A Wee Give Away from the Blessed Hearth

Hello everyone.. 

Just posting a wee giveaway for you tonight.. 

This is just a small celebration of Summer...

A blessed time of the year.. 

The prizes are small but hopefully you will think them sweet.. 

A black and tan STAR MAT... 

A green and cream YO YO MAT

A lavender filled WAX HEART

A hand crafted HANDKERCHIEF HOLDER (by me) with 3 handkerchiefs tucked away in it.. 

And one of my homemade toiletries... (not in the picture)

Anyway... 

We have wrapped up Old Home Week today and are going home for a few days.. 

The rules for the wee giveaway are

 ....

1.. You must be a follower of this blog

2.  Please leave a comment saying you would like to enter..

3.. If you post this on your sidebar of your blog that will give you an extra try and please let me know.. 

That is all.. 

Just showing my appreciation for your lovely faithfulness in letting me know that you are about... smile.. 

The last day will be July 31... 

Ten days from now.. OK?

Thank you dear hearts.. 

Chat with you all later.. 

God bless...

A lovely homemade lemon drink recipe...

Good Evening one and all.. 

How you all doing?  

Another lovely day here.. 

We had some rain through the night to water the plants and then sunny again today.. 

This has been such a lovely Summer here by the Bay of Fundy.. 

I posted last night about a lemon drink that we love and my sweet friend Sue thought she would like the recipe... 

So.. here goes.. 

Lemon Cordial... 

In a medium size pot combine 3 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water... 

Bring this to a boil and boil for 5 minutes.. 

In the meantime squeeze lemons to get 1 cup of lemon juice..

My Mom brought me down a huge lemon and I squeezed over 1/2 cup out of it.. Then I just added another 1/2 cup of bottled lemon juice to equal 1 cup..

When the mixture has boiled for 5 minutes..

Add the 1 cup of lemon juice ...

And 2 Tablespoons of lemon zest... 

Stir well and store in a sterilized quart mason jar...

Cover and keep refrigerated... 

To serve...

Fill glass about 1/4 full of syrup .. 

Add ice and cold water to top.. 

You may add a lemon slice and cherry if desired.. 

You can add cold sparkling water instead of regular water or a bit of Sprite for fizz..

Let me know if you try it.. 

It is so nice to have all ready in the fridge for unexpected company or just to enjoy out on the deck after supper..

Hope you are all having a great week.. 

Old Home Week is winding down.. 

A big parade on Saturday.. 

Our kids love that.. 

A little lemon colored flowers in an old canning pot on our stoop..

 

A lad was in the shop today and I called it a stoop instead of a deck and he kinda looked at me funny..  

Yeah, I am from the back woods.. grin...

Well, take care dear ladies.. 

Talk to you all soon.. 

Just making some homemade stuff....

Hello dear hearts... 

Hope all is well with thee.. smile.. 

Welcome to the Blessed Hearth tonight.. 

Glad you dropped by.. 

Do you see those purple flowers in the photo above?  

They are Monk's Hood and do you know what I think when I see them blooming?  

Yup... Summer is half over.. sigh.. 

I love the Summer and all that it brings with it..

Don't you? 

Sunny days, kids laughing as they pass by, breezes in the trees, fresh strawberries, sampfire greens, beach walks, family and friends, the crash of the tide, grandsons running up and down the old stairwell, summer salads, sitting out with a nice cold goblet of lemon cordial,  the smell of the BBQ and oh so much more.. 

But... 

It is already half over... 

Life goes on... 

Someone was in my shop today or yesterday.. I forget which.. 

And he made the statement that all that counts is that you die happy... 

Which is sort of true.. 

We all want to die happy..

 If we have to die..smile.. 

I spoke before I thought (as usual) and said.. 

So long as you die ready... 

He didn't say anything else and neither did I... 

But I am glad that I am happy and ready... 

Ta..DA... 

My sermon is finished.. Thank the Lord, eh?

You know you love me.. grin...

I have been trying this week to get caught up on my making things list crossed off... 

I ran out of homemade salves last week so they were first on my agenda...

I gathered some comfrey, lavender, roses and rosemary..

Some olive oil...

Grated some beeswax... 

Put out some sterile jars...

Made some Gardeners Salve.. 

Then with oil that I had infused in the Spring I made some...

Violet Salve.. 

Took them to the shop and labeled and priced them.. 

And sold several before they hit the shelf.. 

thank you, Lord..smile.. 

Then I decided to make some foot soaks... 

Yeah... they are lovely..

We made them in Keepers earlier in the Spring.. 

Then took them to the shop and labeled and priced them.. 

Yes, they too are selling... 

Would you like the recipe.. 

My Mom came in the shop on Friday and the first thing she wanted to know was whether I had some of that foot stuff made.. smile.. 

Foot Soak

2 cups of sea salt.. 

1 cup Epsom salts

Whisk together well and then add...

4 tsp. peppermint oil

3 tsp. lemon oil

several drops of tea tree oil..(opt.)

You can replace the oils with pure extracts if you like.. 

I was blessed with the oils from a dear friend.. 

1 tsp. sweet almond oil or olive oil.. 

Whisk together again and add..

1 tsp. cornstarch 

1 tsp. soda...

Whisk again and place in sealed jars... 

Place 1 Tablespoon in a few quarts of warm water and 

SOAK your feet.. 

So refreshing ... 

Your feet will feel so soft, too.. 

I found this recipe on my Pinterest.  It is on my Toiletries Board.. 

I changed it around to suit me, though as they added peppermint tea and such.. 

My Pinterest is on the sidebar of my blog... OK?

Tonight I came home to this for supper.. 

Chicken cooked in the crock pot and then some Spanish Rice put together very quickly... 

It is cool here tonight.. 

I had to put a throw across my feet as they were cool.. 

It is cloudy and I am sure the fog will roll in here in a bit.. 

I was talking to my sister on the phone who lives up home and she said it was sunny and scorching hot.. 

Poor dear.. grin.. 

No really.. 

Anyway, sweet ladies thank you so much for you visit and your little notes that you leave me.. 

You are all so dear.. 

I am not doing so good getting back to you though.. 

Please know that I read every word and appreciate so much hearing from you either on the comment or emails.. 

It is just that when I get to the end of my post I usually head for the stairs.. 

I can't sleep in here at all as the sun rises and shines in my window and Sammi starts clicking his nails on the wood floor and wants out and the crows start cawing... 

Oh dear Lord.. I  will just get up..   

Yes... it is that bad... grin ... 

Love to you all...

Weekend Memories...

Hello there everyone.. 

I am posting as you can see... 

A bit late and a dollar short but I am here.. grin.. 

That is an old saying but knowing me I have it backwards or something.. 

Bear with me..smile.. 

What a crazy wonderful weekend here in St. Martins during Old Home Week.

Simply beautiful weather, too..

Our company arrived on Friday..

But before they arrived Sammi and I went out and picked a few flowers to put about.. 

Consider the lily... smile.. 

That old mason jar had a water proof light in it and our company told me she wondered all evening what on earth was lighting it up.. 

smile.. 

We picked some roses and distributed them about the house..

Roses are my Mom's favorite so the vase with the rose painted on it was placed in their room... And a few for the Dining  table....

And this beautiful peony and such went into the other bedroom..

I love going out and about the yard and making little bouquets.. 

Do you?  

And then of course, there was some food involved...

Gotta love those Summer Salads.. 

Especially, when basil is included..  

I still worked in the House of Henry..... 

Although, I did wait until the Village Yard Sale calmed down.. 

My word.. I didn't think St. Martins could hold that many people .. 

Ann who was visiting from P. E. I. told me she had no idea.. 

Imagine ...smile... She was so thrilled.. 

So.. I opened the shop right after lunch... 

Main Street had cars parked on both sides and the Cruise Ship buses were trying to get to the Caves... 

Good bus drivers, I must say... 

Only heard the ambulance go once.... 

Oh, and the fire truck and police went once.. 

This is only a village, remember.... smile..

Here are a couple of Shop pics for you.. 

dear old hand hooked rugs...

vintage wares... 

I had one of my new customers back and she took a pic of this room.. 

So, I took one, too.. smile.. 

I am sure her photo is much nicer for she looked kind of like a professsional to me.. 

I am not sure.. yet.. grin... 

more vintage... 

It was exciting meeting other Summer people and especially seeing friends and family from away.. 

I even saw a couple of our grandsons and their Dad as they picked up Gramps in the early hours to take him to New Hampshire for the Nascar Race ... 

Also, our youngest son brought down a few friends and took dear old Sammi to the beach for a few hours.. 

He loved that...

The camp grounds were filled as were most of the Inns... 

Our friends that were in charge of the Bus Trip when we joined up with them in Lancaster County, Pa. came into the shop.. 

I was so surprised as they live in Ontario... 

She grew up in P. E. I. and just caught our friends leaving.. 

They had grown up together... 

A sweet reunion...

So great to see them..

And then there were dear friends  that I have had for 48 years and 30 odd years.. 

We tried to figure it out and started laughing about something that happened back then.. grin..

They are more like family, really.

And then there was Judy .... 

Our families have known each other since we were born.. 

When we started  grade 7 at the same school we became personal friends..

So long ago..

Imagine what Heaven will be like!!

Meeting all the ones who have gone on before..

 What a day that will be... 

On with the story....smile..

I tried to concoct  a few things between chats.. grin...

Like this..

A primitive stamped muslin ribbon garland... 

I love how it turned out.

I just need to make one and tea dye it first and see which my customers like best... 

And...

A bit of homemade Fish Chowder... Sprinkled with Dulse Flakes.. 

Do you know what Dulse is?  

The most delcious sea weed.. 

We buy huge bags of it and snack on it like chips or buy it in a bottle and sprinkle it on our chowders... 

ymmmm..

Well... 

All in all a wonderful busy weekend.. 

Poor old Sam has had the biscuit... grin.. 

He is not the only one...smile..

So thankful for all that God has provided for us this past week... 

His love.. family and friends..

His touch as I talked to Him... 

Health and strength and protection ...

And the sea... 

What more does a gal need.. 

And thank YOU  for the sweet visit.. 

Looking so forward to hearing from you all.. 

Appreciate every word you write...

Hugs from the Bay of Fundy...

Company so sweet....

Hello my dears.. 

Welcome to the Blessed Hearth tonight.. 

How are you all? 

We are doing great here at our summer cottage  by the Bay of Fundy.. 

I had some sweet company yesterday.. 

You may recognize Lindsay as she is always in the Keepers of the Home pictures.. Somewhere or other..smile.. 

She brought her children and came for a visit..

 I was glad to see them as I miss the girls when I am here.. 

We don't get to our home church very much during the Summer as it is a fair pace away and the St. John church is nearer and much better roads..

 But we do get to be with our daughter and her family when we go there.. smile..

Anyway, it was great to see Lauren and Jacob, too.. 

Aren't they cute?  

Lindsay is showing me her website that she did for one of her university courses.. It was on the Keepers of the Home group that we have.. 

Very professional if I must say.. eh, Lins?  grin...

Jacob became a wee bit bored after awhile.. 

And decided to bounce his ball on top of his sister's Barbie doll.. LOL...

She was not real impressed or I don't think so...grin..

We had a lovely afternoon but they had to get home and make Daddy's supper.. 

They left something behind, though.. 

Some dear memories AND....

 a lovely Tim Horton Coffee for me and I think Jacob called this a fruit burst muffin... 

They surely know the way to my heart... smile.. 

Thanks for coming Lindsay.. xoxo

Then this morning before I went over to the shop I worked on getting some beds ready for company that are arriving tomorrow for a couple of days...

My Mom and Step Dad and some folks from the beautiful Prince Edward Island... 

This old cottage is not fancy but...

they don't mind... smile..

We call this the not so prim purple room... grin...

And the breezes are blowing in to air out this old bedroom...

What could smell better first thing in the morning than breezes off of the sea.. eh?

Well, dear ladies thank you so much for your sweet visit.. 

Wish I could find you all a bed here somewhere..

We'd make us some tea and have a little chat.. 

About important things... 

Right?  

Our sweet hubbies and children... 

A bit of shop talk and decorating.. 

The price of tea in China.. grin.. 

And of course..

A bit about the goodness and greatness of our God.. 

Love to you all... 

My Hodge Podge Day...

Good Tuesday Evening everyone... 

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.. 

The weather here has been lovely by the Bay of Fundy.. 

We had to make another quick trip home.  

Awoke this morning around 6 am and boogied down here to St. Martins.. 

We have Old Home Week coming up and expecting a bit of company so today I didn't even open the shop.. 

Just did a hodge podge of things.. 

I took a few pics as I went along  just to fill you in on my day.. 

Hope you are interested.. grin.. 

Bought a bunch of plants that were on sale... 

Herbs, geraniums, ivy, hens and chicks and such...

They were practically giving them away.. 

Now is the time to get some great deals here in New Brunswick.. 

They will probably flourish especially with the wonderful weather we are having.. 

Made some fudge to sell at the shop... 

I guess I shared the recipe with you before HERE

See the dear fudge dish I found at the thrift shop... 

Glass and only a bit over two dollars.. 

Made this old stand by salad today... 

I have been making this for simply years but I don't think I have shared the recipe before.. 

Another one of my famous a bit of this and a bit of that king of recipe..smile..

Tuna Macaroni Salad

Cook or use left over pasta *whatever amount you need.. You can always add 2 cans of tuna.. 

If you cook it then rinse and cool. 

Add chopped up veggies ... 

I always use cucumber, green peppers, chopped white or green onion and sliced mushrooms .... 

Add a can of drained tuna...*or two..

To make the dressing just place a big dollop of mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip),  half again as much good Caesar Dressing and fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper... 

I also add a speck of red pepper flakes... 

And some chopped parsley.. 

Mix well.. 

Add more dressing if needed.. 

Serve with fresh wedges of lemon.. 

Delicious with fresh crusty rolls.. 

On with the day.. 

Unpacked some craft supplies from home..

Beeswax, a new stamp pad and stamper..

Strained some rosemary infused oil....

Making some homemade rose potpourri... 

There are so many moss roses this year.. 

I just put them in my dehydrator and add some bay leaves and such and some rose oil... 

My Mom loves this... 

Oh yes... and I cleaned my kitchen and pantry...

This old cottage has two pantries.. 

This is the working one and the other one is just for pretties.. 

If you know what I mean.. 

Anyway, my dears that is all for tonight.. 

The wind is blowing and I am not sure if the tide is in or out but I think I will go to bed early.. 

Just drinking my evening tea and listening to Sammi snore on the couch.. He was up early, eh!

smile.. 

Thank you for your visit.. 

I am so sorry that I have not been able to catch up on my blog comments.. When we go home there is no Internet and then when I get back here I can hardly get the time to post.. 

Thanks for still being faithful, though... 

I appreciate you sweet ladies... 

Thanks for your lovely notes and thank you to my friends who don't comment but email me and let me know.. xoxo

Oh... 

Thank you for all the lovely mail I received this week.. 

Terry says...

"Hey. Faye.. some mail for you.."

Smile...

And I loved it all.. 

I will do my best to get back to you..

God Bless