Precious Dress

I am staying on track with my challenge and the purging is feeling and looking really good. I cannot part with this little dress though, can you blame me? It was found at a second-hand clothing store when Pamela was a baby. I wish this picture was better because it is so adorable and the details [like the ruffled collar] don't show up well. I miss the days of being able to choose what your children wear.....not that I could very much with Pamela because from about the time she started walking she started letting me know what she didn't want to put on! There were a lot of clothes that were passed on that she NEVER wore, but she did like this dress. To this day the clothes she likes, she wears over and over and over again.... I suppose that is why I am sometimes sad to say goodbye to them. This one is definitely going to the memory box.

I am off to the basement to fill a bag which will be very easy to do because my husband has some hoarding issues.....you never know when you will need a fifty year old snowmobile suit....

GRATEFUL TODAY FOR:

67. A few minutes to myself to have a cup of tea and read a few of my favorite blogs.
68. Spaghetti for supper, which I love, and Patty-Sue said she loved my sauce!

May Challenge

hamster cage for sale!

My May Challenge is to get rid of 30 bags of stuff; a bag, a day! This is just a copycat of the 40 bags in 40 days for lent which I first saw on Clover Lane but I missed that so I am making it my spring clean-up challenge. We just got a goodwill bin at our local supermarket so I can take a lot of stuff to that and maybe to the local dump too! Also. I am listing some stuff on Kijiji [similar to Craig's List] and I will consider this a bag if I can sell some of our garbageitems we don't use anymore.  Wish me luck because if I am to succeed I will need a lot of it!

I started this post on Tuesday and this is the first chance I have had to get back to it and it is because I am on bag four and it has been busy getting to bag five tomorrow. I love the cathartic enjoyment I get from each bag that leaves this house. Stay tuned for my progress....like I said before.....the excitement is never ending in this house.

GRATEFUL TODAY FOR:

66. A beautiful day for a walk to the neighbor's house with three toddlers in tow to see the chickens. I can do chicken pictures just like Meg.

Gordon's pride and joy!

Monday's Question

this little egg is real, it is tiny and came from my neighbor's hens

I have a few movies and shows that I can watch repeatedly and you know why? It is because I love the homes featured in them and so I find myself strangely comforted by watching; weird, I know. I love the following:

• Sleeping with the Enemy, loved the house she rented after she escaped her husband
• Fatal Attraction, loved the house they bought in the country
• Signs, loved the farmhouse where most of this movie is filmed
• Gilmore Girls, loved their house and small town and Rory reminds me so much of my oldest daughter
• Waltons, classic farmhouse!

I even had certain people I loved babysitting for when I was young because I loved their homes. I can remember the cozy, well looked after ones, and how I liked how they made me feel. I can also remember the cold, gloomy ones and how I would dread having to go more than once. Remember how I told you about going to Linda's house for the first time and my first impression of her home. Blogs do the same thing to me. Linda's original blog header was so unique [her new one is gorgeous too] and I am sure it had a lot of readers from first glimpse. At least for me, a pretty blog header will instantly have me reading and not being able to stop, just like a good book. 

What are some of your favorite movies and blogs?

GRATEFUL TODAY FOR:
 64. A washing machine and clothes dryer to do my mountains of laundry [remember Patty-Sue is secretly working for a laundry detergent company] because I can recall when I didn't have my own and I am thankful every time I use them now.
65. My clothesline that I use more than my dryer three seasons of the year.

Manners Please and Sea Glass

This picture has nothing to do with this post but sea glass is so pretty, isn't it?

Whatever happened to good manners? It seems it isn't just children who are forgetting them A LOT!! You all know by now that cheap frugal is my middle name and to this end we do not have any "phone" features which all cost extra and none of which we cannot live without. Do you know how many people do not have call-display on their phone? One person, and apparently it is me. Everyone that calls these days expects that I should know who is calling. I am very good with voices but sometimes I get stumped and halfway through a conversation I have to say, " I am sorry but I do not recognize your voice"  which is met with shock and dismay. Please people who have call-display, remember that not everyone does, and you need to introduce yourself....The other phone feature that I love is the "beep" which tells you someone else is calling and it is always someone more important than me. You get the "I have to take this call, it is blah,blah and they are sooooooo much more important to talk to than you...so goodbye". Sorry, but I think that is rude, really, really, rude, so unless it is your doctor calling to tell you that you need to get to the hospital, you should finish your conversation and call them back!! Now don't even get me started on cell phones....

Now that I have vented about bad manners I can tell you that we are having another day filled with sunshine so I am going to hang a load of wash on my clothesline. The excitement is never ending in this house!!

Quick Supper and Dessert Ideas

chocolate and vanilla ice cream sandwich

this can be cooked ahead of time

When you are babysitting three children under the age of four you have to be prepared to have a simple supper. My latest quick fixes are homemade ice cream sandwiches and tortellini salad.

Dessert first, of course:

This idea came from Diane who told me how she made ice cream sandwiches with graham crackers. I  found chocolate wafers on sale last week so I substituted and they work great too. I also melted a little milk chocolate and spread some on the wafers before adding the ice cream. I wrap them individually and they are ready in the freezer to grab for dessert.

My supper idea is my own concoction and I love it, if I do say so myself! You simply make a tossed salad and add cooked tortellini. I also add grated cheese and crumbled bacon if I have it on hand. I buy this fresh pasta at my local grocery store and it only takes a few minutes to cook. You can put whatever dressing on it that you like but I prefer a creamy one. My husband's idea of supper is meat and potatoes and he is happy with this "full meal deal" so be daring and give it a try. 

GRATEFUL TODAY FOR:
62. Lots of sunshine and two loads of laundry blowing dry on my clothesline.
63. A dozen eggs from my neighbor and a batch of Five Rose cookies made with the fresh eggs.

Basketball on Sunday

#20 is Pamela

My Sunday was spent driving up a mountain to attend a basketball tournament. It was a beautiful day for the first time I had to drive up Cape Smokey by myself [I would NOT want to do it in the winter time] and the few times I dared to take my eyes off the road [it is very steep and windy]  I could not help but be reminded of how blessed I am to call this island where I live home. I was a little sad about missing church but Pamela getting her first two baskets was NOT TO BE MISSED and I felt God with me every moment of my Sunday on the mountain.

I keep rushing with my posts and I forget my GRATEFUL TODAY FOR:
58. Being blessed to call Cape Breton my home.
59. Good friends who send Christmas cards every year and aren't afraid to reach out to comfort you when your heart is breaking.
60. One last summer with our oldest daughter before she moves out on her own.
61. My sister who is always there for us when we need her.

I Am Such A Lucky Duck Today!!

I received a very special surprise from a dear friend today and I rushed home to put the kettle on so I could pour over these beautiful magazines while I had my afternoon tea. I actually saved one to look at this evening when all my chores are finished, which required a tremendous amount of self-discipline!! I hate to call them magazines because they are more like books that you would display on your coffee table. The photography and even the paper it is printed on are gorgeous. Now I cannot wait to get Matthew's new book  Flea Market Finds. All I can say is Matthew Mead and Linda are a match made in heaven. He deserves her and she deserves him and they are both so lucky they found each other. Did you notice too, the delicate note and book labels? They are made by one of Linda's favorite Etsy shops Vintage Paper Parade. It is so like Linda to have perfect stationary too. Well I have to make this a short post because I have to get to those chores.... so I can get to that last magazine.... and then go through the others again.....Thank you Linda for sharing your magazines with me and the ridiculous amount you had to spend on postage to send them to me.