Monkeys are singing for my Grandson

 Yes , yes, the famous triplets sing for Corwin's birthday number 3. I think there should be a drum roll by the famous Corwin HIMSELF!! He is a fun kiddo!!

Snow in Coastal SC

YUP--mainly ICE!! The geese are not bothered by it! The roads are all ice---NO travel for MOI

Lord of all Hopefulness

A wonderful hymn to start of a morning. I usually share this stuff on my devotional blog---but then again the devotional blog is mainly for myself. This one was too good not to share!

Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
Whose trust, ever childlike, no cares could destroy,
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
Your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.

Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
Whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,
Be there at our labors, and give us, we pray,
Your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.

Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
Your hand swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,
Be there at our homing, and give us we pray,
Your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.

Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
Whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,
Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
Your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.

Artisan no knead bread - uh huh- and so forth [snow in the South!]

Yes this is a nice crusty bread I made today in my dutch oven and it is so easy---you mix it up the night before and put it in the oven in the morning. [or you can mix it up in the morning and cook it in the evening ;-) . I found the recipe here with loads of tips  http://www.simplysogood.com/2013/03/artisan-no-knead-bread.html   I made mine with WHITE WHOLE WHEAT flour---she made hers with regular white flour.  I have to wait until the evening to see what my guys think, as I am gluten free and can not eat it.

Hey hey-- I found a nifty ole pyrex pot to keep my coffee warm---it fits on my drip coffee maker. I make mine on the stove top and put it here to keep hot Yes, I know I left the tea sign in there--I drink that too. I love this cup below--I am thinking I NEED to get this at some point, ha!
 It can be found at Amazon here 

 So, so so-- I took out my old phone my family used in the 50's. It always reminds me of the movie called DIAL M FOR MURDER--s I put a photo about that to the side. Yes, I know this is unrelated!! but I did include an espresso cup!?!. I hope ya'll have a cozy day--we are supposed to get snow and ice starting tomorrow! NOTE--I live in SC near the coast--this does not usually happen. I just hope we don't loose electricity!
I will try to post something tomorrow before it gets bad! If I don't visit you for a few days you will know why.

PS> The guys loved the bread--crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside.

yup--COFFEE

ps The frog and the bunny are from tiles you can by from Ebay here 

In my reflections today I found this song

 I was having my devotions and this song was part of it---I love it.  The words mean By your cross and passion deliver Lord. There are different kinds on youtube---some with one voice and some with many--this one below may be cut from youtube but I shall put it

I think the first one is more reflective in its arrangement.

Either way I love how music can aid us in our worship of God. I am thankful for the Lord's mercy which is new every morning.

Cool things!

When I saw this shelving paper at Walmart I fell in love. I love cheerful reds at this time of the year. I decided to use it for placemats!  There was enough for 7 so I will have to go back since I want 8. This is GREAT stuff because it is NOT PAPER>



It meets my rooster's approval



Yes, yes my table is messy because we are working on a puzzle: ANYWAYS--it was such a pretty morning today: It made me want to slow down [which I am very good at doing!] I decided to get out my egg cup---YES YES YES, I love to eat a boiled egg this way ....I like mine hard boiled. Here it is awaiting the egg. And then with the egg You just take a regular knife and give it a few wacks where you want to remove the egg shell. You can look on youtube for a video--if I remember I will attach one at the end of this post. Then you dig in: I ate mine at our big coffee table with some hot brewed tea---this is the cosy covering the pot a distant photo ;-) and my happy cup--I love the bright colors in this cup--plus it is a big one! The tea pot is an old favorite--thick and heavy made in England. This with the cosy keeps it nice and hot Just wanted to add--I needed some juice cups so when I was at ole Walmart I found these!! AND they are made in the USA!!! I love their tones--the remind me of stained glassed windows---my photos won't do them justice: Plus they stack nicely I needed some index cards with the binding---the 4 by 6 ones. However the stores were not carrying them so I resorted to this next item which is actually almost as handy. I wanted a place to put prayers, Bible quotes and inspirational stuff to use while praying: AND last of all I wanted to share something that is so warm and cozy---it is a fleece type sweater from Nordstrom's that I bought at Christmas time when they were on sale (online) --everyone said how warm and comfy and cozy they were and so RIGHT--not the best photo---I gotta get going!! Here are directions for using egg cup:http://www.ehow.com/how_5128780_use-egg-cups.html

and for the Nordstrom's fleece [today it is 39 dollars] go here 

I am linking to Wow us Wednesday here 

Things I am happy about today

There are some things I really love. One of those things is the way the sun shines through the curtain on my outer door and makes a design on the entry way closet door. Coolness!

I have been getting some lively colors out for the winter so this rooster had to come out of the closet ;0)

HE always makes me happy! Below is one of my favorite hand made mugs

This was given to me from my daughter. I love the mixes of color--blues and greens. I love how it feels in my hands (I use 2 hands to wrap around its loveliness!). It has a smooth warm feel---and there is something wonderful about drinking from a mug that someone made on a potter wheel. This is  nice cup for tea (although I use it for both coffee and tea).  I prefer this to my fancy tea cups because it holds more!!

A funny thing happened in church today. The pastor was giving reasons some come to church and he remarked that some people were at church today because their mom's made them come. One little boy piped up, "Yeah!"  It was so funny! The congregation was full of laughter. It was cool, because it showed the little guy was listening ;-). 

Giving Thanks on a Gray Day and Garlic peeling

 I have these little rocks to remind me daily of things I need to concentrate on in my life. Today is a gray day and I am thankful for journals and cozy blankets.

I have an addiction for orange variegated roses---But they are sooo cheerful Don't you think? You can even see how bright the roses look on a gray day---they are back on the left in the photo Below is my favorite candle This is my newest Chalk board saying: AND I love the old books

There is something about warm wood tones that cheer my heart:

And there is nothing like a bright apron to do cooking in! 

I am so glad my son convinced me to save this little happy sugar dispenser when I was down sizing. It is something I love.

Making blueberry banana muffins for the guys (using up our old bananas--is also so homey on a gray day. Recipe here tada and last of all for this post --experimenting with shaking the garlic in a pot to get them loose and 1/2 way peeled--Martha Steward strikes again

She did it in 2 bowls but it is easier in my pot!!!
Here is the how to video

Cozy winter time

Nothing like home made bread to make a home feel cozy. I can't eat this bread since this is not gluten free! I made it for my men. This is my daughter's favorite bread recipe for slicing. It can be found on my cooking blog here.http://nannykimsrecipes.blogspot.com/2014/01/maple-wheaten-bread.html  I like touches of red in the home in the winter! Yup --it is cheerful and cozy to me. I also like my winter teapot. I do like the old paint by number scenes above---nostalgia for me! my red plaid throws--makes me think of my kid days in Vermont... AND....in reading old English mysteries we were always reading about sherry. So for Christmas my hubby bought different kinds of sherry and some port for us to try. This was the dry variety since we don't like a lot of the sweet stuff: I love to occasionally do jigsaw puzzles this time of the year---well, any time of the year. This one is impressionistic--I have decided impressionistic ones are HARD! and last of all I have left my cardinal tablecloth on---love them and they are cheerful! and a hot Indian spice soup (not overly spice--y but full of flavor! http://nannykimsrecipes.blogspot.com/2014/01/kidney-bean-veggie-soup-with-coconut.html

and of course there is always dancing with my grands/ or watching them dance when I visit them!


What are you all doing for cheer?