Marie's Sunday Six

Welcome to my weekly Sunday Six Smile Makers post! The very first one for the month of December, 2009! As I say that I think to myself, how can it be December already??? Hasn't the year just started??? And then I think of all the lovely, wonderful things that I have experienced all through this year, and the three weeks of lovely, wonderful things I still yet have to experience before the end of the year and it makes me smile all over again!!!




This is the latest picture of my G I Joe, Bruce. Yes, that's my baby. Well, he's not a baby anymore is he? It is clear he is a man and he looks settled and ready to take on the World. The mom in me is still very afraid he will be sent to Afghanistan. The realist in me, knows he will be sent to Afghanistan eventually. The daughter of a Heavenly Father in me, knows that my Heavenly Father has a plan and is trusting in that. I can't wait to talk to Bruce when he goes to his dad's for Christmas! That will be great. A tiny part of me is wishing that he would have chosen to come here. I have not had a visit with him at Christmas in 10 years and that would have been lovely. A bigger part of me is happy that he is happy and that he is secure and settled. That is a mother's love I suppose. You are happy when your children are happy, even if their choices make you a bit sad. Does that make sense? It does to me. He turns 21 tomorrow and that is hard to believe . . . my baby 21. Where did the time go!!!




This is a picture of my grandson making a Gingerbread House that my son sent me this week. Isn't he adorable!! Well, I am a grandmother and so I think so!! It really made me smile. What also made me smile is that the tradition of the Christmas Gingerbread house continues in my family! Every year when my children were growing up I created something lovely for them out of Gingerbread. One year it was a church, complete with steeple and candy stained glass windows. Another year it was a 2 foot high Gingerbread Christmas Tree, with silver dragee garlands and gummy bear ornaments. Oh, what fun I had doing these things for my children and I hope that they have happy memories of them. It's nice to see that my son is making happy memories for my grandson as well, Happy Gingerbread memories!!



I hope that she will forgive me for showing this to you, for she hasn't even seen it yet herself, but this is a little dolly that I have been making for someone who asked me to make one for her for Christmas! Finger's crossed she will like it!! It is for a little girl, and so I created it to be absolutely playable! I really hope that she will like it. I have fallen in love with it myself.



How could you not love that face I ask??? I can tell you it won't be long before I am making one for myself, maybe not exactly like this one, but close . . . right from her cheery eyes, to her painted legs and toes. What do you think? Would this make you smile???



The weight scales that continue to drop. They really make me smile. Yesterday I put on my old winter jacket to go to the shops early in the morning. It hung on me. I was amazed. It doesn't seem possible and yet it is!! I have lost very close to 3 stone now. For those of you who don't measure weight in stones, that is getting really close to 42 pounds. That is colossal to me! I have not weighed this much less in years. It makes me smile, but what makes me smile more is the fact that I have stuck with this and that it is working. May it continue to do so!!



Yes, that is an aching tooth and why would that be making me smile you might ask!! Well, it could be so much worse. I have had a toothache for two days now and thankfully Ibuprofen and Paracetamol taken together are managed to keep the pain under control. I shall be telephoning the Dentist first thing in the morning!!! Hopefully he will be able to see me soonest! This is that same tooth that has been bothering me for several years now, off and on. It is a wisdom tooth and the roots of it are touching my sinuses and every once in a while it flares up and causes me to ache all across my face . . . I never know if it is an ear ache, a nose ache or a tooth ache, all that I know for sure is it hurts. Thankfully thus far the pain relievers are working. Fingers crossed that they continue to do so until he can see me!!




Christmas Gingerbread make me smile!! Anyone who knows me, knows I am nuts about Gingerbreadmen!!! My house is chockerblock full of them at Christmas time! If I could afford it and manage to get it done my whole house would look like a gingerbread house at Christmas time!!! As it is my tree is totally decorated in Gingerbreadmen I have been collecting for years. Is here ever such a thing as too many Gingerbreadmen??? I think NOT!!!

And there you have it, my Sunday Six for today, December 6th, 2009. I hope that some of it made you smile as well!!

This little treat surely made my Todd smile last night. Creamy hot cocoa with just a hint of mint and vanilla. Oh, yes . . . I did have a few tastes before my tooth told me not to continue, but it was very good and Todd . . . well he slurped his up in quick time!! It is very difficult to get a good picture of Hot Chocolate. I just couldn't get it to look, well chocolatey!!! Rest assured that it is very chocolatey and was much darker in real life than these pictures show!



*Minted Chocolate Cocoa*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

What could be better than a tasty homemade cup of cocoa??? One that is lightly flavoured with mint and vanilla of course!

2 cups half and half
2 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp peppermint extract
1/4 tsp vanilla
garnishes:
Mini marshmallows, peppermint candies, candy canes



Cook the first six ingredients in a heavy non reactive saucepan over medium heat, stirring to melt the sugar and amalgamate the ingredients. Once thoroughly heated, ladle into heated mugs. Garnish as desired and enjoy!!



There's Toffee Ginger Fairycakes over on The English Kitchen this morning! What a sweet Sunday we are having today!