If Delia can cheat . . .

"Every life has it's dark and cheerful hours. Happiness comes from choosing which to remember."

I don't suppose that there is anyone alive who hasn't had their life touched by tragedy in one way or another. Even the rich and famous are not immune to negative energy in their lives. One just has to look around to see the impact that it has on people.

I've always tried to be a positive person, which, I might add, isn't always easy. There have been many times when I've had "a rough row to hoe" . . . when things might not have gone the way I planned for them to go.

Times when I may have been tempted to throw in the towel or just give in.

I have come to realize though that to do so just gives negativity and other people more power over you than they deserve to have. I am too stubborn to quit or to allow the sadness of my past to colour my present or future.

I suppose we all have regrets and things that we might have done differently if we could do them again, but the reality is . . . we can't. The past is the past and what's done is . . . done. The very best that we can do, is to try to take some lesson from our mistakes and regrets and move forward. Leave them in the past where they belong. Dwell on them no longer. Vow to do better next time and then move on. You cannot change what you cannot change.

We all have choice. We can choose to dwell on the positive in our lives or to dwell on the negative. Me . . . I'm a half glass full kind of person. It's much nicer and easier to think about all the good things in my life and my blessings, than to think about all that has, may or will go wrong. For what is a smile afterall . . . but a frown turned upside down, and after it rains . . . the sun always comes out and sometimes, sometimes we find a rainbow.



I've been having issues with AOL journals this week so for the time being I shall be doing all my writing over here on blogger. Hopefully it will be just temporary, but if not, well my words will still be here for people to read, just in a different place. If anyone knows how I can set up a feed on here in order to notify people that I have posted, this old dog would sure appreciate being told how to do it!

Here's a delicious corn bread that I have been making for years and years. It's one of my mother in laws recipes and is fantastic!


*Mother in Law’s Corn Cake*
Makes a nine inch square pan

This is an excellent accompaniment for stews and soups, and goes really well with chili con carne and baked beans. It is a very old family recipe and always turns out moist and delicious. You can also make individual ones by baking it in muffin tins.

7/8 cup plain flour
¼ cup white sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup cornmeal (coarse polenta)
1 beaten egg
1 cup milk
¼ cup melted shortening or sunflower oil

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Lightly grease and flour a nine inch square pan and set aside.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cornmeal together in a medium bowl. Whisk the eggs, milk and salad oil together in a beaker and then stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Fold them together just until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Do not over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and then bake in the heated oven for about 20 minutes until well risen and browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Serve hot and cut into squares, with plenty of butter for spreading. Yumm!!