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.

 

Can you hear that?  That faint tinkle?   Its the bluebells  . . .  tis bluebell season and the woodlands are carpeted with them.  They're so beautiful.  I had never seen a bluebell until I moved over here to the UK and now they have stolen my heart.

 

Look at that face.  So sweet.  That's Lucy-belle . . . one of my grand-doggies.  I love seeing photos of her and the Bax . . .



I am a dog person, through and through . . .



Unconditionally loving . . .  man's best friend.  Loyal and faithful.  Wouldn't be without one now.

Oh, I do love our Mitzie-poo.

 

Sunday evening omelette suppers . . .  they have become somewhat of a tradition.   With good fresh eggs, cheese and whatever else I happen to have to throw in.  Simple and sustaining.   I don't have time on Sundays to cook a full on roast dinner or anything of that ilk . . .  but omelettes seem to have become a tradition of late.  Quick.  Easy.  Delicious.

 

Plum tree blossom . . .  such promise of things to come. I hope we actually get more than a few plums this year.  When we were down south there were Plum trees on the Estate.



We were blessed with tons of them each year.  Great for jams and cakes and tarts . . .  and cake tarts . . .

 

La Recette . . . Cardamom Scented Plum Cake

 

Our lesson in Relief Society yesterday was based on the talk President Monson gave us in the last conference on Choices.   It was a very short talk actually, only a few minutes.  I was cognizant of the fact during conference while I was watching it that we may not get to hear our dear beloved Prophet speak too many more times.  What he said really stuck with me and so I was really pleased that our lesson yesterday was based on it.  Our lives are filled with choices, beginning with the choice we make to get out of bed each morning.  We make right and correct choices and sometimes we make very poor choices . . . thankfully, even in those instances  . . . . there is a way back.

I was reminded by another conference talk by another great speaker . . .

“If, in the end, you have not chosen Jesus Christ it will not matter what you have chosen.”
~Neal A Maxwell 

As members of the church we are so blessed to have this wealth of information and inspiration to help guide us through the concourse of life.




The inspiration of food television and the knowledge that I live in a country where, even if you are very poor, you have choice.  We think we are hard off  . . .  but we have so much more than many, many people in the world.  If you live in a house, with heat and with lights, with food in the refrigerator, a bed to sleep in,  a roof over your head, etc. . . . you are truly amongst the blessed of this world.   We have a tendancy to take these things for granted until we lose them.   May I never take any of these blessings for granted.  I have enough.  Having enough is truly a blessing.  The media would try to make us believe always that we NEED more, but we don't.

 

The Queen.  I love her.   I am a Royalist.  We watched a lovely program abour her at the weekend, filled with private home movies that we both really enjoyed watching.  She truly is a special woman.   And I know she has lived a great life of priviledge, but the great thing is that she also knows this.  She has given her whole life in service to this country.  I really admire and respect her.



Life . . .  is  . . .  good.

A thought to carry with you through today . . .

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄ƷღೋღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
"Remember that the Lord 
will shape the back 
to bear the burden placed upon it." 
~Thomas S Monson
 Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄ƷღೋღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Spiritual Enlightenment



In The English Kitchen today  . . .  a good old fashioned Jelly Roll.


May your week ahead be filled with an abundance of small and wonderful things. Along the way, don't forget . . .

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And I do too!

Musings of the mind . . .

 I think a lot at night, do you?   When I get into bed and after I have read a while, turned out the light, said my prayers   . . .  all these random thoughts come into my head.   Last night I was thinking about Birthday Parties from when I was a child.   My mother organised Birthday Parties for me up until I was about ten years old, but after that age they stopped.   I am not sure how long she did them for my brother and sister, but I know for sure I had my last one when I was ten. 

 I remember one year when she made ice cream clowns for us all. And there would be soda pop and hot dogs . . .  potato chips . . . and a Birthday Cake of course!

 

 I have always appreciated all the work she put into them for us . . .  the food, the games, etc.  Knowing her as I do now, I am sure it was a real sacrifice on her part as she was a person who didn't really like entertaining or having other people in the house.  I think this was mostly due to the fact that my father didn't really help with anything at home and it always ended up being a lot of work for her.  She went out to work full time when I was 11 and so this would have meant that her work load doubled.

I did love to get invites to other people's Birthday parties and each was accompanied with a great deal of excitement!

 

This was a chance to wear your Sunday Clothes on another day of the week!  And you got to take a present to someone, and with any luck it might have even been something that you got to pick out yourself.  I don't believe I ever got to do that really  . . .  I think I would have chosen something really expensive.   I have expensive taste when it comes to things like that, lol.  Nothing changes!  I have always felt that if you want to get someone a nice gift you buy them something which you would really love to have yourself, but wouldn't quite splurge on for yourself.

 

Birthday parties were always so very exciting.  Filled with lots of giggles and smiles.   Everyone all dressed up.  An air of anticipation.  I must have been fairly popular because I don't remember ever not being invited to parties.   It must have been sad for those who were not invited.  I am sure they felt very left out.   My birthday always fell in the middle of August, so leaving people out was never a problem.   I was lucky if there were enough people around to invite that weren't away on holidays!



I loved playing Birthday Party Games . . .  frozen tag, blind man's bluff, pin the tail on the donkey, etc.   I remember one game in particular where my friends mother brought in a tray with an assortment of items on it covered with a handkerchief.   She removed the handkerchief for a few minutes so we could observe, and then the handkerchief was replaced and we would have to try to remember everything that was on the tray. 

Some of my friends had really well off parents and I remember being taken to the movies and everyone having popcorn and a drink.  I remember one party where the meal was a roast beef dinner with all the trimmings.  My mother would never have been able to afford cooking a roast dinner for that many people.   I remember yet another Birthday Party where we watched Disney Cartoons on the television, also a real novelty.

 

The culmination of every party however would have been the cake . . .  all nicely decorated and candled up.  There was a great deal of  anticipation when it came to the blowing out of candles.   Would they be able to do it all in one blow and get their wish???  Only a really crass person would help to blow out another's candles . . .  but I do remember some people doing just that.   Some really lucky kids had little bits of money buried in the cake for the guests to find.   Small dimes or nickles, wrapped carefully in waxed paper and tucked in here and there.  You could buy a lot with a nickle or a dime back then!

I don't remember being given treat bags at the ends of any party, but do remember little treat baskets at each place setting at the table.  Little plastic baskets filled with an assortment of candies.  That would have been your party favour.   And probably a balloon.  And party hats.

They were simple times, but as simple as they were, they left a great impression on me as a child and lots of lovely memories.



I was invited to my very first boy/girl dance birthday party when I was ten and that was a whole different kettle of fish!  It was  held in someones father's garage.  There was dance music and balloons hanging from the rafters of the garage and it was darkish.   It smelt of gasoline and rubber and aftershave.   The boy's name was Maurice.  Thinking back on it now . . .  it was probably a bit too  much for a bunch of ten year olds.  I was still playing with my Barbies.  Then again, if my memory serves me correct, Maurice had older brothers and so he was probably a lot more sophisticated than I was.  This is the same boy who,  one day when I was with my friend Janice and him, told her to ditch me because he wanted to be alone with her.   I couldn't imagine why they would ever possibly want to be alone.

Oh boy  . . .  was I ever naive . . .  but I am glad that I was!!




I did a few little bits yesterday for the show in NYC yesterday.   They had asked for some Christmas stuff.  Not sure if it is any good or not but here it is . . . a mistletoe elf




A christmas light elf  . . .




A little caroler . . .

We will see how it goes.  I have other things I need to be working on as I was asked to make something a week or so ago and haven't started it yet.  Life has gotten very busy!

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

  ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ
You can never cross the ocean
unless you have the courage
to lose sight of the shore  . . . 
~Unknown
 ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ

Spiritual Enlightenment



In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Rhubarb Dumplings.


I wish for you a wonderful Sunday!  Don't forget!

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And I do too!

Saturday this and that . . .

  


Two men trod the way of life;
The first, wth downcast eye;
The second with an eager face
Uplifted to the sky.
He who gazed upon the ground
said, "Life is dull and gray,"
Bue he who looked into the stars
Went singing on his way . . . 
~Unknown

 We've had a busy old week this week, and the weather seems to have turned for the good finally, giving us several warmer sunnier days in a row with no rain.  (Dare I say that out loud?)  Its been so nice with all the sunshine and being able to hang out the wash for drying and having the garden dry up a bit.



 This little lady has been really enjoying the drier garden also, after having been kept out of it for the past six months or so.



She's been enjoying the freedom to run about and sniff to her heart's content.  It makes her so happy and when she is happy we are happy!



 It's been a week of great celebration here in the UK with the Queen's 90th Birthday celebrations taking place.  I have always been a Royalist and looked up to the Queen.  When we were children, my brother, sister and I thought that the photograph of the Queen on our money was our mother.  There was a very strong resemblance between the two when they were both younger, and of course my mother did nothing to dispell our fantasies, lol.

 

It is nice to see that even Royals celebrate the generations with this fabulous photograph of not only four generations of family but also one reigning monarch and three reigning monarchs to come!  What a fabulous photograph!




 Almost as good as our generational photograph which was taken four years ago as my daughter Eileen's wedding.  I just wish it had been clearer.  Maryn looks so young there, but then again . . .  she was only two.  And mom was only 80!  As blurry as this photograph is I am glad that someone took it as this will probably be the only time we will ever get all four generations of this family together in one photograph.
 
 

 Of course there has been a lot on the television to celebrate this most auspicious occasion, although Todd and I have missed most of it.  There have been many comings and goings this week.  We knew the missionary work would really take off once the Johansen's left and it has.

That's a good thing because we finally now feel like we are doing what we are supposed to be doing, and what we have wanted to be doing all along.



We have had meetings and done visits and helped out the younger Missionaries a lot this week.  It's been great!  We've really enjoyed it.   Yesterday we were able to bring a lady to the chapel to give her a tour of it and we shared a film together, along with popcorn.   I think she enjoyed it!

We share our happiness with each other  . . . 
and it becomes greater.
We share our troubles with each other . . . 
and they become smaller.
We share one another's griefs and burdens  . . .  
and their weight becomes 
possible to bear.
~unknown  

  

We even managed to squeeze in a lunch with friends.   We had Tony and Tina over on Thursday and had a wonderful visit together.   They always come bearing gifts . . .  this time a bar of milky chocolate with toasted coconut flakes (had never tasted that before), some mango flavoured jelly (I love mango), and a decorative tin because Tina knows I love to use these things as props! (So thoughtful!)  I had done some chicken for our lunch but it didn't turn out like I wanted it to (never use your friends as guinea pigs) so Todd had to run down to the KFC at the last minute to grab a bucket!    They thought the chicken was delicious so I had to confess.   I told Tina it was a recipe using 14 different secret herbs and spices from the Colonel.  We did have a great laugh over that!



Oh, and I finally heard from my Art Licenser.  They are taking my work to the big Surtex show in NYC in a couple of weeks time.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.  I could really use a break in this area!  I have everything crossed . . .  fingers, toes, ankles, eyes, lol

So all in all its been a great week filled with lots of comings and goings, lots of sunshine, plenty of smiles, lots of caring, and plenty of love and joy.

I'm planning on taking today off to finish up a few bits.  I'll let you know how I get on with that idea, lol.

In the meantime here is a thought for today  . . .

 ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ
 Laughter is the sun
that drives winter
from the human face.
~Victor Hugo
ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ

Spiritual Enlightenment



In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Leona's Crumb Cake.  This is really good.

I hope your Saturday is filled with lots of sunshine, laughter, love and happiness!  Don't forget!

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And I do too!

My Friday Finds . . .

A few of the things I find during the week which strike my fancy. I hope that they might also strike yours!

 

I have come across a few recipes that asked for Tomato Powder.  This might come in handy.  Found on Self Reliant School.

 

Doll House Pot Holders.  A complete tutorial, found on Freda's Hive.  These are adorable.

 

I also love LOVE these heart shaped ones from The Dixie Chicken, another complete tutorial.  I need new pot holders.  Can you tell?  To my way of thinking you can never have too many pot holders!

 

I love, Love, LOVE these counted cross stitch pin cushions.  ADORABLE.  From THIS PAGE. 

 

If you've been reading me for very long, you will know I just adore red and white toadstools.  So as you can imagine I totally love LOVE this handcrafted toadstool brooch.  I could not find a source.  *sniff *sniff.

 

No Pattern, just inspiration.  Lovely little egg cosies.  From Not On The Highstreet.   Actually it's not even there, but that is where the image originated from.  These wouldn't be all that hard to make for yourself.  Not if you are a keen embroiderer or sewer.  Now there's a project for me.  Create a pattern for you.

 

Crochet Flower Buttons.  Such a simple idea and so cute.  From Wonderful DIY. 

 

Maximize your Kitchen storage.   There are some really great ideas here.  Loving this undersink storage for a start.  Found on My Home Ideas.

 

THIS is a fabulous idea.  Using a garden wall planter for off the counter storage in the kitchen, for fruit.  I love it! I could not find a source.

 

Ingredient Substitutions.  How many times have you gone to make something only to find you are missing one ingredient.  Perhaps there is a substitute?  Found on Cents Less Deals.

 

Edible Tea Cups using ice cream cones, and a few sweeties and cookies.  Sweet.  From Wikihow. Such a cute idea.  If you were great at decorating cakes, etc. you could add a few trims to pretty them up.  Wouldn't these be perfect for a little girls' tea party?

and finally . . .

 

From Sarah Johnson, a free printable 2016 planner. 

And that's it for this week.  I hope you found something that you could use here!

A thought to carry with you through today . . .


 ~•~♥♥♥~•.~•~♥♥♥~• ~
"Do not spoil what you have
by desiring what you have not.
Remember that what you have now
was once anong the things
you only hoped for.
~Epicurious, Greek Philosopher
~•~♥♥♥~•.~•~♥♥♥~• ~


Spiritual Enlightenment 




In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Simple Turkey Burgers.  These are soooo good!

I hope that you have a lovely Friday! Wherever you go and whatever you do, may you always know that . . .

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And I do too!