Do You Recognize These Kitchens?

 It has been said that my posts give readers whiplash. Prepare yourselves, this is another one of those.

I may (or not) come in for a landing by the time this post reaches its conclusion.

Let's begin with the quiz...five questions kitchens... I gave up grading papers a long time ago so there is no shame/no prize. Not only that, you are allowed to work together! These kitchens are all famous from movies or television programming. I will reveal the answers tomorrow.
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🏡🏡🏡 Yesterday, I was with my dad so I have news to share. 

He and I had a great conversation. It went like this:
I: "What would you like for your birthday?"  He: "Nothing" I: "What would you like to eat?" He: "Nothing"
I: "What kind of cake do you want?"  He: "Nothing" I: "What kind of ice cream do you want?" He: "Vanilla!"
  Phew! He still cares about the really important stuff. Poor man has had a rough week...ER twice. He's on the mend now, but energy is low.
🏡🏡🏡 My sister and brother-in-law have been busy!

↑ All taken in morning light

↑Afternoon Light→
I am loving that Penobscot wood wall! This wood is all reclaimed from the bottom of the Penobscot River. Apparently, lots of logs were lost on those logging drives of long ago. My father tells me that his father and grandfather worked on many of those drives.

Now what do you think of the blue? I have spent my entire adult life trying to get away from blue because so many blues were chosen for me by previous homeowners. I'm still living with a blue bedroom after all these years. I tried my best to steer Kim (sis) to a "better" choice. Ha! She was not persuaded. Then, as I was sitting watching tv in her home, I saw that one of my favorite kitchens was painted blue. Yes, #5 is one of my favorite kitchens of all time. 

Okay, I'll admit it was a weak landing, but it's the best I can do today.

Have a wonderful weekend and thank you for reading today...
🏡



P.S. My sister told me this about the paint: Paint is BEHR premium plus ultra.

Paint & primer in one.

When it dries it's like  a thin rubber or silicone if you peel it up. It is called Dockside Blue.

Welcoming February Hodge Podge

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1. Can you believe it's the end of January? What was the best day of January 2017 for you, and why?

Yes, I can believe that yesterday was January 2017's last. And I am grateful. It hung on and on. 

January 14 was a good day because I was with family enjoying a meal out. 

2. What sounds make up the background noise in your life?

Ticking clocks

3. I read on the Power of Positivity website a list of ten things to drop from your life right now. They are—

anger outbursts, people who put you down, regret, negative self talk, being a people pleaser, the notion you need to be perfect, the past (but keep the lessons learned!), gossip and judgment, comparing yourself to others, and the word hate (focus on what you love instead)

Which thing on the list do you most need to drop? Are you trying or will you try?

May I just say that I hate love lists like this?! 😑 😇

I'd like to see all these things gone from my list and everyone else's for that matter. No, I will not consciously be trying to deal with them because willpower does not work. My method is to pray about these things and ask God for His intervention. He is the only One Who can take care of big, ugly issues like these.

4. What is sacred to you?

God's Word is sacred; His love for me; My relationships are sacred; My country is sacred; My home is sacred; Some favorite places feel sacred; My mother's hospice room felt sacred. 

5. January is National Oatmeal month. Are you a fan, and if so how do you like it?

Yes, big fan. It's my breakfast most mornings. I prefer maple and brown sugar flavor with a bit of cream. I used to eat the very hearty varieties, but they were too hard on my delicate tummy so I switched to a generic brand. 

6. What feelings does twilight stir up in you? 

In the past, I might have had a sense of excitement for going out in the evening or watching a favorite program. These days, it is more an oh, I can go to bed soon feeling. 

7. Something you're looking forward to next month? 

I have nothing on the docket. Probably should change that so that I do. It's a choice.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Well, that was depressing. How about a joke? My friend Deborah told me this one in 1982. 

Seems a godly, Christian man took some sky diving lessons and was prepared to jump solo for the first time. He said a quick prayer and leaped from the plane. At the appropriate time, he pulled his ripcord and nothing happened. He pulled the second one and still nothing. He began to pray in earnest and, when he opened his eyes, he was amazed to see a man shooting right straight up from the earth in his direction. As the man neared him, the skydiver yelled, "Hey, know anything about parachutes?" The response: "No! You know anything about furnaces?"

Please join *Joyce* for another fun Hodge Podge already in progress.

Victoria

Victoria is a name I would like to have. My mother chose it for me, but my father nixed it. Why? No daughter of his was going to be named for any old Queen of England. I can laugh about it now, sometimes. ツ

My mother was Canadian as I have mentioned many times. Queen Victoria had only been gone for 33 years when my mother showed up. My Canadian family talked about royalty often and many famous portraits of royals hung in their homes. This portrait of Queen Alexandra or one very like it hung in the kitchen at the farm. (She was Queen Victoria's daughter-in-law.)

I thought that she was the most beautiful person I had ever seen. (ETA: By way of further explanation: The kitchen was wainscoted; the ceiling was high; this large portrait hung on the wall above the wainscoting. The kitchen table was in that corner so I can see that, as a child, I'd be looking way up on the wall to see this impressive picture [a print I am sure]. Yes, she made an impression on me. The last time I saw that scene was over thirty years ago and it still lives vividly in my imagination.)

If you have been watching Victoria, you know that the queen started off as Alexandrina. No wonder she took the name Victoria.

Jenna Coleman and Rufus Sewell as Queen Victoria and Lord Melbourne
This series was not going to hook me. I had my hackles up. I didn't want to like it, but I do. I love the history, the costumes, the scenery...just wish that they wouldn't mess with the facts. They have elaborated on the Victoria~Lord Melbourne connection so much that it is said that the Brits didn't want Prince Albert to show up. ☺ In fact, even I have been thinking Prince Albert who? 
The other thing that annoyed me was that Jenna Coleman is way too attractive to portray frumpy little Queen Victoria, but I could be proven wrong. What do you think?

How about a comparison between Rufus and the Real Lord Melbourne?

Wowzer! Lord Melbourne was a handsome man! My complaint is that he was ten years older than the actor playing him when he first met the Queen. From all accounts I have read, Queen Victoria and Lord Melbourne loved one another as a daughter and father would. Blast. It does make for such a good story. Thank you, Rufus, for doing your hair like the real Lord M's. (This is more than I can say for Tom's as Prince Albert.)

So Jenna and Rufus have an excellent on screen chemistry, but then Tom Hughes who plays Prince Albert and Jenna must also have an excellent chemistry since they have a real-life romance offscreen. It remains to be seen as Prince Albert has only just shown up in earnest this past weekend.

Let us compare the real Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (first cousins) below

with the actors...

It sure was a lot of fun looking through the vintage photographs and the stills of Victoria. There are wonderful images at PBS Masterpiece.


~Eve Myles as Mrs. Jenkins~

I have just one question: What is Mrs. Jenkins doing in this painting? Is she with Lord Melbourne? Are those their daughters? (Just a little revisionist history humor, folks.)

Source

Hahahahah...Guess that it is true that everyone has a twin.

~Eve Myles as herself~

So tell me if you've been watching and what you've been thinking and if you are hooked.

Leaving Things on the Table

And I don't mean the clutter that happens to be all over mine right now. (Not sharing that scene, you'll be happy to know.)

What I mean are all those things that I have photos for, but have not shared. Some of these things go back months. I've been feeling guilty.

~Enjoying a burger and a shake at Five Guys in Brunswick, Maine~ I usually share when the grandsons have their respective birthdays six days apart in January. This year, I am late. They are officially 11 and 10 now. The night before the birthday party, the 10-year-old was my guest. My daughter generously agreed to take us to Five Guys about an hour away. It was a great burger. Probably the best I've ever had, but an hour is a long way to go for a burger and there may be other more worrisome concerns.

The following morning, Jake was trying to get dressed and I could hear him murmuring about not fitting into his pants. I don't know if he packed his own overnight bag or what, but he was right—the pants didn't fit and those from the day before also didn't fit. What?!  

We were in the middle of a little scene similar to Randy's being stuffed into his snowsuit from A Christmas Story when Jake quipped, "All I did was go to Five Guys and have one stinking hamburger and now my pants don't fit!" (It's the story of my life, Jake, story of my life.)

↑Some snow tubing in the future... And some cozy, winter nights between new fleece sheets from LL Bean.↓

~Eleven and Ten~

 ~sweet sleigh from Michele who blogs at Finch Rest~

~beautiful banner from Kim~ This banner was a thoughtful gift from Kim who formerly blogged at Camp and Cottage Living. She is taking an extended break from blogging, though I keep hoping that she'll return. Anyway, this banner arrived last summer and I draped it across the mirror. It says, "Lo, I am with you always." It is wonderful to see it each morning. Even though John's photo is there, it does not mean that I think that he is with me always; I know better. I do not feel that way at all and feel very much alone in that sense. The Lord is with me always; John is safely home.

Finally, I shared a bit about this item recently when I was decluttering some closets. I found this little girl's vintage dress and jacket in a paper sack stuffed on a shelf. I washed it and ironed it and now wish to know who sent it to me. That's really all I remember...someone sent it to me. Abby? Kim? Kim? Michele? Help!

It's darling and I'd love to know whom to thank. Gosh, I am such a bad, bad blogger. 

Lastly, one might wonder why I'd move on to other pursuits or add other pursuits when I'm already not doing so well with blogging, yet I have added Instagram to my list of things to do poorly. If you'd like to see what I was up to over the weekend, you can check it out there on the Instagram button on my sidebar. I really need some lessons. I have inadvertently deleted my own posts, liked my own comments, and left comments on the table. Oh, that's where we started; good time to stop. (I removed all my comments about Victoria...a post for another day. Focus, Vee, focus.)
ETA: Decided, toward the end of the day, to give the Instagram button the boot because there is nothing there that would interest my blogging friends, though there may be something here that would interest my Instagram friends.  I will continue to link to the blog from there. Hope that this is not a problem for anyone...shouldn't be. 

Have a great week!

A Wonderful Prayer in All Seasons

~Mt Washington, New Hampshire taken from my corner in Maine~

Hope to see you tomorrow! Have a blessed Sunday...

Hodge Podge Salt and Light

Thanks to Joyce for the intriguing prompts that she provides for her Wednesday Hodge Podges!

1. "The cure for anything is salt water-tears, sweat, or the sea." (Isak Dinesan) Would you agree? Of the three, which has 'cured' you most recently? 

No, I do not agree; however, Isak Dinesan has a way with a phrase and it sure sounds good. If I thought in these terms, the most recent would have been tears.

2. What's something you can't eat without salt? Do you normally salt your food a lot, a little, or not at all? 

On the advice of Rachel Ray, I have begun generously salting the water for boiling pasta. Yup. She's right. It makes a world of difference. Other than that, I try not to use salt. Many foods are plenty salty enough. (A guilty pleasure is salting an orange or an apple.)

3. Sands of time, bury your head in the sand, built on sand, or draw a line in the sand...which sandy phrase could best be applied to something in your life right now? 

Bury my head in the sand... 

because I am biding. Once spring arrives, action must be taken. Until then, I'm content to make like an ostrich.

4. A favorite book, movie, or song with an island setting or theme? 

Anne of Green Gables set in Prince Edward Island. It's a big island, but it is not only an island; it is also the smallest Canadian province. It is a book,  a movie, and I adore Hagood Hardy's theme music. Do you?

5. Yesterday-did you run your day or did it run you? How so? 

I ran my day. I planned it, followed through, and accomplished what needed doing. Simple things. Nothing difficult. Now let us not discuss the day before.

6. You're on an island holiday. Will I most likely find you parked in a beach chair, shopping in town, on the back of a jet ski, or snorkeling off the back of a catamaran? 

That beach chair is looking comfy.

7. What do you think we humans most take for granted?

Our very lives. One morning, I won't be down for breakfast. I am taking "Teach us to number our days" very seriously. (Psalm 90:12)

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Well I have a lot of random thoughts. Alas, they may not be fit for public dissemination. I was going to tell you what I thought of the women's march on Washington, D.C., though I just bet that you can tell me what I thought. ☺ You know me quite well by now! Perhaps I was even thinking what you have been thinking. 

Dearer to my heart...they were/are splendid. My hopes are high. Praying for President and Mrs. Trump, this country, and its people.

Thanks for reading...

Inauguration Day 2017

 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

Another morning, but not just any morning...

A good morning begins with a cup of coffee. This is a good morning.

This post will load at 3:10, but I will not be up to see it. 

~USA~

Fireworks over Washington, D.C. last night. They were beautiful. There may be fireworks of another sort today, but my prayer is for peace in our country and for no snowflakes  to fall; raindrops maybe.

To loosely borrow from something a performer said last night at the festivities... I wish to thank Barack Obama for his service and to thank Donald Trump for being willing to serve. 

Long may freedom reign!

Comments are closed so that you may enjoy the day's festivities.