Five Things About Me . . .

This is a photo of me taken at the beginning of the year in Grade 11.  I was sixteen.   That dress I was wearing was a jumper I had made and it was of a psychedelic corduroy fabric.  Very colourful.  I remember it had purple patch pockets on the front.  I always hated my hair.  I wanted straight hair.  Not curly hair.   I remember a boy telling me once that for hair that looked like wire, it sure was soft.  I guess that was supposed to be a compliment, but I'm not sure, lol.  That was a year of firsts for me.  First kiss.  First dates. First boyfriend.  First driving lessons.

And that was a first in a five things about me post.



I have always held a fascination for small worlds and hidden places.   The first small world I remember being fascinated with was Susie's mousehole on Chez Helene.  Some of my favourite episodes were when we got to visit inside her mouse hole.



Chez Helene was the CBC's (Canadian Broadcasting Channel) attempt to indoctrinate all of us English children in the French Language.   The whole program was bilingual.  I learned a lot watching it.  My favourite character was Susie the mouse however.  She was a puppet.  She spoke English only.  Helene spoke only French, and Louise (the girl), she spoke both.

My love of small things also led me to be fascinated with The Friendly Giant (and his arm chair big enough for two to curl up in) and Mr Rogers and his "Neighborhood of Make Believe."




As a child I was a big "chicken."  Just like the cowardly lion.   I would run a mile to avoid confrontation.  I suppose I am still kind of like that in many ways.   I avoided situations where I would have to stick up for myself, etc.  I hated doing oral compositions for anything.   I can remember a girl passing me a note in home-room in Grade 11 telling me she was going to beat me up after school, and using my milk money to call my dad and asking him if he would come to pick me up because I was afraid to go home on the bus.  I was a big coward. I could never say no to anything either.



I actively seek out hearts . . .  and I find them.  In nature, in food, etc.   If I find a natural heart, I leave it for someone else to find instead of picking it up.   That way I feel like I am sharing the love.  I have only ever found one heart that I have kept.  It was on a Sunday after church.   Some Sundays are particularly difficult for me.   I have always thought that my church is a difficult one to belong to if you don't have a family that goes with you, or if you don't have a family that understands or accepts your choices.  You sit there, week after week, surrounded by families.  A great many of the hymns are to do with love and family, the lessons etc.  I often feel saddened that I am not with my own family, or they are not with me as it were . . .  and I get a bit weepy.  Don't get me wrong.  I LOVE my church and I love being there on a Sunday, but it can just be hard sometimes.  I would not be anywhere else however.  Anyways, one Sunday I was feeling particularly tender and a bit unloved by my family,  and on my way out to the car afterwards I saw a scrap of paper on the ground and I picked it up.  It was a little paper heart and on it was written two words.  Be happy. 

"Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they may have joy" (2 Ne. 2:25)

I know this is true.  I seek and find hearts and they are always a confirmation to me of my Heavenly Father's deep and abiding love for me, and a sign that He is always there for me.



There is a sound that as soon as I hear it, renders me completely and totally homesick.  The sound of Geese flying overhead on their journey towards the South for the Winter.   I don't know why this sounds makes me feel so homesick, only that it does.  It creates in me a longing for all things familiar . . .  for my family . . .  for my mother's arms.  It can bring a tear to my eye, and makes my heart ache.   It's a strange thing.

And that is my five things about me for this week.

Keep me in your happy thoughts.   I am feeling really anxious today.  I hardly slept all night.   I just keep telling myself . . .  all will be well.

A thought to carry with you through today  . . .


⊰✿⊰✿⊰✿⊰✿⊰✿⊰⊰✿⊰✿⊰
We are all here on a journey.
We were not put here to stay.
Perhaps 'tis why we all must make
the most of every day.
Dreamers dream, and plotters plot,
we build our castles high . . . 
but facts are facts, and truth is truth,
we are all just passing by . . . 
~Me . . .  this morning as I sit here.
⊰✿⊰✿⊰✿⊰✿⊰✿⊰⊰✿⊰✿⊰




 There is a real mix in the English Kitchen today  . . .  a few of my favourite things.


 Have a wonderful Thursday.   Hope its swell!  Don't forget!


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And I do too!!

Wednesday meanderings of the mind . . . .

It always happens around the first week of November . . .  all of a sudden it dawns on me that Christmas is iminent.  I don't know how it happens or why it happens, but each year long about this time I start to fret a little bit and realize that, yes . . .  once again . . .  it has crept up on me!  The holiday season is right on my doorstep and knocking!

Once again my mind is filled with small conundrums, like what kind of thing would my father like, or my mother.   What do you buy people who really have very few needs and almost everything they want to have already . . . it bears much thinking about.

I have not been caught totally unaware this year however . . .  as I have spent the past couple of weeks pricking my fingers with needles as I sew together oodles of small felt tree ornaments, meant at gifts to stick into cards for my grands, along with a tiny bit of cash to buy what they want.

I am determined that this year the post office is not going to rob me blind by sending over heavy packages that are rarely, if ever   . . . acknowledged.



But first Thanksgiving.    I have decided in recent years to embrace the American idea of having Thanksgiving in November.   I know that in America it was a financial decision by big business of having it in November (I read it on wikipedia) but I think it is  just the perfect way to usher in the holiday season, and it really gets me in the mood for Christmas.   So I will be embracing it again this year, on the last thursday in November . . .  putting up the Christmas tree, etc.  Scrooge can poo poo to his heart's content, but I am having my own way on this.

I had thought we might do a Thanksgiving dinner together for all the Missionaries in our zone, but apparently the Mission Presidency put one on for all of them.   I think they do a separate one for the adult missionaries and then for the youngsters, and I think us oldsters help to do the one for the youngsters.   It is mostly catered in, but from what I understand we help with desserts and such.   I can't say for sure yet, but whatever it is we do, it will be great!



I kind of kicked it all off the other night by watching "The Holiday," starring Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law and Jack Black, amongst others.  Todd bemoaned the fact that we were watching a Christmas film  . . .  and a "chick flick," no less . . .  in November, but I politely reminded him that if we didn't start watching our Christmas movies now, they wouldn't all get watched and that before we knew it Christmas would be finished and we would only have barely glanced on them.  Men!  Will they ever get it?  Probably not.   I think I'll drag out "Home Alone" tonight  . . . 



 And in the meantime I am sitting here thinking about and dreading the upper endocsopy tomorrow.   I know there is no way to get through it except to just grin and bear it . . .  and that I have to have it done, but I am just dreading it.  On my list of things that I had always hoped to never ever have to go through, it was one of them and now it is happening and I am feeling very anxious about it . . .  in face extremely so.   I know I need to just try to put it out of my mind, and to distract myself with other things, but it is always laying there in the background.   I think I need a Priesthood blessing.  I know that will help.

Also all of your prayers would help as well.   My appointment isn't until 2:45 tomorrow afternoon, and we all know how that goes.   I will get there at that time and it will be ages before they actually do it, so I will sit there in the waiting room, all anxious and nerved up for what seems like forever . . .  and I know that there are other people in the world going through much worse things than this and I feel kind of silly asking  . . .  but could you please keep me in your happy thoughts?

I knew that you would.

And with that I am going to leave you with a thought for today . . .


⊰✿⊰✿⊰✿⊰✿⊰✿⊰⊰✿⊰✿⊰
Every wind that blows
brings something good to somebody.
Even ill winds of mischance and of calamity,
often carry as they go, 
the seeds of Providence,
so that out of trouble comes
some happy consequence.
~Patience Strong
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Roly Poly Bread and Butter Pudding today in The English Kitchen.   I am experimenting again with low fat and low sugar, except . . .  it's not really low sugar after all. Oh dear, nevermind . . .  still tasted great!

And with that I'm hopping onto my little red bike and peddling on out of here.  Have a great day!  Don't forget . . .

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And I do too!

The Simple Woman's Daybook . . .

 

FOR TODAY, November 3, 2015

Outside my window ...
It's dark, dark, dark, and cold too.  I thought we were supposed to have a mild week this week.  So much for the weather forcast!

I am thinking ...
I have let a very good friend down.   I was trying to do something to help her out and it's all gone pear shaped, and I feel very bad about it.   I don't know what to do . . .

I am thankful for ...
Some days you don't feel especially thankful.  Today I am thankful for the scriptures and my faith, because they are what is going to get me through today.  I hate it when you try to do the right thing and it all goes wrong.

In the kitchen ...


There is a trio of delicious fresh pastas and the sauces I made to enjoy with them.   The sauces include a Browned Butter and Sage, a Spinach and Chive Pesto, and a Leek, Chili and Butter Sauce.

On my "To Cook" list ...


Creamy Chicken and Asparagus Casserole from  Cosy Country Living.  This looks really delicious.

I am creating ...



Cardboard Gingerbread Houses from Little Red Window.  So cute!



Felt Mitten Garlands, from Nana Company.




Clay Floral Gift Tags . . .  using Washi Tape.  (I hope you can get Christmas Washi Tape)  Found on Mahalolalena.



Free Printable Paper Ginger Bread Houses.  Found on Mein Leila Park.



Putze Style Glitter houses from old Christmas Cards.   I couldn't find a source for this one, but I did find an Etsy Shop where you can buy patterns for the houses, etc.  The Antique Hare.

I am reading ...


Pretending to Dance, by Diane Chamberlain
When the pretending ends, the lying begins . . . Molly Arnette is good at keeping secrets. As she and her husband try to adopt a baby, she worries that the truth she's kept hidden about her North Carolina childhood will rise to the surface and destroy not only her chance at adoption, but her marriage as well. Molly ran away from her family twenty years ago after a shocking event left her devastated and distrustful of those she loved. Now, as she tries to find a way to make peace with her past and embrace a healthy future, she discovers that even she doesn't know the truth of what happened in her family of pretenders. Pretending to Dance by Diane Chamberlain, the bestselling author of The Silent Sister, is a fascinating and deftly-woven novel, that reveals the devastating power of secrets.

I love Diane Chamberlain's writing.  I have read a lot of her books and this one is a cracker!

I am hoping ...
That I haven't ruined a friendship by trying to do too much and falling short.

Makes me smile ...



Vintage Fairy Illustrations by Hilda Cowham.  This reminds of my childhood.   I couldn't get enough fairy stories.  I loved them.

I am learning ...
Low fat processed cheese tastes crappy in a Grilled Cheese.  You might as well not bother.   Seriously.

Dreaming about ...



Sleeping Moon Clocks   Source 



Liberty Fabric Pillows Source 



His and Her Cups . . .



Enamel Milk Pans  . . .



Vintage Dolls  . . .

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

We are given strength
to bear the burdens of each day,
Grace sufficient for the hour
and light to see the way.
Whether in the vale of shadows
or on heights sublime,
Live your life with hope and courage.
One day at a time.

One of my favourite things ... 


Pink hair  . . .  I wish . . .

A peek into my day ...


Bird watching  . . . or watching bird . . .  it works both ways.   This is a long tailed tit I believe.

And that's my daybook for this week!


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

 ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿
╬♥═╬╬═♥=╬╬═♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥═╬
░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░


Wherever you go and whatever you do, I hope there's a great day ahead of you! Don't forget!

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And I do too!

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.



Little Pirates and Ninja's are just the best don't you think?  I always love my liddles.   They are such happy boys.   I sure wish we lived closer to each other!  Then I could enjoy them in person on a regular business.  I think I would love being the Babysitting Grandmother!




 I love this photograph.   Baxter is just chillin' it.   I think Cameron has found his best "say cheese" smile, and Maryn looks deep in thought.   Bruce looks very pleased with himself and Amanda just looks like she is having fun.  Cutest dalmation ever.




Here he is saying "cheese" again.  I love, Love, LOVE it!  This little fella has mega personality.




Baxter . . . I feel your pain.   It's not easy being dressed up as a Banana, but you are the cutest banana ever.



My sister's partner loves to decorate for the holidays, be it Christmas or Halloween.   This is what he had done outside my mum's for Halloween.   It was the place for candy pick up.  My mother is so very lucky to have my sister and Dan living with her and Dad.  Her life is so much fuller now and more interesting.   I know it was very difficult at first and I know there were a lot of adjustments to be made, but it does my heart good to hear the little "spring" in my mother's voice when I call her on Sundays.  I think she must have been pretty lonely before and just did not know it.  Her life now is never boring, and she always has someone to talk to.

There is always something interesting brewing in the house  . . .



Like my sister's homemade sauerkraut . . .




Or her spiced pumpkin seeds . . .




Vanilla Pear Butter  . . .




And Roast Chicken Sunday Dinners.    All elderly people should be so lucky to have family to care for them like this.

Darn . . .  I'm homesick now.




One of my brother's girls got up close and personal with a chickadee.   Brilliant photograph I think!  How very special.  I miss chickadees.   The woods around our house used to ring with their little "Chick-a-dee . . .dee . . .  dee's!"  I think they must be related to the tit's which we have over here.   They are very similar in size and behavior.



This is a Blue Tit at the nut feeder.   (I know, it took me a very long time to be able to call them by name.  It seems so rude, but it really isn't.)

Anyways. Life is good and I am content.


A thought to carry through the day . . .

(¯`v´¯)
 `*.¸.*´ ¸.•´ (¸.❀⁀⋱‿✿“The true way to live 
is to enjoy every moment as it passes, 
and surely it is in the everyday things around us 
that the beauty of life lies.” ~Laura Ingalls Wilder¸.❀⁀⋱‿✿



 Cooking in The English Kitchen today  . . .  a deliciously simple Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onion.   Fabulously tasty!

May your week ahead be filled with a multitude of small and wonderful things.   Don't forget . . .

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And I do too!

November . . .

 

As the days of November unfold before us,  leaves spread a cloth of gold and amber on the ground.  We are surrounded by cinnamon coloured fields and frosted purple wild blackberry canes.   The leaves on the blueberry bushes have turned scarlet . . . whilst rain falls in long leaden lines of determination, and colours slowly fade into sobering hues of nothingness . . . can frost be far behind?  I think not . . .

The wind has exchanged it's soft and musical tones for a mournful sound, marking the rythym of autumn's impending end, and howling down the chimney making one shiver and pull the woolen rug which lays over the arm of the sofa down over the legs.  We turn the light on for the electric fire, just so it's flickering flames can warm our souls.  No heat just yet.  We are not ready for that . . . but the flickering light almost does the job . . . the mind is a beautiful thing.




Each month arrives with its own special kind of rain.  In November the rain is steady and determined and . . . fearfully grey . . .  sheets of leaden steel falling from pewter skies.  The back garden squelches with every footstep.

Mitzie stands forlornly on this side of the gate gazing wistfully through the slats, mournfully longing to gallop and slosh down it's length and breadth . . . but alas,  we forbid it . . . wet and muddy dogs are not our cup of tea,  and baths are not hers . . . and so this compromise is what she has to live with.

She is not adverse however to cuddles by the fire, which more than make up for sodden romps through a water logged garden . . .

The fish lay at the bottom of the pond now, rarely coming up to feed.  It won't be long now before they stop coming up at all . . . and too . . . the frogs have borrowed into the mud to hide until the warmth of spring sunshine bids them come out again.



We are a bit like the fish and the frogs . . . burrowing into our homes . . . lurking beneath woolen rugs and nestled by crackling fires . . . venturing out of doors only when must needs be, or when the rain stops and the sun decides to shine . . .

May the final phase of life
Be like the earth in autumn mood,
Rich with blessing and contentment
Full of peace and quietude.
For all mercies glad and grateful,
Having neither doubts nor fears,
May I walk with my beloved
In the autumn of my years  . . .




Two little spooks down Canada way  . . .  so sweet, and their mum too.  Have Tigers and Fairies ever been so sweet?  I think not  . . .

It must have been fairly mild there this year, not a coat in sight.  I can remember Halloween being freezing, freezing as a girl . . .  the ground frozen and having to wear mitts.  We got about 10 trick or treaters last night.  The most ever!  Maybe next year I'll decorate!

We watched Into The Woods last night . . .  the first hour or so was alright, but then it got really boring and we switched off.   The singing was nice.



On this first Sunday of November 2015, I want to bear my testimony to you.   God is real.  He is our Heavenly Father and He loves us more than we can possibly imagine with a perfect love that never fails.  He sent his son Jesus Christ to show us the way back to Him.  The Saviour is real to me.   I feel his presence and nearness every day of my life.  The power of the Atonement is amazing.   It heals.  It uplifts.  It saves.  It helps me to endure all that I must.  It is empowering and life saving.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ contains all that anyone needs to make their life brighter, better and filled with happiness, peace and joy.  Unlike pleasure . . .  it never fades.  It is constant like the North Star and will guide you to a better place both in this lifetime and in the one to come.  The Holy Scriptures are the roadmap and  users manual for our lives.  Feast on them, for they contain the things we need to know, and can sustain us through the hard and difficult times that make up the fabric of life.



I baked cookies to take to the Missionaries when we go to church today.  I have missed baking full fat/full sugar goodies.  I hope the kids like them.  I did save a few for Todd.  You can find the recipe in The English Kitchen . . .  Caramel Apple Oaties.

Happy November!  Have a wonderful Sunday.  Don't forget!


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And I do too!