sometimes....

Sometimes there are so many thoughts swirling in one's mind that it's hard to express them. The journal sits, unopened, on top of a stack of books that are partially read. The blog sits, quiet, except for a few friends who still read and leave some love and smiles in the form of a comment. 

Visits are few. Emails dwindle. 

How do you share when there is so much on your heart, on your mind, that you don't know where to start? Avenues of thought to be explored, word pictures to be drawn, email visits with friends to be had. 

I capture moments, trying to grasp every little bit about my little princess in a single frame. But how do you capture giggles and twirls and new words? What shutter speed is fast enough or slow enough?

And then I realize it. The simple truth. I don't have to do it all. I don't have to have all the answers, have all the time to write and visit, communicate my heart. I can't. It's simply too much. And I'm the only one expecting that of myself. 

I'm called to love. To love God with all that I am and to love others. 

Words will come, time will come, thoughts will be sorted out and life will continue to be lived, one moment at a time. 

little girls, jack- in- the- boxes, and aunties

One of the best bits about living with family is that Kilmeny gets to spend lots of time with her uncles and aunts who in turn are patient with her and play all sorts of games with her. Like winding the little jack-in-the-box. And laughing. And then doing it all again.

Sausage Florentine

I came across this recipe a couple weeks ago when I made supper for the whole family. It was a new one but the ingredient list looked like a winner. Spinach, tomatoes, feta cheese and sausage over pasta. It comes together quite quickly, and with a few tweakings of the original recipe can be quite healthy. I love the flexibility of recipes like this. 

 Sausage Florentine (adapted from Jean Pare's Sausage, Spinach and Feta)

 (the first adaption had to be the name, something this tasty must have a more interesting name) 

Serves 4

1 1/4 lb farmer style sausage cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 T olive oil 

1 cup chopped red onion 

4 cloves minced garlic

4 cups fresh spinach leaves 

2 cups chopped tomatoes 

1 1/2 t dried basil 

1/2 c crumbled feta 

Fry sausage  in a bit of olive oil until cooked throughly, add onion and garlic. Cook until soft, adding more oil,  if needed.

 Add spinach, tomato and basil. Stir until spinach is slightly wilted. Add feta cheese, stir throughly to allow cheese to almost melt. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. 

Serve immediately over pasta or rice.

little girls in red coats

I realized I haven't done a Kilmo post in quite awhile. When we lived in Montreal, I tried to do posts on just my Kilmo-girl fairly often for all our family who didn't get to see her. Now we're back in Alberta and very close to one family, a little closer to the other family and I still take pictures. We went for a walk in the brief warm snap we had last week, Kilmeny didn't want to come inside. So we played on the deck, with the cat and the dog and the camera.

 The face she gives when she's excited and a little nervous at just how close that cat is approaching.

 She's just getting over her phobia of all animals and finds them very interesting now as long as they keep their distance. She now growls at all animals or any pictures of animals or at you, if she thinks you are at all resembling an animal.

This coat and boots are some of our only purchases for her wardrobe. Both were a bit too big when I bought them but I knew she would grow into them and they were just too cute and both were bought for a few dollars.

a cream tea

 If you're going to have a tea party, then make it a cream tea with few extras. Chocolate covered strawberries are a nice extra especially if you're going to have cream tea in February near Valentine's Day with a few of your sisters-in-law. 

 Party mints are also nice. Besides they look so pretty in a glass goblet and they are a tradition at all Mosher girl get-togethers from before I was a Mosher Girl. My sisters and I have our own traditional mints that we always had our Valentine's tea parties. It only feels right to have a tea party around the 14th.

 Lindt chocolate hearts make lovely place-markers, I loved how the red heart splashed on the neutral china and tablecloth but I really loved the chocolaty goodness under the red foil!

 And then they were the scones. And the cream. And the jam. Oh, bliss! I scoured the internet for a recipe for devonshire cream, short of importing it from England, and we quite enjoyed it. My sister has the most amazing recipe for scones, so light and flaky. They were the perfect combination with the cream and jam. A proper Cream Tea must have strawberry jam but in the absence of strawberry, raspberry is allowed to be served. We had raspberry. 

And being Valentine's we consumed a great deal of cinnamon hearts. In fact, they caused quite a bit of laughter and we departed from regular British decorum at our tea party. But we concluded that we had more fun this way.

 It was a quiet afternoon filled with laughter and delicious scones and pots of tea and memories. Even the littlest girl got to be involved and was quite covered in a creamy jam mixture by the end. We will do it again because it's a special tradition started with my sisters and I will pass it down to my daughters. 

Valentine's isn't just a day for lovers, it's a day for love and celebrating those special to you. 

The recipe for devonshire cream can be found here. Serve with scones, strawberry jam and tea with milk.

friendship

It all began with a simple comment. 

"I've been reading your blog for awhile and enjoyed it. I went to church with your husband when we were all children. I'm a blogger as well, here's mine."

Or something like that. I checked out her blog and knew we were kindred spirits. Since then I read her blog and felt like I had found a new friend. And when you're across the country and don't know a lot of people, if any, in the city you live, new friends are nice. I got to know some of her passions, saw pictures of her cute kids and was inspired by all her craftiness.We've followed each other's blogs and when we moved back into the area, knew we had to get together. 

That happened last Sunday night. Over delicious heart-shaped pizza and coffee and monkey bread, we talked and talked until it was very late and we knew that we simply must do it again. And may I just say that her kids are just as cute in real life and Kilmeny loved being around them, a definite plus!

This dear friend gave me a blog award and so to properly accept it, I must tell you about her blog(gladly!), share some things about me and recommend some other blogs. 

So, her blog is The Homemade Life and I heartily recommend it. 

Some things about me:

 1. I'm Irish in background and have the temper to go with it, a flare up and then it's often gone. I don't have red hair though. But I do have green eyes.

2.  I'm not really fond of cats, I like the idea of one purring by the fire but they don't stay by the fire and aren't always cute. 

3. My favorite color is green. 

4. I love having my husband's camera to use and practice on. 

5. Chocolate is a nice thing, in small doses of good quality. 

6. I love reading and journaling by lamplight.

7. I am really looking forward to spring. 

8. I love to cook. 

9. Interior decorating is fast becoming an interest of mine. 

10. I love to learn. 

And now, some blogs that I recommend. (sorry I don't have the html for the cool little button!) 

The Homemade Life 

Ashleigh Baker 

Sassy Family Gourmet 

Perfectly Imperfect 

and this is how you love me

131-140

 bringing me flowers always through our courtship, engagement and marriage and knowing my favorite kind

several years of memories together to talk about and remember 

your smile never failing to make me smile back 

your blue eyes that I can get lost in 

our dreams that sometimes seem so big and overwhelming but inspiring

the way you dance with our little princess and show her you love her

your soft heart

making me your princess, winning my heart and trust

late night coffee dates

long walks together where we get 'everything' figured out

 Love you babe...till the stars burn out...

 

pictures from Valentine's dates....our very first one after going out for a month and our dinner cruise in Sydney Harbor, here's to many more such moments!

others' words

I have bits and pieces to share, words that aren't quite strung together, random pictures from my week but I don't know how yet to put them all together. So, today, instead of my words, I wanted to share with you the words of others. I have long been inspired by these writers of words, each for a different reason, and each has helped me on my journey. Because sometimes the burden is heavy and we all need a Sam to come alongside. 

We need each other to remind us of beautiful things, of the taste of strawberries with sugar and cream, of green grass and soft summer breezes. 

Ashleigh 

Her honest writing and pictures of beaty make me want to do the same but honesty and openess isn't always easy yet it is needed for growth. 

Krista

I so echo her words in this post- reviving a beautiful life- yes and yes. 

Ann

My heart's prayer this morning was for this, a fulfilled life and how to find the fulfillment that I know is to be had.

3 Things That Make Me Smile

 1. Uncles who happily pull their niece through the snow. And adorable sleds and little girls in red jackets.

2. Girls with long chestnut hair who love their hair being braided and curled and all things girly.

3. Adorable baby legs in stripy stockings.

What's making you smile today?

transitions

I sit and I mull and I think about how I just want to be quiet and I don't know what words to say, don't know what words to write. I feel talked out and yet needing to talk but I don't know what I would say. Journaling doesn't hold any appeal, it seems to require further introspection when I feel like I've peered within too much already. 

So I'm quiet. 

I pray. 

And I continue living each day, doing the things that I know need to be done and yet I want more. 

I want to live. I don't want to just exist. 

And then it comes. I knew it would. 

Transition. That concept as much as a word that means passage from stage, position, subject to another. 

I realize that this is our transition time, a turning of the pages, a new chapter begun. 

In fact, all of life is a transition. From one familiar place to another unfamiliar at first. Like a dandelion in all its bright yellow glory to its magical seed head that is blown and scattered like fairy wishes. 

It's not an easy time. But there is always grace. And there is always mercy. And the caterpillar becomes a creature of beauty.