A Day Book . . .

 

FOR TODAY, March 4, 2025

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW ...

A beautiful sunset. It is really cold out there this morning. -11*C/14*F.  The snow is piled up and dirty and there are piles of garbage bags at the end of every yard, so I thought I would share this photo of a sunset with you from a while back instead.  I am rather late getting started this morning. I didn't wake up until gone 7 a.m.  I remember waking up at 3:30 and thinking I needed to go to the bathroom, but I would wait as it was so close to getting up time and the next thing I knew it was 7 a.m. but I had the best sleep between those hours that I cannot complain!

 

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I AM THINKING ...

I really wonder about people sometimes.  Last week I posted this recipe on my English Kitchen Facebook page for a Skillet Chicken Parmesan. Some Italian Lady from Italy took offense to it, accusing me of cultural misappropriation. She has actually gotten quite antagonistic about it and is leaving comments on every one of my posts:

Old Style Bread Pudding:  

Francesca De Maria- Old style from where? Remains a mistery.

Washington Pie: 

Francesca De Maria- Is it traditional from whashington or you just use the reference for some other reason?

Lemon Splits:

Francesca De Maria - Are you sure this is traditional traditional? With you, one is never sure!

Mississippi Pot Roast:

Francesca De Maria- I believe this is not traditional from Mississippi, right?

It goes on and on, her making nasty comments like this on every post. I am basically not responding to any of her comments.  A part of me wants to ban her from my page. What would you do?

 

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I AM ALSO THINKING ...

I love this picture of March. The March winds, the kite flying, the March hare.   It must be European as it is a bit early for all of that here, but it won't be long!

IN THE KITCHEN ...

Fluffy Old-Fashioned Pancakes for two. Just in time for pancake day.  These really did rise up nice and fluffy.  I quite enjoyed them and took half of them over to Sheila next door, along with some sausage and syrup.  She was quite upset as the Doctor had messed up her prescriptions.  She was on the phone with her sister-in-law. Hopefully she was able to get them sorted. I will check on her later today to make sure she is okay.

ON MY "TO COOK" LIST 

Chicago Bakery Style Apple Slices.  From The Hungry Bluebird.  These look amazing!

 

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SOMETHING THAT IS NICE ...

I love good soaps. This soap from Farm to Skin looks really nice. A bit too expensive for my budget however.

 

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SOMETHING ELSE THAT IS NICE ...

A little Jenny Wren.  I have only ever seen one in person once. They are very shy birds.

 

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SOMETHING I KNOW TO BE TRUE ...

If you always do your best, then nobody can or should ask for more than that.

I WOULD LIKE TO CREATE ...

 

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These are cute.  I think you need to start early to make stuff like this. No good starting them in October or November. 

 

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I like this also . . . 

 

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A cute papercraft  . . . 

 

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Egg Carton houses  . . . 

 

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Little Birthday Greetings  . . . 

 

(Eat Well)

SOMETHING I ENJOY ...

Chicken Wings. I love, LOVE chicken wings.  When the kids were small, chicken was always really expensive (still is) but you could get a huge pack of chicken wings for about $2. I used to buy them all the time because it was quite an affordable way to eat chicken. We all loved them. I would just bang them into a roasting tray and season them and then bake to perfection. We were all very pleased when they were on the menu. You wouldn't get a huge package like that of them for $2 these days!

 

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SOMETHING ELSE I ENJOY ...

Farm fresh eggs. They are so delicious.

 

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OH MY GOODNESS ...

What a beautiful spot! What a brilliant capture.

 

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I WISH ...

That there was a place here where I could go to the Ballet.  No such thing.  I do remember back in the 1970's the National Ballet came to Acadia and going to see it there. I love the Ballet.

I AM READING ...

THE WORSE HARD TIME, by Timothy Egan

Egan tells an extraordinary tale in this visceral account of how America's great, grassy plains turned to dust, and how the ferocious plains winds stirred up an endless series of "black blizzards" that were like a biblical plague: 

"Dust clouds boiled up, ten thousand feet or more in the sky, and rolled like moving mountains" in what became known as the Dust Bowl. 

But the plague was man-made, as Egan shows: the plains weren't suited to farming, and plowing up the grass to plant wheat, along with a confluence of economic disaster—the Depression—and natural disaster—eight years of drought—resulted in an ecological and human catastrophe that Egan details with stunning specificity. 

He grounds his tale in portraits of the people who settled the plains: hardy Americans and immigrants desperate for a piece of land to call their own and lured by the lies of promoters who said the ground was arable. Egan's interviews with survivors produce tales of courage and suffering: Hazel Lucas, for instance, dared to give birth in the midst of the blight only to see her baby die of "dust pneumonia" when her lungs clogged with the airborne dirt. With characters who seem to have sprung from a novel by Sinclair Lewis or Steinbeck, and Egan's powerful writing, this account will long remain in readers' minds.

Reading on my kindle.  I think we are in for some very hard times even now, but not because of a dust bowl.

THINGS I LOVE ...

 

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Blue and white . . . . 

 

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Daffodils . . . . 

 

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Pussy willows and old wooden clothespins  . . . 

 

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Puppies  . . . 

 

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Ginger cats . . . 

 

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I AM GRATEFUL FOR ... 

The ability to learn new things and to grow as a person with each day that passes. Humility.

 

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ALSO GRATEFUL FOR ...

Seasons  . . . 

SOMETHING TO WATCH ...

Toxic Town on Netflix. Based on a true story of an environmental disaster in a town in the U.K.

A THOUGHT TO CARRY WITH YOU ...

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

 *.I will never have this version of me again.

Let me slow down and be with her.

~rupi kaur  ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

And that is my daybook for this week!  Thanks always for being here!

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



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

░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░ 

Have a beautiful day!  Don't forget!  

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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
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And I do too!    

   

A Day Book

 

FOR TODAY, November 12th, 2024

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW ...

It's a grey, grey day. A bit milder than it has been, but very dismal.  Similar to yesterday. Cloudy and its supposed to rain. Blah  . . . 

 

(source)

I AM THINKING ...

Yesterday was my wedding anniversary.  We have never divorced. It was a bit of a sad day, but I kept myself pretty busy.  I think that is the key to surviving those moments when sadness comes about. Get stuck in, keep busy and forget yourself.  I made three recipes and photographed them, cleaned up after all the cooking.  Put some into containers to take next door to Sheila.  She really appreciated them.  We had a little visit, and then I came home.  Life goes on.

 

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I AM ALSO THINKING ...

Who knew there was such a thing.  I love it. Maybe every culture has their own form of hygge. I wonder what the Canadian version would be. Probably not dissimilar to any Northern hemisphere idea of warmth and comfort at this time of year. Anything that brings comfort, makes your heart content, keeps you warm and happy.

IN THE KITCHEN ...

Cozy Green Bean Mac & Cheese Casserole.  I have already had one commentor say that this is just wrong. Green Bean Casserole is Green Bean Casserole, and Mac and Cheese is Mac and Cheese and mashing the two together is wrong.  I say, don't knock it until you try it. This was really delicious.  Rich, creamy and delicious.

ON MY "TO COOK" LIST ...

Vermont Breakfast Bread. Its French toast but it looks so good.  I haven't had French Toast in a while. I love the stuff.

LOOKING FORWARD TO ...

Dad wants to take us all to Swiss Chalet for dinner on Wednesday night.  He has seen the Festive Feast advertised on the television and is keen to try it. I was not too impressed the last time we were there, but if it makes dad happy, then that is what counts.  I am not entirely sure if I can go as I have a telephone Doctors appointment here at 7:15 in the evening and the Swiss Chalet is about an hour's drive away.

I may have to pass this time unfortunately.  But it would have been nice to be able to gather together like that.

 

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SOMETHING NICE ...

Warm socks, slippers and throws this time of year. Those knitted slippers look really warm as does the cardigan.

 

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SOMETHING ELSE THAT IS NICE ...

The smell of coffee brewing.  I may not drink it, but I do love the smell of fresh coffee. I recently got a candle from a local maker of candles called Coffee House.  It smells really lovely. It is a mix of hazelnut, espresso and vanilla beans. It smells amazing.  My sister and I found it at a local gift shop. We are always sniffing the candles in gift shops. I expect it is a thing lots of people do. I do not like candles made with paraffin.  I like the soy wax candles.

THIS I KNOW TO BE TRUE ...

Its what has gotten me through recent years.  I could never have carried these burdens on my own. They would have broken me.

I AM WANTING TO CREATE ...

Melissa Belanger.  Frosty Figures.

All Good Wishes   Bell Ringer Snowmen.

Raggedy Pants snowmen.

Etsy.  Paper Clay Snowman tutorial.

Another Raggedy Pants Snow Lady it looks like this time. So cute.

OH MY GOODNESS ...

Cute, cute, cute. Such a cozy bedroom. Very festive looking as well. I could spend all day in that bed, lol

 

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I WISH FOR ...

Peace, love and harmony in the world. Is it possible. I like to think that it is, but a lot of people would have to change first.

I AM READING ...

Where the Broken Heart Still Beats, by Carolyn Meyer

At the age of nine, Cynthia Ann Parker was captured in an Indian raid and taken to live as a slave with the Comanche. Twenty-four years later, she is the wife of a chief and the mother of a young warrior destined to become the great chief Quanah Parker. But in 1861, Parker and her infant daughter are recaptured and returned against their will to a white settlement. This moving story is a riveting examination of the conflicts between Native Americans and white settlers.

THINGS I LOVE ...

 

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Hot chocolate topped with whipped cream. The best I had was in Germany.

The classics  . . . 

 

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A farmhouse sink  . . . 

 

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Warm mittens  . . . 

 

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Pretty doorknobs . . .

SOMETHING TO WATCH ...

The Empress on Netflix.

 

A THOUGHT TO CARRY WITH YOU ...

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

 *.˛.You must find the place 

within yourself

where nothing is impossible.

~Deepak Chopra° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

And that is my daybook for this week!  Thanks always for being here!

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



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

░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░ 

Have a beautiful day!  Don't forget!  

═══════════ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ═══════════ 

⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════  

And I do too!