Free Christmas Decorations..

Hello my dears.. 

Are you all getting this cold weather yet?  

Here in Eastern Canada we have had cold and winds but it is November after all and I guess we expect this.. 

A bit of snow is forecast for over the weekends.. 

Terry and I went on a little foraging trip yesterday.. 

It was so cold and windy but we dressed warmly, picked up a hot cup of coffee from Tim's and were on our way.. 

We have made several trips up to our old farm lately and I have been spying out the ditches.. 

I love decorating for Christmas with wild stuff...  grin.. 

Anyway, we went on a little side road and saw these growing ... 

Rose hips... 

So gorgeous, eh? 

My dear husband cut a bunch of the branches and I picked several containers of the berries to dry for potpourri..

What a lovely place this is.... .. 

Old farms that have been there for decades, rustic camps and smoke coming out of chimneys..

It was a beautiful day..

The coffee was good and the company was sweet.. 

 Just so thankful for days like this where we spend such precious time together.. 

Sounds corny, eh? 

Nevertheless... it is true..

There are some wonderful country scenes up that way.. 

A little country church... 

Albert County is such a beautiful county in this province.. 

Perhaps, I am prejudiced ..smile..

  Huge windmills.. 

We found a little bird's nest..

 I will put it in with some pine and dogwood ...

Then while he was in the ditch cutting some branches a truck pulled up and stopped.. 

I took the picture in my mirror of him trying to explain to the forest ranger why he was ripping off the forest.. grin.. 

Actually, he knew the lad and he told Terry that he was a good man for helping his wife... 

And he is... smile... 

We found white berries, little trees, fir cones, lovely green moss and different pods.. 

I will share a few pics of the finished product when I get it all together.. OK? 

Here is the link for last year's WINTER POTPOURRI..

Today I did a bit of cooking.. 

A favorite soup... 

My version of LENTIL SOUP..

Dustin was here so I sent some home with him as they all have the flu.. 

And some cookies for a couple of sick boys.. 

Hope they all are feeling better soon.. 

How are you girls doing? 

I know our American friends are preparing for their Thanksgiving Day.. 

I don't like decorating for Christmas until December but I have been thinking perhaps I should start sooner as it takes me so much longer then it used to.. 

I don't do as much anymore because the kids only get home for one day usually and I just dislike taking it all down again.. 

Getting lazy in my old age, I guess.. 

Thanks for visiting here and as you know 

I love hearing from you and just wondering about your decorating plans and such this year.

I would like to welcome the new followers of the blog.. 

Appreciate having you .. 

Take care everyone and God bless.. 

Blogging Love...

Good Evening, my dears.. 

Thanks so much for dropping by the Blessed Hearth... 

I want to tell you one of the reasons why I do this.. 

Blogging, I mean..

There are several but for tonight I want to share this one.. 

And that is the sweet friendships that are made..

Not in a chat room, mind you but just here talking about everyday things and of our love for the Lord.. 

When I began blogging a couple of years ago I had no idea that I would make friends that would become so dear to me.. 

I have only met them on the internet and not in person..

We just started out by happening to find each other's blogs, leaving comments and it went on from there.. 

Now there are emails, letters coming in the mail and even parcels and telephone calls.. 

We even celebrate holidays together even though we are not actually together in person.. smile.. 

One of the times can be found HERE..

They celebrated with us and even sat a place at their table with our names on the place card.. 

Isn't that sweet?

I wanted to link to it but Lori had a bit of trouble with her blog and all of her previous posts are gone so she had to start over again.. 

Anyway.. 

Terry and I both think that these folks are special... 

Tonight as I scrolled down my blog list I noticed that the Mayo family had posted so I went over to visit.. 

This is what I found THERE..

Please follow their link and join them in their tea party..

They are all so dear... 

They love the Lord Jesus as we do and we share that along with the joy of home and family.. 

I know blogging is not for everyone but I so enjoy  doing it although at times I might feel like I am writing to myself.  I start whining and you lovely girls rally round and leave me wonderful comments and I know that this is a worthwhile thing for me to do.. 

You are all amazing and I am so thankful for you all.. 

May God bless and keep you in His care.. 

Just being a Mom..

Happy Sunday everyone.. 

Hope your day is blessed..

Friday we had a farm day.. 

Early in the morning Terry and I headed out..

The day was a bit chilly but it did not take the old wood stove long to get the front part of the house warmed up enough for me to putter away.. 

We were expecting Dustin and his family for supper so I wanted to bake some bread.. 

It is generally the first thing I do when we get there and then it sits by the stove to rise.. 

We had cooked a turkey that week so I made a Turkey and Rice soup for our lunch.. 

Terry is starting to enjoy soup most days... 

The poor guy may as well since I can't help myself from making it.. 

Most every day.. 

I am a soup junkee after all..smile..

Anyway... 

He went out to work on the fire wood and I decided to pickle a huge cauliflower that we had picked up at the market.. .. 

I will share the recipe with you all later this week since they turned out so well... 

Supper time was coming so I peeled veggies and baked the bread.. 

I made two rolls so they could take one home with them..

 I set the table for the six of us and as all was ready I sat in the rocking chair and read..

We were expecting them around 6 o'clock or so.. 

Terry came in about 5:30 and laid down out in the porch.

Six o'clock came and then six thirty..

When it was almost seven I kind of woke Terry up and we thought perhaps their car had broke down or something.. 

We do not have a phone there and cell phones do not work.. 

Terry said we would wait until 7:15 and then perhaps we would eat and then head home.. 

They still had not arrived so he ate his supper.. 

By that time my mind was in over drive so I could not eat.. 

It was now 7:30..

Really, it made them about an hour and a half late..

We started packing it up so we could go and call them.. 

He went out to load up his stuff and I just dumped all the veggies on top of the meat in it's roaster.. 

 I had heated up the left over soup so I poured it into a jar.. 

They don't all like potatoes so I had cooked some rice in turkey broth.

I asked Terry what I should do with all of this food like the rice and he said just to put the rice in the stove.. 

Voila... 

Into the stove.. 

I looked out the window and there they were. 

Thank you, Jesus.. 

Even though the table was stripped and most of the food was now all in one pot except for the salad which I had thrown into a freezer bag.. 

OK.. 

In runs one little lad... 

Grandma.. I'm hungry ... 

Then another little chap.. 

Grandma... What's for supper? 

Then a couple of dogs and Dustin and Veronique..  

I tried to explain to them that Supper would take a few minutes.. smile.. 

They thought my face was kind of pale..  

I explained that of course I was worried as we had  expected them no later then 6:30..

He looks up at the clock and said it was 6:30... 

Daaaaaaahhhhh...

Terry had forgot to turn the clock back.. 

Lord help us.. 

Anyway, we did not have a nice fancy meal but all in all it still tasted alright although the rice was gone.. 

Aren't you glad you're not our kid?  grin.. 

In my defense... 

Dustin is like his mother and is seldom ever late... 

And it was not my fault that the clock was not turned back.. 

Right?  grin..

Oh well.. 

All's well that ends well.. 

They came bearing gifts, too.. 

A lovely early birthday gift for me and dessert, too.. 

They loved the salad as it had real bacon and the croutons were a slices of bread fried up in the bacon fat.. 

A nice company treat.. 

The wee boys told me they knew where hamburger came from .. 

MacDonalds... 

So cute.. 

Well, I must get ready for church tonight so may God bless you all.. 

I hope you don't think less of me for my worrisome ways.. 

Hugs..

Keeping it cozy and apple tea..

Welcome to the Blessed Hearth tonight.. 

It is certainly getting colder here in New Brunswick.. 

The other day people were out and about with just their sweaters and then today there were some mamas helping their kids build snowmen.. 

We just got rain though, thank heavens..

I am not a Winter person although I love the cozy evenings.. 

Lately I have been puttering away in the Sun Room and turning it into a more cozy niche for myself.. 

I decided to put my sewing stuff in a spare bedroom which has a window seat where I can store fabrics and such .. 

Since the room is bright it should make a good place to sew in.. 

It seems kind of pointless to have craft supplies upstairs while I have a workroom downstairs.. 

So it is all down there now.. 

I hope to make some Christmas gifts but I will make them down there..

Terry bought me a couple of parsons chairs and we brought up a small table from the cottage to put in the Sun Room.. 

When you all come for coffee now we will go in there.. smile.. 

My plants love this room, too.. 

Do you ladies ever grow bay plants? 

I am hoping this will last over the Winter and I will put it back out in the Spring.. 

We were to our little market that we like in Dieppe and bought some pears.. 

I put them in the dehydrator and will use them as decoration for Christmas gifts.. 

They look lovely with kraft paper and greenery.. 

We made THIS GARLAND AT KEEPERS..

The pepper plant that my friend gave me yielded a good harvest.. smile.. 

I have decided to dry them, too.. 

Terry was at a neighbors and had a delicious turkey sandwich. When he came home he wanted me to cook one.. 

It was in the freezer quite a while so it was good to get it cooked.. 

On Monday I made this apple tea to freeze for the holidays, too.. 

It is really easy to make.. 

Put your apple peels and cores in a pot and just cover with water.. 

Add a couple of cinnamon sticks, a few stars of anise, a teaspoon  of cloves and a few slices of fresh ginger and 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice.. 

Simmer this for 15 minutes or so and then strain.. 

I use a cheesecloth to strain it with.. 

Put it in bottles and freeze.. 

 To use put it in a crock pot and add enough honey to taste.. 

Or use it for a base for punch and add Sprite and such.. 

Here is a PIN for another recipe.. 

I just find it kind of bland and like mine spicy... 

Anyway, dear hearts this is all for tonight..

We are going to St. John tomorrow .. 

Are you making any of your Christmas gifts? 

I would love to hear what you are up to.. 

Welcome to the new followers.. 

Just love having you..

Thank you so much for dropping by..  

Take care and God bless.. 

LINKED TO THE PIN JUNKIE LINK PARTY..

ALSO LINKED TO ..FROM FARM BLOG HOP

Hello everyone.. 
Today is Remembrance Day here in Canada.. 
A day that we remember and we do not forget.. 

I have tried to upload this song from You Tube but messed it up.. 
Please click HERE to view the song.. 
Have a blessed day everyone.

An Old Fashioned Kitchen Day at Keepers of the Home..

Good Afternoon everyone.. 

Another Lord's Day has rolled around and I am glad in it.. 

Yesterday we had a Keepers of the Home meeting.. 

We decided to change it a bit and held it from 10 until 2 .. 

All week long I puttered away trying to get things together.. 

As we were centering our attention on the kitchen we did kitchen stuff.. smile.. 

There was some delicious coffee made when we arrived (thank you, Pastor) and one of the Keepers made a couple of lovely batches of muffins.. 

As this was happening there was a little lesson on the Kitchen and how it is the heart of the home.. 

The place where memories are made that are so important to our families.. 

We used our five senses to see how we could improve our own spaces.. 

What makes a kitchen cozy and warm.?. 

The lovely scents and tastes of home made bread and coffee brewing are great but there is not always time for that so we can also use simmering potpourri or a plug in to make it all smell great..

We all agreed that we love to see our kitchens clean and organized and I confessed to everyone that this is where I need help.. 

Divine help, that is .. grin.. 

We discussed ways that we can make sure that Christ is at the centre of this busy room.. 

Playing Christian music that we can hear and doing devotions at the kitchen table were a few... 

Making sure that the TV does not reign supreme is also important.. 

The kitchen is also used as a place of entertainment whether it be just a neighbor over for coffee or a meal for friends.. 

We want it to be a friendly place where especially our family feels the loving touch that we can give and where our children see their Mom and Dad displaying affection which touches our children's lives for ever.. 

We talked about how quickly time passes and the sweet days of children doing lessons at the table or a project being done soon passes.. 

Then it is just the two of us and the opportunity we had to make an impression on those young lives is over.. 

Therefore, we need as Keepers of the Home to make an effort to create those times in the kitchen influencing our children to put God first in their lives so that when they are building a home they will also endeavor to put Jesus front and centre... 

Many children come home to empty houses because Mama needs to work and that is not her fault.. But.. Whenever there is a chance or opportunity to make it special then take time to make the effort.. 

After that we learned how to make artisan bread as seen HERE  on YouTube... 

Also Michael Smith's Heritage bread HERE..

When they arrived it was baking away in the oven and certainly smelled great.. 

Next, we all sat around with fresh coffee and peeled a whole roaster full of apples and made Roasted Vanilla Apple Sauce .. 

While it roasted away in the oven we enjoyed our lunch..

The girls brought homemade soups, salads, rolls and desserts.. 

Delicious.. 

And the fellowship was so sweet.. 

After lunch I showed them a way to make your kitchen a bit more festive by using Christmas tea towels to make a curtain.. 

As seen HERE ON MY PINTEREST BOARD..

It still wasn't over as we then made a recipe box, menu box, kid's poster box or what have you out of a cereal box.. 

Using paper lunch bags and an Elmer's glue stick.. 

A magazine pic or a bit of scrap booking papers.. 

So easy.. 

Oh yes and some distress ink.. smile.. 

The girls did some very neat work.. eh?  

We had lots of door prizes, too, because dear Janet brought so many.. 

Thank you, Jan..

We put the applesauce into mason jars for the ladies to take home to try... 

I hope they liked it.. 

All in all it was a thumbs up day.. 

We were so happy to have several guests and pray they will come back again.. 

There was homework passed out and if you would like I will email it to you.. 

Please just email me at keepersofthehome@hotmail.com and I will forward it to  you... 

Thanks so much for dropping by today.. 

I need to go get ready for church tonight but I look forward to reading your lovely comments.. 

Take care and may God bless your kitchens and give you a new incentive to turn it into a room where God is centre and joy is complete... 

Hugs from New Brunswick.. 

WE REMEMBER...

Weekend Thrifting, company and such..

Hello my dears.. 

Hope all is well with you and yours.. 

Another week is here and November is passing.. 

I had a chance to do a bit of thrifting over the weekend.. 

Found a few little things.. 

A lovely wood box for holding some fresh pears which we bought at the market along with a couple of old tin molds.. 

Some toile place mats and napkins, a Bunnykins cup, and another primitive box that I hung for pens and scissors and such.. 

And an old throw ... 

I don't know why I bought that.. grin.. 

We had some lovely company, too.. 

A couple of grandsons who love to tease Grandpa and then my Mom and Step-Father were here for supper along with some friends.. 

We played a game of Rook which the ladies won.. grin.. 

I am not a game player but every once in awhile I give in and try to be a good sport.. smile.. 

I made an apple bread which was a new recipe but although they thought it was good I think they were just being nice.. 

It tasted OK but it was kind of heavy .. 

Do you have a good Apple Bread recipe.. 

I would love to have a tried and true recipe if you know what I mean... 

Terry went out and picked a 5 gallon pail full of high bush cranberries and we cleaned and froze them to make juice through the winter.. 

I also froze a bag full of the berries on their stems to decorate with at Christmas.. 

I  find that if I put them in my decor they dry up nice and dry and keep well over the holidays.. 

I was happy to get a new footstool.. 

We were in to Home Sense and there it was.. 

I love anything with the Union Jack even if it is the wrong color.. smile.. 

It is very comfy... 

I had to add a new page to my homemade calender.. 

I made it HERE..l

I love using my Country Living UK magazines for the pictures .. 

So wish the real ones didn't cost so much... smile.. 

The kids were here and I made their favorite meal.. 

Fried Rice, Egg Rolls and Sauteed Peas.. 

Plum Sauce.. 

Pretty simple fare but honestly that is the request every time they come.. 

I am afraid I will make them sick of it.. 

They even take the leftovers home.. 

smile.. 

Well, lovies, I must get to bed.. 

The time change has me getting up earlier.. 

Does it affect any of you ladies? 

We are having a Keepers of the Home meeting this Saturday morning in Salisbury.. 

If any of you live nearby and are interested in joining us then please just email me..

We would love to have you.. 

AN OLD FASHIONED KITCHEN DAY.. 

We are starting at ten and going over lunch for a change..

Learning some kitchen basics and such.. 

Thanks so much for praying for Chelsea.. 

She is doing well and waiting for results.. 

God is so good.. 

Take care and God bless.. 

I look forward to hearing from you..