Friday this and that . . .

 

You'll never guess what I did last evening. Never in a million years. I sat down with Todd and we watched Bambi on the new Disney Film channel.  I had seen bits and pieces through the years, but . . . last night was the very first time I ever watched it from beginning to end in it's entirety!   I know!   That's so amazing.  How does someone get to the age of 57 never having seen Bambi?   Well, I am here to tell you it does happen!

I thought it was just wonderful, of course!  They just don't make films like this for children anymore.    I miss the look of old cartoons.   Nowadays they have all of this computer animation and it's just not the same . . . I love the old stuff.  Of course Disney was before his time and that is why his cartoon films are ageless.   Bambi was made in 1942.   Todd was only 4 years old and I was not even a twinkle in my father's eye, my father having been only 9 years old.



I loved that it was full of little lessons that were not only good for children to learn but also adults.     If you can't say nothing good is a maxim we should ALL follow! I loved that Bambi's first word was  . . . . B B B Bird, and the innocence of children which was portrayed in such a moving and touching way.   I loved the musical score in it.  Walt Disney was always able to use music in a marvelous way to create emotion . . . I loved the way the seasons were portrayed so beautifully.   I expect that children learned a lot about nature and how it works from watching this film.   I love that about it too . . . it wasn't smutty in any way, no swearing . . . the only violence being the spring Rut between Bambi and his rival for Faline's affections . . . and  the hunters of course.   I cried when his mother died. 

I know . . . I am an old softie.



When I was a little girl I used to dream about going to Disney Land in California.    Our next door neighbors had been . . . I knew that to be true because they had a decal from Disney Land on the back window of their station wagon.   Their name was Stutsky.   I spent lots of time poring over the decals on their car window and thinking about all of the places they had been, and dreaming that one day I could go to some of these places too.

I always wanted to be a world traveler . . .  I wanted to see things the world's largest ball of string . . . and donuts you could drive through.   Ice cream places that looked like big ice cream cones.   Water towers shaped like cobs of corn, peaches and . . . strawberries . . . the world's largest chair.



The closest thing I've ever seen of anything at all like that is this enormous Potato Man in Maugerville, New Brunswick, Canada . . . just outside of Fredericton on the old 105 highway.   We used to pass it each time we traveled from Nova Scotia to my Grandmother's place in Northern Quebec.  I remember being quite fascinated by it, and the sense of familiarity I got from seeing it each time after that very first time.   It was the same sense of familiarity that I got from seeing it as an adult when my family and I moved to a small town outside of Fredericton many, many years later.   I expect now that they have changed the way the Trans Canada Highway moves past Fredericton nobody gets to see it at all anymore as Maugerville is completely by-passed.    To see the big Potato Man would take a detour off the main route . . . but then again, things like this should be detours off the main route.    One should have to make a deliberate effort to see them . . . don't you think?   That serves to lift them out of the realm of every day and into the specter of special.

Just my opinion of course.



I am a great believer in dreams coming true however . . . and have seen many of my own come true through the years.   I have no doubt that before I die I will have the opportunity to see Disney Land, even if it is only Disney Land Paris.   I may even yet see the World's Biggest Ball of String!   I believe in never giving up!

Another dull day today with more rain.   You must have April Showers though . . . if you are to enjoy May Flowers!

We got my suitcase out of the shed yesterday.  I am airing it out as it smells a bit musty.  Things often do when they are tucked away like that.  It is hard to believe less than a week and I will be at my mom's.   She seemed quite excited to see me the last time we spoke, and I am excited to be seeing her.

 

I will miss Todd and Mitzie though . . . and my daily writings to you of course, and your sweet comments.    I hope to be able to go to Tim Hortons though and sign up to WiFi there and update my Facebook from time to time, so if you want to keep up with my doings on, you need to check me out on Facebook.

I spent about 2 hours yesterday weeding out my e-mails.  I don't know why I do it, but I save e-mails that I hope to reply to, always planning of course . . . that I am going to reply to them within 24 hours . . . more often than not I don't get to it . . . and then my e-mail box grows and grows until yesterday I had almost 3000 in it.    I got it down to less than 200, but it is painstaking work.   I don't know why I do this . . . but it is nothing new.  I end up having to do the same thing each time I go away.   Todd just shakes his head because he never has more then 2 or 3 e-mails in his inbox.  I just think . . . how boring!

But that is me . . . this is probably the same reason I have a bazillion cookbooks, multiple blogs, and am never content with just picking up one bar of chocolate.    I seem to do everything in excess!   Perhaps I need to work on that . . .


A thought to carry with you through today . . .

Every day of life is a dark night.   No one knows what will happen in the next moment, and yet people still go forward.  Because they trust.   Because they have faith.
~Brida (Paulo Coelho)

 

Cooking in The English Kitchen today . . . Beef and Beans.   The most delicious casserole you could ever eat.   Seriously.

Have a wonderful Friday!   Now how did THAT happen!   This week went so fast!



 

Wednesday This and That . . .

 

Yesterday was the first day in what seems like forever that we were able to leave the heat off in the house for almost the whole day.   There are some years when this happens earlier in the season, and there are some years when it happens later . . . yesterday was sunny and whilst not really warm (there was a cold biting wind) at least it was dry.  Mitzie is enjoying these drier days for we allow her to go back onto the grassed area of our back garden, which is closed off with a fence and gate from the patio part.

We don't like her to go over there when it is wet because she gets muddy and dirty . . . but once it has dried we open the gate and she goes flying through it and down the length of the garden like the wind . . . and then she works her way back up sniffing the whole way.  We may not be able to tell what's been our way . . . but she can.   She's a very good sniffer.  Those annoying cats that visit us all got a huge surprise yesterday as she was sitting out there for most of the day just waiting for them to arrive so she could run them off!!  A job well done!

These are the in-between days . . . the days when my world somehow cannot make up it's mind if it is Winter or it is Spring . . . Winter tries to clutch and hang on . . . but Spring is kicking it's arse . . . and we begin to notice the difference.



The seasons may change, but new life is always coming.   I don't like to look backward.   We may mourn each rose as it fades and it's petals drop . . . but once pruned . . . another rose will appear in it's place.  It's sad when the lilacs across the way begin to turn brown and wilt . . . but that is a sadness soon forgotten when the peonies burst open in a glorious riot of rosy red and deep pink, like country maids spreading their double frilled skirts . . .  that life goes on, however different . . . is a certainty.

We have a huge Camellia bush which sits by our front door . . . in Spring it is covered with beautiful dark pink blossoms which cheer the heart and eye . . . but it isn't long before they are falling as well . . . turning brown . . . but they are soon replaced by wildly blooming hydrangea, which grow in abundance, flanking our front drive all the way down . . . then too, there comes the daily surprise of something new which appears . . . Violets, Forget-Me-Nots . . . Poppies, Snap Dragons . . . Lupins.   It is difficult to mourn the loss one for long as a new one takes it's place.



That is the circle of life . . . abundant joy and beauty and birth, tempered by loss and a goodly portion of death.  For the young . . .  death is  somewhat of a distant thing, hovering someplace without the periphery of their vision, unless directly impacted . . . but as you get older, it's possibility becomes somewhat harder to ignore.  Each day, each happening . . . each new experience, bad or good . . . becomes a blessing of sorts and you learn to appreciate them all the more, for the gift that they are.

I am not a wise woman . . . I do not know why I am still here, and yet others are not.  I know not why I still smell the faint sweet tang of the apple leaf and the soft damp odor of  the earth as I turn it with my fingers . . . and yet, those far younger than myself are no longer here to smell and to feel and to see all that I smell, feel and see . . .

 

What I know for sure is this.   There is something in the world of new beauty, loveliness and grace each day.   There is a meaning far deeper which lays beneath the external, something which goes beyond the deep ways of time.   All things are eternal . . . an eternity which is made tangible in the purple bloom of the first cool crocus which bursts sturdily from the cold dark earth amidst the melting snow, in the deepening red blush of the strawberries as they come to life and bear fruit beneath their dark green cover . . . and in the slow dance of the first golden leaf  which falls . . . against the brushing breast of the autumn wind.

It is these things which speak to my heart of the presence of my God.    We, created in His image . . .  each have a  beautiful meaning and purpose in being here . . .  even if we cannot fully understand the why.  We are loved with a deeper love, which goes beyond understanding . . . a love which we cannot fathom for we are finite beings and he is . . . infinite.  Not being able to understand the depth and breadth of it doesn't make it any less real or tangible . . . but it doesn't take a genius to know how much it matters, or the difference this sweet, sweet knowledge can make in a life, however short or long.

It is a sure sweet knowledge which underpins each day of my existence . . .  and all that I do, or say . . . or feel.   And so . . . while I am here, I enjoy deeply all that the each season brings, each day that I am given . . . trying not to mourn overly much the days and moments that pass away and that will never come again in this eternal round called life.   The best is yet to come . . .



We surely enjoyed having the Missionary lads for supper last night.  One is from Portugal and the other America.   It is always good so have their spirit in our home.   They left at the end of our time together feeling well fed . . . and we were left feeling well nourished from their having been here.

A thought to carry with you through today . . .

"Those who want much, are always much in need."
~Horace



We had bananas and custard for dessert last night, which I served accompanied with these delicious Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies.   Nobody complained!

Many thanks to those of you who contacted me yesterday to get my mother's mailing address.  I know she will be greatly encouraged and uplifted by your cards and notes!  You are all so kind and your kindness is very much appreciated.

Have a great Wednesday!


 

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY, April 9th, 2013...

Outside My Window...
The sun has risen,but the sky is overcast.  It is getting light a lot earlier these days.   I love it when the sun shines.   We get TOO much rain in this country, but then again . . . that is why it is such a green and fertile place, which I love . . . so I guess it's just something we have to put up with.  It's worth it to live in a beautiful country like I do.

I am thinking...
"Of all the roles I've played, none has been as fulfilling as being a mother."
~Annette Funicello 



When I was a little girl I would rush home from school at lunch time to watch a little program on the television called, "The Mickey Mouse Club."   I loved it and enjoyed watching what the "Mousketeers"  got up to each day.  Of course my favourite Mousketeer was Annette Funicello.  She was pretty.   She was talented.   She was nice.   She was a great role model for little girls.



When I got a little bit older I would spend a goodly portion of my allowance on Saturday to go to the movies just so I could see Annette and Frankie and the gang.   They were great movies.   There was no sex.   There was no violence.  There was no swearing.   Annette and Frankie played honest, sweet characters in them.   They sang nice songs.  They had fun that was good and clean.   Annette was still a good role model for young girls, and many of us aspired to be like her.



All grown up and a mother myself, I fell in love with Annette Funicello all over again.  She was a good and caring mother.   She was honest and decent.  Despite her battles, and there were many for she did not lead a totally charmed life . . . divorce, loss and her battle with MS, she remained a good role model for me and for others.   She was gracious.  She was kind.  She loved the Lord and was a good wife and mother.

I was saddened to hear of her passing yesterday due to complications from her MS which she had suffered from since the 1980's.   A part of me rejoices because I know she is now whole again and in a much better place,   Heaven has gained a new Angel.  She is still a role model to me of all that is decent and good, may she rest in peace.

I am thankful for...

The childhood I was blessed to experience.   It was a simpler time with simple values and pleasures.   Nothing was overly complicated.   I had nothing more to do than to please my parents and my God.  To please my parents I only needed to obey and to work hard and to remember the things that they taught me.  Pleasing my God meant obeying his commandments, one of which was to honor my father and mother.   I am so thankful that I was taught these values from an early age.  I am so grateful that from very early on my parents taught me to pray and to speak with my Heavenly Father.  They were not Mormons.  My father is a Catholic and my mother is a Baptist.  They are good people.   I am grateful for that too.

From the kitchen... 
Not a heck of a lot at the moment, but we are having the missionaries (the lads) over for supper tonight, so I will probably spend a goodly portion of today in preparation for that!
 
I am wearing...  
Pink and grey PJ's and my robe and slippers.   They help to keep me warm.
 
I am creating... 

(Source Melissa Frances)

I love little cardboard houses.   I have long wanted to make a few of my own.  I just have a thing for little houses and doll houses and the like.   They are on my bucket list of things to do . . . I have a loooooong bucket list of things to do, but it is nice to dream that one day I will get to these!



(Source Country Living)

There is a tutorial on this page to make your own decorative tapes using leftover wrapping paper!   I love Washi Tape.  You can do so much with it.  I am so going to try this.  I find myself wondering why I didn't think of this myself!


(Source The Painted Hive)

I just adore these decals that you can put onto jars and tins.  Kristine gives an excellent tutorial on her page for how to do this for yourself!   I think they are fabulous and her tutorial is very well done!   What a great and attractive way to keep organized, and you can get the inexpensive canning jars at IKEA.


(Source Instructables)

I love this idea of making a book out of envelopes.  What a great way to journal!  You could make a really nice little recipe booklet doing this as well, which would make great shower gifts for Brides to be and all sorts.   The possibilities are quite endless!

I am going... 
I have to go to the Dr's this morning for a Fasting Blood Test.  It's not until 9:55 and I am starving already.  Why do they schedule these things so late in the day . . . grumble grumble . . .
Other than that I have no real concrete plans for this week, other than beginning to get myself organized for my trip next Thursday.   I have a lot to get done!

I have an idea...
Okay, this is a new section I just added this morning.  My mother is getting very nervous about her upcoming operation on the 22nd of April.  It's a big deal when you are almost 81 and going in for major surgery.  She is afraid she is going to die.   Yesterday I told her that without the operation she surely will die.  I thought it would be nice if people could send her a small card just saying that they are thinking of her and praying for her.  So she could feel the love and not be as afraid.  She is a great believer in prayer.  If you would like to do this for my mom, please contact me and I will give you her mailing address.   It would mean the world to her and to me and I think she would be very surprised and uplifted!  Thanks so much!

I am reading...

Source: eatyourbooks.com viaMaría Jimena on Pinterest

My Berlin Kitchen, by Luisa Weiss.  I am finishing this up now.  It's been a cracking read.  If you love "Love" stories and recipes, this is your book.

Source: goodreads.com viaJen on Pinterest

As Always Julia, the letters of Julia Child and Avis Devoto, by Julia Child.  I have always had a fascination for Julie Child, ever since I was a child and saw her cooking on the television.   Here was a woman doing what I wanted to do.   It's early days yet as I have only just begun this book, but I'll let you know how I get on!

"Frank, bawdy, funny, exuberant, and occasionally agonized, these letters show Julia, first as a new bride in Paris, then becoming increasingly worldly and adventuresome as she follows her diplomat husband in his postings to Nice, Germany, and Norway."

Source: goodreads.com viaElise on Pinterest

  

While We were Watching Downton Abbey, by Wendy Wax. I have only just discovered this book and as a Downton Abby fan, I  am intrigued.  It's about a bunch of people who get together each week to watch Downton Abbey together.   It comes out on the 2nd April.

When the concierge of The Alexander, a historic Atlanta apartment building, invites his fellow residents to join him for weekly screenings of Downton Abbey, four very different people find themselves connecting with the addictive drama, and—even more unexpectedly—with each other…

I am hoping...
My brother's MIL has been told she has several brain tumors, tumors in her lungs and in her liver.  They think they are stage 4 already.   I am hoping that she and her family are able to find comfort and peace and that she does not suffer unduly.  If you could please keep Toshika in your prayers I would appreciate.

I am hearing... 
Ordinary morning sounds.   My play list, Mitzie snoring . . . the clock ticking.  My fingers clicking on the keys.  Nothing changes . . .

Around the house...




I love my home.  To me it is my castle.  It is not large and it might not even be what I would consider to be my dream home, but it is my home and it is what we can afford, and we are blessed to have it.

 

It is on an ordinary, unremarkable street on a housing estate.



It is like all of the other houses that are on this street.  Not one is much different than the other.   Some of us have drives, some do not . . . some plant flowers, others don't . . . but we each do put our own unique stamps on them.   That is one thing which I noticed about the UK when I came over here.   You may have people living in a row of terraced houses, each one identical to the next . . . but each person will make their own little spot their own haven in very unique ways.



Our home may be humble, but it is a place where each of us can relax with abandon and know that we are loved no matter what.   It is a place of comfort and of peace.

 

It is our little haven away from the world.  A place where we find shelter and love and acceptance.  A place where others can come and feel of our hospitality.  I hope that when people come into our home to share a meal or for whatever purpose they can feel the love that lives here.

One of my favourite things . . . 

 

I am very fond of cookie cutters.  I collect them like some people collect stamps.  When my children were growing up I often used them and enjoyed doing so.  I only ever very rarely use them now.   I especially love those two in this picture.   I paid a lot of money when I bought them.   I got them through Gooseberry Patch a very long time ago.   I think I will bake some cookies with them soon!

Something new about me ...
I hate bugs.   Spiders.  Wasps.  Mosquitos.  Flies.   Ants. I know they all have a purpose . . . but I still don't like them.  I won't kill spiders . . . but as for the rest, if they get into my house, they are goners!

One of my guilty pleasures ...

Pie.  I LOVE pie.  It doesn't have to be sweet pies.  It can be savoury.  If it  is in a crust I am there.   I LOVE PIE!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

“In order to arrive you must follow the signs.  God inscribed on the world the path that each man must follow.  It is just a matter of reading the inscription he wrote for you."
~Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

I love knowing that there is a plan for each of us and a path to follow.   To know that ultimately my life is in God's hands is a sure knowledge that brings me great comfort.  I know that if I follow the example that the Savior set out for us and walk in His ways, I will always be walking in the right direction.   That is enough for me.

As a closing thought I would like to leave you with this:

The cure for anything is salt water . . . sweat, tears, or the sea.
~Isak Dinesen

And there you have it . . . my day book for this week. Don't forget to hop on over to the Simple Woman to check out the other day book entries! (Or better yet, do a simple day book entry yourself! It's not that hard and I am betting you would enjoy it!  

  

Cooking in The English Kitchen today . . . Macaroni and Cheese with Tomatoes.  Deliciously comforting!

Happy Day All!

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.

  

Watching General Conference together as a family.   I know Mitzie doesn't really understand anything that is being said.  She's a dog.  She does understand, however, that what we are watching is important to us, and if it is important to us . . . it's important to her.  I love that.

 

I love this thought and it's so true.  It's a tiny thing.  It's a simple thing.   Faith is a real power, action . . . not just an expression of belief.   Faith without works IS dead.



Bloom where you are planted.  I don't know who it is that first said this, so I can't give credit where credit is due.  It may have been Mary Englebreit, but it may not have been.  Even she may have pinched it from something else.   It is a simple thing however . . . blooming where you are planted.  If you wait for a better time, or better circumstances, a better place . . . it may never happen.   True joy comes from making the best with what you have, where you are now, and right now.  Tomorrow never comes.  Don't waste your todays waiting for a better tomorrow.   Be a better YOU now!



Lemon Pie.   I love it.   I want to bake one today.   It's my favourite of all the pies.  Seriously.   I do happen to love all pies . . . but Lemon Pie?   If I could only take one pie with me to live on a desert island . . . it would be lemon.



Being thankful makes a big difference in a person's life.   Its turns everything into a blessing or a gift and it's such a simple concept, and so easy to do.  It was Paul who admonished us to be thankful in all things in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 

“When thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God” 
~Alma 37:37

Gratitude is a life changing concept.   It changes life for the better.



Greek yogurt.  Low Fat.  With fruit in the corner.   All natural.  I love the stuff.  It's better than ice cream.  It is better for you than ice cream too.    You feel indulgent when you are eating it, but it's good for you.  It's win/win all around.



Hugs.   Real hugs.  Virtual hugs.   They cost nothing, but they mean the world.   Where would we be without hugs.  One size fits all.   You can even hug yourself if there's nobody else around to hug.  I love hugs.  Mitzie hugs us with her head.   She pushes it into us, and it feels pretty wonderful.   Doggie hugs are some of the best hugs ever because you know they come straight from the heart.



Buttercups.  They'll soon be here.  I can feel them in the air. Tis almost the season of yellow and nothing brightens the heart more than a field of buttercups.   Did you play that game when you were small . . . the one where you hold a buttercup up to another person's chin and ask them "Do you like butter?"   If their chin glows yellow the answer is yes.  Of course their chin will glow with the yellow reflection of the buttercup . . . but as a child you don't know that.  We just know it's exciting to see if someone else loves butter too!

 

Loving and being loved back.   It's not a big thing.  It's not even hard to do.  I think it is one of our most basic of instincts.

 

 Love is a good thing.



Spring blossoms.   They just do the heart good.  They make your heart sing.  They make your heart smile.  They make every day a brighter day.  They are the promise of good things to come.



Stars . . . they're millions of miles away but they always make me wonder . . . and wish.  Who has never wished on that first star that appears in the night sky, or that last one which disappears of a morning . . . or the one that streaks across the sky as it falls to the earth . . . wishing on a star.   It's a good thing.  It contains all the wonder of childhood and the promise of hope.  I always wish on stars.   And sometimes my wishes even come true.



Clear counter-tops.   We have a very small kitchen.  It very easily gets crowded and cluttery if I am not careful.   The sight of a clear counter-top may seem like a small thing to you, but it's a big thing to me, and the sight of it makes me feel pretty wonderful.   For some odd reason however . . . this only lasts for a few hours and it begins to get cluttered again.  Sigh . . .

What small and wonderful things do your heart good?   I'd love to hear about them!

A thought to carry with you through today . . .

"There are moments when troubles enter our lives and we can do nothing to avoid them.  But they are there for a reason.  Only when we have overcome them will we understand why they were there."
~Paulo Coelho

 

Baking in The English Kitchen today . . . tasty Asparagus Tarts!

I wish for you a wonderful day filled with lots of small and wonderful things!