Five Things About Me . . .

You drum your fingers or tap your feet when you’re bored. You use your hands when talking. You probably like sports, cooking or handcrafts. When someone is speaking you focus on their body language. 

This is me to a "T."  I am a tactile learner.   I learn far more by "doing" than I ever do by simply "watching."   Watching and reading alone never ever did it for me. In school, when studying, I had to write what I was trying to take in onto  paper again and again, that was the only way I could remember it.  This also means I get bored really easily.

And that is the first in a five things about me post for this week!



I have an amazing sense of direction.   I can find my way almost anywhere and I only ever have to go someplace once and I can remember not only how to get there again,  but how to retrace my steps and get out of there when I am ready to leave.  I am not sure what that means about me, but I think it basically means that I am extraordinarily aware of what is all around me at all times, soaking it in.   I am always watching, even when I am a passenger.   I take note of what I am seeing.  I am always an active participant in the journey, which means I am also a bit of a back seat driver, much to Todd's annoyance!




 I have always been a deep thinker . . .  pondering the whys and the what-for's of everything.  And if I can't figure it out right away, then I be looking it up.  I am the google queen of answers.  When I was a child it was always the encyclopedia that I was burning my fingers through. I am not content to just be told things.  I want to ponder them.  To sink my my mind and metaphorical teeth into things, to find out what makes things/people/the world around me . . .  tick.    I like to take things apart to see how they work.  When I am watching a film or a television show, I want to know everything about the actors and the parts they are playing.  Which leads me to thing four . . .



 I am extraordinarily good at Trivial Pursuit.   I love that game, probably because I have a brain stogged full of useless bits of information and trivia.   I love trivia.  I collect it like I collect quotes and poetry.   I think Todd finds it a bit annoying at times, this need I have for collecting useless bits of information, but that is a skill that comes in very handy on quiz nights and in the game of Trivial Pursuit. ☺



I love jig saw puzzles and solving puzzles, crossword puzzles, etc.  I could spend hours doing them, but really only do virtual ones now because I have no space to keep a puzzle up all the time until I have finished it. I especially love jig saw ones though.  I always have.   I also love puzzle games or guessing games.   I'm also a GREAT speller!

I am not sure what all these things say about me as a person.  A pschycologist would probably have a hey day figuring it all out! And that's five things about me for this week!



We had a great time in Manchester yesterday at the Mission Tour/Thanksgiving meeting.  In attendance was Elder Paul V Johnson of the First Quorum of the Seventy and his wife.   I think I took 8 pages of notes during the first session alone.  We had a really wierd experience on the way there.  For some odd reason the Sat Nav took us off in what seemed like the wrong direction, which made me really tense.   I couldn't understand why and I was afraid we were going to get lost, but we ended up going where we were supposed to go.  I had awakened with a sense of foreboding in the morning, almost feeling like I didn't want to go, but we went anyways, and there we were seemingly going around in circles.   It turned out that there had been a bad accident on the motor way between a tractor trailer and several cars during the time when we would have been exactly in that area.  So God's providence meant that we were kept safe and not involved.  I love it when things like that happen.  Not accidents, but knowing that I have been kept safe by the providence of my Heavenly Father.  It was great seeing a lot of the Elders and Sisters that had served in Chester and moved on to other areas again.   It was great seeing our Mission President and his wife again, seeing the other Senior Couples, and it was great getting to hear Elder Johnson and his wife speak and to share in a question/sharing time with everyone who was in attendance.  Oh, and it was great to be able to break bread with them all as well!  We did not stay for the whole time because Todd felt it was too long to leave Mitzie on her own and he was right.  So we skipped the afternoon bit.  As it was we were away for 6 1/2 hours, which was plenty long enough for Mitzie!  But I was grateful for the time I did spend there.

And with that I will leave you with a thought to ponder all the day through . . . this is something our Mission President, President Ulrich said to us at the beginning of the meeting yesterday.

✻ღϠ₡ღ¸.✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ..
If all that you hear, 
is the only thing that you hear . . . 
then you have not listened.
✻ღϠ₡ღ¸.✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ..

That bears thinking about  . . .

 

Baking in The English Kitchen today  . . . Little Crusty Cheese and Mustard Dampers.   Delicious!

Have a fabulous Thursday.  HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all my American Friends and Family.

Don't forget!

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

And I do too!

There's no Place Like Gnome

Just this past summer a friend of mine had cause to cut down a rather large tree which wasn't doing well in her back garden.  Rather then pull it all out of the ground, she turned what was a tragedy into something spectacuarl  A Gnome Home.  She hired a tree carver to come and turn her leftover stump into a delightful garden feature which I find quite fascinating and compelling . . .

But then . . .  I love the thought of tiny worlds tucked away in trees and roots . . .




This morning I watched a delightful little film about small gnome homes, complete with colorful wooden doors with complex detailing, just appearing overnight on the Tomahawk Creek Trail in Kansas City, USA.  This was some time ago, and the houses have all sadly been removed since then, but you can watch the film here.  It is about seventeen minutes long, but well worth the watch in happy feelings, warm tingly hearts and sweet ssweet smiles.



(source)

I don't know what it is about these tiny spaces that trigger such feelings in me.   I find them totally enthralling . . .  I could spend hours looking at them, and the child in  me longs to have a mousehole in one of my walls, or a fairy house tucked under the hedge in the back garden . . .




Imagine looking inside and finding a charming miniature world . . .

 oh the mind could fly away on flights of fancy couldn't it?   I wonder who lives there  . . .




 I think you could use just about anything to make a gnome home, and some people do.  Isn't this fascinating?




Or how about this???  In a baby food jar . . .  to hold candles.  I could find no source, but it is sweet, sweet, sweet . . .  and those toadstool polka dots are tweaking my heart strings . . .




 Of course such homes are not limited to gnomes . . .  plenty of mice live in them too and I think this one is totally deligtful!  No source again, but  . . .  wow.




 And then there are people who don't like to limit their dreams and fascinations and actually live in life sized gnome homes . . .  sigh . . .




 Can you imagine?  I would love to see indoors . . .

I'm not really here today.  We are in Manchester for a special Thanksgiving meeting for the Missionaries.   I'll be back and writing in real time tomorrow.  In the meantime . . .




 I left something tasty for you over in the kitchen.  

Have a great day.  Don't forget . . .

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

And I do too!

The Simple Woman's Daybook . . .

 

FOR TODAY, November 24th, 2015

Outside my window ...
Its dark.  Its cold.   Its Winter.

I am thinking ...
I am thinking about everything I have to get done today!  I'll have to work really hard to get it in.  And tomorrow morning we have to be in the car and on our way to Manchester by 8 a.m!  So I probably won't blog tomorrow.  Try not to  miss me too much! ;-)

I am thankful for ...
A warm house and a roof over my head and food in my belly.  Also a couple of people, independantly of each other, said to me this week that I looked like I had been losing weight.  If it's starting to show, that's a good thing and makes me happy.

In the kitchen ...


Mini Glazed Turkey Meatloaves.   Delish!

On my "To Cook" list ...


Apple,Cranberry, Spinach, Pecan Salad with Avocado and a Balsamic Vinaigrette
from Julia's Album.

 I am creating ...


I did these for Eileen and Tim for Christmas, now I have to do another set for Ariana and Jose.



I also did a Gingerbread Hello Kitty for a certain little girl I know.   I had done a pink one, but then lost it.  So I did this one.   Then as soon as I put it into the card, guess what?  I found the pink one.  It must not have been meant for her!  God had other plans!



I love the idea of a Galvanized Bucket Advent Calendar.  What a novel idea.  From  Cottage in the Oaks. 



Ten Wine Glass Holiday Centrepieces for your Holiday Table.  From Paiges Party Ideas.


Som really great Napkin Folding Ideas for the Holidays, from Sewlicious Home Decor.  A free e-book.

I am reading ...


Christmas at Lilac Cottage, by Holly Martin

Welcome to the charming seaside town of White Cliff Bay, where Christmas is magical and love is in the air… Penny Meadows loves her home – a cosy cottage decorated with pretty twinkling fairy lights and stunning views over the town of White Cliff Bay. She also loves her job as an ice-carver, creating breathtaking sculptures. Yet her personal life seems frozen. When Henry and daughter Daisy arrive at the cottage to rent the annex, Penny is determined to make them feel welcome. But while Daisy is friendly, Henry seems guarded. As Penny gets to know Henry, she realises there is more to him than meets the eye. And the connection between them is too strong to ignore… While the spirit of the season sprinkles its magic over the seaside town and preparations for the ice sculpting competition and Christmas eve ball are in full swing, can Penny melt the ice and allow love in her heart? And will this finally be the perfect Christmas she’s been dreaming of? Like a creamy hot chocolate with marshmallows, you won’t want to put this deliciously heartwarming novel down. A bit of fluff for the holidays.  ☺

I am hoping ...
That I can get all the things on my "to do" list done!  Also I haven't heard anything back at all yet from my tests at the hospital.  I am hoping that no news is good news.

Makes me smile ...


This "selfie" my brother took yesterday in India.  He's there on Business until the week before Christmas.   His caption read, "Christmas has come to India."  Knowing my brother's sense of humor, it made me smile.   Love seeing pics of my baby bro.   He is in India training his "replacement."  He is losing his job in the new year.  A sign of the times I suppose.  All these companies are out-sourcing their jobs now to cheaper venues.  Its all about money isn't it.  I really hope my brother is able to find a new job without too much trouble.

I am lcarning ...
How to consecrate my will to the will of the Father's.   It's an ongoing process.

Dreaming about ...


Having a large country kitchen . . .



Cosy Corners . . .



Re-furbed Vanities.   I love this.



Snow Globe Ginger towns  . . .  BHG.



Table Top trees  . . .

A favourite quote for the day  ...

(¯`v´¯)
 `*.¸.*´Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ¸.•´¸.•~♥♥♥~•.~
          ღϠ₡ღ¸. ✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ. (
              ¸.❀⁀ ⋱‿✿“` * .¸.* ✻ღϠ₡ღ¸.✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ..

Winter is the time to gather golden moments, and enjoy
every idle hour.  ~Judith Boswell 

One of my favourite things ...



Redwork Embroidery.   I love it.

A peek into my day  ...


I try  . . .

And that's my daybook for this week!

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


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


Wherever you go and whatever you do, I hope there's a great day ahead of you! Don't forget!

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


And I do too!

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.




It's our Doug's birthday today.  He's 34.  It is hard to believe so many years have passed.  It seems like just yesterday that he was born.   He was such a sweet little boy.   He was mischevious, but always very kind.  He still is a bit of a tease and a very kind man with a huge heart.  I am so very proud of him.  He is a great husband and father and a great son.   He goes out of his way to let me know he loves me and to include me in his life despite the thousands of miles which separate us.  He takes time to go and see his Grandmother (my mother) when he goes over to the Valley to visit his dad.  That means the world to her.  He also takes time to visit his other Grandmother  often and do things for her.  She lives not too far from him.   He's just a very caring individual.  I love him with all of my heart and I hope he has a lovely day today!



I know it isn't a very good photograph, but this is my Grandmaman!  That's my cousin Dave in the photo as well.  He's my Uncle John Paul's youngest son.  I was so excited to find this picture of my grandmother.  I don't have any photos of her and so it really made my day to find this.  She is my father's mother.  We were not really close.  She spoke only French and we spoke only English and we only got to see her when we went to visit in the summer Holidays, which was not very often. I am her name sake.  I also think I am the oldest grandchild.  I used to write her letters when she was alive and I was a young mum. It was not easy to do because I didn't really speak French, but I wanted her to know that I loved her and thought about her even though we had a language barrier and lived far apart.   I got some back from her also, which sadly disappeared.  I wish that I had taken better care of them now.



Also very excited to see this latest photo of our Amanda and her husband Tom and the two children.  it is very rare to see a photo of the whole family together.  Either Tom is taking the photo, or Amanda is.   I love this little family.   They hold a tender place in my heart, as all of my children and grandchildren and sons/daughters in law do.



This is our Amanda with her best friend Shelly.  Amanda and Shelly have been best friends since middle school.  I think they were probably about 12 years old when they met and became friends.   They were always inseparable.   When Amanda left home at 17 she went to live with Shelly and her parents to finish her last year in high school.   I know that her heart had been broken when we moved away from where Shelly lived and so when we went to move yet again, Amanda just did not want to move to yet another school where she would be with strangers.  I completely understood, even though my heart was breaking that she would no longer be at home with us.  But sometimes when you love someone, you have to let them do what is best for them, and it was only fair and right that she spend her last year of high school with her friends.  I knew that Shelly's parents would take good care of her and they did.   Amanda stayed there all through her last year of high school and her whole time at UNB where she was taking nursing.  It makes my heart smile to see that she and Shelly are still very close.  Lifelong friendships are the very best.  I have a few of those and I know how very special they are.

Now I am feeling just a tiny bit sad  . . . oh well  . . .



Finishing up the last of these.  I think I have enough now.  I hope I have enough now, if not I will just have to make some more!

And that's my small and wonderfuls for this week . . .

A thought to carry with you through the day . . .

 (¯`v´¯)
 `*.¸.*´ ¸.•´ (¸.❀⁀⋱‿✿
"We would do well to slow down a little, 
focus on the significant, 
lift up our eyes, 
and truly see the things that matter most."
~ President Dieter F. Uchtdorf .❀⁀⋱‿✿

 

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Avocado on Sour Dough Toast with Chilli Eggs.  Tasty and healthy too!

May your week ahead be filled with a multitude of small and wonderful things. Don't forget . . .

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


And I do too!

My mind wanders . . .

 I'm usually the first one up in the morning.  I get up most days between five and five thirty.  Todd lays in bed until about eight thirty.  I don't do anything in the bathroom until after he gets up because I don't want to wake him up . . .  and then I let him do whatever it is he has to do first.   It may sound very unselfish when you first read that I know, but it's really kind of selfish in a way.  I love the way the bathroom smells after he's washed and shaved.  It smells like soap and shaving cream.   It's a nice smell.   A smell that makes me smile and feel happy right down to my tippy toes.  It reminds me that I am not alone here . . .  that I have a pretty special husband whom I love very much.   I cannot bear to ever think of a time that will not be so, and so I am especially grateful for eternal marriage and the fact that we have been sealed together in a Temple of the Lord for time and all eternity.   That brings a special comfort to me, and I know it does to him too.  We are two people who have experienced a lot of loss in life . . . two peas in a pod.  We are the same, he and me . . .




There is a special comfort to be found in the sameness of these days of our lives spent together . . .  each day following the last in much the same way.  We get up.  We spend the day, usually together . . .  with a pleasant and comforting companionship.  It's nice.  It's like at night when you wake up and reach out in the dark to feel the warmth of your loved one near . . . and you do and it brings you peace.  In the day we reach out with eyes that oftimes meet in understanding  . . .  and a sometimes brief touch of the hand in passing.

I love how most times when I go in the kitchen to do something . . .  he often ends up in there too, making himself a drink.  He likes his hot drinks.  It is almost as if whenever I leave the room, his soul longs to be with me.  Even if I am upstairs working, he will find his way there eventually . . .  just to see how I am getting on.

I like that.



And when I see or read something which pierces my heart in either a good or a tender way . . .  the first person I want to share it with is him . . .  and it is the same with him for wanting to share it with me.   Or, we finish each others sentences.  Or we will be watching something on the television and immediately happen upon the same thought . . . at the same time . . .  and have both the need to speak it aloud to share.

The beats of our brains and hearts are totally in tune with each other's.

I like that too.




And no . . . he is not perfect . . .  and neither am I.   We do not get along one hundred percent of the time, but even in our differences with each other, there is a certain sameness . . .  we are attuned.   We are perfect for each other even when we are misbehaving in contrariness, if that makes sense.

I love how he never loses his cool . . . never shouts . . .  or gets really angry.  I love how he is so patient in contrast to my tendancy to  be so impatient at times.  His calm collectedness . . .it steadies my ship, and calms the waves when I feel as if I am in a storm.

This too I like . . .



 We waited a lifetime for this . . .  what we have, the pair of us . . . like two ships lost upon stormy seas, both seeking ports of haven.  We have found them and desire no longer to sail upon strange seas of unbidden adventures . . . unless the adventure includes the companionship of the other.   Having spent the first parts of our lives apart . . .  we never want to be apart again.

and even though we have loved before, and yes . . . lost . . .  it is as if we had never loved at all, because this . . .  what we have right now . . .  is the pinnacle, and all that we had ever hoped for.

I like that also . . .





We have found peace and it is in each other, and with each other.

May it be ever so.



He is my home . . .  and I am his.



Baking in The English Kitchen today  . . .   Butter-crumptious Coffee and Walnut Slices.  I was sent some cake mixes and icings for review and I wasn't going to just bake a cake mix was I? I just had to do something else with them.

I hope your Sunday is a good one.   May you feel blessed in every way.  Don't forget . . .

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

And I do too!

PS - Thanks for reading my twaddle!