May the year 2012 ......

HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR...

Photo by Shonda...

Hello my dears..

The sun is going down on another year that God has provided for us... We have known His love and His mercy everyday this past year.. For that I am thankful..

As I look forward to the year 2012 my mind dwells upon what my heart desires..

My main desire is that I will have a closer walk  with Him...

And that He will have first place in my heart and life.. 

I desire the same for our family.. That we will all grow in grace...

I desire to lead someone to Him in the new year..

I desire to be a witness of the good news.. That Christ saves and He satisfies the longing of our hearts..

I yearn to be the wife and mother that the Jesus desires me to be..

To be the friend that He would have me be...

And yes... to be the author of this blog that He desires...

Proclaiming His love in the little things..

The past year has had it's joys and it's sorrows ...

There has been excitement and there have been tears..

We have gained friends and lost loved ones..

We have had sunny days and we have had stormy ones..

But through it all  I have learned  to lean on Jesus and to trust  in Him...

So dear ladies and sweet mamas let us look forward with a glad heart to a year that God will  make our lives vessels of joy..

Turning our homes into havens of love for the dear family that God has blessed us with.. 

Whether it is just us empty nesters or sweet families or single parent homes let us pray for God's blessing of peace,  joy and love  over our homes for this coming year.. 

Peace in our homes and hearts that only comes from Him and joy for our families that is abundant and love for our husbands that is  blessed of the Lord.. 

Let all we do.. be to His glory..

Does that sound all right to you all? 

What does your heart desire for the new year?

Every New Years Eve since I have been a child I have wondered....

Is this the year that Jesus will return for His bride?

Do you wonder that, too?

Thanks so much dearies for stopping by and for leaving your lovely comments...

I will leave you with this  from Psalms 19..

The New Living Bible..

1.  The heavens proclaim the glory of God.  The skies display his craftsmanship.

2 Day after day they continue to speak;  night after night they make Him known.

 3. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.

4.  Yet their messages has gone throughtout the earth and their words to all the world..

So... as the sun rises onto a new year sweet friends...

This is my prayer....

verse 14...

May my spoken words and unspoken thoughts be pleasing even to you, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Love to you all ...

Just a little quiz for you...

Good Evening sweet ladies...

 I had an interesting day today... Terry went away and I had a chance to work on one of my favorite chores...

LIST MAKING...

I am a junkee list maker.. I love pens, notebooks and cups of tea ...

All at the same time.. grin..

And if I throw a cookie in there it is even better.. smile..

My dear son-in-law has made fun of me for 20 plus years saying that I write things like brush my hair and teeth, etc..

I don't... honest.. I write.. Wake up.. Get dressed.. Have breakfast..

Then I get down to the nitty gritty...grin... 

Like the things I would like to accomplish in my day or week or year ... Who knows..

I have lists of things I would like to accomplish ... Lists of people to pray for... Lists of goals..Menus.. People I would like to have over.. I can go on and on..

Spiritual and Physical...

Anyway... This time of year brings out the real  McCoy of list making efforts in me..

 The year is ending and a whole new page is available for me to fill in with lists...

New year resolutions have nothing on me.. grin.. 

Don't get excited and think that I am a superwoman... Nope.. I don't accomplish half of what I yearn to do.. But my heart really wants me to strive and the lists help me.. A lot... . 

I love crossing things off..  

grin...

With that in mind I would like for you to do a little favor for me.. 

I am so thankful for how this blog is doing but I would like for it to do even better..I know that this it is very small compared to many but anyway.... 

 Therefore.... 

Would you please fill out a little quiz for me.. 

PLEASE... grin.. 

Just answer the questions in the comments section or email me at 

houseofhenry@hotmail.com  

There are only 5 questions... OK?

1..What is your age group.. up to 49 years or over 50??

2.. What is your main interests besides your family and church.. 

Like recipes, crafts, decor, back to basics skills, etc

3..Are you a stay at home homemaker or do you work outside of the home also??

4..Do you have children and are they still at home or are you an empty nester?

5..What do you enjoy most about the Blessed Hearth Blog? 

Thank you my dears.. I really appreciate this..

I know that this will help me a lot..

Thanks for being so faithful and dropping by and leaving your dear comments..

Looking forward to hearing from you...

May God bless and keep you...

Hugs

Another blessed day at the Old Farm..

Hello my dears..

I promised in my last post that I would share some pics of our day at our  old farm with you...

Sammi seemed to know where we were going...

The farm is one of his favorite places, too.. smile..

As you can see our snow as all vanished... At least we had some for Christmas Day...

The rain was coming down in sheets...

And the wind was roaring, too.. All of you girls who have been following the blog for a while know that I love this kind of weather..

Terry made a fire and I put the kettle on to boil.. The house was not too cold as he had been out the day before and the temps were mild, anyway..

We were a bit late getting here so I set right to work getting dinner ready...

Terry wanted me to tell you that I just went out and picked the veggies.. grin.. I brought them from home, of course....

What should I make with this variety, I wonder... 

We are sort of expecting company... My Mom said that they might be up...

I decided at home that I would probably make a casserole and a salad.. Sound good?

Broccoli Salad...

Blanche a bunch of broccoli and rinse in cold water and drain well.. Add a bit of red onion, a couple of sliced mushrooms, and a bit of cheese..

You can also add a couple slices of bacon.. Whenever I cook bacon I always try to save a few crisp slices in the fridge for salads..

A little touch goes a long way in flavor..

Then I just mixed about a 1/3 cup of mayo with about a tablespoon of red wine vinegar..

Don't add the dressing until ready to eat..

Terry had to go to the barn to get a hammer so I sent the camera with him...

Such a big old barn.. I wrote about it HERE..

I closed this blog but the post is still there..

I love old barns, do you? 

Anyway... inside I am making Shepherds Pie..

I really don't know where the recipe for this came from..

It may have come from Terry's Mom.. I know mine didn't make it...  

                

 Terry gave me these new place mats for Christmas..

Aren't they cute?  I love the red work...

See my little Christmas candle holder I picked up at the Thrift store for only 75 cents... It is still Christmas season, eh?

The casserole is cooked and the salad is tossed.. 

I guess lunch is ready..

Our company didn't arrive.. Oh well..

Great leftovers... smile..

A good frugal meal... Lots of veggies, too..

Thank you dear Lord for a lovely meal and a lovely day..

Here is an old mirror that I have had for years.. Terry found it under our sofa in the living room the other day..

I think I will put it here...

I love sheep... Do you?

I will just keep puttering away... smile.. 

Another day is coming to a close.. It is almost dark out ...

We need to close everything up and get going..

Ahh... the lights of home...

Everyone here still have  their Christmas lights on..

Until New Years Day that is.... smile..

We have had a wonderful blessed day together..

All we need for supper is a cup of tea and a bowl of tomato soup...

Hope you are having a good week, too ...

Thanks for dropping by sweet ladies.. Looking forward to hearing from you again..  Are you still celebrating the season or is it all over in your part of the world? 

God bless...

Tuesday after Christmas....

Good Evening to one and all..

Just dropping by for a short chat tonight.. It is almost bedtime..

I wanted to show you a pic that I took a couple of weeks ago of my precious Dolphin plant... I posted a pic several months ago and it only had one bloom.. This time there were two..

There was a third bud but it did not bloom..

Anyway, this plant has taken me a couple of years to even get it to grow this big.. I love the thing, though.. grin..

Today was another lovely day.. My husband loves going shopping for Boxing Day sales every year.. Today was no exception and we were up quite early and headed into the city..

My, what crowds of people .. Not really my cup of tea but we only went to a few shops.. I did find a few great thrift store deals as the Christmas trims had 75 percent off..

We went out for lunch to my favorite place..

East Side Mario's.... It is not Terry's  fave but I really appreciated it.. I think maybe I should have been born in Italy.. grin..

The meal was delicious.. Italian Wedding Soup... yuuummmm...

After we arrived home Terry got ready and went up to our old farm.. He made a fire and worked at heating the old house  up for tomorrow.. We are going up for the whole day tomorrow.. Lord willing... smile..

Here is a pic of some old dishes that we have up there..

A dear old sister in our church gave this set to me a few years ago and I cherish them...

We will be eating a couple of meals there so I need to get up early and pack up some food..

Terry has some carpenter work to do and I always have a great time reading and cooking..

I putter around arranging the old stuff that we have up there...

Nothing valuable at all but old fashioned..

This old farm used to belong to my Dad's sister and I can just imagine her going there as a young bride..Bless her heart..

Last year about this time it looked like this...

This year though the driveway is still clear..

Anyway, I hope you are all getting rested after the busy time..

I will try and take a few pics of our day tomorrow and post them after we get home.. OK?

I miss my kids tonight.. It is always like that after they have all been home and then go back to their own places and their own lives..

That is mainly why Terry thinks we should go up there for the day..

It relaxes both of us and we enjoy each other's company.. That is good thing as all there are up there are hills and coyotes.. grin..

Just kidding... There are many lovely neighbors.. we just can't see them..smile..

Have a blessed evening..

Hugs..

Dinner is ready!!

Hello my dears..

Hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas...

Today all of our children were home for the whole day..

They landed here around 10 am and did not leave until 7 pm...

What a wonderful day:-)

Thank you dear Lord  for such a blessed time..

Just sharing a few pics of the day..

The grandsons are getting taller than their Dads... grin..

Some like to check up on the stock exchange.. smile..

We serve it buffet style.. much easier.. 

Hey, Grandma .... do you have any ketchup?.. grin..

The grandsons sit in the kitchen...

The drinks are ready...

So blessed to have Mum and my Step - Father here..

 

Age before beauty we told them.. grin..

Mum said she better get to the end of the line, then.. smile..

Turkey, Spare Ribs, mashed potatoes, peas, carrots, bacon potato stuffing, gravy, rolls, etc...

Dessert was four kinds of cheesecake, apple pie, and ice cream cake..

Then we just sat around or laid around.. grin..

Archies are always a fave... smile.

Then there were some family pics taken.. smile..

Can you believe it is almost over for another year??..

God has been good and all is well..

Have a wonderful week and thanks for visiting..

Take care, my sweet friends..

Hugs..

MERRY CHRISTMAS...

Merry Christmas everyone..

We have our tree up.. smile..

Our friends laugh at us because it is kind of a tradition of ours.. December 24 and up goes the tree.. I would love to get it up earlier but for some reason every year it does not get up until tonight... smile...

It is only Christmas Eve after all.. smile..

Have a happy blessed day with your dear families...

I included a song that my cousin sent me..

Isaiah 7:14 ... Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign .. The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel..

                                   GOD BLESS...

Looking back over the day...

Good Evening everyone..

Hope everything is well with you all..

 A snowy day here in Atlantic Canada.. 

We have been busy doing last minute chores.. Terry is cleaning up the big mess... grin... 

It was a big job.. Poor guy..

I had a nice cup of coffee and a bagel for breakfast..

I thought I would share this card that I received in the mail for my birthday from a sweet friend who lives in St. Martins ( where we have our summer cottage..)

I thought it was hilarious:-)  They tease me about being an OLD hippie.. Funny, eh!!

Did you know that you can make your own cream cheese spreads for your bagels? 

The one I used here is herb and garlic..

Just cream up a block of cream cheese and add a clove of crushed garlic, a tsp. of dried onion flakes and a  bit of chopped parsley..

It is delicious..  Or you can add some chopped strawberries( or pineapple, blueberries, etc.) and a tsp. or two of sugar..

Cream well..

Anyway, the rest of the day I baked... Oreo balls, pineapple squares, shortbreads and 2 batches of fudge..

Here I am putting labels on some patchouli cream that I made for my sister...  

She must be an old hippie, too.. grin..

Also, finishing up some tags.. I am not a great painter but it is fun to make some homemade tags..

And the stars are cut out of clementine skins..

Just use a little cookie cutter and let them dry.. Add to potpourri or freeze them in ice cubes for your punch...

Here it is evening again, already...

The lights are lit on the mantel..

I think I will just sit back and enjoy the lights..

I enjoy the before Christmas...Do you? 

Soon the lights will need to be put away...

But for now I will enjoy them..

All of our sweet kids are coming home for Boxing Day.. Lord willing..

Tomorrow, I need to make the ice cream cake and get all the beds ready...

Isn't God good?.. I really appreciate Him tonight... Just thinking over the past year and all of His goodness to us..

He has supplied us with a roof over our head, food on our table, shoes on our feet and peace in our hearts that only He can bring..

And tonight I am thankful for all of you.. You have become dear friends and a blessing in my life.. 

I so enjoyed all the cards and wee gifts that you sent..

Such dear girls...

Thank you for dropping by and Merry Christmas.. 

May the Jesus of the manger bless your hearts and lives this beautiful season.. 

xoxox 

Come on in and have a wee visit....

Well, girls here we are... Another day in the life of Faye Henry..

Here it is just five days before Christmas day and guess what my dear sweet husband decides he NEEDS to do? 

Yup... you guessed it... Put on some coveralls and cut down some trees.. Can you believe it??? 

We have two blue spruces right in front of our house..

We have lived here for over 25 years and they have grown huge.. The thing is that they have been shedding big time on our roof and so he decided that they had to go before they ruined it..

Ok... but today... so close to Christmas...

Yes... What can a woman do???

Let's just go in the house, shall we? 

Oh, here is an old chair here on the front step..

Lori... one of the Keepers of the Home made me the lovely bundle...I think the skates used to belong to Shonda...

Winter Greetings, eh!

Come on in..

It is a lovely cold day and Terry has the wood furnace on..

Come in... 

I have a snowman theme going on here in the front foyer..

A snowman tree... I think most of the ornaments are homemade..

And this old hall tree used to hang in Terry's childhood home.. We treasure it..

I made Mary and Joseph last year...

And down below that is the bench I shared with you a bit ago..

As you can see the garland holds a stocking that I made for each of our 5 grandsons.. smile..

Oh, yes and one for Sammi... (our inherited dog...grin)

Anyway, come on in and sit while I make a salad for lunch..

I made this for the Keepers supper the other night and the girls wanted me to put the recipe  on here..

I had enough stuff left to make us one for lunch..

Here is the recipe.. My dear friend Lynn gave it to me several years ago.. 

CRUNCHY PEA SALAD.. 

2 cups of frozen peas..(thawed).

1 cup of celery chopped

1 cup peanuts, halved

6 crisp slices of bacon 

1/4 cup of chopped red onion..

On a plate or lovely platter put the peas on the centre and then arrange the rest of the ingredients on the edge of them..

Save a few of the onions and bacon for the top..

The dressing.... 1/2 cup of mayo blended with 1/4 cup of zesty Italian dressing.. Pour this mixture over top of the ingredients..

Garnish with the remaining onion and bacon..

It is a pretty salad to serve over the Christmas season, too..

Well, I wonder how the dear man is doing.. smile..

One tree down and one more to go...

Oh my... what is he going to do with all of this..

And now there are only 4 days left... grin..

You will have to go out the back door, I think... grin..

Thank you for the sweet visit... As you know I love having you and hearing your sweet comments..

How are you all doing for the season?..

So take care sweet ladies..

Sending you love, joy and peace..