Farm Post number 5/2021

Hello everyone... 

Here I am finally... 

It has been over a month and I am sorry for that.. 

I guess life happens to us and sometimes we are waylaid!

I am so happy you dropped by though.. 

Hope all is well with you in whatever part of the world you are in.. 

As you know it is summer here in Canada and we  have been blessed with a pretty good one! 

Lots of rain which I think is much better then last year when it was so dry... 

Well, we could chat about the weather all day but I had best get on with this post.. 

This is a farm post perse so we will go to that.. 

My Lavender came back for the fourth year and I was so happy that my Chamomile came back for the second year and has spread here and there through out the bed.. 

This was my first picking!  

It is tied up in bunches and hanging from the old beams in the porch.. 

Hopefully, I will get a few things made with it this year.. 

I am really wanting to make some soaps... 

Time will tell.. 

The thing about being our age is that the wonderful hopes and dreams you have for projects and such just do not always materialize as you hoped they would.. 

smile.. 

Nevertheless, we do what we do.. 

The cows are doing wonderful as you can see... 

We were pretty happy being able to pick some lettuce and such.. 

Making salads with buttermilk dressing for lunch.. 

When we arrived on this particular day I checked the freezer and found a lovely ham bone and ham that needed used up.. 

It tasted rather good with the salad... 

This post is actually for the month of July.. 

I took lots of pics but just couldn't seem to get a post put up.. 

So these pics are kind of a hodge podge of our days up there..

Usually on the way to the farm I am scouting the ditches and such for a fresh bouquet or two for the farm table.. 

Terry told the grandsons one day at a gathering that the worst thing about Grandma getting here cataracts removed is that she could spy way too many flowers in the ditches now!  😏 

One of the loveliest things of summer are the fresh flowers.. 

I think on this day it was raining or something so I was happy to find them growing against the house.. 

I was not sure if I had posted this pic here.. 

I do try to change the curtains and such each summer but it did not get done thus far..  

Actually, I think I did post it perhaps because I did put that little piece of border in.. And there are my pickles.. grin.. 

Oh well.. 

Terry was weeding the garden and picked a pail of weeds for dinner.. 

Lamb's Quarters..  

And I made a batch of new rolls from a recipe that my sweet sister

had given me..  

Here is the recipe.. 

Just a screen shot from my phone but you can google it.. 

They are delicious and so easy to make.. 

You do not taste the banana very much but I think it keeps them nice and soft longer then regular ones... 

Another farm meal.. 

For some reason when we are at the farm we eat the comfort foods that Terry loves.. 

I love them too but you know me and my love of creating something a bit different.. 

I am sure I have told you about Dustin and Terry saying ... 

Oh, she ruined the chicken again!!  

A standing joke with them two.. 

I told them they just didn't appreciate the finer things of life.. 😀

This is Terry's favourite meal of all time, I think.. 

Hamburger Gravy and Mashed.. 

Our grandsons love this too.. 

We don't have it only about once a month but it is good when we do.. 

Actually, Shonda is the only one with similar tastes in food as her mother.. The boys are like their Dad and like ordinary but delicious food... 

Here is the recipes I promised you from Shonda's visit.. 

Sorry about the messy page.. I used it often, I guess.  

Please note the added and very important ingredient handwritten of 4 cups of spinach.. Baby spinach is nicer.. 

This is from a cookbook I put together quite a few years ago to raise money for missions..

And here is the link for the tenderloin from Kraft.. 

OUR FAVE PORK TENDERLOIN RECIPE HERE...   

Hope you enjoy... 

We took a few drives as always.. 

These were a bunch of moss roses growing up by the windmills.. 

Aren't they simply glorious.. 

I dried a lot of blossoms.. 

And this is my sweet husband doing my bidding.. grin.. 

This was a flower gathering day.. 

He has always been so dear about picking them for me.. 

He didn't think I should be on the rough ground with my foot condition and now he says he does a better job.. 

Which he does.. 😙

Here they are all tied up and drying.. 

Hope to make a potpourri and really they just pretty up a rather shabby space.. 

A few flowers on the deck but we haven't been there enough this past while to do much.. 

Feel kind of bad about that but you can only do what you can do, right!!

I have a story to tell you about this pic.. 

I probably should have taken one of the apple tree but nevertheless I will share it with you.. 

He (the dear man) just finished doing some pruning and such.. 

There are two wild apple trees out back quite close together and I had found at the end of someone's driveway and nice old wicker seat for two.. 

It was put between the trees and would have been sweet if he had got around to tying it down with a couple of sticks stuck in the ground and tied to the bench.. 

Well, he didn't get to it and the winds up there can be fierce and almost every time we got there the bench was upside down.. 

He would get to it in time, you know!  Yup! 

Well, I happened to look out the back door after we had been there awhile and thought I was seeing things.. 

In that short time he had pruned those precious old trees.. 

They were just wild ones that had come up there and really of no value except that they were so lovely to look at.. 

One tree was not so bad but the other one!!!!

It looks exactly like a "V"! 

I kid you not!! 

The beautiful little shapes that they were had disappeared and all that was left on one was this V shape.. 

I went to the door and screeched (yes, I did) at him what was he doing?? 

Just pruning!! 

I yelled that he might as well cut it down.. 😒 

Before you judge me too harshly let me tell you that this was not our first rodeo with this type of thing ..but I digress... 

He came in finally and I told him it looked just like a V!! 

I know he says... I did it for you because you are always making the peace sign!! 

Soooo... what is a girl supposed to do.. 

It wasn't the first time he has cut something down he wasn't supposed to .. Like the roses but never mind.. 

It won't be the last time! 

It is not to my credit that we have laughed about it a dozen times!! 

As I said we have had a lot of rain and not been out to the farm enough and the gardens are not his usual pride and joy.. 

But we will get what we get and really I did way too much last year and have lots left over... 

I do want to can some beans and peas and a few pickles, though.. 

How are your gardens doing?  

You girls down south have been canning for a month or more now..

 

I did do up a bunch of strawberry jam as ours were pretty well depleted.. 

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As always here are some things I cooked or baked.. 

Banana Blondies from @thekitchette on Instagram.. 

I boiled the icing too long but they were so moist and delicious! 

A Sunday afternoon treat one Sunday.. 

Greek salad which I didn't make but was served at The Diplomat in Fredericton on anther day trip we took.. 

Then my all time loved Sampfire Greens.. 

We only had this one batch of them as we missed them, I think.. 

I stopped by the Green Pig again this morning but they didn't have any.. At least we had a taste.. 

Soooo.. 

this is the reason I have not been able to get on here to chat with you.. 

He was sick for several weeks without actually telling me that he had a problem.. 

I knew he wasn't feeling well as he was not himself . 

Then when he got so sick I had to take him to Emergency the infection he was suffering silently with went to his blood stream.. 

He was doing much better but he is not back to normal.. 

We would be thankful for your prayers.. 

He will probably not appreciate me on here saying anything but you girls have been with me a long time.. 

So, of course I am sharing this with you.. 

We go to the doctor again tomorrow but we know the Great Physician!  So we are trusting in Him.. 

He has met our needs many times as you know... 

You know it is amazing how we prove that God 's promises are true.. 

He said he would be us in the storm.. And he is.. 

He said to lean on Him and we do and he supports us.

He said he would give us peace and he always keeps his word..

He said that joy cometh in the morning and it does...

He said he would never leave us or forsake us and we are counting on that... 

 

So thankful for our faithful and true God!! 

Our Healer and Deliverer!

Right?? 

So dear girls.. Thanks so much for reading this or skipping the words and looking at the pics.. 

Just whatever!

Thank you for your prayers that I know you will give.. 

We are mostly here at home and our summer plans are not what we hoped but all is well..

We get there some anyway.. 

There is already a change in the air.. 

Fall is coming too soon for me but whatever.. 

I hope I get a note from you.. 

Here, Facebook or Instagram is lovely.. 

Take care of yourselves.. 

God bless you.. 

Hugs... 

from Faye... 

 

Farm Journal 2020 Number 3

Hello there my dears... 

Lovely to have you visit the Blessed Hearth today.. 

I am glad you are here.. 

Hope you are all doing well in your corner of the world! 

We have been enjoying our summer!  

We were just saying this morning coming home from church that summer is on the downswing!  

It saddens me!  

I do not enjoy intense heat but really we have been blessed with some cool temps along with our hot days.  

Fall is lovely but then Winter! 

That is all I will say!  smile..

So with that you can bet that I plan to enjoy the rest of this blessed season!  

Anyway.. 

We have been up to the farm quite often.. 

Although we are not there as much as we thought we would, everything is looking great.. 

The gardens are growing and some herbs have been picked and are drying and such.. 

The bunting finally is finished and hung! 

Sorry, Donna for taking so long getting to this..  

Terry is weeding there.. 

He spends a lot of time on his knees out there in the garden... smile.. 

This is just a glued bunting as it does not last up there too long.. 

It sometimes stays all winter but the last couple of years half of it ends up blowing away.. 

This year I bought a strong kind of string and hopefully that will last better.. 

The measurements I used are 13 x9.. 

I just traced out how many I might need.. Just guessed and only had 3 pieces left over.. 

You could measure and figure it all out but I am by guess or by golly kind of girl when it comes to this bunting.. 

Then all I did was use my glue gun and made a line of glue.. Stuck the string in it and folded each one.. 

I ended up only have two colours.. 

The house is yellow and we are planning on painting it this summer and I want a blue door.. 

You can make as many colours and sizes as you like.. 

The buntings I use inside are usually sewed together and turned inside out and a bit more polished..  

This is a pic from a previous year.. 

If you have any questions you can message me... K? 

This pic was taken a week ago ... 

It is hard to believe how fast it all grows once July hits the calendar.. 

Please notice the dear poppies growing again.. 

We have a squash and a pumpkin bed.. 

Cucumbers on the other end..  

We are usually working outside and our lunches are not too fancy.. 

One of our favourites.. 

Grilled Tomato and Mozza.. 

For Christmas Terry gave me a Panini type thing.. 

I don't know what you call it but it is cast iron .. 

About the size of a brick without the height and a handle.. 

You make your sandwich, butter the outside and put the cast iron on top.. 

Works wonderful!  

Not hard to store, either.. 

He bought it at Moffett's Hardware in Sussex.. 

Our lettuce bed is doing great too.. 

In one of my books the author wrote that the lady of the house washed her lettuces and fried it along with a bit of bacon and then added vinegar.. 

We tried it and it is delicious!

The last food pic... grin.. 

Supper.. 

A new bread recipe which is awesome (will share next time), last year's canned green beans, fresh salad with herb dressing and chicken which was browned in a fry pan then placed on a tray, finished baking in oven and then cheese and herbs and returned for a few more minutes.. 

It is nice to be able to use oven when it is cooler here..

This is a few other things going on.. 

My dear dear Lavender!  

It really flourished this summer.. 

Nine large bundles!  

I know you may think I am strange but I feel like it is such a lovely accomplishment!!  lol! 

Doesn't take much to satisfy some people, eh!  

Lots of projects coming on with all that.. 

I will share as I go.. 

Making potpourri seems to be large on my agenda this summer.. 

This one was an accident!  grin.. 

Terry had picked me a huge bouquet of wild flowers which I put in a mason jar on the kitchen table at the farm.. 

It sits in a window and as we were not there all the time it slowly dried out ... 

So.. 

I just cut them off their stems and put them in an old bowl.. 

When I get time I will seal the bowl with several drops of essential oil and it will last for ages.. 

So pretty, don't you think?  smile..

Perfect Petal Potpourri...  

And there is this going on at home.. 

Picked roses everywhere.. 

At the farm, on country drives and from our own bushes.. 

Lay them out on old laces and such and letting them dry.. 

Some will be used for potpourri, rose oil for soap and toiletries, rose vinegar for rinsing dishes and so on.. 

There is just so much you can do with dried roses.  

Do you see the cloth on the bottom right.. 

Has a few pine cones and such.. 

That is our anniversary potpourri.. 

Everywhere we go on our little drives and trips are being dried and added to an old hat box.. 

I will add scent and name it later on in the year.. 

Probably call it... 

We made it!  lol.. 

And.. 

Picking herbs every time we go out and drying them.. 

Sewed up a bunch of herb bags.. 

This is one for soup herbs... 

You can add whatever turns your crank but I love to put thyme, lovage and organo in my tomato base soups.. 

Do you make these? 

Well dear hearts I am finally running out of steam .. 

But.. 

This is a pic of a border we have had in the apple orchard a lot this summer..  

She is not afraid of us at all.. 

She loves the chickens and even upset the bucket with chicken food and had a great lunch.. 

I love deer but want them to stay in the woods.. 

Deer ticks... 

Anyway, I had read where you soak rags in vinegar and tie them on your garden posts and they will not bother it.. 

You renew the vinegar at least once a week.. 

Well, she was here all the time until we did this.. 

We have not seen her since so hopefully she just reacted to the vinegar and is keeping her distance.. 

We are putting them in the gardens, too.. 

Just a tip if you have deer visiting that you would rather not.. 

And before I go.. 

Still celebrating our 50th each month.. 

Our darling children took us out on the town!  

To a wonderful place called Gusto Restaurant!

So much fun and delicious Italian food!  

We were all there except our precious son who is out west.. 

There are exactly 12 of us now in our family.. 

Thankful to our Lord for each and every one of them!  

Aren't they dear!!  

We do little things just like you do.. 

Had breakfast last week in a new cafe at the Green Pig Market.. 

It was delicious! 

And fun there too.. 

Old china with fruit salad and toasted biscuits on an antique saucer with homemade strawberry jam in an enamel cup!! 

Gotta love that!  smile.. 

And so my luvs this is it for another time.. 

But will show you the last great books I have been reading.. 

I so enjoyed this series and found it all so inspiring.. 

Reading Christian books not only inspires but also encourages.. 

We as mamas and wives can get drained and with the world so messed up I find it lifts up my spirits.. 

It is a busy time of year with canning, preserving and such but reading how they accomplished so much in the 1800s without all of our conveniences challenges me to make a better effort to accomplish what needs to be done.. 

If you know what I mean.

And the author's reference to God in their lives in something I need to hear.. 

I want Him to be front and foremost in my life.. 

Not just for myself but for my children and grandchildren.. 

He is coming soon!  

God bless you sweet friends...