The Simple Woman's Day book . . .

FOR TODAY, March 6th, 2012...

Outside My Window...
It is cool and the sky is just beginning to turn light. This is my first daybook entry for March. Spring seems to have come early this year. The birds are already nesting. I watched the blackbirds in the garden yesterday gathering bits of dry grass. The birdsong is prettier of a morning as well . . .



I am thinking...
I was reading all the news about our Eileen and her Tim via the web earlier. There is an especially great article here along with a nice picture of them. There is another good one here. I am so proud of my daughter. Her's is a real success story. There are a lot of people with lots of smarts that never achieve half of what she has achieved in her short lifetime. She has had to overcome great obstacles and she has done it in spades!

I am thankful for...
All that I have, all that I am, and all that I know to be true. I try to live each day to the fullest that I can. It makes a difference.

From the kitchen...
There is leftover cake from the other day that I am still trying to ignore. (Not very successfully I might add!)

I am wearing...
Grey and pink jim jam bottoms, a pink M£S nightie, my robe and slippers. Again layering for warmth.

I am creating...


This is what I did yesterday afternoon. I love it. I just sat down at my table upstairs in the craft room and she just popped out. I love it when that happens! Of course she is available as a card of a print. Just message me if you are interested.

I am going...
I have the daily reading lessons of course . . . then this afternoon I am having my hair cut. Tonight we are going to the chapel to peel and prepare vegetables, then tomorrow Todd and I will spend all day at a Men's Hostel cooking for them as a part of our special RS Service project. These past few months we have been gathering in new socks, new undies and used clothing for them, which gets taken in every week and used up. There is such a need. They hardly ever get a decent meal so we are going to provide them with one for at least one day. Thursday night I have auxiliary training at the chapel, and sometime this week we are having a new tap fitted in the kitchen. We have the missionaries for supper on Friday evening as well. I am sure that any gaps will be filled in with other things, as and when!!! It is a busy week!

I am reading...


True to Form, by Elizabeth Berg

You all know how much I love books by Elizabeth Berg. This one is no exception! In this warm and engaging novel, New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Berg revisits the heroine she so lovingly brought to life in Durable Goods and Joy School. It is 1961, and thirteen-year-old Katie is facing a summer full of conflict. First, instead of letting her find her own work for the season, Katie's father has arranged for two less than ideal baby-sitting jobs. Worse, Katie has been forcibly inducted into the 'loser' Girl Scout troop organized by her only friend Cynthia's controlling and clueless mother. A much anticipated visit to her former home in Texas and ex-best friend Cherylanne proves disappointing. And then comes an act of betrayal that leaves Katie questioning her views on friendship, on her ability not to take those she loves for granted, and most important, on herself. Full of anguish and the joys of adolescence in a much more innocent time, True to Form is sure to make readers remember and reflect upon their own moments of discovery and self-definition.

I am hoping...
The sky is tinged with red . . . I am hoping we are not in for bad weather today. Everything always seems much better beneath a blanket of sunshine don't you think???

I am hearing...
Nothing much. Mitzie is snoring away on the sofa. The keys are tapping. The birds are singing. The odd car drives by. The clock is ticking. A pretty normal morning I would say.

Around the house...

Source: etsy.com via Marie on Pinterest

I have a particular fondness for embroidered vintage linens. I have some tea towels that I have been going to embroider for years now but never got around to. At one time, in a previous marriage, I had several sets that I had embroidered with the days of the week. One had little black girls on them, which I loved and the other had fruits and vegetables. I do not know what happened to them . . . I have one tea towel now that is embroidered upon. It is one that my mother did, and I treasure it. My mother has dresser scarves and all sorts in her home that she has embroidered. I love to embroider, but have not done any in a while. Perhaps I need to dig out my embroidery basket . . . it would be something to do in the evenings whilst watching the telly.

One of my favourite things . . .
I love writing this daybook every week. I know I have said this before, but it is true. Having this one day that I focus on all that is going on in my life . . . the good, the bad, the spectacular . . . and everything in between, is pretty special. I think, even if I stopped blogging, I would still do a daybook. No worries, I am not about to stop blogging just yet! I wonder when I will???? Somehow I can 't see me doing this up in my 80's, should I be lucky enough to live that long!

If I could change one thing it would be...
That our Government would realize just how much ordinary every day people are suffering in the present economy. These people that run our country and make our decisions are people that, for the most part, have never had to worry about how they are going to put petrol in their car, or food in their bellies . . . how they are going to pay their gas bill, or their electric bill . . . or buy their children the new shoes that they need. They have no concept of the reality of most people's lives . . . and yet they make decisions every day that affect each of us. They are talking about putting the price of petrol up yet again . . . at a time when businesses are floundering and ordinary people, like you and me, are having to make very tough decisions in their lives about every penny which gets spent. Many businesses have already gone under due to the high price of petrol. Jobs have been lost. The Government already gets about 80% of the revenue of each litre of fuel in taxes. People need a break! If they really wanted to save money they would withdraw from the European Union which sucks billions of pounds from us every year. That is money that would be better spent in our own country to help bring things back to some semblance of normalcy and boost our own economy.

I am looking forward to ...
Seeing what adventure today will bring to my table. There is always something . . . some blessing, some joy . . . even pain and sorrow are welcome, albeit not as welcome as the joy . . . but there is value in all things. Feeling reminds us that we are alive and life is a gift.

One of my favourite things ...
Is listening to music. Music speaks to my soul. I have my favourites and my not so favourites. I love old music and some of the new music today . . . I do NOT like rap.



I especially love the Beatles. I was listening to this the other day and it just grabbed my heart. I think it's wonderful the way music speaks to the soul and a song, or even just a few bars of a song can take you instantly back in time to another place and feelings that you may have had at that moment.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
A bit of work . . . a bit of play . . . and everything in between!! It is a full week. I like it when weeks are filled and busy. I also like weeks that are empty and lazy. I guess I just love life full stop.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Source: Uploaded by user via Mary Beth on Pinterest

"How sweet is the assurance, how comforting is the peace that come from the knowledge that if we marry right and live right, our relationship will continue, notwithstanding the certainty of death and the passage of time. Men may write love songs and sing them. They may yearn and hope and dream. But all of this will be only a romantic longing unless there is an exercise of authority that transcends the powers of time and death."
--Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Marriage That Endures", Ensign, Jul 2003

I'm sad to say I've done this marriage lark three times and it took me three times to get it right. What has made the difference???

Source: goforwardwithfaith.blogspot.com via Marie on Pinterest

This has. It has made all the difference in the world. When you put your love of God and the Saviour at the centre of your lives . . . everything else just falls in to place and life has more meaning and more joy.


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

"Wisdom is knowing what to do next. Virtue is doing it.*
~david starr jordan

I just love this . . . it is so true.

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, delicious Ham and Cheese Scrolls!

Happy Day everyone!