The Simple Woman's Day book . . .

FOR TODAY, November 15th, 2011...

Outside My Window...
We've had a few pretty mild days for November. Very different from the November we had last year which was quite unbelievably cold! I am not complaining! Every little helps on the heating bill counts!

I am thinking...
I am trying not to think these days and when I do I ponder the scriptures. I've been reading a book entitled 21 Days Closer to the Saviour. It takes 21 days to form a habit they say. I've always tried to walk close to the Saviour but, like anyone, there is room for improvement!

I am thankful for...
All the many blessings scattered throughout my day that we all tend to take a bit for granted. Puppy dog kisses and my husband's warm arm laying across my shoulder as we watch telly in the evening. Reaching out to brush my hand against his cheek in the middle of the night when we are both supposed to be sleeping, and knowing he is there. Opening my eyes each morning as I unwrap the gift of a new day . . . being able to talk to my sister almost every day this week! (She is on a two week sabbatical from work, and so available, which is great!) I could go on and on, but I am sure you get the picture. My cup surely runneth over.

From the kitchen...
There is leftover nutmeg cake and two muffins. Not sure which is calling my name . . . both are very, very good.

I am wearing...
Pink nightie with pink flowers on it, pink and black PJ pants and my robe and slipper. Warm and cosy. Layering really does work!

I am creating...
I still have a special painting I am working on for a friend, but I still managed to knock out this yesterday:




I did this when I got back from my Visit Teaching yesterday afternoon. I was a tad bit inspired by my own post yesterday morning. You know, most mornings when I sit down at the computer to write, I have absolutely no idea what is going to spring from the end of my fingertips. It's the same with my paintbrush. I just sit down and what happens happens.

I've also gotten quite a bit more done on my crochet afghan.

I am going...
We are popping into town this morning. I have a bill to pay and I think Todd wants to go to the Library. I hope it is dry. I don't mind cold if it is dry. You can wrap up but I hate having to carry an umbrella. It's just awkward and something else you have to think about losing or leaving somewhere!

I am reading...



Snowflower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See
A language kept a secret for a thousand years forms the backdrop for an unforgettable novel of two Chinese women whose friendship and love sustains them through their lives.

This absorbing story takes place in 19th century China when girls still had their feet bound, and then spent the rest of their lives in seclusion with only a single window from which to see. Illiterate and isolated, they were not expected to think, be creative, or have emotions. But in one remote county . . . the women developed their own secret code, nu shu . . . "women's writing" . . . the only gender-based written language to have been found in the world. Some girls were paired as "old-sames" in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their windows to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.

An old woman tells of her relationship with her "old-same," their arranged marriages, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood . . . until a terrible misunderstanding written on their secret fan threatens to tear them apart. With the detail and emotional resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha , Snow Flower and the Secret Fan delves into one of the most mysterious and treasured relationships of all time . . . female friendship.

This is my second time reading this book. I first read it several years ago and I am enjoying it every bit as much the second time around. I have always held a great fascination with Oriental culture, and especially their history.

I am hoping...
I am hoping for good results on Friday when I have my next hospital appointment. And if not . . . well, I will deal with it then.

I am hearing...
Early morning sounds as the world wakes up around me. Every day sounds. Peaceable and comforting. My everyday sounds in any case. Our Mantel clock makes a noise as the hands move around it's face . . . not a tick tick, but a low rumbling. I miss old hand wound clocks. These modern battery operated ones are just not the same.

Around the house...

Source: houzz.com via Marie on Pinterest

I hold a particular fascination with door knobs. We have only handles on the doors in our house . . . no knobs. They are plain and utilitarian . . . oh how I would love to have knobs. They needn't be crystal, as nice as that would be . . . just knobs instead of handles. I suppose I should be grateful just to have doors!

I am looking forward to...
I am looking forward to going in to town today. Chester is such a beautiful city with it's white stucco and black beamed buildings. I love to look at the roof tops and chimney's too. It's all so very lovely. I fell in love with it from the very first time that I saw it all those years ago. Only 11 and some, but it seems like forever, and that I have always lived here. When we lived down South I longed to come back and look . . . my wish was granted in a curious and wonderful way.

I am pondering...
Which did come first . . . the chicken or the egg?????

One of my favourite things...
Christmas Music. I could listen to it all year round. I recently got Mindy Gledhills new Christmas Album, Winter Moon. It's lovely, just lovely. I also love listening to my Paul Cardhall cd and Lady Antebellum. I just like listening to music. I tried to pick a sound track for my life one time and I couldn't do it. There were just too many songs and artists that I liked.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
I am going in to town today and I have meetings tomorrow night. Nothing else is certain . . . oh wait, how could I forget! I am having the missionaries over for dinner on Thursday evening! Yay! I love feeding the missionaries.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Source: oursimplecountrylife.com via Marie on Pinterest

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. ~Psalm 91:4

Anyone who has lived on a farm and has had chickens knows that when danger is on the horizon, a mother hen spreads her wings and covers her little chicks with her feathers. Then she pulls her chicks in close . . . right underneath her wings. In fact, she hides her chicks from danger with her wings. Just as a hen protects her chicks, our Heavenly Father safeguards you with His strength and shelters you will His protective power. What a beautiful thought . . .

As a closing thought I would like to leave you with this:

"Experience has convinced me that there is a thousand times more goodness, wisdom and love in the world than men imagine."
~Gehles

I think this is true. We should look for the good in people and experiences instead of always dwelling on the bad.

And there you have it . . . my day book for this week. Don't forget to hop on over to the Simple Woman to check out the other day book entries! (Or better yet, do a simple day book entry yourself! It's not that hard and I am betting you would enjoy it!

Todd really loves it when I make pork chops for supper. Last night I was going to make him pineapple baked ones, but when I went to the larder to get a tin of pineapple I couldn’t find one! I found a small tin of pineapple crush but Ineededrings for my pork chop recipe. I was kind of disappointed but never mind, this is what I came up with instead! (Pineapple or no, they had Todd smacking his lips regardless!)



*Pork Chops Romano*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Crunchy, spicy and delicious these are real family pleasing pork chops. Really quick to make as well! You can easily cut the recipe in half if there are only two of you (as I did) or you can double it to make more!

4 boneless pork loin chops
1 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano Cheese
½ cup dried bread crumbs (I used Italian ones)
2 tsp cajun seasoning
1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
¼ cup plain flour
2 eggs, beaten
2 TBS vegetable oil for frying
Lemon wedges for serving

Take your pork chops and trim all the fat from the edges. One at a time place them into a large plastic baggie and pound them with a mallet or the edge of your rolling pin until they are about ¼ inch thick, being very careful not to tear the meat.

Take three shallow pie plates. In one put the flour. In the next, beat together the eggs. In the third mix together the cheese, bread crumbs, Cajun seasoning and the lemon zest.

Coat each pork chop in the flour, patting it in and shaking off the excess. Then dip it into the beaten eggs, again letting the excess drip off. Finally dip it into the crumb mixture, coating each side well and pressing the crumbs in to stay. Set aside on a plate until you have them all coated.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Fry the chops in two batches, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Keep them warm in the oven until you have them all browned.

Serve hot with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over. Yummy!



Over in The English Kitchen today there are some very delicious Spicy Gingerbread Muffins!

“What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you.”
~Dieter F. Uchtdorf

From my heart . . .

Our local church stake had it's semi annual Stake (regional) Conference this past weekend. There was a special meeting on Saturday evening for the adults and then a family one on Sunday morning. There was also a Priesthood session on Saturday afternoon.

This conference was quite special this time because one of the higher up leaders in our Church was going to be there and speaking to us, Elder Caussé, a member of the 70. I was really excited about this and even more so because I had already heard him speak in person down in Maidstone when we were living down in Kent and also at General Conference several years ago. In fact you can see an excerpt of that excellent talk he gave HERE on youtube. It is well worth the listen.



We went along on Saturday night with great expectations and we were not disappointed. What a wonderful meeting this was. There was the usual opening prayer and hymn and several testimonies from a few members, and then Elder Caussé got up to speak to us. That is where this meeting took an entirely different turn from what our meetings usually are.

He spoke to us a bit about how he feels about families, and then he opened the floor to our questions, wanting to know what, as a church, our concerns were about our families and homes. There followed a beautiful 45 minutes of questions and discussion about what should be the most important thing in each of our lives, our family and our home.



Each question was handled with loving concern by him and the other people that were with him at the front of the chapel, all leaders in various capacities in our Stake and church . . . the Stake Mission President and his wife, our Stake President, the Stake patriarch, etc.

As I sat there and listened to everyone speaking, I thought about the pain in my own life, in my own family. With this being the North American Mother's Day this past Sunday, my role as a mother in my family was very much on my mind. As you know, I am divorced and it was a very difficult divorce, and very complicated due to years of emotional and mental abuse on the part of my ex husband. The fallout from it has been very hard to work my way through . . . and indeed, whilst most of my children have managed to work their way through it and are ok . . . my youngest daughter still does not communicate with me, having chosen to believe whatever tales have been told to her by my ex husband and his now wife. She is clearly not ok, and this causes me a great deal of pain and anguish.



I have never been able to speak to her about it, because she chooses not to communicate with me, and in fact, I have never been able to even hear about what it is that is bothering her as, once again, she does not communicate with me in any way. I only know from my eldest son that she has chosen to believe the stories that have been told and that she has "issues."

Over this past year I have also had to bear the pain of my youngest son, who is very close to this particular sister, also pulling away from me, which has been very difficult and I have struggled to keep the lines of communication open with him.



I love each one of my children so very much. I know that I have made mistakes in the way I have handled things at different times, but I know also, that I have always tried to be the best mother that I knew, and know how to be. As I sat there and listened to Elder Caussé and the others answer the questions that were asked of them . . . and I felt of the beautiful spirit that was present in the room, and of the love that was there . . . a sense of peace came over me about all these things in my life that have caused me so much pain and anguish over the past 11 years.

I cannot change the past. I cannot change the stories and lies that have been told about me. If people choose not to communicate with me, that is also something that is not in my power to change. What I can do though, is by example . . . by the way I live my life and conduct myself, show to my children that I am not the person that has been portrayed to them. That I am a good and kind and loving person, and that I love them, no matter what, and always. That I am not some kind of nut case that joined a cult. That I am a responsible, intelligent person who loves God and Jesus Christ with all of my heart, and who strives to live my life by their holy standards in every way.



When I got home, I dug out my Patriarchal Blessing and read it again. In it, my Heavenly Father told me that I would be as a "Beacon . . . a light to my family" . . . and those words finally made sense to me. I need no longer struggle with the past, or try to make sense of it. I can put it to rest, with the assurance in my heart that I did the best that I knew how to do, and that I can be an example to my children of a strong and faithful woman, a woman of purpose and direction, a woman who is an example of the Saviour's love in all ways. That example will say far more than any words I could try to speak ever could. I cannot make them love or honor me. I cannot force them to communicate with me. I can only love them and do my best to keep the channels of communication open. The rest is up to them.

I feel a sense of peace about this that I have not felt in a long time.



I hope the sun shines today! We are out and about collecting catalogues again this morning. I don't mind helping Todd to do this. If I help him, it gets done in half the time and then we have more time to do other things together. I love my Todd. He truly is the love of my life and I am so very thankful to have him. I cherish every moment.

My Todd loves pork chops. I think they are one of his favourite types of meat. Sometimes it can be hard to get them just right. If you overcook them they can be dry and tasteless. This recipe today is an excellent way to cook them. They turn out fabulous every time.



*Caesar Pork Chops*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Easy, tasty and a real family pleaser. I like to serve this with mashed sweet potatoes and a green vegetable. Delicious and moist, everyone loves these!

1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp garlic Italian seasoning
1/2 cup creamy Caesar Salad Dressing
4 pork loin chops, preferably with the bone in
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan Cheese

Preheat the oven to 180*C/375*F/Gas mark 5. Spray a 12 by 8 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Sift the flour and Italian seasoning into a shallow dish. Put the salad dressing into another shallow dish. Coat both sides of each pork chop in the flour mixture and then in the salad dressing, making sure they are well coated. Place them into the baking dish. Discard any leftover flour and dressing. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the chops.

Bake in the heated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until the pork is done and nicely browned. The juices should run clear. Place on heated plates along with your desired accompaniements and serve!



You'll find some scrummy Sticky Ginger Fairycakes over on The English Kitchen this morning! Yummy, yummy!!

PS - I would like to invite you to visit my beautiful Daughter In Law, Anne's page this morning. She has written a beautiful post about her feelings this year on Mother's Day. She recently lost her much beloved mother after a long and painful battle with cancer. You can find her post HERE.