Sunday morning meanderings . . .

What a wonderful Conference we had yesterday filled with uplifting messages concerning love and family.  I have to say I am most grateful for each of the talks which we listened to.  I always end up feeling even more grateful to be a follower of Jesus Christ.  And of course this is the day that people all over the world will celebrate the miracle of His resurrection, which brought about eternal life for each of us.  Some would say that His mission ended there, but it did not,  as He continues even to this day to lead and guide His Heavenly Father's children home to that place from whence they came.  His mission will not end until all of His Heavenly Father's Children have been safely gathered in.

I am so grateful for that and for His example.  I can testify truly that if you follow His teachings, not only will life be more filled with joy, but it will also be easier to bear.



I think one of my favourite talks yesterday was the one given by President Henry B Eyring.   He spoke of the love which our Heavenly Father has for all of His children and how much we wishes to bless each of us, both spiritually and temporally.

But then . . .  I always get a lot out of each talk given.  I have been well fed spiritually.

And we get to do it again today.



The Easter Bunny has been and there are three lovely eggs and a bunny sitting on the dining room table waiting for everyone to be up and about.   They are not Lindt.  I think the Easter Bunny did his collecting at Aldi this year.  But experience has taught me that these will be every bit as tasty as Lindt.  ☺

Price is not everything.

I did our Easter Dinner yesterday as I knew I would have more time.  Today there won't be a lot of time for cooking and so we will just have leftovers.  I like leftovers.   I often find they taste even better than the initial meal.

But then again . . .  I would be happy with beans on toast.  I am not hard to please.



Most people believe their weeks begin on Monday.    I believe that Sunday is a fitting beginning (and end) to every week.  It is the day when I can both show my appreciation for the week which has just passed . . .  and have my spiritual battery recharged for the week to come.

When you get to my age, just being able to open your eyes in the morning and put one foot in front of the other is a blessing.  Each day is a gift, even the bad ones . . .  because each day affords me the opportunity to grow and to be better and to love.  Each day brings me a measure of joy.  Some days more than others, but I have a joy seeking heart and I always find it, no matter what.

I am grateful for that.




Hope springs eternal from the soft and loving heart.

A thought to carry with you through today.

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"Sometimes the Holy Ghost prompts our
hearts to talk to someone about God . . . 
and sometimes the Holy Ghost prompts 
our hearts to talk to God about . . .  someone . . . " 
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Cooking in The English Kitchen today   . . .  Ginger Cheesecake Squares.  Delish!

I wish you a Happy and Blessed Easter Sunday.  Don't forget . . .

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And I do too!



 

Saturday this and that . . .

I found this and I love LOVE it.  I've always been that little bit different than everyone else, which meant of course that when I was growing up I had my fair share of bullying etc., but I can be grateful for that now because it helped me to become a more compassionate person.  They say that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.   I am also grateful that they did not have Social Media when I was a girl.  At least at home I could get away from it all.




Baxter looks a tad bit guilty about something in this photograph.  I can't think what he might have done, he's far too cute to get into too much trouble.   Who could stay angry with that face for very long?   Only the hardest of the hardest hearts I think.



I meant to tell you yesterday how my UTI ended up.   It appears I did not have one after all, but it was my IBS/IBD acting up.  I must have eaten something that caused a bad flare up.  Apparently it can get worse if you are under stress or some such.    I can't think of any stress that I might be under now that is any different than any other kind of stress I have ever been under . . . So . . . no more antibiotics, but six sheets of information on IBS/IBD to read and study.

I did not know that eating cherries can trigger a bout of it.  Whatever will I do?   So can apples, peaches, nectarines, peas, cabbage, broccoli and Brussels Sprouts.

All my favourite things.

Oh and chocolate.  Sad, sad face . . .



“If God had a refrigerator, 
your picture would be on it. 
If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. 
He sends you flowers every spring 
and a sunrise every morning... 
Face it, friend. He is crazy about you! ” 
~Max Lucado

This is Conference Weekend for us Latter Day Saints as well as being Easter.  As you all know I love Conference Weekend.  I can't wait to hear what all of our leaders have to share with us.   Did you know that they are, none of them, given any singular topic to speak on?   They are only asked to speak and then go away and pray about what the Spirit would have them say.

I think that is so amazing.

Especially in light of the talks which are given.   They are always so inspiring and soul enriching.  I always come away after listening to them inspired to be a better me.  If you would like to watch and listen to what we will be watching and listening to, simply . . .  CLICK HERE.  They begin at 5 pm our time (GMT)  Come listen to a prophet's voice.



I love to sit in silence
Beneath the shady trees
And listen to the song of birds
And to the buzz of bees.

I love to sit in silence
And watch the clouds roll by
Then read a book or sing a song
And hear the wild bird cry.

I love to sit in silence
When the day is almost done
And see behind the distant hill
The paint glow of the sun.

I love to sit in silence
In the evening twilight
And listen to the whippor-will
Singing with all it's might

I love to sit in silence
Beneath the starry sky
And pray to all in earnest
To live in silence all the while. 
~Unknown

I found this poem and I have fallen in love with it.   It makes me think of all those times during the day when I pause to take a breath and go to my Heavenly Father in silent prayer.  There is a scripture which says we should pray unceasingly.  (1 Thessalonians 5:17) I don't think that means that we need to have our knees continually bent, but rather that we should have prayerful hearts and prayerful minds.  I go often to my Heavenly Father in silence . . .  I talk to Him all the time in my head and my heart.  My day is filled with silent prayers which fly up to heaven on the loving wings of a caring heart.



I don't know about you, but I grew up with this animated/puppet series.   It was kind of cheesy and you could see the strings of the puppets, but we all loved it anyways.

They have remade it.



It airs tonight on ITV at five pm.  I will tape it out of curiosity (I'll be watching conference at that time) but somehow it will lack the same charm as the original.  Now that could be because I am simply older . . .  or because I prefer that some things are just not messed with.

We shall see.  Change is not always for the best.

A thought to carry with you through today  . . .


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Remember this . . . 
that very little is needed
to make a happy life.
~Aurelius
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Baking in The English Kitchen today . . . . Elizabeth's Gingersnaps.  So good!

I hope your Saturday is a great one!   Don't forget

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And I do too!

Friday Finds

A few of the wow moments, or things I discover each week that tickle my fancy. I hope that they may inspire or tickle yours too!




I just love this sampler afghan.  Perhaps not the colours.  I think I would do it in brighter colours.  It might be a great way to get rid of some yarn.  Found On Ravelry.



I love the idea of a small bowl of stones that are inspiring.   You could do them one at a time as the spirit inspires.   Very meaningful.   Found on Home and Garden.



Wild Flower ice cubes.  So pretty.  These have Monique written all over them!  Found on A Cup of Jo.



New edges for old blankets.  I love these.   They're so pretty.   From Flickr.



A very clever idea for a card for a child.   What child doesn't love new crayons and a chance to colour?  Found again on Flickr.   Depending on the age of the child, I would not put beads on the card.




Stitched flowers on a menu, or an invitation, etc.  I love this idea.  You can often buy already cut out felt shapes that would be perfect for this.  Found on All Things Paper.



A very clever use of stairs, from Buzz Feed.  Normally there will be a broom closet or some such under the stairs.  I think this idea is quite genius and very attractive.



Eighty Seven Freezer Meal Recipes.   From Everything Mom.



How to clean a computer keyboard without having to resort to expensive sprays etc.  From a page called Save Thousands.



This is pure genius.  How to keep things fresh by reusing the tops of your plastic soda bottles.   Brilliant!  



Did you know that you could keep cake layers fresh overnight when waiting to stack and ice them by laying a slice of bread over top of each?   I am going to try this.   From  Baked Bree.

And that's it for this week.  I hope you found something useful here!

A thought to carry with you through today . . .


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But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon him;
and with his stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5
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In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Oven Roasted Smoked Sausage and Potatoes.  So good.

Happy Good Friday.   I hope you know that . . .


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and I do too.

Five Things About Me . . .

I confess . . .  I have always loved Sweet Pea flowers.   They dance upon slender stems like small butterflies waiting to flutter away at any moment.  

"Here are sweet peas, on tip-toe for a flight." 
How aptly that immortal poet sings 
Of these and of all other lovely things 
Which move the heart to rapture through the sight, 
As though these flowers, so shapely and so bright, 
Were fairies, poised on half-expended wings! 
And still the fragrance of a garden clings 
To every page that Keats was spared to write. 
For of all poets of whatever clime 
None ever loved the garden more than he, 
Who was himself a flower that ere its prime
Perished untimely. Ere the bud could be 
Brought to full splendour by the April sun, 
A glimpse of beauty opened, and was done."
~Robert Henry Forster

These are my favourite flowers . . . and I love all flowers for a variety of reasons . . . but sweet peas, they are most beautiful to me.   When we lived down South, an old gentleman from our church ward used to grow the most beautiful ones on his allotment and each year he would give us some for our garden.  They were absolutely gorgeous.   I miss that up here. We have tried growing them from scratch ourselves and have never had much luck so far.

And that's number one of another Five Things About Me Post!



If I had to pick a favourite fruit I would be hard pressed to do so, for I love all fruits and vegetables.    If I could only choose one however, after  much thought  . . . it would be cherries.   I try only to eat fresh fruit when it is in season . . . it always disappoints at other times, or at least I think it is disappointing at any rate.   When we lived down in Kent the cherry sellers used to set up their wares by the road sides early summer every year.  You could buy them by the kilo.  They would measure them into paper bags.  I always had to buy two bags each time.  One to eat in the car on the way home and one for later.  Nothing on this whole green earth tastes as wonderful as a fresh cherry, still warm from the sun, eaten out of a paper bag . . . with abandon.  Todd always pooh pooh's the expense of two bags but  . . .  he does not love cherries as much as I do.  I just adore them . . .  and not just the eating kind either.  If fabric is printed with cherries, pottery, etc.   I adore that too!



For most of my life I have been called Alice.  It is my second name, and I suppose in a family with a mother whose first name is Mary, a sister whose first name is Mary, and me being named after my father's mother with Marie Alice . . .  it was just natural to call me Alice.  My sister has always been called Cindy, which is her second name.   After I joined the church, and my marriage had broken up etc.  I began using my first name instead of the second.   I had a whole new life and I associated my second name with a lot of unpleasantness and unhappiness . . . and started using Marie.  Now it seems odd when I hear Alice being used.  (My family still use Alice.)  I don't feel like an Alice.   Alice doesn't live here anymore. lol  (Like the film.)



I did love the Alice in Wonderland Stories when I was a girl.  They both delighted and horrified me at the same time.



I actually quite like Winter  . . .  Oh, I do love all of the seasons for all that they bring to the table . . .  but as wierd as it may seem, I think Winter is my favourite of all.   There is a really special feeling when a storm is raging out of doors and you are tucked up all snug and cosy in your little home with a fire blazing and the wind whistling down the chimney.  I can remember one year when my children were young we were having a blizzard.  My ex was home at the time and I decided I was going to take a walk in the snow.  I bundled myself up pretty good and off I went.  Best walk of my life.   There was nobody about.  The world was silent except for the snow falling.  It was a wonderland.  I made snow angels and just really enjoyed the solitude and peace that I found during that walk, so much so that some 35 or 40 years later I am still enjoying it!   With Winter, you pretty much know what you are going to get . . .  there is no waffling back and forth.  It's Winter.



I.  LOVE.   WIENER.  DOGS.  Dachshunds, or whatever you call them.   I just adore them.  Oh, I love Cocker Spaniels too . . .  but if I was allowed to have two dogs, one of them would always be a Dachshund.   When I was a girl we had a neighbor with one of them.   The dog was named Zanna (pronounced like Hannah).  I used to love to go and play with it.  There is something very endearing about Dachshunds.  My youngest son's dog  Baxter is a Terrier/Dachshund cross.  They have delightful personalities and the sight of them running always tweaks my heartstrings.

I wonder if Mitzie would mind us having another dog if it was smaller than her?

And that's my five things for this week!

I had a lovely time with my friend and her daughter yesterday.   We had a delightful lunch together and then we went to Costco.  I love going to Costco.  I don't have a card, but my friend does and we always go there when we go out together.   I got a lovely huge bag of mandarin oranges for not much more than you pay for a small one in the shops, and a nice sized jug of Maple Syrup that didn't cost an arm and a leg.  They always have those people all over the stor as well, cooking things and offering samples.  I didn't try anything yesterday as I was stuffed from lunch, but it all looked very, very good!

A thought to carry with you through today . . .

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"In all things of nature,
there is something of the marvelous."
~Aristotle
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Cooking in The English Kitchen today . . .  A Raisin Sauce.   To go with ham or gammon.  Old fashioned maybe, but so delicious.   Simple.


Have a fantastic Thursday.    Don't forget . . .

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And I do too!



 

Welcoming April . . .

Farewell to March . . . you've often been rough and unmannerly.  Your impish winds have whisked off caps at inconvenient times and blown the bird feeder over . . .  uprooted the trellis.

But I am a forgiving person for your footsteps also brought Damson blooms and they made the Daffodils dance . . .



April has broken with a wave of green on the countryside sweeping round the woodlands and hedgerows  like a rising tide.   It's mounting wave of living green rolls round our world as upon each twig and branch new leaves . . .  such tenderness . . .  begin to unfurl.




Lambs gambol upon the open fields . . .  and down the street the flowering cherry tree has exploded like a white sailed galleon upon a restless sea.   A ship adrift before the wind, a fair and graceful thing riding in on the tides and green waters of Spring.




April, April . . . 
Laugh thy golden laughter,
But . . . 
the moment after,
Weep thy golden tears . . . 
~Wm Watson

As the footprints of Winter sunlight falls and buds unfold, April follows in it's path, strewing the ground with fairy gold.   Where morning frosts have glittered . . .  where snow has lain . . .  Spring dances in . . .  young, lovely . . . bouquets of primrose in it's arms.

It is my prayer that I never fail to find my joy . . .  my peace . . .  my delight . . . in nature's sweet companionship.



I am out to lunch today with a friend and her daughter.  I don't often take myself out and about on my own without Todd, but I am looking forward to the companionship of these two dear ladies.  I spent most of yesterday baking buns, which thankfully turned out.   When I took them out of the rising drawer after the first rise, I realized I had forgotten to put in the eggs.   So I quickly beat up the eggs and added them to the bowl of the stand mixer along with the dough and a bit  more flour.  Thankfully they came together and I had fantastic results at the end.   The buns were/are beautiful.  I confess I have had one for my breakfast.

A thought to carry with you through today  . . .

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“ 'April, April, laugh thy girlish laughter, 
and the moment after, 
Weep thy girlish tears, April.' ” 
~Angus Wilson
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Are you ready for April Showers?  They do bring the May flowers.

 

Baking in The English Kitchen today . . .  Iced buns!  Yay, I did it finally . . .  turned out a bun that is gorgeous.  And by hand.  No bread machine.  That makes me happy.

Have a wonderful Wednesday.   Don't forget . . . 


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And I do too!