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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Please Meet Bradley

Chapter One

Hello. My name is Bradley. I already know what you are thinking. Odd name for a girl, huh? Well, I got my maternal grandmother's maiden name. I was just lucky that way because my grandmother's family had pretty much dwindled to nothing. My mom figured naming me after them would be a great way to honor them. When I was very small, I resented having a boy's name. As I grew older, I began to appreciate the coolness of it. I valued having a name no other girl had. It made me strong. It made me independent. I recently graduated from university and scored a fabulous new job. Today, I am packing to move to London. The thought of living and working in London makes me insane with excitement. It has been my dream forever and before me, it was my aunt's dream and before her, who knows whose dream it was? My skin will hardly contain me. Admittedly, the thought of packing all of my worldly possessions in order to set up housekeeping 3,000 miles away makes me insane in another way. I hate packing especially since I have issues with being easily overwhelmed. Still, this must be done in order for me to begin my new life. Sure, I am sad to leave my old life. I have a great life here with a family that loves me and loads of friends from high school and college but the call of a new adventure beckons me. Okay, back to packing. We will speak again later.

Valentine Psychology

I have been making some Valentine vignettes. This top one depicts a self assured woman. All of the lovely colors indicate her happiness. The fogginess of some of the hearts indicate that she has a past but it is not bothering her. It is just that...past and somewhat forgotten. She knows that everything makes up the whole package. Without a past, she would not be the woman she is now.

The many layers of the one above indicates this woman has not walked a simple road. There was darkness at times but she thought she knew love. It was not real. She only thought it was at the time. If it had been real, it would have been red and not pink. She lets it bother her unlike the other woman in the first vignette. This woman is a bit old fashioned indicated by the lace. She should banish the darkness, focus on the experience of it then, learn from it. She will eventually. She is young and there is still lots of time. Someday, she will be like the other woman in the first depiction. Okay, 'nuf of those vignettes...on to the cute stuff.

What would you do if you never could use your laptop computer because 'someone' is using it for a warm bed all of the time? 'This Boy' (remember his theme song?) has developed a liking for hanging out with my 'puter. I tried to trade him an electric blanket set on the lowest setting but he soundly rejected it. I actually think he prefers this hard bed. Hmm...maybe 'this boy' has back problems. Just a thought. I cannot imagine how he would possibly hurt his back though since he never lifts a claw.

Squirrel Super Bowl!

Does it ever sound as if a couple of teams of squirrels are playing the super bowl on your roof? That is how it sounded on my roof today. Here is how it goes...quietness, suddenly a roll, then running, running, running, stop! Quietness, a roll, running, running, running. Their little feet sound as if they are stomping. Such small creatures are able to make such loud and reverberating sounds! I had to go outside at one point to see if there were at least 100 squirrels on my roof. When I checked, there were only four!