Legends, Blue Eyes, and a Darned Good Tealoaf

I have always loved Morning Glories. With beautiful blue flowers that open in the morning, turning their pretty blue heads towards the sun, they climb and adorn almost anything you plant them near. I have always found it so mysterious that they close their faces in the late afternoon and seemingly go to sleep until the following morning. There is a beautiful legend attached to them that I would love to share with you this morning.

There once was a beautiful Princess who loved to sit amongst the flowers in her garden. She was very delicate herself, however, and so she always had to return to the palace before the day became overly hot, and so she never saw certain varieties of her garden flowers which didn't open until the sun shone on them.



This made her incredibly sad, for as you know Princess's have very delicate hearts and feelings, and one day as she returned to the palace, she began to cry. Her tears fell to the ground as she walked and each one that touched the earth, magically turned into a small seed.

A few weeks later, as the Princess walked in her garden early one morning, she was very surprised to see a beautiful new flower growing and climbing over the garden wall, twining it's lovely tendrils around the trees and cascading over the archways. Her heart was filled to overflowing with joy and ever since that time the name of Morning Glory has been given to these lovely flowers which sprang from the tears of a Princess's pretty blue eyes, and yet gave her much joy in the morning . . .



Lovely legend isn't it? I like to think it's true, but then again, I also believe in fairies . . .

The day turned to sun for a time yesterday afternoon and I was busy out in the garden snapping some shots of the flowers that are now blooming there. At one point I was laying on the bench of our picnic table and looking up with my camera. I caught a glimpse of Todd looking down at me and laughing at my ministrations. He thinks I'm so funny, the things I get up to. We bring each other much joy . . . he's my morning glory, except that he blooms all day! (He has pretty blue eyes too! We do have a giggle together!)



We had a lovely picnic at the park, although it had clouded over again by then. Todd and the little fella next door went for a paddle around the lake in a canoe, although afterwards Todd was wishing he had taken a paddle boat, as his pant legs had gotten all wet from the water dripping down the handle of the paddle! Lesson learned! It was just wonderful sitting under the trees and being with friends and watching the young ones play frisbee and kicking a ball around. There was lots of chatter and lots of food and to end it all . . . lovely bowls of strawberries and cream. I'm glad it didn't rain, as it was really nice to get away from home for a bit and visit with friends. I really enjoyed watching Todd paddle around the lake with the wee one from next door, it only confirms my thoughts about what a good father he would have been and makes me love him even more, as if that was possible! We both fell into bed exhausted last night. It's amazing what a little bit of fresh air and exercise will do!

I am really on top of things this week, for I managed to bake my Make Me Bake Challenge yesterday! Not surprisingly, the Sticky Marmalade Tea Loaf won this week. It's lovely and spicy and full of lovely pecan nuts. I have put a new one up for the coming week now, Cupcakes!



*Sticky Marmalade Tea Loaf*
Makes 1 2-lb loaf (serves approx. 12)

I like to use extra chunky marmalade in this delicious tea bread. It helps to give extra texture to the baked loaf and prettifies the top! Yorkshire Tea company does make a lovely marmalade loaf of their own, which is quite good, but you just can't beat homemade! It's always infinitely better! (Besides my own is twice the size and half the price, not to mention just that bit tastier!)

5 ounces of marmalade (reserve 1 TBS for later)
6 ounces of butter, softened
6 ounces light soft brown sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
8 ounces self rising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
100g pecan halves, divided

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. LIghtly butter a 2 pound loaf tin and then line it with greaseproof paper. Set aside, along with 1 TBS of the marmalade (in a small sauce pan.)

Put the butter, remaining marmalade, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and spices into a large bowl. Blend with an electric beater for two minutes or so until smooth and light. Stir in 2/3 of the pecan nuts.

Tip the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the remaining pecan nuts over top evenly. Bake in the heated oven for about 1 - 1 1/4 hours until a skewer inserted in the centre of the loaf comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly touched. (If it is browning too much you can cover it with foil after 45 minutes) Once cooked remove it from the tin and allow to cool slightly on a wire rack.

Gently heat the reserved marmalade and then brush it evenly over top of the warm loaf. Allow to cool and serve cut into slices. (I like a bit of butter on mine, but then again, I would!)

Saturday Ramblings

What do the words "Saturday", "Days Off", and "Ward Picnic" have in common with each other??? One might well ask that, but . . . . since I noticed that it was drizzling and raining when I poked my nose out the door early this morning, that would be a HUGE clue! Why is it that it will be gloriously sunny and warm most of the week, but the minute you get a day off that you could enjoy it in and an outdoor activity planned, the clouds roll in and it decides to rain? haha I guess that's what they call Murphy's Law, or is it the Peter Principle? I don't know for sure. (We learned those principles in Grade 10 Economics and that was quite long ago for me!) Hopefully the day will clear as it goes on or we will have a really disappointed lad next door! He was going to go to the picnic with us! Never mind if it's still raining when picnic time rolls around we will just have our picnic on the floor here in the cottage. It won't be the first time I have done that, nor will it be the last I am hoping! (Kitchen Floor picnics are the best!)



I was tagged to do a meme late last week so I thought I would bite the bullet this morning and get it done. Maddy of Maddy's Glass House and Bunny of Bunnys Warm Oven both tagged me to do the same meme! I love doing these things, and hopefully you will love reading my answers.

There are some rules that apply:
Each participant answers questions about himself. At the end of the post the participant tags 5 people. Their names are posted letting them know they’ve been tagged. They then have to read the participant’s blog. The tagged let’s the tagger know when he’s posted his answers. Here we go!

What was I doing 10 years ago?

10 years ago seems like a lifetime ago for me. First of all I was living in Canada. My ex husband and I had just moved back to Nova Scotia from Georgetown, Ontario. In the process we had lost another child as our youngest daughter had decided that she just did not want to move yet again and as she was in her last year of High School she wanted to finish off her schooling with friends and people she knew and so she left and went to live with her best friend's family in New Brunswick. It was a sad time for me. This was the fourth move in about a 2 year span. Indeed my youngest son, who was only in Grade 2 at the time was facing attending his 4th elementary school! My ex was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which none of us knew at the time. He had served a year in Croatia in 1993 and we had all been through the mill after that with lots of ups and downs. I was a stay at home mom, and on the verge of getting separated and divorced, and I had just joined my church so it was a time of lots of change and upheaval for everyone. (It's hard to believe that 10 years have passed!)

5 Things On My To Do List for today:

1. Pack up some things that need to go in the mail. (Sorry Gloria I have procrastinated getting your prints to you, only because I wanted to put a letter in with them! You'll hopefully have them within a week or so!)
2. Do my Daring Baker's Challenge. I didn't get the one done last month and surely don't want to miss another month. I can't tell you what it is, only that it's delish, as always!
3. Tidy up a bit around here. My Todd is really funny. As I was walking through the library the other day I noticed that he had stuck some little notes on my piles of books that are waiting to be put back on the shelves. I believe as I passed through the library, I walked past several Mountain Ranges, the Sierra Nevada's, the Rockies and interestingly enough Ben Nevis, which is in Scotland! (I think that was a huge hint, don't you?)
4. Relax, relax, relax . . . which may mean a bit of painting or a bit of writing, or nothing at all. It all depends on what strikes my fancy.
5. More of number four.



5 Snacks I Enjoy:

1. Potato Crisps. I know, me bad. These are things that should never pass my lips as I already have a few too many of them lingering on my hips, although to be fair I now only eat the baked ones and only ever tiny little small bags at that.

2. Chocolate. Something else I should never eat, but I do love a nice, good quality piece of Green and Black's Organic milk chocolate or a piece of Lindt Dark Chili chocolate. mmm.... both are delicious and a real treat!

3. Number 2 and number 1 combined. I know, it sounds sick, but a nice salted potato crisp mixed in your mouth with a delicious square of chocolate are soooo delicious. It's like the ultimate taste combination!

4. I love, Love, LOVE vegetable sticks with hummus. My favourite hummus is Marks and Spencer's Lemon Pepper hummus. It's tangy and spicy and very moreish. I try to kid myself that I am eating something very healthy, but there is a big part of my conscience that knows if it tastes that good, it must be somewhat bad . . .

5. A big bowl of rice crispies doused in milk with some bananas sliced on top. It gets even better when you add a slice of fresh buttered toast which has been spread with some really good quality strawberry jam. You take a spoonful of the cereal and banana and then top it off with a bite of the toast. It's so many lovely flavours at once and they all go so very well together, well , at least they do to me!

Five Things I Would Do If I Were A Millionaire:

1. Quit my job, buy a small house somewhere, and spend the rest of my life spending time with Todd. We found each other rather late in life and I want to spend as much time as I can with him. We just really enjoy each other's company and we never get tired of being together. In fact our last job we had in Chester was at a motorway Service Station and we worked together on the same shift. I was not driving at the time and so that was the only way I could work there as it was quite far from home. We never got tired of seeing each other or spending that time together and I think we made a great team!

2. Go on a mission as a couple. This would also be a way of fulfilling number one as we would get to spend all our time together. I think a Temple Mission would be wonderful but so would any mission really. The one major thing that keeps us from going on one now is the fact that we would lose our home, and not have a home to come back to . . . oh and Jess . . . I don't think they take dogs on missions. But it is a lovely thought.

3. Pay off all my children's student loans and mortgages etc. Set everything to rights in their lives so that they didn't have to struggle quite so much. I know that life is meant to be a bit of struggle and we learn things in the struggling, but I would like to be able to make it just that little bit easier for them.

4. We already sponsor 2 children in Africa, and I would love to be able to sponsor a couple more. We were watching the television several years back and watching the plight of some of these children and felt so helpless. It can be somewhat overwhelming to see at times. We then decided that while we might not be able to help a whole village, but we could make a difference in one family's life, and so we sponsored our first child. Then, when I got my first raise in my job here, we decided to put the extra towards sponsoring a second child. We have a little girl named Paulina in Tanzania, and a little boy named Belaihu in Ethiopia, whom we have sponsored through Compassion. We really researched it well before we decided which agency we were going to sponsor through and they seemed to be the best, and all of what we give goes to the child and their family. We love writing and getting letters back from our children and it is a good feeling to know that you are making such a difference in people's lives. One day we hope to be able to meet them in person.

5. Travel, travel, travel. There are so many places and things I want to see before I die, like the Grand Canyon and the Great Wall of China, New Zealand and Greece. I could go on and on but I am sure you get the picture!



Five places I have lived:

Because my dad was in the air force, as was my ex husband, I have lived in a lot of places, but five of them are:

1. Germany (specifically Baden Baden)
2. Meaford, Ontario
3. Summerside, PEI (I was born there)
4. Geary, New Brunswick
5. Calgary, Alberta

Five jobs I have had:

1. Store clerk in the old Metropolitan store back home when I was 16
2. Store clerk in the old DLR jewellers back home, also when I was 16 (I thought of it as a step up from number 1) The boss was somewhat of a perve and used to turn off all the lights and chase me out of the store trying to grab me on Friday nights. I can remember being terrified! He also fancied himself as a bit of an artist and was always asking me if he could paint my portrait.
3. Accounts Clerk at Atlantic Speedy Propane in Kentville, Nova Scotia. My first real big paying job and the first job I had away from home.
4. Pastry Chef at the Old Orchard Inn in Nova Scotia. I loved that job. I was in charge of preparing all the appetizers and the desserts. It was wonderful and exiting!
5. I once owned my own coffee shop. It was in a Military Police Training School in Canada and I loved that job as well. I baked all my own muffins and made my own sandwiches. It was hard work and involved long hours and we lost our shirts when the Commandant of the school decided to shut it down. She felt that it risked too much fraternization between the students and the staff of the school.



Now comes the fun part. I get to tag five of you!

I tag, in no order of importance:

Raquel of Kitchen Mysteries
Jan of What Do I Want To Cook Today
Holly of My Kids Say I'm Silly
Angie of Can You All Hear Me At The Back
Allison of The Rabbit Hole

Tag! Y'all are so it, it's not funny!

Here's a delicious meal that is not only cheap and easy on the budget but quick and very easy to do. I love meals like this during the week when I am working. I often only have a few hours in between my morning and my evening shift and I like to make sure Todd gets a nice hot meal every day, and when I get home at night it's far too late to eat, so these types of dishes are just perfect for us on those days!



*Chop and Chip Bake*
Serves 4 but is easily divided or multiplied

Frozen oven chips and tasty chops, all cooked together in the oven. You can use either lamb or pork chops. What could be any easier than that! Adapted from the book 101 Cheap Eats put out by BBC Good Food.

3 TBS olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and cut into wedges
750g bag of frozen hot and spicy potato wedges
8 small lamb chops or 4 thick pork chops*
Salt and black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 pint of lamb or chicken stock
1 TBS tomato paste (puree)

Pre-heat the oven to 210*C/425*F. Heat a large roasting pan on top of the stove and add 2 TBS of the olive oil. When the oil is hot, put the onions into the pan and saute them for about 5 minutes, until they are golden brown, stirring them from time to time. Remove from the heat.

Scatter the potato wedges over top of the onions. Season the chops with some salt and black pepper and lay them on top of the potato wedges. Sprinkle the thyme evenly over top, and drizzle with the remaining TBS of the oil. Put the tin in the heated oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Stir together the stock and the tomato paste. Remove the tin from the oven and pour this mixture around the chops and over the potatoes. Return it to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes, until everything is nicely browned and crisp.

Serve.

*Note-if you are using pork chops you may want to brown them first on both sides, as they take a bit longer to cook than lamb chops.

The Measure of Man's Humanity

"The measure of man’s humanity is the extent and intensity of his love for mankind.” ~Ashley Montagu

“and Jesus said unto him. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”” ~Matthew 22: 37-39

I have always been lucky in that, I am the kind of person who has always been able to accept other people for who and what they are. Each one is an individual, and I am able to look at each one and approach them with dignity. I realize that they have lives as complicated and mysterious as my own, and I accept in my heart that, “There, but for the grace of God go I.” I try not to have any preconceptions about people, and I try not to judge them accordingly. I am not perfect, but I do try hard just to be the best person that I know how to be, and to love others for who and what they are. Even I will admit, that this is not always easy, but, it must be done . . . it is a commandment from God, after all.



I know that, I am who I am, because of the things I have experienced in my life . . . the environment I have been brought up in . . . the privileges I have been exposed to . . . the teachings of my parents and grandparents and other loved ones, etc. I have very been blessed that, for the most part, it’s all been good. My life has been blessed, despite my ups and downs. There are so many people in this world that have not been blessed in the same way, or learned the same lessons. They cannot help who they are . . . any more than I can help who I am.

Plain and simple . . . when people know better, they do better. I really believe this is so.



My faith also helps me in being able to love others, because, it has taught me that we are all . . . each one of us . . . children of God, a unique and wonderful creation of a Heavenly Father, and . . . each one of us deserves all the dignity and respect and attention that “that” knowledge engenders. I know that when God looks down at us, He sees us all as His children and He loves us, each one of us, all the same. Just as we look at our children and see them as individuals with all their own unique qualities, strengths and weaknesses, so He must look at us. Just as we love our children equally and with all the strength of our hearts, so must He feel the same, and maybe even more, so as it is with a perfect love, a love which we cannot even begin to imagine or be able to fathom.

I think that this one thing, being able to love others no matter what . . . this one thing has the power to change the way we see our world. It has the power to change the world. Oh, that everyone could only see this and act upon it. What a truly wonderful place this world would be.

~oOo~

This was a reprint of a piece I wrote on my muses back in March. Some of you may have already read it, and some of you may not have, but in any case I don't think it matters. I believe it bears repeating and I am trying to move some of my better pieces over here to Oak Cottage so that I have them all in one place.



I did my first painting the other day on Canvas. I did it on a boxed canvas with sides that I could also paint. This type of painting doesn't need to be framed and can be hung up just as is. I was thrilled with the way it turned out. I may do more on canvas. I was also really thrilled in that it sold before I could even get it listed! That's a first for me! So this little lady, "Gathering Rosebuds", will soon be winging it's way across the Atlantic to a new home. I always find it a bit of a wrench to sell the originals instead of the prints. I suppose in a way it is like selling one of my children . . . but Todd thinks that I should sell the originals instead of prints . . . I am still undecided . . . sigh . . .



It did turn out to be sunny afterall yesterday, despite the bad start to the day. It was a lot cooler though and I find it still cool this morning. I hope this is not going to be a portent of the rest of the summer! Last June/July we had a terribly wet and rainy time with vast flooding all over the SouthWest of the UK. It was pretty devestating to those involved and really brought home the importance of being prepared for every eventuality. There were some who did not even have any clean water to drink or wash in for several weeks and of course the shops ran out very quickly. I does not take much in order to be able to imagine how quickly the shop shelves can empty of the essentials such as bread, milk, eggs and water etc. It happens in our local shop every year at Christmas time, never mind in an emergency sitation, and I have noticed as of late that, if you go shopping later in the day, any day, a lot of the essentials are in very short supply, if you can get them at all! It just brings home all the more, how important a good food store is. Our church has long espoused storing food and essentials in case of emergency, and it is starting to really come home just how prophetic and important this doctrine has been, for it has come in handy for quite a few people in recent years and months with the advent of such natural disasters as Katrina and the flooding we had over here last year, and now with the price of food rising as it is, I for one am glad to have my food storage as it will probably help to carry me through some rough times ahead!

It's not enough to just store food though, it should be things that you can use and enjoy. No point in having a cupboard full of tinned peas when you can't stand to eat tinned peas, although I wager that, if you were starving you would eat them anyways, and be glad of them. Today's recipe is a lovely recipe that makes good use of tinned and simple ingredients and was very tasty yesterday when the weather was a bit cooler . . .



*Corn Soup*
Serves 4

This soup is quick, easy and, oh so very tasty!! Serve hot with some crisp crackers or crusty bread for a real rib sticking pleaser. I have been able to find creamed corn in Sainsbury's over here and when all else fails you can get it at Skyco, but it is a bit pricey buying it from there.

1 TBS olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup frozen sweet corn kernels, thawed
310g tin of creamed corn
1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
¼ cup cream (optional)
Sea salt and ground white pepper to taste
50g plain salted corn chips, crumbled
2 TBS fresh chives, chopped

Put the oil in a large saucepan and heat until over medium heat until it is hot. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft.

Add the stock , creamed corn and potato. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potato is soft.

Using your stick blender (Or food processor or regular blender and with care!) blend the soup until it is smooth. Return to the pan and stir in the thawed corn kernels and cream (if using). Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Stir and cook over low heat until the corn is tender.

Serve hot in heated bowls with a garnish of crumbled corn chips and some chopped chives scattered on the top of each serving.

*Note, if you wanted to make it a bit heartier you can sprinkle some grated cheddar cheese on top of each serving. This is a truly tasty addition!

Answers to Burning Questions

My goodness, but what a difference a day makes!!!! There are no birds singing here at Oak Cottage this morning, although the wind chimes are ringing away! The poor little dears are probably battening down the hatches and holding on to their branches for dear life! The gales are a blowin' and the rain is a fallin'! It's a nasty day outside for sure and it is so nice to be tucked up warm and cozy here in the cottage. I think it's the perfect day to get on with those questions so grab yourself a cuppa and pull of an armchair and set a spell . . . and I'll get on with it!



Grammy Staffy of Grammy's News wanted to know the story of what brought me over to England. (She is an inspiring lady herself. You want to check out her page. She even had us all over for breakfast last Saturday morning!)

Well Grammy, I got divorced about 9 years ago now. My ex husband had never been much of a spiritual man and in fact I was often derided for having been so myself. It was really important to me that if I ever found another partner in life, that he be my spiritual equal, and so I decided early on that I would not even date a man that was not a member of my church. Only one problem with that. There was a dearth of single men my age where I lived. Lots that weren't members, but literally none that were. I knew early on that I would have to look further afield. I belonged to an LDS chatroom at the time. I met quite a few men on there, but none that worked out to any degree. I had even had about a six month relationship with one who was a bit younger than myself. When we met in person though, it was clear that wasn't going to work out either. Nothing seemed to be happening, and I had begun to think that, perhaps, I might never find anyone and I should set my mind on going on a mission, for that is something else that I really wanted to do as well.

God had other plans.

I remember this one day getting on my knees and praying to Heavenly Father that, if there was going to be someone special out there for me, then would He please show me that there was . . . and if there wasn't, then would He show me what I should do re going on a mission or whatever. And then I went on about my business.

The next day I went into the chat room after work, as per normal, to say hello to some friends and was there for a little bit when this name came into the room that was new. I had not seen it before. Todd50's He asked was there any woman in her 40's or 50's that would like to chat and I, very boldly and quite out of character, said I would. And so we chatted, for what seemed like hours. It was really amazing. We seemed to have so much in common and were even reading the same novel at the time, which really amazed me. Only one problem. I was 44 and he was 62. As nice as he was, I thought he was far too old for me. I even told my mother (whom I was living with at the time) as much. Next day though, I found myself going back in there and looking for him to chat with, and was thrilled when he did the same.

We chatted on like that for several weeks, and then decided we wanted to speak on the telephone, which we did and it was wonderful After a time it didn't seem to matter to me anymore that he was so much older. We just had so much in common and I really liked him. We could talk about anything and everything. We felt the same way about things, liked the same books, loved doing the same kinds of things. After about six months we thought we should meet in person if we wanted to continue. When you get to our age you don't want to waste too much time, and as much as you may think you are made for each other through the airwaves . . . you really need some real time together before it can progress.

I had always wanted to go to England for a holiday, and I had a bit of money saved, and so I decided that I would come over here. Then we could meet in person, and if it worked out, great! If not, well then, at the very least, I would have had a nice holiday. When I think back on it now, it was really very brave of me, but I honestly felt that it was something I needed to do. Besides, I had had my Bishop back home talk to his and knew he was on the up and up. I also had several other lady friends over here that, if I hadn't liked what I saw when I got off the plane, I could have gone and visited with them for a time. Todd was living up in Chester then, and there was a lady in his Ward that ran a boarding house for students, who said I could stay at hers for the three weeks I would be here, free of charge, so it worked out perfectly!

I landed here on September 7th of the year 2000, which also happened to be Todd's birthday. We met, and spent 3 lovely weeks getting to know each other better, and at the end of that time Todd asked me to marry him. I said yes. It was really hard to say goodbye and go back to Canada after that, but I had to tie things up over there, and spend some time with my children, and also apply for a visa to come back permanently. We thought it would take a lot longer than it did, but I suppose it was a bit easier pre 9/11, for I had the visa within 3 weeks and I landed back here to live, on the 31st October of that same year. We were married and sealed together in the Preston Temple some 11 days later on November 11th, 2000.

I have never regretted one moment of it, although I do miss my children and other family members dearly. We both wish we had met each other when we were younger so we could have had children together, but then again, we both trust in God's plan for each of us and know that this was the perfect time for us . . . and so it goes.



Angela of Stressed Out Mum Seeks Inspiration had several questions: (She is a sweet lady. We met and became friends on Recipezaar, a cooking site which I frequent and am a host on)

1. What would you say is the dish you are most asked to prepare?

I make a pumpkin streusal bundt cake that everyone loves and so am often asked to make and bring that to functions that I go to and people just love my cabbage rolls and my deviled eggs. I also make a really delicious chicken casserole with a homemade stuffing on top that is very popular as well!

2. What ingredient could you not have in your store cupboard?

Ohh, that is a hard one Angela! There are so many, but if I had to pick just one . . . umm . . . err . . . . it would have to be tinned tomatoes. If you have a tin of tomatoes in your cupboard you have a meal. They're so very versatile and go with just about anything else, which I will show you a bit later on!

3. What made you start blogging, I ask this because you have inspired many others to start their own blog (me included)?


This is actually the third place I have blogged. I started off on MSN and had a blog of sorts there, and then I went to AOL journals and then finally to here and this is where I plan on staying. What got me started was that I had so many stories that I wanted to get down for my children to read . . . special memories and thoughts. I thought if I put them all in one place, then that would be good and they could go and read them whenever they wanted to. My church actually believes in journaling, and indeed, if it weren't for the many journals that people kept in the early days of the church, we would not have such an incredibly wonderful record of our church history. I loved reading other people's journals and thought I could, and should, do something similar myself.

I was hooked from day one. I love this special "me" time that I have every morning. It's very precious to me and I love the feedback that I get from my readers. I have met so many lovely people through blogging and made some really wonderful friends. I've always been a person that loves to share ideas and thoughts with others and this serves that purpose for me. I like to think that I help people from time to time and that you might think of me as a bit of food for the soul as well as the tummy. I also live a fairly isolated life here out in the rural countryside and this helps me to feel connected with others on a more regular basis than just on Sunday's when I go to church. Because of the hours I work during the week, there is not a lot of time for me to join clubs and such, so I guess it also helps me to fill a social need. How sad is that!!!



Angie of Can You All Hear Me at the Back? (Angie is a dear lady and friend that I met on AOL Journals. She's got a huge heart and wonderful wit!)

If you could be famous for one thing only, what would it be?

I'm not sure I'd want to be famous Angie. The price these celebrities pay for their fame and fortune often seems far higher than what the actual trade off in loss of privacy is worth! However you asked, and I guess the answer would be that, if I could be famous for anything, it would be as a writer. I love writing probably more than anything that I do. It's the one thing that I would miss most were it to end. I love stringing words together into something that people want to read and I love the idea that people actually want to read them! It gives me the greatest fulfillment of anything that I do.



Allison of The Rabbit Hole . A lovely young lady from New Hampshire who has a wonderful and quirky page. You never know what you will find there, but one thing is for sure, it's always interesting!

What advice would you give to a hoping-to-be-new-mom?

Don't try to be perfect. You'll always fall short. Just be the best that you know how to be. Children are wonderfully resilient and forgiving and if you just try to do the best that you can at all times, and love them with all of your heart, then you will be ok. Also, don't be afraid to discipline. Those words from the bible about sparing the rod . . . well they are true. I see so many kids out there today who have grown up with no discipline at all, and I truly believe that is at the root of all the problems we have with our youth today. Children need to know that they are loved and children need to know that they have boundaries. They need to know with a surety what is right and what is wrong, and it needs to stay the same from one day to the next. They need consistency in all things. That does not mean you beat your kids. That is never right, but they need to know their boundaries and when they have crossed them, they need to know there are consequences in life when you do the wrong thing, just as there are rewards when you do the right. They also need to know that the best things in life and the things that have the most meaning, are things that we work for, and that the greatest joy in life comes from reaching outside yourself to others, and in serving others.

How long have you been/will you be in England, or is it indefinitely?

I have been here almost 8 years now and, for the time being, it is indefinitely. I have a really good life here and although I do miss my family a great deal, this is where I need to be. I have a good job, which I could never have back home. I have a wonderful husband and partner, and I love this country just as if I had been born here. Once my parents are gone, I don't have a home to go back to anyways. My children are scattered all over and have their own lives and very busy ones at that. I think my home is now here, for there is nowhere else for me to go I guess!




Lucy asked: (Many thanks Lucy for your very kind comments! They mean a lot to me!)

1. If you could do anything in your life to do with food what would it be? Cater for a huge event....serve your puds to the Queen...teach home ec....keep your current job....anything!!!!!!

I really love my current job, but if I could do anything in my life with food it would be to teach others about preparing and cooking food, and to inspire them to want to cook for themselves and to feed their families. At 52, almost 53 (In August folks!) I am probably rapidly reaching my sell by date as far as that goes, I don't know for sure! I have always wanted to teach cookery classes and in fact do one through my church for the ladies, every couple of months or so, which is great fun! I also show the young women that I work with at church some cooking things from time to time, but yes, I think I'd love to teach cookery! We bought a video camera several months back that I had intended to do some little cooking videos on but I just have never gotten around to it yet! Hopefully soon! (A little encouragement might help out there! I'm not sure I want you all to see my rather robust figure just yet!)

Well, I think I have gotten to the end of my list and am finished anwering questions for now, with the exception of a few memes to catch up on!

Earlier I spoke about tinned tomatoes being a most versatile and useful ingredient and one I could not live without! I always have at least half a dozen tins in my larder and I have been known to sit down with a tin of tomatoes and some bread and butter and nothing else. My goodness but that makes for a tasty meal on a hot summer's day. This is another really tasty way to use them. With a few ingredients you have a meal fit for a king or at least a hungry husband! (Todd is the king of my castle at any rate!)



*Chicken Puttanesca*
Serves 4

Puttanesca is a lovely sauce and can be used on pasta as well as on chicken. The name comes from the Naples region of Italy, supposedly after the prostitutes there. It certainly is a spicy and "tarted" up sauce with a gusty, delicious flavour! This is a favourite of anyone I happen to cook it for and so easy to do!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt, pepper and flour
2 TBS olive oil
2 fat cloves of garlic, crushed
1 fresh red chili, seeded and finely chopped
14 ounce tin of chopped Italian tomatoes
1 1/2 TBS tomato puree (tomato paste)
6 ounces pitted black olives, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 TBS capers, rinsed and drained
1 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 TBS chopped fresh basil leaves
12 ounces of dried tagliatelle noodles to serve

Wipe your chicken breasts and then place them, one at a time, between two sheets of cling film and pound them until they are about half as thick. Season them on both sides with some salt and pepper and then lightly dust them with flour, shaking off any excess.

Heat the oil over medium heat and once it is hot brown the chicken breasts on both sides, until they are a rich golden colour. This should take about 3 minutes per side. Remove them to a plate and keep warm.

Add the chili and garlic to the pan drippings and cook, stirring them for a few minutes until they beging to soften and become very fragrant. Tip in the tomatoes, tomato puree, olives, capers, parsley and basil. Season to taste with a bit of salt and pepper and stir well. Bring it up to a gentle simmer and then return the chicken to the pan. Push it well down into the sauce. Cook and simmer over medium low heat for about 40 to 45 minutes until the chicken is tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened nicely.

Cook the tagliatelle according to the package directions. Once it is cooked and drained, divide it amongst 4 heated plates and spoon the chicken and sauce over top.

I like to sprinkle mine with some freshly grated parmesan cheese, but it's up to you!

Stars

"A little girl was visiting her grandmother in the country. One evening they sat and enjoyed the panorama of stars in the heavens --such sparkling brilliance the little girl hadn't seen, living in the city with all the lights. She was in awe of the beauty and said to her grandmother, "If heaven is so beautiful on the wrong side, what must it be like on the right side?""
~Marilyn McAuley

Out of the mouths of babes eh? Sometimes it takes a child to help us see what is right in front of our faces. I was going to do the Simple Woman's Day book this morning, but then I read this and found it too good not to share.

Star gazing is something I love to do and have done so for years. I can remember as a girl, laying on the hood of my best friend's father's car late in August, and staring up at the night sky and watching the asteroid showers. They were beautiful and mysterious and fantastic . . .



When we lived in Northern Alberta, in a small town named Stony Plain, I could lay in my bed at night and look out my bedroom window and watch the Northern lights play across the night-time sky. I was always completely mesmerized as they rippled and arched across the night-time panorama which played itself out, seemingly just for me . . .

In later years, when I lived in a small town, on the banks of the Georgian Bay, I sat in my garden on warm summer evenings, watching the stars over head. They were so brilliant and so abundant and so beautiful. Occasionally a satellite would pass over, dark, hulking and silent in it's passage . . . the crickets playing their music in the grass by the shed, distant frogs adding to the mix . . .



I can remember when I was a wee girl walking home from Brownies on cold Manitoba winter nights, the snow squeaking beneath my boots, the air cold and crystal clear . . . and looking up at the night-time sky. Each star twinkled brilliantly and filled my heart with promise and wonder. I could name all the constellations and stars back then, but don't ask me to do it now. My memory is fading with age I suppose. As I walked and gazed, I dreamt of distant faraway places and planets and thought about the man in the moon. Of course man had not walked on the moon yet at that point, and so it still held a great deal of mystery. Was it really made of cheese?



Now when I look up at the stars, it is a comfort to me to know that thousands of miles away, across an ocean and in a valley, my children can be looking up at the very same stars and seeing them at the very same time as I am . . . they are a connection to loved ones both dear and far away, and a wonderful reminder that as far and distant as the miles may seem between us . . . in our hearts, we are still joined together . . .

Yes, . . . the stars are beautiful and they fill our minds with wonder and hope and promise, for indeed, if they are this beautiful on the wrong side . . . how much more beautiful they must be on the right . . .

"All through the night
your glorious eyes
were gazing down in mine
and with a full heart's thankful sigh
I blessed that watch, divine . . . "
~Emily Bronte, an exerpt from her poem "Stars"

When I got home from work yesterday, I whipped us up a quick lunch before heading off to my physio appointment. Tuesdays is one of my shorter work days and I usually fill them up with appointments and meetings so anything that I can cook which is quick is all to the good. I will never understand why people will opt to open a tin of mushrooms and dump them on their toast when this delicious dish is so simple and so quick to make. What a world of difference!



*Easy Mushrooms on Toast*
Serves 2

This dish makes the perfect lunch or light supper. There is something very comforting about sitting down to mushrooms on toast. Simple and tasty, these are pure bliss . . .

1 pound white closed cup mushrooms, wiped and thickly sliced
50g butter
1 TBS olive oil
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
2 TBS finely chopped flat leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
the juice of half a lemon
2 thick slices of sour dough bread

Heat half of the butter and the oil in a large skillet, over medium high heat. Once the butter starts to foam, toss in the mushrooms. Let them sit in the hot butter, without disturbing them for about 5 minutes, until they start to brown. Mushrooms are like tiny sponges. They immediately soak up all the butter. If you just let them sit for a bit they release the butter back out and then begin to crisp. Moving them about just releases all their juices and makes them tough and rubbery. (Be patient and let them sit, it's worth it in taste, trust me) Give them a quick stir and then let them sit and cook some more. Do this until they are all nicely browned and fragrant. Toss in the garlic, and give them a quick stir and let them cook for a few minutes longer, before seasoning with some salt and pepper. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Turn off the heat and let them sit while you make the toast.

Toast the bread well on both sides, then butter one side with the remaining butter. Place on heated plates and spoon the mushrooms over top. Serve.