Thursday thoughts . . .

God sends His little angels
in many forms and guises,
They come as lovely miracles
that God alone devises,
For He does nothing without purpose ---
everything's a perfect plan
To fulfill in bounteous measure
all He ever promised man.
For every little angel with
a body bent and broken
Or a little mind challenged
or little words unspoken
Is just Gods way of trying
to reach out andd touch the hands
Of all who do not know Him
and cannot understand,
That often through an angel,
whose wings will never fly
The Lord is pointing out the way
to His eternal sky,
Where there will be no handicaps
of body, soul, or mind . . .
And where all limitations
will be dropped and left behind.
So accept these little angels
as gifts from God above,
And thank Him for this lesson,
in faith and hope . . . and love.
~Helen Steiner Rice

We were blessed yesterday to have been able to attend the funeral of, and show our love and respect to our beloved Angie. Angie would have been so chuffed to see everyone there. The chapel was filled to overflowing with people . . . all come to pay their respects and show their love, many from quite far away. Clearly Angie was a much loved person, but then again . . . we already knew that because we loved her too. No surprise there! She was pretty hard not to love!



The music was beautiful . . . beginning with "I will always love you," and ending with "Dream a little Dream," by the Mama's and the Papa's. Angie songs . . . The words about her, spoken so lovingly by her family . . . her sister and brother . . . bore testimony to just what a special person she was, full of life and humour . . . caring and giving always . . . talented in so many ways, loving and kind. There were not enough words to describe the special lady that she was.

Her blog figured large in the words they both spoke. I got the idea that it had come as somewhat of a surprise to them as to just how popular their sister had been around the world, and how very loved and respected she was by people who had never had the priveledge to meet her in person, but who had come to love her through her words and wit . . . and her very lovely big heart that shone through every post she ever wrote.



It was an honour to be there to show my love and respect for this very special friend of mine . . . well worth the long journey there, sore knees . . . and long journey back. I would have done anything for my Angie. There was a beautiful arrangement of flowers on her casket, in the shape of a cake . . . Keith did her proud, he did. There was tears . . . there was laughter . . . and everything in between . . . but most of all there was love.

Love for a partner, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a cousin . . . a friend. She was and is an inspiration to me, a special friend . . . I shall, and do, miss her so very much . . .



Angie, I loved you warts an arl, and like so many . . . I always will. I'll catch you on the flip side my dear friend, do keep a seat warm for me on the bus, and don't eat all the chocolate before I get there!!!



Easy to make and a real favourite for my "Pie-Loving" Husband! These tasty little hand held pies will please all the pie lovers in your family, even the ones who think they don't like pumpkin pie! Trust me!



*Pumpkin Spice Half Moon Pies*
Makes 18
Printable Recipe

These flaky three bite delites are bursting full of pumpkin pie flavour. Quick and very easy to make, they’re like a pumpkin pie in a pocket!

2 sheets of puff pastry, 9 ½ inches square (fresh or frozen)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 TBS Demerara sugar
FILLING:
1 cup tinned solid pack pumpkin, plus 2 TBS
3 TBS firmly packed soft light brown sugar
2 TBS plain flour
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
½ tsp pure vanilla essence

Pre-heat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Position the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Have the beaten egg and the Demerara sugar ready.

Roll out the puff pasty on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin to a 12 inch square. (Only use as much flour as needed to keep it from sticking.) Using a 4 inch round cookie cutter, cut out 18 circles. Peel away the scraps and cover the rounds with a cloth while making the filling.

Stir together the ingredients for the filling, mixing well.

Spoon the filling by tablespoons into the centre of each round. Brush the edges with the beaten egg and fold half of the dough over the filling to cover, forming a half moon. Press together with the tines of a fork. Repeat to fill all. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Brush the tops of each half moon with some more beaten egg and then sprinkle with the Demerara sugar lightly.

Bake in the preheated oven until the pastry is puffed and golden brown, from 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool when done and serve warm.




In The English Kitchen today, Sandwiches To Go. Everything you needed to know about a Sandwich but were afraid to ask!