The Simple Woman's Day book . . .

FOR TODAY, April 17th, 2012...

Outside My Window...
It is cool, wet, and raining. They say we are going to have Winter again this week. We had such a lovely March. I hope that is not the only summer we will have this year. That is what happened last year . . . we had a beautiful early Spring and then no summer at all! They do say however, that 2/3 of the country is in a drought, as we didn't get near enough precipitation these past two winters, so we do need the rain very much.

I am thinking...
Two mornings in a row I have come downstairs and Mitzie has weed on the new floor in the kitchen, right in front of the gate which keeps her in there at night and out of the lounge. She is put out the very last thing at night before we go to bed. I don't think she's been doing her business then for some wierd reason. Todd is not assertive enough. I think he just wants to go to bed and so hasn't been giving her enough time. I think I will do it tonight and I am not going to let her back in until she does her business!!! I am one stubborn chick and this can't go on! I also wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that our new floor is ceramic . . . does she see this as the same as our patio outside??? I dunno!!

I am thankful for...
I have so many blessings in my life that I am truly grateful for. I experience new ones every day. Small and simple gestures of kindness from the people around me. Sweet words of encouragement, kind deeds . . . a loving husband, puppy kisses . . . the list goes on and on. I am very thankful that I am a "half-glass-full" kind of person!!

From the kitchen...
Not a lot really. I am trying to be very good.

I am wearing...
Pink and grey jim jams, my robe and slippers. I always am in my night clothes when I write my post each morning as I do it before Todd gets up and before I get washed and dressed for the day.

I am creating...



Here is what I did yesterday afternoon. This is what helps to get me through life sometimes. Taking deep breaths, letting it all go . . . and then moving forward!! It is not much good to hang onto things that we shouldn't hang on to. That only gives the adversary power over us . . . that only gives our enemies power in our lives. We have to learn to . . . just . . . let . . . go . . .

As usual it is available as an inspirational card or print. Just send me a message if you are interested.

I am going...
We were going to go in to town today, but if it is raining, I don't know if we will still go or not. I have some pearl earrings that I wanted to give to my daughter for a wedding gift and I was thinking I would like to look for a necklace or a bracelet to go with them.

I am reading...



The Rapture of Canaan, by Sheri Reynolds

At the Church of Fire and Brimstone and Gods Almighty Baptizing Wind, Grandpa Herman makes the rules for everyone, and everyone obeys, or else. Try as she might, Ninah hasn't succeeded in resisting temptation her prayer partner, James and finds herself pregnant. She fears the wrath of Grandpa Herman, the congregation and of God Himself. But the events that follow show Ninah that Gods ways are more mysterious than even Grandpa Herman understands.

Rapture of Canaan is an honestly good book. A highly engrossing tale about an extreme religious commune and the severity of their faith. A novel of sharply-crafted twists and turns and one that will play with your emotions. This is a story of one girl's faith in her church and in God and her struggle to balance freedom within the iron walls of the world in which she lives.

Grandpa Herman, founder of The Church of Fire and Brimstone and God's Almighty Baptizing Wind, has a flock to tend to -- his congregation, where some mimic Herman's steadfast and unnerving faith, and some who occassionally stray from the righteous path. And perhaps the most surprising stray of all is his granddaughter, Ninah. Twelve-year-old Ninah, who finds difficulty in controlling her first adolescent stirrings, manages somehow to twist them and convince herself the things she does with her prayer partner, James, is nothing more than learning about Jesus's love through each other. And once the community finds out, the whole system of the Church is shocked to a halt. "The wages of sin is death," says Grandpa Herman. The story plays out wickedly as the truth of Ninah's transgressions plummets to an end . . . the rapture has come.

The Rapture of Canaan is a powerful and stunning novel. Shari Reynold's prose is a tapestry of faith, religion, fear, sadness, life and death, all woven to create a picture of a cult-like existence and how it effects those in which it governs. A truly page-turning saga that expresses the all-encompassing love for Jesus and the trials of a girl finding her way. An uplifting and frightening mix. A great read. Such a great read, that I am reading it now for about the fifth or sixth time. It is a book I love and come back to now and again. That is the mark of a truly great novel I think . . . when the reader wants to read again and again . . . don't you??

I am hoping...
I am hoping that I will be able to lose at least some weight before July. I know there isn't a lot of time, but I am ever hopeful that I will be somewhat lighter. I went to the exercise class last Friday morning before my Step Program and it's Zumba now. I am very un-cordinated and found it very difficult. A lot of the movements were sideways and my hip and knees did not like it at all. I think I will have to find a different class to go to.

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. It's very quiet actually . . . a typical early morning.

Around the house...

Source: scathingly-brilliant.blogspot.com via Marie on Pinterest

I love this studio space. I need to do a re-think of my room upstairs that I used for sewing and painting. It has a lot of things stuck into a very small space. I would love to have a long straight table like that with a skirt to hide storage beneath. It would be a lot tidier I think. I will have to show this to todd and see what we can do. I like the idea of being able to use the wall in this way as well.

One of my favourite things . . .
Is reading and pondering the scriptures. It's not enough to simply read them . . . we must ponder their words, take them into our hearts, tuck them into our lives and apply them. I think the scriptures are so amazing. You may read the same verse a hundred bazillion times and it won't say anything to you . . . and then one day you will read it again and it hits you like a slap in the face and all of a sudden it is able to touch you right where you need it to! I like to memorize scripture as well. That way you can carry God's words around with you all day.

"Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee." ~Psalm 119:11

Something new about me ...
I love to read and have always loved to read. I spent lots of hours in our local library when I was a child. Children were not allowed to take more than two books out at a time, and so I would be there every day in the Summertime, picking up new books. Oh the places I have been in the books I have read. There is no end to them! I cannot imagine not being able to read. Reading opens up new worlds and experiences to the reader.

One of my guilty pleasures ...
I like the salty sweet combination. I think it is the flavour combination that I love most of all . . . like salted caramels, chocolate dipped pretzels, peanut butter and jam . . . sugared bacon, tinned pears and saltines. I don't think I am alone in this either. I think it is something a lot of people like to indulge in!

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: imageshack.us via Marie on Pinterest

“Your living is determined not so much by what life brings you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens."
~Lewis L Dunnington

I am an eternal optomist. There is nothing to be gained by expecting the worst out of life, experience and people. If you look for only the negative, that is exactly what you will find.

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

"Savor the smiles and laughter of your children . . . there is NOTHING more important." ~G.W.F.

I wish I had kept a journal when my children were growing up. When you are young and your children are young, you never think that one day you will be old and your children grown and that you will begin to forget things . . . everything changes. I so wish I could remember a lot of things that I have now forgotten . . .

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, Breakfast on a Bagel.