The Simple Woman's Day book . . .

FOR TODAY, June 26th, 2012...

Outside My Window...
It's a beautiful day. The sun is shining gloriously. Perhaps we are on a trend??? I don't know for sure . . . but it would be nice if summer has finally arrived . . .

I am thinking...
Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us. ~Hebrews 12:1
Two days until my trip to Canada. I am trying not to be nervous about it all, but it is difficult. Why I let the thoughts and opinions of a few people do this to me, I don't know. I will probably never understand, but I am doing my best to move forward and just put one foot in front of the other and trusting in the promises of the Lord. I cannot control the actions of others . . . but I can control my own and my reactions to them. If I do the right thing, that is all that matters.

I am thankful for...
I am thankful for this heart of mine that is open and soft and receptive. It is a loving heart, a seeking heart . . . a learning heart.

From the kitchen...
Not a heck of a lot actually! I am going to really get rid today as well . . . no point in having things about that will go off whilst we are away.

I am wearing...
Blue M&S nightie. Slippers.

I am creating...
I have a few irons in the fire.

Source: redheart.com via Marie on Pinterest

About half done. That will be shelved until we get back. This time I will finish an afghan. It will NOT end up in a box in the loft . . . gathering dust.


My third Christmas Card for this year. I think it has a soft feel to it. It's supposed to look like it is snowing. I hope that it does. It does to me at any rate! I thought it has been a while since I did a little girl, and she just popped out!



And another one for my Christmas cookbooklet that I am working on. These remind me of the lights we used to have on our tree when I was a girl, except that they were all sorts of colours . . . it was my father's job to untangle them each year and get them working. Oh, how he cursed that job. Inevitably one would be burnt out and so they would all stop working and he would have to test each one to find out which one it was!! Not his favourite chore I am thinking!!

I am going...
This week, I am . . . . going to Canada!! Wahoo!

I am reading...

Source: google.co.uk via Marie on Pinterest

Call the Midwife, by Jennifer Worth
I really enjoyed the series by the BBC and thought I would like to read the book. Books are always a lot more detailed than films or television shows. I am really enjoying this book. It's fabulous and I am glad that I picked it up to read. It details the life of a young midwife in London's East End in the 1950's and is a real peek into the way of life which existed there during that time period . . . the hardship, the poverty, the sadness, the joy, etc. I highly recommend.

I am hoping...
I am hoping that the next few weeks in my life are the best ever!

I am hearing...
Nothing new really. The keys are tapping. The birds are singing. The odd car drives by. The clock is ticking. Mitzie and I just had a cuddle on the sofa. She likes her morning cuddle. I do to. No surprise there!

Around the house...

Source: 500px.com via Marie on Pinterest

When we get back after our holidays, I am really looking to simplify things. I got a new book recently entitled "Simple Country Wisdom, 501 old fashioned ideas to simplify your life" by Susan Waggoner. I want to apply this philosophy to my life and home. I have a tendancy to live "large." Too much of everything. There will be a great purge I am thinking. This is not an easy thing for a packrat to accomplish, but it can be done and it will be done!

One of my favourite things . . .



I love the sight and smell of clean, freshly laundered sheets hanging on the clothes line . . . the way it snaps in the wind . . . I think back to my mother when I was a child, and who . . . no matter the time of year . . . would hang out the clean bedding to dry, every Friday. Fridays were bed changing days. My mother had an old wringer washer . . . and no clothes dryer. It was a job from beginning to end and in the winter her fingers would crack with chillblains from hanging the laundry out in the bitter cold, but she did it. At the end of the day she would bring it into the utility room and it would be frozen as stiff as a board. She would hang it up in the utility room, next to the big old furnace overnight. It smelled beautiful. The smell of line hung laundry always takes me back to that time . . .

Something new about me ...
I was 8 years old and I was running away from home. I can't remember why . . . only that I was. I had an old skate box, which had a handle on the top. I packed it with a few things and I was leaving . . . I was going to sleep in the garage and sneak into the house for food at night. Oh, the mind of a child . . . the thought never occured to me that the door would be locked, or that my father would notice I was in the garage . . . I never followed through on it in any case. I cannot remember why, but I suspect my mother talked me out of it. Have you ever wanted to run away??? I have wanted to run away sometimes as an adult . . . but it's not something that you can really do is it? The faster and further you try to run . . . your problems only follow you, and running away never really solves anything does it? It only compounds the problem . . .

One of my guilty pleasures ...

Source: etsy.com via Marie on Pinterest

Day dreaming. It has ever been so. You may often find me sitting there doing nothing . . . eyes glazed over . . . I'm not really sitting there . . . in my mind I am off on an adventure of some sort. Oh there is no end to the places and adventures my mind has taken me on . . . it's quite marvelous actually!

Pet Peeves...
Cigarette butts and trash in the front garden. We have a long iron closure gate and it is lined with mesh, but somehow this stuff finds it's way in. I can understand the odd crisp bag or candy bar wrapper . . . the wind will carry them everywhere . . . but cigarette butts right next to our front door???? That defies understanding. How do they get there????? Where do they come from???? Littering drives me up the wall full stop! It really makes me angry sometimes when I see someone doing it, and I have to bite my tongue. It's so disrespectful . . . to the world, to the community . . . to others. It's a real act of selfishness.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Source: tumblr.com via Marie on Pinterest

“Love is the motivating principle by which the Lord leads us along the way towards becoming like Him, our perfect example. Our way of life, hour by hour, must be filled with the love of God and love for others.” ~Henry B Eyring

I just love the Presidency of my church. They are such wise and caring men and one could do a lot worse for themselves than to follow their counsel in all things. I ponder their words and thoughts regularly. They nourish me. They enlighten me and bring me deeper understanding of life and all that it entails. They uplift and carry me to places I never thought I could go. They are a guide and a protection against the evil one and all that he stands for.

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

"The unexpected kindness
from an unexpected place,
A hand outstretched in friendship
a smile on someone's face,
A word of understanding
spoken in a time of trial
Are unexpected miracles that
make life more worthwhile"
~Helen Steiner Rice

Source: internetcafedevotions.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

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 . . . Simple Summer Berry and Lemon Tartlets!

I wish for you a wonderful day!!

Psst . . . have a look at Recipes From The Big Blue Binder. I think it's shaping up rather nicely.