It Meets His Tender View . . .

Let him trust in me and he shall not be confounded; and a hair of his head shall not fall to the ground unnoticed.
D&C 84:116

We live in an imperfect world . . . a place that is by it's very nature . . . unpredictable. At it's best life is very changeable and often perplexing. There are times when it may seem like our lives are in a state of continuous instability and confusion. These past six months or so have been some of the most unsettling months of Todd's and my ten years together . . . and we still have not finished going through all the upheaval created in the path and destruction of our having lost our employment and home . . . but there does begin to be light at the end of our tunnel.



If there is one thing that this unsettling time has taught me(and we can always learn something through our sorrows) is that stability is found only by anchoring my faith on an unchanging Lord, and that I can trust and must trust in Him whose love surrounds me.

People . . . jobs . . . life in general . . . they can all let us down and disappoint. When it seems that nothing can go right in our lives, and there is nobody and nothing to be found that we can count on, there is always One we can have complete confidence in. There is nothing else to do but to "Trust in the name of the Lord." (Isaiah 50:10)

Our hope can be as steady as the sunrise we know will come with each morning . . . as sure as the sunshine we know will follow rain. Even when events around us are moving from wonderful to tragic, we can have the blessed assurance that comes from knowing that the Lord will accompany us as we travel through our trials and tribulations as long as we allow Him to . . . as long as we trust Him, believe Him, love Him and seek to do His will. His peace is always there for those who choose Him and for those who trust Him.



It's not always easy . . . stepping out into the darkness never is . . . but life and experience has taught me a very valuable lesson in that "There is always light at the end of every tunnel." and that "This too shall pass." Though these past months have been very difficult, I find that my faith has been strengthened and renewed . . . this is a beautiful thing, and something which I am truly grateful for. I have come to realize that this has ever been so . . . and ever will be. He does see the little sparrow fall within His tender view and He cares . . . always.



Mitzie had a big day yesterday. We took her on her first vet visit since bringing her home. We wanted to have her micro-chipped and checked out. Jess always hated going in the car and we are hoping that the more we take Mitzie with us in the car, the more she will love to go with us. She is such a little powerhouse and source of enjoyment in our lives! I can't wait until she is old enough for us to take for walks! Yesterday she was a bit more independant and enjoyed going out into the garden on her own without having us go with her. At one point I looked over and she was sitting at the kitchen door, surveying her domain . . . I tried to get my camera to take a picture, but alas . . . by the time I got back the moment had passed. It was such a sweet moment though . . . and I have captured it in my heart.



I did get a piece of art done yesterday as well! I have a whole book of sketches that I did when I was on holidays that I am beginning to bring to life. I thought this little lady was quite wonderful. You can see her in her entirety on Blossom Time Creations! Let me know what you think!

Here is a delicious tart that is not only easy to make, but very quick as well! Oh yes . . . it's also very delicious! You don't have to use strawberries if you find them hard to get right now, you can also use raspberries, blackberries or even blueberries! I have even used sliced peaches and nectarines!



*Strawberry Heaven Torte*
Serves 12
Printable Recipe

Easy to make and a beauty to behold. This lovely torte combines a wonderfully crisp and buttery shortbread crust with all the decadence of a lucious cream filling, all topped with gorgeously sweet strawberries. Other fresh berries would also be pretty tasty as well. Try it out with some raspberries, blackberries or even blueberries!

Crust:
1/2 cup of pecans or walnuts, toasted
1 1/2 cups flour
2 TBS sugar
3/4 cup cold butter

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream
3 cups fresh strawberries, halved
icing sugar to dust over top and a few whole berries for garnish

Preheat the oven to 165*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Place the nuts in a food processor and pulse them until they are finely chopped, taking care not to turn them into a paste. It should only take 4 or 5 pulses. Add the sugar and the flour and pulse to mix. When well blended, add the butter, 2 TBS at a time through the hopper, pulsing until the mixture forms a crumbly consistency, and the butter is worked well throughout.

Remove the crumbs from the processor and spread into a 10 inch spring form pan. Press evenly on the bottom and pushing one inch up the sides of the pan to form a shallow crust with one inch sides. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack and let cool completely in the pan.

Once the crust is cooled, place the cream cheese and sugar in a small bowl and beat together until fluffy and well blended. Place the whipping cream in another bowl and whip until soft peaks form, taking care not to over beat it. You don’t want it to be granular. Slowly fold the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream, until well blended. Spread evenly in the cooled crust and then refrigerate for an hour or so to firm up.

When ready to serve, arrange the sliced berries on the top of the chilled cream mixture in a decorative manner, placing a few berries in the centre to garnish. Remove the sides of the spring form pan and place on a serving plate. Dust lightly with icing sugar.

*Note - Don’t ever wash strawberries. They become soggy and waterlogged. Just lightly wipe them with some damp paper towelling if they are dusty and dirty. Also, don’t refrigerate them. The flavour is so much better at room temperature, and if you can leave them out in the sun for a bit until they are lovely and warm and juicy, so much the better!




And cooking in The English Kitchen today, a delicious Simple Pot Roasted Chicken!