My favourite things . . .

These are a few of my favourite things  . . .





Vintage Christmas Baubles.   Sometimes gaudy, very colourful, they always had character.  I don't recall ever seeing a "Themed" Christmas tree when I was a child, but then again the only trees I really saw were related to me in some way and there wasn't anyone I knew who had money for that type of thing.  Our tree at home was a happy mix of all sorts.  My favourites were the ornmanents my mother had picked up when we lived in Germany.  I think a Christmas Tree should be filled with lots of surprises!

 

Speaking of Christmas AND surprises, look at what I found underneath our buffet at the very back the other day . . . .  Is it just me or does that Mince Pie still look perfectly edible?   Hmmm . . . well preserved?  What does that say about store bought mince pies?

I had to laugh.

 

Browsing at Cath Kidston.   I can't afford most of it, but I do love her stuff.

 

I like pretty things  . . .

 

A bit of rusticity  . . .  if that's a word.  The old and the new blending together beautifully . . .

 

Coloured bunting  . . .

 

Car boot picnics  . . .

 

Vintage Children's eating sets  . . .

 

Little Red Riding Hood  . . .

 

Cherry shoes!

 

Happy Toasty by Nouar.  The butter doesn't look very happy though  . . .

 

Colorful Brollies!

 

A ceramic Toast plate by Charlotte Mei.  I love whimsy . . .


 

Vintage Hair Barrettes.  I wish I had kept mine  . . .

 

Again  . . .  so pretty.

 

White Picket Fences  . . . 

 

Tea party friends . . .  boy, I hate my nose, lol  This is how oldies do selfies.

And that is my favourite things for this week. What are some of yours??


A thought to carry with you through today . . .

`*.¸.*´Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ`*.¸.*´Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ`*.¸.*´
 Be strong.
Live the Gospel Faithfully.
Even if others around you
don't live it at all.
~Jeffrey R Holland
 `*.¸.*´Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ`*.¸.*´Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ`*.¸.*´


Spiritual Enlightenment



In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Turkey Hot Browns.  Diabetic Friendly, and quite delicious.


Have a great Thursday!! Don't forget . . .


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and I do too!

Getting creative . . .

 

“I have an idea that the only thing which makes it possible to regard this world we live in without disgust is the beauty which now and then men create out of the chaos. The pictures they paint, the music they compose, the books they write, and the lives they lead. Of all these the richest in beauty is the beautiful life. That is the perfect work of art.” 
~W. Somerset Maugham, The Painted Veil 

I don't know when it started . . .  this desire of mine to create things where once nothing existed.   I only know that from my earliest memories I was always making something with my hands . . . colouring, drawing, writing, sewing, embroidering, knitting, etc.

I'm just a really creative person.   As a child I loved paper dolls, and I used to draw and colour new clothes for them.  They had wardrobes limited only by my imagination.

 

I was always fascinated by colour and by the ability to make something from nothing . . .  to re-create things which I admired.   I was also very resouceful.   We didn't have a lot of board games or such at home.  One year for Christmas we were given a set as a family which had something like 52 different games in it, including Chinese Checkers, Tiddly Winks, etc.   My friends had fun games like Mousetrap and Cluedo.   I borrowed my friends Cluedo game and totally created one for my self, painstakingly copying it from beginning to end from bits of cardboard, paper and colouring it with crayons.

I wish I still had it.  Not that it would be worth anything to anyone but me, but it would be interesting to see.

 

I used to love doing paint by number kits.  I can remember the smell of the paints.  All those coloured little pots.  You had to be very carefully opening them as you didn't want to spill them or waste any of the paint.  I remember one in particular which was a set of ballerinas.  I got so that I could blend all the edges in a way in which they didn't look quite so much like a paint by numbers anymore . . .

That made it a bit more challenging.  But I also loved to write.  Stories, poems, plays . . . there was always something new coming out of my brain.

 

A blank piece of paper still gets me excited.   When I am in meetings, I am always doodling in the margins of my notebook . . . I am always listening, but also always doodling.   I am taking the meeting in, but for some odd reason the doodling helps me to listen better if that makes any sense.  Doodling helps me concentrate.   Its the same when I am on the telephone.  I doodle.  I have spent hours and hours doodling.

If I am upset or worried . . . I lose myself in paper.  There is always a poem or a story running through my head.  Sometimes I actually think in rhyme.  I am always pairing up words in my mind . . .  what rhymes with  . . .

Words, colours, paper, canvas . . .  they are my muse.  And I never know what is going to come out when I sit down at my desk.  I am always just as surprised as anyone by what appears.  I don't have a plan . . .  I only want to create.  


 

"Sunny Loves a Summer Day"


“Painting is the silence of thought and the music of sight.” 
~Orhan Pamuk, My Name is Red 

That's me in a nutshell.   And the medium I prefer to use these days is Copic Markers.  I love the way I can blend them and the vibrancy of the colours and the variety of the colours.   All I am really doing is drawing, colouring in and then detailing in ink.  I think just about anybody could do it.  I find it very relaxing and comforting . . .

 

"Skating on the Canal"


“The only time I feel alive is when I'm painting.” 
~Vincent van Gogh

I just know that it is something I must do.   My fingers itch to do it.  Its as much a part of me as being able to breathe.  It brings me joy and peace.

And I know that really, I am not a great master at any of it.   I have no patience for any of that  . . .  I just love doing what I do and that is enough.  And if it brings a smile to someone else's face, that just doubles the pleasure.

And I am always learning as I go along  . . .  trying something different, adapting, growing.  Its like an artistic journey.   I sure hope that I get to still do it when I get to paradise.

“A fine work of art - music, dance, painting, story - has the power to silence the chatter in the mind and lift us to another place.” 
~Robert McKee 

 

Happy Birthday to Mary who is turning 70 today!  That is quite a milestone!  I do hope YOU have a lovely day dear friend with lots of goodies and well wishes and love coming your way!



There's a tea party going on at ours this afternoon.  A few weeks back a friend  suggested we have one and I am always up for a tea party, even though we don't drink tea or coffee.  We'll just do herbal infusions and soft drinks.  But there will be plenty of goodies on offer.   Not so good for my diabetes, but I'll try hard to not go too crazy!  It will be fun just getting together.  Lord knows after the past week with all the negativity which has been going on, this will be just the ticket and every bit as good as a holiday I'll wager!  Todd is going to take himself off into town for the afternoon.  He loves a good boo around town.  I'll take some pictures if I remember or get a chance!

A thought to carry with you through today  . . .

 ~•~♥♥♥~•.~•~♥♥♥~• ~
There are few hours in life 
more agreeable than the hour 
dedicated to the ceremony 
known as afternoon tea. 
~Henry James 
  ~•~♥♥♥~•.~•~♥♥♥~• ~

Spiritual Enlightenment



In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Fruity Chicken Salad.  Delish!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!  I hope the sun shines wherever you are.  It's wet and very cool here!  Remember . . .

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And I do too!

The Simple Woman's Daybook . . .

FOR TODAY, June 28, 2016

Outside my window ...
It looks like it is going to be a fine day.   A nice and summery one.  Its cool this morning but once the sun gets really going I am sure that will change.

I am thinking ...
I was greatly encouraged by our Prime Minister's speech in the House of Commons yesterday.  I think all will be okay.

I am thankful for ...
My Heavenly Father.  No question!  Being able to serve a mission.  The powers of discernment.  My husband and Mitzie.  So much to be grateful for.

In the kitchen ...


Sweet Corn Muffins.  These are probably the nicest muffins you would ever want to eat.  Delicious, even the day after.

On my "To Cook" list ...
  

Eton Mess Trifle from Sips and Spoonfuls.  This looks fabulous.  I love pistachios.

I am creating ... 

I have done a new painting and am working on another, but haven't gotten anything scanned yet.  Will try to scan them soon.



From My Little Customs, fairy wings tutorials.  So sweet.



A Granny Square Zippered Pouch.  So cute.  From Kikka Tikka.  No instructions but if you can make a granny square, this is great inspiration and easy to follow just by looking and counting.

 

I love this pencil case.  Facile Cecile.

 

Peg Bag Pattern.  So cute.  From Stitch, Craft, Create.

 

Insertable Pocket for a Tote Bag.  Genius!  Frome Skye Pennant.

 

For the kids.  Painted Stone Minions.  From Mum  in the Madhouse.

I am reading ...



While My Eyes Were Closed, by Linda Green

Linda Green’s psychological thriller, While My Eyes Were Closed, focuses on every parent’s worst nightmare. Switching perspectives between a young mother who’s lost her youngest daughter and an elderly lady who believes she’s doing the right thing, it’s a chilling, uncomfortable story about what people are capable of when they lose the ones they love.

During a game of hide-and-seek in the park, mother-of-three Lisa takes a phone call. At first she believes small, four-year-old Ella has found a new, obscure place to hide, but she quickly realises that Ella is no longer in the park and calls the police. Meanwhile, Muriel, an elderly piano teacher, sees a four-year-old child stumble in the park. After watching the mother quickly brush dirt off her hands and then turn to answer her phone, she concludes that the parent is unfit and negligent and takes matters into her own hands.

While My Eyes Were Closed shows Lisa struggling to come to terms with Ella’s disappearance. She’s overwhelmed by guilt at receiving the phone call and despises the attempts those around her make to restore some normality. Everything she sees reminds her that Ella is gone, and she blames herself completely. Her background doesn’t help matters, as the tabloids pounce on the fact that her brother has a criminal record as her family members are taken in for routine questioning. Comments on social media about Lisa’s behaviour at press conferences only make things worse.

Muriel is determined to give Ella the care she believes she needs. Divorced, with a grown-up son Matthew, she lives alone and mostly in the past. As Ella knows Muriel as the nice lady with the cat who gives her elder brother piano lessons, she’s more or less content to stay in her house until Mummy comes to pick her up. However, it isn’t long before even Ella can sense something’s wrong, and she starts to question why she’s being given Matthew’s haircut, Matthew’s clothes, and Matthew’s memories. As the lines between memory and reality blur for Muriel, Ella’s constant questions about where Matthew is now and when Mummy will come to pick her up drive her closer to the edge.

Every parent's nightmare.  Brilliantly written.

I am looking forward to ...
District meeting this morning.  I love being with all of the missionaries in our District.  They are a great bunch.



This is a photograph I took last Wednesday when the sisters came to supper.  We just use TV trays now as our house is just so small.  Dragging out the table takes up too much room and nobody can get around it.  I just lay the meal out on it buffet style and we help ourselves and sit down with a TV tray.  Not ideal, but much more practical than trying to fit huge elders around a table with no room for anyone to move.  Nobody seems to mind.

I am learning to ...
Shut out the world and focus on the things that matter most like my little family here in the UK.  Todd, Mitzie and myself.

Dreaming about ...

 

Maybe having a Raised Bed Vegetable Garden next year  . . .



A new refrigerator/freezer.  I miss my Bosch.

 

Funky Whirligigs . . . .



Sigh . . .

 

What's on the other side  . . .

 A favourite quote for the day  ...

(¯`v´¯) `*.¸.*´Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ¸.
   •´¸.•~♥♥♥~•.~ ღϠ₡ღ¸.
             ✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ. ( ¸. ❀⁀ ⋱‿✿“`
                           * .¸.* ✻ღϠ₡ ღ¸.✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ..

Supporting another's success won't ever dampen yours  . . . 
~Unknown

 Makes me smile ...

 

Lucy at the beach . . .



Baxter at the beach  . . .

Two wet doggies.

One of my favourite things ...
 

Pretty blue skies  . . .


Corners of my Kingdom ...

 

Garden fairies  . . .



Sparrow Fledglings  . . . (from my friend Joy's garden down in Louth)


And that's my daybook for this week!

 ⋱ ⋮ ⋰
⋯ ◯ ⋯ Take time to enjoy the small *´¯`.¸¸.☆
  ⋰ ⋮ ⋱ blessings in life.*´¯`.¸¸.☆

✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿
╬♥═╬╬═♥=╬╬═♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥═╬
░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░


Wherever you go and whatever you do, I hope there's a great day ahead of you! Don't forget!


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And I do too!!