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Well I’ve got a list as long as my arm of things to do, but I promised to start parading out my zoo animals over the next week.

I also wanted to take a moment out of my busy day to share a ‘good read’ with you. This is Only Uni by Camy Tang. Its a Christian Chic – Lit book, meaning one simply must curl up in a comfy chair or bed with a steaming mug of hot tea and be prepared to step into the life of Uni, a spunky Asian/American who’s family is steeped in Oriental tradition, while Uni tries to bridge the gap in her decision to be a Christian. While her interfering Gramma alternately tries to bribe Uni to consider marrying the man SHE thinks is THE one for her, Uni is going through her own struggle to find ‘a good CHRISTIAN man’ You find yourself alternately giggling along with and being touched by Uni’s battle to make the right choices, while experiencing consequences of poor choices she’s made in her life. To find out more about this delightful book just click on the Camy’s Loft link in my sidebar or check for all of Camy’s books at Amazon.com.

Nothing is so beautiful as spring –

When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;

Thrush’s eggs look like little low heavens, and thrush,

Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring,

The ear, it strikes like lightening to hear him sing;

The glassy peartree leaves and blooms, they brush

The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush

With richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling.

~ Gerald Manley Hopkins

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Anything that makes you pray, is a blessing.

“Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

Psalm 50:15

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I’m hauling these critters out of my virtual vault as I didn’t lift a designing finger over the Easter and Spring Break from school, other than to do some plant illustrations for my husband. I know many of you will already have these cool animals, but then again you might not. There so many creative layouts made with them last year I figured I’d revive them so that anyone who didn’t, could now. So stay tuned over the next week as I round them all up and give ‘em out again.

Seriously, I’m not avoiding anyone, but I have not been online much in the past few days so that I can catch up on a few things, and get organized – just in case you’ve wondered where I’ve gone or if I’ve neglected to visit you.

It was a good break, we went HOME to our folks for the weekend, four days actually and we just settled into the embrace of being with family. I hope I never take our parents for granted – they are most amazing role models for what a mom and dad should be. Honestly, we all look forward to getting together, and Mom spends months preparing food. I have a ‘never diet’ rule which applies to any time we visit... and anyhow it would be futile!

Now, when we get home, its a different story – after our 4 day all you can eat buffet lifestyle, we lapse back into much more modest eating habits, that is unless we have dinner guests. And we did have guests over on Friday. We had the opportunity to unite two Italians – our Pastor Jim and wife Elaine, and our adopted Italian Mama, Italia and her husband John. It makes for a lot of good humour and waving of hands - and the evening wrapped up with the two couples looking forward to getting to know each other better.

NOT serving lamb for dinner...

Jim did not bring the sheep he’s admiring with him ... he’s got a huge collection of sheep and while he probably does not need another we could not resist getting him this one which makes the most mournful bleating when it’s turned upside down (you would too, if someone were to turn you upside down, I bet!)

A nice way to pass the evening with friends!

I did take care to make the main course low-fat fare by preparing rice wraps filled with a red Thai rice, beef and fresh veggie filling, but I went all-out for dessert. Keeping with the oriental theme, I made a chocolate cream pie using coconut milk instead of cow milk (LOL, mainly because I had no real milk in the house and no time to go to town...) but it WORKED. I topped it off with some delicious crème de leche (rich, thick, yummy Caramel) which I got the recipe from Gina’s blog.

Ohh the Caramel center is too-die-for good!

Ahem.

I did not follow Gina’s recipe completely because I am a wimp. The recipe says its ok to put a can in the crock pot, unopened and cook it for 8 hours. And this worked for Gina. And this has worked for millions upon millions of people all over the world. But for a few people, the can has exploded and caused bodily harm and destruction of kitchens – and this would for surely happen to me if I were to try it. So I opted to track down her source of the recipe and read all the comments and found another option which would allow me to do the same thing but with piercing the can first. Whew.

Recipe:

Take one can of Sweetened Condensed Milk. Pierce a small hole in the top. Put a cloth in the bottom of your Crockpot (Gina’s advice as she was left with a rust stain in the bottom of hers the first time) Put the can on the cloth. Fill with water up to within ½ inch from the top of the can. Put lid on crockpot. Turn on low. Let cook for 8 hours. Open can and enjoy (be careful, its HOT when you first take it out!)

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You may notice a new button in my sidebar regarding the CWO Writer’s Contest – just click on it to check it out, and also here’s an explanation as well:

Christian Women Online, in conjunction with Art Bookbindery, is sponsoring the “Her Life Reflected,” writing contest. We are looking for essays that tell us how your mother, or a mother that you know has reflected the heart of our Heavenly Father in her life. The winning essay will be one that is both written well, and of most importance, one that reflects God as being the central focus of one's life.

The contest is open to women aged 18 years and older, who reside in Canada or the United States. Employees of Art Bookbindery or regular writers of Christian Women Online, are not eligible to enter.

Our judges will choose only one winner. That winner will receive $400.00 U.S. from Art Bookbindery, 2 copies of Darlene Schacht's humorous book, The Mom Complex (one for you and one for mom!), 2 copies of Kathleen Carnali's music CD, Dangerous Prayer, 2 Proverbs 31 mugs from Mugs of Truth (a design idea inspired by CWO friend, Iris of Sting my Heart), and an autographed photo of Candace Cameron Bure along with a DVD of her testimony. Now that's a great package! We will announce the winner on Mother's Day, May 11th, 2008, and will publish the at that time.

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Robyn – you left me a comment regarding me and my alternate personality Olivia LOL, possibly creating some vectors of Koi and Goldfish for sale at the Shoppe – well sure thing! I will work on some in next few weeks, if you could just be patient with me? Also, feel free to email me anytime too, at lalalimeAThotmailDOTcom anytime if you have another request (typed in letters rather than symbols to foil spammers) I am really encouraged that you’ve given me positive feedback on my vectors, as so far they have not really ‘caught on’. I put a tremendous amount of work into them so that anyone design ing finds them easy to work with, weather using pngs, Illustrator, photoshop etc, you can easily use my files... do you have a testimony as to the ease of use? If they become more popular I will certainly continue on with the vector series? And Robyn, I’m TICKLED you have purchased some of the series to date!

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Can you, for one fun and adventurous minute, see yourself on a Vespa LX50 Scooter? If you live in Canada and would like the opportunity to win one, just click HERE to enter the contest!

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The most common ways of image resizing - cropping and basic shrinking/enlarging usually ends up with compromised results - in the form of pictures which are either distorted or eliminate detail. This program is a web-tool which scans the picture for ‘important’ sections and allows you to manipulate the size of the image by just resizing the picture’s ‘unimportant’ sections. You can watch an impressive video on how it works at the website too. Just click HERE.

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I caught a few moments of a tv show the other and just had to share a very interesting concept with you. Its called Aberdeen Cubes, and its basically a store located in the Aberdeen mall in Vancouver. The store is filled with walls of ‘cubes’ which a person can rent out. They start at $80 dollars a month. The cubes are then filled by the renter with the merchandise they are trying to sell – so if you have a new idea, you can try it out here, to find out if it will generate much interest, and without investing a ton of money to find that out. Its a neat idea, and you can watch the video about it HERE.

Spring's Springin' around here!

Chocolate Cherry Blossom Add-On
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This download is an Add-On to my newest kit – which, if all goes well, should be up in the Shoppe Monday – or? At any rate, keep checking at the SOPHIA SARDUCCI SHOPPE for the delicious Chocolate Cherry Blossom Kit when it gets posted!

Olivia's (ahem... MY) New Chocolate Cherry Blossom Kit

Eleven Rich Textured Papers!

Over 15 Delightful Elements!


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Wishing you and your family
a meaningful Easter Holiday

Lord, how trivial seems my Calvary,

When I consider Thine,

For only Simon helped Thee lift Thy cross,

But many carry mine!

I am not scorned, nor scourged, nor ridiculed,

And all along the way

Are many sweet unnamed Veronicas

To wipe the tears away.

There are no cruel nail wounds in my hands,

Nor thorns upon my brow,

And ministering angels walk with me

To smooth the way, But Thou!

How dare I think it, Call it Calvary –

This sheltered life of mine –

O broken, beaten, bleeding Lord, My God,

When I consider Thine.

By Vera Marie Tracy

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Several of you have been asking for my Chicken Pot Pie recipe . The problem with this is that it was one of those ones I made up as I went along. I can tell you the pastry recipe is on the net with terrific instructions, just click HERE. As for ingredients for the insides it went something like this: I use a sort of ‘wok’ frying pan, its non-stick and deep. Cube and sauté several skinless chicken breasts until the cubes are cooked and browned. When thats all done, remove the chicken. Chop one bunch of asparagus and add it to the pan, with a bit of olive oil. Cook for a few minutes on medium high till the asparagus turns bright green, now add chopped mushrooms and cook until the asparagus is done ( I don’t like mine soggy and mushy) When thats done, you can now add in a can of mushroom soup, ½ cup water and ½ pint of whipping cream (NOT a lo-calorie recipe) Now, add a tsp of chicken bouillon, a few tbsp of cooking sherry and LOTS of tarragon. I buy my tarragon at the dollar store, where its ONLY a dollar,

rather than paying something upwards of $5 at a grocery store. Now, all you have to do is put the chicken back into the mix, gently simmer for ½ hour. Next pour into individual baking dishes – you only have to go ½ way up, as the filling is so rich. Top the dishes with a nice round of puff pastry, hanging it over the edges. Bake at 375 for about 20 mins or until the pastry is nicely browned.

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How do you fold a sheet? Somewhere along my highway of learning in my life, my mother taught me to fold a bedsheet one way – and then later on a girlfriend who worked in housekeeping at a hotel taught me a way which involves isolating one ‘short end’ corner of the sheet, then following the end to the next one, turning it inside out and capping it over this first corner, then repeating each time until one winds up with all four corners tucked neatly into each other and the sheet being a rectangle at ¼th the size of the whole sheet – with a few flips, nice and foldable. How do YOU fold a sheet? I know fitted sheets are the trickiest things to get folded into a neat and tidy form. I’d love to publish your suggestions!

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I learned this hint out of a Simple magazine and I’ve already incorporated it – line your veggie bin in the fridge with bubble wrap. Not only will it protect the bottom of the tray if anything leaks, but it also stops fruit from becoming bruised!

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Here’s a few handy helpers for you this week. Want to season your cooked broccoli or cauliflower without using butter? After you’ve drained your veg, and they are still in any kind of a colander, simply pour the juice from your feta cheese (which would have been tossed anyhow) over the veg –voila, taste but no fat! You might as easily use the juice from a can of olives – lends a nice salty taste without the calories.

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If you live in Canada and would like a *free* pair of pajama’s – and to have some fun, you will be wanting to visit the Dove Sleepover for Self Esteem Site to learn more about an event on June 7^th. Free, meaning you have to purchase at least two Dove products – which the company claims every product purchased helps in some way for good causes. Its a nice concept, and the site is visually pleasing – with all sorts of extras, including free music downloads, tips, printable invites and a handy guide. To find out more, just click HERE.

I checked to see if there might be an event like this for the USA site – but am not coming up with anything.

photo courtesy of bigvil600 @sxc.hu

OOPS!

I'm so sorry some of you have been having a problem downloading the Tulips - thanks for being patient. Here's a NEW LINK for you, I've just re-uploaded it to another account. Just click HERE.

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As promised, here's my add on for my Citrus Spring Kit - freshly squeezed and in the Sophia Sarducci Shoppe for you this morning. Bonus? It's MONDAY MADNESS over at the SHOPPE so head on over to scoop up the great deals going on there. There are a ton of new products just waiting for you - take advantage of the great savings today!

My Citrus Spring Kit - available at the SHOPPE today!

This add on contains some more solid papers which will contrast nicely with the pretty patterned papers available in the full kit.

Adriana Lunette's Hoppy Easter Kit

My spotlight is on new designer Adriana Lunette's kit as she joins the Sophia Sarducci Team - how could one possibly resist this adorable bunny face adn spotted eggies?

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!

I am afraid I can't do proper justice to this event, for my own experience and knowledge of St. Patrick's ... and all things Irish, for that matter are somewhat skewed and a bit 'fluffy' - merely a compilation of all the childhood celebration of this day? You know, opening your lunch kit and finding cupcakes with green icing, your whole school class wearing green - and shamrocks galore!

No, I shall leave this task to my real, true, dyed in the wool native Ireland friend JANMARY (who writes a pretty great blog at ALL times.) She's all prepared to fill you in on the Real Deal. Thanks JanMary. Don't forget to fill up her comment box!

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Confession:

Ok, its time for me to come clean. I just can’t take it anymore. My friend Olivia... is ME. Why, you ask, would I make up a pretend friend/alter identity? Well, its like this – when I started my blog, over three years ago, I dedicated it to the Lord. I prayed it would be a place I could share- my life, faith and talents. I promised to make it a safe and warm place for readers to visit. I also chose for it not to be a place to ask people to spend money. And I’ve been blessed so richly by this, in so many more ways than I can tell you. As my computer and graphics talents developed I delighted in giving away so many of my elements and kits. However, I always dreamed of being an actual ‘designer’ at an official store.

Last fall, I had the opportunity to become a designer at the Sophia Sarducci Shoppe. I can’t tell you how exciting this was for me – a dream realized. But I thought and prayed about it. I had the choice to keep my new “Olivia” identity private or public, and after much deliberation I thought it best to keep the two separate for the time being. Part of the reason was I was not sure if I could actually make a success of it, and secondly I never wanted you to feel obliged to purchase my products. Ok I DO want you to buy my products LOL, but I did not want you to feel OBLIGED to buy HERE. Even a better way is to tell you I do not want to make this blog, dedicated to the Lord, a money making venture.

Well, things have been fun, and if you do like my products, by all means, don’t be afraid to check out my designs as Olivia Dorazio at the Sophia Sarducci Shoppe. The team at Sophia are wonderful and I’m growing hugely! In fact, today’s giveaway was made for you by Sophia herself, using some of my Spring Flowers Templates – which are sold in both a commercial or personal format!

I promise to always have some free giveaways here at my blog, but I may not have to be a ‘starving artist’ for the rest of my career either. The more I make, the more I’ll invest in my software etc and YOU will be the beneficiary here at my blog as my talent develops.

Olivia's - MY - Citrus Spring Kit

So I feel very proud today, to feature my latest kit, without having to pretend any longer... If you purchase this kit you will be in for a treat for the eyes. I’ve named it Citrus Spring because it makes me think of when spring first comes – its warming up, but has a cool, biting edge to it. This kit will fit nicely with all the soft spring colors and can easily be used for your bright summer layouts as well. I’ve been learning how to add some great textures which I’ve applied.

BONUS - Monday is MONDAY MADNESS at the Shoppe, so you'll be able to purchase at a reduced price! Be the first one lined up at the door. Also of note - my friend and new designer Adriana Lunette has some AMAZING kits up there too..... Don't Resist!

By the way, thank you ALL for your comments and encouragement over the years. I know I would still have this blog running without, but your feedback is the icing on the cake. If you yourself are a blogger I know that you can appreciate what I’m saying. Its more than just words to us – it tells us that our readers took the tiny moment to communicate. I recently read a friend’s blog, where she lamented on the lack of comments – it hurt her feelings. I thought about that, and it touched me to know that sometimes we take it personally how many comments we get/don’t get. I ached for her because to some people its what they crave – me sometimes, included. Call it a weakness, but its true, to a degree.

I think it probably has something to do with how we are feeling at a particular time. Sometimes when I’m feeling out of sorts, or isolated, or angry, or overjoyed its important for me to share. Even though I don’t know many of you personally, it boosts me when you interact with me. Your comments uplift me, cause me to think, sometimes keep me in line – but always of value to me. I know in many cases it would be impossible to leave a comment at every blog you visit, but think of it like a tip at a restaurant... if you enjoyed your visit, leave a little something. Who knows, it might be just the thing to inspire, cheer or impel someone to keep on!

News:

Now I’ve been meaning to send you to visit a friend of mine for some time, and I keep forgetting. However, since she lives in Ireland, today is particularly a great time to share about her, what with St. Patrick’s Day upon us. Actually, JanMary has been very busy taking part in a scrapbooking/blogging event and her blog is filled with tons of great information, beautiful scrapbook layouts and even a contest. She lives in a beautiful corner of our world and is an an avid photographer – in fact, lucky you... she’s put together an amazing slideshow of her home country, just in time for your visit. Don’t forget to leave her some love, folks.

spring has arrived!

So spring is arriving in little bits to my neighbourhood. I spied the blossoms you see in this entry at a friend’s house just down the road with my friend Melanie (who stayed for an overnight visit and we went to Penticton for her dental appointment and then shopped every thrift store within walking distance of the downtown core, but thats another whole blog entry yet...) Anyways, we walked down, with unbaked puff pastry and a home canned jar of peaches to welcome Barb our new neighbour to this end of the town. Barb is living in a quaint house which has a small Shangri-la of a yard. Lush, green, growing full of herbs, flowers and hedges. While we visited I noticed a beautiful iris blooming in a sheltered sunny spot – and begged permission to return to photograph and share this first, welcome sign of spring close to home. Thank you Barb (and Andrina)!

Ohhhh and yes, finding Chocolate Easter Eggies in my mailbox... that means its spring too.... :) Fanks YOU!

Faith:

Consequence -

1: a conclusion derived through logic

2: something produced by a cause or necessarily following from a set of conditions

My thoughts of faith this week centers on the idea of consequences. We live in a society which seems to dismiss this concept. While shopping in a local store I heard the phrase “no consequences” repeated over, and over and ... well you get the picture. Can you even imagine a world where there would be no consequences for our actions? What would stop us from repeating mistakes? I believe a consequence is a reminder of why we should or should not do what we do. For our positive actions we receive good consequences – and when we mess up, well, we have to deal with the fallout too. Why do we expect someone else to clean up our messes for us?

When we make poor choices in our lives (as all of us have) we live with the consequences.

A good metaphor for this would be as follows...Our poor choices can be thought of as wounds. Some of these wounds may be fresh and still open. Some are older and have healed without a visible sign, and still others have been healed but have left scars. Some of these scars are on the surface and are clearly visible while others on the inside are not so easily seen. But they are there, nevertheless. They are consequences of our actions. We can't go back and undo them as much as we might wish to. We can try to cleverly disguise them or we can use them as reminders of what NOT to do in the future.

We need a pat on the back sometimes ; and occasionally some of us need a boot on the seat of the pants.

“Do not resent it when God chastens and corrects you, for his punishment is proof of his love.” Proverbs 3:11, 12

Sin would have few takers if the consequences occurred immediately.

“Don’t be misled; remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it: a man will always reap just the kind of crop he sows!” Galatians 6:7

It is better to pay the price of obedience than the penalty of disobedience.

“He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded.” Proverbs 13:13

Site of Interest:

If you live in Canada and would like to receive a truly wonderful magazine in the mail, filled with great information, tips, contests and coupons, then you need to scoot over to Homebasics and subscribe. If you don’t live in Canada, you too can visit the magazine site online, and benefit from all the terrific, helpful information. This month alone, there are contests from Dove, Sunsilk, Lipton, Hellman’s, & Knorr. To subscribe (Canadians only) or just read, just click here.

Wrap Up:

I pray you have a restful Sunday, before the machinery of the work-week is once again upon us. Be sure to pop in tomorrow for another fabulous freebie – something to go with my newest Citrus Spring Kit. I’ll also be reminding you to visit Jan Mary’s blog for her celebration of St. Patrick’s Day – fresh from Ireland!

Just in case you are wondering what I'm up to today... erm, me and Olivia are off doing some art. Right, art. You know, ART art... like in this cute little video... (hope you are doing something equally enjoyable)

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Olivia has created another giveaway for you - something you can give your children to do - or if you have kindergarten or children's groups who might benefit. She's colored one set, and left the other plain so kids can color them as they wish! You can see more of Olivia Dorazio's designs at the shoppe by clicking here. She has some lovely spring flower templates for sale - in case your out-of-door ones are not ready yet. She's meticulously broken each bloom into single petals, leaves, stems in every format you can imagine and are for sale for both personal and commercial use!

A house with daffodils in it is a house lit up,
whether or no the sun be shining outside,
Daffodils in a green bowl -
and let it snow if it will.

A. A. Milne (author of Whinnie the Pooh)

It has been a strange week, this week. More of the forgetfulness and confusion... can't seem to light on any one thing I want to be doing - so I've just given into not pushing myself to do much of anything, really. I did paint on a box that Miles and I picked up at a yard sale last summer, for $3. Hey, when you work on a $3 box you're not scared of messing up, you know? I followed some country fruit patterns from a hobby book on three sides and then freehanded the last one myself. While it turned out well and I'm actually going to keep and use it, its not something I would count as my best effort. It did give me some sense of satisfaction though.


The highlight of my week, besides, of course, spending time with my husband - was a visit with Becky. Recipe: 1 sunny day, 2 friends, weather warm enough to walk outside without being bundled to the teeth and spend 1 hour outdoors - baking in the sun and visiting = happiness.

Friendship is unnecessary,
like philosophy,
like art,
It has no survival value;
rather it is one of those things
that gives value to survival.

C.S. Lewis

Come to think of it, I DID do something different this week. I ran. RAN, for the first time since I can remember for a long time. See, my knees are 'creaky' and I'd intended to retire them to simply walking so as not to wear them out, but... If you are a runner, I don't have to explain myself, I am sure. There's nothing quite like that feeling one gets after a run. Its unique. Its refreshing. Its cleansing. Its empowering. And it provides an opportunity to get an intense workout in the shortest amount of time. It doesn't cost anything. It is something I can do with my honey, and have built a ton of memories together.

I did my first run by myself, to sort of test if I could... so it was part run, part walk. But I made it. Now, mind you the next day I felt like someone beat me with a stick in some long forgotten muscles. But I did it. Today, Miles came with me and it was SO NICE! Do YOU run?

Just before the ice melted, the eagles caught and fought over fish!

And then the ice receded to this point...

...and finally it's almost entirely gone,
except for the jaggley puzzle pieces of a bit left on the beach.

Here are some helpful and interesting things I've found to share with you for this week:

Internet Explorer 8 Beta ready for download. If you would like to know what's changed in it before you actually go and download it just click here. It can be downloaded here

Even more interesting and fun, I think, is a new type of search engine I heard about on an NPR technology podcast. It’s a new 3D type search engine called SpaceTime, and you can learn more about it and download it by clicking here.

Handy hint I read in a parents magazine – if you are teaching a baby to walk but have a weak back, or perhaps you are a grandparent and can’t bend over like that, simply put a soft knitted woollen scarf under baby’s arms and across the chest then hold the ends ...

I have to share tow of the the neatest hint I read on Shirley’s blog recently. I actually tried the pizza one and it works great. The second one I will try in the future, but have to wait for a pot luck lunch because my dearest has an aversion to devilled eggs – he insists the name of them is how he feels about them...

To reheat pizza with a crispy crust, heat the slices in a skillet on the stovetop at med-low temperature, and heat until warm.

Deviled eggs can be made easier by placing the cooked egg yolks in a zip lock baggie. Seal and mash until the yolks are broken up. Add the remainder of your ingredients to the yolk in the baggie, reseal, and continue mashing. Cut the tip of the baggie and squeeze the yolk mixture into the egg white. Throw the baggie away when done for easy clean up.

Thanks for sharing your hints Shirley – your blog is always a treat to read!

Have you admired the signature I had on my last blog entry (and somehow deleted on this one)? Well, you too can have one – FOR FREE... click here to go to the signature website. Allows you to save in jpg or png.

If you live in Canada and would like to win a Blackberry Curve from Rogers and a year of service (who wouldn’t?) or a subscription to Canadian Business and Profit magazines just click here.

My thought for all this week would be the following:

Blessed be he who has found his work;
let him ask no other blessedness.

"Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established."

Proverb 16:3

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Wow - I hope you like Olivia's first hybrid project. We were working on some new techniques and ideas and she decided to create this pretty crocus box in celebration of spring - seeing the first crocus bloom here (photo over on Becky's blog) Olivia thanks Amy W. for the use of her pretty bow, it is the perfect element to finish it off. It comes both as a jpg file which is already conveniently on a 11 x 8.5 inch paper, ready to print, but its' also in png format, so that if you have a printer which can go larger then you have the option of making it bigger. She asked me if I would be willing to print and assemble it to see if it actually works. Now my only critique would be that its a tad 'fussy' to snip out, but it is WELL worth the effort - as you can see in the photo below. I think that the cutting and shapes of the blooms make it original. I'd love to see what you fill yours with!


The crocus and grass are just a few of the two new kits Olivia is launching at the Sophia Sarducci Shoppe... hopefully sometime today - but if not, then for sure next Monday, she says I should keep you posted on that. So there are a ton of other new products at the Shoppe, so be sure to visit and check out the newest products.

crocus box assembled!



Welcome, pale primrose! starting up between
Dead matted leaves of ash and oak that strew
The every lawn, the wood and spinney through,
'Mid creeping moss and ivy's darker green;
How much thy presence beautifies the ground!
How sweet the modest unaffected pride
Glows on the sunny bank and wood's warm side.
And where the fairy flowers in groups are found,
The schoolboy roams enchantedly along,
Plucking the fairest with rude delight;
While the meek shepherd stops his simple song,
To gaze a moment on the pleasing sight;
O'erjoyed to see the flowers that truly bring
The welcome news of sweet returning spring.


~ John Clare

I'm not complaining, but I think I am losing my mind. I don't know if anyone else out there is on the border of menopause, but if you are, or even having passed thru (gosh how I want to just skip thru this time!) - tell me, does it make you forgetful? I can handle the hot/cold thing, I can handle the mood swings (tho its sure hard on those around me) but the forgetful thing... is it normal?

home-baked Chicken Pot Pies, ready to pop in the oven

Ok, the good things of this past week - everything I baked turned out wonderfully. I decided to try my hand at some home-baked Chicken Pot Pies. I used the Rough Puff Pastry recipe which I blogged about a while ago - and it turned out even much better than my first attempt. The filling I made out of cubes of tender chicken, fresh asperagus, plump mushrooms, all in a cream and tarragon sauce. Mmmm

Delicious Success!

So I'm going to take a quiet day here... just try to get my act together and delve into the Word - thats usually what I'm lacking and the only thing that really brings me peace. I hope you have a good start to your week as well. Thanks for visiting!

Tomorrow makes today's whole head sick, its whole heart faint.
When we should be still, sleeping or dreaming,
we are fretting about an hour that lies a half sun's journey away!
Not so doest thou, Lord.

~ George Macdonald