Looking back . . .

Source: the50s.tumblr.com via Evelyn on Pinterest

I got a new music cd this week called Be My Baby, The Girls of the Sixties. Oh, it's just lovely, filled with songs like "I Only Want To Be With You" (Dusty Springfield), "Be My Baby" (The Ronettes), "Just One Look" (Doris Troy) and many, many others, some 70 songs in all. Oh how I have been enjoying listening to it as I putter away here at home. Todd's been enjoying it as well. Although in truth I was not a teenager when most of these songs came out, I was old enough to enjoy them anyways and listening to them brought back some lovely memories of my pre-teen years . . . click to play the following video and read on . . .



I can remember seeing the older kids getting off their bus from high school and admiring all the girls with their twin sweater sets, pony tails, bobbie sox and saddle shoes. Oh my how sophisticated they looked to me . . . and the boys with their comb backs and loafers. I could hardly wait to be a teenager . . .

On Saturday afternoons I used to watch a show on the telly called Bob and the Hits. I suppose this was the Canadian version of American Bandstand. All the latest pop tunes would be played and there would be dancing as well. There was also a Canadian Bandstand and on Friday Nights, when I got a bit older . . . It's Happening with Robbie Lane and The Disciples. Oh how I loved watching those shows and dreaming . . .

Of going to dances and wearing clothes like that and maybe even snogging a boy, one day . . . maybe even Robbie Lane!!

Source: adore-vintage.tumblr.com via Evelyn on Pinterest

I already had a pretty sizeable crush on Wally Cleaver . . . and spent many an hour wishing I was someone cool and pretty . . . someone like Annette Funicello or Sandra Dee, who always got their man . . . and who had fun times in the local soda shop, at the beach, or even slumber parties . . .

I had never been to a slumber party . . . but I had a pretty good idea of what was involved. Listening to all the latest 45 record hits on the Hi Fi and playing with each other's hair . . . trying on makeup and talking about boys, boys, boys . . . laughing a lot, dancing a little and eating cool food like Jiffy Pop Popcorn and maybe even ice cream soda's. I had never had one . . . but I knew they must be wonderful!

Source: weheartit.com via Sydney on Pinterest

I wanted a little pink Princess phone and a home permanent . . . I wanted to go to the Prom and dances at the Country Club. I wanted to dance on the beach and go surfing like Gidget . . . I wanted a friend with a cool name like Moon Doggie, and a place to hang out with all my friends . . . I wanted to baby sit. Oh to be old enough to baby sit . . . sigh . . . I wanted to be Haley Mills and go to summer camp.

Most of my experience in the world came from what I saw on the television or from what I read in books or saw at the movies. I expect it was the same with most girls my age way back then.

Source: google.com via Sydney on Pinterest

The early sixties was a special time . . . a time of innocence and hope . . . and looking forward instead of backward . . . if that makes any sense. I remember thinking I could be anyone, and do anything . . . and go anywhere . . . one day.

And then . . . I grew up, and realized that . . . life is not all fun and games, pin curls and bobby sox . . . you couldn't sort all of your problems out in 30 minutes, and that boy next door . . . he probably didn't exist . . . and if he did . . . he wasn't all that cute or all that interested! Oh, I got to do the slumber party thing . . . and Jiffy Pop . . . I went to Friday Lunch Sock Hops at school . . . and experienced my first kiss and holding hands . . . but it all passed by in a seeming flash, and here I am . . . some 50 odd years later . . . looking back at it all, listening to the Ronettes and thinking to myself . . . was it only a dream?

Source: howtobearetronaut.com via Sydney on Pinterest

Thanks for indulging me this morning. I thought in the spirit of the sixties and things in the past I would show you a recipe for a real teen treat this morning! I remember going to my first pre-teen mixed boy/girl party when I was 10. It was held in a neighbor's garage and there was Japanese Lanterns strung across the ceiling and all the latest tunes playing on the record player and dancing and lots of soda pop and things to eat just like this . . .


*Fish Stick Taco Dogs*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Something a little bit different to please the teens in your life.

8 frozen breaded or battered fish sticks
1 (8 ounce) can of refrigerated crescent rolls
(8 rolls in the tin)
1 TBS Taco seasoning mix (from a packet)
4 slices of cheese, each cut into 4 strips
3 TBS chunky tomato salsa

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the fish sticks onto the pan. Bake for 10 minutes, turning once during the baking time.

Separate the crescent dough into 8 triangles. Lightly sprinkle the surface of each with the taco seasoning, pressing it lightly to make it adhere. Turn over so that the taco seasoning is on the bottom and lay them out onto your work surface, seasoning side down.

Place one cooked fish stick on the shortest side of each triangle. Top each with 2 strips of the cheese and 1 tsp of the tomato salsa. Starting with the shortest side of the triangle, roll up the dough around the fish stick. Place cheese side up onto the same baking sheet that you have already used.

Return to the oven and bake for an additional 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Serve hot.

Note: A bowl of tomato soup on the side goes very well.

You have choice in The English Kitchen today!



Frozen Lemon Souffle



or Sauteed Potato Gnocchi with Egg

Looking for love . . .

Source: flickriver.com via Marie on Pinterest

I don’t think there is one of us that doesn’t have an idea or vision of what we think the perfect love is. There are even some of us that feel that . . . at the very least . . . this is something that each person deserves in life . . . our God given right as it were.

We fantasize about having a relationship without any arguments . . . chock full of warmth and understanding, containing total co-operation and a complete and utter propensity for tenderness. There are no negatives at all.

There are lots of us that spend a great deal of time measuring what we really have against our dreams of what we think we should have . . . and feeling sorry for ourselves because it’s totally lacking . . . and not what we ended up with at all.

Source: flickr.com via Marie on Pinterest

I have known people to become so obsessed with finding this perfect person, this perfect relationship . . . that they have left their homes and families in pursuit of it and seeing their pursuit of happiness as their right.

They wander aimlessly through life searching and never finding, discarding lover after lover in their tireless search for their true ideal. If you were to ask them what they are so desperately searching for in a relationship, their answer would be that they are looking for true love. But . . . in reality, they have no idea of what true love really is. Perhaps, at the end of the day, the only person they would truly be happy with . . . would be themselves.

Source: flickr.com via Marie on Pinterest

In reality there is no such thing as perfect love here on earth . . . only human love. And . . . because we are all human . . . we are bound to fall short of the mark of being perfect . . . and loving perfectly.

We will each make mistakes, each lose our tempers from time to time and yes . . . we will, each of us . . . be argumentative, stubborn, selfish, less than entertaining . . . you name it . . . full of warts, from time to time. None of us is perfect, and none of us can love perfectly. We can only do our best and hopefully we will find a partner in life that will do their best in return. That’s as much as any one of us can expect and probably much more than most of us deserve!



I had a list of qualities which I was seeking in a man when I was looking for a new partner in life, all those years ago . . . but Mr. Perfect wasn’t on it. I think I got my wish! Oh I do love the Toddster! He may not be perfect . . . but he’s perfect for me, and that, my dear friends, suits me to a "T!"

Here's a real favourite thing that I make for my Todd. He loves carrot cake and anything with a bit of spice in it. These scones go down a real treat with a hot cuppa for elevenses or an afternoon teatime treat. I like that you only have to mix them up and then drop them on the pan before baking . . . but of course if you are looking for a more structured shape, you can pat them out into a circle and cut into wedges. They are delicious no matter how you shape them!



*Carrot Cake Drop Scones*
Makes 8
Printable Recipe

Your favourite cake . . . in a scone! The perfect teatime treat. You can bake these in wedges as well. Just pat the dough into a circle and cut into wedges before baking. Dropping is so much easier though.

For the scones:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch ground cardamom
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup cold butter, cut into bits
1/3 cup heavy cream (whipping or double)
1 cup finely grated raw peeled carrot (about 1 1/2 medium sized carrots)
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 large free range egg

For the glaze:
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 TBS heavy cream or milk
amall pinch each ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cardamom

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices and salt in a large bowl. Drop the butter into the bowl and cut in using a pastry blender or by using the round blade of two knives and criss crossing them, until the mixture looks like fine bread crumbs. Stir in the cream, carrots, raisins and egg until the dough leaves the side of the bowl and forms a ball.

Drop the dough two inches apart on the baking sheet, using heaped tablespoons. Press slightly.

Bake in the heated oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately remove to a wire rack to cool to warm. Drizzle with the spice glaze and serve.

To make the spice glaze, whisk all of the ingredients together until smooth. Delicious!!



Over in The English Kitchen today, some dangerous Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups!

Family togetherness

Source: google.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Laying in bed last night as I was waiting to fall asleep my mind went back to a particular memory that I have of a special time spent with my children. For a few minutes I was back there with them and it was just lovely.

We had recently moved to a small town in the Northern part of Southern Ontario and my husband had gone on a golfing trip to Myrtle Beach with his buddies. It was in the early Spring and we were having some really bad weather. Rain, rain and even more rain, accompanied by high winds. It was early in the evening and all of a sudden the power went off. I quickly gathered up all the candles in the house while we decided what to do.

We waited for a few minutes, thinking that the power would be coming back on shortly, but alas . . . it did not, and so we settled in for an evening without electricity. My eldest daughter was particularly upset as it meant she would not be able to watch her favourite show that night, and that was really important to her . . . but after a while even she settled in. We decided to play Monopoly.

Source: jensownroad.blogspot.com via Melanie on Pinterest

Monopoly by candlelight. It was a lot of fun and I think everyone really enjoyed themselves. We sat around the table in the flickering light and without the distraction of television or telephone we had a really great time together as a family. I can't remember who won, if anyone . . . only that we were happy.

After the game, we decided we were going to camp out together in the living room that night instead of going off into our various rooms to sleep. We dragged a few mattresses into the living room and made up some beds for everyone. I think I slept on the couch. We spent another few hours chatting and singing and telling stories until one by one we all fell asleep. The wind was raging outside, the thunder was clapping loudly . . . but we were together and that somehow quelled any fears that any of us might have had.

It was only in the light of the next day that we learned that a tornado had passed by very closely to where we were living. Thankfully we had not been directly affected, other than having lost our power. We took a drive out into the countryside to see the damage done and I remember it looking as if a big giant hand had just reached down snapping off trees like they were twigs etc. One elderly man had actually been plucked from his yard and set down in another place, and lived to tell the tale. We saw a house with no roof . . . but thankfully most of the damage had been done only to trees and such.

I was very thankful that we had not known what was really going on . . . had we done so, I think we have spent a very different night together . . . but as they say . . . "Ignorance is Bliss," and in our bliss we instead built a lovely memory together. A memory that I treasure. I lay there thinking about it last night and I smiled into the dark with the warmth of my thoughts and I wondered if they remembered that evening with as much fondness as I do . . .

Source: Uploaded by user via Nicole on Pinterest

Far too often we allow the distractions of modern life take us away from the things that are truly important. We spend our evenings watching the television or on the computer . . . instead of communicating with each other or building family memories together. I think sometimes it is a good thing to turn it all off and to just be together. In the olden days people had to entertain themselves . . . and would often spend evenings together singing songs, telling stories, etc.

In our church we have a practice of having a Family Home Evening on one night each week. The normal night designated for this is Monday evenings, although it does vary from family to family as a result of working schedules etc. This is a night where we are encouraged to do something as a family, something that will help to bring us closer together, and to strengthen family ties and love for each other. It may have a spiritual theme at times and be an opportunity to learn something new, or to draw closer to our Heavenly Father . . . at others it may simply be an evening where we do something fun together.

Source: weheartit.com via 'Defne on Pinterest

All families . . . from the large to the very small, and everything in between, we are encouraged to set this special time aside. In my Ward there is a group of single adults who get together to do something as a group with each other, as they have no family at home to share it with. Todd and I are just two . . . but we are a family, and even we do something special together on Monday evenings. More often than not we will read the scriptures together or watch an uplifting film from our church. We talk and we pray and we just enjoy a few hours together without the distractions of the world. It's a pretty special time.

Family togetherness . . . it's a good thing.


This is an old favourite from my Big Blue Binder. I expect that it was copied out of a magazine once upon a time, although I can't remember which one anymore. It is delicious! The pear centre makes it quite unsual. Everyone loves it!



*Walnut-Pear Sour Cream Coffee Cake*
Makes 12 servings
Printable Recipe

A beautifully moist coffee cake with a tasty layer of pear running through it's centre.


1 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup soft light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup plain flour
2 medium pears, peeled, cored and sliced (approx. 2 cups)
2 tsp lemon juice
1 3/4 cup of plain flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large free range eggs
1 (8-oz) carton sour cream

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Grease a 9-inch spring form pan or a 9-inch square baking pan. Set aside.

Combine the walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. In another small bowl, rub the butter into the 1/3 cup of flour until crumbly. Stir in 3/4 cup of the nut mixture. Set this aside. (This will be the topping.) Reserve the remainder of the nut mixture.

Toss the pear slices with lemon juice and set aside.

Combine the 1 3/4 cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Beat the 1/2 cup softened butter in a large bowl for about 30 seconds. Beat in the sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture, alternately, with the sour cream, beating on low after each addition until combined.

Spread 2/3 of the batter in the prepared pan. Lay the pear slices on top and then sprinkle them with the reserved nut mixture. Spread the remainder of the batter over top to cover pears. Sprinkle with the topping mixture over all.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing the sides. Allow to cool for half an hour before serving. Serve warm.



Over in The English Kitchen today I am cooking a Chicken Taco Salad, (low fat).

“We build deep and loving family relationships by doing simple things together, like family dinner and family home evening and by just having fun together. In family relationships love is really spelled t-i-m-e, time. Taking time for each other is the key for harmony at home. We talk with, rather than about, each other. We learn from each other, and we appreciate our differences as well as our commonalities. We establish a divine bond with each other as we approach God together through family prayer, gospel study, and Sunday worship.”
― Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Sunday this and that . . .

Source: google.com via Marie on Pinterest

Hands up if you've climbed any mountains recently!! Hmmm . . . that many of you eh? I didn't think there would be very many of you who put your hands up . . . in fact I would have been quite surprised and amazed had any of you put them up! But what if I told you I wasn't talking about rocky peaks . . . but metaphorical mountains . . . the challenges we sometimes encounter which can seem very daunting and much like mountains in our lives??? Ahhh . . . thought so. Everyone's hand is up now!

We are all mountain climbers, are we not??? I am reminded immediately of a friend of mine who never lets anything stand in her way of accomplishing anything. When the children in her village recently were in need of a playground, she totally ignored all the scoffers and set about organizing fund raisers and the like . . . rallying friends and cajoling local businesses into supporting the scheme. Amazingly within a year she had raised enough and the playground went from being a dream into a reality.

Source: faithfulnessfarm.blogspot.com via Marie on Pinterest

There is an old adage that says . . . "Those who say something can't be done, should not interrupt those who are doing it." I say . . . "Never say never." If you stand still in life . . . you will go nowhere, accomplish nothing, and mountains will never be moved, climbed or conquered. One foot in front of the other is the way to go. You can take baby steps or you can take giant steps, but the end result will be the same. Mission accomplished.

I like to think that I am a mountain climber. If you never climb . . . you never progress, or grow. It's all a part of the refinement process!

Can you believe it? I am getting another cold! This is so annoying! I have never totally shaken the one I got in the autumn . . . it's coming back again with the tickle in my throat and cough. It just doesn't seem to want to let go. Hopefully it won't be as bad this time around!



We took ourselves off to a film at the cinema last night with some friends. We saw "The Iron Lady", starring Meryl Streep. Wow! If she doesn't win an academy award for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher I will be amazed. She did a fabulous job and was most believable as Margaret Thatcher. She had the accent/voice down pat and I felt was very convincing as the character. Not having lived over here when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, I found it all very interesting. I know the film has quite mixed reviews with some saying that it ignores things that it shouldn't have and glosses over others, but if you are looking to see some brilliant acting and be entertained for a few hours, I say go for it. The four of us all really enjoyed this film. There was no swearing (that I heard in any case), no gratuitous sex or violence, except for news footage of some of the rioting/bombings/ etc. which occured during her time as PM of this great country. I came away with the opinion that she was probably one of the greatest Prime Ministers the UK has ever had, putting her right up there with Churchill . . . but that is only my opinion, you must go see it and form your own! The next movie we want to see is War Horse. That looks fabulous as well.

I have a real treat for you here this morning. You know those boxes of After Eight Mints that you get every Christmas??? This is the perfect way to use them up, just so they don’t go stale-like, you know, sitting on the counter there all alone and not being eaten or anything . . .



*Chocolate Mint Snacking Cake*
Makes 1 8-inch square cake
Printable Recipe

Over in North America you can buy these lovely little cake mixes called Snacking Cakes. They come in all sorts of flavours and are just the right size for an after school snack or a drink and gab with your neighbours on a coffee morning. This is a little snacking cake of my own. Deliciously chocolately with wonderfully melting chocolate mints on top. This one is a keeper. It comes from my old blue binder, where the page is well spattered. You just know it is good coz it’s so well loved!

¾ cup caster sugar
½ cup flour
½ cup butter, softened
1/3 cup cocoa powder (not drinking cocoa)
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
3 large eggs
16 squares of thin chocolate after dinner mints
Icing Sugar for dusting over the top after baking

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Lightly butter and flour an 8 inch square baking tin and set aside.

Put all the cake ingredients, except for the mints and icing sugar into a bowl and beat well together on medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth over.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until it tests done. (a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, or when the top springs back when lightly touched) Remove from the oven and immediately, while it is still hot, place the mints on the top in rows, overlapping the points. Set aside to cool

When cool dust the top lightly with icing sugar. Cut into squares to serve.



Baking over in The English Kitchen today some delicious Chocolate Filled Peanut Butter Cookies!

Poetry Saturday . . . Spell Bound

Source: ginsui-rin.deviantart.com via Marie on Pinterest

The night is darkening round me,
The wild winds coldly blow;
But a tyrant spell has bound me
And I cannot, cannot go.

Source: weheartit.com via Marie on Pinterest

The giant trees are bending
Their bare boughs weighed with snow,
And the storm is fast descending,
And yet I cannot go.

Source: flickr.com via Marie on Pinterest

Clouds beyond clouds above me,
Wastes beyond wastes below;
But nothing drear can move me,
I will not, cannot go.
~Emily Bronte

Source: bonjour-celine.blogspot.com via Marie on Pinterest

Oh how easy it is to be completely spell bound by a winter's snow when you are out walking and it begins to fall . . . first those fluffy fat flakes like goosedown . . . melting almost as soon as they land on the ground. But then . . . they begin to fall faster and faster . . . and one after another begins to add up and soon . . . the ground is covered, but . . . still it falls.

And you stand there as it accumulates on your shoulders and hair and eyelashes . . . and perhaps you stick your tongue out for just a taste . . . and it tastes like magic. It has you in it's spell, the magic woven around you and over you . . . and under you. You cannot help but stand still and take it all in. That is a winter's day . . . in the snow . . . in the wood . . . on your own. Can anyhting on earth possibly be more beautiful, or serene?

Snowy thoughts for today . . . The wind is blowing again. I can hear it howling down the chimney. We had the fab offer last night of a week in Spain. All we have to pay for is our airfare. It is very tempting. We shall give it some thought for sure . . . but with two weddings coming up and a very strict budget, I'm not sure we dare chance it. Best pray about it I think!!

Have some apples in your fruit basket that need using up? This is a very delicious way to do just that. One of our favourite cakes, this is one from my archives. The picture's not that great, but I can still remember how very wonderful it tasted. I just may have to break down and bake one today. Sigh . . . I am so weak.



*Caramel Apple Cake*
Serves 12
Printable Recipe

Tart apples combined with a delicious caramel glaze are a classic combination. This pleases everyone who eats it. Serve it sliced with some vanilla ice cream, for a simple dessert that will, at once, both impress and tantalize your guests. This one will have them coming back for more!

3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup castor sugar
¾ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 cups chopped Granny Smith apples (3 to 4 large apples)

GLAZE:
½ cup butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup milk

Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl; set aside. Beat the brown sugar, castor sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and beat until well blended; mixture will be very thick. Fold in the apples. Pour into a greased and floured tube pan (bundt). Bake in a pre-heated 180*C/350*F oven for 1 hour, or until a wooden pick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack, then invert onto a serving plate.

For the glaze combine the butter, brown sugar and milk in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Pour the hot glaze over the cooled cake. You may also bake this cake in a 9 X 13 inch rectangular cake pan, in which case the cooking time will only be about 45 minutes.



Cooking over in The English Kitchen today, Fat Rascals!

Marie's Sunday Six

I haven't done a Sunday Smiles in a couple of weeks and I've surely been having lots to smile about so I thought it was about time I did one! Having a cold doesn't make me smile, nor does this darned coughing make me smile, but I have plenty that does and it's best to dwell on the good in our lives is it not?



This is my brother David. He is just filled to overflowing with the Christmas Spirit this year! Actually he will probably kill me for showing you this, but then again, he is using it as his profile picture on facebook, so fair game! Actually my brother is probably one of those angels on earth you hear about at Christmas time. For as long as I remember he's been the Co-ordinators for the Shoe-box appeal for Samaritan's Purse in his area and every Christmas for years and years, he, his wife and his 4 girls have given up their whole Christmas to go and organize and put together an International Christmas in their area for foreign students who are not able to get home for Christmas. They organize activities for them, and cook meals for them etc., out at a camp near their home. They do it every year without fail. That is the true spirit of Christmas . . . the spirit of Christ, of love and of giving. Knowing that I have a brother who is an angel on earth makes me smile. (He's also got a pretty good sense of humor!)



This is my grandson's Jon (in red) and Josh (in plaid). They are busy baking and decorating Christmas Cookies! It looks like they are having a really good time!



Baking and decorating Christmas Cookies with the kiddos is a lot of fun. It also takes lots of patience and a blind eye! You have to remember not to notice all the flour that is on the floor and in their hair.



Likewise, the bits of coloured icing that gets wiped on their clothes, along with the sprinkles and candies . . .



Christmas is for children after all . . . Seeing my two grandsons having such a great time decorating these cookies makes me smile. It warms my heart to see them having such a nice time . . . and knowing that I have a son and daughter in law that are building lovely Christmas Traditions with their boys, just as I did for my son. Their father Doug was the Gingerbread Cookie King!



Little Jacob didn't get to bake cookies. He had to wait in a cage until they were done. He had a bottle and lots of bears to keep him company. It was probably the smartest thing to do!



This is our Gabriel on his first day of school this year. I know, my son was very late sending me some photos, but you know what they say . . . better late than never! Gabriel is my oldest grandson and the oldest son of my oldest son. Not sure what that means, but I am sure it's really special! I know HE'S really special at any rate and he always makes me smile. He looks very happy here for his first day and well prepared with his bookbag and new watch! (I'm going to have to rethink his birthday present this year I can see! uh oh!) He is the grandson that christened Todd as Gran-Todd! He just adores Todd and the feeling is quite mutual! Gabriel always makes me smile!



This is his little brother Luke, taken on the same day. It was Luke's first day in pre-school. He looks a little bit unsure of himself, but oh so sweet I think! It was a big day for both of them! And for mama too . . .



I just adore my DIL Anne. She is the daughter of my heart. I could not love her any more if I had given birth to her myself. It makes me smile to know that my son has a wife like her and that my grandsons have a mother like her. Anne makes me smile! (She's a pretty good Pirate too!)



Well Shiver-me-timbers you Swashbucklers! If this does not make you smile, you will just have to walk the plank!!



Little Maryn's first visit to Santa Claus surely made me smile as well. She looks like she's telling him everything on her list and making sure that he has all the details just right! Whatever it is she is telling him . . . it looks pretty important at any rate!! I think I have the most beautiful grand-daughter in the world . . . I know that there are millions out there that have beautiful grand-daughters of their own . . . that are very special too . . . but for me and mine, Maryn is the best! Of course she is the only grand-daughter, and great-grand-daughter in the family. That makes her very special indeed. I do love her so very much.

Source: the50s.tumblr.com via Marie on Pinterest

I know that this has been a very family oriented Sunday Smiles . . . two weeks before Christmas . . . but that's what Christmas is all about is it not? About the love of family . . . and friends (for afterall are not friends the family you get to pick for yourself???) It's about joy and peace . . . the love of Christ in action . . . the spirit of good will . . . the Birth of the Saviour.

I hope that you have a lovely sabbath day today and that you are able to find some joy in this day in measures both large and small . . . a smile, or two or three . . . and that you'll feel your Saviour's love in abundance.



Listen to this. It will make you smile.

These muffins will probably make you smile too. They are like jam filled doughnuts . . . with jammy centres and a buttery coating of cinnamon sugar! Oh so scrumdiddlyumptiously good!



*Jam Surprise Muffins*Makes 8
Printable Recipe

These muffins are truly lovely. A deliciously moist cake surrounds a hidden surprise of fruit jam in the middle and the whole thing is dipped in melted butter and cinnamon sugar coated while still warm. These yummy babies are so good and delicious you will find yourself wondering however did you ever get through life thus far without them!

½ cup caster sugar
½ cup butter, softened
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup milk
1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
½ cup fruit jam ( I like strawberry or raspberry myself)
TO COAT:
½ cup melted butter
½ cup caster sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon

Pre-heat your oven to 200*C/400*F. Grease a muffin tin that makes larger sized muffins well and set aside. (as you will only be getting 8 muffins from this I suggest you fill the empty holes with water before baking so that you do not burn your pan)

Place the butter into a bowl and cream it with the sugar really well until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

Sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the pinch of salt. Add this mixture to the creamed mixture alternatively with the milk. Beginning and ending with the dry mixture.

Spoon half of the batter into the muffins cups. Top each with a teaspoon of fruit jam in the centre, making sure it does not touch the sides. Divide the remaining batter between each of them and top them with it to cover the jam. Don’t worry it if just lays there on top as it will spread when it hit’s the heat of the oven.

Bake in the heated oven for 15 to 18 minutes until well risen and lightly browned, and they spring back when touched very lightly with your fingertips. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing them from the baking tin to cool on a wire rack, to where you can just handle them with your fingers without being burnt.

Put the melted butter into a bowl. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in another bowl. Roll each muffin first in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar. Place them on a wire rack until the coating sets somewhat. Serve warm with your favourite hot bevvie!



Over in The English Kitchen today there are some Angel Cookies, that look a little more like aliens, but what the heck. They taste delicious!