The Difference . . .

I got up early one morning
And rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish
That I didn't have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me
And heavier came each task
"Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered
He answered, "You didn't ask!"

I wanted to see joy and beauty
But the day toiled on, grey and bleak;
I wondered why God didn't show me
He said "But you didn't seek!"

I tried to come into God's presence
I used all my keys at the lock;
God gently and lovingly chided
"My child, you didn't knock."

I woke up early this morning
And paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish
That I had the time to pray.
~author unknown



One of the first things I do each morning, as soon as I open my eyes in fact, is to have a few moments alone with my Heavenly Father in prayer. I thank Him for the night I have just passed through, and then I thank Him for the day which sits before me, and I ask that He would guide my steps along the journey that faces me in the coming hours. When I am in the shower, I prayerfully think about all those that I know are in need of my words and prayers, and I ask God to help them, and I ponder any needs that I may have myself, and I ask for guidance and help for those as well. I often say a silent prayer throughout my day as I go about my business. I believe the scriptures charge us to pray unceasingly, and I have to say that I usually have a running monologue going through my head between myself and my Heavenly Father. It is a simple thing . . . prayer . . . but it is something that I absolutely need each morning to get my day off to the right and perfect start. I love my Todd, and I would no more think about going out that front door each morning without sharing a few words with him and telling him how much I love him . . . and I love my Heavenly Father and I would no more think about going out the front door of my day without doing the same thing with Him . . . it takes so little effort, but it makes all the difference in the world between having merely a good day or having a great day! It has been my experience that, when I allow my Heavenly Father to guide my steps, I walk a better path . . .



No Thrifty Thursdays here today. This is my last post before I go off on my great adventure. I cannot believe that at this time tomorrow, I will have begun this wonderful journey! I am so excited about the friends I am going to be able to spend time with, and about seeing my lovely daughter again. I hate to leave Todd behind, but alas, it just wasn't the right time for him to go anywhere. I have made sure he has enough to eat, and I just know that people here will take good care of him for me while I am away.

I have not had any time to do any posts ahead this time, like I did last summer when I was away, but you never know, I may have a chance to jump onto a computer now and then and let you know how all is going. In any case, when I return home, I will be armed with lots of pictures and stories to share with you all. If anyone of you wanted to keep up with my daughter, she has a page here on the Canada Team site: HERE There is a lovely photo of her there and a few words about her as well. I believe that one is also able to leave a message of support for her on that page. The official page for the games is HERE.

I have a ton of things to do today. I have to work, as well as pack, as well as teach a Seminary Lesson. I also have to cut Todd's hair. I am giving Young Women's a pass tonight as I have to be in bed early. I will be on the road a little past five o'clock tomorrow morning! Somebody pinch me coz I still feel like I am dreaming!

I thought I would leave you with the recipe for a really tasty appetizer spread that I make often at work and at home. You don't need to go out and buy the best smoked salmon for this. I often only buy the packages of bits and ends that is quite a lot cheaper. They work just fine in this recipe. I have had this recipe posted on Recipezaar for a long time now, and I have to say it has lots of 5 star reviews and is quite popular, so you know , it's really good.



*Smoked Salmon Spread*
Makes 2 cups

Normally we serve this delicious spread with breadsticks or crackers. Try spooning the leftovers (You'll be lucky if there is any) onto some thick, grilled slices of sourdough bread and top it with a squirt of lemon and a few grinds of pepper. The creamy, pale pink spread, melting into the crevices of the crunchy toast is totally moreish!

12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
6 dashes Tabasco sauce
3 spring onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
8 ounces smoked salmon, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dried dill tops
fresh ground black pepper to taste
fresh dill, for garnish (optional)
crackers or breadsticks, for serving

Blitz the cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice and tabasco sauce in a food processor until it is well combined and smooth. Add the spring onions, capers, salmon, dill and black pepper and pulse a few times to blend well. Don't over pulse as a bit of texture is wanted. Garnish with dill and serve chilled or at room temperature, accompanied with crackers or breadsticks.

I'll catch you all on the flip side! Wish me well!!

Things that make you go mmmm . . .

We have a new baby in our Ward ( for you non-LDS'ers, read church congregation here). It's a little boy and he's so sweet. He's only a week younger than my newest grandson and his parents brought him to church this past Sunday for the very first time. I got to hold him. He was so tiny and perfect . . . his little hand wrapped around my finger and plucked all my heart strings. I looked down at his beautiful little face and fell in love with this little man so pure . . . so fresh from his Heavenly Father's presence.

His father is a very handsome man, with dark hair and eyes and his mother is from Bolivia and so he was quite handsome, with long dark hair framing his wonderful little face and he lay there so calmly in my arms, without a care in the world, so trusting, oh so very beautiful. I really could have held him forever, or at least until he fussed, which he didn't by the way, but I had to get to Young Women's so the bliss had to end . . .

It got me to thinking about things that make you sigh and pluck at your heart strings . . . like raindrops on roses and long whiskered kittens.



like baby toes, all pink and soft . . . you can kiss each one, one at a time and when you have finished kissing the last one, you go back and start again at the first. You could kiss them forever and ever . . .



Or little puppies that waddle and scamper around your feet and roll over to let you scratch their little bellies so tender and sweet. (I didn't really mean to make that rhyme, but it's fun that it did) . . .



fresh rosebuds, all tightly closed and waiting to burst forth in brilliant colour, laying perfect amongst their leafy beds . . . their perfume still locked in like a special secret waiting to be borne . . .



Big fat fluffy white snowflakes falling down from the heavens, catching on your eyelashes and brushing against your cheeks, soft floating down and silently hitting the ground. You want to catch them and hug them close, but you can't because they fade away and melt, so you just watch in wonder . . .



Tiny kittens at play with each other, tumbling and wrestling at your feet, their tiny noses and soft little paws, and awkward jumps and fumbles, so tender sweet . . . so innocent.



Baby anything is adorable . . . fawns, bunnies, colts, calves. God made them all so very beautiful and endearing. I reckon He did that on purpose so that we would naturally love them and want to take care of them . . .

Funny how all these things and more, the things that make you go mmmm . . . are all fresh from God, as yet barely touched by the world . . . and they are so pure and innocent and beautiful. It sure makes you think . . . or at least it makes me think . . . Heaven must surely be a wonderful place, more beautiful than we can ever hope to imagine . . .

Speaking of things that make you go mmm . . . I baked a delicious raisin pie the other day. I just adore raisin pie. It's one of my most favourite things in all the world. The Amish call it funeral pie for some reason. I think because they usually bring them to funerals or some such. It doesn't really matter what you call it though coz any way you name it . . . it's delicious! This has always been my dad's favourite kind of pie too!



*Raisin Pie*
Makes one 9 inch two crust pie

Crisp pastry stuffed full of delicious, plump and sweet raisins. I could eat this every day for a year and never get tired of it!

pastry enough for a nine inch two crust pie
(your own recipe or store bought)
2 cups seedless raisins
2 cups water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
3 TBs cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
pinch salt
1 TBS cider vinegar
2 TBS butter
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
Topping (Optional):
2 TBS white sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon



Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F.

Place the raisins, and 2/3 cup of the water in a large saucepan and place over medium heat for five minutes. In a small bowl, combine the white sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Gradually stir in the remaining 1 1/3 cup of water. Mix until smooth. Stir this mixture into the raisins. Cook and stir until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Add the vinegar, butter and orange zest. Cook until the butter melts. Remove from the stove and allow to cool to lukewarm.

Roll out half of the pastry into a round large enough to line a nine inch pie pan with a two inch overhang. Spread the raisin filling inside. Roll the remaining pastry into a round large enough to cover the top. (or you can do like me and make a lattice top, which is a bit more fiddly, but quite pretty) Trim and pinch the edges together to seal and then cut a few slashes in the top to vent. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon for the topping. Brush the top crust with a bit of milk or water and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the crust is done and nicely browned. Allow to cool before cutting.

See the pretty snowflakes . . .

Falling Snow

See the pretty snowflakes,
Falling from the sky;
On the wall and housetops,
Soft and thick they lie.
On the window ledges,
On the branches bare;
Now how fast they gather,
Filling all the air.
Look into the garden,
Where the grass was green;
Covered by the snowflakes,
Not a blade is seen.
Now the bare black bushes,
All look soft and white,
Every twig is laden,
What a pretty sight!
~author unknown


Welcome to Tuesdays With Dorie. Yes, that delish baking group that gets together once a week, every Tuesday of the week, to bake in unison the same scrumptiddlyicious recipe from that wonderful baking book, Baking, from my home to yours, written by the equally as scrumptious Dorie Greenspan! (Whew! that was a mouthful, no pun intended!!) This week's recipe was World Peace Cookies on pages page 138-139, as chosen by Jessica of Cookbookhabit.

I have to tell you from the outset that I did not make these cookies. Not because they didn't look decidedly delicious, but because they were chocolate through and through and my Todd hates chocolate biscuits. (they call cookies biscuits over here) He deplores chocolate biscuits . . . and alas I didn't want to be tempted in that way. I love, Love, LOVE chocolate anything, especially biscuits and cake and I knew I would just snuffle down the whole lot all by myself and I couldn't take that chance . . .

But bazillions of others did and if you want to see their results, you only need to visit the Dorie Blog Roll to see what they got up to! Also the recipe for the World Peace Cookies can be found on Jessica's Page.

I did bake cookies, however . . . just not Dories. I made these wonderful little jam surprises, but I'll get to them a bit later on.



Yesterday was something quite unusual over here in the UK. It was a Snow Day!! Something quite unique and unheard of for the most part, especially down here in Kent! Snow is quite serious business over here. We just don't have the equipment to deal with a lot of it. We got quite a lot of it yesterday, and over most of the UK as well! Traffic ground almost to a halt. The M25 became a huge parking lot. Planes skidded off the runway at Heathrow. Flights were cancelled. Airports where shut down. Children did not have to go to school. Grownups did not have to go to work. (well all except for us that don't have far to go that is!!) Parks filled up with a plethora of people enjoying this rarity, sledging and snowboarding and building snowmen. I watched on the telly as a huge group of them built a huge snowball . . . the largest snowball I have ever seen and then proceeded to roll it down a hill in unison. You have never seen anything like it, a huge group of people running after this huge snowball, all laughing and cheering it on! It was wonderful and made me long to join in!



I can well imagine that all over the country snow angels were made.



I can well imagine that all over the country snowmen popped up like foreign visitors from an alien land.



People walked beneath the falling white fluffy flakes.



Children played and sledged and gamboled through the white falling flakes.



Jess tired herself out catching snowballs that disappeared as soon as she caught them.



Todd tired himself out, clearing the car off umpteem bazillion times.



It was wonderful. This will most likely be known as "The Great Snow of 2009."

Here's the delicious cookies I made instead of the chocolate ones. Tender little cookies baked in tiny muffin tins and filled with a combination of jam and nuts, these live up to their name in a big way . . .



*Delights*
Makes about 3 dozen

One delicious burst of taste . . . buttery goodness filled with sweet and sticky raspberry jam and crunchy toasted pecans. So much pleasure in one . . . tiny . . . mouthful.

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
Filling:
1 cup raspberry jam
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
Icing Sugar (Optional)



Pre-het the oven to 180*C/350*F. Lightly grease some mini muffin tins and set aside.

Cream together the butter and the sugar, until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Whisk the flour and the baking powder together. Stir this into the creamed mixture. Shape into about 36 round balls. Place each ball into one of the muffin cups and press around the edges to make a shell.

Stir the jam and nuts together and fill the centres of each shell with this mixture. Don't overfill, or they will bubble up and create a bit of a mess on your pans and be very difficult to remove.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the edges begin to brown.

Remove from the oven. Let sit for a few minutes before removing from the pans to finish cooling on a wire rack. If desired dust with icing sugar.

The Simple Woman's Day Book . . .

FOR TODAY, February 2nd, 2009 ...

Outside My Window...
the world is wrapped in cotton wool. Yes, it has snowed and is still snowing. About two inches lies atop my car, and every bush and every blade of grass. It is quiet and still and magical.

I am thinking...
On Saturday evening I found out that the son of some old friends of mine had passed away from cancer. I am thinking he was far too young, only around 30 years of age or a bit older. He died after a long battle with cancer. I feel so badly for his parents, sweet, sweet people. They must be aching all over with sorrow, and yet at the same time, with relief at the end of his suffering. It's hard to understand I am sure . . . we are used to people dying when they get old, and while it still hurts, it's a bit easier to take . . . when one is so young, it comes unexpectedly and it hard to understand. Thank heavens for the Gospel which is a great comfort at a time like this.

I am thankful for...
I have much to be thankful for. My health, my home, my family, my friends . . . love surrounds me and I have my faith which upholds me, always.

From the kitchen...
There is a garlic bread sitting on the counter leftover from yesterday and a plastic container full of cookies not to mention some of that delicious dump cake leftover from the other day. Can you believe I have not had a dish full of it yet . . . although to confess the little teaspoons full I have tasted probably add up to a rather large bowl! *blush*

I am wearing...
Pajamas and my robe, and wishing I had a fleece blanket to wrap around my legs. I am freezing this morning. However am I going to cope with the cold of Idaho I am wondering . . . I hope Lura and I are blessed with warmth while we are there and that we don't feel the cold as much as we should. Maybe the warmth of adrenaline and excitement will wrap us up!

I am creating...
I am busy making cards. I have sold all the ones I made to take down to the post office and so I am making more! I had to order another one hundred blanks, which is exciting! I only have one left of the original first one hundred that I had bought. I know I used some of them for cards that I sent myself over Christmas, but still, even after taking off that amount, that is quite a few that I have managed to make and sell, and the feedback from them has been very good. People like them and that makes me feel very good. I have even had repeat orders now, which is quite positive. I never did get around to sending my portfolio to Hallmark over Christmas, but I am working towards getting it sent when I get back from America.

I am going...
umm . . . ahhh . . . errrr . . . dare I say it??? Oh what the heck! I'm going to America! I still can't believe it and I am black and blue from pinching myself! Only four more sleeps!

I am reading...



I'm still reading Ink Heart, but I have been reading another novel at the same time as well, called Beauty by Susan Wilson. It is one of my favourite novels and one that I have read several times, but I never tire of the story. It is a modern day telling of the Beauty and the Beast and I just love it.

I am hoping...
that I will be able to get everything done this week that I need to do before I leave on Friday, or at least the most important things! I am doing up a schedule for the girl that is replacing me at work with menus and recipes and such so that she will be ok and not have to worry about anything. I have a few things to pick up at the shops to take with me, and of course I have to make sure that Todd will be ok for eating and such while I am away. Seriously he doesn't eat unless I make something for him to eat, but perhaps that is just because I am here. I have loaded up the larder with tinned soups and such and I have some meals in the freezer for him that he can just pull out and defrost. I hope he won't be too lonely without me. I shall miss him, but I'm planning on taking lots of pictures to share with him and with you when I get back!

I am hearing...
does snow make a noise as it falls . . . I think not, but I like to imagine that it does and the air is filled with a million soft little tinkles, a melodic sound trickling down from the sky and wrapping us up in it's magic spell.

Around the house...
I got the larder sorted on Saturday and so now all we have to do is to tidy up the back room. I do need to put my art things away before I leave so that Todd is not having to deal with them. I couldn't bear for him to put them away as I wouldn't know where anything was so I had better do it myself!

One of my favorite things...
is sitting down here to write in the mornings. I really, really love it. It has become a major part of my day and I know I really miss it when I am not able to do it. When I am on holidays I write in a notebook, but it's not the same. That connection that I feel with each of you is not there when I am writing with a pen and paper. Sad, but true. When my fingers are tapping on the keyboard I feel as if each of you are right here in the room with me. Unfortunately, until you comment back, it is a bit like a one sided conversation . . .

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...
I have to start sorting out what I am going to be taking with me and getting out my suitcase and carry on bag. I am a bit nervous about changing planes in Atlanta, but I keep telling myself that God hasn't brought me this far to abandon me in Atlanta!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

I know it's a bit irreverent, but it did make me giggle. With all the snow falling this morning I thought it was quite cute. I must remind myself not to do that on the way to work today!!! Falling snow always tastes a real treat doesn't it! All fresh like the outdoors and icy on your tongue!

This is what I made for Terry's visit yesterday. It's very easy and quick to do and quite tasty when it's done. You can add cooked ground beef and sausage to the sauce if you wish. I used a puttanesca sauce for an extra zip! It was delicious!



*One Step Lasagna*
Serves 8

Quick to do, easy and very, very good!

1 1/2 cups water
(if you are using the no cook lasagna noodles, omit this)
32 ounces good quality spaghetti sauce (jarred or homemade, with or without meat)
1 pound lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 pound ricotta cheese
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, grated
4 ounces parmesan cheese, grated



Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Combine the water with the spaghetti sauce in a bowl. Lightly grease a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.

Cover the bottom of the baking dish with 1 1/2 cups of the sauce mixture. Arrange a layer of uncooked noodles, slightly overlapping on top of the sauce.

Spread the uncooked noodles with half of the ricotta cheese and half of the mozzarella. Sprinkle with two tablespoons of the parmesan cheese. Add another layer of sauce. Repeat with another layer of noodles, the remaining ricotta and mozzarella and two more tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Top with a final layer of the noodles. Pour the remaining sauce over top and then sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese.

Cover loosely with foil and then bake for about 3/4 of an hour, remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

I like to serve this with garlic bread and a tossed salad.

Don't forget to hop on over to the Simple Woman to check out the other day book entries!

Marie's Sunday Six Smile Makers

Here we are on February First, the month of love, one day away from Ground Hog Day (in North America) and on the right side of winter! Yes, Spring is just around the corner, although the weather people are saying that we are going to be heading back into the deep freeze here tommorrow, with a cold front and snow from Russia sweeping down upon us. That's good because perhaps Idaho won't be as much of a shock to me! Here's six things that brought a smile to my face this week. Perhaps they'll bring a smile to yours too!



Just like most people nowadays, Todd and I both have cell phones. We resisted for a long time, and then, about 5 years ago, someone gave us their old one because they were getting a new one. We used it as an added measure of security when we were going on a trip in the car. This way the RAC would truly be at the end of our fingertips should we break down. Well, within a short period of time the phone stopped working, so we decided that perhaps we should bite the bullet and buy one. When Todd went to look at them, he realised that they were not all that expensive afterall, and so we got two cheapies without any bells and whistles. All we really wanted them to be able to do was to text and voice, and these do just that perfectly. On my contact list I have Todd at the very top, and just underneath him is my friend Angie from Can You All Hear Me At The Back . I can't tell you the number of times I have gone to text Todd and sent the text to Angie instead! I reckon she is just about used to getting wierd texts from me now. Yesterday she got yet another one saying, "almost done". I had thought that I was texting Todd to tell him I was almost done with the grocery shop and it was time for him to come and help me pack it up. I am not sure what went through Angie's mind, but I got a text back within a short from her and we both had a giggle about it. It's a good thing I hadn't been texting him "sweet nothings!"



Of course the real biggie this week was answered prayers! I was so relieved to get a message from my son Friday evening to let me know his eye test had gone well and that he was not going blind. It could so easily have gone the other way and I am ever mindful of a Heavenly Father who listens and cares, even if I don't always like His answers. This time, thankfully, I got the answer that I wanted, which had me doing the Happy Dance all over the kitchen here at Oak Cottage. Not a pretty sight I am sure, but felt good nonetheless!


Only five more sleeps until I leave for Salt Lake City and Idaho and guess who's picking me up at the airport?? Jen from Tater Tots and Jello! I am so excited to finally get to meet her. (I hope she doesn't mind me stealing this picture of her from off of her page.) She is such a sweet lady and I love reading her page and seeing what she is up to. She has a lovely family and her gentle spirit comes through on every thing she posts. It will be so wonderful to get to spend some time with her. She makes really lovely things too. I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase one of her really cool clothes peg holder thingies earlier this year and everytime I look at it, it reminds me of a sweet friend, her! Jen, I can't wait to meet you!



About a month before Christmas, well in time for the Christmas mail rush, I packaged up several parcels to sent to my family over in Canada. I always send them airmail because I want to make sure that they get them in time for the holidays, especially my mother and the grandsons. I can remember what a big deal it was when I was a child to get a package in the mail, and so, even though I could just send money, and it costs a bit of an extra penny to send them, I make a point of sending my grandchildren packages! (Besides I have a lot of fun picking out their gifts. Why deny myself that easy pleasure!!!) This past Christmas though, my middle son never received his package. I was so disappointed. I was worried that my daughter in law would think that I had forgotten them, and worse than that I was worried that my grandson would think I had forgotten him. They've had problems with their mail in their apartment building going missing and they've long thought that there was a thief about. It made me sad to think that some dishonest person had gotten all the lovely things that I had chosen for them . . . I got a message from my son last night to say that it had finally arrived! For some wierd reason it had gone sea mail??? This is rather annoying as I paid extra for it go by air, but I am relieved nonetheless that they finally did get it and well . . . alls well that ends well!



Here is a little glimpse of the little lady I painted yesterday afternoon. She surely made me smile. I'll be posting full details of her on Blossom Time Creations when I finish here this morning. I am enjoying re-discovering my artistic bent so very much. There's always a little picture playing around in my head and itching to explode out from my fingertips. I had been going to do a little boy as well yesterday, but discovered I was all out of art paper! How did that happen??? I have ordered more, so hopefully it doesn't take too long to arrive! I have ever so many more pictures waiting to become a reality.



I am so thankful for all of you, my dear readers. Your kind thoughts and prayers, and the thoughful and caring comments you always leave me each day . . . they really make me smile and do my heart the world of good. I am so thankful for each and every one of them, even if I don't always have the time to write back. I do appreciate them and each one of you so very much!

My friend Terry is coming with us to church this morning, which is really nice. She's 83 and works as the Ironing Lady up at the big house, amongst other houses. I don't know how she does it! I sure hope that when I am her age I am as lively and agile as she is! Terry's a vegetarian so I have done a vegetarian meal for us to enjoy afterwards and I also made this tasty dessert, which I know she will enjoy. I gave Todd a taster last night while we were sitting and watching the telly. He loved it!



*Cherry Dump Cake*
Makes one 9 by 13 inch cake

Nothing could be easier or tastier than this. I know it's a bit of a cheek using a cake mix and pie filling to boot! This is so NOT diet food!

1 (21 ounce) tin of cherry pie filling
1 (20 ounce) tin of pineapple chunks, undrained
1 (18 ounce) box of yellow cake mix
1 cup of melted butter




Pre-heat your oven to 180*C/350*F. Dump the cherry pie filling into a 9 inch by 13 inch baking dish. Spread it out evenly. Dump the undrained tin of pineapple chunks evenly over top. Do NOT stir together. Shake the cake mix evenly over top of the pineapple chunks. Again, do NOT stir together. Finally pour the melted butter evenly over top, again do NOT mix in.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until bubbly and nicely browned on top and fairly set.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream for a real taste treat!

*note - try other pie fillings such as blueberry or apple for another variation!

PS - I know I have not gotten to my make me bake or cookbook challenges this past week, but will make up for that before I go away on Friday. I won't be putting another one up now, until after I come back from my trip!