A winter's day road trip and a recipe..

my favourite view ..

Hello everyone.. 

Welcome to the Blessed Hearth today.. 

How are you all doing?  

Spring is just around the corner here in Canada... 

Yesterday we woke up to an icy day.. 

Charlie (our dog) goes outside first thing each morning and as he walked across the deck he slipped since it was so icy.. He was very careful going down the steps.. Usually, when he is coming back in he just bounds up the stairs and goes sideways as he is going so quickly.. Yesterday he very slowly comes up the steps and gingerly walks across to the door.. He is so smart!  grin.. 

Then as the day went on the sun was beautiful and snow and ice was dripping everywhere.. I think it went up to 12 degrees C..

Terry is beginning to panic as Spring will be here and he still has lots of inside stuff to do.. 

I have really enjoyed this winter as the weather has been weird but not many snow storms.. So thankful!  

Of course, we could still have a few.. smile..

Anyhow.. 

On Valentine's day,  we went out for a little day trip.. 

We had planned to stay home and I had planned a nice supper as we had dined out the night before.. 

We were talking and I said I was longing to see the Bay of Fundy.. 

That happens several times a year and we have to make our way there. 

He wasn't too keen but when I said I would pay for the gas then he said, "Get ready and let's go!"  grin.. 

I packed a bit of lunch (biscuit, dried fruit, cheese) and the camera and away we went.. 

Oh and we took Charles.. Always!.. 

He is always ready for a drive.. 

Just like me.. grin.. 

Of course our first stop was for a cup of Tim Horton's coffee and away we went.. 

We decided to go by way of the farm instead of down to Sussex..

Everything was well there..

Just waiting for Summer and our company.. grin..  

Onward we go... 

This old barn is beginning to fall down.. 

It makes me sad when we pass so many of them where the wind and weather are slowly destroying them.. 

Love old barns.. 

We stopped and had a snack and let Charlie run around some.. 

This is in Caledonia Mountain.. 

My Gramp was born and raised here..  

A bit of folk art... smile.. 

Lots of  snowmobile and ATV trails everywhere up there.. 

The Bay of Fundy is only a half hour from our old farm when we are there in the summertime..

There it is ... 

The beautiful Bay of Fundy in all of it's winter splendour!.. 

Here is the first little town called Riverside Albert... 

A pretty little place.. 

In Albert County.... smile.. 

A lovely old school, I think.... 

Then onto to Alma... 

The winter is almost gone and pretty soon there will be tourists here everywhere.. 

The ice and snow will be gone .. 

And the freshest of breezes will blow across the beaches.. 

I told Terry my eyes were not full yet and to just wait a bit.. 

grin.. 

The poor man is so patient with me.. 

All good things must come to an end and so we headed homeward.. 

Drove to Sussex and had supper.. 

Not fancy.. Just take out.. 

It was a lovely day and I am so blessed to still have this man beside me for all these many valentine's days.. 

Thank you, Lord.. 

Next day we are back to normal.. 

Making meals.. 

We only have pasta once a week now so I always want it to be good.. 

I so love pasta... 

This is a recipe from a dear friend that I have had since childhood.. 

She makes it for our church potlucks and shared the recipe with me.. 

I know she won't mind you having it.. 

Macaroni Casserole by Evelyn... 

1 pound of hamburger 

1 chopped onion 

1 can of mushrooms (drained) or a cup or two of fresh sliced one.. 

Fry this all up together.. 

Meanwhile... 

Cook up at least 1 cup of macaroni 

Add.. 

2 cans of cream of mushroom soup and half a can of milk each..

Mix all together in a casserole dish. 

(I seasoned this with a bit of garlic and a few hot pepper flakes) opt.

Sprinkle with paprika and bake in a 350 degrees F. oven for 20 minutes.. 

Terry really likes this casserole as well as me..

A salad goes very well with this meal.. 

My buddy keeping me company as I pudder around with my layered journal.. 

You may have seen the two above pics before.. 

I think my sister may recognize something there.. smile.. 

This is the base for the latest pages I am doing.. 

I loved the layered journals.. 

Do any of you journal?  

Here is the link to my Pinterest Journal page. 

HERE..

Well dear hearts this is all for tonight.. 

On Saturday, I will be visiting our daughter and the group of ladies call R.E.A.L.  at the Mission Point Church in St. John.. 

Making and doing a couple of fun things.. 

I know you would be welcome if you are in the area.. 

Hope you all have a grand weekend and will chat with you all later as the Lord wills.. 

Thanks for all your sweet comments on the rather long valentines posts last week..

Praying for all the sad things that happen in our world.. 

Good things, too... 

Praising the Lord for the example of Rev. Billy Graham and the impact he made upon the lives of so many people.. 

Thankful for the hope we have in Jesus.. 

He is a good God.. 

Have a great weekend, my friends.. 

Peace... 

A little Summer ramble and roll...

Hello there.. 

Hope everyone is fine and doing well...

Summer is having her last fling here in the Maritimes of Canada and what a beautiful day we had today... 

Just perfect weather.. 

Not too hot or cool but Fall is certainly on it's way.. 

I love the Spring but find the Fall has a very creative influence on me.. I just want to be making and doing.. smile.. 

Here in St. Martins the village built benches for folks to sit on during the Summer and on each side is an edible garden.. 

They are lovely and across the street from our cottage is the one with Nasturtium flowers, herbs, tomatoes, blueberries, kale, beans and peas and such.. 

You are invited to pick a veggie, herb or whatever as long as you leave some for others.. 

I picked 10 blossoms and made a vinegar.. 

I make several different kinds each Fall to carry me through the Winter for salads and greens and such.. 

Nasturtium Vinegar tastes kind of peppery and is delicious.. 

Very easy to make as you just place them in a jar and cover with white vinegar for a couple of weeks.. 

Strain through a cheesecloth and use.. 

It turns a most beautiful orange shade in a couple of days.. 

Anyway... 

I am getting ready to close my shop.. 

This weekend will probably wrap it up and I am happy about that..

We still had stuff in the barn from when I first started out and took a huge load over today.. 

Tomorrow I hope to go over and sort through all the boxes and place it about and price it.. 

Everything is almost all 50 percent off and has been moving along very well.. 

I have been pickling a bit and today I finished up my Pumpkin Flavors Potpourri... 

It is very pretty and smells nice and spicy.. 

I have also been trying to enjoy my last days by the Sea.. 

I miss the Bay of Fundy so much when we go home,, 

It is a part of me even though I do look forward to going home and getting things back to normal.. 

It has been a wonderful Summer with our grandsons visiting quite a bit and other lovely company.. 

Last night I woke up very dizzy and did not have a good rest at all.. 

This morning I just sat on the stoop in my flannel pj's and housecoat and slept in the breeze.. 

So lovely... 

On Sunday we had a nice day with our daughter as it was likely the last Sunday we will attend church with her and her family this Summer.. 

We spent the afternoon at her house and had a wonderful dinner.. 

Then sat outside and watched the sailboats on the river.. 

And then back to another wonderful service.. 

Our four older grandsons head to Montreal this weekend for a missions trip.. 

I pray God will bless and protect them.. 

School starts next week.. 

Oh my... where has the Summer gone?  smile.. 

Well, dear hearts this has been nothing but a ramble and roll and once again I am falling short.. 

Take care and if you are in the area on the weekend drop by the House of Henry... 

God bless.. 

At the Cottage...

Hello everyone.. 

How are you all doing?  

We woke up to a rainy day here at the cottage ... 

This is what I saw at the end of our street when I went for a little walk ... 

They are out there waiting for tide to come in so that they can get back into the harbour.. 

I expect they are making their breakfast.. 

I wonder what they are having... 

Lobster rolls???  

I think not.. smile.. 

A couple more a little further down .. 

My cousin who goes out fishing quite often says that they either nap or make a big breakfast while they wait.. 

Lobster season will soon be over, I expect.. 

As you probably noticed I am not blogging like I should.. 

We have been trying to clean out a lot of stuff here as we settle back in.. That effort takes time and energy which I don't seem to have a lot of lately.. smile.. 

Our sweet grandsons came out and gave us a hand the other day.. 

Grandpa and I sure appreciated it.. 

Anyway.. 

Because of going back and forth to home and such I have not been on the computer much.. 

This afternoon I was on the phone to an old friend and I said that I didn't have many pics for putting on a post.. 

She told me to just pick up my camera and go around the house and then POST.. grin.. 

So... Dawn.... 

Here are some quick pics around the old cottage... 

You can see for yourself on Friday, Lord willing.. grin.. 

Just a few little spots here about the place.. 

Today was rainy as I said and whenever I took a break I looked at some of this stuff on our old trunk coffee table.. 

It was kind of fun to find some magazines and cookbooks that I found while trying to clear the place...

Have you read the version of the New Testament called The Message.. 

Very interesting.. 

Did I show you how I covered one of my favorite poetry books last year?  

Make a cover with some gift wrap and glue an old photo on the front.. 

I love this book and it was getting a bit tattered and torn... 

Just needed some tape and such to keep it together.. 

I marked some of my favorite poem pages on the front.. smile.. 

Well, I guess it is time for a pot of tea.. 

The sun has come out this evening and it is beautiful now.. 

Tomorrow is to be sunny and bright.. 

Goody... 

Take care dear hearts and sorry for the pathetic post but it is all I have.. 

May God bless and keep you.. 

Hugs..