee chips

Directions: soften butter and mix with sugar and flour. Add toffee chips and nuts. Pat into a 9×13 ungreased pan. Be sure edges are straight. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. While hot, use a pastry brush to spread the glaze on: 1 c. powdered sugar, 3 T. milk, 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Let cool and cut into squares. Enjoy!

And the king of the house (Copper) will not be forgotten, sporting his new holiday hoodie to keep warm in his older years, while he wonders what Santa will bring him this year…

many merry shapes
frosted and sprinkled with love
from my heart to yours

❤️ ❤️ ❤️

This is my last post for the year, and I’ll be on Christmas break
as of tomorrow. So I wish you all a holiday season
filled with lots of love and sweetness!
Thank you for your wonderful visits to read my thoughts in verse and prose.
See you in the New Year! 🎄🎉🎉🎉🎄

© Lauren Scott, baydreamerwrites.com – All rights reserved.

The Giver

He pulls me
into myself so
I may see
qualities
he loved from the beginning


though his perception
runs deeper –
mine, a trace of clouds,
then he lifts
my heart and
soul to the starlit sky where
our dreams become us.

© Lauren Scott – baydreamerwrites.com – All rights reserved.
The painting credit
: Yours truly.

Thank you always for stopping by.
~Lauren ❤️

The World is Broken

The world is broken,

            we are aware,

                        but being alive on this crisp autumn morning,

what a blessing

                        to behold

and he says,

“The good news

for today is

I love you,

Your heart,

Your mind,

Your soul.”

The world may be broken,

                                    but I am not.

© Lauren Scott, baydreamerwrites.com – All rights reserved
Photo: one of our sunrises

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For inspiration to notice surrounding beauty, to feel gratitude, to face challenges and fears while sipping your favorite coffee roast or a beverage of your choice, check out my latest book: More than Coffee.

His name was Ed

Ed
blackened heart
domineering thumb
nowhere to breathe, trying times
~ etched ~

Green
a monster
too old to believe?
his existence, living proof
~ ire ~

Me
raised to love
but heart feels deeply
ill-fitted antipathy
~ blunt ~

Health
declines, death,
emotions bland as
salt-free diet, tears restrained
~ guilt ~

Lauren Scott ©
Oddquain poetry form

This post is darker than most of mine, but life isn’t always rosy, so writing about those difficult times when we question our feelings can be therapeutic. Have you found yourself in a similar situation?

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For inspiration to notice surrounding beauty, to feel gratitude, to face challenges and fears while sipping your favorite coffee roast or another beverage of your choice, check out my latest book: More than Coffee.

The Fine Points

Since the beginning of you and I,
we have bought thirty-three calendars.
I know you like your coffee beige
and that cereal is your feast on 
weekday mornings, but on weekends,
you’ll skillfully whip up an omelet.
I’ve never mastered the egg flip.
I know which of your shirts have hung 
around for the long haul and if you could
backpack every day, you would. If you
had a choice: flip flops or hiking boots,
the boots would win by a broad margin.
I know our children have the best dad.
You think you’re lucky finding me,
but I am the lucky one…
to wake up each morning with your
pillow beside mine, to witness the sun’s
first peek through the window, to vie
for blankets on a January night.
We are ears and rocks for each other,
having mastered the flavors and textures, 
while learning each other’s landscape.
But the depth of our devotion 
has not reached its full potential. 
There is more closeness to discover 
in spaces yet to be revealed.
I feel like a grand prize winner
in this thing called life 
where do-overs aren’t magically offered.
You and I became an Us, 
and as more lines come into light, 
as more grays persist, 
even if feet shuffle and bones ache, 
there will be more calendars to hang. 

Lauren Scott ©

This poem is one of four that I contributed
to the anthology, Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships.
A beautiful collection of poetry
where twelve poets reveal their
most personal moments,
compiled by Kaye Lynne Booth
and Robbie Cheadle.

To purchase your copy, here is the link: https://books2read.com/u/3kP8aK.
Also available in paperback on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/mry57jdu.

Thank you for stopping by,
Lauren Scott ❤️

Tender Reminiscence

Remember in our younger years
how you’d touch your lips to mine
while standing on the step
when we cold-shouldered time?
No letting-go desire of the
embrace that held us near
No care in the world was matched
in that moment that we shared
Who knew those doorstep kisses
would carry us this distance?
(floating in a state-of-mind
of tender reminiscence)

Lauren Scott (c) ❤️
Do you have memories
of doorstep kisses?

The Mess

During the visit,
there’s something about
the clothes strewn on the floor
soon to be dumped in the washer,
wallet lying on the dresser,
cell plugged in,
bed comforter in shambles

because the messiness
means he’s home.

Now with air miles accumulated
back in the familiar time zone,
his room shines, neatness
grating on my nerves,
silence like receiving
the cold shoulder.

My hand pulls back the comforter,
tousling, creating wrinkles and lumps
in the navy fabric as though rumpled
from a restful night’s sleep,
then I pull some old shirts from the
closet, tossing them on the floor
just so I can pretend the good-byes
hadn’t found freedom.

Lauren Scott (c)