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Monday, July 28, 2014

These lovely Summer days..


Good Evening all.. 
It is a very rainy one here by the Bay of Fundy tonight.. 
So cozy, though.. 

I am posting a few pics of our days here at the cottage .. 

We are in the process of closing our shop..
This is our final season and we have been having fun selling everything mostly at 50 percent off.. 
I should have put that sign up years ago.. grin.. 
I would not have made much money but at least it brings in the people.. smile.. 
The shop is only opened 3 afternoons a week, too so I am enjoying my Summer much more.. 
I am just tired of it all.. 
We did the craft shows for 20 years and the shop is in it's 8th year so I believe I have paid my dues.. smile.. 

I have not been making anything much to add to the shop except for a bit of jam..
 Strawberry and Rhubarb.. 

The other day I started the gift tags in the above photo and they look like they will turn out all right.. 
I also am making Room Sprays and a few bars of soaps... 

Here at the cottage I started my Four Thieves Salad Dressing.. 


Kind of interesting, eh? 
You make this vinegar mixture and let it sit on a sunny window sill for a couple of weeks.. 
Then you add some oil and make a salad dressing.. 

Four Thieves Salad Dressing.. 
1/4 cup of lavender buds (organic)
1/4 cup of sage, chopped
1/4 cup of rosemary, chopped
1/4 cup of thyme, chopped.. 
Place the herbs in a sterilized jar and cover with 2 cups of barely warmed Apple Cider vinegar.. 
Place on a sunny window sill for 10 days or so.. 
Strain through a cheese cloth .. 
It can make a vinaigrette for salad, cucumbers, greens or such..
Use 3 or 4 parts good oil to 1 part vinegar.. 
You can add more oil or less according to your tastes.. 
A crushed clove of garlic and salt and pepper is also tasty.. 

  

 I am trying to root some lemon thyme.. 
Mint will root very well.. 
We shall see..  

Here is something we had as a side dish for Supper.. 
They are a delicacy that we have growing here on the marshes up around home.. 


They are called Samphire Greens and if you have followed my blog you know that each Summer I go on and on about them.. smile.. 
They are that delicious.. 


In the small bowl are the stems.. 
You pull the greens off with your fingers and the little branch thing is left.. 
They belong to the Sea Weed family and are a bit salty marshy taste.. 
Do you know what I mean? lol.. 

A picture I took over on Mac's Hill the other evening.. 
See the church there below the fog?



Pretty.. 

We had Old Home Week here in St. Martins.. 
Last week my Mom and her husband had tables set up for Yard Sale day.. 


Mom is in the rocking chair and Gerald is packing up.. 
Can you imagine doing that at 84 and 80? 
They bring the trailer all the way from Moncton each Summer and sell all kinds of stuff.. 
Keeps them young, I think.. 

There was a parade and such on Saturday past and there were so many people around.. 
Very good selling week for the shop.. 
Thank you, Lord.. 

On Sunday we attended church and were so blessed to hear
The Louisiana All State Youth choir.. 
They were doing a tour and stopped in St. John.. 
Then last evening we went home and attended our precious church and heard a wonderful young pastor and singer Kent Carter... 

A very blessed day..
  
It was so lovely today just to putter around here at the cottage.. 
 Cleaning the fridge and pantry, making a Tuscan bean Soup, hanging up a new curtain on the French door, cleaning drawers and such,  making supper and doing the dishes.. 
Ordinary things on an ordinary day.. 

Well, dear hearts thanks once again for your visit.. 
Summer is such a busy time so I appreciate your effort.. 
As always, though, I look so forward to hearing from you..
I love your emails, too .. 
They give me such encouragement to keep on blogging.. smile.. 
God bless.. 


17 comments:

  1. It was a lovely surprise to see you last night :) Like your tags...

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    1. Oh Linds.. It was just so good to see you and everyone.. Miss you guys but Summer is fleeing.. Soon be home again.. xo

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  2. I would love to visit your shop! That Four Thieves Salad Dressing sounds delicious. The gift tags are so cute. Thanks for sharing your weekend with us. Have a happy week!

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  3. I am planning on giving my hand a try at making your Strawberry Rhubarb Jam tomorrow! I tried a recipe today for refrigerator Strawberry Rhubarb jam, using Chia seeds to cause it to thicken. Very unique! Now I want to try yours!

    All of your pictures are so beautiful, Faye. I enjoyed seeing things you've been up to...thinking Christmas...and thank you so much for the ideas you've shared.

    Have a wonderful week! Oh...and 84 and 80 and still doing that driving, packing, unpacking, packing back up all that stuff! Remarkable. Yes...I'd say it keeps them young!

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  4. Oh Faye! you're so special. I love your heart! I love hearing your honesty... and seeing your love flow through your hands in meal prep, or gift giving or crafting... even in just your words.

    You're Mom is beautiful too! I love how you say it keeps em young!

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  5. My parents are in their 80s also and I am amazed at the things they do. My dad (82) plays 18 holes of golf every day! I hope you enjoy having your days to do what you want to do, you have certainly earned it!

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  6. The gift tags are delightful and that salad dressing sounds amazing, I have copied down the recipe to give it a go. Hope your sale goes well and that you have more time to do whatever it is you want to do. Both my husband and I took early retirement and with all our hobbies wonder how we ever had time to go to work. Have a good week.

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  7. This is all so lovely Faye. I like the sound of your salad dressing especially for the lavender and plan to start some off when we move I have two lavender plants to take to the new house. For some reason it never survives here in this garden but apparently the soil in the new house is so good that anything will grow. Great name, 'four thieves.' Your shop looks amazing too, I saw your picture on twitter and it looks like just the kind of place that I like to root around, but I'm sure that it's hard work along with everything else that you do. Your mum is amazing to keep so active...a new role model for me. Thanks again for sharing these insights in to your cosy life. Please keep on sharing them with us and don't stop...
    Enjoy the rest of your week,
    debx

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  8. You are such a sweetie to visit.
    I love all the photos.
    And the yummy dishes.
    Woolie HUgs

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  9. Love your photos, Faye, and so glad to hear your summer is going well. I will miss hearing about the shop. :-(. I have a question about the salad dressing, can I substitute fresh lemon juice for the vinegar?

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    1. I'm sorry Barbara.. That is a good question... I think lemon juice would go bad but that is just my opinion.. I make a lemon salad dressing mixed with oil and it lasts but not sure if it would with just herbs.. Sorry.. xo

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  10. Samphire is the new thing in chic restaurants in England! Funnily enough we used to pick it from the beach nearby, years ago. Lovely, a bit like asparagus.

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  11. Ordinary days, are my favorite kind of days :)

    Sounds like you are getting ready to have a bit more time with your sweet husband, and family, as I'm sure the shop has taken up quite a few hours.
    Happy thoughts of relaxing days.

    Enjoy this last bit of time and best of luck clearing and selling everything.
    Are you still going to spend your summer's there, even though you will not run the shop??

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    Replies
    1. Yes, for sure.. We love St. Martins in the Summer and then without the shop makes it even more attractive.. Our grandsons would not be very happy if we sold the old cottage.. smile.. Thanks for your sweet visit, Kerin.. xo

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  12. Hi Faye -
    I'm so glad that you will still be going to St. Martins in the summer. What would I do without all of your lovely pictures that you post? I don't get out much, but just knowing that there are lovely places like that in the world and that you "see them for me" is wonderful. Thank you for sharing them and all the little bits and pieces of your "ordinary days" that make mine special.

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  13. I so enjoy your gentle tone and warm-my-heart photos. I'm just glad you're not 'closing' your blog!

    Happy week,
    Kelley~

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  14. I love the church in the fog. I hope you will still be able to summer there on the bay even thought the shop is closing.

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