A Daybook . . .

  

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW ...

We got a nice healthy amount of snow. It is so pretty to look at before it gets touched by the world.  They came to plow later in the day so the road is clear and they did the drives, but left slush on them which has frozen now and is treacherous.  I have salt to sprinkle and suppose I should get out there later and sprinkle some, or maybe I will just wait and hope it melts today.  It probably won't however as it is only going up to zero today and tomorrow is going to be colder still yet again!

 

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I AM THINKING ...

I am thinking about and loving all the decorations which have been going up in the neighborhood.  Nothing so spectacular as this on our street, but small simple things here.  On into town they get a bit  more elaborate.  Remembering how wonderful it was to take a drive through town years ago and how pretty all of the lights looked.   I should get some outdoor lights.  Thinking about it.

 

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ALSO THINKING ABOUT ...

How exciting it would be  when we were children, when my father finally brought home the Christmas tree.  That smell was wonderful.  It would stand in a corner of the room, screwed into the tree stand, which needed to be carefully watered each day, until the branches had fallen into place perfectly, ready to decorate.   Before then, my father's annual preparation of the lights.  Always an exercise in frustration because inevitably one would have burnt out during their year long storage, which required the testing of each single bulb. We sat on the sofa in a row, watching.  We durst not breath  in case we made things even more trying for him. It was the same every year.  Mom decorated the tree. We each had our favorite ornaments.  Mine were these little tinfoil pans decorated with greenery and little red toadstools.  Surprise! lol

HAPPY ...

I got most of my cards done yesterday and ready to post.  I just have a few special ones left to do now.  And some presents to wrap. 

The tree is also up and most of my decorations. I need to bring out  my mother's Nativity still.  I don't have much in the way or ornaments on the tree, but this years Nativity study had Jesse Tree ornaments you could cut out and so I have cut those out and they are on the tree.  Unbreakable.

As you can see, Cinnamon is keeping it closely guarded.

This is a job she takes really seriously.  Guarding it and a careful pruning of the branches whenever I am not looking. Hopefully the novelty will wear off in a few days. I am not putting out the Nativity until then as I don't want it to get broken.

 

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LOOKING FORWARD TO ...

Cindy and I have plans to head up-country the end of the week.  Will we or won't we stop for a cheeky slice of pie on the way there or on the way back?  You never know, but I strongly suspect that we will. Pie or not, time spent with my sister is always time well spent.

 

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MAKES ME SMILE ...

Charlie Brown's Christmas. It always make me smile. It would not be Christmas without it. I never watch regular television, but I know as a child we would wait in anticipation each year for it to air. That and the regular Rudolph, Frosty, etc. cartoons.  

Also loved this as a child. Disney's Once Upon a Wintertime  . . . 

 

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REMEMBERING ...

Mom never had a clothes dryer for most of my growing up years. She hung laundry outside, year round. In the winter that must have been so hard.  I remember the laundry would freeze and in the afternoon she would bring it in, all stiff and frozen solid like "life size" clothing for paper dolls.  It would be rehung near the furnace in the utility room. It smelled all fresh and outdoorsy. I don't know how she coped with the frozen fingers in the Winter. Mom's fingers always froze. They would turn white. My sisters do too. I always have warm hands.

CORNERS OF MY KINGDOM ...

Anticipation. My foot lady is coming today. Maybe I will be able to get some wrapping done after she leaves. I need to do it this week.

 

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SOMETHING I LOVE ...

Vintage recipes. Old cookbooks. Antiquities  . . .  fascinating at the very least.

CRAVING ...

Cherry Bakewell Muffins. Gluten Free Alice. These look good enough to eat!

REMEMBERING ...

When I used to have time for being creative.

I AM READING ...

The Salt Road by Jane Johnson

From the author of The Tenth Gift comes another story of exotic, foreign lands, entwining storylines spanning generations, and the quests to overcome love lost. 

 The desert lay before them, and the secrets of the amulet . . . 

 From Tafraout’s magnificent mountainside, Isobel absorbs the heat and romance of the Moroccan vista before her, with mosque and homes scattered far below. But a mere slip sees her tumbling uncontrollably into the arms of handsome rescuer Taïb, who notices her unusual silver amulet, and that her fall has revealed a tiny scroll hidden within. Entranced by the possibilities of its intricate and illegible script, they set out for the Sahara in search of a Tuareg elder to unlock the riddles of its past. Little does Izzy realize that the desert holds the key to more mysteries than the amulet’s. 

From beneath the beating sun emerges nomadic Princess Mariata, whose stories of tortured love bind her to the precious talisman in Izzy’s hands. She’s battled the sands; she’s found and lost love among its dunes. And where the amulet crosses both their paths, answers to the deepest secrets lie.

Early days as to whether this can hold my interest or not. We shall see.

SOMETHING I LOVE ...

All things Barbie. I think I see a tiny corner of the Dutch outfit there. My sister had it for her Barbie, and I coveted it.

SOMETHING to WATCH ...

Single All the Way on Netflix.  Cute.  Also enjoying Martha's Holiday Bakes on Roku.

 

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TRACING THE GOODNESS ...

My days are filled with blessings too numerous to count. I am sure you get tired of hearing/reading about them.  I will never take anything I have for granted again.  I love my little home, my little life, my abundant life.  I don't need diamonds or a mansion or anything else. I am content with things just as they are.   Life is very good.  And sometimes it scares  me to say that.  Sometimes I feel like Wil-e-coyote and am waiting for the anvil to fall from the sky.  And I hate to say that, but sometimes I am afraid that things are too good.  Am I temping the fates to say that?  I sure hope not!  I am blessed and I know it.  That is not a bad thing.

 

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A THOUGHT TO CARRY WITH YOU ...

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

 *.˛.Let us hold unswervingly to

the hope we profess,° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

for he who promised is faithful.° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

~Hebrews 10:23° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •° * 。 • ˚ 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

IN THE KITCHEN...

Sharing my last Vintage Menu of the year, and possibly forever.  With:

CRUMB BAKED PORK CHOPS
HOMEMADE APPLE SAUCE
CORN SCALLOPED POTATOES
FRENCH STYLE GREEN BEANS
SWEET MIXED PICKLES
DATE  PUDDING 

(with whipped cream)

It was all very delicious to say the least. These posts are a lot of work, but I don't think that people really enjoy them all that much.  So I am rethinking moving forward. I need to create content in The English Kitchen that people want to look at and read. Its my bread and butter after all.

And that is my daybook for this week. I hope that you all have beautiful days.  Blessings to you all and don't forget!

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And I do too!