Friday Finds on a Saturday . . .

 

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!

Okay so it's Saturday, but maybe it's still Friday somewhere in the world.   Yeh . . .  I'm gonna go with that idea.



How to Make Curtains from Two Twenty One.  This kind of thing always comes in handy.  Or at least I think it does.  I love this blog.  There is always something interesting or informative on it.



Step by step instructions for making your own Succulent Garden!  I have always wanted to do this.  I love Succulents.  Found on Bright, Bold and Beautiful. 



This is pretty useful.   It can sometimes be so hard to pick out fabrics online that will go together.  This gal gives some really great advice.  Found on  Rain on a Tin Roof.



I am seeing more and more ideas for under the stair organization.   Instead of just having a closet, why not something like this?   Looks fab.   From A Thrifty Mom.



I love, LOVE this idea!  What a UNIQUE way to get some more counter space without totally compromising the space in your kitchen.   From Decorating Your Small Space.



If you still have small kiddles about or have your grandkiddles overnight with any frequency, this might come in really handy.   Bath Toy Organiation.   From The Inspired Home.



How to Clean the Glass on your Oven door in Minutes.   (Mine has never been that dirty!)  It can be really hard to clean the glass on your oven door, especially if you have let it get really mucky.   From DIY Home Sweet Home.



Button Bookmarks! So cute.  So easy.  From I Heart Naptime.



What a simple idea and yet so effective!  Use a curtain rod inside your cupboard doors to hold the lids to your pots and pans.  I love it!  From Instructables.



Just to make you smile.

What a gorgeous day we had here in Chester yesterday.   The weather was just perfect.   I went into town with Todd and we visited the Grovenor Museum.    They have an Open Art Exhibition on at the moment.  I always enjoy all of the other exhibits also, even if I have seen them other times.



Afterwards we treated ourselves to a drink and a cake at Patisserie Valerie.  Do you remember when my friend Eliza was over visiting us in Kent?   A bunch of us foodie gals went to a Patisserie Valerie  in London.  We had a great time that day and Eliza must have brought home about six different pieces of cake, etc. to try at home.  We didn't do that yesterday, lol.   We did each have an Almond Croissant though . . .  but it didn't taste as lovely as it looked or as lovely as the Almond Croissants you get on the ferry when you go across to Calais.  Still it was nice to be out and about.

Believe it or not I was just exhausted yesterday afternoon.  I had no energy to do anything.   Wondering what is up with that.  My feet were really sore as well.  I must remember to wear socks in my shoes when I am out and about, even if I don't like the way they feel.

I was wandering through our garden yesterday afternoon, checking out how things are coming along.  The Anemones are blooming and I can see buds on the SnapDragons.

I also found a dead frog in the pond.  UGH . . . I can still see it.  Not nice at all.  I was afraid I would dream about it last night, but thankfully I didn't.  That would have been just awful!

Today we are back to cold and rain.

A thought to carry with you through today . . .

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Music gives a soul to the universe
wings to the mind
flight to the imagination
and life to everything.
~Plato
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I am serving little glasses of Blueberry Bliss in the Kitchen today.  Simple and delicious.

Have a fabulous Saturday.  I hope you know that . . .
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and I do too.

Friday this and that . . .

It's been kind of a mixed up week here, and very busy . . . what with going to the Temple and having new windows put in . . .  I've done my Visit Teaching for the month (yesterday) and sewn together a quiet book for a friend who is making one for her son who asked her to make one for him so that when he and his wife have children one day . . . they have one.  (Now that's thinking ahead!)

Yesterday was just gorgeous weatherwise and as anyone here in the UK knows . . . we gotta make hay while the sun shines because we don't know how long it will last.   The long and the short of it being that this week I did not have a lot of surf time . . .  so no Friday Finds this week.

Instead I'll bore you with endless drivel . . . I know you won't mind.



Our visit to the Temple in Chorley (Preston) on Tuesday was really special.   I have to say that this was the first time I had been to the Preston Temple that it wasn't windy and cold and raining to beat the band.  It was nice to be able to wander the grounds and drink in the beauty.  At one point you can look out over the Pennine Chain of mountains . . .  a breathtaking view.  Of course all of the flowers are not in bloom yet, but what was blooming was spectacular and we really enjoyed them.  Also the stained glass windows in the Chapel area were stunning . . .  because the sun was shining through them.   They are of gold and yellow on the very edges, and then a border of cut glass around the centre panels . . .  and then centres of what looks like wind swept sheets of white stained glass . . . undulating between frosted and clear.   Very beautiful and when sparkling from the sunshine . . .  I could not take my eyes from them.

The Preston area is full of Church history. Many early British converts to the Church came from this area and many of the early leaders of the Church served their missions here.  Our late President Hinckley had a great love and fondness for the people of England, and a great deal of Latter Day Saints in American can trace their ancestry back to this area of the United Kingdom.

It was nice to be at the Temple with Todd . . .  and on a day when I know his heart and feelings were very tender.   He gained a great sense of peace and comfort from being there.   I have to say with all of my heart that there is no greater feeling on earth than being at the Temple with the person you love, and people you care about.

It's an almost unexplainable feeling really . . .  just know that it is a special blessing in our lives.



Mitzie of course has been really enjoying these drier and warmer days.   We have allowed her to roam with abandon throughout our back garden.  It is still a bit muddy in places and I oftimes have questioned our wisdom in doing so . . .  especially when I am trying to grab her and wipe her paws off before she jumps up on the sofa!  It is then that I begin to question both our decisions to let her wander and our having ever allowed her to be on the furniture . . .  but it is short lived when I watch her bounding up and down the garden with such joy after having had to watch her for months and months just gazing mournfully with longing through the back gate . . .

Each day every inch of the grass has been suitably sniffed and gratefully relished . . . and  the neighborhood tuxedoed black and white adolescent cat has been surprised more than once by her appearance as he wanders in to gaze at our fish.

He is not long in leaving.  Thank goodness.



Of course one of my favourite things this week has been being able to hang the clothes out of doors to dry in the sunshine.  Does anything on earth smell better than clothes, towels and bedding which has been allowed to dry out of doors beneath sunny skies???   I think not!

I love hanging clothes on the line to dry.  More often than not they are hung on a drying rack in the house and on almost any given day of the year you can find a full drying rack in at least one room.  I have never had a clothes dryer over here in the UK and at first I used to miss it, but now I do not.  It just is what it is and I don't mind not having one.   I am used to towels now which feel like loofahs and quite like them . . .  and there is no nicer feeling on earth than to snuggle down into outdoor line dried sheets at the end of the day.

In fact . . .  when the sun shines I oftimes take advantage of it as a good excuse to do the bedding, bed changing day or not!!!



We have also been enjoying our Easter Chocolate this week.   When I was a child, the chocolate never lasted more than a day or two . . .  as an adult I have learned to savour it's deliciousness and spread the delights out over a much longer period of time.

Good chocolate is one of the delights of this life on earth  . . .  I wonder . . .  do they have chocolate in heaven?   And if they don't . . .  will it really matter?

A thought to carry with you through today  . . .


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No work or love will flourish
out of guilt, fear, or hollowness of heart;
just as no valid plans for the future
can be made by those
who have no capacity for living now.
~Alan Watts
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In The English Kitchen today  . . .  a delicious Tuna, Cheese and Onion Pie.   An old favourite, sort of like a tuna and cheese quiche, except in a rice crust.


Happy Friday.  If the sun is shining as gloriously where you are as it is here your day is off to a great start!

I hope you know that . . .

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and I do too.

The Simple Woman's Daybook . . .

FOR TODAY,  April 9th, 2015

Outside my window ...
 The sun is up.  I am late getting started this week, only three days.  Too much going on I guess!  Busy weeks are not bad weeks,   just normal weeks with a bit more jammed into them!  Busy is good!

I am thinking ...
How lovely our new front door is and how sparkling the windows.  They went in without a hitch.   And it was a pleasant day weatherwise, with sunshine and warm temperatures, although admittedly it was rather cold in here sitting with all the windows removed as the wind was blowing right through the lounge from the front and out the back.   I had on my coat and a wool blanket.   We finally got everything sorted and settled by about 7 pm last night.   Job done.   We only have to figure out how to work the door properly now, with it's locks.  A learning curve.

I am thankful for ...
They featured my Craft Cd on Create and Craft again earlier this week.  I didn't know it was on, so I couldn't tell anyone.  But it was once again a complete sell out, which is good news.  Also I got an e-mail from My Favourite Recipes yesterday to say they are publishing another one of my recipes.   Colour me happy!

In the kitchen ...


Lemon Filled Swiss Roll.   Scrumdiddlyumptious!

On my "To Cook" list ...



This Loaded Baked Potato Quiche from The Recipe Rebel looks mighty tasty!   I do love potatoes!  So does Todd!

I am creating ...
Have had a busy couple of weeks but now I need to get down to brass tacks and finish up my portfolio.  It needs to be ready to go NOW.



One of the first things I learned to do in Home Economics Sewing was to make an apron.   I need to make me some new aprons.  They are such simple things to make.



These little blueberry cakes from Mamas Kram are so sweet!



Crochet Thread Butterflies.  So cute.  From Todolwen.  A complete tutorial.



Homemade Washi Tape from Molly Makes.  So pretty.  Such a simple idea.

I am reading ...



The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain

In The Silent Sister, Riley MacPherson has spent her entire life believing that her older sister Lisa committed suicide as a teenager. Now, over twenty years later, her father has passed away and she's in New Bern, North Carolina cleaning out his house when she finds evidence to the contrary. Lisa is alive. Alive and living under a new identity. But why exactly was she on the run all those years ago, and what secrets are being kept now? As Riley works to uncover the truth, her discoveries will put into question everything she thought she knew about her family. Riley must decide what the past means for her present, and what she will do with her newfound reality, in this engrossing mystery.

I am really enjoying it thus far!  I love Diane's books.  She's a great writer.

I am hoping ...
That I can get everything I need to get done done!

Makes me smile ...



Little boys make me smile.   Love them to pieces.

I am learning ...
That the more I think I know about things, the less I really know.  I hope I never lose my desire to learn more.

Around the house ...



I love, LOVE this kitchen.  I have always wanted to have a curtain under the sink.



Adoring this pale blue kitchen as well, with the wooden drawer and door pulls and the wood flooring.



Sigh . . .



Double sigh   . . .



Triple sigh . . .

I am pondering  ...
Right  now I am re-reading and pondering a lot of the talks that were just given at our Spring General Conference of the church.   There is much to digest.

A favourite quote for the day  ...


 `*.¸.*✻ღϠ₡ღ¸.✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ..
(¯`v´¯)
 `*.¸.*´Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
  ¸.•´¸.•~♥♥♥~•.~      
ღϠ₡ღ¸.✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ.
(¸.❀⁀⋱‿✿“  

 Look to nature for nurture, 
it is as reliable as the God who provides it. 
~Linus Mundy

One of my favourite things ...



Anything Vintage Disney.   This was my childhood.   The Magical World of Disney on Sunday evenings.  Picture books.   Films.  Toys.

A peek into my day ...



Until I get the work done that I need to get done there will be precious else but this.

And that's my daybook for this week!

⋱ ⋮ ⋰
⋯ ◯ ⋯ Take time to enjoy the small*´¯`.¸¸.☆
 ⋰ ⋮ ⋱ blessings in life.*´¯`.¸¸.☆

✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿

╬♥═╬╬═♥=╬╬═♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥═╬
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Wherever you go and whatever you do I hope there's a wonderful day planned for you! Don't forget . . .

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And I do too!

A This and That kind of morning . . .

Just a quick little post to bring you up to date on all the happenings in Casa de Rayner.   The new windows are supposed to be going in today so I will do my Women's Day Book Post tomorrow when I have more time!

Why are we getting new windows?   Well . . . also a new front door.   The windows in this house are very old.  When the council was putting in the new bath the inspector ascertained that none of the upstairs windows could be used as an escape in the case of a fire as you could not open them far enough, nor could an adult squeeze through them in order to escape.  Also the top opening (only opening) on the North Facing one here in the lounge was broken and ill fitting where the previous tennant had locked themselves out and broke open the top opening to put a child through to open the door for the.   Because they bent the mechanism out of shape, it meant we could not only not lock it, but it did not closer properly and everytime the wind blows the curtains blow because it lets that much air in.    Also the seal is broken on them so that condensation has gathered in between the double glazing and turning green, so no matter how many times you wash them, they never look washed.



I like shiny clean windows . . .  and so does Todd.    New windows is a good thing and whilst it may be quite inconvenient and a bit of a mess for today.  It will be well worth any angst or stress experienced!




We had a great time at the Temple yesterday.  The day started off very foggy, but the fog soon lifted.   It was one of the first times I have been to the Temple in Chorley that it was not windy and raining or cold.   It was warm and sunny and the spring flowers were all in bloom.   You could look out over the whole Pennine Chain of mountains and it was just so beautiful.   I was really tired as I had not slept well on Monday evening, but I managed to cope alright.  We both felt like it was the place we needed to be yesterday and were grateful for the feeling of comfort and peace which we found there on a day which for Todd was very difficult.



Brown paper packages tied up with string  . . .  when we arrived home there was a big package waiting for me.   My friend Valerie from American had sent me a surprise package filled with lots of lovely little gifts in stamped brown paper, tied up with butchers twine.  I so wish I had thought to take photographs of each gift.   They were so lovely, even a bag of doggie treats for Mitzie Doodle with her baby photo on it.   So very thoughtful.  Little things mean a lot.

And it couldn't have arrived on a better day.  God knew we would need some extra bolstering yesterday and so  . . .  perfect timing.  God's timing is always perfect don't you think???



I also received a delightful little postcard from a special friend which made me smile.   Again little things . . .

Plus we were very naughty on our way home from the temple and treated ourselves to KFC for our tea. A rare blue moon treat.  But it tasted so good. ☺  A blue moon treat once in a while is not a bad thing.

And that was our day yesterday.

A thought to carry through today  . . .


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Find out who you are
and then do it on purpose.
~Dolly Parton
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Baking in The English Kitchen today  . . .  Golden Syrup and Oatmeal Muffins.

I hope you have a great Tuesday!  Don't forget . . .


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And I do too! Happy Day!

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.



The spiritual nourishment which we have been able to partake of over this past Easter Weekend.   I love how Spring Conference almost always co-incides with Easter.   Listening to the talks always  helps to lift this special time of year above Easter Eggs and Chocolate Bunnies.  A few gems which I took away were these:

"No other work transcends that of righteous, intentional parenting." ~Russell M Nelson

"God invites all His children to obtain His help to overcome and endure the challenges of this life." ~Joseph W Sitati

"We see God's miracles in His wondrous work and in our own personal lives."
~Neil L Anderson

"How we live our religion is far more important than what we may say about our religion."
~Robert D Hales

"With the gift of God's Grace, our path of discipleship does not lead backward; it leads upward."
~President Dieter F Uchtdorf

"Today we celebrate the gift of victory over every fall we have ever experienced, every sorrow we have ever known, every discouragement we have ever had, every fear we have ever face."
~Jeffrey R Holland

"All of us need the Saviour's Atonement.  All of us need to be found."
~Brent H Neilson

"Life is not confined to a four inch screen."
~Jose A. Teixeira

"We come to church not to hide our problems, but to heal them."
~President Dieter F Uchtdorf

"We can thrive and bloom if we are rooted in our love for the Saviour."
~Quentin L Cook

And that was just the tip of the iceberg.  I always take a ton of notes and I listen to the talks over and over again in the coming months . . .  each time taking another gem from them.   Spiritual nourishment.  It's the best.



Bunny, bunny, bunny, bunny,  bunny, bunny  . . .  gone.   And it was good.  Lindt.  Sigh . . .



Scores and scores of daffodils garnishing all the roadsides and dotted across fields, in gardens, etc.   I love their sunny little bobbing heads.  Nothing is so cheerful as the sight of them.  One day I will travel up to Ullswater at this very time of year to see what inspired Wordsworth to write his poem.

I wander'd lonely as a cloud. 
That floats on high o'er vales and hills, 
When all at once I saw a crowd, 
A host of golden daffodils . . .  



Todd's son is being buried tomorrow.   We are going to the Temple.   I am grateful that we have a place to go where we can find peace on a most difficult day.



This lovely girl we have been able to share our home with over these past eight months.  She is such a joy and brings such light into our home with her pleasant disposition and sense of humor.   It's not always easy to share your home with a stranger, but she has been very easy to live with.   We are really going to miss her when she leaves us to get married.  We have been blessed.



Be it ever so humble  . . .

All in all this weekend was really special.   Yesterday the sun shone gloriously and it was very mild.   We have not needed the heat on for several days now.   That's great!  Got to talk to my mom, dad and sis yesterday for a bit, also great!  Ate some good food and a few treats.   Got well fed spiritually.  Spent it with my honey bunny.

I am blessed.

A thought to carry with you through today  . . .


❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥
"Sometimes I need only to stand
wherever I am,
to be blessed."
~Mary Oliver
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In the English Kitchen today . . .  BLT Pasta Salad.   Seriously tasty!

I hope that your week will be filled with many small and wonderful things!  Don't forget . . .

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And I do too!

As we are off to the Temple early tomorrow you may not hear from me until we get back, as well on Wednesday they are putting in our new windows and so I may not be around much that day either!  Just wanted you to know so that if I can't make it on, nobody worries!