Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Speaking of endings....at your wit's end, at loose ends, a dead end, burn the candle at both ends, all's well that end's well, or no end in sight...which 'end' phrase might best be applied to your life lately? Explain.

  No end in sight, it seems the book I am writing (it's a hobby of sorts) will never end. Inspiration is pretty much nonexistent, and I don't know how to find it.  Most of the time when inspiration finds me, it's in a random song, a quote, a walk, a happening in my life, and lately I'm completely uninspired. Perhaps it's not so much that inspiration isn't there, but rather that I am not looking for it, my eyes aren't open.

2. What was a must have accessory when you were growing up? Did you own one? If so tell us what you remember about it.

  I did not have a must have accessory, I grew up with my only fashion essential being a dress.

3. Something that made you smile yesterday?

  My sister, being the dear that she is, made waffles and berries for my breakfast, my little brother Sean saw the whipped cream and I let him spray it, his squeals of delight as he created mountains on my breakfast brought  a smile to my face.

4. January 30th is National Croissant Day. Do you like croissants? Sweet or savory? We're having chicken salad for lunch...would you rather have yours served on a croissant, a wrap, a bagel, bread, or a roll of some sort?

  As completely absurd as it sounds (especially coming from a Francophile)  I have never had a croissant, so I have no favorites. As for chicken salad, I'd prefer it on bread, though it's delicious on lettuce too, making it a salad on a salad.

5. Sum up your January in fifteen words or less.

  A beautiful start to the New Year, filled with many adventures, and promises of more.

  I feel quite pleased, that was exactly fifteen words!


6.  Insert your own random thought here.

   I'm sure all of you loyal followers remember random tidbits of me talking about the home school group I go to, well, after a lovely Winter break, I am ready to go back, in two days to be exact. There are many things I am looking forward to, but getting to see some good friends again is the best.

Life as a Mechanic's Daughter

     Somehow, probably thanks in part to movies they stereotype a mechanic's daughter, the tendency is to picture a girl wearing grease smudged overalls, clunky brown shoes, and a red and white bandana in her hair. She knows the names of hundreds of tools, and has an obsession with a welder.      
     I'm a mechanic's daughter, and I certainly do not have an obsession with a welder, not even with a lowly wrench. I know hardly a single thing about trucks, or tools for that matter, it's not a fact I'm proud of, but I feel I must spread awareness that not all mechanics' daughters are like the picture I just painted.
  Yet, being the daughter of a mechanic, and a sister to a brother who is also a mechanic, does mean, sadly enough, that I get called out to help with all sorts of odd mechanic-related situations every once in a while.
   I had a very long day yesterday, I went to the library, dropped off an invoice for a client Dad did some mechanic work for, went to the bank, and to Goodwill. By the time my Mum and I got home, I was exhausted and extremely ready to read the books I had checked out.
    As I walked up the sidewalk towards our porch steps I recoiled in disgust when a horrid stench filled my nose, I'm not the most observant when I'm tired, so it took me a little time to realize that Eldon (my eldest brother) was spraying primer onto a fuel tank that he's working on for the truck he just bought (this is a ton of information, so just bear with me here) for those of you who do not know how primer smells, you'll have to believe me when I say that it's stinky.
    My brother spotted me almost immediately and gestured me over. My Dad wasn't at home at the moment so my brother was short a helper, here's when I come in.
  I know hardly a thing about how mechanics, and people who paint trucks, and truck parts (namely fuel tanks) dry their projects properly, however they do it, I'm almost certain it is not how my brother does it. He had our tractor's bucket raised, then he hung the fuel tank from a very strong wire that he had attached to the bucket, his primer-ing and painting took place in such a position. It's quite ingenious in my opinion. But I was needed to hold the tank carefully as he repositioned the tractor. It was difficult, at least to me, and a mini adventure, and in the end I smelled of primer, but it was rather nice to feel useful even when I have no idea what I'm doing.
  Another time, I was needed to spray starting fluid while my brother tried to start a rather dreadful lump of a tractor. I won't go into detail. but in the end I reeked of starting fluid. Why is it, that everything mechanics use reek?

  This was quite possibly the strangest post I have ever made, and I'm not certain if I understand it all either, but now you know that even though I prefer beautiful things, and sweet things, and rather romantic hobbies and such, I do occasionally help with projects that stink.
   Enjoy your week everyone, and I hope for your sake that all of your projects will be stench-free. 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. January 24th is National Compliment Day. Is it easy or not so easy for you to accept a compliment? Share a recent compliment you've given or received.

  I think I always appreciate a compliment, but some compliments do make me blush, or fidget, I'm not certain why, I suppose I'm rather ridiculous at times.

  A recent compliment I've received was by one of my friends at Sunday school who said I have beautiful writing, and a recent compliment I've given would have been last night, when I complimented my six year old brother's salad that he mostly made by himself.


2. Ten little things you are loving right now.

  I love it when I'm asked what little things I love, I do believe that you can tell more about a  person when they tell you the little things that they love (like snuggling with their cat, and late night's spent reading) than when they say they love something like sports or art.

  The ten little things that I am loving right now, are as follows:

1. Listening to the clock's ticking when everything is quiet
2. The coffee and chocolate granola that I'm eating for breakfast
3. The scent of my shower wash (a.k.a, soap)
4. The pen I use to write in my journal
5. The clicky noise the keyboard makes as I type
6. My little brother's smile
7. Cheery light in the room despite the dreariness outside
8. The bright red poinsettia beside me
9. The pasta maker my Mum just got
10. The smell of soup in the kitchen

3. Would people describe you as a positive person? Do you see yourself that way? I read here  a list/description of eight things positive people do differently-

Positive people find something to look forward to every day, they celebrate the small stuff, they're kind, they stay busy, accept responsibility for their actions, forgive themselves, know when to move on, and resist comparisons

Which action on the list would you say you do regularly? Which action could you add to your life to give you a more positive outlook? If you're a positive person, what's something you do regularly that's not on the list?

  Even though I have times when I can be less than ecstatic and bubbling with enthusiasm, I think that most of the time people do see me as a positive person. I am certain that for at least the most of the day, I'm cheerful.

  I believe it's obvious from the previous question, that I daily appreciate little things, I also keep a daily diary (aren't diaries journals that are updated daily?) which always puts me in a more positive mood.

4. Homemade chicken soup, beef stew, or a bowl of chili...what's your pleasure on a cold winter's day?

  My favorite kind of soup on a cold winter's day is my Mum's homemade chicken and dumpling soup.

5. The best part of my day is....

  I'm not sure this counts, since it's not really part of the "day" so much as it is the evening/night, but my favorite part is after dinner when I get to settle down and read, or journal, and pursue various hobbies. 

6.  Insert your own random thought here. 

  Yesterday was a beautifully sunny day and smelled delicious just as Spring does, and I was already hoping that it was indeed an early Spring, unfortunately, I woke up this morning to a light new coating of snow on the ground. I would be disappointed, but I suppose our cozy winter days will just have to be enjoyed a bit longer.

Daybook

 Today..... Saturday, January 20, 2018

Looking out my window..... I see a bunch of brown grass showing in the field across the road, and quite a few cows standing around and chewing their cud.

I am thinking.....  That Saturdays are the perfect days to spend journaling.

I am thankful.....  For catalogs with hand-drawn pictures like this one.

One of my favorite things..... Is the paper trimmer my Mum bought last year during the back to school sale. I use it so often, no more crooked lines for me!

I am wearing.....  A sea-foam-green shirt, and cream colored skirt with mauve flowers.

I am creating.....  A new junk journal. I'm still using my old one, but it's rapidly being filled and it's about time I make a new one.

I am reading..... Like usual, a nutrition book. As of today, I am reading "The Happiness Diet", it's a very good book and I love all the history they give on various "foods", take Crisco for example.

I am hoping.....  That my family will still be in good health for tomorrow so that we can go to church. Sicknesses in the Winter are so unpredictable that I'm never certain that our plans shall go unaffected.

I am learning.....  How to make a journal cover that isn't warped, or weak, or lopsided. I believe the journal I'm working on now is my eighth (?).

In the kitchen.....  A pan of blueberry lemon cupcakes are cooling before I can go frost them.

Picture thought..... Just looking at my journaling supplies makes me happy.

Adventures at the Dentist

  Yesterday I went to the dentist again, a new dentist this time so I assumed beforehand that I would have at least some sort of adventure, and I was right, it seems adventure abounds if your eyes are wide open.
  It was an absolutely freezing cold day and we had to park a little bit away from the actual building. I opened my door and stepped right into a snow drift, so I was chilled in a relatively short amount of time. My Mum, Diane, Sean, and I all rushed into the building while trying not to slip on the slush and ice and various other cold things associated with winter.
  We waited for quite some time. Of course we had things to keep us entertained, for example we had a wonderful time watching water drip from our shoes, and an even more splendid time listening to some of the oddest country music ever.
  Finally I was called back. I'm sure you are all aware of how dentist's chairs work, they can go up, go down, and the back can be lowered and raised to take you from a sitting position to a laying down position...well, the chair I got to sit on was rather feisty.
  The dental technician was a very friendly, cheerful woman who answered all my questions (I'm good at being curious, and it's rewarding at times, you see, apparently most of the instruments that she used on me were throw-aways and back in the 1900's dentists didn't wear gloves [she shuddered at this point]). Anyways, I've gotten sidetracked, so I shall get to important information. She warned me that her chair is faulty, they are getting a new one, but until then, all of us patients have to be on our toes, or rather, be good at doing sit ups.
  When she went to lower the chair's back, parallel to the floor, the chair's back lowered, but the problem was, it didn't stop. Laying on the chair while she worked to get it to behave was like trying to lie down on a see saw, I went up and down, and up and down, and up and down. I had no idea that anyone could get seasick in a chair, but rest assured my friends, it's very possible.
  She unplugged the chair when it was in the position that she wanted, and from then on it behaved since it couldn't do anything.
  My teeth cleaning went very well, my teeth are all in dandy condition, and I was told that my wisdom teeth will most likely begin to show during this next year. What fun. (Not) All of that aside, my visit to the dentist was almost very enjoyable.

Of Books and Random Musings...

  Yesterday was a particularly rainy and dreary day, and it brought back memories of the times when I would stay inside and play with my doll or do a hundred piece puzzle while my Mum worked on crafts or played a game with us. Rainy days are cozy days, and even though I do prefer sunny and warm days, winter and early spring holds a special part in my heart and I love it oddly enough, rain, mud, cold and all.
   Now that I'm just a smidgen older, I still like doing puzzles (especially Ravensburger), but nothing beats reading books. With that in mind, yesterday Mum, Diane, and I all went to the library. I love going to the library so much that it's hard not to squeal with delight as I peruse the book-ladened shelves.
  I've always been a slowpoke by nature, and even more so when I'm doing something, or am somewhere that I really like, because of that, I could easily spend several hours in the library and it's sort of a test of my own strength to leave the library within a reasonable amount of time.
  I've never understood why libraries don't have shopping carts, it would be so much easier to transport my books while browsing if I had a cart to put my chosen ones in. Sadly I don't suspect that libraries shall take up my suggestion any time soon.
   If you're wondering when I'm about to get to the point, I'm afraid you shall be disappointed, for the point of this whole post to randomly babble, which I'm very good at.
   Some people (not me, of course) think that libraries are boring, which I can't kind comprehend, even though I try to, and I suppose the reason why I think libraries are interesting is because of all the different characters you can meet there (and I'm not just talking about book characters). For example, last year, which is a statement I'm still trying to get used to when referring to 2017, my Mum, Diane, and I watched as two Mennonite girls walked into the library, that's not exciting, I know, and we thought nothing of it either. But when I was on my way out a few minutes later I walked past the girls and heard them excitedly chatting as they hunched over a computer, "He's cute" the one girl gushed. Now, obviously I was intrigued, who did these two girls think was cute. Naturally I did the only thing a girl could do, I circled around the shelves again and walked past them, moderately close, mind you, and I took a quick peek at the computer screen. If I would have been prone to dramatics (*cough*) I would have slapped my hand on my forehead and swooned. Not because the dear fellow was dashing, but because he was rather, well, un-dashing, and the shock over their preference would have been too great for me and caused me to faint. The chap in question was a middle-aged man with sort of matted, or dare I say lumpy, hair, a rather large nose, though I should call it aristocratic, and he was smiling in that sort of self-assured business man way, you know the pose, the classic,"prop-the-chin-on-the-hand-smolder." I left the library with a shudder, but also amused.
   On that cheerful note, I will leave and go read a book. Enjoy your weekend everyone!
  

The Simple Woman's Daybook

 Today..... Wednesday, January 10,  2018

Looking out my window..... I see the field across the road covered with a thin layer of snow, and a bunch of  various stubborn plants peeking up through the cold weather, determined to stay seen.

I am thinking.....  That gravy on waffles isn't as odd as it sounds.

I am thankful.....  For pens and for people.

One of my favorite things..... Is knowing the answers to all the driving-related questions my brother asks me randomly.

I am wearing.....  A floral patterned skirt and a pale purple t-shirt.

I am creating.....  Aside from the obvious, I'm creating a cook book of healthy recipes, I love inventing recipes, especially challenging ones. My sister is my taste-tester and because of that she has grown to be suspicious of anything that looks too good to be true, like the time I made a gluten-free and sugar free cheesecake with strawberry sauce, she has still not forgotten the taste.

I am reading..... Well, as of today I haven't read anything, but yesterday I read "Kidnapped" by Robert Louis Stevenson, and "The Prince and the Pauper" by Mark Twain. Both were surprisingly good books.

I am hoping.....  That I will survive the winter without any sicknesses. I've made it this far, only a a few months to go yet.

I am learning.....  How to paper quill. It's a very fascinating process and I'm enjoying it immensely.

In the kitchen.....  Is our fridge and our oven, plus a sink and a table. The whole room is perfectly adapted to cooking and baking and eating, the kitchen is a wondrous invention.

Picture thought.....  Sean and I had a great time yesterday experimenting with his fizz and bubbles science kit. I'm almost certain his favorite part was when the mixtures bubbled over like volcanoes.

Currently...

Reading... Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. I think that it's refreshing to read a good children's book once in a while. This is the first time I have ever read it, and I know that my eight year old self would have loved all of the animals.

Writing... I've not been writing much lately besides my Diary and my journals. I really should work on all of the hundreds of story ideas I have.

Listening... To "Who Says?" by Joshua Micah. I just very recently discovered this singer and I really like his songs for the most part, they are definitely a little different but I like that they as Christian songs would appeal to those who are more into the contemporary and modern kinds of music.

Thinking... That I really should do my Algebra. It's best to get it over quickly, the pain isn't that intense then. Similar to ripping off a band-aid.

Smelling... Even though it's several rooms away, I smell the caramel pecan candle that's burning merrily. It's such a warm and delicious smell.

Wishing... That the days wouldn't fly by so quickly.

Hoping... That I will have an easy lesson of Algebra.

Wearing... A black and white striped, soft t-shirt, and a dusty blue, ankle-length skirt.

Loving... The month of January. I love how winter naturally makes room for more crafting and baking time. I have been busy with all of my journals and inventing new recipes.

Wanting... My driver's license. I do not appreciate all of the studying. I cannot wait until I can look back on the day that I took my test, because right now I'm a nervous wreck and I know that wrecks aren't good, especially concerning driving.

Needing... A big, strong cup of tea.

Feeling...Cheerful for the most part, only a tiny bit depressed about the cloud of Algebra hanging over my head.

New Year's Goals

  The year of 2017 was one of the best years of my life, not necessarily because of any one event, but because of the hundreds of small but beautiful moments I got to live through. And now that I do look back I see that I had many adventures, so many in fact that even Bilbo would be satisfied.
  I joined a speech class, which was one of the best and worst ideas I've ever had.  I'm not overly fond of attention and sadly, making a speech catches everyone's attention. I had many awkward, choking, forget what I'm supposed to say moments, and blushed a bunch, but in the end I was able to give a speech without so much as a tremble.
  I joined/started going to Sunday school, it's so much different than just attending the church service and I love it. I met a bunch of wonderful new people and am enjoying the lessons very much, probably because our teacher is so passionate about what she does.
   I sewed a bit, and wrote a bunch, and really fell in-love with junk journaling and keeping a smash book. That's certainly not all that happened this year, I met a ton of interesting and amazing people and stepped out of my comfort zone so many times, with that all in mind I think it's perfectly accurate to say that yes, 2017 has been my best year ever.
   Now let's see how many of my last year's goals and resolutions I completed.

• learn to temper chocolate ... This one was a bunch of trial and error, but I finally learned how!
• have a proper high tea party ... I had a wonderful tea party early in January and now my sister and I want to plan another one.
• complete my crochet afghan ... Sadly I did not get my afghan finished. I did work on it, but so many other hobbies kept me busy.
• start my own kitchen notebook (like Rachel Khoo) ... I did start my own kitchen notebook and I love it. I document all of my own recipes, the fails and the successes, I feel like the best part of the notebook is the fact that I can sketch a bunch into it.
• blog much more frequently ... I think that we all know I failed this one.
• have excessive berry-ings ... As soon as Summer rolled around Diane and I attacked the berry bushes. I think we got more scratches than berries, but this goal is complete.
• read 52 books ... This was by far the easiest goal I had made, on December the 31st I had well over 70 books read. (I think it was eighty some.)
• finish writing my book ... Sighs, this didn't happen, I now wish that I had spent more time writing, but at least my book is about half way done.
• make a proper pâte à choux ... I love French foods and pastries and making pâte à choux was a must for me. I made several things with it actually, including Gougere and the classic éclairs.
• make a proper pastry cream ... I think that considering what I had just said, this one is obvious.
• broaden my french baking knowledge in general ... Well, my knowledge is broadened, not vastly, but a bit.
• break my bad habits (wouldn't you just love to know what they are) ... Hmm, I do wish I had written down what my bad habits were because I have no idea now if I accomplished this or not.
• have a real picnic ... A real picnic had been planned for Diane's birthday, but due to the frigid temperatures we had it inside.
• become fluent in French ... Groans, not quite there yet, I think I'm like 62% fluent now. (Don't you love how precise that is?)

  And now onto this year's goals.

• Blog at least twice a week
• Finish a diary every two months
• Make macarons
• Make churros
• Finish sewing my 50 states lap quilt
• Do NaNoWriMo
• Finish writing my book
• Get my driver's license
• Write a letter every week
• Take a picture every day
• Do a daily Bible study that isn't just reading my Bible

   It seems that I have much less on my goals list this year than I did last year, but at least I am being more specific this time around. And now I shall wish all of you a very wonderful year filled with many adventures (the good kind.)