A Little Monday Morning Inspiration for you..

Good Morning everyone.. 

Monday here again and God is good.. 

I had worked on this post the other night but was waylaid and didn't get it published.. 

So.. this morning I thought I would just post it regardless.. 

Just a few images I noticed the past week on the web.. 

A couple from my own camera but mostly from Tumblr.. 

Fall is so here and we are still trying to get moved back home.. 

Another trip or two to bring my plants and preserves and we should be mostly done.. Thank the Lord.. 

Anyway, dear hearts have a great week.. 

Terry and I did a wee trip across the border this weekend so will try to post again mid week... 

Don't you love that quilt hanging on the line in the pic above.. 

I believe that is a project I can handle..smile.. 

Take care and God bless.. 

Thanks for dropping by.. 

xo

Saying Good Bye to dear old St. Martins..

for the last time.. 

Hello there everyone.. 

Welcome to the Blessed Hearth on this lovely Saturday evening.. 

So glad you dropped by.. 

This is a bit of a different post for you tonight.. 

As you know by the last post we have sold our old house and cottage shop in St. Martins.. 

The closing day was yesterday and as they say that is all she wrote.. 

It was a bit of a process due to many things and lasted since the middle of July... 

I guess this is a little nod to our years there.. 

It began 21 years ago when our two oldest kids were newly married and Dustin was only 12... 

We bought this old house in the little village by the Bay of Fundy where my Mom grew up.. 

I had so much family there and I loved that.. 

I remember the first summer there when Dustin and his friend Stephanie were trying to make a wee fire on the beach and newspapers which were on fire were blowing all over the place.. 

I freaked a bit and said to Dustin to put the fire out because my cousins were sitting over on the rocks.. 

He turned to me with a funny look and said.. "Mom, you're cousins are everywhere!" ... grin... 

Anyway... 

He spent his teenage summers there.. 

He loved going swimming with his friends in the campground pool then down to the salt water in the Bay then jumping on their bikes and finishing off over at the fresh water dam.. 

One rainy summer he read about 100 Archie comic books.. 

Just remembering. . sorry.. 

Terry worked in Sussex so he come home there every night.. 

We made the plan when we bought the place that it was a summer cottage and not our house.. 

The roof might need mended or the house painted but we were not going to work ourselves to death remodelling such an old house..

We papered a bit and I had fun decorating it but it was a place to enjoy... 

We loved having company... 

Especially our children, of course.. 

These pics are just from what I have here on my computer and so even though the grandsons came after we bought the cottage I have no pics here until the oldest was 10 years old.. 

How the years have flown but the summers were always special down there.. 

Once Dustin grew up and left home he still came down some.. 

Dear old Sammi.. 

Do you girls who have followed the blog from the beginning must remember him.. 

I still miss him.. 

We loved having our friends stop by and sometimes put them to work.. My friend Lynn painted the kitchen floor.. 

Bless her heart.. 

Shonda papered the dining room and Trevor helped put on the roof of the barn and so on.. 

Thank you dear hearts.. 

Every summer the Keepers of the Home came for an overniter and you have all read about those times.. 

When friends came we often ended up at the caves enjoying some fish meals.. 

I can't seem to find other pics of friends but you are getting my drift, I imagine.. 

The kitchen was so old fashioned and I did love it.. 

I did so many pickles, jams and jellies there.. 

Shonda's boys came out and stayed a lot as they only lived in St. John... 

Lots of times they brought a friend and would laugh because Gram would make them all go up and say hi to Aunt Kaye.  smile.. 

The sweet boys would go and be so mannerly.. 

Then I turned the little maid's room into a clubhouse for them and I think that is what they remember the most.. 

Lovely times.. 

Going to sleep with the sound of the waves was such a wonderful thing.. 

The boys made sure every summer that they would be there at least for one night all at the same time.. 

Gram made them breakfast.. 

Two dozen eggs, a loaf or two of bread and a couple of pounds of bacon, jam and hashed browns and don't forget the orange juice.. 

smile.. 

Sweet sweet memories.. 

And as you know I am a wild weather lover and the Bay of Fundy and I have had a love affair going on over the years.. 

I will miss that... 

Terry (bless his heart) was so patient with me when the wind practically blew stuff off the walls and he would just cover up his head and go to sleep.. grin.... 

Then in the Winter we would go down and check it all out to make sure all was well.. 

If he could get in that is.. smile.. 

In the beginning I was heavily into the craft business and spent most summer getting ready for craft shows.. 

Then one year we opened a shop in the old barn and I didn't do the summer shows anymore.. 

It was a very quaint little shop but very damp.. 

When this little place came up for sale we bought it.. 

It was connected to our old house property but wasn't finished inside.. 

Terry did all that during the evenings.. 

Putting up wood ceilings and gyp rock.. 

Trevor helped him with the crack filling, bless his heart.. 

And.. 

The House of Henry opened... 

It was such a dear shop, if I may say.. 

Lots of homemade stuff... 

Shonda came out to help with the Fall Open Houses that we had there and in the barn.. 

Such a dear girl.. 

So enjoyed having near and dear friends dropping by.. 

Of all ages.. smile. 

The shop changed at the beginning of each Summer.. 

Putting out the stuff we had collected at the auctions and such all Winter.. 

After sorting through so much stuff the last while I kind of wish I had restrained myself a bit.. grin.. 

Friends came on bikes quite often.. 

St. Martins is a biker's heaven, I think as so many passed by the shop every day.. 

We made some very dear friends while we were there, too.. 

Janelle graduated with our son in law and her and her family adopted us as I always say.. 

If I needed anything she was there.. 

She always knew when I really needed a break and would have me over for coffee or take me on her bike to a private place on the beach with a lovely breakfast picnic... 

I will miss her and her sweet family as I will all of our dear friends.. 

We will be back sometimes though so put the teapot on.. grin.. 

But time goes on and brings changes.. 

The boys have grown and will be too busy with their lives to get there much and we can't do the farm and there, too.. 

I (mostly) felt it was time to just concentrate on enjoying the old farm during the summers ... 

I felt bad leaving the old place empty all last summer.. 

So.. 

As you who read the blog know I always turn to the Lord.. 

I prayed that someone would want to buy the cottage and the shop together and we would not have to put it up for sale.. 

Truthfully, I knew that Terry would never get around to selling it.. 

grin.. 

And... the Lord answered just that way.. 

We had Thanksgiving there for the last time ... 

So much fun!  

Dustin has grown into middle age and our grandsons are young men.. 

And we are still blessed to have my Mom... 

I was thinking about the many things that happened while we were there.. 

Some happy and some sad.. 

But God has been faithful all along and He will continue to be so.. 

So now, dear old St. Martins is in our rear view mirror and we look forward to whatever changes come our way.. 

Knowing who holds tomorrow and keeps His hand in ours gives sweet peace that only He can give.. 

We do pray that the people who bought the place will be blessed and that their business will find favour..

 God bless you.. 

I know that this has been a very long post but hopefully it didn't  bore you to tears.. smile.. 

Thank you once again for being here and for your sweet comments.. 

We are home now and that will be another post.. 

Home Sweet Home... how I love thee.. eh?  grin.. 

God bless dear hearts! 

Farm Journal 9

Good Evening dear hearts.. 

So glad you dropped by.. 

I have finally been here at home long enough to put a post on the blog.. 

We have not moved back home yet and are still at the farm but my heart is yearning towards this place called home.. 

We have had a pretty good summer.. 

It just all went so quickly this time.. 

The evenings are getting shorter and the leaves are so beautiful! 

As usual, this is just a post about our doings.. 

Terry's brother and his wife came for a day.. 

Just two farm lads remembering how things used to be.. 

Checking what the frost has caught.. smile.. 

We had great gardens, though.. 

Thank you, Lord.. 

And the chickens and turkeys are in the freezer.. 

Please excuse the quality of this pic but you can get the drift.  smile.. 

Father and son laughing about something the turkeys said.. Perhaps?  grin.. 

Our oldest son helped do the chickens... 

They are great boys.. 

Made some Chow Chow.. 

My Grandmother's recipe.. 

The wildflowers are all dried and ready to be put together when I get a minute.. 

Terry is pretty proud of his tomato crop.. 

So many large ones.. 

I made up two more batches of soup base that this dear girl below taught us to make.. 

We had a Keepers of the Home meeting and it was fun.. 

Carmen demonstrating how they make a root vegetable flavour base that they make in the old country of Romania... 

She just ground together some carrots, parsnips, celeriac, parsley root and rock salt.. 

Then you place an Aspirin on top to keep the mold away.  

Isn't that neat?  

You only use a tablespoon or so in your soup.. 

I put it in a fish chowder I made and the flavour was wonderful.. 

Some of the girls cut up veggies for Mustard Pickles and some decorated tables for a Married Couples Italian dinner we had that evening..
It was so much fun! 

But to tell you the truth most of our time the last few weeks have been spent at our house in St. Martins.. 

We were there during the full moon and it was simply beautiful on the Bay of Fundy.. 

Fall has arrived in this little coastal village where we have had a summer place for 21 years.. 

As you know my Mom hails from there and we have really enjoyed our days there.. 

Our grandsons were born after we bought the place so they play a big part in our memories of this old house.. 

We spent Thanksgiving there and our whole family were present.. 

My Mom and Gerald were there.. 

It was a lovely warm day and we all had a great time.. 

Everyone contributed to the dinner and that made it a lot easier for me.. 

Trevor likes to cook but his younger brother just likes to watch.. grin.. 

Aunt Shonda enjoys teasing her nephews.. 

The funny part of this picture is not Shonda sharing pics but it is of Trevor in the background trying so hard to make friends with Charlie... (Dustin's dog).. 

I think this was the first time he thought there was a prayer that they could be pals.. lol.. 

I can't help but laugh because the poor kid tries so hard.. 

He feeds him cheese slices and tid bits every time he sees him and then the next time Charlie just starts growling when he sees him again.. 

Terry said there wasn't enough cheese slices in the world to win him over but Trevor persists... lol.. Sorry, Trev... 

So funny... 

Anyway.. 

There is news for you.. 

We have sold our house and little cottage shop.. 

The last few weeks we have been packing and loading the truck and trailer and have brought up 3 loads.. 

Almost done, thank the Lord!

It has been a long process but we think it is time.. 

The boys are almost grown and are too busy to be down much and we love the farm.. 

So... 

That's all she wrote as they say.. 

We have many good memories and made such lovely friends.. 

And I so loved being with my cousins and family.. 

And of course the wonderful Bay of Fundy.. 

We have spent many hours listening to the waves and dropping off to sleep.. grin.. 

So glad the farm is only half an hour's drive from it.. 

I guess this is all for tonight... 

Thanks so much for dropping by and leaving your sweet notes.. 

I really appreciate you all and I will soon be home.. 

I can't wait till this is all over and things are kind of normal again.. 

I request your prayers ... 

This old girl is not the same as the one that moved into the cottage twenty years ago.. grin.. 

 I miss you guys... 

Talk soon and may God bless your sweet hearts! 

xo