A Friday Night Post..

Happy Friday Evening to you all.. 

Another rainy day here in New Brunswick and warm.. 

We have been having glorious weather on the East coast of Canada.. 

Someone said it was 20 degrees Celsius today.. 

I had hung a few things on the line early this morning as it was so windy.. They didn't dry really but I took them off before the rain started.. 

Falls like this one are such a blessing because the snow will come I am sure.. 

Right now the rain is pouring and hitting the windows.. 

My husband and two sons are out there hunting.. 

They will be wet by the time they get home.. smile.. 

There is usually a pot of soup on the go here once again.. 

Soup season for this soup junkie.. 

Enjoying the Vegetarian Magazines I picked up at a yard sale a few weeks ago.. 

Dustin always called me an almost vegetarian.. 

grin.. 

Last weekend we woke on Saturday morning and Terry suggested we take a little trip to Bangor.. 

Of course, I was up for that so it didn't take us long to get going.. 

We drove down the back way to Sussex and we noticed this fog bank.. 

So beautiful with the farm silos in the distance..

We had a good time but I am so disappointed!  

One of the things I love to do when we go to Bangor or even around here shopping has been going to the Thrift and Antique stores.. eh?  

Well.. 

Since we sold our cottages and brought home so much stuff I don't even want to go in to the stores and all I bought were a few books.. 

Oh and the dearest little petit point needleworked change purse.. 

Black with wee roses and only four dollars.. 

I should have taken a pic.. sorry.. 

But I did enjoy visiting this shop so much.. 

We always stay in Brewer and this is on Main, I believe.. 

It is a hippie- want- to- be's idea of a great grocery store.. 

There are organic everything to start with.. 

An organic coffee bar and such.. 

Homemade Laundry soaps that you turn on a tap and fill glass bottles and buy it that way.. Homemade stain remover soap sticks. 

An old laundry tub is part of the decor.. 

Then there is an area with fermenting supplies... 

Dried veggies and fruits.. Homemade soap, candles, soy tarts and toiletries and so on and so on.. 

Dear Terry just waits in the car.. 

Not really his cup of tea.. I had fun, though.. 

Anyway we had a lovely meal and an early night.. 

The wind was blowing.. smile.. 

Then the next day we took our time coming home.. 

A ship was in at the St. John harbour.. 

Home again.. 

Monday I had a big bowl of ripe tomatoes to do up.. 

I really am getting tired of preserving stuff.. 

Pico de Gallo and Spaghetti Sauce... 

More of Carman's Soup Flavouring preserved.. 

Parsley Root is still out at the farm growing.. 

This is the first time we have planted it and though we were late getting it in I have still enough to use..

It looks like parsnips and tastes like parsley.. 

I did buy a couple of new kitchen tools.. 

Mine were old and took a lot of space.. 

These were on sale and really quite small but efficient.. 

Then yesterday our youngest son and I had a town day together.. 

We had a good time.. 

Shopping and out for lunch... 

Reading this you would think that I love to shop.. 

I don't usually... smile.. 

We visited one of my fave markets and bought a big bag of apples to make our favourite apple sauce.. 

For you new followers of the blog here is the recipe.. 

I use either apples or pears.. 

Roasted Pear Sauce

enough pears to fill a large baking pan w/ a lid (I used about a dozen) I like anjou

2 cinnamon sticks

2 vanilla beans, cut in half

4 whole anise

2 large slices of candied ginger or fresh ginger, cut into wide strips

½ cup sugar (I use coconut sugar), see notes

1 cup water

Pre-heat oven 250°F

Do not peel or core the pears. I cut pears into 1/4, leaving seeds, skin and all. I only remove the stem. Fill pan two thirds of the way and tuck whole spices in/around the pears. Then top with more pears. As many that will fin in your baking pan. Sprinkle sugar on top and then water. Cover with a heavy lid or foil. Roast one hour. Pull the pan put of the oven.Let the pears sit, covered for one hour.

Strain pears into a large bowl. Set the juice aside for caramel pear sauce. Remove all the whole spices except the candied ginger ad one vanilla bean for the caramel sauce. The ginger gets soft and mushy like the pears, so it can be run through the food mill. Process the pears through a food mill. I fill glass canning jars with a 2" header at the top (so when the sauce expands while it freezes, you have room and the jar will not break). Store jars in freezer. Since the sauce has almost no sugar, I am not sure if it would can well.

Caramel Pear Sauce

usally makes about 1/2 cup

juice from the pear sauce

vanilla bean from the pear sauce, cut open and scrap out the inside, add that to the pear juice. Discard the pod.

1-2 TBL butter

Set juice in a heavy sauce pan. Boil juice over high heat until it reduces by two thirds. Keep an eye on it. The sauce should be thicker and look for it to start smelling caramelly. Pull off heat and add 1 TBL of butter. If you want the sauce more buttery, add another TBL. Fill one or two small jars. Store in the refrigerator or freezer. Warm sauce berfore serving.

Here is the link, too.. 

HERE..

Meanwhile, here at home again things are getting back to normal.. 

I have most of my plants back from the farm and a few more things.. 

My sewing machine and salve making supplies and it will be done for another year.. 

A bit late due to the selling of the cottage and shop but we are home.. 

And I am so happy to be here.. 

I hope you have a great weekend.. 

We are having a family supper tomorrow night in Sussex so am looking forward to that.. 

Family.. 

One of God's greatest blessings.. 

He thought it was so important it was His priority in His creation.. 

Thank you, Lord.. 

God bless, dear hearts.. 

Thanks for stopping by and I love your dear notes.. 

I enjoy every one of them.. 

xo 

A Little Monday Morning Inspiration for you..

Good Morning everyone.. 

Monday here again and God is good.. 

I had worked on this post the other night but was waylaid and didn't get it published.. 

So.. this morning I thought I would just post it regardless.. 

Just a few images I noticed the past week on the web.. 

A couple from my own camera but mostly from Tumblr.. 

Fall is so here and we are still trying to get moved back home.. 

Another trip or two to bring my plants and preserves and we should be mostly done.. Thank the Lord.. 

Anyway, dear hearts have a great week.. 

Terry and I did a wee trip across the border this weekend so will try to post again mid week... 

Don't you love that quilt hanging on the line in the pic above.. 

I believe that is a project I can handle..smile.. 

Take care and God bless.. 

Thanks for dropping by.. 

xo

Saying Good Bye to dear old St. Martins..

for the last time.. 

Hello there everyone.. 

Welcome to the Blessed Hearth on this lovely Saturday evening.. 

So glad you dropped by.. 

This is a bit of a different post for you tonight.. 

As you know by the last post we have sold our old house and cottage shop in St. Martins.. 

The closing day was yesterday and as they say that is all she wrote.. 

It was a bit of a process due to many things and lasted since the middle of July... 

I guess this is a little nod to our years there.. 

It began 21 years ago when our two oldest kids were newly married and Dustin was only 12... 

We bought this old house in the little village by the Bay of Fundy where my Mom grew up.. 

I had so much family there and I loved that.. 

I remember the first summer there when Dustin and his friend Stephanie were trying to make a wee fire on the beach and newspapers which were on fire were blowing all over the place.. 

I freaked a bit and said to Dustin to put the fire out because my cousins were sitting over on the rocks.. 

He turned to me with a funny look and said.. "Mom, you're cousins are everywhere!" ... grin... 

Anyway... 

He spent his teenage summers there.. 

He loved going swimming with his friends in the campground pool then down to the salt water in the Bay then jumping on their bikes and finishing off over at the fresh water dam.. 

One rainy summer he read about 100 Archie comic books.. 

Just remembering. . sorry.. 

Terry worked in Sussex so he come home there every night.. 

We made the plan when we bought the place that it was a summer cottage and not our house.. 

The roof might need mended or the house painted but we were not going to work ourselves to death remodelling such an old house..

We papered a bit and I had fun decorating it but it was a place to enjoy... 

We loved having company... 

Especially our children, of course.. 

These pics are just from what I have here on my computer and so even though the grandsons came after we bought the cottage I have no pics here until the oldest was 10 years old.. 

How the years have flown but the summers were always special down there.. 

Once Dustin grew up and left home he still came down some.. 

Dear old Sammi.. 

Do you girls who have followed the blog from the beginning must remember him.. 

I still miss him.. 

We loved having our friends stop by and sometimes put them to work.. My friend Lynn painted the kitchen floor.. 

Bless her heart.. 

Shonda papered the dining room and Trevor helped put on the roof of the barn and so on.. 

Thank you dear hearts.. 

Every summer the Keepers of the Home came for an overniter and you have all read about those times.. 

When friends came we often ended up at the caves enjoying some fish meals.. 

I can't seem to find other pics of friends but you are getting my drift, I imagine.. 

The kitchen was so old fashioned and I did love it.. 

I did so many pickles, jams and jellies there.. 

Shonda's boys came out and stayed a lot as they only lived in St. John... 

Lots of times they brought a friend and would laugh because Gram would make them all go up and say hi to Aunt Kaye.  smile.. 

The sweet boys would go and be so mannerly.. 

Then I turned the little maid's room into a clubhouse for them and I think that is what they remember the most.. 

Lovely times.. 

Going to sleep with the sound of the waves was such a wonderful thing.. 

The boys made sure every summer that they would be there at least for one night all at the same time.. 

Gram made them breakfast.. 

Two dozen eggs, a loaf or two of bread and a couple of pounds of bacon, jam and hashed browns and don't forget the orange juice.. 

smile.. 

Sweet sweet memories.. 

And as you know I am a wild weather lover and the Bay of Fundy and I have had a love affair going on over the years.. 

I will miss that... 

Terry (bless his heart) was so patient with me when the wind practically blew stuff off the walls and he would just cover up his head and go to sleep.. grin.... 

Then in the Winter we would go down and check it all out to make sure all was well.. 

If he could get in that is.. smile.. 

In the beginning I was heavily into the craft business and spent most summer getting ready for craft shows.. 

Then one year we opened a shop in the old barn and I didn't do the summer shows anymore.. 

It was a very quaint little shop but very damp.. 

When this little place came up for sale we bought it.. 

It was connected to our old house property but wasn't finished inside.. 

Terry did all that during the evenings.. 

Putting up wood ceilings and gyp rock.. 

Trevor helped him with the crack filling, bless his heart.. 

And.. 

The House of Henry opened... 

It was such a dear shop, if I may say.. 

Lots of homemade stuff... 

Shonda came out to help with the Fall Open Houses that we had there and in the barn.. 

Such a dear girl.. 

So enjoyed having near and dear friends dropping by.. 

Of all ages.. smile. 

The shop changed at the beginning of each Summer.. 

Putting out the stuff we had collected at the auctions and such all Winter.. 

After sorting through so much stuff the last while I kind of wish I had restrained myself a bit.. grin.. 

Friends came on bikes quite often.. 

St. Martins is a biker's heaven, I think as so many passed by the shop every day.. 

We made some very dear friends while we were there, too.. 

Janelle graduated with our son in law and her and her family adopted us as I always say.. 

If I needed anything she was there.. 

She always knew when I really needed a break and would have me over for coffee or take me on her bike to a private place on the beach with a lovely breakfast picnic... 

I will miss her and her sweet family as I will all of our dear friends.. 

We will be back sometimes though so put the teapot on.. grin.. 

But time goes on and brings changes.. 

The boys have grown and will be too busy with their lives to get there much and we can't do the farm and there, too.. 

I (mostly) felt it was time to just concentrate on enjoying the old farm during the summers ... 

I felt bad leaving the old place empty all last summer.. 

So.. 

As you who read the blog know I always turn to the Lord.. 

I prayed that someone would want to buy the cottage and the shop together and we would not have to put it up for sale.. 

Truthfully, I knew that Terry would never get around to selling it.. 

grin.. 

And... the Lord answered just that way.. 

We had Thanksgiving there for the last time ... 

So much fun!  

Dustin has grown into middle age and our grandsons are young men.. 

And we are still blessed to have my Mom... 

I was thinking about the many things that happened while we were there.. 

Some happy and some sad.. 

But God has been faithful all along and He will continue to be so.. 

So now, dear old St. Martins is in our rear view mirror and we look forward to whatever changes come our way.. 

Knowing who holds tomorrow and keeps His hand in ours gives sweet peace that only He can give.. 

We do pray that the people who bought the place will be blessed and that their business will find favour..

 God bless you.. 

I know that this has been a very long post but hopefully it didn't  bore you to tears.. smile.. 

Thank you once again for being here and for your sweet comments.. 

We are home now and that will be another post.. 

Home Sweet Home... how I love thee.. eh?  grin.. 

God bless dear hearts!