Marie's Sunday Six

Welcome to my Sunday Six post, that one day of the week where I get to dwell on the many blessings of my past week and talk about six of them! One of my favourite days of all! There's been so many good things to talk about and think about this past week. It will be very hard to pin it down to just six, but I'll try!!



Celebrating the Birth of the Saviour. This really made me smile. I just love the Christmas story. I know intellectually that it didn't really happen at this time of year and the sequence of events were spread out over a much longer period of time, but I don't mind that it has been condensed and that we celebrate it now. It only matters that we celebrate it and really . . . I celebrate it every day, in my heart and my actions anyways. It's deep abiding message of love is one that I truly try to live by. It brings my life joy each and every day.



The love and warmth of family and friends and the togetherness of Christmas Day made me smile and, like a mother hen gathers her chicks, I gathered as much of the people that I love around me on Christmas day. Sure most of them were gathered around due to the wonders of modern technology and not really here with me, but I carried them in my heart throughout the whole day, as I do every day. It was lovely to have the missionaries and Terri here to help us celebrate on the day and it was lovely to have been able to speak with all my other lovelies from afar. It was the perfect day!



Mince Pies make me smile and I have eaten copious amounts of them over the past week. I always do. They are one of my favourite things about Christmas! I love everything about them. I love them cold. I love them warm. I love them dusted with sugar, or not. I love them with ice cream, or pouring cream or custard. I JUST LOVE MINCE PIES! Time to cut back now though, before I regret it! I think what makes them so special is that they are a once a year kind of thing . . . and by once here, I mean seasonal . . . coz I could never only eat one . . . once a year!



Cranford!! I loved the Cranford Chronicles when it was on the BBC, and this past week I simply adored the Return To Cranford that was on last Sunday evening and am really looking foward to the second part which will be on tonight! I love period pieces and this particular series really makes me smile. Each character is so well rounded and loveable, even the bad guys. It makes me smile from beginning to end. I just adore it! The things that the BBC does well, they really do well and this is one of them!



My daughter in law Anne, makes me smile. She is just like a daughter to me and I love her dearly. I know that she is the one who thought to get me this flannel nightie for Christmas, because that is the type of thoughtful thing that she would do. My son is sentimental too . . . but I recognize a woman's touch when I see one. I know she reads my blog from time to time and so that she must have read several weeks ago that I was looking for one and not able to find one . . . magically she was able to and it is the loveliest Christmas present I have ever gotten. Not because it is a flannel nightie, but because I love the thought and sentiment that was behind it all. She's a good wife and a good mom and a great daughter in law. In short, she blesses my life in countless ways and I am very grateful to have her in it.



I finally had some time to create and paint yesterday and this really made me smile. I think this latest one is my best one ever! If you want to see the whole thing you will have to go HERE. I just adore this one. I know I say that each time, but for some reason this one seems pretty special to me. What do you think? Does it make you smile? It makes ME smile!

And there you have it, my Sunday Six for this week! If your weeks were only half as blessed as mine was, then you were very blessed indeed!

Here's something else that makes me smile. One of my favourite kinds of cookies! OH but they are some delicious, all buttery and oatey and filled with butterscotch chips. If you don't have them you can use either white or milk chocolate chips and they are equally as good! You just can't beat a good old fashioned homemade oatmeal cookie can you!! Bring on the milk!



*Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies*
Makes 3 dozen approx.
Printable Recipe

There is something about the combined flavours of toasted oats and butterscotch that brings out the child in each of us. Chewy, sweet and delicious . . . these cookies just have to be good for you, coz, afterall, Oats are good for the heart, right?

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup soft light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 3/4 cups of one of either butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/375*F. Cream together the butter and sugars, until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla. Whisk together the flour, soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir this mixture into the creamed mixture, mixing it in well. Fold in the oats and butterscotch chips.

Drop by TBS onto a lightly greased baking sheet, leaving a two inch space around each one. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. Remove to wire rack to cool completely and store in an airtight container when cooled. Bet you can't eat just one!



If you're not all together tired of mincmeat yet, I have a delicious Mincemeat pud posted over on The English Kitchen today! This is very, very good, if I don't say so myself . . . Baked Holiday Custard!