Thursday 31 May 2018

My Favourite Things . . .


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A few of the things in life that make my heart go pitty pat. Maybe they will do the same thing for yours. ♥♥♥   


Lemons and anything made with them.  They are actually quite good for you and have 13 healing powers, to help your liver, brain, bowels, eyes, etc.  I am pretty sure they aren't talking about Pie, but hey ho!  I love Lemon ANYTHING!


Chicken Wings.  They are pretty much my favourite part of the chicken to eat. I love the ones at Chinese Buffet restaurants, and I adore buffalo wings.  When my kids were growing up and I had to feed them, you could buy HUGE packs of wings for very little money. I used to buy them all the time because they were quite economical back then. Not so much now I don't think.  I could get a pack then of about 50 wings, for only a couple dollars. When you have five kids to feed, that's a real bonus!  I used to just salt and pepper them and bake them in the oven.  The great thing about wings is they taste really fab without even doing anything much to them. 


When I was a girl I loved these books illustrated by Honor C Appleton.  I loved reading anything like this, Enid Blyton, etc. I used to live at the library during the summer months. 

  

Reading, loved it as a child, love it now. If you can read, the whole world is opened to you. Our friend Billy can't read.  I am not sure how he even has a driving licence where he can't read, but it really limits his life.  He can't read his post, so if anything comes, he has to rely on someone else to tell him what it says. He can't read road signs, so he only ever goes to the same places. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.  I cannot imagine not being able to read.  It is such an important part of my life, being able to read.  Oh, the places I have travelled in my imagination through the pages of books!   
  

Getting letters in the Post.  For years and years and years, after I left home and moved away, I got a letter from my mom in the post every week. I have kept them all.  When I was a child, nothing excited me more than getting a letter.  I don't think people write letters much anymore. I think they mostly e-mail. I miss getting letters in the post, but I totally understand why people don't write them anymore.  Stamps are quite expensive, especially when you are mailing outside the country.  Why write a letter and pay for a stamp when you can just write an e-mail for free . . .  there is something special about a letter though.  About the fact that someone has gone to the time, effort and expense to send you a special missive, meant just for you.  A catch-up.  A thoughtful note.  Anything.  Its a caring thing to do, and so special to receive. 


Stationary.  I adore stationary. My ex boss used to have personalised stationary, printed especially for her with her monogram, etc. on it. I have always wondered what it would be like to be able to afford something like that.  I will probably never know, but that's okay. I just love stationary. Pretty stationary, with flowers and embossing.  I have a set of embossed note cards, but I can't bring myself to use them. I just like looking at them. I know  . . .  I am such a hoarder. 

Part of the joy in having such things is
in using them.  I promise
to do better. 

  

Anything to do with Peter Rabbit. Oh I do so love Beatrix Potter.  When my youngest daughter had Maryn, I sent her a Peter Rabbit baby book and a Peter Rabbit jack in the box. No idea if they were liked, used or not.  No idea at all. I would have loved someone to send me something like that when I had my babies.  Anyways. I love Peter Rabbit and the art of Beatrix Potter. We have the DVD's of the cartoons, and yes, even though we are adults, we do watch them from time to time. You are never too old for Peter Rabbit in my opinion! 


Secret Gardens . . .  there used to be one at the big house.  I liked to visit it when they were away.  When they were away we used to love walking in all the gardens.  The secret garden was secreted behind a hedge which was trimmed to look like a castle. You went through the castle door into the garden.  There really wasn't anything in there for a long time, until the daughter was getting married and then she had a fish pond put in, which was nice. I suppose she thought that one of the many guests might be looking around and think it was naff to have a secret garden with nothing in it.  But the most exciting part of a secret garden is that it is a hidden world that you stumble upon and feel like you have "discovered." 


Filled with treasures and mystical things  . . .  mysteries and  . . . well . . . secrets!  


Like walking into a whole new world, hidden from the things of every day life . . . 

 

 
White on white on white  . . . 


Teddy Bears  . . . 

  

Bunnies  . . . 



Of all the decorating styles. I think I like Prim most of all.  I wish I could afford to do my house up in Prim, but being able to do things like that is for people who have money to waste I suppose.  Maybe one day.

  

In the meantime, I dream . . . . 


And dream  . . . . 

  

And dream some more  . . .  

Some people are just so, so, so . . .  lucky.



Brownies . . .  I love them so much that I dare not have any in the house because I would not, could not be able to leave them alone, and Todd doesn't like chocolate baked goodies.  So there would really only be me to eat them, and I mustn't. 

Everything good is wasted on the young, lol.

  

Katie Alice anything  . . . I have the tea cup/saucer/sandwich plate sets. Four of them.  So lovely. 



Stained glass windows  . . .  isn't this gorgeous! 


Porcelain Half Dolls  . . . 

 

Doodling.  The margins, etc. of all my notebooks are filled with doodles.  I just love to doodle and sketch.  For some odd reason it helps me to concentrate on what I am listening to.  Wierd that  . . . 

And those are my favourite things for this week.   

I have a question.  Several years back we had been given a plant arrangement for the house. There was a small palm tree in it, no larger than my index finger.  After most of the arrangement had died out, Todd planted the palm tree in the garden where it has grown to over 25 feet tall!  This year, this is happening to it. 

  

It seems to be flowering or something.  Does anyone know anything about this, or what is happening to it?   It is rather odd looking!  

Oh, and my Dentist made me a mouth guard to wear in bed, that is supposed to help me stop grinding my teeth, but it is cutting into the gum at the back of my teeth. (It is for wearing on my bottom teeth)  Has anyone else had this happen?  I think I am going to stop wearing it.

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門 ★

 *.˛.
Difficult roads often lead to 
Beautiful destinations.
~Unknown  •。★★ 。* 。 

I am listening to: The Household of Faith, J Richard Clarke 


 

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Spicy Chicken Tacos.   Yum!

Have a great Thursday.  Hope that your day is filled with some of your favourite things!  Don't forget!


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And I do too!







Wednesday 30 May 2018

Wednesday Thoughts . . .

 

I have always enjoyed visiting old cemetaries. They are quiet and calm places . . . places of great solitude and places of great reflection . . . places of illumination. I like to walk amongst the headstones, occasionally stopping to read one which catches my eye.  I think about the people that are buried there and wonder about the lives that they once lived. 

I am reminded in the stillness and quiet . . . that until it is carved in stone, realizing our dreams and potential is possible every day of our lives . . . so long as we are able to recognize what exactly it is that makes us happy.



Have you ever seen or read Thornton Wilder's play, "Our Town?"  It is a three act play which is a character story about an average town's citizens in the early twentieth century as depicted through their everyday lives.  The play is set in a 1930s theater, using the actions of the Stage Manager to create the town of Grover's Corners for the audience. Scenes from its history between the years of 1901 and 1913 play out.

There is an especially poignant scene in the play which takes place in a graveyard.  Ghosts comfort the young heroine, Emily, who has recently passed away giving birth to her child.  In this scene, Emily (longing for the life she just left), wishes to revisit just one . . . ordinary . . . unimportant day in her life.  When her wish is granted, she realizes just how very much the living take for granted . . .

It becomes almost too much for her to bear . . .

"I didn't realize," she sadly says, "all that was going on and we never noticed.  Good-bye world.  Good-bye Gover's Corners . . . mama and papa.  Good-bye to clocks ticking . . . and mama's sunflowers.  And food and coffee.  And new-ironed dresses and hot baths . . . and sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth, you are too wonderful for anybody to realize you."

How often do we stop to recognize and experience the sacredness of the ordinary?  We are surrounded every day by a bazillion ordinary things . . . things that we take so for granted, simple things . . . things that we would miss so very much were they ever to be taken suddenly away from us.  Feelings and experiences that we discard every day as meaningless . . . and worthless . . . but are they really??? 



How much would we miss simply waking up in the morning . . . if . . . on one day we were not to wake up?  Or how much would we miss the feeling of warm sun on our faces . . . if it suddenly ceased to shine?  Or the sound of raindrops hitting our windows if the rain never fell again?  What if the world amazingly became completely silent around us . . . and there was no more birdsong, or leaves rustling . . . or any other noise?  

What if,  like King Midas . . . suddenly everything we touched, turned to Gold, and we could never ever touch anything again for fear of it being rendered lifeless and cold.  What if all the ordinary . . . sacredly singular . . . moments of our every day . . . just suddenly disappeared into nothingness, never to be felt, or seen, or breathed in, or heard, or experienced  . . . ever again.


 We must learn not to squander or throw away even one "Unimportant" day of our lives, by not noticing the wonder of it all . . . the sacredness of simple moments . . .

“If we constantly focus on the stones in our mortal path, we will almost surely miss the beautiful flower or cool stream provided by a loving Father who outlined our journey.”
~Jeffrey R Holland  



Not sure what today will bring weather-wise.  We've had quite a few sunny and warm days in a row. This morning there is a lot of mist about . . . but it's been my experience that when you have a misty morning . . . there follows a brilliant day.  No matter what the day should bring it is my wish that you have a lovely day today, filled to overflowing with simple moments and experiences that fill your hearts with joy.  May your soul feast upon whatever it is that the day brings to you.

A thought to carry with you  . . .

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門 ★

 *.˛.
Excellence is not being the best;
it is doing your best•。★★ 。* 。 

I am listening to: The Joy of Womanhood, Margaret D Nadauld 


 

In the English Kitchen today a delicious creamy Chive & Shallot Vinaigrette!   I love salads and I love having a delicious dressing with them!

Have a fabulous Wednesday no matter what you get up to!  Don't forget!


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And I do too! 



Tuesday 29 May 2018

The Simple Woman's Daybook . . .

 
FOR TODAY, May 29, 2018 
Outside my window ...
The sun is up and wearing her hat. the birds are singing and it looks to be a beautiful day in the offing. 
I am thinking ...
Forty-Three years ago today, all of my childhood dreams came true when I became a mother for the first time.  It is my oldest son's birthday today.  I am so proud of him and the man that he has become.  I love him with all of my heart and hope that he has a beautiful day filled with an abundance of love and joy!  Happy Birthday son! 
In the Kitchen ... 
  
Stewed Steak & Macaroni. An oldie but a goodie.  This is fabulously delicious! 
On my "To Cook" list ...


Mexican Chocolate Cake from Dana Treat, Treat Yourself.

Good to know ... 


From Sweet Thangs.  How to Clean an Iron.  

I am Creating ...
The manuscript from my book has been handed in so now I have time for other things . . . 


I've finished the baby blanaket, so now I can give it to Ariana and Jose for their wee one.   I can also go back and finish off Todd's. 


I can continue to finish the assortment of Raggedies I have waiting for me in various levels of completion. I was doing the painting yesterday.  I still have red stripes to do, some embroidery and all of their clothing/hair, etc.


I love this Summer Wrap, by Katherine Fagen on Ravery.  


Beautiful Crochet Stuff.  Five lovely border crochet patterns, free.  


I love this tea cosy pattern, from Red Heart.   

I am reading ...
 

A Baby's Bones, by Rebecca Alexander  
Archaeologist Sage Westfield has been called in to excavate a sixteenth-century well, and expects to find little more than soil and the odd piece of pottery. But the disturbing discovery of the bones of a woman and newborn baby make it clear that she has stumbled onto an historical crime scene, one that is interwoven with an unsettling local legend of witchcraft and unrequited love. Yet there is more to the case than a four-hundred-year-old mystery. The owners of a nearby cottage are convinced that it is haunted, and the local vicar is being plagued with abusive phone calls. Then a tragic death makes it all too clear that a modern murderer is at work… 
I love a good mystery.  I love forensics.  I love this book.   
I am looking forward to ...
There's a Relief Society Picnic today in the Delamere Forest.  Might go to it.  Husbands are welcome, so we will see what happens. 
Dreaming about ...

Long cardigans  . . . 
  
Messy buns  . . . 

Stripes and denim  . . . 
  
Flower sprigs and tiny buttons  . . .  that purse  . . . 

Lace tops and skinny belts  . . . 
Something to watch ... 
  
My Bakery in Brooklyn.
Vivien and Chloe, two cousins living in Brooklyn, have been inseparable ever since they were children. At least, they were until recently. The sudden passing of their Aunt Isabelle has left them with a challenging inheritance - their aunt's quaint Boulangerie. Vivien, who has postponed her dream trip to Europe to help run the shop, wants to keep things traditional. Chloe, a chef's assistant for a popular daytime cooking show, feels they should put a modern spin on things. But when the bank reveals that the Boulangerie is in danger of being foreclosed, Vivien and Chloe must put the baking mitts down to preserve their family's legacy.

A Place to Visit . . .

  

Tea Pot Rock, Prince Edward Island, Canada.  Most people when they go to Canada, they choose to visit from Toronto Westward, but to my way of thinking, they are missing the true gems of Canada, the Atlantic Provinces.  Rustic.  Beautiful.  I know I am a bit biased, but it is the part of Canada I love most of all. 

A Quote for the day ...

   (¯`v´¯)
   `*.¸.*´Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ¸. •´¸.•~♥♥♥~•. ~ ღϠ₡ღ¸. ✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ.
         ( ¸. ❀⁀ ⋱‿✿“` * .¸.* ✻ღϠ₡ ღ¸.✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ.
A bird sitting on a branch is never afraid of a branch breaking,
because her trust is not on the branch, but on its wings,
Always believe in yourself.  ✻ღϠ₡ ღ¸.✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ.
  `*.¸.*´Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ¸. •´¸.•~♥♥♥~•. ~ ღϠ₡ღ¸. ✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ. 

Makes  me smile ...


Hello kitty  . . . 

Corners of my kingdom ...

  

Tinturn, Monmouthshire, Wales  . . . 

 
And that's my daybook for this week!



  ⋱ ⋮ ⋰
⋯ ◯ ⋯ Take time to enjoy the small *´¯`.¸¸.☆
  ⋰ ⋮ ⋱ blessings in life.*´¯`.¸¸.☆


✿¸.•*¨`*•..✿✿¸.•*¨`*•..✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.• ╬♥═╬╬═♥=╬╬═♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥═╬♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥
░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░

Have a beautiful day!  Don't forget! 
 

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And I do too!    
 

  
 
PS - Has anyone else stopped getting notifications of comments???? Or is it just me?