A Christmas Ramble...

Well.... 

Hello everyone.. 

Hope you are all great and enjoying the season!  

I am so sorry for missing for so long!  

I have no excuses so am not going to begin but it is nice to get organized enough to chat with you all finally.

I couldn't believe it today when I checked back and it has been a month and a half since I did my last post.. 

The longest I have ever been away, I believe!  

But here I am and all is well.  

Thank you for all of your concern... 

I have been on Instagram and am truly not as happy on there as here but it does take much less time.. 

I must begin my ramble here now.. 

Are you all ready for Christmas?  

Will try and catch up with all of our doings.. 

Making.... 

Some old fashioned Christmas tags.. 

I was going through some antique Christmas cards and found a World War II card that was handmade like these tags.. 

Thought I would give them a try.. 

Just drawn and crayoned...

And of course ... 

Journals for gifts.. 

Our grandson got my printer going for me so here are some Tasha Tudor tags.. 

And doing...

We were out to the farm for a day and did a few last chores.. 

And.. 

Had a meal.. 

A lovely bowl of Chicken Soup... 

I was able to still pick Thyme from the Herb bed.. 

On the way home I took this pic... 

It was a beautiful evening!

And then the next day it looked like this!  

Life in Canada, eh!  

That was about a month ago and we hardly have a skiff right now here in Eastern New Brunswick... 

I actually do not mind!  at all!  

I was born on a green Christmas and it has always agreed with me since.. grin.. 

Well... rambling along here.. 

This is a long post to make up for all the missing ones.. smile.. 

More making... 

Winter Potpourri... 

The link is at the bottom of the blog here if you want the recipe.. 

Over half is gone already.. 

Love passing bags out to company... 

We made a couple of trips across the border to Calais, Maine and I bought some lovely fabrics from Mardens.. 

This is a bunting I finished... 

Hanging over the Family Room window.. 

Have been enjoying the fire... 

A lovely cozy thing about making Winter....

There is a hashtag on IG called #making winter and I love it..  

Another view of the bunting.. smile.. 

We were blessed to have our ladies group visit last Saturday.. 

It was lovely.. 

It was certainly an incentive for me to get my house trimmed!  smile.. 

And make stuff... 

Little clove filled trees for my pantry to make it smell nice.. 

And I painted a counter mat... 

Or whatever to place on our counter.. 

I am not a great painter.. 

When I had my craft business I used to have a couple of girls do that work for me but I gave it a try...

Kind of like a floor cloth.. 

Terry siliconed it to the counter.. 

It is actually darker in reality but it is not a work of art by any means.. lol... 

Did this wreath for the front hall... 

My friends are so impressed that I have my tree up.. 

It has always been the last thing that gets done.. 

My sister and I grew up with the tree being put up on Christmas Eve and I continued the tradition for many years.. 

But... 

We finally broke down and bought a fake... 

Yup..... 

It is pretty though and with boughs everywhere it still smells nice in there... 

Just a couple of pics of the livingroom... 

I did a couple of things in the pantry.. 

A little tree in a huge crock my Gramp left to me.. 

Decorated with little utensils and such.. 

Made a dried fruit garland... 

And organized my herbs and spices with mason jars and covers from the Pioneer Woman... 

So love them.. 

I can only find them across, though... 

At Walmart... 

Rambling along.. 

I found these dear old pics in my craft supplies.. 

I journeyed to my workshop in the basement and could have spent the winter there making stuff.. 

I can't get over how much I am loving crafting again... 

Anyway.. 

On with the story.... 

I painted some holly and berries on them.. 

Sprayed some sparkles and punched a hole in the top.. 

I love the little tree in the bedroom.. 

It lights up too.. 

And this is in there also.. 

My first Christmas gift from my parents! 

I was born 10 days before Christmas and they brought me home on Christmas Eve.

My Dad and Gram and went to town and bought this for me.. 

And these were my shoes.. 

My Mom kept everything and I have treasured these for years.. 

I believe my sister who was born a year and half later wore them also.. smile.. 

This is another spare room.. 

Rooms that used to have children sleeping in them every night. 

But now... 

Well... 

I better not get going on that.. 

Let's just say that if I could turn back the clock and have them all under our roof again I would be a happy momma.. 

Time flies and there is no going back except in the turning of the pages of your memory.... 

And they are very sweet!  

Thank you, Lord!  

Well now.. 

I did a wee bit of baking today.. 

Ginger Short Breads made and in the fridge.. 

And date balls... 

The recipe is from a sweet friend of mine.. 

Bonnie.. 

Hope you can read this.. grin.. 

Anyway dear hearts... 

This is all for tonight.. 

And a great long post it is.. 

Just skip half of it!  grin.. 

Hope to get back here before Christmas but just in case I will wish you all a very Merry Christmas...

From our house to yours... 

And may the Christ of Christmas be as real to you as He is longing to be... 

Looking forward to hearing from you and your lovely notes... 

God bless you.. 

from  Terry and Faye... 

Sending you Christmas hugs!  

Return of the Winter Potpourri Post..

Good Evening everyone.. 

This is just a little midweek post .. 

A bit of a rerun, actually.. 

This is a project I hope to get at very soon.. 

My homemade Winter Potpourri .. 

I have posted about this before but thought I would do a little reminder for you just in case you are interested.. 

I find this an excellent potpourri to have on hand and pass out to friends who visit.. 

Keep it in an old pottery bowl and have several paper lunch bags ready so they can carry a bit home with them.. 

This is the time to gather the ingredients for the mix before the snow arrives here in the Maritimes.. smile.. 

In the post before when I gave this recipe I told a wee story so decided to include it here also.. 

Hope it isn't too repetitive for you all.. 

Anyway.. 

On with the story.. (I just copied and pasted it from the last time)

Remember the other day when I posted  about being at our old farm and seeing these growing here..

 I told you that I wanted to make some  pine or balsam potpourri with them..

Well, I have a funny little story to tell you..

 Hope you have time..smile...

 Anyway.. Terry and I went out to the farm and I took a bag all ready to pick them.. Terry had to take some stuff into the house so I headed down to the old spring where the fir tree was... 

OK...Can you picture it?...

I have my bag ready and look into the branches and guess what?  Not a cone was to be had.. Every last one of them was gone.. Honest... So.. I am looking all around the base of the tree No way..  They are all gone.. 

Well, some of you know me pretty well and you know that I am not an emotional person...I am very calm and passive.. LOL.. oh yes... 

Stop laughing, my friends...

 Anyway.. I go around to the back of the tree.. Surely, there is one left on there somewheres..

 No.. they are GONE..

While I am behind the tree looking in vain Terry comes out on the step and can't see me..( He probably thought I fell in the spring..)

 He hollers.. Faye!!... 

He said that all of a sudden he hears someone bellowing (his word..grin..) ...

"Someone took them!!!  They took all of my cones!!   All of them!!

He yells at me to calm down because he was sure that they could hear me up at the windmills... grin.. 

Anyway, he comes down and sure enough they are gone..

Isn't that odd?  Where on earth would they go to? 

Does anyone know ??  smile..

There is a reward... A bag of potpourri... grin.. 

To make a long story short... 

Terry went out a little further and found some on another tree ...

 I did get some after all..

Let's just say that this was a  typical day in the life of Faye Henry.. smile.. 

Here is the recipe..

8 cups of cones... fir or pine.. or a mixture..

2 cups of dried rose hips

2 cups of bay leaves

several cinnamon sticks broken into small pieces..

2 cups or so of dried apple slices..

You can buy these or slice some up and put in the oven on low heat for several hours or use your dehydrator..

I also added some small pieces of pine boughs..

If you have some orris root or some kind of carrier then you add several drops of pine or balsam oil.. I use a quite a lot...

You can add it to the potpourri itself..

Cover all this with some plastic wrap for several days and then toss.. I usually keep it covered for a couple of weeks..

Here is a little decorating idea for lunch bags you can make to go along with the potpourri.. 

pinterest

Place a cup or two of potpourri in the bag and then tie a cone on with the string and add a label.. 

You can buy the red and white twine from Michaels, too.. 

And this is it for tonight dear hearts .. 

Not much but just an idea I am working on.. 

Sometimes, I will glue a pic on the front of the bag and spray a with of glue and shake on some glitter... 

Or use some stamps and stamp pad and so on... 

Hope you are having a great week.. 

Love having you drop by for a visit.. 

God bless.. 

xoo

A little wreath how to ....

Happy Monday Evening to everyone..

How art thou?  (my second favorite greeting).... grin..

Just thought I would share a little craft that I made today..

I found this craft on PINTEREST so I cannot take the credit for it.. I think that is the  great thing about Pinterest.. You find ideas and make them your own.. One can do their own thing and enjoy the whole experience, eh!

Anyway... here is a little apple wreath that I put together..

All you need are some fresh apples.. I think I might have used a

5 pound bag.. You can make it whatever size you like, really..

I have a dehydrator so I just sliced them and dried them that way..

You can google how to dry them in your oven, though..

I did not use lemon juice or cinnamon... They are just sliced and dried.. You could use an apple corer perhaps but I didn't.. The apples had a star shaped hole in most of the slices and I only had to thread a gingham cotton ribbon through them..

A really neat craft to do with your children, too..

It is nice for Christmas or even all year.. I have some apple oil to sprinkle over the apples but you don't really need to do that..

I was telling our daughter Shonda about this and I mentioned that it would make a lovely gift, too..

I made up kind of an apple gift idea here..

A bottle of  HOMEMADE CROCK POT APPLE BUTTER,

and some HOMEMADE WINTER POTPOURRI  and this little apple wreath.. Pick up an old wood salad bowl at the thrift store and there you have it.. Use some cellophane wrap or whatever turns your crank to wrap it..

It was a rainy windy day here in Eastern Canada today..

We were out of bread so I made this easy recipe for NO KNEAD BREAD

It is so easy to make and so delicious..

Make sure you use instant yeast and let it rise in a warm place...

You can leave out the rosemary and just make it plain..

Terry likes it plain and I also make only one loaf instead of two

most of the time...

It is so much better for your children than the store bought that lasts for two weeks..It makes one wonder what is really in it..

A lovely gift for your elder neighbor or some busy Mom...

Be sure to include the recipe..

Well, sweet ladies that is all for today..

Please come again ... I may show you some more Christmas decor soon... smile..

May God bless your week with joy and peace..

Hugs..

LINKED TO ..TEACH ME TUESDAYS

  ALSO LINKED TO..     FRUGAL DAYS SUSTAINABLE WAYS