Friday thoughts . . .

"Every day is a fresh beginning,
Listen my soul to the glad refrain.
And, in spite of old sorrows
And older sinning,
Troubles forcasted
And possible pain,
Take heart with the day,
And begin again . . . "
~Susan Coolidge

I thank God each day for new beginnings. No matter how I may mess up at any given time, I know that I will have the opportunity to make it all better and to make amends. No matter how dark this day may seem at the onset, I know that tomorrow can, and will . . . be brighter. There is always light at the end of the tunnel. No matter how much my heart may ache with today's sorrows and complaints . . . the new day can bring about healing and growth.



We are, not even one of us, perfect . . . but, we, each one of us, hold within us divine qualities. An heritage from our Heavenly Father. Knowing how very precious I am to Him makes a difference to me, and how I look at life and my circumstances. I know that I hold a high and sacred place in the eternal plan of my Heavenly Father, or else I wouldn't be here. It is a plan that cannot succeed without me, indeed . . . without any of us. He knew when He sent us here that we would sometimes stumble and that, on occasion, we would disappoint Him . . . others . . . ourselves, that we would taste of pain and sorrow.

For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith. (2 Nephi 27:23)

It is sometimes when we are hurting the most, that we learn the greatest lessons, and it is often out of sorrow we grow the most as individuals. Our failures and misdeeds are not the things that count the most . . . what matters most is that we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off . . . and begin again, moving forward with the assurances of a lesson learnt, and the will not to repeat our mistakes. If we only try our best . . . we cannot fail. Life is designed to test our faith. Belief is passive. Passive belief becomes active faith when it moves us to act. Through this process, we develop confidence in God and our faith is confirmed by our experience. The certainty you desire lies on the other side of the testing. Stay firm in faith and it will turn unto a sure knowledge.




"Rise to the great potential within you. I do not ask that you reach beyond your capacity. I hope that you will not nag yourselves with thoughts of failure. I hope you will not try to set goals far beyond your capacity to achieve. I hope you will simply do what you can in the best way you know how. If you do so, you will witness miracles come to pass."
~President Gordon B Hinckley

Yes . . . thank God for new beginnings . . . and new days when I can put the past behind me, and begin anew, with hope in a better future, with a fresh slate, with a clean heart, and . . . with a clear conscience.



I made a cake the other day, well it was called a tray bake, but it's really just a cake. It called for a lemon drizzle on top, which consisted of lemon juice and granulated sugar. I thought to myself, why not add some lavender sugar . . . and so I did.

It was lovely.




*Lavender Lemon Drizzle Traybake*
Makes one 12 by 9 inch pan, or 30 squares
Printable Recipe

Who doesn't love a lemon drizzle traybake? I think they are just about everyone's favourite. Add some lavender to the mix and it becomes something really special! The cake is mixed in the all in one method. Nothing could be easier! Just pop a bowl on top of your scales and start measuring away. A few minutes with your electric hand mixer and it's ready for the oven. Easy peasy, lemon squeasy. (no pun intended)

8 ounces softened butter
8 ounces caster sugar
10 ounces self raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 large eggs
4 TBS milk
the finely grated zest of 2 lemons
For the Drizzle:
5 ounces granulated sugar
1 ounce lavender sugar
the juice of 2 lemons



Pre-heat the oven to 160*C/325*F. Lightly butter a 12 by 9 inch baking pan. Line with parchment paper and grease again. (I like it to overhang the edges by a few inches so that I have a handle at the end to lift it out with.

Measure all the cake ingredients into a large bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer until well blended and fluffy. Turn into the prepared pan, smoothing the top over with a spatula. Bake in the heated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake tests done. Remove to a wire rack to cool for several minutes while you are making the crunchy topping.

To make the topping, place both sugars into a bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice and mix well to give a runny consistency. Spoon over the tray bake while it is still warm. Let cool completely. Once cool, lift out of the pan and cut into squares to serve.



Looking for something quick and simple for your tea tonight? Have some chicken breasts that you want to cook in an appealing and delicious way? Hop on over to The English Kitchen for some new ideas.