Wisdom

 

"It is not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them that is the true measure of our thanksgiving."

                        ... Katie Pertie 

Me On A Monday - Thanksgiving

 It is Thanksgiving Monday here in Canada, a holiday weekend.  I am grateful for some really beautiful sights about our little village.

Sometimes saying Thank you is the only prayer you need.

Wisdom

 October is when Canada 🍁 celebrates Thanksgiving, so with that in mind, my October Wisdom posts will be centred around gratitude & thanksgiving.          

Thanksgiving in Canada is always on the 2nd Monday of the month; this year it is Monday October 9th.

"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed.  Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every moment with love, grace & gratitude."

                    ... Dennis Waitley 

SPSH - The Final Check In

Welcome to the final link in of the 2023 Summer Photo Scavenger Hunt.📷  👀

Here's a list, in no particular order, of those indicating that they wanted to participate in the SPSH 2023.  If I have forgotten anyone, I apologize & please let me know in the comments & I'll add you to the list. 👧

Thank you to all that participated.  I hope that you had some fun & adventure trying to find the items on the list.  

Ruth At This West London Life

Bless At My Two Cents 

Liz At Life At The Gables

Deb At Deb's World

Karen At 365 Photos

Karen at Random Reflections

Kym At More Coffee Breaks

Here are the last of my finds for 2023:

3. Something Netted or Webbed; a spider web at the corner of the chimney. It has since been swept away.

4. Something Berry Berry Delicious: the berries on our black lace elderberry tree/shrub.  The Cedar Wax Wing (birds) think that these were the most delicious thing ever!

8. Some Shadows: I noticed the shadows from the bed frame late one Saturday afternoon when changing the bed sheets.

9. A Crack or Pothole in The Road or Sidewalk: this rather large & deep pothole is right at the edge of the road & driveway to my local tack shop.  I image it is all the big delivery trucks rolling in & out of the shop.

14. Something That Rolls: what is sitting in the monk's lap is what rolls; it is a seed pod of the black walnut tree nut, not growing in our yard.  The squirrels like these & bring them into our garden & bury them in the lawn, the garden, the flower pots, and now on our monk.  You'll roll an ankle if you step on one when buried in the grass.

Alternate A: Your Favourite Summer Taste: this is SOOOO good & I only bought when on sale.

Alternate B: Your Choice: this is one of the twelve Morning Glory plants I grew from seed; of the 12 planted, only 3 survived & grew; this is the only one to bloom & it is blooming abundantly right now.  Late to the summer party, but probably more glorious & appreciated because of that.  

Wisdom

 

Never trust someone who has let you down more than twice.

Once was a warning, twice was a lesson. 

The third time is just taking advantage.

            ... Lessons Taught By Life

Recipe - Costco Copy Cat Cake

Costco Sheet Cake Copy Cat Recipe As Found Online.

Ingredients For Cake:

3 cups white sugar

3 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

3 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk, divided 

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

4 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix white sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add in the eggs one at a time and continue mixing.

With the mixer running, add in two cups milk, four teaspoons vanilla extract, and vegetable oil. Mix until just combined.

Generously spray two 9" x 13" cake pans with cooking spray. Add a piece of parchment on the bottom of the pan to be sure your cake won't stick to the pan. Divide the batter between the two cake pans and place in the oven. Bake cakes for 20 minutes until light golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the cake will tell you if the cake is completely baked.

Remove cakes from the oven and allow to cool while you prepare the filling and frosting.

NOTE: For the cake, I used a ready vanilla cake mix & to those instructions I added an extra egg, using milk instead of water & butter instead of oil.  What a difference!

Filling:

2 cups heavy whipping cream

½ cup milk

1 package instant vanilla pudding mix

 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the two cups heavy whipping cream and half a cup of milk. Begin whipping your cream, and then add in the powdered pudding mix. Whip the mixture until the ingredients are combined, and then increase the speed to whip the mixture into a thick mousse.

Frosting:

1 cup butter

2 cups powdered sugar

½ cup milk

4 tsp vanilla extract

For the buttercream frosting, add the softened sticks of butter to the mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Whip the butter until smooth and gradually add in two cups of powdered sugar while the mixer is running. Gradually add in half a cup of milk. Add in four teaspoons vanilla extract. Continue to gradually add in the rest of the powdered sugar while the mixer is running, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Once all ingredients are incorporated and your frosting begins to form, increase the speed of the mixer to whip the frosting.

Fill the cake by placing one cake layer on a cardboard cake board or platter. Cover the first layer with the mousse filling, and then top it with the second cake layer. Frost the top and sides of your cake, and decorate as desired.

 

Me On A Monday - August 28th

 

Good Morning.  I am coming to grips that this is the last Monday in August. It seems I blinked & the month is gone.  Although I cannot complain that it wasn't a good month.  Lots of joys throughout the month.  I had a craving for Costco's "slab birthday cake" & while I knew it was too big for us, I did find a copy cat recipe for it, which I made for my birthday.  Oh My Goodness, the filling was simply the easier thing to make & Oh My Goodness it was delicious beyond anything I had hoped for.  My icing was too sweet for me, but easy to make.  I will share the recipe as a separate post later today.

Currently Reading: I started to read The Beguiling, a book that I had read the jacket description for & was intrigued but once I started reading the book, I was more than disappointed.  This is a book that I really want to send the author a bill for my time wasted & I didn't even finish the book.  Thankfully I had a few other enjoyable reads; The Secret River & A Room Made of Leaves by Kate Grenville.  

I also read, The Fifth Business by Robertson Davies.  For anyone in the theatre, a fifth business character is neither the hero/herione, the confidante nor villain, but which were none the less essential in the plot to bring about the Recognition or denouement.  The fifth business character while unremarkable is vital to several of the main characters story. Have you ever been the fifth business in someone's life or in a specific situation? 

Currently In The Garden:  I've read in a local F/B Garden Group, that I am part of, that 6 weeks after the first Golden Rod blooms are seen, we can expect the first frost.  If that is true, then this area can expect the first frost end of September!!!  Golden Rod for the most part in our region is a weed & grows in abundance on the side of the road & in wild fields.  Golden Rod is often confused with Ragweed which is the hay fever inducer at this time of year.  A big difference between the two is that Golden Rod has bright yellow flowers that contain nectar for pollinating insects. Ragweed has inconspicuous flowers that do not contain nectar but a light pollen that blows easily on the wind. 

Currently Making Choices:  I will be taking a break from Me On A Monday & Wisdom Wednesday for the month of September.  I will return on Monday October 2nd with the link in for the final SPSH finds.  

I may not be as regular checking in with you either.  There are some projects in my life either as the main character or the fifth business that need tending to.  

Be well my friends & I hope you enjoy the last of summer's joys. 🙌