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Monday, 24 August 2020

Small and wonderful things . . .

 
 
 
"The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But who gets excited by a mere penny?...It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted with pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. what you see is what you get." ~Anne Dillard   

 
A few of the small and wonderful things which bring untold joy into my life.   It's the small things in life which truly mean the most.  Simple abundance . . . it's the best.  

 
 
Beautiful nails. My friend Alesandra came over yesterday and gave me a manicure. Her daughter Ilah came with her.  We all wore masks.  Mitzie loved Ilah and made a big fuss over her. Ilah loved Mitzie and made a big fuss over her.  She loved also hearing about Todd's WW2 experiences and he loved having someone to listen to them. I loved having my nails done.  Alesandra loved getting some practice for doing nails. She had been taking a course at college and the lockdown went in place, so hasn't been able to finish it just yet.  She did a fabulous job!  I love them and it was nice feeling pampered! 

 
Having the opportunity to try out new things.  The Bad Brownie Company recently sent me a box of their 12 Brownie Bites to try out and write about. Oh my goodness but they were amazing.  They are also going to give away a Brownie Bite Box to one of my readers, so if you are a resident of the UK and want a chance to win some tastiness for yourself, hop on over to the blog and enter!   
 
Triple Chocolate Bad Brownies 
 
My favourites were the Triple Chocolate ones, but it was actually really hard to choose just one. 
 
 
Taking down the bad guys!  With my son's help that thieving site is no more.  That makes me incredibly happy. Oh, I know they will probably just open another site on another server, but they will think twice about stealing my content again as I did not let them get away with it.  I am so grateful for my son's help in this. I could never have done it on my own. 
 
 
 
The abundance of blackberries in the garden.  We have them coming out our ears. I have been freezing them, but I need to make Todd a Blackberry Crumble or something. He has been asking for one. 
 
 
My newly organised spice corner.  I am so pleased with how it turned out. It might seem like an obsession to have so many kinds, but I am a woman who loves spice and variety in the kitchen.When we were growing up my mom mostly used salt and pepper because my dad didn't like anything too far out of the ordinary. When we were in our teens she discovered oregano and started putting it in just about everything.  Bless her. Mom never thought she was a good cook, and she always said she didn't like cooking, but I beg to differ. I loved many of the things she used to make for us. Her turkey dinners and stuffing were legendary!  

 
  
 
Scented Candles. My next door neighbour gave me a fabulous one for my birthday. It smelled gorgeous.  So gorgeous that I have already burnt it out!  I love scented candles and wax melts. I think when you have a dog your house can tend to smell a bit doggie from time to time, especially in-between groomings. Scented Candles can help with that. 
 
 
 
I came across this photo of my mom this morning.  It was like having a big hug from her and an I love you. How very blessed I am to have had someone I loved so much in my life, who loved me back and who I miss terribly.  I miss her every hour of every day.  There are so many times during the day when I wish I had her to talk to. Tears still come, frequently.  I am grateful however that she did not have to experience this pandemic.  I don't think she would have coped well with it. I think it would have frightened her unduly.  

 
 
I figured since my son had posted something on his FB page about the stages of fatherhood it was safe for me to now buy a gift for the baby and a card and send it to them.  He's never yet told me that they had the baby, or the baby's name etc. But my other son told me it was a boy back when he was born and the name, etc. which was at the end of March.  I was a bit afraid to send anything or acknowledge it until he told me himself, but he never did. But since he sort of said somehing about being a dad on FB I thought perhaps I could send something. I don't know how it will be received, or even if it will be acknowledged. Maybe it might be thrown in the trash, but I sent it and that's what matters. I pray for all my children and grandchildren every day several times a day.  For safety and health, for happiness and for healing.  I believe in the power of prayers and live in hope. 
 
This was a rather cute set I thought. Leggings and a burp/spit up kerchief thingie.  Custom made by a shop on Etsy who makes these things. I loved the trucks. I thought them very cute and boyish. 
 

 
I called my dad yesterday and we had a nice long conversation. He was feeling very talkative. I enjoyed that.  I love my dad. I was so blessed to have been able to spend lots of time with him through the years. He even lived with me at one time.  I baked his wedding cake the second time he got married. He is not perfect. Nobody is.  I love him so much and I know he has always loved me and does love me. I was really lucky to have had him and my mother all to myself for three years.  I remember those times really well. I am grateful for that and for him and for happy memories shared!  
 
 
I am grateful for praying parents and the seeds of faith they planted in my heart.  I am grateful that I grew to be and am a woman of great faith. It has sustained me and helped to carry me through many trials and tribulations. It has given me great strength through the years.  I know not where I would be without it, or without those who taught me well. 
 
 
 
Puppy cuddles, belly rubs and unconditional love, all wrapped up in one very special little miss. 

I have so many things in my life to be grateful for.
Reasonably good health, puppydog cuddles,
children who are healthy and happy,
family who loves and care about me,
lots of really sweet friends,
a good roof over my head,
food in my belly,
and plenty of
faith
What more could anyone want or need!!! 
 

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

.° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門 ★

 *.˛.° ˛If you look the right way you can see
that the whole world is a garden.
~Frances Hodgson Burnett  •。★★ 。* 。  
 
There is nothing new in the kitchen today. I took yesterday off.   We dined on frozen meat pies, boiled potatoes and green beans. Simple. 
 

Have a great week.  I hope it is filled abundantly with small and wonderful things!  Don't forget along the way!
═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════ ⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
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And I do too!   
 

 
 
 


7 comments:

  1. Love a french mmani:)
    Love the spices all pretty..
    I never knew your dad had remarried..

    I remember that pic of your sweet mom:)
    Cute set Marie!!For bébé...
    always nice to be grateful:)And you are.

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    Replies
    1. He did Monique. My sister's ex boyfriend's Aunt. It didn't last long. He has only ever really loved our mom. And she him. He misses her terribly. The best friend he ever had. xoxo

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  2. Love your French manicure, Marie. I only get my nails done for specisl occasions like weddings so it has been a number of years since I've had one. Perhaps I should change thst and treat myself. We had a nice visit with my brother yesterday morning despite all the "rules". He's not too talkative but I think he was happy to see us. So glad you send your newest grsndson a cute outfit. Hope it is well accepted and might open the door to future communications. Lovely to remember your mom. We never stop missing our moms, that's for sure. And nice you can talk to your dad every week. Well, Marie, I'm watching a Martha Stewart video from 1993. She is covering Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas. Her ideas never get old, although we do, lol. Hugs and love, Elaine

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Elaine! I think I may have them done again sometime, my nails. It was a thoroughly pleasant experience, and I really love how they look! So happy you had a good visit with your brother. Where did you find the MS video? I loved watching her show. She was the best and you are right, timeless. Love and hugs, xoxo

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    2. It's actually, a VHS tape I purchased at the height of her popularity. My friend Paula (the talented card maker) and I saw Martha speak at Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto many years ago. I still subscribe to her magazine. I enjoy her baking show on PBS. Love and hugs, Elaine

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    3. Ahh, what a shame. I wanted to watch it! lol xoxo

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  3. It has been so fun to have a moment to do some catch up on reading your post. I always love coming here because I have grown to love you and enjoy your writings so much.
    I love that you got a manicure; that is so fun. I haven't had one for such a long time, but I do enjoy that once in a while.
    I'm sure I would have chosen the Triple Chocolate Brownies. I just love Chocolate.
    I am thrilled that your son helped you solve your problem with someone stealing your stuff. I do hope it doesn't happen again.
    Blackberries sound so good and I do love your spice rack; awesome.
    I love the photo of your dear Mom and I imagine is was a grieving moment. I too miss my Mom everyday. I wish I could call her.
    I love that you sent something to your son for his baby. I hope it softens his heart and there can be healing. It was a good move!
    I am happy that you can have telephone moments with your Dad. I don't have my Dad here anymore either; so that has always been a struggle because he was such a good and very fun Dad.
    Mitzie is a cute one.
    Blessings, prayers and hugs for you all!

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