Wednesday, 2 April 2025

Wednesday Witterings . . .

 

 

Not sure how it happened but it's already April and we are into the fourth month of the year already! My car is sitting in the driveway, summer tires loaded and ready to go to the service center later this morning.  And I still haven't done my taxes. I am such a procrastinator.  Every year I say I am going to get them done early and every year I don't. The crunch is on now though.

This is a busy month of the year, what with my church's General conference this weekend, Easter and everything else that is going on.

We had the beginning of our April showers yesterday, but by the end of the day it had turned to sunshine. -4*C/25*F out there this morning however so it is cold.  Sunny and cold and not expected to get much warmer today.  I am glad that I put my heat back on before I went to bed last night. I had kept it off all day yesterday.


 

I had Sheila at my door yesterday morning.  She had been messing with the controller for her heat pump and couldn't figure it out.  The maintenance guy had been over to look at it and put everything straight, but she said she didn't recognize half of what the symbols on it were saying.  I popped over to see if there was anything I could do to fix it.  There wasn't anything wrong with it as far as I could see. Other than the fact that her heat pump was a bit noisy, it all looked fine to me.  Anyways, I was able to reassure her that all was well. I had roasted a chicken yesterday also, so I brought her some of that and some mashed potatoes and veggies, which she appreciated.

She can't understand why my electric bill is so much less than hers and I cook all the time. I told her I think it is because she has her electric baseboard heating on all the time. I do not have mine on at all. That electric heat will gobble up the electricity like nothing else. That makes a huge difference.


 

I had to pick up one of my prescriptions yesterday. It cost me $111.39.  Pharmacare doesn't cover this one at all.  Over in the U.K. the same prescription cost me 7 pounds, and in fact since I was over 60, it actually cost me nothing. If you are over 60 there, prescriptions are free. As are eye care and dental.  They take good care of their seniors, or at least they were when I left to come back to Canada. Most countries do take very good care of their young and their old. I do not think that is so in North America, but I cannot complain because many things here are very good.

Oh, another thing in April.  A federal election.  Make sure you vote people, this could be the most important election in our lifetime.

Anyways, My prescription was quite pricey yesterday, but it should last me three months, so I guess if you divide it up by three, that is only $37.13 a month. That sounds much better. My deductible on Pharmacare is the maximum however over $450 which I just paid. So, I have spent a lot on prescriptions so far this year. The joys of aging! ha ha It could be a lot worse.


 


April was the month that we went to the South of France with our friends Audrey and Peter Lee all those years ago. What a wonderful trip that was.  Staying in the Dordogne in a stone cottage surrounded by vineyards and sheep.  There are not many friends you could go on holiday with and stay friends, but Audrey and Peter were wonderful people. It was not hard to love them.  Very amenable.  That was probably one of the best holidays I ever went on.  All it cost us was our air fare, food and some gasoline. Peter already had the cottage rented. It was a lovely escape from the real world for sure. It was lovely throwing open the bedroom shutters each morning and listening to the sound of the sheep in the field next to the cottage.  We took long walks each day, saw many historic places such as the Sand Dunes in the Aquitaine, Lourdes. Saint Emilion, etc. I got to taste my very first Cannelle and experience my first French outdoor market.  Fresh bread from the bakery in the mornings . . .  with that lovely French butter. A fire each night in the fireplace. Great company. It was just a lovely holiday.

I had never had a holiday in my life to be honest.  I had vacations from time to time.  We would use that time to visit my in-laws, but as far as actually traveling to a place for a "holiday," that was the first. It would not be the last.

I will be forever grateful that I had the opportunity to do such things while I had them.


Focus on the light, not the dark.
You can't let one negative in a
sea of positives hold power over you.



I was looking through some old photos last night and I came across one of me from 2019, over a year before everything in my life fell apart.  I have never thought that I was pretty or attractive even, but when I found that photo, I thought to myself, hey, you were not so bad looking after all. I remember having it up as my profile photo for a time on the food blog and someone emailing me and telling me that they could help me adjust it if I wanted them to so that I looked better, younger, prettier. 😕 As if being who I was, was not entirely enough.

What is this obsession we have of these things??? The other day this girl I follow on Instagram was bemoaning the fact that she is not able to get her Botox injections and retinol treatments as she is still nursing her twins.  Like this was the end of the world. 

She isn't even 30.


We live in a world of plastic people. Especially younger people.  Lips pumped and plumped, eyelash and hair extensions, liposuction, Botox, fake tanning, etc. They have ribs removed to make their waistlines smaller, injections into their butts to make them rounder, breast implants . . .  it goes on and on. We are living in a world of wannabe Kardashians, I guess. People are just not happy with looking normal. I do not understand it.


 


When I was 30, I had four young children and didn't know if I was coming or going most days. It took all of my energy and time to just take care of my home and family.  There was no money for going to McDonalds let alone Botox injections and, if there had been, I am sure I wouldn't have wanted or needed them.  

Life was full and it was busy.  I loved being a mom, wife and homemaker. I had never really wanted to be anything else, and I never ever experienced a lack of fulfillment for being such. Not that I can remember anyways.  


This was the kind of house I lived in. One bedroom down, a living room, small eat-in kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms up. It was also the same as the house I had grown up in. I don't remember ever feeling deprived. There was a bedroom for the girls and one for the boys and one for us. We had a fold out couch in the living room for company. (They got our room, and we slept on the couch.) Life was simple but it was good. It was busy. I was busy. 

Even after we had our fifth child, our house did not get really bigger, not until we decided to build our own home anyways, and then we had six bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a family room, a shop, a laundry room, a living room, kitchen, dining room, mud room, etc. It was huge in comparison. I loved that house.  We were in over our heads.  We went from that to a rented farmhouse that was overrun with mice and had no furnace. It was appalling when I think back on it.

I could write a book, on all the changes and seasons of my life.  Good times, bad times and everything in between.  I have always landed on my feet, no matter the difficulty of the journey. I am grateful for that.


 

Not sure what I will get up to when I get home from having my tires changed. Perhaps I will get started on my taxes. Perhaps not. Maybe I will leave that for tomorrow and just focus on giving the house a good vacuum and mop the floors, do some laundry, etc. Then tomorrow I can start with a clean slate.

Yes, that sounds just the ticket, but I must get them done this week.  Oh, and Cindy, if you are reading this, don't forget to let me know the days you are free to come with me to the eye doctor so I can make my appointment. (I need a driver because of the drops.)  Putting it here to remind us both!

And with that I will end this as I need to get some stuff done before I leave for the garage.


A thought to carry with you . . . 


° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門 ★

 *.˛.Accept what isn't,
so that you can move forward
with what is.  
° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •


Hot Cross Buns

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Hot Cross Buns, the small batch.  This is a rather unique recipe in that you can have these made and be enjoying them in not much longer than half an hour. I kid you not. There is no messing about with rising doughs, etc. And they are a yeast dough as well. I saw them first on Monique's IG and then got the recipe from another. I adapted to make a small batch and changed the flavors, etc. slightly.  Very good.  I was very pleased with them, and I think you would be also.


I hope you have a lovely Wednesday. Be happy and blessed no matter what you get up to!  Don't forget!



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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
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And I do too!    

   










Tuesday, 1 April 2025

A Day Book . . .

 



FOR TODAY, April 1st, 2025



OUTSIDE MY WINDOW ...

It's garbage day and it's raining as you can see. I think Tuesdays must be the one day of the week where we get the most precipitation as it is very rare that we have a dry garbage day. In fact, today there is a heavy rain warning in effect, but the temperature is in double digits and was so when I woke up at 5:30.



 


I AM THINKING ...

The warmer days and double digit temperatures should become more frequent now we are in April.  April showers and all that. Can the flowers be far behind?  I think not!  We know how quickly a month can pass!


 

I AM ALSO THINKING ...

Can I find the time to do some of these things this month? Here's hoping! Well, all except for the person I love one. That one is out of the question. I can try to manage all of the others though!


Maple Pecan Granola

IN THE KITCHEN ...

Maple Pecan Granola. Low fat, high fiber, low sugar and delicious. Also, very quick and easy to make. I have always loved to make my own granola. I have been making my own since the early 1980's. I always enjoy eating it with some Greek yogurt and fresh fruit, on this occasion some fresh berries.




ON MY "TO COOK" LIST ...

These puff pastry Breakfast Bars from Jenna Baked look really good. Filled with sausage, bacon and hashbrowns, and well puff pasty.  Can you ever not love anything when pastry is involved?


 

SOMETHING I KNOW TO BE TRUE ...

I would not trade my simple and modest life for anything else. These words ring with truth. Oh, there may be the occasional exception for some people, but the best things in life truly are free. Money cannot buy happiness, love, peace, etc.




SOMETHING THAT'S NICE ...

Our church's Spring General Conference is coming up this weekend.  These happen twice a year. It is an opportunity to listen to and watch inspiring and uplifting talks from the leaders of my church. An opportunity for spiritual nourishment in an unbelievable way. I always come away feeling well and truly fed. You can find out more on how to watch and participate here.


 

SOMETHING ELSE THAT IS NICE ...

Some of our best lessons about life and being alive come from nature and the natural world around us.


I WOULD LIKE TO CREATE ...


 

Paper bouquets  . . . I used to do this.


 

Paper apples. Art classes . . . 


 

House bookmarks  . . . 



Papier Mache houses  . . . 


 

A Papier Mache Fox  . . . 


 

SOMETHING I ENJOY ...

Seeing the spring blossoms appear  . . . 


 

SOMETHING ELSE I ENJOY ...

Soup and bread.  I used to be a soup and cracker girl, but living in the U.K. I came to really appreciate the finer qualities of enjoying a hot bowl of soup with bread, any kind of bread. Now that's comfort.



OH MY GOODNESS ...

If I can't see you then you can't see me.


 

JOY MAKERS .;;


Sunrises  . . . 


 

Wildflowers, sunsets and wide open spaces . . . 





I AM READING ...

THE CORNER THAT HELD THEM, by Philip Hensher

The Corner That Held Them is a story of many small lives lived both with small hopes and grand dreams. It is the story of the convent of Oby. It was founded in the 12th century by a man 10 years after he discovers his wife in bed with her lover and righteously slaughters the lover. We meet the nuns 200 years later and peer into the intimate details of their lives. We find that the location of the convent is not the most advantageous – its farm land is frequently flooded. It is in a swampy location. The prioress is the CEO of the convent, scheming to attract novices with good dowries, planning on how to maximize its income, enticing a new priest, meeting and mingling with the worldly most particularly those who can or may help the convent with its affairs, designing a magnificent spire to increase its prestige and wrangling with her fellow nuns. It is the same whoever the prioress is, whoever the nuns are. They make little economies, they make large economies, they say their offices every day, they are political and they are religious and they are domestic. They fight and bicker and quarrel like any small community. They survive the Black Death, the changing of bishops, a priest who is not a priest and mad nuns. They survive being robbed and being oppressed. There are side stories and stories that illuminate their surroundings. It is brilliantly done and a marvelously realized world.


THINGS THAT CATCH MY FANCY ...


 


Light and sparkle  . . . 


 

Fresh asparagus  . . . 


 

Cotton dresses . . . feeling feminine . . . 


 

Cute arrangements  . . . 


 

Pretty pockets  . . . 



I AM GRATEFUL FOR ...


 

The birdsong of nesting birds  . . . 


ALSO GRATEFUL FOR ...


 

Forsythia  . . .  not long now . . . 



SOMETHING TO WATCH ...

A Dinner of Herbs, Catherine Cookson, Acorn TV.


A THOUGHT TO CARRY WITH YOU ...

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門 ★

 *.God spoke today in flowers, and I
who was waiting on words,
almost missed the conversation.
~Ingrid Goff Maidoff ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •



And that is my daybook for this week!  Thanks always for being here!


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

  ⋰ ⋮ ⋱ blessings in life.*´¯`.¸¸.☆ 




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


Have a beautiful day!  Don't forget!  

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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
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And I do too!    

   



Monday, 31 March 2025

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.  





I am so grateful for Zoom. It allows me to be able to attend meetings and seminars, even church, without leaving my home. I can attend meetings which are being held thousands of miles away in real time. My financial self-reliance course which I am taking on Monday evenings is done via Zoom. I am so grateful for modern technology which helps us to stay connected as it does!


 


Sunday. I am grateful for this day of the week which gives me pause to rest and to reflect, a time to recharge my battery for the week ahead, a time to pause and really connect with my spirit.  This is important to me.  Without Sunday, all of the days of my week would just blend in together and there would be no hub to help bring my life back into balance.


 

Sunday dinner with family.  It is so nice to be able to spend this time together on Sundays and connect together as a family.  My sister, father, Dan and myself. All of the cats.  Some good food.  Great company. Family time. It's all great!


 


Light and shadow in life.  We need both to move through life with balance and grace. We hold inside each of us a dynamic interplay of light and shadow, a constant movement between our most elevated selves and those parts of us we keep hidden from the world. The act of embracing our humanity dictates that we learn to acknowledge and integrate both of these halves. We do that through love. Love for ourselves, love for others, and love for the journey.

This year I am on a journey to learn to love myself in a way I have never done in the past. So far so good.


 

Joy. Joy is a pink house painted with flowers.  Not really but does this not make you smile. This would be a joy filled person in a crowd.  Strikingly beautifully different. It is impossible not to smile at and with them. Joy is invasive. It spreads its seeds with abandon. If you are lucky, you will catch some of them and plant them in your own life, into the fleshy tablet of your heart, and let them grow to the point where they burst open and spread with abandon in your own life and the lives of those around you. Just like a dandelion spreading its seeds in the wind. Joy. Joy. Joy.  Once scattered these are seeds that cannot help but grow in the most wonderful way. 






Speaking of Dandelions, how could I resist! A bane to some, a gift to others. It's all in the perception.


 

I spoke of seeds of joy, now let me speak of seeds of kindness. Equally as pervasive.

Something each day - a word.
We cannot know its power;
It grows in fruitfulness
As grows the gentle shower.
What comfort it may bring,
Where all is dark and drear!
For a kind word every day
Makes pleasant all the year.

Something each day - a deed
Of kindness and of good,
To link in closer bonds
All human brotherhood.
Oh, thus the heavenly will
We all may do while here,
For a good deed every day
Makes blessed all the year.

Something Each Day, Author Unknown


Life is just better when you scatter seeds of kindness throughout your days.


 

Having a proper focus on life. Again, it is a matter of perspective.  Little by little, day by day, things such as focusing on your abundance, finding and sharing joy, spreading seeds of kindness, finding a balance between the light and the dark, loving self and others . . . these are the building blocks of a successful and a happy life.  If you have these things, you have all that you need.


A thought to carry with you . . . 


° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門 ★

 *.Just be a good person.
Love who you can,
help where you can,
give what you can.
~unknown° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • 



Hawaiian Barbeque Chicken Nachos 


In The English Kitchen today, Hawaiian Barbeque Chicken Nachos.  Super simple. Super delicious. Incredibly moreish.


I hope that you have a truly wonderful day filled with abundance.  Be happy and be blessed. Don't forget!


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


And I do too!