Marie's Sunday Six

Welcome to my weekly Sunday Six Smile Makers post! The very first one for the month of December, 2009! As I say that I think to myself, how can it be December already??? Hasn't the year just started??? And then I think of all the lovely, wonderful things that I have experienced all through this year, and the three weeks of lovely, wonderful things I still yet have to experience before the end of the year and it makes me smile all over again!!!




This is the latest picture of my G I Joe, Bruce. Yes, that's my baby. Well, he's not a baby anymore is he? It is clear he is a man and he looks settled and ready to take on the World. The mom in me is still very afraid he will be sent to Afghanistan. The realist in me, knows he will be sent to Afghanistan eventually. The daughter of a Heavenly Father in me, knows that my Heavenly Father has a plan and is trusting in that. I can't wait to talk to Bruce when he goes to his dad's for Christmas! That will be great. A tiny part of me is wishing that he would have chosen to come here. I have not had a visit with him at Christmas in 10 years and that would have been lovely. A bigger part of me is happy that he is happy and that he is secure and settled. That is a mother's love I suppose. You are happy when your children are happy, even if their choices make you a bit sad. Does that make sense? It does to me. He turns 21 tomorrow and that is hard to believe . . . my baby 21. Where did the time go!!!




This is a picture of my grandson making a Gingerbread House that my son sent me this week. Isn't he adorable!! Well, I am a grandmother and so I think so!! It really made me smile. What also made me smile is that the tradition of the Christmas Gingerbread house continues in my family! Every year when my children were growing up I created something lovely for them out of Gingerbread. One year it was a church, complete with steeple and candy stained glass windows. Another year it was a 2 foot high Gingerbread Christmas Tree, with silver dragee garlands and gummy bear ornaments. Oh, what fun I had doing these things for my children and I hope that they have happy memories of them. It's nice to see that my son is making happy memories for my grandson as well, Happy Gingerbread memories!!



I hope that she will forgive me for showing this to you, for she hasn't even seen it yet herself, but this is a little dolly that I have been making for someone who asked me to make one for her for Christmas! Finger's crossed she will like it!! It is for a little girl, and so I created it to be absolutely playable! I really hope that she will like it. I have fallen in love with it myself.



How could you not love that face I ask??? I can tell you it won't be long before I am making one for myself, maybe not exactly like this one, but close . . . right from her cheery eyes, to her painted legs and toes. What do you think? Would this make you smile???



The weight scales that continue to drop. They really make me smile. Yesterday I put on my old winter jacket to go to the shops early in the morning. It hung on me. I was amazed. It doesn't seem possible and yet it is!! I have lost very close to 3 stone now. For those of you who don't measure weight in stones, that is getting really close to 42 pounds. That is colossal to me! I have not weighed this much less in years. It makes me smile, but what makes me smile more is the fact that I have stuck with this and that it is working. May it continue to do so!!



Yes, that is an aching tooth and why would that be making me smile you might ask!! Well, it could be so much worse. I have had a toothache for two days now and thankfully Ibuprofen and Paracetamol taken together are managed to keep the pain under control. I shall be telephoning the Dentist first thing in the morning!!! Hopefully he will be able to see me soonest! This is that same tooth that has been bothering me for several years now, off and on. It is a wisdom tooth and the roots of it are touching my sinuses and every once in a while it flares up and causes me to ache all across my face . . . I never know if it is an ear ache, a nose ache or a tooth ache, all that I know for sure is it hurts. Thankfully thus far the pain relievers are working. Fingers crossed that they continue to do so until he can see me!!




Christmas Gingerbread make me smile!! Anyone who knows me, knows I am nuts about Gingerbreadmen!!! My house is chockerblock full of them at Christmas time! If I could afford it and manage to get it done my whole house would look like a gingerbread house at Christmas time!!! As it is my tree is totally decorated in Gingerbreadmen I have been collecting for years. Is here ever such a thing as too many Gingerbreadmen??? I think NOT!!!

And there you have it, my Sunday Six for today, December 6th, 2009. I hope that some of it made you smile as well!!

This little treat surely made my Todd smile last night. Creamy hot cocoa with just a hint of mint and vanilla. Oh, yes . . . I did have a few tastes before my tooth told me not to continue, but it was very good and Todd . . . well he slurped his up in quick time!! It is very difficult to get a good picture of Hot Chocolate. I just couldn't get it to look, well chocolatey!!! Rest assured that it is very chocolatey and was much darker in real life than these pictures show!



*Minted Chocolate Cocoa*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

What could be better than a tasty homemade cup of cocoa??? One that is lightly flavoured with mint and vanilla of course!

2 cups half and half
2 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp peppermint extract
1/4 tsp vanilla
garnishes:
Mini marshmallows, peppermint candies, candy canes



Cook the first six ingredients in a heavy non reactive saucepan over medium heat, stirring to melt the sugar and amalgamate the ingredients. Once thoroughly heated, ladle into heated mugs. Garnish as desired and enjoy!!



There's Toffee Ginger Fairycakes over on The English Kitchen this morning! What a sweet Sunday we are having today!

Christmas Plays . . .

Jest 'Fore Christmas

FATHER calls me William,
sister calls me Will,
Mother calls me Willie
but the fellers call me Bill!
Mighty glad I ain't a girl---ruther be a boy,
Without them sashes curls an' things
that's worn by Fauntleroy!
Love to chawnk green apples
an' go swimmin' in the lake--
Hate to take the castor-ile they give for belly-ache!
'Most all the time, the whole year round,
there ain't no flies on me,
But jest'fore Christmas I'm as good as I kin be!

Got a yeller dog named Sport, sick him on the cat.
First thing she knows she doesn't know where she is at!
Got a clipper sled, an' when us kids goes out to slide,
'Long comes the grocery cart, an' we all hook a ride!
But sometimes when the grocery man is worrited an' cross,
He reaches at us with his whip, an' larrups up his hoss,
An' then I laff an' holler, "Oh, ye never teched me!"
But jest'fore Christmas I'm as good as I kin be!

Gran'ma says she hopes that when I git to be a man,
I'll be a missionarer like her oldest brother, Dan,
As was et up by the cannibals that live in Ceylon's Isle,
Where every prospeck pleases, an' only man is vile!
But gran'ma she has never been to see a Wild West show,
Nor read the life of Daniel Boone, or else I guess she'd know
That Buff'lo Bill an' cowboys is good enough for me!
Excep' jest 'fore Christmas, when I'm as good as I kin be!

And then old Sport he hangs around, so solemn-like an' still,
His eyes they seem a-sayin': "What's the matter, little Bill?"
The old cat sneaks down off her perch an' wonders what's become
Of them two enemies of hern that used to make things hum!
But I am so perlite an' tend so earnestly to biz,
That mother says to father: "How improved our Willie is!"
But father, havin' been a boy hisself, suspicions me
When, jest 'fore Christmas, I'm as good as I kin be!

For Christmas, with its lots an' lots of candies, cakes an' toys,
Was made, they say, for proper kids an' not for naughty boys;
So wash yer face an' bresh yer hair, an' mind yer p's and q's,
And don't bust out yer pantaloons, and don't wear out yer shoes;
Say "Yessum" to the ladies, and "Yessur" to the men,
An' when they's company, don'a pass yer plate for pie again;
But, thinkin' of the things yer'd like to see upon that tree,
Jest 'fore Christmas be as good as yer kin be!
~Eugene Field



When I was five years old, I could recite this poem from the beginning to the end, as well as "Twas the Night Before Christmas." The town we were living in at the time used to put on a huge Christmas Pageant every year, and I'm afraid I had a bit of a stage mom. My mother had been a great orator and debater when she was at school, and as her oldest child, I'm afraid she had her hopes pinned on me to follow in her footsteps. I must have cured her of that, because my younger sister and brother were never put through this same experience.

I have to confess that, at the age of five I didn't really care all that much. I was a bit of a ham anyways, and it didn't bother me overly much to get up in front of people and sing or recite anything. I can remember reciting this poem and making all sorts of faces, as my voice rang out with expression, and shaking my fist like a bad little boy. It would be really neat if my parents had some film of my performance, but alas . . . a movie camera was beyond their means.

The town Christmas concert used to be a really big thing each year, and the town would begin preparing for it long about mid September. There were be all sorts of things included in it . . . carol singing, Christmas recitations etc., culminating at the end with the Nativity of course. I always wanted to be one of the slave girls fanning King Herod. Their costumes, which seemed quite skimpy at the time, but hardly by today's standards, always seemed quite exotic and beautiful, and they got to hold a huge fan, which looked like fun to me! Besides . . . they got to wear make-up.



They would hold these concerts in the town auditorium over several nights and the place would be filled to the brim with standing room only each night. They were special nights and the excitement would be so thick in the air that you could cut it with a knife I am sure! I can remember it all feeling very wonderful as a part of the audiance and as an actual performer . . . well, that was a very special feeling indeed.

I am not sure towns put on these types of concerts anymore. More's the pity. I think they helped to foster a real sense of community and of belonging to something far larger than yourself. I know that when my children were going to school, there would be an annual *Winter Festival Play* each year put on by the elementary school. They dared not call it a Christmas Concert for fear of offending anyone. It was always really hard to get a seat in the school gym on the night, and you had to get there really early if you were going to be able to find a seat that was in a good viewing position, or even a seat at all. Some parents always ended up having to stand up for the whole thing. I have watched my children cavort about the stage at various times as letters, or stockings or elves. I've watched them stand in choirs, with tinsel wrapped around their little heads as they rolled their eyes coz they didn't really want to be there (read sons here), and I've stood as a proud parent watching and thinking that my child was the best performer of all.

I miss those days . . .



Each year the C of E church in our local village puts on a Christingle service on the afternoon of Christmas Eve. Todd and I always walk down to watch it. There is that same feeling there that used to be abundant when I was a child, that special feeling of excitement. The church is packed with children dressed as angels, or shepherds and the seats are packed with proud family members. They put on a nativity play and it is so sweet to watch. Carols are sung, and then at the end each child is presented with a Christingle. A big round orange with a lit candle stuck into the top, it's middle banded with a red ribbon and four skewers of sweeties sticking out the top.

Christingle servicse are held in churches, usually between Advent and Candlemas. It is an excellent opportunity for people of all ages to join in, using oranges to create visible symbols of the Christian message.

The Christingle has its origins in a Moravian children's service held in a castle in Germany on Christmas Eve in 1747. The bishop conducting the informal service gave each child a lighted candle, tied with a red ribbon, in memory of the Saviour's coming which he said has kindled a flame in each heart which keeps burning "to His joy, and our happiness".

Much later, this simple candle was replaced by a more elaborate Christingle which is rich in symbolism. Our modern Christingle consists of:

an orange . . . representing the world
a red ribbon, tied round the orange . . . representing the blood of Jesus
fruits and sweets, skewered on 4 cocktail sticks which are pushed into the orange . . . representing God's good gifts - the fruits of the earth and the four seasons
a lighted candle, pushed into the centre of the orange . . . representing Christ, the light of the world



It's a really wonderful tradition and quite old fashioned, and Todd and I just love to attend this service. We love to see the little kiddies all dressed up and we love to watch the nativity play and we love to feel of their excitment as they parade around the church to receive their Christingle and as they walk carefully back to their seats holding their oranges and trying not to catch anything on fire with the candle. I'm actually surprised that the Health and Safety demons have not put a stop to this wonderful tradition like they have done to a lot of others, and I hope that they never do.

Well, there is another family tradition that has been going on in my family for years. It seems that it can never be Christmas without one of another of us coming down with a cold or flu. Todd has been nursing a cold for a couple of weeks now. Thankfully so far it has missed me. There's been a lot of these being made between the big house and here at the cottage though. This is my cure for the common cold. It doesn't really cure it, but it does help you to feel a bit better from time to time . . . I can remember an old plumber who came to work on my pipes once. I had a terrible cold and he told me to mash about six cloves of garlic and eat them between some bread and butter. (yes, he was European) I have never tried it however, my desire to keep my family and friends close by over-riding the fear of them wanting to stay as far away from me as possible, but I have drunk plenty of these!



*Marie's Cold Curative Drink*
Makes 1

This is quite nice. The vitamin C from the lemon is good for you and the honey soothes your throat. Not sure what the gingerroot does, but it does make it all taste quite exotic. Perhaps it soothes your tummy.

Boiling water
the peel of half a lemon, cut in one long piece
the juice of half a lemon
one slice of fresh ginger-root, peeled and bruised
1 tsp of honey

Put the lemon peel, lemon juice and ginger-root into a mug. Pour boiling water over all and allow to steep for about 5 or 6 minutes. Stir in the honey and sip. Repeat as necessary. It may not cure your cold, but it will help you to feel better.

PS - on a side note, we watched the Royal Variety Concert last night on the telly and really enjoyed it. Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Take That, Leona Lewis, it was all really good. I especially enjoyed the music put on from the musical "Jersey Boys", which is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It was sooo good! Why don't they put these musicals out on DVD?

Embracing the "You" in You

“Conformity is one of the most fundamental dishonesties of all. When we reject our specialness, water down our God-given individuality and uniqueness, we begin to lose our freedom. The conformist is in no way a free man. He has to follow the herd.”
~Norman Vincent Peale


It seems I’ve always walked a few steps out of beat with those around me. I’ve always been a bit of a rebel, but not in a bad way. I guess some might think me a bit odd. I suppose it’s that oddness that opened my heart to this weird and wonderful church I belong to. When I am at church and I see those around me and ponder their unique ways and personalities, I can see that we are all a bit odd, but in a very beautiful way. I’m really quite glad that we are.

I went through a period of time when I was a child at school, and especially in my early teens, that I got teased and bullied mercilessly. I think it was because I was different . . . because I didn’t fit in the same as the rest of them did. I suppose that it was the wolf pack mentality of the others, the law of the herd, that made them feel the need to weed out all that were different, or that they deemed as somehow being weaker. Quiet and sensitive, I was probably a sitting duck for all their slings and arrows.



Looking back, I am quite glad that I was different and I’m glad that I was strong enough to withstand their aggressiveness. They say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and I truly believe that through those hard years I learned a lot about compassion and forgiveness for others, and about tolerance and endurance. Thankfully, we moved after a few years, and so the teasing and bullying stopped, but I still carry some of the scars on my heart and in my mind. They are a part of the fabric of who I became and who I am . . .

In my later teen years, I did follow the crowd a bit, all the while trying to maintain as much of my uniqueness and individuality as I could. I was everyone’s friend, even those that nobody wanted to be a friend to. I always had great compassion for those sorts of people, having once been ostracized in much the same way. Besides, secretly . . . deep down, I knew I was still one of them and had just not been found out yet. As I got older too, the bullies were fewer and far-er between . . . and most of the people I knew were starting to strike out a bit more as individuals anyways.



I guess I’ve always known that I was special, even if I didn’t always act like it. I may have taken a lot of abuse from my ex husband, and perhaps I even felt for a time like I wasn’t worth not taking it, but deep down I think I knew that I was special, but I allowed him to squelch it through the years. Every once in a while though, this unique person that I was would stick it’s head up above the mire and wave it’s arms. When you are busy raising a family and taking care of a home, you hardly have time to think about your own needs and wants, your days are so full of taking care of others. It's quite easy to get lost in the business of the needs and wants of others for a time. And as a mother, how can you do anything but?

In my later years, I have come to realize just who I am as an individual, and to embrace that unique and wonderful person, and yes . . . celebrate her for who she is and all with her differences and various talents. I am a special individual, unique in all ways, and I love who I am and who I’ve allowed myself to become. I still walk a few beats out of step from everyone else, but I am quite proud that I do. I love that I stand out in a crowd. I’m still a bit of an odd duck, but I love my oddness. It works for me. I have come to recognize my God-given talents and embrace them, explore them, use them . . . I relish every opportunity which comes my way to share them with others and to help them in some way, if I can and if they'll let me.



I look at my life like a huge piece of embroidery that I have been working on for years, quite different than anyone else’s, but every bit as beautiful and even more so in some ways for it’s individuality. I have stitches here and stitches there, it’s randomness creating something quite wonderful and unique and special, this tapestry of my life. I suppose when it’s finally finished I will be able to look back and count all the stitches and be quite proud of my accomplishment, but in the meantime I’m just enjoying creating it, in my unique and beautiful way.

Just my thoughts this morning . . .



It's strawberry season here as I expect it is in a lot of places in the Northern Hemisphere. I love strawberries. As a child, I spent many hours in the strawberry fields under the hot sun picking punnets and punnets of delicious berries, that my mother would later make into jam, but in the meantime there would be lovely things like bowls of fresh strawberries, still warm from the sun with cold cream poured over them and delicious strawberry shortcakes . . . One year, when my own children were growing up, and we were visiting my in-laws on Prince Edward Island, we took them strawberry picking for a morning. They picked about a dozen punnets of their own and we set them up a strawberry stand at the end of the driveway. They had a great time selling their berries and were thrilled when they got to sell several of the same boxes more than once! Generous neighbours in that neighbourhood of elderly retired people, just wanted to pay them for the joy they received in watching these hard working children revel in their accomplishment, whilst learning the value of hard work. I wonder if my kids ever think about that afternoon like I do . . . happy memories.

They are getting quite cheap in the stores just at the moment and so I picked up a punnet yesterday so that Todd and I could enjoy a couple of these last night as an early summer treat! Ahh . . . watching the film Braveheart, whilst supping on a delicious homemade strawberry milkshake . . . bliss . . . he might be a bit of a kook, but the sight of Mel Gibson in a kilt gets to me every time . . . hmmm . . . I wonder if I can get Todd to run through the house wearing nothing but a car blanket wrapped around his waist yelling "They may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom" at the top of his lungs??? (the thought boggles the mind!)



*Strawberry Ice Cream Shake*
Serves 2

Life couldn't get any easier or any tastier . . . summer in a glass.

225g of strawberries, washed and hulled and cut in half
300ml of cold milk
3 large scoops of vanilla ice cream
an Extra two strawberries to garnish (optional)

Tip all the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour into tall chilled glasses and garnish with a whole berry.

Sup and enjoy.



PS - This is a piece I posted orignally on my Muses page back in November, well except for the strawberries that is!