Saturday This and That . . .

“As you walk through life, always walk toward the light, and the shadows of life will fall behind you.” ~Thomas S Monson

I was debating whether to tell you this news this morning, but having prayed about it I feel I must.   My life has always been an open book with you, my dear friends and I feel that you would want to know when our hearts are feeling very tender, and perhaps lift us up in your prayers.

As you know I have five children.  I talk about them all the time.  I don't think I have ever said much about Todd's children though.   He had three sons and a step daughter.   Two of his sons had passed away, one in infancy and one several years back when we were living down in Brenchley.    Yesterday we got the news that his one remaining son had passed away earlier this week.   I got a message on Facebook from his step-daughter saying that she needed urgently to speak with her father, but that she wanted me there when she called and what time was the best for her to call. I knew then that it must be bad news, and I think Todd did too . . .  but we hoped that it wasn't.

Divorce is a funny thing.  It divides families in strange ways, and it is not always a division between husband and wife, it oftimes creates a division between child and parent.  It should not be so . . .  but it happens.   Todd has been estranged from his children for years . . .  an estrangement not of his choosing I hasten to add . . .   I know how this feels myself, having experienced it in my own family for a number of years now.   It should not happen but . . .  it does.



When you have your children, you never think that anything is ever going to separate you from them.  It seems inconceivable and incomprehensible . . . A parent also always thinks that they are going to outlive their babies.  To lose all of them in this way is just heart wrenching.  I am very grateful that Todd's step daughter had enough compassion to let him know.  Todd and his son had been estranged for a number of years now.   This doubles the grief . . . because you not only grieve for the blood of your blood and bone of your bone, but you grieve for what you wanted and did not have.  The Gospel will be a great comfort of course.  Intellectually we know he is in a far better place, but the heart wants what the heart wants.  Please keep my beloved in your hearts and prayers.  I know you will and I am grateful for that.

Life . . .  it is filled with twists and turns and unexpected things.

“Even if you cannot always see that silver lining on your clouds, God can, for He is the very source of the light you seek. He does love you, and He knows your fears. He hears your prayers. He is your Heavenly Father, and surely He matches with His own the tears His children shed.”
~Jeffrey R Holland



This is my latest little creation.  Not a great photograph because it is so early in the morning and the light is so poor.   She is a busy bee.



The beaded embroidery on her jacket is little bees.  Hard to see I know.  The wings are flower sequins.  I wish I could show you better how cute they are.   Her undershirt is black and yellow strips and of course her legs/shoes are black.   I think the bow on her hat looks almost like antennae.



She is not quite finished yet.   Today I am going to make her a "Winged" back pack.  Then she will be done I think.   I need to list some of these dolls in my Etsy shop.



The other day the Missionary Sisters said that they loved being in our home, that it was such a Happy place, and it is.  I believe that is because "Love" lives here.  Love of God.  Love for each other.  Love of Family.   Love of friends.   Love for our fellow beings.




We'll get through this.   We always do  . . .

A thought to carry with you through today . . .


 ❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥
The most beautiful people we have known
are those who have known defeat,
known suffering, known struggle,
known loss,
and have found their way
out of the depths.
~Elizabeth Kubler Ross
❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥ 




I'm cooking my own crumpets in The English Kitchen today.   Scrumptious!

I hope you have a super Saturday and may it bring you an adventure or two or three.   Remember to hug the ones you love while you can.   Don't forget
═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════ ⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════

And I do too.

Friday Finds

 A few of the wow moments, or things I discover each week that tickle my fancy.  I hope that they may inspire or tickle yours too!



I love this white rabbit paper doll printable I found on Klippdockr.  It looks quite Victorian.  I have a thing for white rabbits and Victorian things, to find them together is just wonderful!   There's a lot of printable paper dolls on that page including a Victorian Sheep!



NO tutorial or any instructions, but just a lovely brooch/pin made from velvet scraps.   Sigh . . .
A little something to appreciate the beauty of.



Now this is very unique.  A chalkboard dresser.  From Shelterness.   I wonder if this would help husbands to organize their dressers better?  I can't complain actually.  Todd is really organized.



Free Vintage Embroidery Patterns from Tip Nut.  I love vintage embroidery, especially for tea towels!

This is printable.  Just click on it and it will become bigger and you can download and save it to your desktop to print later.  I love children's verse like this.



Some really cute ear warmers you can make your self.  Complete Tutorial on Delia Creates.  There are a whole lot to choose from.  All very pretty.



DIY Stamped Clay Bowls.   SO simple and so nice.  From Gathering Beauty.   A complete tutorial from start to finish.




DIY Flip Books for kids.  Such a fun idea and you can put their photograph in it so they can turn themselves into a bird, or a monster, or whatnot!  From The Art Room.  A brilliant idea.  Making and playing with these could keep the kiddos busy for hours.



A great idea to use buttons as earring holders.   From The  Travel Writers Life.   Just brilliant.  I would have never thought of that.



Make your own Twig Arbour.  What a brill idea.   From the people at BHG.

And that is it for this week.  I hope you found something useful that you might want to try out!  I know I sure did!

A thought to carry with you through today . . .


❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥
So long as we are loved by others,
I should say that we are almost indispensable;
and no man is useless while he has a friend.
~Robert Louis Stevenson
❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥



Cooking in The English Kitchen today  . . . Black Bean Lasagne.  Delish!

 Don't forget . . .

═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════ ⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════

And I do too!

Five Things About Me . . .

These are paper dolls I did of Todd, myself and Mitzie a couple of years back.  Yes . . .  I "paper-dolled" us.  I could paper doll you too.   These ones have moveable joints.   Anyways, it's another five things about me post and this is number one.

I LOVE PAPER DOLLS.   I may not have had a lot of real dolls when I was a girl, but I had a cardboard box filled with paper dolls, some of them quite old.  My fetish with them began when the eldest daughter of the family that lived next door to us when I was about 5 years old gave me all of hers.   There were probably genuine antique ones in the box, of Betty Grable and such.   It was love at first sight, a love which has lasted a lifetime.   One paper doll I had as a girl was really large, almost life sized and she had lips that blew a kiss when you tilted her just so.   I used to play with my paper dolls all the time and could often be found drawing and colouring them new clothes, as you do . . .I still like to play with paper dolls . . .  and colour and draw them new clothes.



I believe in Angels.  I believe they are all around us, watching over us in as much as they are allowed to.  I do not pray to them, or look to them for help . . .  that is the job of our Heavenly Father, but I do think that we have angels here on earth.   They do not always have wings, in fact more often than not they look just like you and me.  I love to read angel stories about angelic encounters.   I think these things happen far more than you or I realize.  I have had several of these myself.   Angels are real.  They exist.  I do not believe that when we die we go to heaven and become Angels.   Angels are celestial beings which are completely different than us.   I am not sure I understand exactly what they are, but maybe one day I will.   In any case, for the most part I think they are pretty wonderful beings.  Guardians.  Helpers.  Guides.



Sigh . . .  this man is one of my youthful obsessions.  I confess.  I was in love with Bruce Springsteen.  Just the sight of him made me weak kneed and silly.  There was a time when I would have scaled tall buildings and leapt over fences to catch a glimpse of him.   My best friend used to telephone me whenever he was on the telly so I could turn it on and watch him.  I still think he is one of the best pieces of eye candy ever.  It is not a sin to appreciate a handsome man.  It is only a sin to act on it, lol.  I'm safe. 



This man also makes me go weak at the knees.   Yes . . .  I have very eclectic tastes . . .



Polka Dots also make me squeel and go weak at the knees.  I love, Love, LOVE them!  Maybe even more than Bruce and Sam.  I love them on blouses and on shoes.  On curtains and on dishes.  I love them on pillows and on socks.  I just love, Love, LOVE them wherever I can find them!
 But  . . .  I especially love them . . .



When they come from God's paint brush  . . .



Naturally occurring . . .



Those are my most favouritest polka dots of all!



I was born in Summerside, on Prince Edward Island.   And yet . . .  I've never really lived there, except for a few months when I was a baby.  I have visited there frequently as my ex MIL lives there and my middle son also lives there with his family.   I think Prince Edward Island is one of the most beautiful places on earth.   Most people when they go to Canada to visit head for Toronto or Niagara Falls . . .  Victoria or Vancouver Island.   They are missing the best part of Canada.  Prince Edward Island is the real gem in Canada's crown.  Stunning beautiful.   Mostly rural.  Filled with lots to do and to see.  With rolling hills and white sand beaches, fields of lupins and some of the nicest people on earth.   I  love it there.   Todd has only been there once, when my son got married, and we did not have a chance to visit much of anything because we were only there for one day and night.  I hope that one day I can take him back and show him more of it.

And there you have it . . .  five more things about me!



Just look at my sister's fairy toadstool house now.  Isn't it ADORABLE!  Tiny white bunnies, tiny toadstools, an eensy beensy robins nest under the eaves.   The way the roof curls just so.   This is a real work of art.  And to think  . . .  it all fits in a jar.  I think she is just so talented!



This is the size of the bunnies.  Just look at how tiny they are.  That is a dime.   So small.   I think she is pretty incredible.



Look.  It's Alice in Wonderland.



With a full head of rooted hair . . .  and an Alice Band.  That's real wool for the hair.  Each strand individually attached.



I like her little white socks  . . .  and her stripy pantaloons.



I just need to add her little charm and an accessory . . . perhaps a tiny bottle with a tag saying drink me . . .  we shall see.  She has dimples  . . .




And that is it for today.    A thought to carry with you on the journey . . .


 ❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥
 If your actions inspire others
to dream more, learn more,
do more and become more,
then . . .  you are a leader.
~John Quincey Adams
❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥
 
 

Baking in The English Kitchen today . . .  Cheddar and Garlic Drop Buns.  So good!

Have a fabulous Thursday.  Don't forget . . .  


═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════ 
⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════

And I do too!  Happy Day til we meet again.

Wednesday This and That . . .

Someone's waiting for a letter.
Do not be unkind.
Take that pen and write that line
to ease somebody's mind.
It's hard to pick up broken threads
when once you let them go.
Someone's waiting for a letter.
Somebody you know.
Mother, father, family,
the old fried, or the new.
Someone's waiting.
Someone's hoping
for a line from you.
~Patience Strong

I read recently that handwritten letters are becoming a thing of the past.   With the instantaneous connection of texting and e-mailing, handwritten letters are somewhat moot I guess  . . .  who wants to wait for a letter to arrive in the post when you can communciate with each other in mere seconds.

When I was a child it was a real treat to get a letter or card in the post.   It was very exciting.  Even now as an adult I am very excited to get a letter or a card.   It means the world to me to know that someone took the time and effort to send me one.   I have resolved this year to write more letters and send more cards if I can.



My handwriting has gotten really bad however, probably due to lack of use and so to this end I have been practicing my handwriting every day when I can.  I got myself workbooks and I can see it improving little by little.   I think a beautifully written page if script is a precious thing to behold and so I am working on it.   It is an enjoyable pastime.    You never know  . . .  one day you may receive a letter from me.   I have plans  . . .   



I have always loved stationary.   It's getting harder and harder to find nice stationary though, unless you are close to a shop which specializes in it.   My ex employer had her own personalized stationary, but it was very expensive.  Each year a new set was duly ordered for each member of the family . . .  papers, notecards, envelopes with a personalized letterhead.   I would love to have my own, perhaps one day . . .

I love paper . . .  it's one of my favourite things.  I have always loved paper.  I do have some writing paper I bought years ago in a card shop.  (I love greeting cards also)   It has an almost linen texture to it with a lazer cut and flower shaped moulding around the edges.  The envelopes have disappeared somehow, but I still have about 10 sheets of the paper.  It is beautiful.

I love beautiful papers most of all.   I don't think I am alone in this am I?



My daughter posted this picture of Maryn on her Birthday morning on FB yesterday.   I can see little Cameron playing in the background with a dinosaur balloon.   I think the cake is one of those characters from Monster's inc?  I don't know for sure as I have never seen the films.   I love her pretty pajamas and those pigtails.  So cute, but most of all I love her cheerful smile.  She looks very happy.   I wish I could see that little house on the table behind her.  I would have loved a little house like that when I was a child.  (I am making up for it now, lol)  In any case she looks very happy and this grandmother does love to see happy grandchildren!  I am sure she had a lovely day.   I wish I lived closer so I could spend time with her, but alas I do not.  Maybe one day I will.  We shall see.



The Missionary Sisters are coming for supper tomorrow night.  I am thinking I am going to do a tea party for them like I did for the other sisters a couple of years back.  It was so much fun and what girl doesn't love a tea party?  I can't think of one!



It makes a change from the usual.   It went down a real treat last time and I think it will again.   A tea party is the perfect Winter pick me up I think!  Ariana has never experienced a tea party either and so this will be fun for her too.   Yesterday we were cooking together in the kitchen, or rather she was cooking some rice and I was watching her and we were talking about cooking as she cooked it.  It was fun.  I had forgotten how nice it was to have a woman around to talk with.  She's such a nice young woman and so pleasant to be around.  I hope that she and her fiance Jose will be very happy together.  It's a very exciting time for them both.  I am sure they miss each other very much.  Not long to go now before the wedding though, so . . .



I was playing with those little dolls yesterday and have tried something new with them.  I can't wait for the sun to be up so I can take some new photos to show you.  I quite like what I have done.  Of course it is a work in progress, this perfecting of a craft.  I think I get better with each one that I make.  Or maybe I don't.  It doesn't matter.  I am having fun and that is what counts!



There has been a lot of press on the telly this week about the fashions from the Oscars.   I have taped the Oscars and will be watching them today probably.   When I was a little girl my mother would always let me stay up to watch all the film stars arriving at the theatre.  I can remember looking at all of their beautiful gowns in wonder.  Of course when I got older I would be allowed to stay up to watch the whole thing.  It was always something I looked forward to each year.

The gowns this year were spectacular from what I have seen.  There's a few "what were they thinking of" gowns, but for the most part very elegant.  I did watch a bit of the E program on the runway fashions with Chloe Kardashian and Kelly Osborne etc. . . .  they are always so catty though.  I don't like it.  I think too, I have to question the fasion opinions of someone who has purple hair, with shaved sides and a tattoo showing clearly on one side.  (What was SHE thinking, Kelly O?)

Tattoos . . .  I don't understand them.  I have never wanted one, but if I did . . . I don't think I would want one on the side of my head . . . or my neck . . .  or my inner arm.   Oh heck.  I don't think I would want one at all, but then I am very conservative.



I think this dress on Dakota Johnson was my favourite of them all . . .



Followed by this pearl beauty on Lapito Dyongo.  Stunning . . . simply stunning.   Very classy.



I also thought Rosamund Pike looked incredible in this stunner.  I think red was the colour this year.  There were a lot of red gowns.



 Oprah looked mighty fine also.  For a larger woman, she knows how to dress.   I always love the way she looks and her hair.   She has a great sense of style.

It must be so much fun to be able to dress up in these beautiful designer dresses with the jewelry and hair and make up etc.   What a little girl's dream!

My days for cutting such a fine figure are over, but I can still enjoy watching. I think I need a Barbie Doll to play with.

A thought to carry with you through today . . .


 ❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥
In all things of nature
there is something of the marvelous . . . 
~Aristotle
 ❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥

 
 

I'm cooking Perfect Deviled Eggs in the English Kitchen today  . . . 


Have a beautiful Wednesday.   My Visiting Teachers are coming this afternoon, something else to look forward to!!   Don't forget . . .

═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════ ⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════

And I do too.