Small and wonderful things . . .

 

"The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But who gets excited by a mere penny?...It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted with pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. what you see is what you get." ~Anne Dillard  

A few of the small and wonderful things which bring untold joy into my life.   It's the small things in life which truly mean the most.  Simple abundance . . . it's the best.  



Do you remember last summer when the Sister Missionaries came over to help in the garden.   Sister Wagner was so thrilled with our baby frogs.   I took this really cute photograph of her trying to kiss one of them.  She was a fabulous Missionary and was here on her mission until just before Christmas this year when she went home at the end of her Mission  . . .

Well guess what?



That frog did turn into a Prince!!  Congratulations to Morgan and Shaun on their engagement.   I want Shaun to know he is getting a real princess there, a wonderful girl . . .  I am sure, however, that he already knows that.  ☺



Serving a mission may not be a small thing, but it is a pretty wonderful thing.  Most missionaries, with a few exceptions, will tell you that serving on their mission was the best two years of their lives.  It is a time which prepares them spiritually for the rest of their lives.  A wonderful time of growth and service.  I have a great admiration for these young people.  If I was the right age I would totally go on a mission, even though I am kind of shy.   I have always enjoyed it very much when I go out with the Missionaries.  It takes so much courage to talk to people on the street.  It really does.  Most people don't want to know.  Some people are downright rude, but to find  that one . . .  that one who is sincerely interested and seeking, it's amazing.  

I know that, as a convert to the church, I am immensely grateful for these young people and the work that they do.  Sometime if you are interested I will share my conversion story with you.   But only if you really want to hear/read it.



Todd and I are still waiting to hear abour our Mission.   I wish that we could go away and serve a Mission like most older Mission Couples, but if we had to do that we wouldn't be able to serve at all.  I am grateful to be able to serve at all and am very much looking forward to being able to serve from our home.  I know we will be blessed for doing so, but what I hope most of all is that others will be blessed by our doing so.



I know this to be true.   There are often times we pray for things and we want to receive answers right away.  We think because we haven't, that we aren't going to.  But I can testify that our sincerest prayers are always answered.   We may not always like the answers we get.   We may not expect the answers to come in the way that they do . . .  but we always get answers.   The hard part is waiting for the answers and not giving up hope . . . . and learning to expect the unexpected.  Sometimes we may pray  not really believing that we will get answers.  Sometimes it may think that we are praying for the unanswerable, or the miraculous.   I can tell you that FAITH always precedes a miracle.  And that seed of faith need not be large, if it is pure.



Mark 9:24   Sometimes the belief itself is the miracle.



I had a wonderful nights sleep last night.  I was so tired when I went to bed that I fell asleep right away and slept right through until this morning.   I am really thankful for that!!  I truly slept the sleep of angels.



I came across these sketches that I did when we were living down in Brenchley and I was awestruck by them.   I don't think when I did them that I thought they were any good.  But now in retrospect I see the value in them.  I've been reading a book called The Untethered Soul by Michael A Singer.   Sometimes I think we have a lack of faith in ourselves and our abilities and it is this which hampers our success and our progress.   We need to learn how to let that voice go,  That voice is not who we really are. 

And with that I will leave you with a thought for the day . . .

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“This life is yours. 
Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. 
Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. 
Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. 
Take the power to control your own life.
No one else can do it for you. 
Take the power to make your life happy.” 
~ Susan Polis Schutz
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There are two Italian Dishes in the Kitchen today  . . .  This Pasta with Scallops and Rocket, and a Smoked Garlic and Butternut Squash Risotto.


Happy Monday!  I hope it gets your week off to a very good start!  Don't forget.

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And I do too!

I'm late, I'm late . . . for a very important date!

I don't have a lot of time this morning.  I got up a bit later because I had a really hard time falling asleep last night.  I am giving a talk this morning at church.  As tired as I was last night, I suppose the fear of not getting enough sleep was playing on my mind and it was well after 1 am before I finally was able to sleep.   I hate it when that happens, but it happens far too often for my liking.   Whenever I have something important to do in the morning, I have problems sleeping.  It has to be psychological.    We had been watching a television program prior to going upstairs to bed and I don't remember the last fifteen minutes of that because I was nodding off!  Most annoying!



Sure signs that Spring is on it's way . . .  snow drops . . .



Catkins.   Or blown out pussy willows.   We noticed tons of them next to the motorway on our way to the Temple on Thursday.

Our fish have not gone to sleep this year.  We've had no snow that has lain.  Likewise the frost.  It's melted as soon as the sun comes up.  The night might have been cold, but they days have been fairly mild for this time of year.  Crazy stuff.



 Must dash!  I'm running very late!



Cooking in The English Kitchen today . . .  Deb's Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies.   Scrumptious!  Soft and cakelike.

I hope you have a beautiful day.  Don't forget . . .

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And I do too!

Saturday ponderings . . . .

There are two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle.
~Albert Einstein

It seems at times that there is no end to worry and frustration.  Each day often is filled with tons of little things which irritate or fill the heart with worry.    There is no seeming end to what exists outside the view of our very small eyes. Worry often becomes a way to gamble with what may or may not be . . .

A friend related a story to me once.  It is a true story.




She and her husband had been on their way home from someplace and for whatever reason her husband took a wrong turn and they ended up being quite a distance away from where they wanted to go.  It took them quite a while to get to a spot where they could turn around and back track and even once they did, they had to take a completely different route which ended up taking them twice as long to get to their home.  She said she was fretting and worried the whole time about their dog being on it's own for too long and possibly messing in the house, and how late it was going to be by the time they got there and how she would be late getting the tea on and how tired she was already, etc. etc.

She spent the journey fretting and grumbling.  And she was not alone.  Her husband was fretting and grumbling at himself also . . . kicking his own butt for having made such a stupid and time wasting mistake when he should have known better.   Together they travelled through miles and miles of beautiful countryside, completely missing the view  because they were distracted by worry and frustration.



It was only later that evening, once they had gotten home and settled back in and turned the television on and were watching the news that they learned that there had been a horrific accident on the route that they should have taken and that they might have been involved in it, or . . .  at the very least stuck in the traffic tail back caused by it for hours and hours.  In all likelihood they would have still been sitting in the motorway in their car had they taken the correct way home, instead of the accidental detour.

They were immediately prompted to thank God for the blessing He had afforded them in their having taken a seemingly wrong turn.  They were able to see the miracle in what had been a source of worry and frustration for each of them.

And . . .  they were also chastised because they realized that they had also missed out on what was a lovely journey through some pretty spectacular countryside through their negative thinking and mind sets.



I like to believe that everything happens for a reason and that there are miracles to be found even in getting stuck in the line at the grocery store which looked like it was going to be the quickest route,  but ended up being the longest . . . and yes, even in taking wrong turns which lead us into unfamiliar territory.

On Thursday on our way back from the Temple we missed a turn off and ended up miles and miles out of the route we should have been on.   We were about half an hour later getting home than we would have been, but  . . .  we did drive through some pretty spectacular countryside.  At one point we found outselves sitting at the stop lights outsie a  Roberts Bread Bakery where we got to inhale the beautiful fragrance of thousands and thousands of loaves of bread baking.   Through the windows we could see the lines and lines of bread following their path through the  factory on their journey towards being sliced and baked.  At another point we caught a glimpse of what looked like a beautiful castle/estate hidden back behind stone walls and leafy hedges.  Breathtaking.




In the end it didn't really matter that we had taken a wrong turn or were later arriving home than we wanted to be.  It was not so much about the destination, as it was about enjoying  the journey taken.  How easy it would have been to spoil what had been a beautiful day in the Temple by negative thinking on the way home.  I did not check to see if there had been any accidents or hold ups on the motor way we should have been on . . . but it doesn't really matter . . .  because I enjoyed the extra time we got to spend with our friends and the smell of the bread and the scenery as we drove past.

Dust into diamonds  . . . . it's all a matter of perspective and . . .  yes of choice.   Choosing to see the miraculous instead of the opposite.

And that's my thoughts for today.

 

Ohhh, there is something really scrumptious cooking in The English Kitchen today.   A delicious Chicken and Pasta in a Garlic and Tomato Cream Sauce.   Todd didn't even complain.  Perhaps I am converting him to a pasta lover???  I don't know!  Hope springs eternal!

Have a  fabulous Saturday!   Don't forget . . .

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And I do too! 

Friday Finds

A few of the wow moments, or things I discover each week that tickle my fancy.  I hope that they may inspire or tickle yours too!

 




















How to cook Perfect Brown Rice every time.  From Our Best Bites.    They pinched it from America's Test Kitchen.  No more gummy rice!

  



















I just love these little crocheted collars with the floral embellishments.  From Crochetlatte.  It's a free pattern.   There's a lot of really cute crochet on that blog.

 I love this pincushion.  It's really cute.   From Crafty Goodies.  No instructions but a fab idea for repurposing things that have no other use! 

  

















I just adore this dresser turned bench from Create Inspire.  It will have to stay a dream for me because my husband is just not handy that way, sigh  . . .  

Isn't this gorgeous?   I love it!  Cherry Blossom Dresser from Miss Mustard Seed.   Lots of inspiration for an old piece of furniture.

 I love to embroider and I just adore this little vignette with the wisteria and the sheep and the beehive and bees, and foxgloves, etc.  So pretty.   From The Floss Box.   

 















 No source, but what beautiful Monograms.  I loved Monogrammed linens.  

  















 




Make your own Lip Gloss.   Easy Peasy.   From Cheeky Kitchen.

These little bunny finger puppets are so cute.  Kids love finger puppets.  Finger puppets are the perfect toy for little fingers to play with at church to help keep them quiet.   From Lil Fish Studio.

 

 















What a beautiful Valentine's Wreath!  So bright and colourful.  There is a complete tutorial on The Hybrid Chick.  Very simple and a great way to perhaps use up some paper crafting scraps?

And that's my Friday Finds for this week.  I do hope you found at least one thing out of the lot that might come in useful for you!

A thought to carry with you through today!


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Advice from a Tree:
1.  Stand Tall
2.  Go Out on a Limb
3.  Remember your roots
4.  Drink plenty of water
5.  Be content with your natural beauty
6.  Enjoy the view
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Cooking in The English Kitchen today  . . .  Cindy's Portugese Gumdrop  Cake.


  Have a wonderful weekend!   Don't forget . . .

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And I do too!
 

Five Things About Me ...

This is one of my favourite pictures from my childhood.  I believe it was taken in Germany.  My father had been reading to me and we had both fallen asleep.   I love that my face is pressed up against his.  It shows how very much I love him.  We look completely natural together.  I love my father very much.   This photo is a very tender photo.

Yep, it's all about me again.   Five things about me to be exact.



As a child I was absolutely certain that there was a monster which lived beneath my bed.  I know I am not alone in this.  My monster had very eclectic tastes however.  It ate children, but it had an abhorance to the heads of children.  It could not abide them, so as long as only our heads were showing above the covers . . .  we would be completely safe.  I painstakingly made sure each night that only my sister's head was showing above the blanket line, as well as the heads of our stuffed toys.  I was protecting everyone.  It worked!  We are still all here!

I was right.  My monster did not like the taste of children's heads.



I suffered greatly with ear infections when I was a child.   I can remember them being excruciatingly painful  I also used to get a lot of them as an adult.   I don't remember very often being given anti-biotics for any of them.   Even as an adult.  I do remember the pain of them.   I have even had a perforated ear drum with one of them.   As a result I have a lot of scar tissue in my ears, especially the left one.  I also have weaker hearing in the left one.  My ears constantly crack when I swallow.  I found this link on how to cure an ear ache at home.  I am going to try it the next time I get one.



I had just about every childhood illness when I was a child.  Chicken pox, mumps, even the measles.  I remember my eyes being very sore with them and having to sleep in a darkened room with the blinds down.   I caught the mumps twice.  I had them when I was really small and then I had them again when I was a teenager, albeit only a mild case.  My children only ever had the chicken pox.



Next to Christmas, I think Valentines was my favourite schoolroom celebration when I was growing up.  I just adore getting Valentines, but I adore giving them even more.  My mother would buy me a book of Valentines to cut out and give every year.  I can remember spending hours cutting them out and the envelopes . . . the stamps, etc.  Gluing the envelopes together and putting the stamps on them, etc.  It was so much fun picking which valentine to give to which person.  I wonder do they still make those books of valentines for children to cut out?  I had many hours of fun with them.  I think this year I will look for one and make some valentines for myself.



I love pickles and I love the sweet mixed pickles most of all.   Especially the pickled cauliflower in the jar.   You can't get them over here.  Boo hoo!  Mom always has a jar of them for me when I go back home to visit.   I love all pickles, but these are my absolute favourite of all time.  And of those, I like Bicks the most.  I think there was an advertisement which went, "You can tell a bick's pickle by the crunch."  I could be wrong though.   Bread and Butter Pickles are my next best favourite, and Pickled Beets.  I totally adore them.  You CAN get those over here, thank goodness!  You can get polish pickles which are like the dill pickles from back home.   You can get cornichons, which I like.  They are very small and sour over here.  Back home we got pickled gerkins at Christmas time . . .  sweet pickled gerkins.   Yum.  Here the gerkins are always very sour.   I guess I am just nuts about pickles full stop!!

And there you have it five more things about me!  I am sure we are probably more alike than we are different.  What say you?



I did a little water colour yesterday.   First watercolour I have done in a while.   I have missed doing water colours.   I sold it right away, which was a good sign!

I am off to the Temple today.   We are going with some friends.   I love to go to the Temple.  It's so serene there and I just love being there.    Hoping we have a very uneventful trip there and back again.

A thought to carry with you through today . . .


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Five simple Rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred. 
2. Free your mind from worries. 
3. Live simply. 
4. Give more. 
5. Expect less.
~unknown
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Cooking in The English Kitchen today  . . .  Oven Baked Thai Chicken and Rice.

I hope you have a beautiful day.  Don't forget . . .

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And I do too!