The Simple Woman's Day Book . . .

FOR TODAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2008 . . .

Outside My Window . . .
It's still quite dark. No birds are singing yet this morning. It's only me who is crazy enough to be awake and up and about, but then . . . when I first got up I was able to stand at the window in our upstairs lounge and look out at the night sky and see the stars twinkling and the moon shining down onto the orchard behind us. All is calm and so peaceful . . .

I am thinking . . .
About the phone call I had with my mother yesterday. I call her every second Sunday and we talk for ages. It's very hard sometimes to be living so far away. I never thought that in her elder years this would be so. I had always imagined myself living quite nearby, and that I would be able to help her if she needed me. Being here and so far away when she needs me is the hardest part of being here. Thankfully, she is still very active and independant and full of energy. I do so enjoy my telephone conversations with her. We talk and talk and talk, about everything and about nothing. It is so hard to have to say goodbye at the end. I wish I could talk to her every day. Well, I suppose do in a way . . . in my heart, but I do wish I could hear her voice . . .

I am thankful for . . .
In a world that is becoming increasingly uncertain I am thankful for my many blessings. The blessing of health and home and family, of love. The blessing of having a job, when so many do not. I may not be rich in monetary ways, but I am richly blessed in many other ways, actually those are the only ways that truly count. Money cannot buy happiness, and I am happy to the core . . .

From the kitchen . . .
I have a fresh loaf of Rustic French Bread cooling on the counter. I am not much of a bread maker myself (I make good door stops), but I do have an automatic bread maker and one that makes excellent bread, so I don't need to be much of a bread maker! I love this rustic French loaf most of all. It's full of wholemeal goodness, rye flour and has a wonderfully crunchy outside crust and meltingly light and tender insides. It's my favourite loaf!

I am wearing . . .
You will get tired of hearing this, but I am wearing my pajamas of course! I am thinking I need to get some new ones. These are getting a bit tired looking. I love new pajamas, more than new anything else, but then again, I'd live in them if I could and wear nothing else!

I am creating . . .
Press Packs for the Lollipop Shops that showcase my artwork. The creator of Lollipop Shops is going to a trade show in America in November and Mary Englebreight will be there. She's one of my most admired artists of all time. I have loved her work for a great many years. I am busy making bookmarks and other things to put into my press packs so that they will delight anyone who gets one of mine. It is hard to know what to put in actually, but I'm having great fun coming up with ideas!

I am going . . .
to work in a couple of hours . . . but then, I'm on holidays for a week starting tommorrow!!! Yes, I am taking a week off. No, we are not going anywhere special, although we may have a few trips out to some National Trust places near where we live. I am taking this week mostly to finish up a few projects like my cookbook and also some sketches I have been doing for a friend's book. Please help me out by praying that I will be able to make good headway on these things and not get distracted too much. That is one of my failings I'm afraid, I get distracted far too easily . . . it's the curse of having a creative mind!

I am reading . . .
a short novel called "The Shack" by William P Young. It's a most unusual book with a really interesting premise. This man who has lost his youngest daughter in a most tragic way gets to spend a weekend with God in an abandoned shack in the woods where they had found the last evidence of her presence. It's a bit fanciful and I'm not sure I totally get it yet, but it's entertaining and I am enjoying it thus far, although I have to admit the imagery used to represent God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are quite different than anything I ever imaginged . . .

I am hoping . . .
that I can get all the things done this week that I need to get done. My scripture study, my book, my drawings, my press packs . . .

I am hearing . . .
Jess snoring next to my feet. She is having a good old sleep this morning. Our lives follow the same routine day in and day out. I get up early. She greets me at the bottom of the stairs. I give her a scratch and rub for a few moments as I sit in my chair and she sits at my feet. More often than not she rolls over onto her back and I scratch her tummy for a few minutes which she loves. Then I put her out for her morning ablutions and she comes back in and gets her daily dentastick and joint stick. She loves those and I love watching her prance away with them in her mouth. She is so happy to get them. Then I settle in to the business of writing and she dozes at my feet. It is a quiet and happy companionship . . .

Around the house . . .
things are a bit cluttered and I need to get off my butt and put some stuff away. That is my one habit that drives Todd up the wall. I take things out, but then take my time putting them away. Whereas he is a place for everything and everything in it's place type of man, I am a completely different kettle of fish. Oh well, as I am always telling him . . . at least he knows he's not alone, because I am very obviously very much . . . here!

One of my favorite things . . .
I have a red wire heart that hangs on the wall just over the computer, right next to our calendar of the Saviour. This wireheart has little holder thingies on it that you can slip notes etc. into and it holds them up. I have it full of snapshots of my children and grandchildren. I can look up as I write and see their smiling faces and then just look to the right and see the Saviour. It's pretty lovely and does my heart good. My heart sings . . .

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week . . .
oh gosh, do you really want to know!!! All of the above plus, our young men and young women at church are doing an all night walk on Friday night. No, I am not having to walk with them, thank goodness!!!! But . . . I do have to be at the church with breakfast ready and waiting by 6 am on Saturday morning! Oh dear!! That means Todd and I will have to haul our old carcasses out of bed by 5 am at the latest and get over to that church and have it all set up. I think I'll cook the bacon and sausage ahead and just warm them up. I'm going to take my electric skillet and make some scrambled eggs and they can have bread and butter and juice and if I am feeling really enegetic some pancakes! We'll see about that last bit!

Here is picture thought I am sharing . . .



The Pyracantha bush at the end of the garden is fairly drooping with berries. It's so pretty and I am thinking that the birds will have a great old feast on it in the coming months. I find myself wondering every time I look at it if, these are the berries that they use to make those lovely wreaths for doorways in the autumn, and I am sorely tempted to try to make one. This bush does have lots of thorns though, so hardy thick gloves would be a necessity! I would love one shaped like a heart. I used to have one years ago and I loved it so very much . . . what a wonderful way to greet your guests when they come to your home for a visit!

Every time I go to the grocery store these days, it seems that the prices have gone up even more. Can you imagine that the other day I paid over £3.00 for a dozen eggs? Neither can I, but it's true! I can remember, and not too long ago either, when it was about £1.89 for a dozen large free range eggs, and thinking that was a bit much! I think I need to get myself some chickens! I am trying to be a lot more economical in my cooking these days and trying hard to pinch my pence and make it go further. This recipe I am going to share with you today makes economy a pure and simple pleasure and I just know you will all love it. The cabbage in it gets all soft and buttery. It's a delight!



*Stuffed Cabbage, Trou Style*
Serves 4 - 6

This is a wonderful way to stretch a packet of sausages a long way! It's so simple to make and basically takes care of itself in the oven while you go off and do other things you may need to do. The meat takes on a most delicious flavour and the cabbage becomes meltingly tender. Every time I make it I think to myself, this is sooo good, why don't I make it more often!

1 medium head of white or green cabbage
(about 3 1/2 to 4 pounds in weight. I prefer the white cabbage myself)
50g butter
800g of sausages
(Try to use the meatiest and tastiest ones you can find. I used Porkinsons this last time
and they were fabulous!)

Pre-heat your oven to 150*C/3oo*F. Lightly butter a deepish oven casserole dish (one with a lid) and set it aside.

Trim your cabbage and then cut it into thick shreds. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and then cook your cabbage in it for about 4 minutes. Drain it really well, rinse it with some cold water and then drain it really well again.

Remove your sausage meat from all the casings. (Discard the casings)

Cover the base of your buttered casserole dish with about 1/3 of the cabbage. Season well with some salt and black pepper. Arrange half of the sausage meat over top of this, flatteing it out with your fingertips so that it covers all the cabbage, pressing it down as you do so. Repeat the layers once, then top with the final third of the cabbage. Press down well. Season with some more salt and black pepper and dot with the remainder of the butter. Cover tightly and place in the oven to bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until the cabbage is meltingly tender.



I like to serve this with some baked potatoes and a vegetable on the side, like some green beans or broccoli. It's the perfect autumn meal to come home to after spending an afternoon walking through the woods! Don't forget to hop on over to the Simple Woman's Day Book page to see all the other daybook entries for today!