A little making and doing post for April...

Good evening dear hearts.... 

So happy to have you drop by for a visit here on the Blessed Hearth... 

It is a beautiful Sunday late afternoon here in New Brunswick.. 

We were to church this morning and stopped and had a submarine sandwich.. Kind of spur of the moment.. We had to stop and get gas and thought it would be a nice treat!  And I didn't have to make lunch.. 

When we drove up the driveway I noticed our forsenthias were in bloom.. 

Terry did a bit of decorating for me.lol 

I asked him to move his bars so I could take the pic but he said he thought that it looked nice like that!  So there ya go!  😏

I hope you are all well and enjoying these first days of Spring... 

I think we have had our last snow storm but who knows!

At least it won't last if it does. 

I thought I would post a few little projects I have been doing.. 

My dishcloths were beginning to look a bit worse for wear.. 

I had this old rose towel which was the same but good enough to make a few dishcloths.. 

So it only took a few minutes to sew them up.. 

I shared these here on the blog many years ago but I still enjoy having them in my drawer to pull out.. 

You just cut out the size of dishcloth you like and and old towel sizes to match and sew together..

I always sew a little cross in the middle to keep them together.  I don't even turn them but leave the raw edges out.. 

They work great... 

My gift pantry has been pretty empty since Christmas so trying to add to it each week... 

I made up a couple of journals this week...

And gave one away already.. 😊

This past winter I spent a few hours making what I am calling 

Marilla bags... 

You remember Marilla on the Anne of Green Gables show.. 

Well, on one of the shows it showed Marilla's bedroom closet... 

It was so lovely that it stuck in my mind... 

It had boxes all on the top shelf covered in lovely roses and pretty papers... 

Beautiful hat boxes and such.. 

and down below were these lovely homemade drawstring bags hanging at the back... 

So...

I made these three so far although I do want to do some for the back of our bathroom door ... 

To hold extra socks, nighties and such... 

I think I may make some to use as gift bags instead of the dollarstore gift ones... 

I have a lot of old lace and extra fabrics so a way of recycling, eh?  

This is a little cushion I made for a dear friend... 

Needle felted... 

A little bird pic I saw on pinterest and did my own version... 

Then wanting to use up some of my lavender from the farm as we will have more this summer, I hope... 

A few lavender sachets that you put inside your pillow case to help you sleep.... 💜

Put together a big bouquet of pussy willows Terry picked me and some lovely feathers from my friend, Andrea... 

They look nice up on the mantel.. 

Do you spy my wee teapot? 

I picked it up at the thrift store and loved how it fit into my hand.. 

The wee cover is on a hinge. 

I just like looking at it.. Aren't I strange?

When I was a wee girl we would go visit my grandmother in St. Martins.. She had a wonderful china cabinet full of magic I thought.. 

Sweet plates and bowls with roses on them, cups and saucers and some silver bits and pieces and on the bottom shelf right where my nose pressed against the glass were 5 wee brass egg cup sort of dishes.. 

Oh, I loved those cups ! 

 I would hold them in my hand and just loved them.. 

One day the littlest one found itself in my pocket and I took it all the way home with me.. Oh dear!!  

All the way to Moncton!

I showed it to my Mom after we got home and she asked me where I got it..  I didn't answer her.. Just stood there with my head down.. Ashamed I guess.  

She knew where I found it but all she did was take it from me and never said anything.. 

I am sure she put it back the next time we went to Gram's.. 

I have always wondered why she didn't wallop me!  😔

Bless her heart..  

I think she understood what that little girl's heart was like and how much she loved that little cup and how it felt in her hand. 

So she just took it back.. 

I still wonder whatever happened to those little brass cups!  ❤

Anyway..

Please be patient with this old lady and her stories.. smile.. 

I am working on another bunting for the front window... 

I am slow at this project for some reason... 

hopefully next time I can show it to you..

Been spending some time reaquainting myself with these dear old books of poetry I have had for many years... 

I kind of forgot I had them until I was going through a bookshelf.. 

I think they were mostly written during the Second World War.. 

Someone put them together by typing them all out on old graph papers, flyers and onion skin papers.. 

All typed on an old typewriter.. 

I love them... 

They go so nice with a hot cup of tea and a rainy windy afternoon.  

My favourite poet is Edgar Guest but I found this one recently.. 

I had a copy of one of her poems for years but didn't know who wrote it.. I put it on Instagram and one of my friends asked me who wrote it.. 

I did a bit of research and found her.. 

Anne Campbell .. the Poet of the Home.. 

No wonder I loved her poem. 

Some of our meals..

garlic chicken and cilantro and lime rice

fish chowder

 

my pizza on pita bread.. 

first there is my pesto from last summer then veggies, olives and tomato basil and mozza cheese... 

terry's pizza on pita bread with tomato sauce, salomi, sauage, veggies and mozza and oregano.. 

shrimp fried rice...

a recipe for one of Terry's fave cakes... 

Yes, that is how I feel...

Now I know not everyone agrees.. lol.. 

I would love to do something like this on a staircase... 

I thought I would include this.. 

My friend had it on her facebook and I thought how wonderful it was.. 

I just wished I were there... 

She told me I could share it with you.. 

Isn't that a wonderful set up?  

Look at those eggs... Yum.. 

I hope to do some such thing sometime this summer.. 

We already have everything except the grate setup... 

Thanks Linda... ❤

Well, I guess this is it for today my friends.. 

probably long winded as usual... lol.. 

But thanks for stopping by.. 

I look forward to hearing from you.. 

I read and enjoy every comment and love each one.. 

I did want to share this beautiful verse with you from the book of 

1 Chronicles in the Bible.. 

I so so love this verse... 

I like to read it over and over and just meditate on the glory of our Lord and our God.... 

How magnificent and marvellous and wonderful He is!

And He loved me and forgave me and even gave His own life to save me... 

And for the whole world.... 

Imagine!  

The King of kings and the Creator of all loved us enough to provide Himself as our sacrifice.. 

So thankful to Him today..eh?  

Take care of yourselves lovies and your dear families.. 

Perhaps we will meet over on Instagram.. 

God bless till next time... 

Hugs...  

Summer Days on the Farm...

Happy Monday dear hearts!  

Here I am again finally!  

How are you all doing?  

We are getting along and enjoying our summer days for the most part.. 

I am really enjoying my swing on the little deck at the farm.. 

I think I mentioned Terry bought it for ten dollars at an auction.. 

It is a bit dilapidated but comfy non the less.. 

That is my view up above when I am sitting sideways.. grin.. 

And this is the view if I turn my head.. One of our raised beds... 

Just full of goodness.. 

Our gardens are finally starting to grow with some lovely hot weather we have been having.. 

It was really warm today but now has clouded up and I think it will rain.. 

We need that too.. 

This is another view of the barn.. 

An old birdhouse Terry made years and years ago when we were in the Craft Business... 

Can't say that I miss that though!  

There are many good things about retirement.. 

One being you only work at what you want to.. 

Or perhaps not at all.. grin.. 

We are spending several days a week at the farm but still not overnight.. 

I really thought we would be by now but am not minding coming home at nights at all.. 

Still accomplishing some stuff out there but not as much if we were staying .. We may yet!  Who knows?  smile.. 

Here is an Instagram post that I had on..

Just a casual table setting out there.. 

One of the meals out there at noon...  

Washed some Romaine lettuce.. 

Used one of my lettuce drying bags made from an absorbent tea towel.. I think I bought them at Costco.. 

Just sew up the sides and there you have it..
Put in the washed lettuces or greens and roll up and keep in fridge till you need them or use right away..  

I detest salad spinners but to each her own, eh!

Anyway... 

A few garlic fried shrimp and toast and there was our noon meal..
oh .. and Caesar Salad...  

Another little hint for you which you probably know.. 

But if you buy this kind of cheese... 

Terry's favourite!  

I like shaving it off a block but not him so we compromise.. 

I have mine and he has his.. grin.. 

The cover off the plastic jar fits onto a mason jar.. 

Now... Isn't that nicer?  smile.. 

I picked some Swiss Chard one day for lunch.. 

And made this soup... 

Oh my word.. 

It was delicious and soooo easy.. 

No recipe.. 

Enough for two people.. 

But I ate it all.. 

Terry of course did not want to try it.. sigh.. 

I had to make him something else.. 

Swiss Chard Soup

Put some water on to boil and cook 1/2 cup of Couscous according to directions.. 

Really it only takes about 10 minutes.. Drain.. 

In a pot with a bit of oil saute up some garlic cloves, minced or if you have garlic scapes which I did then

 chop a couple of them up.. Add chopped onion if you like.. Do this for a few minutes then add

 3 cups of chicken broth along with salt, pepper, chili flakes, and a big handful of Chard.. 

Simmer until chard is cooked and add drained couscous.. 

Add some shaved parm or shake in some from the above jar.. 

Serve... 

Oh.. I chopped up the chard and stems.. 

We don't spend all of our days at the farm and this was a special day.. 

Every Summer we spend a day together as Family Day.

We all went to church together first at Mission Point Church where Shonda, Dave and the boys attend.. 

It was fantastic.. 

So enjoyed seeing old friends, too.. 

Then we headed for the Irving Nature Park in West St. John.. 

What a lovely place.. 

Great places to have a picnic and BBQ.. 

The food of course was delicious and we had so much fun!  

Then the kids all took a hike but Terry and I sat on the beach.. 

I told them not to rush.. 

The wind was blowing and the waves were gorgeous!  

My new go-to place, I think... 

Wish it wasn't so far away.. 

But when we can we will be popping over there if only for an hour..

Then they all came and found us.. 

This is a special pic for me.. 

Our grandsons and me minus one.. 

Sweet Jared who is the oldest had to work.. 

Missed him and his uncle.. 

It times like this when we wish our youngest son lived near but this is how it is... 

Anyway... 

We just sat around there and gabbed then headed for the closest Tim Horton's and gabbed some more.. smile.. 

What a great day! 

So thankful for the blessing of family.. 

God has been good to us..

Now back to farm stuff..  

My first bunch of Lavender to dry.. 

I am so excited that all my plants survived the Winter.. 

Hanging them to dry as I pick them.. 

There will be several more bunches, I think.. 

Then one afternoon I made the bunting for outside.. 

And the dear man hung it for me.. 

From the lilac tree to the apple one.. 

We think of Charlie often when we are doing things like this outside..  

We do miss him...

And the bunting is up... 

Been collecting some Wild Medicine.. 

Yarrow... 

Cornflowers.. 

The dehydrator is running with roses at the moment.. 

I will need to get them out soon.. 

Hoping to make soap as well as medicine this Fall...

I found out something that you girls probably have known for years but I am a slow learner.. 

I was unpacking a few boxes of linens and lace from the cottage... 

I came across a few old old white pillowcases which had yellowed but the crochet on them was lovely... 

I washed them up and put them out there on the line.. 

I believe I showed a pic last post.. 

Anyway.. 

The rain came and so I just left them on the line and we didn't get back for a few days.. 

The sun had been out and it had been hot.. 

Well.. 

Those darling pillowcases are now as white as snow!!!  

So when you drive by here or out there you may see white blowing in the breeze.. 

I have lots of old linens and instead of tearing off the lace I will be able to use them.. 

Did you know that trick?  

Well it was lovely chatting with you all.. 

I make long posts because I don't get to it often enough.. 

So please bear with me.. 

Am so loving these bright summer days.. 

Hope they last for awhile yet, eh!  

Of course we have had wonderful weather.. 

Not too hot except for a few days here and there.. 

So I am enjoying them so much.. 

Take care my friends and I thank you for stopping by and your sweet comments here and on FB.. 

Love your comments on Instagram, too.. 

Here is a pic I put on Instagram today.. 

The comment I put on said.. 

Just when you want to bean him he brings you flowers.. 

The hash tags read.. 

my fave flowers

wild flowers

hubby sweetness

sometimes he is a pain though

thankful to God for him.. 

For some reason I see that Shonda commented with LOL symbols.. 

Yup... she knows.. LOL.. 

Bye for now luvies and I will be praying for you and you pray for me.. 

God is still on the Throne.. 

xo

Ten Lovely Little Ways to Enjoy A Summer's Day..

Hello there my dears.. 

Hope you are doing fine.. 

So happy you stopped by.. 

Tonight it is a bit of a different post.  

We were out to the farm the other day and it was just so hot but Terry has two air conditioners installed so it was not so bad inside.. 

I thought I would just enjoy my day and try to put a blog post together for you on something I have been thinking about this summer.. 

So.. 

It is not as good as it could be but if I wait I may never get it posted... smile.. 

So here we go... 

Ten lovely little ways to enjoy a summer's day... 

You can pick and choose..shall we say.. 

I have some lovely old teacups on the sill in the pantry and I have been meaning to give them a good wash in some lavender dish soap... 

I buy that at Home Sense in Moncton..

I love their dishsoaps and brushes and such.. 

I think some of them come from the UK.. 

I know my dishsoap does..  

Anyway... 

I got down my big old enamel dishpan and set it on the table like my Grandma used to do.. 

Added some hot water and soap and threw in a handful of flowers that I had picked out by the step.. 

It smelled heavenly and was just a little bit more pleasure washing the old cups with a little daisy or cosmo here and there.. 

eh?  

Then I went out and picked a lovely basket of herbs.. 

Perhaps you don't have an herb bed but your farmer's market or even your super market have herbs.. 

Pick out a few you love and bring them home.. 

Put them in bunches and tie them up with grocer's twine or what have you and hang them somewhere in your kitchen.. 

When they are dry put them in mason jars to enjoy this winter.. 

Most of mine I pulverize with my chopper... 

Not the lavender.. grin.. 

Then we were going to have our dinner there so I decided to make a summer salad and dressing.. 

It really does not take much effort.. 

Just 1 part lemon or lime juice and 2 parts oil.. 

I always add salt, pepper and a few chilli pepper flakes.. 

And garlic, of course.. 

This time I just shredded the bud from the garlic scapes but normally I use a crushed clove of garlic.

And I also did a few pickled radish.. 

Slice up some radish and I added onions.. 

In a little pot bring 1 1/2 cups of vinegar, 2 T. sugar and 1 t. salt to a boil and pour over your radish.. 

Let it cool down and put in the fridge till needed.. 

Terry came in so these ones never did see the fridge.. grin.. 

And a little cucumber salad.. 

Slice some cukes, scallions and green onion tops and pour a bit of your salad dressing over.. 

A few chilli flakes are good too although there is some in my dressing.. 

We eat this stuff every day almost.. 

Love the summer veggies, don't you?  

Then as I posted before it is nice to make a summer bunting.. 

Just draw a pattern on cardboard, mark it on your fabrics and cut out.. 

Glue to twine with your glue gun.. 

Check  a post or two back if you need directions.... 

A cheerful sight out of the pantry window... 

When we drove home we both noticed that it is too light in colours and we could hardly see it from the road.. 

Next time out I shall try to make a brighter one and hang that one on the deck... 

Then this idea I was reminded of on Instagram the other day and made this almost as soon as we went through the door.. 

A simply lovely smelling stove top potpourri.. 

This one has sliced lime, a piece of ginger sliced, rosemary, thyme and lavender sprigs.. 

Place in a pot.. 

Add water to cover..

Turn on and bring to a simmer then turn down on low.. 

Don't forget about it as the water disappears.. 

Just add more water as needed.. 

I would go out of the room or outside and come in and think to myself.. 

What is that lovely smell?  grin.. 

You will love it, I am sure.. 

You can add herbs and fruit of your choice.. 

I love buying half price lemons and limes at the market and using them this way.. 

Also dried lemon and lime slices are wonderful to put in a glass of water.. They rehydrate and you always have a mason jar full of them.. 

Then it is always fun to set a country table just for lunch.. 

Nothing fancy! 

Just lovely colours that turn your crank and some eclectic dishes make for a lovely lunch.. 

Right?  

I love love lavender.. 

Almost as much as Patchouli!.. grin.. 

My friends know me as a patchouli lover! 

It is my perfume of choice but I love lavender, too.. 

My plants are producing a bit so I decided to make a quick little candle with the bit I picked that day..

Dig around and find a couple of  old candles and a tea light.. 

Then a little jar or even a tin can will work.... 

These candles were a pink and a white one.. 

Take the tealight apart and save the little wick holder at the bottom.. 

Then break the candles up and put in an empty tin can (tomatoes) is good.. 

Put it a little pot with water half way up..

Melt slowly over med heat..  

Save the candle wick... 

Thread it through the wick holder from the tea light and place in your jar.. 

Tie the top part of the wick to a pencil and put over the top of the jar to hold the wick nice and tight.. 

Add some lavender buds if you have them and a bit of lavender essential oil to your taste.. or smell... 

If you want to decorate your jar it is a nice finishing touch.. 

I will keep the cover on to keep the scent fresh until I light it again... 

Well I guess this stuff took most of my day.. 

Around 3 in the afternoon it was over 30 degrees C.  

Oh man!  

I didn't want him working out in that heat so we went for a drive.. 

Another simple country pleasure... 

Up over Caladonia Mountain and in half an hour we were at the Bay of Fundy... 

Gotta love those views and the air was just so fresh.. 

Making hay... 

I guess the haymakers had done their thing and gone to the beach.. grin.. 

I don't blame them.. 

We circled around and went through Hopewell Cape.. 

My grandparents used to live there when I was a kid.. 

I so love that place.. 

I was telling Terry I could live there.. 

We drove past this wonderful looking antiques shop.. 

Isn't it pretty.. 

Who would ever think to use those colours but it sure gets your attention.. 

They were closed...  

Back we went to the farm so Terry could finish his chore of cleaning the spring.. 

I had mixed up a cake and put it in that old stove oven when we got back.. 

I can never seem to get the right temp on the thing but it was good as I cut off the burned pieces.. 

Well, Terry ate them.. grin.. 

A little icing and a few walnuts and it was a lovely simple pleasure to round off our day... 

There you have it.. 

Ten lovely simple pleasures to enjoy your hot summer's day with.. 

Thank you so much for being here and for your sweet comments.. 

I apologize that I don't answer very much lately as we have no internet at the farm and by the time I get home here I am beat.. 

Also I have to start up this cranky laptop to type as it is too hard to answer everyone on the tablet... 

Sorry... 

May God bless you all.. 

PS.. 

In the last post I wrote a recipe for shortbread that I copied off of Instagram.. 

I thought I had it wrong but it was right ...
It took me a bit to find it again but I finally found her.. 

We loved the shortcake with her recipe but my sweet friend Dianne added 2/3 cup of milk to hers and I am sure it probably made it better.. 

More cake like if you know what I mean.. 

I corrected the one in the last post and added her milk as I do think it might be thicker.. 

It is up to you.. 

Either way is great.. 

The lady on Instagram was 

Buenna Vista Farm .. 

Just google that then go to her Instagram.. 

I found this via Rhonda at Down to Earth blog... 

Enjoy...