Monday 7 April 2014

The Simple Woman's Day Book


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 FOR TODAY April 7th, 2014

Outside my window...
It's overcast, but we really have had some lovely days.  The wind still has a real nip to it though.  The sun is feeling a lot warmer.  If we could just get rid of the wind, but then again it is helping to dry things up! 

I am thinking...
`•.¸.•´¸¸.¸.☆¨"Pure Christlike love flowing from righteousness can change the world.
~Jeffrey R Holland
Never underestimate the power of love.


I am thankful...
I am thankful for having been able to listen to our leaders speak to us this past weekend via our bi-annual church General conference.   My spirit has been well and truly fed.  

In the kitchen... 



A delicious Roasted Asparagus Salad with Parmesan and a Lemon Vinaigrette.  Delicious and quite healthy and very Spring-like!

On my "To Cook" list...

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Avocado, Strawberry and Spinach Salad with a Poppyseed Dressing from Gimme Some Oven.   Just waiting for Strawberry Season to arrive!  I can only imagine how delicious this will be with fresh berries from our own garden!

I am creating...

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This sweet mouse pattern is a freebie from Little Muggles! Isn't it sweet?   I think it is just adorable.

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No source to be found, but they look simple enough to replicate.  High heel cupcakes!  Regular iced cupcakes for the toes, a biscuit for the body of the shoe and a cigarello for the heel.  A bit of sprinkles, etc. and some icing trim around the body of the shoe and Bob's Your Uncle!  You got really pretty shoe cupcakes for the gals!

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Little button pouches made from the recycled pockets from Men's shirts on Upcycle.  Love, LOVE!

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Bunny Sachets for Easter from Craft Passion.  There is a free tutorial.   Aren't they adorable and there are lots of uses suggested for them as well.  Looks like a great way to use up some scraps and make something useful at the same time!

I am going...
There is an Additional Meeting for the gals in my Ward at the church on Thursday evening, and we are going to a concert at a church in Port Sunlight with some good friends on Friday Evening.

I am wondering...
Todd bought a couple of new gold fish at the weekend.  He is acclimatizing them now to the pond.   They are fantails.  I am wondering if they will be okay.  

I am reading...   
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The Midwife's Confession, by Diane Chamberlain
I finished Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain and I enjoyed it so very much I looked for another one of her books to read.  I settled on this one.  I downloaded a try me first section and I was hooked and so I had to go for the whole book.  It's very, very good. 

Dear Anna, 
What I have to tell you is difficult to write, but I know it will be far more difficult for you to hear, and I'm so sorry- 

 The unfinished letter is the only clue Tara and Emerson have to the reason behind their close friend Noelle's suicide. Everything they knew about Noelle - her calling as a midwife, her passion for causes, her love for her friends and family - described a woman who embraced life. Yet there was so much they didn't know. With the discovery of the letter and its heartbreaking secret, Noelle's friends begin to uncover the truth about this complex woman who touched each of their lives - and the life of a desperate stranger - with love and betrayal, compassion and deceit. 

This is a nail biter for sure!  Another can't put me down book!  So happy to have discovered this author!  


I am hoping...
Starting the Food Doctor Diet again  (for the umpteenth time) this week.   I am just going to do it to kick start some weight loss and get myself off Diet Coke and sugar, and then I will see where I go from there.   I really want to get rid of my sweet tooth.

Makes me Smile...  
A group of seniors were sitting around talking about their ailments.
"My arms have gotten so weak I can hardly lift this cup of coffee," said one.
"Yes, I know," said another. "My cataracts are so bad; I can't even see my coffee."
"I couldn't even mark an "X" at election time, my hands are so crippled," volunteered a third.
"What??  Speak up!  I can't hear you!"
"I can't turn my head because of the arthritis in my neck," said a fourth to which several nodded weakly in agreement.
"My blood pressure pills make me so dizzy!" exclaimed another.
"I forget where I am, and where I'm going," said another.
"I guess that's the price we pay for getting old," winced an old man as he slowly shook his head.
The other's nodded in agreement.
"Well, count your blessings," said a woman cheerfully . . . "Thankfully we can all still drive."  

I am learning...
I am learning to be more gentle with myself.  Why do we always judge ourselves in ways and to standards we would never apply to another?

Around the House ...   
  
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They don't really do decks here in the UK, not that I have seen any ways.   They do patios.   If I ever had a deck I would love for it to be just like this one.  I love the colour, and of course the shrubs around it.   We had a house with a deck once, in New Brunswick.  It was impossible to use it however because the mosquitoes were so bad you couldn't be outside for five minutes without getting eaten alive!  

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 Live Creatively Inspired.   Ten ways to add farmhouse style.  There are some really great ideas here.  I love the bead board cupboards and the wooden counters.

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Again, no source, but I do love the colours of the gingham pillow case and that bright and cosy looking afghan.  They look really warm and cosy.  Homey.

I am pondering... 
(¯`•♥•´¯)☆
*`•.¸(¯`•♥•´¯)¸.•♥♥•
☆ º ` `•.¸.•´ ` º ☆.¸.☆¸.•♥♥•¸.•♥♥•¸.•♥♥•

Being a Disciple of Christ is not an effort of once a week, or once a day, it's an effort of once and for all.  ~President Dieter F Uchtdorf.

How can I apply this to my life.  Where there is a will, there is a way.

A favorite quote for today...  

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`*.¸.*✻ღϠ₡ღ¸.✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ..
(¯`v´¯)
 `*.¸.*´Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
  ¸.•´¸.•~♥♥♥~•.~  

IF we follow up, the Lord will not let us down.
~Elder M Russell Ballard

One of my favorite things...    

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Salted and Roasted Pistachio Nuts.  I could eat them until they come out my ears.  I especially LOVE the salt and black pepper ones.   Nice!

A few plans for the rest of the week...
  Once again not a lot in my date book.  

A peek into my day...  

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Every day, without fail.  I fall asleep reading.

⋱ ⋮ ⋰
   ⋯ ◯ ⋯ Take time to enjoy the small*´¯`.¸¸.☆
   ⋰ ⋮ ⋱ blessings in life.*´¯`.¸¸.☆
   ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿
   ╬♥═╬╬═♥=╬╬═♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥═╬
   ░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░  


Wherever you go and whatever you do I hope there's a wonderful day planned for you!


 

12 comments:

  1. Darling I fall asleep reading most nights too. Thanks for the smile.

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  2. You are welcome Suzan! I just realized I did this post a day early! On the ball or what?

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  3. Port Sunlight sounds like someplace I'd like to visit. What a wonderful name. Like you I read every night. My book is always handy right on the table beside my bed. I may read during the day at times, but that is usually a different one from the one by the bed. Hope you have a wonderful Monday!

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  4. Hi Pam, Port Sunlight was a purpose made town created by the late 19th Century village was built by William Hesketh Lever to house his soap factory workers at Lever Brothers which eventually turned into the global giant Unilever. Lever was a philanthropist with a passion for art and architecture and Port Sunlight is an enduring testament to the achievements of this remarkable man. The sheer scale of his philanthropy was unprecedented and the whole of Port Sunlight is now a Conservation Area and a major tourist attraction for Wirral. You may remember our visit to it last year where I wrote about it on the blog. It may have even been 2 summers ago. It was a really nice place!

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  5. Lovely food and ideas:)

    You are a busy girl!

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  6. Thank you Monique. I do like to stay busy!

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  7. "Why do we always judge ourselves in ways and to standards we would never apply to another?" I'd also like to know the answer to that one. Sometimes we really are our own worst enemies.

    You've found some lovely things again. Those cupcakes are gorgeous and perfect for a real girly afternoon tea. I'm going to a clothing party at a friend's home later in the week and I think I'll give them a try. Do you think if I made Langues de Chat that they would be okay for the sole?

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  8. Hahaha Marie, thought I'd lost a day of my life when I logged on!! These senior moments creep up on all of us!!! Much love xxx

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  9. Hello Dear Friend,
    Like you I was touched by the conference talks. I got more bad news from a blood test right before conference yesterday. I was feeling down. Then Pres. Uchtdorf's talk came on. It seemed like he was talking just to me. I am trying to be more grateful in all things.

    Have a good week. I will be thinking of you. Hugs, Lura

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  10. Marie, langue de Chat would be perfect I think!

    Katie, sorry for the scare! haha

    Lura, conference was the best. I love each one. I hope that you are soon feeling better and that the infection leaves. Keeping my prayers going! xxoo

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  11. Marie wasn't Conference great? I want to re-watch all the sessions. You be sweet to yourself, you are a wonderful person and a beautiful lady. I have been thinking of Wales a lot this week. I found out where all my Welsh Ancestors are from this week and translated my great grandfather's obituary from the Welsh version. There were a couple of idioms I could not figure out but I got out of it what I needed. Do you know about why they refer to the "warm morning" a lot? I think if is some kind of a wish for good things to come??

    Love to You and Tod I can never remember if it one d on Tod or 2 Todd? The picture of the two of you is cute! Hugs, Bon

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  12. Conference was great Bonnie! WE still have a session to watch. Its difficult for us to watch some of them because it is done after the fact because of time difference and they keep buffering, but we persevere! I will ask around about the warm morning bit. Most of my friends live in Wales and indeed our chapel is in Wales. Love to you and Jim as well! I can't believe we will soon be able to meet in person!

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Your comments mean the world to me, and while I may not be able to address each one individually, each one is important to me and each one counts. Thanks so much!