The Simple Woman's Day Book

FOR TODAY
1. December.2008

Outside my window...
Raining cats and dogs. It's freezing and it's raining hail.Praise the Good Lord, we need rain too, not only sunny days.

I am thinking...
That today begins December, such a nice month…

I am thankful for...
We all are at home, all happy doing our Christmas decorations. It’s bank holiday today: we celebrate the end of the Spanish usurpation of the Portuguese throne (1. Dec. 1640). Praise the good Lord!

From the learning rooms...
My little girl – 4 yo – is learning how to set the Christmas Tree

From the kitchen...
I'm going to making apple crumble (again) and cookies.

I am wearing...
My homemaking uniform: navy sweather and trousers and apron (always apron).

I am creating...
Cooking is also a creation, so my cookies and crumble is what I'm creating.

I am going...
To stay ay home, the best place to be.

I am reading...
A book on Fatima.

I am hoping...
To feel good so I can make everything I need and want to.

I am hearing...
The sound of hail on the windows.

Around the house...
The children are talking and laughing and my husband is all happy around the kitchen.I must do some more tidying up in my bedroom while the children and my husband do the Christmas Tree. The same with the kitchen - continuous cooking make continuous tidying.A load of laundry or more. The problem is I can't put them on the line, only in the drying machine.

One of my favorite things...
Staying at Home.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
Finishing my Christmas lists. Make some Christmas shopping. Wrap some presents.
Do more tidy up.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...




Join us at The Simple Womans Day Book

Today's Flowers

For Today's Flowers .

Feijoada

Beans stew, for a cold and rainy day.

Just put to boil the beans you prefer.

Add all kind of sausages. We use some made with pork meat.

Add bacon.

Cut a savoy cabbage in four parts and put in the pan together with the other things.

The same with carrots, tomatoes, onions, garlic and parseley.

Season with salt and all the spices you like.

In other pan we boil a farinheira - sausages made with wheat flour, pork fat and spice - and morcela - a blood sausage, I don't like it but my husband does. It must be boiled apart because sometimes it explodes and if it's cooked with the other things is all mixed and is not so good.

All this sausages are smoked and tipicaly portuguese but maybe you can do it with other kind, just have to be the smocked kind.

Good for a Winter day.

Chestnuts

There's one thing I long all year long: chestnuts. I like so much since I was a little girl in a land where there wasn't any. Planted there, I mean. It would go from Europe to Africa every time Christmas was going near.
And I ate lots and lots. The same now but even more. I can't wait to see them in shops, usualy expensive first, then going less expensive.

This year, after buying one kg or two each time, we decided to buy a sac of 5 kg.
We have been eating it in big amounts, mainly at saturdays, rosted and/boiled and seeing a movie, all the family together.
I must say my favorite are the boiled ones.

Some years ago, I ate a chestnut jam. I liked it so much I'm always planing to make it. I already looked for a recipe in the Internet and all, but I never made it.
Well, maybe this year.I will tell you if I make it.

Making soup

Put a big pan with water on the stove.

Just add potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic.

Leave it boiling for a while.

When is ready, add some fresh coriander.

Leave to boil for some minutes more.

This minute, you will feel the most wonderful smell coming from the pan.

It's ready.

Now, mix it all together with a blender or something and add olive oil.

Et voilà.

Now give thanks for that food and the confort it brings to the soul to have plenty of food.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm not well. I'm at home and even this doesn't make me very happy because I don't feel well. I'm better then the day before yesterday when I woke up so dizy and desiquilibrated I hardly could walk. Now I'm better but I still feel the floor moving when I walk and I don't feel well reading or writing. Looks like that's my interior earing and my back doesn't help too.

I went already to take a back massage and I'm better. I went to a doctor that said it is the hear and tomorow I'll go to the otorrinolaringologist so he can see my ears and have his saying.

I was so happy because I was almost arriving at my holidays, just some more days and I'm off till next year and now this.

Sorry for all this self pitty but I was in need of that.

The good thing of all this is I'm home.

And I will be good in no time. I do hope that.

Happy Thanksgiving to all american friends of the blogosphere.

Today is my 3 post! First was the Todays Flowers where I posted a beautiful yellow rose from a plant my mother gave me - scroll down to see it, it's so beautiful. Then, it was the meme and now this.
I couldn't wait another day to post about a Award I have. It was Lara who gave me and I'll pass to

Happy Hearts at Home
The Green Greek
Casa Al Mare Patchwork

Easy and funny meme

This is an easy and funny meme.
I found it at Happy Hearts at Home.
You only have to copy and paste to your own blog and put in bold thoses things that, in the meme, you did already.
I also saw this meme at
The Berry Patch
and
You did what?

Would you mind to post the name and link of a blog - or more - where you have seen this meme?

Here it is mine:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris - in my honeymoon.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (from the beach)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa - I was born there.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance - my father was not well and I, and my mother, went with him
47. Had your portrait painted - my husband had his.
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - Our King.
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one - My grandmother.
94. Had a baby - several.
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Well, looks like I din't do much!

Today's Flowers

Today and every monday, I will try to post a picture of a flower - or flowers - joining Today's Flowers.
My mother gave me a plant full of miniature roses and this beauty is one of them. This is the second time it flourishes.

It's Sunday and one day less to Christmas

Christmas Countdowns at WiddlyTinks.com

Christmas Countdowns at WiddlyTinks.com

And today it's cold. Pitty it's not snowing. It's sunny and bright.
I will put some clothes on the line and do some gardening.
After Mass. Now it's time to get out of the computor and call the girls to dress imediately, otherwise we will be late. And today is market day, the trafic will be crazy and it will hard to find a parking space.
See you later.