The Simple Woman's Day book . . .

FOR TODAY, March 27th, 2012...

Outside My Window...
It is cool and the sky is beginning to lighten up. With the time change the mornings are now darker than they had been and it is not getting dark until about 7 pm. I wish they would just leave time the same. I don't think it's really necessary to change it nowadays. Farmers all have equipment with good lights and such. It seems like it would be simpler just to leave things the same, but then, perhaps that is just me!

I am thinking...
A friend posed a question about dying on Facebook yesterday and it got me to thinking. I don't think I am afraid of being dead. Being dead is nothing. If we are right and the Gospel is true, we will be in a much nicer place. If not, well then we just simply won't be. (I prefer to believe in the much nicer place. There's far too much evidence to my way of thinking for it not to be true.) I think it's the whole process of dying that kind of makes me afraid. It's that losing control, or lack of it. Maybe I will feel differently when it comes right down to it. I think a person that is suffering greatly with cancer, must perhaps welcome death, and in a sudden death type of situation, there is probably no time to think about it before it just happens. So perhaps it's only really scary to someone who's only thinking about it. What do you think??

I am thankful for...
These lovely sunny days we have been having! Wow, they have been just like summer! We've sure been enjoying them. Todd's gotten a lot of work done in the garden and the laundry I hung out yesterday dried in double quick time! It's truly been lovely!

From the kitchen...
There are some muffins, but that's about all. I've been busy organizing my cupboards so not a lot of baking going on!

I am wearing...
Apair of pink and grey jim jams and slippers. No need for layering at the moment!

I am creating...


I did this little ATC (Artist's Trading Card) yesterday just for the fun of it. It's only about the size of a credit card, which was somewhat challenging as it's a very small space to work with and on, but I think I did ok. I had a lot of fun doing it for sure!



Then here is the needlebook I came up with for the Activity Evening at church for the ladies on Thursday evening. I know it's not a great picture, but I only just took it and had to use artificial light. It's really pink in colour, with green inside and a snap closure. The flowers are made of appliqued felt with button centres, embroidered stems and ribbon leaves. They probably won't have time to do it all but they can at least get it started on Thursday and then finish it up at home at their own leisure and with their own trims. I did up 30 kits and all that is in them is the felt (two colours, one for inside and one for outside), some white aida cloth for the needle holder, a snap closure, and two colours of embroidery floss. Making those kits took me a couple of hours on Saturday! There was a lot of cutting and measuring!

I am going...
We are going to go see a film this afternoon. It's cheap day at the movies and we both want to see The Hunger Games. I am still reading the first book in the series (see below) and it is incredibly good. I hope that seeing the film doesn't ruin it for me, but I just can't wait to see it! The reviews so far have been quite good.

I am reading...



The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. But Katniss has been close to death before—and survival, for her, is second nature. The Hunger Games is a searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present. Welcome to the deadliest reality TV show ever...

Set in a future country that was once known as America, a set of cruel and sadistic games take place, as a punishment to the districts for an earlier rebellion. Twelve boys and twelve girls from the differing districts must battle in a futuristic arena - a battle to the death - in which only one can survive. When Katniss Everdeen steps up to take her younger sister's place in the games, she holds little hope that she'll survive, with the weight of the world on her shoulders - can she withstand the veritable death sentence before her?

This book was recommended to me by a friend and I have to say that even though I have only just begun to read it, I am totally smitten by it. There are a further two novels in this trilogy set, and I think it's safe to say I will probably read them all!!

STILL enjoying this!

I am hoping...
Well the budget came down last week and I hope people won't have too difficult a time coping with the end results. I don't know how families are coping these days. We are paying the equivalent of about $8.88 a gallon, American for petrol, which is enormous, and it's due to go up another 3 pence in August. What's really annoying about it, is that most of that price is in Government Tax, about 60%. It cost us £43 to fill up only 3/4 of our tank the other day. When you are living on a fixed income, and with all the other costs that are going up the future is looking pretty dim. Thank goodness for food storage and the like. ON the plus side our purple sprouting broccoli is now sprouting!

I am hearing...
Nothing new really. Mitzie is snoring away on the sofa. The keys are tapping. The birds are singing. The odd car drives by. The clock is ticking. A pretty normal morning I would say.

Around the house...

Source: angela-lace.blogspot.com via Marie on Pinterest

I just love Vintage Linens. I don't have any much to speak of, only a few pieces. My ex-boss used to have drawers filled with the stuff . . . table cloths, napkins, pillow slips, etc. They were all very beautiful. Mind you they might look a bit incongruous in our house I suppose. It's hardly the Ritz! I do love looking at them though . . . and appreciate the value of the time taken to do all that lacework and embroidery. I think they are just beautiful.

One of my favourite things . . .
I like to watch period dramas on the telly. Things like Upstairs Downstairs, Larkrise to Candleford, Jane Eyre, the Catherine Cookson films etc. Todd does too, so it's something that we enjoy together. I think the BBC does really good period dramas.

If I could change one thing it would be...
Everyone would know the love from the Heavenly Father and the love that the Saviour has for them. I think the world would become a very different place than the one that we live in at present. Love truly changes everything.

I am looking forward to ...
The RS Activity on Thursday evening. I hope it all goes well. We put a lot of planning into these things and want the sisters to enjoy themselves. In March we always to something to commemorate the Anniversary of Relief Society, a sort of Birthday Celebration. This year we will be focusing on Emma Hale Smith who was the first Relief Society President, in an evening entitled, "An Evening With Emma." There will be a film presentation and some games (a Quiz) some other workshops, we'll be making the needlebooks and of course there will be some refreshments, including a Birthday Cake! Did you know that the Relief Society is the world's longest running Women's Organization??? It is! You can read more about it here. This weekend is also our church's bi-annual Conference, a time when we gather together as a church and listen to special talks given by our leaders. I always really enjoy conference. Our church leaders amaze me, they truly do. They are so wise and give ever so much thought to what they want to share with us. I really do love every word that they share.

One of my favourite things ...
Is watching the sun come up in the morning. I love a beautiful sunrise. I think they are amazing and it brings me much peace and contentment to watch the earth come alive.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
There will be a bit of work, a bit of play and everything in between. Life is good.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Source: sundayinbed.tumblr.com via Marie on Pinterest

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."
~Aesop

I truly believe that we don't come to really live our lives until we start to learn to give them away. By that I mean . . . serving others, in whatever capacity we can, whenever we can and however we can. I think this is the source of true joy. Lives are not built on grand gestures, but on the small and simple things we do daily to make a difference.

As a closing thought I would like to leave you with this:

"Drag your thoughts away from your troubles . . . by the ear, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it. It's the healthiest thing a body can do"
~Mark Twain

Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow, and blows things way out of perspective.

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!



Cooking in The English Kitchen today, One Pot Chicken and Rice.