The Simple Woman's Day book . . .

FOR TODAY, August 2nd, 2011...

Outside My Window...
It is decidedly gloomy. It has been raining during the night and I believe it will be showery today. It's been very sticky lately, or at least that is how it has felt to me!

I am thinking...
I really need to heal my heart. I know that the Saviour said for us to love our enemies, but I am struggling with that a bit. There is one person in particular that I hold a particular malice for. Intellectually I know that these bad feelings that I harbour in my heart for her do not affect her in the least . . . I am the only one who is affected by it. I need to find a way to put it all behind me for good. That is where the gospel will help me I am sure. I keep praying and hopefully one day soon it will not matter anymore.

I am thankful for...
That there is nothing seriously wrong with my eye. I discovered at my eye test yesterday that my prescription has changed and so it is only eye strain. My near sightedness has gotten worse and my far sightedness has gotten better! Go figure! New specs will be arriving on Monday. It's an expense we really could have done without this month as the car tax is due . . . but we will cope somehow! Hopefully I will sell a lot of cards or artwork!

From the kitchen...
There is not much. It is far too hot and sticky at the moment to bake much.

I am wearing...
A turquoise nightie and my slippers. This kind of makes me chuckle in a way. I remember in the early days of my being on the internet and going in to chat rooms. One of the first thing men would ask when they tried to chat you up was, "What are you wearing?", as if it made a difference. To me that was a red flag meaning time to end this conversation!

I am creating...
I have stacks and stacks of finished cards sitting in my craft room, all glued and glittered, and bagged and stickered up. I still have to list them in my Etsy Shop. I joined another sight this week called Red Bubble. People can order cards, prints, etc. from off there and they do all the work of printing, posting etc. Here's a widget from my shop:




I am going...
I am going to help out one of the sisters I visit teach this morning. I am happy that I am able to do some service for her. That's what the program is all about!

I am reading...



The Girl in the Mirror, by Sarah Gristwood

Jeanne, a young French exile orphaned by the wars of religion on the continent, is brought to London as a young girl disguised as a boy. Growing up, the disguise has not been shed and she finds a living as a clerk, ending up in the household of Robert Cecil. As she witnesses the intrigues and plots swirling round the court of Elizabeth I in the last days of Gloriana’s reign, she finds herself sucked into the orbit of the dashing and ambitious young favourite, the Earl of Essex. The queen draws near to the end of her life, with no heir to follow, and the stakes are high.

As Essex hurtles towards self-destruction, Jeanne finds her loyalties, her disguise and her emotions under threat – in a political climate where the least mistake can attract dire penalties.

This is a beautifully written and evocative first novel, rich with the details of life and politics of Elizabeth I’s court. Jeanne’s struggle for survival and love is interwoven with her passionate pull towards the gardens she documents, a lovely and seductive backdrop to the novel

I am hoping...
That my new glasses do the trick and that my eye stops twitching!

I am hearing...
Early morning sounds . . . the clock on the mantle humming as the wheels inside it turn. The odd car as it goes by. Mitzie snuffling as she snoozes, all curled up behind me on the sofa. The tap tapping of the computer keys as I write. Birds singing in the garden. All is right with the world.

Around the house...
Ironing, hoovering, dusting . . . the usual household chores. I have a very busy week this week so I had best get stuck in!

I am looking forward to...
We have our July Relief Society extra meeting on this Saturday. We are doing a service project and making Hygiene Bags for a local Women's Refuge Centre. It should be fun. We will be sewing them up and filling them and then we are having lunch at the end! Nothing too special, just a cold buffet of sliced meats and salads, and desserts of course!!

I am pondering...
I am a deep thinker. My mind is always turning. I often ponder important things, questions about life . . . there is always a monologue going through my mind. It has ever been so. This past weekend was a High School Reunion Get-together back home, consisting of all the high school classes from the early 70's which is when I graduated. There is a part of me that would like to have gone and seen everyone . . . but there is a larger part of me that is glad that going wasn't an option. The idea of being in the same room with my ex and his wife doesn't really appeal, especially now that I know all the filth that has been spread around about me. Whether it is true or not doesn't really matter. The law might say, innocent until proven guilty, but we all know that it is the opposite, and that there are people who will always be willing to believe the lies no matter what. My mother says that I should just be stubborn and hold my head up, but I am not as thick skinned as she is.

One of my favourite things...
as you have probably surmised by now, I love quotations and I love poetry. I studied English Lit at Uni for the short time I attended . . . more and more these days I regret never having stayed for the duration and gotten my degree, but then again . . . hind-sight is always 20/20 and I did what I thought I had to do at the time. No regrets.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
I have meetings tomorrow night and then on Thursday, one set of the missionaries are coming for supper. (You all know how much I love to feed them!) I also have an appointment to take Mitzie to the groomers, a vet appointment for her and an appointment to have my hair trimmed! When you add the service project to the mix, along with having to prepare food for it, a Baptism to attend on Saturday evening and the fact that Todd and I are in charge of cleaning the chapel windows this month . . . and let's not forget the reading lessons I am teaching . . . it is one very busy week indeed!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...



Don't you just love this bedroom? I have come to realize that I just adore the Swedish style of country decor . . . but then again, I also love French Country . . . I wonder if there is something in-between?? I long to have a home with a fresh, clean and pristine look . . . pretty and yet at the same time simple . . .



Methinks in reality I would probably clutter it up with lots of stuff though . . . I need a lesson in simplifying . . . and I need to learn to let go of . . . STUFF!



Is there any hope for me do you think??? I live as I think . . . about a hundred thoughts a minute . . . I need to quiet my thoughts perhaps . . . I long for clean wood floors, without carpets and just some throw rugs . . . airy white lacy curtains . . . white woodwork . . . florals . . .

And just as a closing thought for today . . .

The test of thankfulness is not what you have to be thankful for, but whether anyone else has reason to be thankful that you are here . . .

I surely do hope that people are thankful for my presence, or else . . . my whole life is in vain! Perhaps we need to learn to become more like people whom others feel thankful to have in their lives?

And there you have it . . . my day book for this week. Don't forget to hop on over to the Simple Woman to check out the other day book entries! (Or better yet, do a simple day book entry yourself! It's not that hard and I am betting you would enjoy it!

Quick, easy are the order of the day for food around here during these hot muggy days we are having. I don't want anything complicated. I just want simple. Perhaps I am in a simple frame of mind. It's good to have a simple frame of mind sometimes, don't you think?



*Nacho Dogs*
Serves 4

Quick and easy and real child pleasers!


1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or your own recipe for
baking powder biscuits (one that makes 12 biscuits. You won't need it
all, but you can just make biscuits out of the leftovers.)
Dijon mustard
3 ounces grated strong cheddar cheese
4 hot dogs
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup finely crushed nacho cheese-flavored tortilla chips

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Unroll your can of crescent dinner rolls (or roll out your biscuit dough to a large rectangle 1/4 inch thick). Separate the crescent dough into 4 rectangles, pressing the perforations in each together so that there are no holes. (Alternately cut the biscuit dough into 4 rectangles, each approximately 4 X 8 inches in size). Spread with some mustard and then sprinkle an equal amount of cheddar cheese onto each. Top with a hot dog in the centre of each and then roll up to enclose the hotdog, folding over the ends and pressing the edges closed tightly.

Plahe crushed chips on a plate. Brush the outside of each dog with some milk and then roll into the crushed chips to coat. Place onto the prepared baking sheet, seam side down.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown on the outsides. Remove from the oven and serve.

Note: Salsa, sour cream, and ketchup are all great "go withs!"



There's a round up of delicious Summer Salads beginning with this tasty Fruit Salad over in The English Kitchen today, just perfect for enjoying in these hot temperatures we are enjoying!