Thursday night post...

Hello everyone.. 

Welcome to the Blessed Hearth this evening.. 

Just a little post for you towards the end of April... 

Last week we woke up to a couple of inches of snow twice at least but it would all be gone by noon.. 

Thank heavens.. 

I hope that we are finished with it all. 

We were out to the farm the other day just to get some water and drop off some stuff.. 

Charlie was glad to be back.. smile.. 

 I took a few pics so you can see that the snow is really almost gone.. 

Still some up in the hills... 

But it won't be long and that too will be melted away.. 

The brook sounds awesome this time of year.. 

Enjoyed sitting there listening to it while Terry did his thing.. 

Just dreaming about planting and such.. 

We hope to have a much bigger garden this year... 

Then on Saturday we had a Keepers of the Home meeting.. 

We woke up to several inches of snow but the roads were bare...

We made some breakfast and a wee devotional about our Homes and thankful that the Lord holds our hands.. 

We learned to make a few cleaning products.. 

Cleaning cutting boards with a cut lemon and coarse salt.. 

Orange vinegar.. 

Lindsay showed up how to make the All Purpose Orange Household Cleaner.. 

Her Mom was visiting and shared with us how much she loved using this product at her daughter's and now she is making it.. smile.. 

So nice to have a few new visitors this time.. 

Linen Refresher in a Spray Bottle.. 

 Lavender buds and Castile Soap, Essential oils and Vitamin E capsules all came in handy.. 

Quite a collection of oils ... 

Thanks, Linds.. 

Lavender Sugar Scrub..

Here is the recipe.. 

1/2 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of almond or olive oil 

1 T. dried lavender buds

15 drops of lavender essential oil.. 

Vitamin E capsule pierced and squeezed in.. 

Stir all together and store in a crock or such.. 

To use just rub some on your hands and rinse well with warm water.. 

Homemade Laundry Soap... 

Recipe 

2 1/2 cups of shredded laundry soap 

2 cups Borax 

2 cups Arm and Hammer Washing Soda

essential oil of choice and amount (optional)

Shred soap with a grater that you use only for this purpose.. 

Add the rest of the ingredients into a large bowl or pail and mix well.. 

1/4 cup per load.. 

Make Homemade Fabric Softener Recipe Here.

That is all for today, dear hearts.. 

So glad you dropped by.. 

I would give a little prayer request for my husband's family as they mourn the loss of a dear girl only 17 years old this past week.. 

God is faithful and has sent peace to hearts and minds.. 

Take care and love your families and let them know that they are precious... 

Hugs.. 

Psalms 34: 18

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

.

Plants, Easter and Keepers...

Hello sweet friends.. 

Just a little afternoon post for a change.. 

Putting up some pics of our Easter week and such..

Last week, I think it was (lol) we took a little trip to a wonderful plant nursery near Fredericton and picked up a few houseplants that I have been longing for.. 

When Terry and I were married for about 8 years we moved to Sussex to be near our church ... 

We had bought an old house and thought we would update it and all.. 

Terry wanted to be in the country and we eventually had a small hobby farm.. 

Chickens, turkeys, geese, pigs, rabbits and 3 dear dear sheep.. 

We also grew quite a big garden and in the eight years we lived there I learned to preserve fruits and veggies along with the help of my Mother-in-law who was such a fount of knowledge in that department.. 

The house was the bane of my existence as I did not like it from the first day we moved in... 

I know.. 

Where was my mind?  lol.. 

The lady who owned it had turned it into a lovely sweet place with her old furniture and plants and such but when it was emptied it did not have the same charm, shall we say..

That first day I sat on the couch alone and cried.. sigh... 

Anyway, we made do and learned so much while we were there.. 

We made it our own in time.. 

Terry picked up a few carpentry skills and I learned a few new things, too.. 

To get back to my story... smile.. 

The old house had lovely wide sills on those tall old fashioned windows and I had a lot of the sills full of house plants.. 

I would pick up a slip from a plant here and there and beg them from my friends and aunts.. 

Before long they were everywhere.. 

Later, when we bought this house which I have loved with my heart from the first day we moved in and the plants came along with me.. 

There was the Sun Room, you see and they filled it so nicely.. 

Sorry to say that after a couple of years they caught some kind of bug or disease and I lost almost all of them.. 

My heart was broken and I gradually just stopped growing any plants.. 

Many years had passed before I visited my friend with the wonderful pantry and log home and saw her plants.. 

Not that I had not noticed them before with my Mom and such but for some reason I actually noticed them..

Can you covet plants? 

 I guess not but I really wanted to get some.. smile..

But even with her contributions and buying them here and there I felt there were a few missing plants which I had loved before.. 

Well, the same  friend had been up to Scott's Nursery and was telling me that what they were selling and low and behold they had the a few that I had not been able to find to buy or beg... 

One is called The Mother of Thousands which I always called Strawberry Begonia.. 

The String of Pearls, Lipstick Plant, Gold Fish Plant, Bunny Ears Cactus and The Wandering Jew for a few of them.. 

Terry (bless his heart) took me there and they are in the pic up above..

Something nice happened while we were there!

I was crossing the room to pay for my plants when I noticed a sweet face... 

Her name is Pam and she is a fellow blogger who I have not met since I started blogging and found her blog which is called

 Playing With My Camera.. 

It was lovely to see her and connect... 

She was a customer of mine when I used to do the craft shows in Fredericton many years ago and we had not seen each other since. 

She has several relatives here in our village, too.. 

We both wished we could just go for coffee and talk.. 

Another time.. 

The second pic is something I found on the web the other day.. 

And that is that there are five plants that you should grow in your bedroom as they help you sleep and are great for the air you breathe all night.. 

Lavender, Snake Plant, Rosemary, Aloe Vera and English Ivy.. 

Another one is Jasmine Plant instead of Rose Mary but that was too expensive for me.. 

Anyone have a slip? grin..  

Did you notice my Pregnant Onion plant in the photos.. 

It has a blossom on it and I am so pleased.. 

I was given that plant slip by a sweet lady at Kings Landing a few years ago and just love the thing.. 

It has had about a dozen babies and even has a couple of grand babies..grin.. 

Our plants for the gardens are growing.. 

My peppers, celeriac, fennel and such are up and if you peek in one of those pics you will see Basil growing on the coffee table..

Terry has tomatoes, cabbage and such..  smile.. 

Did you all have a good Easter?  

We had a lovely weekend but quiet.. 

Made some Hot Cross Buns from my friend's recipe.. 

Dinner was Ham and Veggies ... 

Set the table using place mats made for me by Shonda..

Some old egg cups and bunnies I have had for years.. 

Nothing fancy but a blessed celebration.. 

Mom certainly enjoyed all of your sweet birthday greetings here and on the Face Book page... 

Thank you.. 

And thanks today for dropping by and leaving your sweet notes.. 

Truly appreciate each of you!  

We are having Keepers of the Home on Saturday morning in Salisbury at our little church on Fredericton Road if you would like to attend.. 

We are doing the Spring thing with homemade cleaners and toiletries and breakfast.. 

Love to have you if you are in the area... 

Just drop me an email or a note on the Face Book page for the blog.. 

Take care dear hearts and God bless.. xoxo

Linked up with my dear JES at Homemaking Mondays...

My Mom..

Good Evening my dears.. 

A little different Saturday night post for you.. 

Today is my Mom's 83rd birthday!  

I call her each morning and today she answered the phone and I told her, "Happy Birthday, Mom!"  

She thanked me and then said, "Can you imagine, Faye! 

 I am 83 years old!  God has been so good to me!"  smile.. 

We miss our Dad who has been gone for almost 29 years and are so thankful that she is still here with us!  

But for my post tonight

 I thought that perhaps I would write a little bit about her.. 

Actually, she is quite a case! 

 I mean that she loves to have a good time and she loves people! 

A good story or joke has her laughing.. 

She enjoys parties and gatherings and meeting friends wherever she goes..

Her favourite enjoyment is to feed you when you visit her..

 The first thing she does is make the tea and there is almost always a few special sweets baked and ready for company.. 

She had enjoyed cooking and baking ever since my Gram (Dad's mother) taught her in the lumber camps when I was a baby.. 

She said that she and Gram never had a bad word between them.. smile..

She went to work in restaurants and one of them was a Chinese one in Moncton.. She loved the people who owned it and are still in contact with them even though they moved out west to B. C. many years ago.. 

She meets people in places like MacDonald's or Tim Hortons and makes friends with them.. 

Once couple she met lived in California and every once in awhile they phone and send her lovely gifts and she sends gifts back to them.. 

So sweet.. 

Mom and I are very different but very much alike at the same time.. 

My sister looks like her and favours Mom's side of the family.

She doesn't mind being told she looks like Mom.. Smile.. 

I must admit that when I look in the mirror sometimes I see her looking back at me! grin.. 

Nadine (my sister) phones Mom each day and we both call her when we need an ear to listen.. She always takes our side.. grin.. 

Mom is still a going concern although she has slowed down this past year and it scares me a bit.. 

I tell her to just keep on doing the things she loves.. 

After God and her family I think my Mom loves shopping the best.. 

Terry says the Dollar store will never go under as long as my Mom can get there and buy cat food for another love in her life which is her cat, Mable... Oh my!  That is another story.. 

She loves her flowers and plants and is always planting some kind of seeds even in the Winter months.. 

She was telling me that her tulips and daffodils are already up and that makes her so happy..

The other day I happened to call her in the afternoon and as we were chatting I decided to write down a few things she was saying to me as I had a pen in hand and my notebook open.. 

Just some everyday busyness she was doing.. 

She said she had a nice cake in the oven in case someone dropped by and Gerald (her husband) liked a little bit with his tea at supper.. 

Then she was saying that she had made friends with someone at the grocery store and they had given her some red roses which she had dried.. 

She was asking me how to make potpourri because she had a bottle which she wanted to fill and add some little fairy lights to make a little lamp type thing for a wee table in the dining room. 

And...

 She had put some petals in with corn starch and baking soda to make a rose powder that she thought would make a lovely gift for the lady who gave her the roses...

She had just the right little bottles that she had saved to put the finished powder in..  

She said that she had just finished polishing some silver before I called her.. 

She had come across some old stuff in a box they had bought at the auction (another addiction she has..lol) .. 

Auctions, I mean.. 

They went every Tuesday night for years.. 

I asked her what she was having for supper and  she said she was making Codfish Gravy with a bit of potato and the Pineapple Upside Down Cake she made would be for dessert... 

God love her.. 

Some mornings she has bread made before I even get up .. 

Yes, she still kneads up a batch of bread almost every week and gives most of it away to anyone who drops by.. 

Well, dear hearts I don't know if you will enjoy this or not but I have enjoyed chatting about her.. 

Mom and I are like most mothers and daughters who are so different but alike if you know what I mean..  

She can drive me up the wall at times as I do her but she is such a loving mother.. 

She just loves to kiss and hug us all.. 

Our grandchildren are like her grandchildren and not her great grandchildren.. 

A family gathering is something she looks forward to for weeks and wondering what she should wear.. smile.. 

She prays for each one of us early every morning sitting in the rocking chair beside the dining room window.

Her little heater is on and Mable is at her feet.. 

She looks out at the moon and stars which she loves and prays to the One who made them... 

Yes, I am thankful to the God that she and Dad led my sister and I to many years ago and so thankful that we are a family who serve Him.. 

Bless you for reading this and I pray you have a Blessed Easter and worship the One who arose again! 

Victorious!  

xo 

Thinking Spring....

Hello dear hearts.. 

Just a few lovely pics from the internet tonight.. 

A bit of spring fling perhaps.. 

I love beautiful pictures, don't you?  

And Spring holds so much joy with everything being made new again.. 

The pic above have such a beautiful blend of shades, don't you think? 

And this one...  

I had lunch today with some dear old friends and we were saying we should all get a new bonnet.. 

Not me, though.. grin.. 

And this one is so inspiring to make .. 

Tomorrow, Lord willing, I will give it a try.. 

My friends and me included are going to strive to do one good thing each day this week.. 

A healthy choice, something creative, a kind deed or just something lovely but different.. 

I absolutely love this one.. 

Rabbits are something I have always enjoyed. 

Rabbit ornaments, crafts or real ones.. smile.. 

This one is adorable! 

Perfection!  eh? 

Love the spring rains.. 

It beat outside our open bedroom window the last two nights and it was so soothing.. 

Such beautiful dishes for Spring, I am thinking.. 

And nothing heralds Spring anymore then a line full of laundry blowing in the breezes.. 

And the red dogwood... 

Another beautiful little craft for the making... 

A few dried roses make all the difference!

Very Spring like.. 

Gorgeous hues of blue.. 

Rain ... beautiful refreshing rain...

And Spring brings us Easter.. 

The most precious remembrance to a Christian.. 

Tomorrow is Good Friday... 

The day that  made salvation possible for humankind.. 

When Jesus paid a debt He did not owe.. 

The old chorus we used to sing goes.. 

I owed a dept I could not pay 

And it was growing every day 

But Jesus.. 

Paid it all for me.. 

He gave his life on Calvary, 

He died for men like you and me,  

What a Saviour 

I love Him, yes I do!  

But He arose... 

Thank you, Jesus! 

God bless you all this night .. 

Have a lovely weekend with your families.. 

I hope to get back here and post a Saturday night post.. 

Take care my friends.. xo

Random Saturday..

Hello everyone.. 

So glad you dropped by tonight.. 

 This is just another post of random everyday and it is once again a Saturday.. smile.. 

The weeks are flying, eh? 

Spring is coming along fine here in Eastern Canada.. 

Slow compared to some perhaps but what we here are used to.. 

Terry and I went to Bangor for a couple of days this week.. 

Just a little getaway and a bit of retail.. 

Not that Terry does much shopping but he is a patient man.. 

I love going to places like Mardens, Goodwill and Between Friends.. 

I am not a mall nor clothes shopper.. 

But I do love fabrics, old dishes and such.. 

Oh and the Christmas Tree Shoppe of course.. 

Love the books at Goodwill and the fabrics and yarns at Mardens.. 

Look what I found at Between Friends.. 

This wonderful cast iron dish??? 

Mom said it probably belonged in an old stove.. 

I will be seasoning it as soon as we go to the farm.. 

What would you use it for?  

Found this sweet apron.

Nice an big... smile.. 

And.. 

I love these.. 

A package of Eco napkins for the farm and a big box of large brown bread bags.. 

So great to gift bread in or anything really... 

I know.. 

I like the weirdest thing.. 

They will come in handy quite often, I think... 

Made a little Stir Fry... 

I could put Bok Choy in everything.. 

Does your family like it?  

Terry... not so much.. 

Oh and I made Dustin some cookies.. smile.. 

Took a drive up to the farm to check things out ... 

I can feel the place calling my name.. 

As soon as it gets a bit warmer we will be there for the day and getting the house in order again.. 

It won't be long... 

I am trying to get rid of some things and this is one.. 

A tea set... 

I have to get it put on Kijiji or something.. 

I love the set but there are just so many dishes a person needs.. smile.. 

And speaking of selling.. 

Our old cottage in St. Martins... 

I am trying my best to persuade Terry to get with it and put it on the market.. 

We can't be in two places in the Summer and we seem to be going into a new phase of our lives and enjoying the farm more.. 

So.. 

If any of you readers know of anyone who would like an old house by the sea let us know.. 

You can see the Bay and hear it but we are not on the beach.. 

Well, dear hearts this is all for tonight.. 

Tomorrow is once again the Lord's Day... 

I came across this ...

One of my favourites.. 

Because he loves me, says the Lord... 

This Psalm touches my heart every time I read it.. 

So blessed to have experienced a genuine relationship with the God of the universe and because I love Him then He is always available to me..

For whatever.. 

Do you know Him as your own? 

John 3:16

He loves you... 

I hope you all have a good evening and thanks so much for visiting and I look forward to your sweet notes..

God bless ... 

Hugs..