Farm Journal 2020 Number 3

Hello there my dears... 

Lovely to have you visit the Blessed Hearth today.. 

I am glad you are here.. 

Hope you are all doing well in your corner of the world! 

We have been enjoying our summer!  

We were just saying this morning coming home from church that summer is on the downswing!  

It saddens me!  

I do not enjoy intense heat but really we have been blessed with some cool temps along with our hot days.  

Fall is lovely but then Winter! 

That is all I will say!  smile..

So with that you can bet that I plan to enjoy the rest of this blessed season!  

Anyway.. 

We have been up to the farm quite often.. 

Although we are not there as much as we thought we would, everything is looking great.. 

The gardens are growing and some herbs have been picked and are drying and such.. 

The bunting finally is finished and hung! 

Sorry, Donna for taking so long getting to this..  

Terry is weeding there.. 

He spends a lot of time on his knees out there in the garden... smile.. 

This is just a glued bunting as it does not last up there too long.. 

It sometimes stays all winter but the last couple of years half of it ends up blowing away.. 

This year I bought a strong kind of string and hopefully that will last better.. 

The measurements I used are 13 x9.. 

I just traced out how many I might need.. Just guessed and only had 3 pieces left over.. 

You could measure and figure it all out but I am by guess or by golly kind of girl when it comes to this bunting.. 

Then all I did was use my glue gun and made a line of glue.. Stuck the string in it and folded each one.. 

I ended up only have two colours.. 

The house is yellow and we are planning on painting it this summer and I want a blue door.. 

You can make as many colours and sizes as you like.. 

The buntings I use inside are usually sewed together and turned inside out and a bit more polished..  

This is a pic from a previous year.. 

If you have any questions you can message me... K? 

This pic was taken a week ago ... 

It is hard to believe how fast it all grows once July hits the calendar.. 

Please notice the dear poppies growing again.. 

We have a squash and a pumpkin bed.. 

Cucumbers on the other end..  

We are usually working outside and our lunches are not too fancy.. 

One of our favourites.. 

Grilled Tomato and Mozza.. 

For Christmas Terry gave me a Panini type thing.. 

I don't know what you call it but it is cast iron .. 

About the size of a brick without the height and a handle.. 

You make your sandwich, butter the outside and put the cast iron on top.. 

Works wonderful!  

Not hard to store, either.. 

He bought it at Moffett's Hardware in Sussex.. 

Our lettuce bed is doing great too.. 

In one of my books the author wrote that the lady of the house washed her lettuces and fried it along with a bit of bacon and then added vinegar.. 

We tried it and it is delicious!

The last food pic... grin.. 

Supper.. 

A new bread recipe which is awesome (will share next time), last year's canned green beans, fresh salad with herb dressing and chicken which was browned in a fry pan then placed on a tray, finished baking in oven and then cheese and herbs and returned for a few more minutes.. 

It is nice to be able to use oven when it is cooler here..

This is a few other things going on.. 

My dear dear Lavender!  

It really flourished this summer.. 

Nine large bundles!  

I know you may think I am strange but I feel like it is such a lovely accomplishment!!  lol! 

Doesn't take much to satisfy some people, eh!  

Lots of projects coming on with all that.. 

I will share as I go.. 

Making potpourri seems to be large on my agenda this summer.. 

This one was an accident!  grin.. 

Terry had picked me a huge bouquet of wild flowers which I put in a mason jar on the kitchen table at the farm.. 

It sits in a window and as we were not there all the time it slowly dried out ... 

So.. 

I just cut them off their stems and put them in an old bowl.. 

When I get time I will seal the bowl with several drops of essential oil and it will last for ages.. 

So pretty, don't you think?  smile..

Perfect Petal Potpourri...  

And there is this going on at home.. 

Picked roses everywhere.. 

At the farm, on country drives and from our own bushes.. 

Lay them out on old laces and such and letting them dry.. 

Some will be used for potpourri, rose oil for soap and toiletries, rose vinegar for rinsing dishes and so on.. 

There is just so much you can do with dried roses.  

Do you see the cloth on the bottom right.. 

Has a few pine cones and such.. 

That is our anniversary potpourri.. 

Everywhere we go on our little drives and trips are being dried and added to an old hat box.. 

I will add scent and name it later on in the year.. 

Probably call it... 

We made it!  lol.. 

And.. 

Picking herbs every time we go out and drying them.. 

Sewed up a bunch of herb bags.. 

This is one for soup herbs... 

You can add whatever turns your crank but I love to put thyme, lovage and organo in my tomato base soups.. 

Do you make these? 

Well dear hearts I am finally running out of steam .. 

But.. 

This is a pic of a border we have had in the apple orchard a lot this summer..  

She is not afraid of us at all.. 

She loves the chickens and even upset the bucket with chicken food and had a great lunch.. 

I love deer but want them to stay in the woods.. 

Deer ticks... 

Anyway, I had read where you soak rags in vinegar and tie them on your garden posts and they will not bother it.. 

You renew the vinegar at least once a week.. 

Well, she was here all the time until we did this.. 

We have not seen her since so hopefully she just reacted to the vinegar and is keeping her distance.. 

We are putting them in the gardens, too.. 

Just a tip if you have deer visiting that you would rather not.. 

And before I go.. 

Still celebrating our 50th each month.. 

Our darling children took us out on the town!  

To a wonderful place called Gusto Restaurant!

So much fun and delicious Italian food!  

We were all there except our precious son who is out west.. 

There are exactly 12 of us now in our family.. 

Thankful to our Lord for each and every one of them!  

Aren't they dear!!  

We do little things just like you do.. 

Had breakfast last week in a new cafe at the Green Pig Market.. 

It was delicious! 

And fun there too.. 

Old china with fruit salad and toasted biscuits on an antique saucer with homemade strawberry jam in an enamel cup!! 

Gotta love that!  smile.. 

And so my luvs this is it for another time.. 

But will show you the last great books I have been reading.. 

I so enjoyed this series and found it all so inspiring.. 

Reading Christian books not only inspires but also encourages.. 

We as mamas and wives can get drained and with the world so messed up I find it lifts up my spirits.. 

It is a busy time of year with canning, preserving and such but reading how they accomplished so much in the 1800s without all of our conveniences challenges me to make a better effort to accomplish what needs to be done.. 

If you know what I mean.

And the author's reference to God in their lives in something I need to hear.. 

I want Him to be front and foremost in my life.. 

Not just for myself but for my children and grandchildren.. 

He is coming soon!  

God bless you sweet friends... 

Farm Journal 2020 Number 1

Good Evening dear hearts!  

Welcome to the Blessed Hearth on this Sunday Evening in June... 

A very cool and cloudy day here in Maritime Canada.. 

Hope all is well in your world as it is here in ours.. 

We are of a people most blessed this Sabbath.. 

After three months of not attending a church service we were able to go this morning!!  

So happy about that!  

And it was lovely! 

The presence of the Lord was so real and so exciting to see everyone..

Online services were great and so glad we were able to do that but there is not anything quite as wonderful as going in person to a building and worshipping the Lord with others... 

Anyway.. 

That made my day..smile.. 

I decided that I would start my farm journals again.. 

the year 2020!

This is quite the year and so it will be interesting to see how it works out compared to the past ones.. 

I think this is the fourth time that we will be summering at the farm for most of the time.. 

With the world situation as far as the pandemic goes we did not know what to expect but happy we can be there..  

We have been out doing garden work and such..  

Everything is finally getting green... 

Early morning mist .... 

So beautiful!  

So happy that my herb beds are doing well even though it has been cool often.. 

That is Lovage on the back left with Comfrey on the right.. 

Out front is Tarragon and Parsley just planted.. 

How do you like my new ride?  grin.. 

That is the most wonderful contraption for this old gal... 

It helps me to get much more done as my feet are not great... 

The basil is in although I have several more plants.. 

This is one herb bed but I have two others plus a couple of veggie raised beds.. 

Do you see our garlic and onion plants in the back one.. 

The front one has Oregano, Ground Cherries, Fennel and such... 

There is the happy man over there... 

Doing what he loves.. 

That is a veggie garden and two over on the right that you can't see.. 

He took the wheeler up and I drove it while he held onto a plow and made rows for our potatoes!  LOL.. 

It was pouring rain and as I am waiting for him to do something I am thinking to myself that most people would think we had lost our marbles.. 

Why do we do the things we do?  lol..

I was soaked and so was he.. 

Most of the potatoes got in though.. 

Nothing that a hot bowl of soup won't fix... 

He is in his happy place.. smile.. 

Homemade beef broth that I made and then froze and barley and veggies..

Homemade bread and coleslaw... 

Plain old farm fare is what he loves best..

My sweet Aunt Eva's White Lilac are in bloom..   

How lovely is that, eh! 

They smell so heavenly.. 

We were so happy to see our farmer's cows out and in the pastures.. 

These are not our cows but a farmer who uses some of our fields... 

We love seeing them as you know.. 

They always coming running when we go out our lane if they are in the pastures there.. smile.. 

We picked up our chicks this past week... 

We only bought 20 this time and will see how it all goes as there are other chick days coming up... 

They are so cute right now...smile.. 

We will enjoy them this winter though for sure.. 

Some make and do things that I have been at.. 

Picked a bunch of wild violets.. 

Such a dear little flower.. 

Violet Oil to make Salves and soaps with... 

I was reading a wonderful book.. again!  lol.. 

How I love my books... I know.. 

I read everyday.. 

I always have since I was a young girl... 

I love books that were written about the 1800s for some reason.. 

An author I discovered this past winter was Donna Hubbard Scofield...

That First Montana Year and Back Home.. 

I loved them.. 

She is a Christian author.. 

In one of them she wrote of making a wedding cake and decorating it with sugared rose buds ... 

I looked it up and there were violets done so of course since I had some I decided to try it and will put them on something some day this summer.. 

To celebrate one thing or another.. smile.. 

And as always if there is some flower I can pick... 

I pick them and if I can't get to them my dear husband picks them for me.. 

He is a good man!  smile.. 

Made some perfume from a recipe on the web.. 

Just unscented lotion and add essential oils.. 

This has patchouli (of course), a couple drops of ylang ylang and a couple drops of lavender.. 

I like it... 

Found the sweet containers at the dollar store so will make some others for my gift pantry... 

Some days at the farm I am still going through boxes of stuff from our cottage and shop in St. Martins.. 

Last week I found a box of linens.. 

And lace... 

Pillow cases, luncheon cloths, table runners, doilies, napkins and a tea towel.. 

How I love thee... grin.. 

Some rainy day I will pull down the ironing board that is built in the kitchen wall and start ironing them.. 

I love stacking them on shelves here and there.. 

Do you?

I mentioned in my last post about planting some sprouts in these dear little egg cups..  

 

I told you I would just do a short post with just pics and show you them.. 

Sorry.... 

Another long post.. 

But you can skip right on by the words and look at the pics or not.. grin... 

I am almost done.. Honest.. lol.. 

Just wanted to share my view from my happy place.. 

My swing here at home.. 

On the windy evenings we have been having I just plop myself down and cover up with a sheep lined blanket Dustin gave me and watch the world go by.. 

So thankful for these wonderful blessings ... 

Where is your happy place? 

I have several to tell you the truth.. 

But I wanted a swing for years.. Literally.. 

So.. 

I really enjoy...

I always like to leave you with a recipe too.. 

I copied this off a group site I joined ... 

We love pasta salads although I know they are carbs but everything in moderation... right?  

This is tuna, peppers, cukes, onion and parsley and a bit of parm...\

My grandsons most requested salad..  

Well my friends I am finished for now.. 

Hope you are enjoying this wonderful season... 

The month of June is my second fave month.. 

May is my first.. smile.. 

Thank you for stopping by.. 

I know that I am as bad as a long winded preacher but so it is.. smile.. 

Looking forward to hearing from you all.. 

Take care of yourselves and your sweet families.. 

Trust in the Lord and He will direct your paths.. 

The main thing in this topsy turvy world is keep our eyes on the main thing.. 

Jesus!  

God bless.. 

A day at the farm...

Good Evening everyone.. 

So happy to have you visit... 

Hope you are all well.. 

We are going through a heat wave here in Eastern Canada.. 

Whew!  

A very cool Spring and now right into above 30 degrees C. every day... 

The first few were fine because we were so happy to have a summer's day but now it is like ok... enough!  lol.. 

We are hard to please I am thinking.. 

We were at the farm a few days this week.. 

Picked some chive blossoms and am steeping some vinegar... 

It is lovely and turns a nice pink shade.. 

The pantry is now back to normal almost.. 

Except for an old cupboard that needs to be sold.. 

This is what I see out of the window.. 

Aunt Eva's old apple tree.. 

My swing is not hung yet nor do I have my bunting made.. 

So slow this year... 

But the garden is in and coming up.. 

The garlic are starting to scape... 

Can't wait to get at them.. 

We just potter away at stuff.. 

Boxes and boxes to sort.. 

I try not to think about it all or it overwhelms me.. 

I will be so happy when we get a yard sale under our belt and get some spaces empty of stuff... 

We had a pan of fried potatoes for supper the other night.. 

Something we don't have very often but pretty soon we won't be able to buy old potatoes and new ones just do not fry up the same.. 

We did not plant potatoes but thinking we should have.. 

Oh well.. 

The herbs are doing well.. 

I need to get my basil plants in soon... 

We are still coming home each night.. 

Charlie enjoys the farm but as soon as he figures out we are leaving he is ready to go... smile.. 

He finds it a bit hot, too... 

Took this lovely pic on the way through Petitcodiac last night.. 

Such beautiful shades.. 

I asked Terry to turn around so I could take it.. 

The Petitcodiac River... 

This river widens out and flows into the Bay of Fundy and has the famous Tital Bore... 

Up here though she is pretty calm..... 

Well, ladies this is just a very short post on a very hot night.. 

The fans are whirling... 

Terry is putting another air conditioner at the farm which will be nice once we get there.. 

Probably next week.. 

Will get back to you all soon.. 

Sorry, I didn't respond to comments on the FB page after saying I usually do but it has been a busy week.. 

I will try harder this time.. 

God bless... 

xo