Simply Sweet~ the Light

Pottering around the garden, I came upon it slow.

 The play of light and shadow on ruffle-edged rhubarb
beckoned me to stop.. and notice it.

Commissioned by the vein-threaded beauty,
I then set out to see what other contrasts I could find.

Bamboo, under the brown pergola, stretched up it's lanky branches

and strained to catch the last of the day's sunkisses on it's lime-green face

while the dappled little lemon tree all gold and warm,

 soaked in the bright intensity of the day.

Indoors, the pale-pitted wooden duck carved by firstborn son,

sat atop black scales with it's back braced before the simmering window-glass.

And I prepared to resume my tasks with thoughts set on the evening meal to come,

but stood transfixed and still instead..while interposing shadows cut the scene

For suddenly appearing (like a resurrected One)
all across my kitchen dressed in white-
 ran the Light!

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I'm joining Kathy for her delightful Home and Garden Thursdays
and Tracie at Fishtail Cottage for her cottage garden party
**

Simply Sweet~ a beautiful cold day

The light that shines farthest, shines brightest at home.

It is the set of sails and not the gales that determines the path you go.

Never doubt in the dark what God has shown you in the light.

We are not promised skies always blue, but a Helper to see us through.

Before we can pray "Thy kingdom come"

we must pray "my kingdom go!"



The above quotes are from the book Amish Peace

Hello dear friends,

it's a very cold autumn day here in our corner of the australian countryside!

So I am sitting all tucked up on the sofa in front of a roaring fire,

 and warming myself with a hot frothy cup of Chai Latte Tea.

It's one of my favourite brews for thawing out with on such a day as this.

It's the kind of day that settles over you like an old coat..

begging you to sit quietly and simply "be".

A grand day for just looking out the windows and for reading and thinking.

Right now I'm thinking about...

how blessed I am to be home on this miserable day

and how grateful I am for my husband who lit the fire for me at lunchtime.

About.. how little I really need to be happy-

a loving family.. a comfortable home.. and a God Who watches over me day and night.

About good health.. and how ours has been compromised this past week

and has laid us low with sore throats, wheezing chests and body pains.

All the joys of a "winter flu"!

And I'm thinking about prayer and the immense power of it

 and the great grace of knowing people who will pray for me and mine..as I do for them.

It's a day to think..and give thanks

and count myself blessed!

Though the sky is grey and bleak outside and the air is sharp and cold,

inside, I am warm and at peace and content to sit and wait on the Lord for my healing.

(Wait, my soul, upon God and trust in Him, 

for He will come and deliver you!)

What a beautiful..cold and yet comforting.. day it is here, today.

I pray yours is a very blessed one too, my friends!

*

joining Sandi for..

***

Welcome to Simply Sweet!

You are most welcome to link up encouraging posts here.

Things that will help us to enjoy our days and grow in love for our Lord, our families and our homes!

Please leave a comment,

visit each other, and

link back to me.

thank you

*

Gilded Days

Autumn-yellow leaves of Golden Ashes catch alight with the fire of afternoon sun

as I peer from my window and stand and revel in the beauty of the scene. 

But amid the joy of their loveliness, I am aware that they are announcing the turning of the season toward more sombre hours.

The garden, throwing off it's wild and joyous summer garb

and donning quieter hues of russet red and brown.. begins to sleep.

Indoors..I gather up the golden lights that linger in nature's bounty

and mixing the welcome, tumbling gifts of sun and grain and fruit

I set to work creating our own yellow beams of simple homely joys.

This small and ordinary effort of a day drawn in by short and crisper hours

lights up our bare-board wood.

No need of silver-glint or manorial baroque to dress the scene.

We sit in quiet contentment feasting at our humble kitchen table
worn by time.. and warmed by heaven's gilding.
*
Joining Kathy for

Simply Sweet~ "flawed" decor

What makes a home really feel like "home" to you?

Is it having all the furniture matching and sticking to a certain look to the exclusion of all else?

Some people are uncomfortable unless a room all matches.

Do you prefer formal Victorian period details to more relaxed modern contemporary styles?

As much as I love delicate china settings and lace in my decorating scheme,

I find I also need to balance that out with some rustic time-worn things around me to make me feel "at home".

I am really quite eclectic in my decor and certainly not a purist when it comes to "style"!

I simply forget about any rules and put out whatever makes me happy.

And if that means some old paint-chipped furniture must sit alongside a traditional polished antique piece - so be it!

I've never been one to slavishly try to re-produce a particular period look in our home.

Mis-matched things are what I enjoy working with the most and a room that takes itself too seriously leaves me cold!

 

Whereas, a little simple earthy imperfection makes me feel warm all over.

I like the "honesty" of things that have been well-used and don't mind showing it!

To me, a home is a place where flaws and imperfections are accepted as part of life.

 And not just that, but appreciated and cared for as well.

Beauty can be found just as much in the humble things around us as in the seemingly perfect.

It only takes the will to "see" it.

The texture of a fat pumpkin's irregular wobbly grooves.. layers of old paint showing through on a table..the big nose and crooked smile of a Raggedy Ann make me feel good.

They're all a bit quirky and simple...just like me really  :-)

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Simply Sweet~ Autumn Grace

For GOD so loved

the world that He gave

 His only SON

that whoever believes in HIM

shall NOT perish

but HAVE

ETERNAL  LIFE!



But God loved us with so much love that He was generous with His MERCY:

when we were dead through our sins

He brought us to LIFE with Christ

(it is through GRACE that you have been saved)

and raised us up with Him

and gave us a place with Him in Heaven, in Christ Jesus.

This was to show for all ages to come,

through His goodness towards us in Christ Jesus,

how infinitely rich He is in GRACE.

Because it is by GRACE that you have been saved, through faith;

not by anything of your own,

but by a GIFT from God;

not by anything you have done, so that nobody can claim the credit.

We are God's work of art,

created in Christ Jesus to live the good life

as from the beginning He had meant us to live it!

John 3:16,   Ephesians 2:4-10

*

Each day as I go about my home and garden, I am becoming more aware of the beauty of the changing seasons.

Trees and vines are displaying their splendid Autumn foliage and I can sense the slowing down of nature all around me.

Inside the home we have begun preparing for the coming colder days of Winter.

Our fireplace and chimney which had become clogged up by timber not properly 'seasoned', was in need of a major clean-up this past week.

I couldn't help but think how fitting it is for us living in the southern hemisphere of God's Earth, to be confronted with the images of decay and death and to feel the sting of biting winds, as we recall the agony and Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ over the coming week.

The necessary work of scraping out the debris from the firebox brought with it a sense of comfort and liberty which settled down in my spirit as parable of grace.

For if it had not been cleared out completely, our chimney would not have been able to function properly.

We would not be warmed sufficiently throughout the freezing days which plummet to well below minus in our rural area.

We would be left regretting our complacency and wishing we had  done the work earlier!

How glad I am that my husband is strong enough to climb atop our roof to replace the hat and dislodge the gum and junk which had fastened hard to the chimney.

How grateful I am that he bought new firebricks to line the box, and made all  necessary repairs so that the fire would draw correctly and guarantee us a cosy winter ahead in our little home.

You see I suffer rather badly from the cold and my bones ache ever so much if they can't get warm :-(

Watching him hard at work on our behalf just re-enforced what I already knew -my hubby is my hero!

Even so..

I am eternally thankful that SomeOne Else came to my rescue many, many years ago and cleaned out the debris of my decaying soul and made me new again!

 He breathed the fire of His Spirit into me and ignited an eternal flame which will never be extinguished no matter how hard the winds may blow outside!

In Him..the winter of my soul has been transformed into eternal spring,

 with all the HOPE of that most blessed season,

and now I hear the voice of my Beloved sweetly calling..

See! The winter is past;

the rains are over and gone.

Flowers appear on the earth;

the season of singing has come,

the cooing of doves

is heard in our land.

The fig tree forms its early fruit;

the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.

Arise, come, my darling;

my beautiful one, come with me.”

Song of Solomon   2:11-13

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linked to:

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Hello friends, I look forward to seeing what you will be sharing this week :-)

Simply Sweet~ green tea

The green tea benefits were discovered 4,000 years ago and since then has been considered a wonder drink!

Green tea acts as an antiviral agent. This beverage contains a mineral called fluoride that prevents cavities as well as strengthens tooth enamel. Did you know that drinking a cup of this tea everyday can help reduce plaque formation and bacterial infections in your mouth? This is because this beverage acts as anti-inflammatory agent. Therefore, it maintains a healthy, active metabolism and circulatory system on your body. This proves that this drink is indeed a miracle in a cup!

What happens is that our body utilizes the defensive antioxidant molecules which are present in our system as a response to the negative effects of free radicals. This is done to detoxify the harmful effects.

This is the main reason why health professionals are encouraging you to increase the levels of antioxidants in your body. There are various food available that contains high levels of antioxidants such as fruit and vegetables.

The antioxidant levels of green tea is hundred times more effective than vitamin C and twenty-five times better than vitamin E in protecting our immune systems. Another great reason to drink several cups everyday.

The green tea ingredients are the ones responsible for the green tea benefits. They are called catechins!

Catechins are considered the most effective of all antioxidants and the amounts as well as the effects are far higher compared to black tea. This is because green tea has less processing compared to other teas.

Asian population are experiencing the green tea benefits long before other countries have. Statistics have shown that Asians have a lower risk of acquiring diseases because of their healthy lifestyle.

One of the green tea benefits is it's potential to protect against heart disease and cancer.

It's believed to reduce cholesterol as well as LDL-cholesterol. This results in lower platelet aggregation, which then helps keep your blood pressure in check.

Other green tea benefits are the following:

• helps against formation of cancer

• controls diabetes

• helps prevent heart disease

• makes your complexion acne-free, healthier

• aids in weight loss regimen

• retards the aging process

• calms your digestion

• helps with your bowel problems

• excellent and safe during pregnancy because it provides you with a mild stimulating effect.

(source)

Hello sweet ladies..

tell me - have you ever tried green tea?

We've been drinking it for some years and though it tasted a little (ok-a lot!) strange at first..

we gradually got used to it's flavour and quite enjoy it now.

We heard about how good it is for us and how it improves your health and thought it was worth experimenting with.

We found it to be good but we don't drink it as our regular tea..more as a general health aid.

I think brewing loose leaves is probably better than using teabags, but I guess the health benefits are pretty much the same no matter which you choose.

Did you know that the used leaves can added to kitty litter to eliminate odour?

The left over tea is great to pour onto your house plants too.

The powdered form of green tea can be used for cooking as well as drinking.

Here is one interesting recipe idea -

Green Tea & Banana Loaf Cake

Adding Matcha to your favourite loaf cakes is a great way to add a fun healthy twist to your baking. This recipe is adapted from an easy to bake banana cake, but you can try any cake recipe and simply add between 1 tsp to 2 tsp of matcha or more too taste.


INGREDIENTS     
150 grams caster sugar
1 beaten egg
125 grams of butter
2 very ripe mashed bananas
190 grams self raising flour
1-2 tsp of matcha
60 ml milk

Grease pan Melt butter, sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan over a medium heat.
Remove from heat add bananas and mix well.
Add the egg, mix well.
Stir in the flour, matcha and the milk.
Pour into the cake tin, sprinkle with a tablespoon of demerara sugar to give a crunch topping if liked.
Bake at 170 C or Gas mark 3 for 35 mins or until ready.
Leave to cool
(source)

The weirdest thing I've ever tasted with green tea in it was ice-cream (would you believe?!)

I'm pretty game to try new foods but that just did not work for me.

Give me a good old Rum'n'Raisin ice-ream anytime and I'm a happy girl, lol!

I've always liked Japanese style things like tea ceremomies, cherry blossom festivals, Godzilla movies and ninja tv serials.

In fact, when I was a  schoolgirl I would hurry to get through my homework just so I could watch my hero, Shintaro!

Do you remember The Samurai?
I still love  it - and so do my sons :-D

No - it's not a scene from The Samurai..

just my youngest son celebrating his birthday with a sakura party 2 weeks ago!lol!

Eating Sushi and Bento while wearing kiminos and "posing" as ninjas made for a night of great fun!

I guess it's not hard to entertain us ..ha!

Sayonara  ;-D

*
I'm joining Sandi for Tea Time Tuesday
***

Welcome to Simply Sweet!

You are most welcome to link up encouraging posts here.

Things that will help us to enjoy our days and grow in love for our Lord, our families and our homes!

Please leave a comment,

visit each other, and

link back to me.

thank you
***

Simply Sweet~ grand tea-room

Don't these elegant stained glass windows make a beautiful entrance?!

They belong to the Carrington- a  grand hotel in the historic Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia.

We visited here recently and enjoyed a leisurely afternoon wandering through the lovely old building.

Down the vast corridors under high vaulted ceilings we sauntered,

and peered into stately rooms as we passed by on our way

to meet up with some old friends who were eager to show us

the wonderfully appointed tea-room,

where a very large and long table was set and waited for the delicious repast to come.

Everything in this historic hotel is on a grand scale - those gorgeous blue urns are as tall as me!!

(Excuse me if I look a little messy..I couldn't see in the mirror to fix my hair I'm afraid!)

We couldn't stay on for tea unfortunately, but here is pretty setting I found in a shop nearby.

We'll certainly return to the lovely Carrington Hotel and enjoy High Tea there one day!

linked to Sandi for Tea Time Tuesday

***

Welcome to Simply Sweet!

You are most welcome to link up encouraging posts here.

Things that will help us to enjoy our days and grow in love for our Lord, our families and our homes!

Please leave a comment, visit each other, and link back to me.