Monday, February 28, 2011

Where Has Bradley Been?

Chapter Two
It has been over a month since I spoke to you last but I have been very busy getting ready for my move to London. I had many things to pack and get ready for my move but moving day is finally here. I have a new small flat in the heart of London. I will be able to walk to my new job from the flat. Time to go. Planes do not wait for girls just because they are a little sad to say goodbye to the life they have always known.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

I Would Like to Thank

I would like to thank my sister. We used to while away the hours drawing clothing. We imagined ourselves both growing up to be fashion designers. What beautiful lives we imagined for ourselves. We loved to watch awards shows just so we could catch glimpses of fashion. What happened? Life is what happened. What is that saying? "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." So very true.



My photoshop design.



This is the type of design my sister and I used to make. If I drew these everyday as I used to then, I would get better at it. I am a wee bit rusty now but I intend to keep practicing at it. I can almost guarantee you will see those rosettes on the red carpet. I see them everywhere!




Monday, February 21, 2011

English Garden

I actually made something without using photoshop! I went into the craft room and got out some paint, stamps, ink, stickers, scissors and went to town! Here it is, my English Garden. I think it has all of the requirements, the rain, the greenery, a bird and the sun that often shines while it is raining. I even included some English Royalty symbols, the stag, the rampant lion, and some sort of shield. I tossed in a cat and a dress (my own personal symbols) for good luck. I may try this again soon.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Raggedy Diana

As a young girl, I loved to play with dolls. For brief summer afternoons, I would convert my entire bedroom into some kind of massive doll party. From ruffled baby dolls to the hip and swinging Barbie, they would all be partaking of the festivities I planned for them.

BUT...there was a huge void, a vast emptiness, an aching cavern, a vital missing link...there was NO Raggedy Ann at any of my parties or anywhere else for that matter. That was not because I didn't nag the socks off of my mom for a Raggedy either.

Every type holiday that rolled around, I was asking for a Raggedy Ann doll. I would even ask for a Raggedy Ann doll for May Day or Secretaries Day or any other obscure holiday I could decipher on our calendar. Mom looked for Raggedy Ann but never could find one. There must have been a Raggedy shortage or something. I mean could there have been a shortage of rags?
Long story short, one summer day, my mom and one of my sisters got the idea to make me a rag doll. They used a real doll head but cut off all of its hair and then, glued on strips of an old sheet which they had torn to shreds for my doll's new  raggedy hair. Mom sewed a body out of some remnants of blue jean polyester type material and stuffed it with quilt batting. This doll was truly ragtag but I loved it!

I wish I still had that homemade doll. I have often wondered what happend to her...Diana, that is. That is what I called her. Raggedy Diana. Never imagining that someday there would be an elegant princess by that name, from that time forward she was the princess of  my dolls forever garnering the most coveted spot at all of my summer afternoon doll soirees.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Time Passes

I went to a funeral today. As a result, I do not feel like saying much here. Here is my picture of what I am feeling. I am calling it Time Passes. Time does pass, doesn't it? I only turned around to find myself closer to the end than the beginning. Next thing I know, I will turn around again and it will be over...at least here. Make each second count. They are more precious than you know.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Do you like it?

I have been meaning to frame a picture my nephew gave to me. Lisa was nice enough to allow us to use one of her creations here at Simple Journeys . I used it to decorate an old picture frame. I put the picture of my nephew and his family in the picture frame. I also took another page from Lisa's book using the t-shirt type rosettes to decorate it as well. What do you think of it?

Oh Spring, where for art thou?

I am tired of it already...the cold and ice that is. It is 10 am and 14 degrees. The worst part is there is another layer of ice on the roads. This summer when it is 100+ degrees, please remind me of this winter. I know I will forget by then. My memory is short when it comes to temperatures.

Modern Lady - Vintage Lady


Friday, February 4, 2011

Cookies!

Let me just say, I am not known for my fine cooking skills. I can cook well enough to keep a body from starving. I have watched enough people cook that I have picked up some tips and recipes that I can reasonably reconstruct. The problem is that I do not really enjoy cooking, therefore, I just do not practice it enough to gain any expertise at it. BUT...I can bake. I can bake because it is fun and I so love to eat the finished product! I most particularly love to bake cookies!!!!! I can bake some good cookies. I love to bake cakes too but cookies are really my specialty. You can peruse my pantry and you might not always be able to find a sack of beans or a can of corn but you will always be able to find the rudimentary makings of cookies. A girl just never knows when she might need to bake!

I have been entertaining myself inside this week with baking. My sister gave me this book for Christmas.


The first recipe I made from it were the cookies pictured on the front. They are so, so good! I told my sister I am making every single recipe in that book this year. All of the recipes are good ones.

My very favorite cookie of all time is called la madeleine. You need a pan like this to make them. They are buttery, light little bits of scrumptiousness. They will melt right in your mouth. If you have fresh strawberries in the summer to put on them, so much the better. You can dip them in chocolate too! The recipe may seem a little complicated at first for cookies but after you make them a few times, it becomes second nature.

I first ever ate these in England but obviously, they are a French confection. I have a proud English-Scottish ancestry. For me to say that la madeleine is better than the shortbread cookie ( or biscuit as it is called there) is quite astonishing but yes, to me, it really is better. I do have a fabulous Scottish shortbread cookie recipe too. I make the  shortbread cookies in little balls then stamp them with this Scottish thistle cookie stamp.


It is a close call but la madeleines are better in my humble opinion. For a little piece of heaven on earth, make yourself a la madeleine with a hot cup of tea on a cold, winter night. Just the thought of it sends me straight over the edge! I am going to go do that very thing right now. If you (my reader) were here, I would offer you one too!


Must Be Butterflies! Nope, Just Snow.

My cats love to watch the butterflies (snow). You can just see it in their fascinated eyes, the excitement of the butterfly invasion! If they could only catch some of those butterflies, they would run right back in the house when their little paws hit that cold snow! I went to work yesterday and I am glad because I needed a break from this cabin fever.


A little glare from the whiteout.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Those Crafty Cats!

It seems like the entire world is stuck in a deep freeze. I am not complaining about the coldness here. I saw on the national news where hundreds of people are stuck in their vehicles in Chicago due to a blizzard quickly blowing in and trapping them. I really feel for those people. I hope things improve for everyone soon. In the meantime, we are just staying warm under blankets and happily watching tv. This is how some cats stay warm. They go inside their 'snuggy tent'  or they sit near the warm air vent.

Ollie is inside the Snuggy Tent and trying to put a hex on me with his eyes.

Warm air blowing right down on Ollie and Nigel. They are smart about taking care of themselves.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

The Tempo of Winter

Brrrr. It is a wee bit chilly here. Tonight, it is supposed to get to around 8 degrees. That is cold for this part of Texas. It is not unheard of though but those kind of lows do not happen every year. Maybe they happen every 6 or 7 years but not every year. It is a good thing when it does get that low though because it kills a lot of stuff that needs to be weeded out like fleas, ticks and those such things that infest my cat colony. Oh dear, now I am referring to it as 'my' cat colony. I probably should not do that. On such a cold night, Sugar is a guest in the bathroom. He is not happy in there but it is good for him. I view that sort of thing as a learning moment for myself. Maybe God does that to me. Things I do not like, He makes me do anyway because it is for my own good. Something to think about, huh? The wind is blowing like a banshee outside. The wind chill is far subzero and I can attest to that. I had to deliver my hand made birthday card to my neighbor earlier and I almost froze just walking down to her house.