A this and a that kind of a post . . . .

We had another gorgeous day yesterday.   The sun shone and it was fairly mild.   Spring is definitely springing up all over the place.  The sky is tinted a very definite shade of red as the sun rises this morning, so we may not be so lucky today.   Red sky at morning and all that . . .

As we  drove to the dog groomers I saw what I thought was a field filled with sheep and sea gulls, only to realized upon closer inspection that they were not gulls, they were spring lambs!




Hundreds of them, laying next to their mothers on the green grass of the fields.  It made me feel so excited.  I had never seen so many baby lambs before.   Spring is definitely in a hurry to arrive this year!




And these are popping up all over as well . . . on the waysides and roadsides . . . the North West and Wales are loaded with daffodils, and they make such a cheerful sight this time of year.  In fact, the 1 of March was St David's Day.   St David is the patron saint of Wales and so many people wear daffodils on their lapels as well.

The season of yellow is about to begin in earnest . . .



We always take ourselves to the Gordale Garden Centre when Mitzie is in being fluffed and puffed.  It takes a good two hours which is far too long to just sit in the car, but not quite long enough to make it worth driving all the way back home and then back again.   Besides with the cost of petrol these days . . . we try to conserve as much of it as we can.

Besides I love to walk around the garden centre.  It is filled with lovely things to look at, and they have the absolute best greeting cards, plus you can always pick up a cheap cookbook or two.   I got two yesterday.   A donut one which was marked down to £1.99 and one on Sunday lunch, which was only £2.99.   Real bargains.  Todd always brings a magazine or book to read and goes into the cafe, buys himself a hot chocolate and then nestles in.  I am sure he prays the whole time that I am not going to be overly tempted by things that I see.   I am usually very good, but a woman does like to look at things.  I am quite capable of looking without buying.   Men . . . well, it's been my experience that they are not great window shoppers.

Todd isn't at any rate. He's a get in, get what you need and get out kind of a guy.  He doesn't  understand or enjoy browsing.



We went for a walk after I had done my browsing, through the garden part of the centre and looked at all the shrubs, etc. that were for sale.   I confess to being sorely tempted by the sets of bulbs they had which were already up and ready to bloom.  You could get 8 for a set price and they would have been lovely . . . tulips, hyacinth, etc.  but we resisted.   We did buy ourselves a small forsythia bush though for £4.99, which was enough of a splurge for us.   Forsythia and spring.  Like peas and carrots.  They just go together.

The season of yellow.



 Our little madame looks and smells so pretty now.   That is the one thing we miss with not having a bathtub anymore . . . we are unable to bath her ourselves.   We have tried using the shower, and it is ok, but not quite the same and we all end up wet.  I am not entirely sure she likes being groomed,  but . . . it's a necessity unfortunately and something we both have to bear.  Her burden being all of the fuss (she hates that) and us the cost . . .




It is worth it in the end though to have a nice clean doggy and I am sure whilst she doesn't enjoy the process of getting there, she feels much better afterwards for having had it done.

Then late yesterday afternoon we had the unexpected pleasure of having the missionaries and an investigator in our home for teaching.  I love sharing the gospel, and my thoughts and experiences with it and the joy it brings into my life.   It's also lovely to have the missionaries in our home. You all know how much I love that.   We have one from Tahiti at the moment as well as one from Colorado Springs.  Nice lads.  I so admire all of the missionaries.   They are brave young people to do what they do and do it every day, no matter the weather or reception that they get.



And that was the adventure yesterday was.   We ended the day quietly watching telly in the evening.  I caught up on a couple of Corry's that I had missed and then we watched a DCI Banks we had taped and a Longmire (American show we record).   I embroidered while we watched and then before too long we were ready for bed!

And that . . . was that!  Not an exciting life, but we do enjoy it regardless.

 

A thought to carry with you through today . . . 

(¯`v´¯)
  `*.¸.*..✿´´¯`•.¸⁀°♡
Smile at each other,
smile at your wife,
smile at your husband,
smile at your children,
smile at each other -
it doesn't matter who it is
and that will help you to grow up
in greater love for each other.
~Mother Teresa

 

Cooking in The English Kitchen today . . . Cappellini with a Spicy Tomato-Cream Sauce.
Delicious, simple and quick.  You can have this tasty dish on the table in less than 20 minutes.

Have a great Wednesday!  Smile!

 

The Simple Woman's Daybook

 

FOR TODAY March 4th, 2014

Outside my window...
I am up early today, but the light is still beginning to appear on the horizon and the early morning chorus has begun.  I love those early morning sounds.   Spring is definitely springing early this year.  We noticed frog spawn in our pond yesterday.

I am thinking...
`•.¸.•´¸¸.¸.☆¨Faith is the bird that sings when the dawn is still dark. ~Rabindranath Tagore

Love this quote.    Where would we be without faith?   Faith in new tomorrows, fresh pages to write upon, new starts.  Faith in the light at the end of the tunnel . . .

I am thankful...
I am thankful for family prayer.   Being able to pray with Todd is a special blessing.  Sharing a love of the Saviour is also a special blessing.  There are three in our marriage and I think that makes a special difference.  At least it does for me.   My faith is so very important to me and to be able to share that with the one I love is a gift.   Something which I prayed to have for many years.  To be ridiculed for your faith by the one you love is not a nice feeling at all.  It's also demeaning.

In the kitchen...   

 

Vanilla Spiced Oatmeal.   When I was growing up, you couldn't get me to eat oatmeal for love nor money.  As an adult I love the stuff!!  Just goes to show tastes do change!!

I am wearing...
A blue nightie and my brown shoes. No, I have still not made myself a pair of slippers. I need a good swift kick up the backside!

I am creating...
 


I just love this lacy looking bunting.   Found on Hola Mama.   You make it with those cheap doilies you can buy in the pound shop. Just cut in half and sew onto bias tape.  I think it's so very pretty!




Loving this too . . . it's made from a potholder and contains what you need for an emergency.


 Its such a simple idea and I can see many uses for it.  The inside compartments are simply made by sewing in a couple of zip locks!  How ingenious!  From Tidy Mom!



Fabric Covered Books from Two Twenty One.  So very pretty.   It would take me the rest of my life to cover all my books, but I could see myself doing the few that I have down here in the living room.  


Handmade Button Cards from The Frugal Crafter.  As a button lover, I adore these.




Can you believe it!  It's an entire blog filled with nothing but Mason Jar Crafts!   Simply wonderful!!  It's called Mason Jar Crafts.   Duh . . . 

I am going...
The Dog Groomers today and then on Thursday lunch there is a Birthday Party for a friend, at the Plas Hafod Hotel.   Really looking foward to that!    Normally when we take the dog to the groomers, we go to the Gordale Nursery to wait.  They have the best cards and giftshop there.   I don't mind passing the time there.   Todd, he brings a book and goes into the coffee shop and reads.  And reads.   And reads.

I am wondering...
I am still wondering what my next calling will be.  So far nothing.   I am learning patience.



House Rules, by Jodi Picoult
This engaging book by Jodi Picoult is about Jacob Hunt, a teenage boy with Asperger’s Syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject – in his case, forensic analysis.  He’s always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do…and he’s usually right. But then one day his tutor is found dead, and the police come to question him. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger’s – not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, inappropriate affect – can look a heck of a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel -- and suddenly, Jacob finds himself accused of murder. House Rulles looks at what it means to be different in our society, how autism affects a family, and how our legal system works well for people who communicate a certain way – but lousy for those who don’t.


I am also reading the Book of Mormon and the Old Testament.

I am hoping...
It's hard to believe, but Lura is still in the hospital.   Since her Gall Bladder operation on Valentines day her life has been a nightmare, with just one thing right after another, a comedy of errors.   Please continue to keep her in your prayers.  I hope she can go home soon and will be completely healed.  Thank you so much.   I know this must be so very frustrating for both her and for her husband John.

Makes me Smile...    



This is the newest member of our extended family.  His name is Squirt and he is having a bath.  He's a bearded dragon.  A reptile would not be my choice for a pet, but I have three grandsons that are just thrilled with him! That is what makes me smile.

I am learning...
I love that we never ever truly stop learning.   There is some new lesson to be learnt with each day that passes.  We had to get a new printer yesterday.   Our printer printed out one thing and then . . . it just stopped printing.  Most annoying.  It only stopped printing the colour black.  It was printing in every other colour.   Todd thought maybe it was a faulty black ink cartridge.   So, he went to the store and got a new one.   Still no go.   So then we called Tech support, which of course costs you 5p a minute.   Turns out it was a fault with the printer which could not be fixed and of course the warantee was expired.  (That always happens doesn't it!)  Anyways we could not get the same model and we had to get a different one, and of course the ink we have stored doesn't go with the new one.   In fact it wasn't compatible with any in the shop.  And so we now have a shed load of ink that was expensive to buy that we can't use.   I think that is called Murphy's Law.

Around the House ... 



A unique storage idea created by using the spines of old books.  From DIY Home Sweet Home.  There's a ton of other storage ideas on that page as well.




How to make more than one loaf of bread when you only have one bread pan.   Now, this is genius.  Put a loaf pan in the centre of a  by 15 inch cake tin, which then gives you three pans.   You can find this tip and a whole host of other fabulous tips on My Fridge Food.  Seriously brilliant!



How to clean your dishwasher from One Good Thing by Julie.  Actually that page is a goldmind of helpful cleaning tips!



How to hang a second curtain without buying another curtain rod.  Use a bungee cord.   People are so smart.  I find myself thinking, why didn't I think of that about a bazillion times a day!  From Solutions.   I am seriously going to do this.   Definitely.   No maybe's about it!



How to put together an emergency preparedness kit.   From Organizing Junkie.   Hopefully you will never need it, but it's nice to know you are ready just in case!

I am pondering... 
Is it just me or are they putting lids on things a lot tighter these days???  Am I getting old and weak???  I seem to have more and more problems opening things now.  I keep a square of rubbermade shelf liner in the kitchen drawer to help me with this, and I use it all the time.  I never used to have to do this. 

A favorite quote for today...   


`*.¸.*✻ღϠ₡ღ¸.✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ..
(¯`v´¯)
 `*.¸.*´Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
  ¸.•´¸.•~♥♥♥~•.~

"There is no such thing as chance;
and what seem to us merest accident springs
from the deepest source of destiny."
~Friedrich Schille  


 One of my favorite things...   

    


Angels.  I love the idea that they surround us and help us.   I love stone angels.   I love books about angelic encounters.   I love the scriptures which teach us about them.  I love the thought of angelic protection


“I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”
~D&C 84:88  

A few plans for the rest of the week:  
Dog grooming, partying, painting, crafting, cooking . . . just the norm!

 A peek into my day...   

   

I spend some of every day reading. I cannot imagine what life would be like without being able to read.  When you can read, you are never bored.   Reading opens up new worlds and teaches us new things.  I love it!


⋱ ⋮ ⋰
   ⋯ ◯ ⋯ Take time to enjoy the small*´¯`.¸¸.☆
   ⋰ ⋮ ⋱ blessings in life.*´¯`.¸¸.☆
   ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿
   ╬♥═╬╬═♥=╬╬═♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥═╬
   ░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░  


Wherever you go and whatever you do I hope there's a wonderful day planned for you!


 

Small and Wonderful Things . . .

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

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



Guess who graduated from dog training school and has a certificate to prove it!  Yep!  That would be Baxter!  Next to Mitzie, he is the cutest fur baby I know.  He's part Daschund (I know I spelt it wrong!)  and part Terrier.   A really sweet combination.  I think he is adorable.  He has a very engaging personality.  Well, I think so at any rate!




Oreo Cookies.  They had them on sale at the local SPAR (the British equivalent of 7/11) for only 99p a sleeve, and buy one get one free.  How could I resist????  Which brings the question to mind . . . how do you eat your oreos?   Do you pull them apart and lick the icing first?   Do you just dig in with a big bite?   Do you (horror of all horrors!) eat them whole?   Dunk them in milk?  Or are you one of those people who just eat them without even thinking about it?   Me, I vary . . . depending on my mood. ☺



Holding hands with my husband in the Temple.   There is no sweeter feeling on earth I don't think.   We went on Saturday.  We had going to go earlier in the week, but one thing or another cropped up and it wasn't until Saturday we went.   It was worth the wait.  I love to be in the Temple.  I love the peace I find within it's walls and the inspiration.   I love learning the things I learn in the Temple and the feeling of closeness I have with my family there.   I love being there with my husband.  I love sitting in the Celestial room and communing with my Heavenly Father in quiet prayer.   It may sound corny, but the Temple is where I want to be and if I can't be there I want my home to feel the same way it does . . . a peaceful haven amidst a tumultuous world.




My brother in his Hawaiian Shirt at a zoo in India just recently.  (Shouldn't every man own a Hawaiian shirt?)  He's been a part of my life for 54 years now!  Happy Birthday to him!  I love my brother.  He's always had my back and my best interests at heart.  He is a good man and a good husband, father, brother, son, friend.  I don't know what I would have done without him when I was at mom's last year and she had the heart attack.   He was a rock for us all.    In April he will be taking a bus up to my father's and driving my dad down to live with my mom and sister.   That's the type of man he is.  Last year he drove my sister and her partner down for the same reasons.  He is a kind person, a loving person, the type of man you can look up to.  So glad he is my brother and my friend.  Oh, and he has an amazingly witty sense of humor too!



The crocus which are blooming all over the place . . . in a multitude of bright colours.



Hooray for sunny days!  Spring is springing!   Or at least a taste of it has arrived, and the SUN is shining again today!  So happy about that.  Can you tell???



Jenny's return last night to Call the Midwife.   So glad she's back.  I will say no more as I don't want to spoil things for my American friends who have not watched this series yet!  And, once again it was a double hanky night.   I said to Todd . . .  "Am I getting more sentimental in my old age? I seem to cry almost every week!"  He said, "I would rather have a wife who has a tender heart than one who has no heart at all."   Awww . . .  I know, he's so sweet.   What would I do or be without him . . .

And with that I will leave you with a  thought to carry with you through today . . .

❄。¨¯`*✲ ´*。.❄¨¯`*✲。❄。¨¯`*✲ ´*。❄ 

What I am looking for is not out there....
it is in me.
~Helen Keller

❄。¨¯`*✲ ´*。❄。¨¯`*✲ ´*。❄。¨¯`*。❄  




Cooking in The English Kitchen today . . . Herb and Lemon Roasted Chicken Breasts.  

I am also flipping pancakes for pancake day . . .    

 

Whole Wheat Cheddar Cakes with a Spiced Apple Syrup . . .

 

Rice Pudding Pancakes with a Blueberry Syrup.

Find those  recipes here!!

Have a wonderful Monday!

Doors . . .

There are many kinds of doors.   Some doors look inviting to the eye with a warm welcome . . . others repel even the glances of passers by . . .  On most streets, all doors look the same.   Nondescript, equal . . . with the exception of the occasional one where the householder has gone to a special effort to create a welcoming space.



My favourite are the friendly cottage doors with a cosy homely air.   Doors where tangled roses cling as if they love lingering there . . .  and as if to say . . . love lives here.  They beckon and cajole.    They invite with warmth and fire's glow.



Church doors.  Hallowed doors through which on the Sabbath day . . .  countless worshippers pass though  . . . to sing songs of praise, and to pray and to celebrate their faith.  These . . . too, should be welcoming and friendly . . . warm and inviting.   There is always a greeter at our church door each Sunday morning to give a warm and friendly greeting.  You always feel as if you are at the right place.  It's a place you want to be . . . and if it doesn't make you feel welcome, then perhaps it's not the right place for you . . . it should feel as if you've come home. . .




Prison doors are unwelcoming doors . . . those that pass through are bereft of hope, no longer free.   They are not doors that I would want to go through, filled with despair . . .

Doors of healing . . . hospital doors which stand for mercy and humanity . . .

School doors, doors of learning . . . these, too, should welcome all who enter in . . .




The most important door of all though, should be the door to your heart.   It is the doorway where one should never fail to find a swift response of sympathy, a warm word of kindness, a heartfelt word of praise . . .  love.  Truth and sincerity. 

I hope that is what you find at the door to my heart. 

I have run out of time this morning.   I don't know why.   Thinking too much about doors I think!  And now it is time for me to dash up the stairs and open the bathroom door and jump into the shower!   Short but sweet this morning . . .

A thought to carry with you through this day . . .

(¯`v´¯)
 `*.¸.*´Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
¸.•´¸.•~♥♥♥~•.~
When your heart speaks,
take good notes.
~Judith Cambel
~♥♥♥~•.~~♥♥♥~•.~  


 

In The English Kitchen today . . . a delicious Plum Bread and Butter Pudding.

Have a wonderfully blessed sabbath day today.   

PS -  I accepted the prompt to join google + and now I have lost my list of blogs that I read???   Does anyone know how I can get it back???

March winds do blow . . .

 March is a month that either storms in with crashing winds, or tiptoes in gently on the petals of crocus and Daffodil . . . one way or t'other, and it is said that if it does come crashing in, it will leave gently, and . . .  vice versa.



Which will it be? We have no real way of knowing for sure.  March is what . . . March is.   There is something very cleansing about the wind.  You cannot pin it down, and try as you may to chase it, there is no catching it.   It carries with it the scent of the dark North woods and the white breath of the polar ice caps, with just a hint and whisper of melting warmth as it passes secret hollows where springtime blossoms are already beginning to stir . . .




It's little I care what path I take
And where it leads it's little I care;
But out of this house, lest my heart break,
I must go . . . and off somewhere . . .  
~Edna St Vincent Millay

March winds blow away the settled feelings of snug hearth and flickering candlelight, and I long to follow it's bluster to the world's end to see from whence it comes, with a sixpence in my pocket and a crust of bread and a wedge of  cheddar tied up in a hankerchief.  Taking to the road like a world traveller, stopping beneath leafy hedges to share my repast with fellow travellers and wayfarers.   The scent of blossoming hawthorne in the air accompanied by the song of nightingales singing and the silvery rattle of a tinker's pans as his cart jolts down the roadway . . .



Oh 'tis the month of daffodils with pretty yellow heads bobbling along the waysides . . .  and gambolling lambs upon the hillsides . . .

Of purple crocus and greening limb . . .

The month when   Spring arrives and blows away the fading chill of Winter's gloom with it's fresh breath . . .  we are more than ready to greet her, and we do with open arms . . . it matters not if she arrives with a bluster or a tip of toe . . .  only that she comes . . .

I am more than ready to fall under her spell.



Speaking of spells . . . my daughter posted this picture of Maryn and wee Cameron yesterday.   Isn't it lovely.  I am blessed to catch these little glimpses into their lives and grateful for them.

Grandchildren are quite simply . . . just lovely.

We are off early to the Temple today so I must dash, but not before leaving you with a thought for today . . .

 (¯`✻´¯)
  .`*.¸.*  ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ
 "I believe in the sun even 
if it isn't shining.
I believe in love even 
when I am alone.
I believe in God even 
when He is silent."
— Author Unknown   
 ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋღೋ  




In The English Kitchen today . . . Cheesecake in a Glass with Rhubarb Syrup.

Have a wonderful first day of March no matter what you get up to!  Be blessed!