Making Rose Hip Oil...

Hello ..

Here is a little Winter's Day project for you.. 

You may remember that we went on a field trip before Christmas and picked these beautiful berries.. 

Rose Hips.. 

I froze them and then the other day I made some lovely face moisturizing oil ... 

We were out for a drive and I noticed that you can still find some if you look really hard.. 

We have a lot of snow here in New Brunswick but they are still here and there... 

I am sure the birds have been feeding on them but even though they are frozen they will still make a gorgeous oil for your face.. 

You only need 1 cup of them.. 

Let them thaw out and place them in your mortar... Push down a bit with your pestle just to break them up some.. 

If you don't have a mortar then just put them in a cup and juice them up a bit with the handle of a wood spoon or such.. 

Add 2 cups of Sweet Almond Oil.. 

Put the mixture in a crock pot on the lowest heat you can and let them sit in the oil for four to eight hours..

Or in your oven at the lowest heat you can put on.. 

Let the oil cool and then 

strain it through cheesecloth. I did that a couple of times... 

Add a the contents of a couple of Vitamin E capsules and 10 drops of your favorite essential oil.. 

I used lavender.. 

It smells so nice.. 

Here is a link describing the benefits of using rose hip oil.. 

Look HERE..

Hope you enjoy this little project.. 

Thanks for dropping by and have a great week.. 

God bless.. 

Linked to..Pin Junkie.

A Winter Weekend....

Good Evening everyone.. 

Hope you all had a great weekend.. 

We had a lot of snow last week and then over the weekend the warmer temps came along with rain and a lot of snow has departed.. 

I am trying not to be anxious for Spring but to remember how much we enjoy the coziness of being inside during these Winter days..

Especially the weekends.. 

We are also trying to practice some healthy measures by having oatmeal for breakfast several mornings a week along with a little healthy drink recipe I found on the Internet.. 

I can remember my Gramp drinking one something like it.. 

They say it is good for your digestion and many other things so  I am giving it a try.. 

1 T. honey 

1 T. apple cider vinegar 

a pinch of cayenne pepper and then fill up the cup with water and heat in microwave for a minute and then stir ... 

It really is not too bad... smile.. 

The Readers Digest tells the benefits HERE..

We have had quite a bit of company over the weekend.. 

My Mom and Stepfather were here for supper and some friends dropped by for a visit.. 

I love cooking for my Mom.. 

She makes me feel like a grand chef with her lovely compliments.. smile.. 

They brought us some wonderful Canadian coffees.. smile.. 

Yesterday after church some friends came by and we made a couple of meals together.. 

Seafood Pasta and Salad and Rolls and such.. 

While the men watched the race we girls  watched the fire, drank tea, chatted and looked at books..

They had brought some delicious treats and it was such fun.. 

Blessed friends and fellowship.. 

It makes for wonderful winter weekends.. 

Thank you so much for praying for sweet Olivia.. 

She is doing better but still needs prayer.. 

I told a friend I would share the recipe for Texas Hash tonight.. 

You can find it HERE..

We had it today for lunch.. 

I use the basic recipe but spice it up a bit with half of a jalapeno

pepper and as we love cumin I added a teaspoon of that.. 

Take care, dear hearts.. 

So happy you dropped by and I do love your comments... 

Hugs..  

Daily Rituals...

Hello my dears.. 

Another snowy day here in the Maritime provinces.. 

We have plenty, thank you but it keeps coming.. smile.. 

We wake up in the mornings and do our usual rituals.. 

Pray, put the coffee on and start the fire, make the list for the day and check the Internet, call my Mom, make some toast and start the laundry ...

We drink our coffee together and then 

Terry goes for a walk and I putter around.. 

He has snow to shovel and I make a loaf of bread.. 

Fold some laundry and put a pot of soup on the stove.. 

Just the usual but life is good and I appreciate it all.. 

Have a great week, sweetie pies.. 

God bless.. 

PS.. 

Please pray for a sweet grand-daughter of one of my dearest friends who had a ski accident on Saturday.. 

She is only 13 and has suffered quite a few serious injuries but we know a prayer answering God who is also our Healer.. 

Her name is Olivia.. 

Thank you so much.. 

Old Love..

Good Morning everyone ..

Valentine's Day is over for another year.. 

Yesterday, I hauled our little table and chairs from the Sun Room and out in front of our Family Room fireplace.. 

We had decided to eat in so I thought we could have it a bit special.. 

Terry got the fire going in the fireplace . 

He is such a great sport always humoring me and my bright ideas.. smile.. 

Next month is our 44th anniversary so I guess he is used to it all..eh?

Some people think that if you have been married that long then the romance is gone.. 

Well, romance never dies.. 

Love and affection is always necessary in your life no matter how old you get.. 

Although, young love is exciting old love is better.. 

You have been down the road together.. 

He knows what I am thinking usually even before I know I am thinking it myself.. smile.. 

Holding that dear old hand is just as satisfying to me as it was that first time we walked around our block all those years ago.. 

The bond we have together has been strengthened by the many years of trials and tests.. 

We share family..

He makes me laugh still..

Our marriage brings comfort and joy..

I am just so glad I found the one my heart loves.. 

Have a great weekend everyone.. 

We are expecting a lot of snow tonight.. 

So many Sundays this Winter has been stormy days.. 

Spring is on it's way, though.. 

God bless..

Linked to....HOME SWEET HOME..

Planning our Valentine's Day...

Hello there dear hearts.. 

Hope you are all doing well.. 

Valentine's Day is tomorrow, eh!

We are expecting a big snowstorm here in New Brunswick tonight and all day tomorrow so I imagine that it will make short plans for a lot of couples..

We had planned on staying home anyway.. 

My plan is to make us something delicious and will set une table pour deux... smile..

We are never too old for romance and he is very dear to my heart as I think I am to his.. smile.. 

It is worth the time to do something a little special..

We need to take every opportunity to celebrate the wonderful and good things of life.. 

So... 

I am planning on setting the table with this china and linens.. 

I mean to add some valentine touches, though.. 

Here is an idea for you.. 

an old page of music can be a romantic place mat..

Mismatched silver is lovely when tied together with an old piece of lace and cloth napkins.. Right?

Perhaps some lovely romantic music can be playing...

Have you heard the song.. 

He Walked the Line... LOL.. just kidding. 

And I must not forget the candles... 

They really help set the mood... 

Now.. 

The food..  

 One of our favorites is this recipe for a rub for a whole chicken.. 

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

Chicken Rub.. 

4 tsp. sea salt 

3 T. paprika

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. dried thyme 

1 tsp. hot pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. black pepper.. 

Mix together well.. 

Wash and dry your whole chicken well 

Rub mixture on front and back of chicken. 

Place in a large zip lock bag and put in your fridge for over night or several hours.. 

Roast your chicken as usual but baste every 30 minutes.. 

This looks like a BBQ chicken ... 

Probably I will make a loaf of homemade bread.. 

The no knead one only takes a couple of minutes and adds to the meal.. 

A nice green salad, baked potato and probably some type of veggie.. 

Then dessert.. 

I did make this cake.. 

Zucchini Pie

2/3 cup of brown sugar

1/4 cup of butter

1 tsp. of vanilla

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1 cup of grated zucchini  

1/2 cup of nuts or raisins,,,

Just cream the sugar, butter and vanilla.. Then add egg and mix well.. 

Sift in the flour, soda and spices and mix for a minute or so.. 

Add the zucchini and stir well.. 

Pour into a greased 9 inch pie pan..

Bake in a 350 degrees F. oven for 25 minutes.

Turn out onto a rack and cool.. 

Meanwhile stir up an icing for the top.. 

1 1/2 cups of icing sugar

3 T. butter

1/4 tsp. cloves

3-5 tsp. coffee cream or can milk.. (whole milk will do)

Whisk together and spread on.. 

I have posted on this one before ... 

It is not fancy but just so satisfying and old fashioned.. 

We do not need many sweets really but I will try to make something chocolate, too.. 

Just because... smile.. 

Do you girls think it is important to celebrate special days? 

Here is my opinion.. smile.. 

When you are younger and have children it takes a bit more effort to do something special but I really think that Valentine's Day is a special time to celebrate.. 

Marriages need to celebrate.. 

Even if money is scarce there are so many simple ways to plan a special evening for you and your sweetheart.. 

Even if you have to wait until the kids are in bed or perhaps make them a part of some of it.. 

Thanks so much for your sweet visit and comments.. 

Enjoy your day tomorrow.. 

John 3:16 is the sweetest love story ever told.. 

For God So Loved the World

16 “For God so loved the world,[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

LINKED TO.. THE PIN JUNKIE

Baking British Breads... ..

Happy Weekend everyone.. 

Hope you all doing well. 

We have a bit of snow here once again.. 

It is truly beautiful on a nice sunny day.. 

We took a day this week and went across the border into the U. S. 

For the first time ever they took us inside and told us to leave purse, cell phone and everything in the car while they searched it.. 

We had nothing to hide so I was not nervous but I wondered what they were looking for.. 

I told them we had cabin fever.. smile.. 

They were amazed that we would drive so far just to shop for a few hours, I guess.. 

We had a lovely day, though.. 

On the drive down we drank coffee and ate sandwiches we had brought and I read a book written about a family in the UK during the war years.. 

I love reading how that little country made do during those terrible years.. 

They were way ahead of their time as far as recycle, reuse and reduce goes.. 

We think that this is a new concept but as far as I am concerned it has been a basic for a lot of people for many years..

Anyway.. back to the story.. 

It was very interesting and the father was a baker.. 

The writer described the breads he made.. 

He would make a huge batch and shape it into cottage loaves, bloomers and coburgs..

It inspired me to try making the loaves today.. 

I looked it all up on Google and found these links.. 

Coburg bread....HERE

Cottage loaf  .....HERE

Bloomers....HERE

These were among many links but I found that for the most the  recipes were almost the same.. 

So I picked this one.. 

HOMEMADE BRITISH BREAD

500 grams (4 1/2 cups) strong flour.. 

I used white unbleached.. 

2 tsp. salt 

1 tsp. sugar 

2 tsp. instant yeast

325 ml. (1 1/3 cups) tepid water.. 

I doubled this recipe so I could make 2 kinds of bread.. 

Stir the sugar into the warm water. 

Add yeast and let prove for 10 minutes.. 

Add the flour 2 cups at a time along with the salt and stir well.. 

Turn out onto a pastry board which is lightly floured.. 

Knead for 10 - 15 minutes.. 

Cover with greased saran wrap and place in a warm spot.. 

I used my oven.. 

Let rise until doubled which is a couple of hours.. 

So since I doubled  the recipe I separated the dough into 2 parts..

For the Cottage Loaf I divided it into 2/3 and 1/3.. 

Make the bigger amount into a roll and then add the smaller amount onto the top.. 

With a floured wood spoon handle I pushed it through the top loaf into the bottom . 

Sprinkle some flour over the loaf.. 

For the Bloomer Loaf  flatten the bread into a rectangle .. 

Pull each side over towards the middle and then fold over once more.. 

Put the seam side down and make several cuts onto the top.. 

Place each loaf onto a parchment lined cookie tray and let rise until doubled... About another hour.. 

On the Bloomer Loaf brush on water with a pastry brush on the top and in the slits.. 

Sprinkle on sesame seeds or poppy seeds.. 

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.  and place a heavy baking pan on the bottom shelf.. 

Let the pan heat for 20 minutes and then add a quart of cold water to the pan and place the bread on the rack above.. 

The water will steam and this helps make a nice crust.. 

Bake for 35 minutes.. 

Perhaps you would just want to make one loaf then don't double the recipe.. 

The breads turned out wonderfully and light.. 

Terry loved them, too.. 

I wonder what the British baker would think of them.. smile.. 

I love gleaning inspiration from books that I read and I have this wonderful  affinity for anything British.. 

I don't why because I am mostly of Scot descent with a bit of Irish and German.. 

We are a mixed bunch here in North America as you know.. 

Thank you so much for your time and I so love your little notes that you leave me.. 

I want to welcome the new followers.. 

So glad to have you join the blog.. 

Tomorrow we are having some family over and planning on cooking up a bunch of calamari ... 

The bread will go lovely with it along with a big salad and of course the rice has been requested again.. smile.. 

Let me know if you try making the bread and how you make out... 

Take care, dear hearts and God bless.. 

Keepers of the Home for February..

Hello everyone.. 

Just a little post about our Keepers of the Home meeting.. 

Early in the morning we headed over to the church. 

What a lovely sunny day it was.. 

Terry helped me set up the tables and soon the girls were arriving.. 

The smell of coffee was in the air and there was happy chatter.. 

I love just to be still and listen to them all.. smile.. 

We make breakfast together with everyone doing what they can.. along with the catching up of all of the happenings since our last time together.. 

For breakfast there were hashed browns, scrambled eggs, toad in the hole, juices, cheddar biscuits and some delicious blueberry muffins that one of the Keepers brought in.. 

Thank you, dear.. 

Then we all refilled our coffees and had a little lesson about  a Valentine's Day related subject.. 

Love and Romance.. 

Marriage in today's world is a challenge and we discussed how the Lord makes such a difference in our homes and marriages.. 

We need to keep romance alive and enjoy the work that we put into our life with our spouse.. 

He is precious to us and  we need to cherish our marriages.. 

Then we just talked about some good old common sense things that make a difference in our relationship with our husbands.. 

You can find them HERE..

After that we concentrated on making some little mason jar lamps with battery tea lights.. 

We thought they would be nice in the bathroom at night so you needn't turn on the light.. 

We used old music paper and painted red hearts on them .. 

There were many versions and the girls were so creative.. 

I made the little buntings (banners) out of burlap with a painted heart on them.. 

Just cut your burlap into triangles and use acrylic paint to do the hearts.. 

Cut a jute string as long as you need and use your glue gun to glue it on and fold over.. 

A very easy craft to make.. 

I saw this on Pinterest, of course.. 

The little heart box was a door prize.. 

Lindsay won this.. smile.. 

I bought the heart at the dollar store and then tore up paper bags and glued them on the box with a Aylmer's glue stick.. 

Then using modge podge I glued on pics I had copied off of the computer along with a bit of lace and buttons and such.. 

A rubbing of distress ink makes the box look old.. 

Then last just a coating of Modge Podge with a sponge brush and it is all finished.. 

An old board was painted with a heart and John 3:16 painted on.. 

Just a bit of heart art.. 

Thank you, dear hearts for checking in again.. 

I shared with the girls that my stats show that almost 5000 people have read the post of the last April Keepers Meeting .. 

I am glad that some enjoy hearing what we are up to.. 

I think you girls share the post on Face Book .. 

Thank you for doing that.. 

Love to you all.. 

God bless...

Titus 2:4

That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

- King James Bible "Authorized Version", Cambridge Edition

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