Keepers of the Home Christmas Gathering...

Good Evening, dear hearts.. 

Hope you are all having a good weekend.. 

We are to have a major snowstorm beginning tonight and lasting through the day tomorrow.. 

I wonder if it will stay until the big day.. smile... 

We had our Christmas Supper last night.. 

The weather turned out fine and we had 25 people attend.. 

I thought you might like to see some of the pics of the house being readied and waiting for everyone to show up.. 

We had some snow but not too much..

The dinner menu included.. 

Hot turkey open faced Sandwiches with Swiss Chalet type Gravy.. 

Baked Potatoes   Chives and Sour Cream 

Sauteed Peas with Butter 

Sliced Carrots

Caesars Salad    Fiesta Rice Salad 

Cranberries 

Lots of pickles 

Fresh Rolls 

The dear ladies brought Sherbet Punch and

Desserts galore.. 

Cheesecakes, Pies, Cakes, Macaroons, Carrot Cake and much more..

Tea and Coffee.. 

Here is the link for the Gravy.. 

Click HERE.

I made four batches of this which was a crock pot full.. 

The turkey just would not produce enough real turkey gravy so this is a good recipe for a crowd.. 

Not as good as the real thing, though.. smile.. 

I will give you the rice recipe next week.. 

I did like it.

I think that everyone had a good time.. smile..

The girls broke my rule and cleaned all up after.. 

Thank you sweeties and also for the lovely hostess gifts..

How are YOU all doing? 

Getting ready for the holidays??.. 

I hope to get a bit of shopping done next week.. 

The lovely part of having a party here at our house is all of the little chores that get done .. 

Terry and I are procrastinators and this achieved many things that we have wanted to get completed.. 

My kitchen redo is now ninety percent finished and I love it.. 

Thank you, Lord.. 

I am so glad you all dropped by and look forward to hearing from you.. 

I am going to open up the comment section again and see how we make out.. 

Sending you all a Christmas hug.. 

Have a great Lord\'s Day tomorrow.. 

God bless..

PS.. 

Sorry about the quality of some of the pics.. xo

Just a bit of Christmas decorating...

Happy Weekend everyone.. 

Hope all is well with you ... 

Just a little post of pics tonight of Christmas decor here and there.. 

A pic here that Shonda took of her new home decorated for the season.. 

Rather lovely... 

I thought you might like to see it.. 

Here are a couple of pics of an old chair that I put out on the stoop ...

These pics were taken last year with an old blanket I picked up at the Thrift store.. 

I am doing the same this time, too.. 

A little vignette that Shonda had put together... 

I have been busy getting the house together for our rather large gathering for this Friday night.. 

I have the pantry tree up and decorated... 

A small room but one of my favorites in the house.. 

Terry has been busy also and the kitchen is almost done.. 

It takes us two ancient  older people a lot of time to finish anything these days .. 

Slow and sure does the chore eventually, though.. smile.. 

A few spare bedroom shots.. 

I kind of do the same basic decorating now adays .. 

I used to have to change it each season as I had open house for my craft business here each Fall.. 

So happy I don't have to do that anymore.. 

This is another spare room.. 

Our babies have all fled the nest but hopefully they will be back for 

a night or two over Christmas.. 

We all get together on Boxing Day this year but some of them are coming on Christmas Day and staying overnight.. 

So excited....

I love having all of our children under this roof again at one time.. 

Don't  you? 

A little vignette by Shonda for the back of a flush.. 

We are planning on spending a couple of nights with them next week so will take a few pics of her new home decorating to share with you.. 

I have the menu all ready for our party next week and most of my decorating is finished but you know how many last minute jobs there are to do, eh... 

Hope I get it all completed before they get here. 

We are expecting almost 30 people.. 

Yeah.... 

Looking forward to it all.. 

Tomorrow is the Lord's Day.. 

The weeks practically fly by, don't they.. 

We feel so blessed to be attending this little church and love the  precious people who worship there .. 

God has blessed us so much and I am very thankful tonight for his faithfulness.. 

We go through storms in this life and He is right there with us in the midst of it all ... 

Guiding and protecting us and directing our steps.. 

Answering prayers and giving us more then we can even think or imagine ... 

Ephesians 3: 20

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us..

Thank you dear hearts for your sweet visit.. Your comments are lovely and I look forward to them.. 

Welcome to the new followers of the blog.. 

So glad to have you.. 

Have a blessed day tomorrow and remember to put Him first in your day.. 

Hugs.. 

The first week of December with a recipe and how to..

Hello everyone.. 

Hope all is well in your part of the world.. 

We have been waking up to snow some mornings and then the next day it is completely gone and we may have rain.. 

Never quite sure what we will be having.. 

Today the roads were very dangerous here in New Brunswick.. 

I was glad we did not have to go anywhere and our sons did not have to go to work until tonight.. 

The Christmas Closet has been emptied.. smile..

There is a closet in our room which has been given over just for Christmas decor and such.. 

This week I have slowly worked my way through it... 

The only things left in there are the ornaments for our real tree.. 

We will not put it up until the week of Christmas.. 

There are several smaller artificial ones here and there, though..

The mantel is the one thing I love to have finished and except for fresh greenery it is completed.. Yeah... 

Not a great pic but you get the gist for now, eh... 

The mornings are so dark when I get up now, especially if it is a rainy or snowy day..

Do you enjoy the dark mornings along with your coffee?  smile.. 

As we have been busy this week I have tried to do a few bowl meals.. 

Terry is finishing some work in the back hallway and me decorating so I like something easy that will do for at least a couple of meals.. 

One I did was chili which we love over hot mashed potatoes, rice or salad.. 

The only thing is it was such a big hit with hubby that it disappeared before I could stretch it much.. 

We did have it over rice and potatoes but then it was gone.. smile.. 

We also had Broccoli and Beef which is good over rice, too.. 

Do you make bowl meals and what ideas do you have??

I would like some new ones.. 

We had bought a butternut squash so I baked it into a couple of sweet breads.. 

Baked it in the oven and then pureed it.. 

The bread is such a nice treat with a hot cup of tea, eh? 

Here is the recipe in case you would like to have it.. 

It is an old one that I have had for years..

You can use either pumpkin or squash.. 

The Best Pumpkin Bread..(or Squash)

2 1/2 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking powder 

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ginger or allspice

1/4 tsp. cloves

2 c. sugar 

1/2 c. butter

1 1/2 c. pumpkin or squash puree

1/2 c. water

3 eggs

1 c. nuts or chocolate chips (optional)

1/2 c. raisins.. 

Place all dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.. 

Cream butter, sugar, and eggs.. 

Add water and dry ingredients.. 

Stir well.. 

Add nuts , chips or raisins if desired.. 

Pour into 2 greased pans and bake at 350 degrees F. for 35 minutes or until done in the centre.. 

You can also use a 28 ounce can of pumpkin pie filling if you like.. 

Hope you enjoy this.. 

It is so nice for the Winter... 

I included a pic of little gift bags you make with lunch bags, pages from an old book, a stamper, and dried pears.. 

You glue it all together with an Elmer's glue stick and then spray a bit of glue and glitter.. 

Add a tag..

I go around the edges with a bit of brown ink.. 

Well, that is all for tonight dear hearts.. 

Hope you are enjoying getting ready for the season, too.. 

Thanks so much for visiting and leaving your sweet notes.. 

Take care and God bless.. 

A busy week..

Good Evening everyone.. 

How are you all doing? 

We have had a rather busy week and I have not been able to post.. 

Sorry about that.. 

But I am back.. smile.. 

We made a little trip across the border for Black Friday.. 

We arrived in Maine around 11 pm and then realized that they are an hour behind us.. 

They were to open at 12 am..

So...we had to wait in the car for an extra hour and I think it was -10 degrees.. 

The line of people waiting for the store to open with lawn chairs and blankets stretched clear across 2 parking lots and more.. 

It blew my mind.. 

We waited until they had all gone in which took about 20 minutes. By the time we went in every cart was gone and the place was packed.. 

It was then that I realized that we had lost our marbles.. grin.. 

To make a long story short we arrived back home by 8 o'clock in the morning and really did not get many things crossed off our Christmas lists.. .. 

I just could not function in that crowd.. 

I told the customs office that it was my first and last Black Friday.. 

He said he had heard that a lot in the last few hours.. 

I guess we will just mark it down to experience.. 

And I want to thank my sweet friend Dawn for encouraging me to try this one.. grin.. 

That night the Keepers of the Home had a little Christmas gathering at one of the girls homes.. 

We had so much fun and a wonderful turnout.. 

Thank you Cindy for having us all.. 

Her house is huge and she had it all decorated and ready for us.. 

We had a Yankee Swap and a Christmas Carol quiz.. 

Such a hoot.. 

The food was wonderful, too... 

Everyone brought something.. 

There was a brushetta bar, forcoccia, dips, crackers and so much more.. 

Here is the link for the bruschetta  bar idea HERE..

There was lots of candlelight so the pics are not very good but you get the gist..

I made lemon pickles and new curtains this week also.. 

We are planning a Christmas Supper for our Keepers and their husbands..

Terry and I have a lot to do.. 

Cleaning, decorating, planning the meal and entertainment.. 

We had lovely company today..

 Dustin helped his Dad hook up a new to us Washer and Dryer.. Our old ones kind of gave up earlier in the week.. 

Veronique helped me make my lists but she is a lot like my hubby by mentioning the short time left to get ready.. 

Several times.. grin.. 

 One advantage of having a party is that hubby gets little jobs done that need to be finished.. 

And I get a lot of chores completed that need finished, too. 

I hope. smile...

We have a good time, too..

.

The little lads enjoyed Grandma's pasta lunch today.. 

They are growing so much and looking forward to Christmas.. 

Are you?

Thank you dear girls for dropping by and for visiting over to Bevy's blog earlier in the week.. 

I want to welcome you girls who joined this site.. 

Looking forward to getting to know you all.. 

Tomorrow is the Lord's Day.. 

The forecast is for snow but hopefully there will not be much..

Remember, I love your sweet comments and enjoy each one so much.  

Take care my friends.. 

How are your Christmas chores and activities going? 

Hugs.. 

Visiting over at Mugs and Muffins today..

Good Morning my dears..  

So happy you dropped by today.. 

I am doing a little guest post for Bevy over at Treasured Up and Pondered..

You can find it HEREl

Bevy is a dear heart and shares a Mugs and Muffins Segments each month.. 

It is filled with wonderful recipes for homemade muffins, an encouraging post and a great giveaway.. 

Her blog is about the Christian home and family life.. 

I know you will enjoy visiting her.. 

Thank you for inviting me to join you, Bevy.. 

The post is called Preserving the Family... 

The family is a precious unit that we need to treasure but to also preserve.. 

 God loves our families and wants us to do all we can to cherish them and keep them close to our hearts.. 

So with that in mind I am giving you a couple of recipes for preserves.. 

The first recipe is for 

VANILLA BEAN APPLE HONEY 

It is a delicious bottle of jam and the recipe can be found HERE..

This recipe only makes one jar but it is so easy to do if you have 3 apples or pears that have been hanging out in the fridge.. 

Or perhaps you just need a little gift to take to someone along with Bevy's lovely muffins.. 

By the way this recipe was given Terry's seal of approval.. smile.. 

Remember the other day when we were at the farm and I cut up this bowl of cauliflower..

Well this is how they turned out.. 

Aren't they pretty?  

So nice for your Thanksgiving or Christmas table, I think.. 

They taste good also and are so different from other pickles.. 

The recipe made 1 quart but I doubled it and had enough for 2 quarts and enough brine left to do a pint bottle of red onions.. 

I found the recipe HERE..

If you don't have enough brine then just make another batch and add it.. 

You keep these in the fridge ... 

Thank you so much for your lovely visit.. 

Please let Bevy know you were THERE.. and enter her giveaway.. 

Take care everyone.. 

Hugs.

LINKED TO..WISE WOMAN LINKUP...

Free Christmas Decorations..

Hello my dears.. 

Are you all getting this cold weather yet?  

Here in Eastern Canada we have had cold and winds but it is November after all and I guess we expect this.. 

A bit of snow is forecast for over the weekends.. 

Terry and I went on a little foraging trip yesterday.. 

It was so cold and windy but we dressed warmly, picked up a hot cup of coffee from Tim's and were on our way.. 

We have made several trips up to our old farm lately and I have been spying out the ditches.. 

I love decorating for Christmas with wild stuff...  grin.. 

Anyway, we went on a little side road and saw these growing ... 

Rose hips... 

So gorgeous, eh? 

My dear husband cut a bunch of the branches and I picked several containers of the berries to dry for potpourri..

What a lovely place this is.... .. 

Old farms that have been there for decades, rustic camps and smoke coming out of chimneys..

It was a beautiful day..

The coffee was good and the company was sweet.. 

 Just so thankful for days like this where we spend such precious time together.. 

Sounds corny, eh? 

Nevertheless... it is true..

There are some wonderful country scenes up that way.. 

A little country church... 

Albert County is such a beautiful county in this province.. 

Perhaps, I am prejudiced ..smile..

  Huge windmills.. 

We found a little bird's nest..

 I will put it in with some pine and dogwood ...

Then while he was in the ditch cutting some branches a truck pulled up and stopped.. 

I took the picture in my mirror of him trying to explain to the forest ranger why he was ripping off the forest.. grin.. 

Actually, he knew the lad and he told Terry that he was a good man for helping his wife... 

And he is... smile... 

We found white berries, little trees, fir cones, lovely green moss and different pods.. 

I will share a few pics of the finished product when I get it all together.. OK? 

Here is the link for last year's WINTER POTPOURRI..

Today I did a bit of cooking.. 

A favorite soup... 

My version of LENTIL SOUP..

Dustin was here so I sent some home with him as they all have the flu.. 

And some cookies for a couple of sick boys.. 

Hope they all are feeling better soon.. 

How are you girls doing? 

I know our American friends are preparing for their Thanksgiving Day.. 

I don't like decorating for Christmas until December but I have been thinking perhaps I should start sooner as it takes me so much longer then it used to.. 

I don't do as much anymore because the kids only get home for one day usually and I just dislike taking it all down again.. 

Getting lazy in my old age, I guess.. 

Thanks for visiting here and as you know 

I love hearing from you and just wondering about your decorating plans and such this year.

I would like to welcome the new followers of the blog.. 

Appreciate having you .. 

Take care everyone and God bless..