Marie's Sunday Six

Welcome to my Sunday post of smilemakers, that wonderful ending (or beginning, depending on how you look at it!) to my week where I get to dwell on all that is good in my life. I always struggle just pinning it down to six. There are so many blessings in my life and I am so very lucky to have a mind and heart that is able to seek them out and to accept them for what they are! Everyone has blessings in their lives, but not everyone is able to see them. I am a very lucky woman indeed because I can and I do!!



Sunny days and blue skies made me smile all week long!!! Oh what a beautiful spring we are having. Some days it was not so warm, as there was a very cold wind, but the sun kept shining and it did my heart good. It is always so good to see the sun shining brightly after a long cold winter and we have certainly had a doozie of a winter this year! Worst on record for over fifty years they said. This sunshine and the warmer days are long over due and I have relished each and every one of them!! Here's to many, many more!!



Long walks with my sweetie pie! Because of the nice, dry weather we have been having, Todd and I have been able to go on nice long walks just about every day!! Sometimes even twice a day! Todd and I have always enjoyed going for walks. That is one of the things that we love most to do together. We always hold hands. It is so nice to have a companion in life that I can do things with, that I can enjoy just being with. We do not have to do anything special. We just have to walk. We don't have to go anywhere special. We just have to walk. It is a blessing to have a special person in my life that I can just be "me" with and who understands who I am and why I am the way I am, and who loves me for the "me" I am!!



There is a wonderful program in my church called the Visiting Teaching Program. It is more than just visiting another sister in the church or sharing a thought with them. It's about connecting with them, supporting them, forging relationships and making friends. I was not able to really participate in the program fully when I was down South. I had very limited time when I was not at work because of the hours I worked, and because of the other demands on my time from my employer. I missed it so very much. Oh . . . I did regularly send out letters and cards to some of the inactive ladies in my Ward, but it was not the same as being able to visit them face to face and connect with them. Each month my own Visiting Teachers always found the time to come and see me, and I loved those visits so very much. I always felt bad though that I was not able to do the same. I am so happy now to be able to participate fully in the program again and to be able to go out and visit my sisters in the church!!! Visiting Teaching is one of those special activities that blesses both the giver and the receiver, and I am so very grateful for it! To be able to do it again makes me smile!



Working in the garden again makes me smile! We went yesterday and got some baby cabbages to plant and some other seeds. We filled our hanging baskets with petunias, and our pots with geraniums. We planted a salad garden . . . we covered our baby plants with all the little bottles from the water that I drink each day. You just cut the bottom off and discard the lids. They make excellent little cloche's to help to protect the plants until the danger of frost is past. The plant can breathe through the top opening etc. You can make really big ones using really big water bottles, like the ones at a water cooler as well. It feels good to be able to dig in the earth. One never feels closer to God than when in a Garden. I wonder if this feeling hearkens back to when Adam and Eve were in the Garden and they walked and talked with God??? Who knows!! I only know for sure that it feels good to get my hands dirty and to be doing something to help to provide sustenance for Todd and myself. We planted cabbages, carrots, beets, two kinds of beans, peas, butternut squash and courgettes, oh . . . and the salad garden! Fingers crossed they all do well!!



Talking on the phone to Lura! That always makes me smile! With her having gone on country wide jaunts, and me having moved halfway across England, we had not been able to talk on the telephone for a number of weeks! Talking to Lura on the telephone has always been one of the highlights of my weeks. We do not talk for hours and hours, but we enjoy every minute of the time we do have together on the phone. It is always so good to hear each other's voices and to connect in the special way that ware able to! Finally this week we were able to talk to each other again and it was wonderful to hear her voice! In truth she is never very far from me, as I hold her in my heart, but sometimes it's really nice to have tangible evidence of our wonderful friendship in the form of a voice connection! It would be even nicer if we lived in the same neighbourhood, but I reckon we will have to wait until the eternities for that. I think we'll have to request adjoining mansions when we get there! Do you think John and Todd will be able to stand it?? Well, I reckon so! If they can put up with us now, they can do so even more so then, coz they'll be perfect you know! And so will we! I can't wait to be able to wow Todd with my younger, more beautiful me! He won't be so shabby either! Ohh, that's another thought that makes me smile! ☺



Getting stuck back in to creating makes me smile!! I have had such a productive week this past week . . . making dolls, painting, planning, sorting out my craft room, etc. Nothing else to show you just yet, but soon . . . I love creating things, I really do! Whether it be a cake, or a batch of cookies, or a doll, or even something so simple as a folded napkin . . . I get ever so much pleasure from it all! I hate it when real work gets in the way, I really do!!



Being able to "feast" on the word of God makes me smile. I just love the scriptures and my reading schedule had been off somewhat with the move and all. It was so good to get back on schedule this past week and begin my daily feast again! I always feel such a special connection with my Heavenly Father and with my inner me when I am able to totally bury myself in His word. They speak to my heart in a way that nothing else does. No matter how low I may be feeling, or how lost . . . I can go to His word and it reaches out to me in a special and profound way. Even if you were a person that did not believe in God, I truly believe that you could read the scriptures and find food for your soul amongst the words on their pages. There is so much truth there, so much wisdom, so much sustenance . . . in a world that appears to be getting ever increasingly unstable . . . it is wonderful to be able to cling to the stability of God's word, and allow it to nourish me. I am so grateful for that. The scriptures make me smile.




Feeding the missionaries makes me smile in a very big way! We were finally able to have them over for supper one night this week and I loved every minute of it! I didn't do anything fancy, just plain old sausage and mash with onion gravy, some vegetables on the side, and apple pie and custard for dessert! It's not really about the food. It's about having them here in our home. They always bring such a special spirit with them and it is good to be able to sit around the table and drink it in! I miss having my sons and daughters close by so it is nice to have these young people in our home and to be able to spoil them, if even for only a short while. If I had a son or a daughter on a mission, I would love to know that wherever they were the members of the church were taking good care of them and I love to know that I am doing something to help these sons and daughters of other mother's out, even if it's only by giving their bodies nourishment and encouragement. I know that some days they have a really rough time. Not everyone out in the world is kind to them, and it is sometimes very wet and cold and unwelcoming . . . I love to be able to provide them with a loving haven, even if it is only for an hour or so!

With all the warm dry weather we have been having, I have noticed the ants are back!! I have only found a few in the kitchen, but it drives me up the wall!! I hate having ants in the kitchen! I know they are not dirty, but even so! Yesterday I read online that they don't like cloves or vinegar so I am busy washing my counters down with vinegar and water and the floor too! I also sprinkled a line of cloves across the door way from outside into the kitchen. I hope that it works!!

On Sundays, I like to pop something into my crock pot in the mornings before we leave for church. That way when we get home there is always something tasty waiting for us to eat! Last week I made this delicious Crock pot Beef Stroganoff. Oh my but it was some good. We had it with rice, but it is equally as tasty with buttered noodles. In truth I would prefer to have the noodles, but you know Todd . . . he is not a pasta man. He's probably love this even more with mashed potatoes, but we had rice.



*Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Deliciously tender pieces of beef in a tasty mushroom sauce. Serve with rice or noodles for a tasty and easy meal!

500g of beef stewing steak
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
500g of closed cup mushrooms, wiped and sliced
2 TBs cornflour
1 packet of dry onion soup mix
6 TBS water
freshly ground black pepper
2 TBS Dijon mustard
150ml of sour cream
1 TBS fine chopped fresh dill



Cut the beef into thin slices across the grain. Mix together in the crock pot along with the onions, mushrooms, cornflour, water and onion soup mix. Season with some pepper and salt if you think you need it. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the meat is tender. Stir iin the mustard, sour cream and dill. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve with rice or buttered noodles. Delicious!

Note - You can also cook this in an oven proof casserole dish at 180*C/350*F. Add an additional 250ml of water and cook, covered for about 2 hours until tender. Stir in the mustard, cream and dill and continue as above.



After working in the garden all morning yesterday, I made Todd a tasty BLT Panini with Cheese for his lunch! Check it out on The English Kitchen!

A few of my favourite things . . .

In the spirit of the much loved Sound of Music song, My Favourite Things, I thought it would be fun today to show you a few of my favourite things.

Lovely little treasures that I have been collecting and that I love. They are none of them worth that much, but many of them have sentiments attached and they mean the world to me.




First there is my Salt and Pepper Collection. These are only a few of the ones I have collected through the years, but these are my absolute favourites of them all! The Garden Bunnies, I received in a Salt and Pepper Swap. I fell in love with the Flower Basket Bunnies one day when I saw them on E-Bay. Likewise the polka dot chickens. I saw these in a local charity shop one morning and knew that they had to be mine. Those pretty colourful chickens were a gift from a much loved friend and are a beautiful reminder of a special trip to Idaho last year. Likewise the Blue Tits are a reminder of another much loved friend, who gave them to me as a special reminder just recently. I can never look at these precious things without thinking of the special women that I call friends. The goose set is another set I found on E-Bay. Likewise the Apples. I am so terrible. I was participating in a Salt and Pepper Swap and instead of finding salt and pepper shakers to send to others . . . I kept finding ones that I wanted myself. I know! What am I like!!



I've only recently discovered a passion for little cream jugs. Oh, I've always loved cream and sugar sets, and I have a few of those, but this passion for little Cream jugs started with the Fab Flowers one that one of my dear friends gave me a few weeks back and then yesterday I found the little polka dot one and the berry one in a local charity shop and just had to have them! I just fell in love with them. Sadly the bluebird one . . . one half of them got broken a few months back when Todd knocked it off the shelf with the Vacuum Cleaner wand and then I noticed the little beak was chipped on the remaining piece after we arrived here. I still have it in my craft room to hold pins and things though . . . would dearly love to find a replacement, but I fear it is irreplaceable. The retro fifties set I bought at a yard sale a long time ago. I just fell in love with the retro feel of it!



My Passions don't just stop there though . . . I also have a passion for Fairies and I have collected quite a few now. They sit all along the window sill up in our bedroom at the present and a few are scattered in other various places in our home. Then there are the Teddy Bears. Oh I do love me some bear . . . stuffed and fluffy ones only though . . . the real things can stay far away from me please! I also enjoy a love affair with unsual lanterns. They can have wicks or hold candles, I love them just the same. I love my letter holders. They are a fun way of putting your important post aside until you can deal with it, and of course I have a HUGE collection of cookie cutters! I just added a couple of more this week, with a tea pot, a beehive and bee, a running gingerbread man and a cute little snail taking up residence with me this past week. (You got one free if you bought 4! What can I say?) I also love Catherine Kidston Lemon and Geranium soaps, which sadly have become very difficult to find these days, but I do love them so . . . why do things have to change and disappear? And as for my M and chicken wall plaque. I have been in love with the Letter M since I was a teen and fell in love with Mary Tyler Moore's apartment. She had a wooden M and when I saw this wooden M in a shop up in Cumbria a number of years back, I just had to have one of my own! The chickens, well . . . I love chickens too and have quite a collection of them which I'll show you another time!



I do have other fetishes like egg cups (aren't the ones above just darling) and, of course, cookery books. They are not diamonds and pearls, but they are just as precious to me, these little treasures of mine. Most have a special memory and a message attached . . . those types of things are things that just can't be replaced can they? Oh yes, I am a dreamer and I am very sentimental . . . and I wouldn't change a thing.



I hope you've enjoyed this little show and tell of mine today as much as I have enjoyed putting it together. At the end of the day things are only things though and not a one of them is worth as much as a good friend or loved one. Those are the real treasures in life!

Since I am showing you my favourite things I also thought it would be fun to show you what I have for breakfast most mornings! I like to think it's a very healthy breakfast, and it too is one of my favourites. After all Oats are very good for your heart and I am getting a double dose of them here, not to mention some fruit and dairy! It makes me feel very virtuous eating this and let me tell you . . . it keeps me full up and fueled right into the afternoon!!



*Breakfast Oats*
Serves one, but is easily multiplied
Printable Recipe

The breakfast of champions! Takes a sachet of instant oats from the ordinary into something special!

1 sachet of instant oats (I like the golden syrup variety)
1 sachet of milk
a small handful of dried cherries
a small handful of granola containing nuts and fruit
a couple of TBS of plain yoghurt



Take the oats and empty it into a bowl. Add the milk and cherries, and then heat in the microwave for two minutes. Remove from the microwave and stir. Stir in the granola and plain yoghurt. Take a spoon and eat and think to yourself . . . I'm eating healthy!



And allow me to share one final, once in a blue moon, favourite indulgence. Yes . . . it's Rocky Road, showing today, over on The English Kitchen.

Tis Blossom Time . . .

It is blossomtide again.
In the sunshine and the rain
Thruses sing a madrigal
For this Vernal Festival.
From the bare bough there has come
Milk-white bloom on pear and plum,
And upon the apple tree
Pink buds cluster daintily.
Spring's green banners are unfurled.
Joy comes back into the world.
Man may weep, but with one voice
Nature says,
"Rejoice, rejoice!"
~author unknown

Oh what a beautiful past few days we have had here. The sun has been shining and there's been nary a cloud in the sky. A cold wind has been blowing but yesterday it finally let go and we were able to walk about in relative warmth.



What an incredible season this is. The season of blossom. It is as if all of nature has decided to explode upon the byways and highways of the land in a riotous dance of blossom!



It's just so very beautiful. Of course where we lived down South, surrounded by Orchards as we were, we were buried in a virtual sea of blossom and bee . . . it was so very lovely . . .



But even here, enclosed in a city in the NorthWest, we are able to find the lovely blooms. They are scattered here and there . . .



Along the canal walks . . .



In serene gardens . . .



along the hedgerows at the edge of town.

Oh what a beautiful gift our Heavenly Father brings to us each year in the form of spring!! When one stops to think that all we see here on Earth is but a pale reflection of what lies on the other side . . . the mind boggles. Oh how very unimagineably beautiful it must be!!



Happy Friday everyone!! Wherever you are, I hope the sun is shining and that you are able to take a walk amongst the blossoms of springtime!

I had a clean out the fridge day yesterday. I usually have one about once a week. I make a hash or casserole, or in the case of yesterday, this tasty clean out the fridge rice dish that is a real favourite of ours!! The quantities are given for two people here, but I can imagine it could easily be increased for more!



*Clean Out The Fridge Rice*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

This is the perfect supper for those nights when all you have left in the fridge is the basics and a few leftovers!

3 rashers of sreaky or back bacon, chopped
a handful of closed cup white mushrooms, halved
1 TBS sunflower oil
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
5 ounces long grain rice
300ml of hot chicken or vegetable stock
a handful of leftover cooked vegetables, chopped (optional)
1 cup of leftover cooked chicken, cut into cubes (optional)
a handful of grated strong cheddar cheese, or other hard cheese as desired



Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and fry it for a few minutes until it begins to brown. Tip in the mushrooms and turn up the heat. Fry for another 3 to 4 minutes, until they begin to brown. Scoop out into a bowl and set aside.

Add the oil to the same pan and heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionaly until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or so longer until really fragrant. Tip in the rice and cook, stirring to coat and mix together with the onion. Add the chicken (vegetable) stock all at once and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, or until almost all of the liquid is gone. Take off the heat and give it a stir. Cover with the lid or a large plate. Leave for 5 minutes to allow it to finish cooking in it's own steam. Stir in the cooked mushroom/bacon mixture, and the leftover veg and chicken (if using) along with the cheese. Serve immediately.



In honour of St George's Day there is a delicious Apple and Blackberry Crumble over on The English Kitchen today!

The answer to a prayer . . .

In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of even greater importance.
— Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I just love this quote by President Dieter F Uchtdorf. He is one of the leaders of my church. I am ashame to say that I had never really heard of him when he first got called. Since then though I have come to love him and his words. He always inspires me.

I have always been a praying woman. I like to think that I pray unceasingly. I often have a prayer going around in my head, an ongoing conversation with my Heavenly Father . . . but before I read this quote, I never thought about my being the answer to another's prayers. Have you ever thought about the number of times that you might have been the answer to someone else's prayer?



What an awesome thought. What an awesome responsibility . . .

How is this done you might well ask??? The answer would be, through and in compassionate service to others. Reaching out to bless the lives of others in countless ways, both large and small . . . a spoken word, a random act of kindness, a prayer said . . . small acts of service that take little effort on our part, but which make a big difference to those that we do them for. Selfless acts of caring for others in small and meaningful ways, that help to not only enrich their lives, but could have an eternal impact on them. In lifting up our fellow man, we cannot help but to rise a little higher ourselves. Losing yourself in service to others, quite often has the added benefit of enabling us to find joy in our own lives, happiness . . . meaning.

I have often thought that a life spent only in selfish pursuits and self indulgence is a life . . . wasted. Pure and simple.

I'd much rather be the answer to someone's prayer, wouldn't you?



Ok, so she's not very pretty, but this newest doll of mine I like to think of as being kind of like a Pug dog . . . she's so ugly she's cute. I have long had a love of Gingerbreadmen and Gingerbread dolls. Indeed I have a whole collection of them that sit along the stairs leading up to our upstairs. They are one of the first things you see when you enter our home and I like to think that they bring a smile to people's faces when they first encounter them. I know they bring a smile to mine.

Just like this little lady. She's very unusual I think. Made of spiced coloured 100%wool fabric, she has little white french knots decorating her head and arms, just like white gingerbread icing.



A lot of love has gone into her and I think it shows in the small details. Right from the red flannel heart that decorates the bodice of her red gingham check dress (that is an antique button which adorns it, from my button box) down to her black felt hand sewn Mary Jane shoes.



Her striped legs are made of men's shirting fabric and her lovely gingham skirt is decorated with lovely white ric rac trim.



If you were to look beneath the dress you would find that her large full petticote is also trimmed in red ric rac, lace and a line of red embroidery. She also wears full pantaloons and a lovely full apron, trimmed with lace at the bottom .



I think she's quite sweet actually. How about you? Could you fall in love with this face? I will be putting her up for sale in my Etsy Shop . Who knows where she will end up. Wherever it is I am sure she will be loved beyond measure.

I had my first appointment with the Nurse here yesterday afternoon. My blood pressure was way up. A bit frightening actually. I don't know if it is all the stress I have been through in recent months or what, but I was quite shocked. I knew I had been having a lot of head aches lately, but . . . anyways, I am determined to get it back down again. I have to go back in two weeks time and have it checked again. I do admit that lately I have forgotten my medication quite a few times, what with the busyness of moving in and everything else getting in the way. I need to cut back on the salt as well. I've been a little too free handed with the salt shaker as well, so it has gone from our table. Things will taste a bit bland to me for a couple of days but I am sure I will eventually get used to it!

I saw Giada making this lovely meal on the telly the other day. She was cooking with children and she did what looked to be some lovely pork chops all breaded and fried and then this creamy orzo dish. I didn't fry the pork chops though . . . I just pounded them and then covered them with some garlic, pepper, paprika, onion powder and thyme. I then grilled them under the gas grill. I left the orzo just the same though, pretty much. I did cut down the cream a bit. It was really quite tasty, even without the salt. Although if you don't have high blood pressure, I'd leave in the salt. (Todd thought he was eating rice. He had no idea it was really pasta. He had two helpings.)



*Creamy Tomato Orzo Risotto*
Serves 3 to 4
Printable Recipe

Ok, so this is not really a risotto in the sense of the word, but it does closely resemble risotto when done, without all the pain and time involved to make a true risotto. This is rich and creamy and quite, quite delicious!

1/2 pound of orzo (rice shaped pasta)
1 TBS olive oil
1 medium banana shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 small clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1 cup of diced cooked tomatoes, drained
3/4 cup cream
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste



Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the orzo and cook until tender, stirring often, some 8 minutes. Drain well, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

In the meantime, while the orzo is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic. Saute until tender. Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 8 minutes. Stir in the cream and peas. Add the drained orzo and toss to coat. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and enough water to make a creamy consistency. Season to taste and serve immediately.



Over on The English Kitchen today, a Mild Lamb Curry. Delicious!

Create a brand new ending . . .

I doubt that there are very many of us which would consider that we have led a perfect life. However hard we may try, it would be the very rare soul indeed who never regretted any decision that they had made in life . . . any deeds they may have done, or even left undone.

Whilst it's very important to accept when we've gotten things really wrong, it is just as important to know when to forgive ourselves and to move forward. Things in the past cannot be erased and changed, but I believe we just compound our mistakes when we allow them to colour and cloud our futures.



I think I must make at least one mistake every day . . . that I must do at least one thing each day that I tell myself afterwards . . . I shouldn't have done that. I am not perfect after all. I am only human . . .

It is impossible to go back and make a brand new start. Nobody can do that. One thing we can do though . . . is to make a brand new ending. That opportunity lies within each of our reach and is a destination that is well worth moving towards.



Be kind to yourself today, and put those misdeeds of yesterday behind you. Let's move together towards a brand new ending!

The day the child realizes that all adults are imperfect, he becomes an adolescent; the day he forgives them, he becomes an adult; the day he forgives himself, he becomes wise.
~Alden Nowlan

Oh we had such a beautifully sunny day yesterday, however there was a bitter cold wind blowing. We have taken up the habit of going for a long walk each night after supper and we really had to bundle up yesterday. They say today the wind will drop, so that should make it a lot warmer! Good thing too as I am helping Todd to collect in his Betterware Catalogues, so will be out and about in it for a couple hours this morning!

I got two dolls almost finished yesterday, and a sock monkey started. I can't wait to show them to you! Hopefully by tomorrow. I have to say I am really enjoying all this nesting I have been able to do over these past couple of weeks. For too long now I have left all of that up to Todd. He's been the main housekeeper, doing everything except for the cooking. It's been so nice to be able to get stuck back into doing the household chores. I know that may sound crazy, but it's true! He has been such a dear to do all that for me over these past years. I know how very lucky I have been.

I've been told in the past that I have the ability to make just about anything taste gourmet. I don't know how true that is, but I certainly put a little bit of my heart into anything my hands create, which includes my cooking. Some days you run out of time or are just lacking in inspiration. Perhaps you have some cooked potatoes you want to use up, or are just looking for a quick fix dinner solution. This is one of my favourite ways to deal with all of the above! You could add a grating of cheese to this at the end if you like, but it's not really necessary. The best *go-with* of course is baked beans and cheap white bread! This is red neck cooking at it's finest!



*Hot Dog Hash*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Simple and tasty, and very easy to throw together at the end of a long, and tiring day.

1 package of hot dogs, sliced into thin coins
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
4 to 6 cooked potatoes, peeled or not, cut into cubes
salt and black pepper to taste
paprika
1 TBS butter
1 TBS cooking oil

Heat the butter and cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion. Cook and stir until it has begun to soften, then throw in the potatoes and hotdogs. Season to taste with some salt and pepper and a sprinkling of paprika. Cook, stirring every so often, until they have begun to brown and crisp up in places. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Serve hot with some baked beans on the side for a real treat!



I also baked a delicious Plum And Almond Crumble Cake yesterday. You can check it out over on The English Kitchen!