Maries Sunday Six

Welcome to my Sunday Six post. Oh how I love Sundays! It is good to take some time to pause and reflect on all that is good in my life. It would be so easy sometimes to just think about all the irritating and depressing things. I'm only human, and my life is just like anyone elses! I, too, have my boo hoo moments, and days when nothing seems to be going right. It doesn't help to dwell on them though . . . . there is much more joy in accentuating the positive! Life's far too short to wallow in the mire!!!



That is one thing that makes me smile. Being able to find joy in the journey. Life is not easy for most of us at the best of times. Even those that you might think have anything and everything their heart desires or that money can buy, are not necessarily happy and might not have joy. Joy is in the living . . . and in the giving. It's being able to look at each cloud and pick out the silver linings. It's being able to look at the glass as being half full instead of half empty. It's being able to pick yourself up and move forward. It's in being grateful and content. Joy in the journey is not found in the things you might acquire but in the love that finds it's way into your life . . . love of home, love of family, love of friends . . . love of the Lord. Our stay here in this mortal coil is very short in the scheme of eternal things . . . best to dwell on the positive and find joy in the journey, no matter where it takes us, or how many potholes we find along the way!



This past Friday was the annual Children in Need Broadcast on the BBC. Despite a very uncertain year of spiraling costs and the credit crunch, we here, in the UK, dug into our pockets for this most worthwhile charity to the tune of over Twenty Million pounds!! One thing that I have discovered about the people over here in my nine years of living here is that they may have stiff upper lips, but they have big hearts and deep pockets! Time and time again, no matter what, when someone is in need the wonderful people in the British Isles dig deep, especially when it comes to helping children. That really makes me smile. I love the broadcast on the television. It's entertaining and inspiring and it's for a very worthwhile cause. It's nice to see celebrity doing good for people and setting positive examples.



The telephone makes me smile. I am really very grateful for this modern blessing. It helps me to stay connected with my family and my friends. I am grateful that I am able to call my mother every couple of weeks and talk to her. I really miss my mom, probably more than any one person in my family. It must have been ever so hard on the pioneers when they left their homes to start lives in a new country all those years ago . . . it took months for a letter to get through to them, and there were no telephones . . . I am so very lucky to have been born in a time where I am able to have contact with my faraway family within seconds. Every Tuesday night my good friend Lura calls me from California and that makes me smile too. Quite often while I am at work, I will be puttering away and a text message will come in from my eldest son, or from my sweet friend Angie, or Pat, or from my Todd. They always make me smile as well! Oh, how good it is to stay connected to the people you love!



Facebook makes me smile. I have hundreds of contacts on there and I just love keeping up with their lives and goings on. I love all the wonderful little messages that get sent my way and I have loved being able to get in touch with old school chums from near and from far. It would be too easy to dwell on all the negative things about these types of social networks . . . I much prefer to dwell on the positive. It's a quick way to just drop a few words to someone you care about to let them know you care about them, that you haven't forgotten them, and that they are in your thoughts! It's like sprinkling little bits of sunshine here and there and having it sprinkled back.





My Jess and my Todd make me smile. No matter how difficult a day I have had at work, or how nasty the weather is that rages outside my door . . . I know that I have these two to come home to and to find comfort with. Home is where you hang your heart and my heart is firmly fastened on these two very important beings in my life. Jess gives of her love so willingly and unconditionally and is always happy to see me, no matter what. Todd is my greatest supporter and just the best partner in life that I could have ever hoped for, even when he is being grumpy, which isn't often. I am just so grateful for these two . . . they make my heart smile every minute of every day.



My faith makes me smile. My faith in my Heavenly Father and in my Saviour and the love and care that they give me, and the relationship that I have forged with them. My faith in my church and it's leaders and all that they do for me, the guidance that they gives. My faith in my family and my friends and the love that they share so abundantly with me. It's just all so good and enriches my life in so very many ways. My faith gives me hope . . . . where would we be without hope.

And there you have it . . . another Sunday Six. What things made a difference in your life this past week? What made you smile? I'd love to hear about it!

I know many of you are looking forward to some Happy Thanksgiving celebrations in the coming week. Your homes will be filled with family and thanksgiving for all the bounty in your lives and a lot of you will be cooking a delicious meal to be shared with your loved ones. I am thinking that this tasty dessert would be a wonderful addition to your holiday meal. I know we just love it. It's very easy and quick to put together and my oh my, it's so very delicious, and it uses very common and easy to come by ingredients.



*Pumpkin Crunch*
Serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe

Move over pumpkin pie! There's a new kid in town and it's kickin your arse!! This is fabulous!

1 package of double layer yellow cake mix, dry and un-prepared
1 425g tin of solid pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 410 tin of evaporated milk
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
1 cup melted butter
To Serve:
Whipped Double Cream



Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Lightly grease a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Place on a baking sheet. Set aside. (I used a large round glass flan dish, probably 14 inches in diameter, and it worked out perfectly)

Combine the pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, spice and salt. Whisk well together and then pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over top of all. Sprinkle the chopped pecans over top and then drizzle the melted butter evenly over top.



Place in the heated oven and bake for 55 to 60 minutes until golden brown, set in the centre and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Spoon out into serving dishes and pass the whipped cream!



There be some mighty tasty chicken on offer over on The English Kitchen today! Chicken, bacon . . . cheese . . . this is mmm . . . mmm . . . good!!