Just another day.....

Hello... How are you all this evening?  We have had the most beautiful day here in New Brunswick... As you know that is in Canada... Our temperature today was 17 degrees .. I don't know what that would be in American degrees.  But it was lovely!  We didn't even need a sweater...

I woke up so early this morning... I often congratulate myself if I can sleep in until at least eight o'clock... I guess it was 6 am... Oh well, like I said it was worth waking up for...God just seems more real early in the morning, eh?  I went out on the back patio and looked toward the East...  

We live right in the middle of a little village here... But we have a big field all around us with an old apple orchard right out behind our house...

As you can see they are very old trees... I think there are at least 30 of them....

They still mostly have apples on them.. Which reminds me I need to do the jelly thing... Also, they dry lovely for the potpourries that I like to make for gifts...

I thought I would just show you what I did with the rest of my day...

Hope you are a wee bit interested...lol...

Anyway, I brought these back from the cottage...

A box of herbs... 3 rosemary and 2 lavender plants to replant and take inside for the winter.. I left a couple of the lavenders there and am praying they will survive the winter.. Lavender does much better in St. Martins near the sea.. It dies here every winter but it comes back every time down there.  These ones are Spanish Lavender and the garden guy said they might need to come in.. Time will tell....

Also, there are some cut herbs to dry and put away..

So.. I accomplished that...

Thank you, Lord..

Then I am organizing and cleaning my sewing room  and needed to paint my worktable black...

There it is all painted and brought back in the house...

Sorry about the dark pic...  

And there are the plants all done and in their new pots.. (which I picked up over at Mardens in Calais for five dollars each..)

Oh.. I was so excited... When we were at the cottage I was cooking with some gingerroot and decided to take a little hunk of it and stick it in a little herb bed that we had in an old wheel barrel.. (I think there is a pic on my other blog).. Well, it grew up kind of like a piece of grass .. Then when we were down last weekend  I dug it up... It had grown into quite a size... 

And did it smell lovely... so strong.. 

Well, to make a long story short... I used it tonight... 

To make one of Terry's favorites...

Stir Fry with rice..

The ginger was wonderful in it and I still have a large piece left..

I read up about it and they said to harvest it and then throw a piece of it back into a large pot..  Which I did...I hope it grows over the winter...

Don't you love doing stuff like that...

Well, this has been a long post and not very much info in it for you but I told you from the beginning that it would just be about

the day for this old Keeper of the Home..lol..

Thank you so much for stopping by and I want to welcome the new followers.. 

Have a lovely week and keep the home fires burning...

Praying for you..

Faye

Oh, I am going to put a little bulletin up on the sidebar about next Keepers meeting in Sussex next week... ok?

Making a hydrangea wreath...

It is another Monday after a lovely and busy weekend.. Hope you all enjoyed your weekend, too..
We were blessed to attend some Anniversary services in the church in St. John where we have been attending while at the cottage... Mission Point...
The services were wonderful and the Spirit of the Lord was there..Plus the fellowship of some old friends we haven't seen for awhile and of course our daughter and her family....

Then on Saturday we went up to the old farm for awhile.. I made some lunch  while Terry was fixing the chimney.. I looked out the kitchen window and saw him trying to find the top rung of the ladder!!  It was pouring rain and the ladder was too SHORT!!   LOL...   I went out and wanted to hold  it so he could get down but he succeeded all by himself.. Thank you Lord...
THEN.. he went and got a taller ladder out of the barn... All ended well...lol...

I thought I would  show you this little craft that you can make... 
The hydrangea are so wonderful this year here in N. B.  Every bush you see is fairly loaded with blossoms.. We have one in the back yard where I had collected some then stuck them in a pail until there was a chance to do something with them.. Anyway...
I thought a wreath would be nice along with putting them in crocks, vases and such...So to make this you only need a wreath and a glue gun.... 

All of you probably know how to do this anyway.. But just in case...

Break off some of your dried hydrangea and put some of your hot gue on the stem.. Just stick them in the grapevine making sure that each bunch touches each other and hold until it is firm.. It just takes a second or two..

You can fill the whole wreath or just do half...

Also, you can make a small wreath or a huge one..

Or make two smaller ones and hang them one below the other on your wall...

I like adding some of the dried leaves here and there..You don't have to use any ribbon or raffia..Just do whatever you prefer...

If you have other drieds you can add some of them, too..

There all finished... It only takes a few minutes to complete... Such a sweet accent for any place in your home.. Usually, I would fill the whole wreath but I was trying for a simpler look this time..Oh, and you can even paint the flowers with spray paint...

Perhaps you will find the time to make one... You can buy wreaths at the thrift stores quite easily... And there are still hydrangea out there...

Although, not for long...

Well, I must get going.. Today is Monday and it looks like a good laundry day..

I wonder if any of you Keepers are using the laundry soap that we made..

Have a wonderful week and thank you so much for stopping by and visiting..

Leave a comment if you have time...

 

God bless...

Faye..

Craving.. Doing..Being (Thankful)

CRAVING...DOING....BEING (THANKFUL)

CRAVING:
My kitchen redone.
A trip to Agusta, Maine.
My house ALL cleaned.
A lovely THICK pioneer book.

DOING:
Decluttering.
Preserving pumpkin, tomatoes and herbs.
Making Christmas projects lists.
Baking homemade bread.

BEING THANKFUL FOR:
Salvation.
My sweet loyal husband who loves me for who I am and our dear children..
My warm waterbed.
Creative projects and my cup of coffee..

I am passing this on from Fleecenik Farm  ..If you read this please consider yourself tagged and pass it on..
You can leave a comment or post it on your own site...

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND, GIRLS...
HUGS..
FAYE.

Cleanin' the pantry and bakin' the bread....

Good Evening All...
It has been a lovely windy day here.  The sun shone and my clothes blew off of the line twice.. It was an ideal day to strip the beds and hang everything out...(Even if I did have to do it more than once...)I love using the line this time of year.. It all blows out so nicely and then the beds smell so nice and crisp..  
We have been doing a bit of cleaning since we have moved back.(if we are not in the car going somewhere that is..)
Anyway..
 Cleaning and I are not the best of friends.. I can find soooo many more interesting things to do... But when I get back home the whole house needs a good going through.. Of course, there are still preserves, decorating, cooking, amd crafting to do...
But the most of my days lately have been in the cleaning department... I know I need to clear out and simplify... Get rid of stuff I do not use.. That is my GOAL...

Anyway, today I cleaned my PANTRY... One of my favorite rooms in any house.. I love big ones but this little one is great..
It used to be a storeroom off of the kitchen...Then my sweet husband put in shelves all the way around and a work counter.. I can do my baking in there and store stuff too..
I would love for it to be a primitive style one.. You know with old crocks and jars and antique tools but...
I love to cook so it is just an ordinary work pantry... I am still trying to find space for a wee sink... lol..
Here are some of the shelves at least sorted and all the stuff I did not use before is GONE... Thank you, Lord...

I grow and enjoy using HERBs... My Lovage and Lemon Verbena were all dried today.. I stripped them from the stems and stored them in mason or other type glass jars..

Would you say that doing things like that are puttering?  I get accused of that a LOT...lol..

Then there are items like

 dried beans, pasta and sprouting seeds in bottles, too..

When mushrooms are on sale or we have peppers in season I dry them and store them in jars .. They are great for homemade soups...

These old jars used to belong to my Great Aunt Emily.. I have enjoyed using a lot of her household things that my Mom inherited many years ago...  

I keep the same spices as she did in them...

I picked these up at a yardsale and although I don't use them a lot I could not bear to get rid of them... Yet...

I think they are vintage...

Just for fun I took a pic of a print I have on the wall in there.. It is Tasha Tutor in her pantry..

Tasha Tutor was a wonderful lady who lived to be over 90..

She lived in Vermont and was a well known artist...

I have loved her work since I was in my twenties..

 She used all of the old homemaking skills and back to basics living..

Anyway... 

The very top shelf has old tins and stuff... Lots more that you can't see... lol...

Oh, this is one of the interesting occupations of my day.. I was on a blog that showed a picture of this and I decided it was a lovely idea...

Just take an old doilie... It can be lace or whatever and put it in an embroidery hoop and use it for a cover for an old  bowl..

Isn't it sweet?  I tea dyed mine..

The picture I seen was much nicer.. It was from a book by Storybook Woods.. I can't wait to read it...

It has recipes and such..

I am almost done... I just wanted to tell you girls who are making our daily BREAD that I found a neat little trick today..

Another more interesting thing I did was to make our (the Keepers of the Home) special bread..

The recipe is in a previous post on this blog if you would like it..

Just type in bread recipe in the search engine on the sidebar and then go back up to the top of this posting and click on it.. 

Well to get back to my story..

Here is the bread I made today.. It is soooo good!!

And it only takes about 3 minutes to make..

 

The hint is this.. Maybe you have

 already discovered it if you make the bread..

Instead of flouring your board or table to flatten and flour it..

Just put some flour on your cloth and flatten it there!!

No mess... Just roll it up and wait till the oven is heated..

Also, a large cloth napkin is the perfect size..

Then just wash your cloth in the laundry.. No flour mess...

I love it...

Then when it is in the oven you can make another batch and bake it the next day..

If you don't need it ... Freeze it or give it away..

Such a lovely thing to give someone...

Well, that is all for tonight my dears...

Thank you so much for visiting and for leaving a wee comment...

Talk to you all soon...

Have a safe and happy week...

God Bless...

Faye

Warm Winter Nests...

Good Morning..

Fall has certainly arrived here.. When we left for the cottage our maple trees out front were just starting to leaf out... Here they were this morning....

Every year they only turn yellow.. Then the bedrooms which are on that side of the house  glow in golden light...

With the Fall season I think we all get the urge to turn our homes into warm nests for the winter....

Some cozy comforts...

getting wood for nice warm winter fires...

digging out quilts and comforters..

preserving all your garden's produce ...

OR .. going to farmers markets and stocking up..

making your beds up with flannel or fleecy sheets..

putting out some mats on the floor for cold feet.

preparing soup and homemade bread ....

perhaps changing some curtains or drapes...

and decorating your home for fall.. 

Here we have been trying to get everything moved back from the cottage and put away.. But Terry had to strip the garden so there was some putting up to do the last few days...
a batch of mustard pickles for him as I had none left..
a case of ginger pumpkin preserves..
another  batch of pear chutney.
a pot of Italian tomato sauce..
and some pumpkin puree to freeze..
I think that was it... When the produce is ready you have to put it up or it will spoil...And although there were other things I wanted  to do this seemed to be the most important..(Terry would think so as he worked at the gardening) ..
The apples can wait for another time..

Another weekend is almost here so what are plans or projects?  God has certainly provided us with a beautiful season...

Here are a few things I would love to do this Saturday... 
Take a picnic and go for a nice long drive...(Even if it is raining we could eat in the car) I love driving the back roads on a rainy day....
Visit the Farmer's Market in Moncton early in the morning and then go out for breakfast... 
Surprise a dear friend with a visit and a bottle of chutney.. (Whenever I go there I come home inspired with ideas for my home)
Or stay home and clean.... 
I guess I will be doing that...lol.... 

Then Sunday is the Lord's Day... 

Have a wonderful weekend and God bless ......
                                    Faye...

HOME.....

Good Morning my dears... How are you all?  You probably thought that I had left for parts unknown, eh?  I know you have been very patient with me trying to get  back to normal...lol... I think most of you who read this blog also check my other one Primitive Lace so you know that we have moved back home.  At least through the week and then back to the cottage for the weekends.. So today, I am HOME..    
When I was a young wife and mother I would say that I could move where ever Terry would want to go.. I would have been content.  You see the most important earthly things I had... my husband and children... would have been with me... 
But as the years pass the house where you raise your children and love your husband and family takes on a different meaning.. It really bacomes Home to you in your heart as the wife and mother... Oh, I know sometimes we move and all is well because we love the new home but this is how I feel about this place where I call Home...

When we are at the cottage it is all lovely but when it is time to come Home... (as Terry and I both said yesterday on the way here... ) it is time.

I love Home because...
 Here there are memories of when all three kids slept under this roof...Times of when my family sought God in their own ways in their own rooms or down beside me at the couch...Of times when God anwered our prayers in small ways or great...  Memories of when we all five worked together as  a family to put in the winter's  wood.. (I made the food and they put in the wood and I made the food...lol..)
 How we would put on a nice dinner for ourselves or for company...The saying of Grace by someone...  Here is where the kids brought their friends and stayed up till all hours..Where they ran in after school with their bookbags and coats and all talking as they came in.. Where Shonda and Trevor would have to walk Dustin to school because he would go partway and then come back..lol... The wonderful holidays that we had... Also the time of sorrow of losing my dear Dad...Then Terry's parents .. But the memories are also here of them visiting and laughing..
 The times of getting ready for church and the tape recorder blasting out gospel music as the kids all shared the same bathroom... 
Of when they each got ready to go to College and then to marry and move out to begin their own families.  Then of them bringing their precious ones Home to see us... 
Many years ago Terry told me that someday he would see me come through the French door to the familyroom and I would be an old lady...lol... Well, dear.  I think the time has come....lol....  This house is still Home to me... 
Yes, I have wanted to remodel my kitchen and change things but this place contains something that I love...Precious memories... 
These feelings do not  come in a moment but in a matter of time... It takes time to build these memories with your husband and children... Sure, there were times when I would have loved to walk out the door and slam it, too. lol ..  But I would not have been gone long..My blessings from God were back here in this house and I would have returned... 
I know that some homes are not like this... The love and fellowship between the Lord and the family don't exist... It is so hard to build a home when there is no God and no love... But if you would seek Him and put Him in the centre and yield to His Will it will  work out in time.... 
Yes, I guess I am very glad to be back Home....

I have been busy cleaning and other things...

Gathering these from the bush out in the back yard to arrange around the house and perhaps make a wreath today....

Putting up some Italian tomato sauce... This is so good and so versatile.. You can use it for pasta, pizza or even make a lovely Cream of Tomato Soup with it..

                                                    Yesterday, Terry helped me slice up a pumpkin to make Pumpkin Ginger Preserves.. I will let you know how it all turns out today... They sound good... You have to let them sit for 12  hours...

I also need to dry some herbs and I have pails of pears....

I love this time of year when there is so much potential out there for doing..

So,  for the next while I hope to be posting about ...

Nesting....

Have a wonderful week girls and take care of your families..Appreciate these moments of hectic life because they pass all too quickly...

Thank you to the new followers of The Blessed Hearth and I hope you will find something that will be a blessing to you....

Praying for you..

Faye.. 

Oh, I can post the recipes for the above if anyone is interested.....