Just another post...

Good Evening everyone.. 

Welcome to the Blessed Hearth ... 

Hope you are all doing well and not in the midst of a storm as we are here in Eastern Canada.. 

Lots of freezing rain and wind and more rain.. 

I am sitting here anxiously waiting for news that our daughter and her husband have landed safely from their trip to the Bahamas.. 

They were supposed to land this morning but the plane had to return to Toronto due to landing conditions here.. 

Then we had a text from Shonda that they would be leaving again at 5 pm but have not heard anything else thus far.. 

I checked with the airport site and it says the flight from Toronto is delayed... sigh... 

I am not worried.... 

I just want them to be safe at home.. 

All you mothers know what I mean.. 

Anyway.. 

The last post I mentioned that we were planning on going to the farm on Saturday and that we did... 

Not as much snow as usual as you can see.. 

Terry and Dustin have lots of wood piled and the dear man went inside and started the fire in the stove and turned on the electric heaters while I read in the car for about 15 minutes.. 

Charlie played around the yard.. 

He loves it up there and just runs and runs.. 

I checked out our flagpole.. 

I think we may have had a bit of wind up there lately, eh? 

You know what that means in the Spring.. 

Another episode in the life of a wife with a husband on a ladder.. lol

You ladies who follow the blog remember my stories about that.. 

I also noticed that my summer bunting is still flying in the breezes.. 

I will need to make a new one also in the Spring when we get back up there.. 

Well.. the sad story is that when Charlie and I went into the house I found that I could not stay.. 

My arthritis has been acting up and I knew if I stayed I would be suffering all week so we just turned off the heats and went back home.. 

I had packed food for our meals but ended up making it here.. 

Oh well.. 

Terry said it is better not to take a chance.. 

Enough about that.. 

We had Sunday supper and I made an apple cobbler.. 

Forgot to take a pic of finished product.. smile.. 

I wish I had a wonderful recipe for that but it was just so so.. 

Do you ladies have one that is awesome?  

Then I made tea and just had a wonderful time looking at books and such.. 

Planning our next Keepers of the Home day.. 

It is to be on February 11, I think... 

Probably going to be a heart day.. 

I will post about it as soon as I know the details.. 

Yesterday and today I made a couple of batches of egg rolls.. 

We learned to make these at Keepers if you recall.. 

So easy to make really.. 

Then this was our Sunday supper.. 

Very boring but comfort food.. 

Salisbury steak, gravy, mashed, carrots and turnip... 

And lots of pickles of course.. 

Really trying to use up preserved and frozen foods this Winter.

I love love the canned beans and such .. 

Really hope to do up a lot more this year... 

And of course my favourite is the soup base that I have posted about so many times.. Thanks to dear Carmen.. 

This is just some vintage fabrics I found in my decluttering process.. 

This morning Terry and I spent over 2 hours in my workshop in the basement.. 

We got through 3 big shelves.. That is all.. 

Oh my !!

Over 20 years in the craft and shop business and I have not been through the stuff since I retired.. lol  

How do I get rid of so much good stuff is beyond me.. 

I can't burn it all and I doubt if any thrift store wants that much so I will have to divvy it up amongst them, I guess.. 

I don't even know if anyone uses that kind of craft supplies anymore.. 

Grapevine wreaths, swags and so on and so on.. grin.. 

Then I still make a few things yet and have our Keepers meetings so I want to keep some of it ... 

But what??? 

I guess we will be going down most days for an couple of hours and hope we get through it by next year.. 

That is all I can do.. 

Our kids will be so relieved to know that I am even trying.. 

Well, dear hearts this has been a long boring story.. 

Once again, I apologize for that.. 

When I first started the blog it was with the warning that it would only be about my daily life.. 

Nothing very outstanding but real anyway, eh? 

Take care of yourselves and thanks so much for your sweet comments.. 

I was going to post a recipe for lemon desert but our hydro is flickering so I had best shut this down.. 

Talk soon and God bless.. xo

These January Days...

Good Evening dear hearts.. 

Just a little post for this Friday evening.. 

Hope you all have a great weekend.. 

We are having pretty good weather here in New Brunswick.. 

It is certainly my kind of winter.. 

Not a lot of snow thus far and many times it is rather mild with rain and wind.. 

I don't think it has even been really cold like it used to be when we were kids.. 

Or perhaps I just forget.. smile.. 

Anyway.. 

Terry and I may be heading for a day at the farm tomorrow.. 

Not sure yet.. 

We don't seem to make plans but just go with the flow.. 

Terry was up today and the driveway is clear. He made a fire and that will make it a bit easier to heat for tomorrow.. 

It will be just for the day but we will see... 

This post has some pics from our week.. 

Doing ordinary things like watering the plants.. 

Did you know that if you save the water that you use to wash your rice then use it for your plants that they thrive on it.. 

I read that somewhere and have been doing it and find the plants do like it.. They told me so.. grin.. 

It doesn't hurt them anyway.. 

Drying out a few more apples and limes slices... 

Making Mojo Sauce and Spaghetti... 

When we go shopping I try to find the bargain fruit and veggies and then dry them.. 

We went to town yesterday and did a bit of shopping.. 

The roads were a bit slick but not too bad.. 

It was a good day.. 

We usually take Charlie with us.. 

He has his blankets and loves just sleeping in the back.. 

We are not in one store for more then an hour and he just sleeps away... 

I visited the thrift store that had a fire and it is lovely and clean and tons of stuff... 

I found some books, a couple of lovely cups and a jean blazer.. smile.. 

Love thrift shopping!  Do you? 

This week has also been spent in our living room decluttering and I am so glad that I have actually finished.. 

Found some lovely treasures.. 

Drawers full of stuff but much less in them now.. 

Came across a picture of my great aunt and uncle whose dining room set I have.. 

They were married in 1934... 

I loved reading the newspaper clipping about their wedding and it was fun to find that I have inherited a few of their wedding gifts.. 

The blue and white china belonged to her.. 

The other beautiful water pitcher and glasses belonged to my maternal grandparents.. 

It was one of their wedding gifts and is over 100 years old.. 

My Mom just gave it to me and I love it.. 

Since my sister and I were wee girls we were told that it and a lovely pink glass basket were to be ours someday.. 

Nadine received the basket.. 

Mom is beginning to try to give us some of her precious things and we cherish them just as we do her.... 

I now have 3 boxes of stuff to give away!! 

Next week, Lord willing I will start another room.. smile.. 

Well, my dears I will go for now.. 

We have been watching the Inaugural proceedings.. 

We pray for the USA and hope that all will go well for them.. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and I look forward to hearing from you sweet friends.. 

God bless... 

ps.. I will try to post the lemon dessert recipe next post... xo

Saturday Night Ramble ...

Good Evening everyone.. 

Welcome to the Blessed Hearth this Saturday night.. 

We had a beautiful sunny day here in New Brunswick and had a few dear friends drop by this afternoon.. 

It was such a nice day for a drive.. 

I had just finished cleaning my pantry.. 

again !

 Perhaps, I am a messy sort.. smile.. 

A bit of painting on the little corner shelves and it will be nice and fresh for a bit.. 

Since it was so tidy I decided to make a lemon dessert.. 

It was a successful new recipe!

Terry didn't think they were lemony enough but I thought they were just right.. 

Not too sweet... 

I think this is going to turn into another Saturday night ramble.. 

Sorry.. 

I am trying to get a bit organised and decluttered this Winter..

It is quite a daunting task in this house which is so full... 

I find it a bit overwhelming so I am trying the strategy of the Fly Lady..(an organizing site) 

It is using a timer and working at two separate chores.. 

It turns out that the timer keeps me focused.. smile.

I am finding that it is taking me awhile to complete the Living Room, though as I am cleaning out each and every drawer, buffet and china cupboard.. 

Plus the Christmas had to be packed up and sorted, too.. 

I am also putting wee notes on special dishes and such so my children will know what is precious and what is not... smile.. 

So.. 

The living room gets a bit of time here and there.. 

Finding a few treasures in there... 

Edgar Guest is a favourite poet... 

Lots of old lace, tablecloths and such.. 

So hard to get rid of stuff when you really like it.. smile.. 

I am managing to do it, though.. 

A couple of big boxes for the thrift stores already... 

My children will be proud of me.. smile..  

Then when you are sure you have most of Christmas packed away....

You find a few more things... 

Hopefully, it will get finished next week.. 

We only ran the roads one day this week.. 

And that was to go once again to St. Martins..

This is the pic of our old cottage that I put on the last post... 

See the little cottage right down at the end with the red roof ... 

Well, on Wednesday our province was hit by a huge wind and rain storm... 

The waves were humongous !!

And my sweet friend's cottage took a beating.. 

Look at the size of that wave.. 

I borrowed this pic from Village of St. Martins Facebook page.. 

So on Thursday we went down to see the damage and I was very curious to see how far the water had actually come up.. 

You could see the line where the seaweed debris stopped and it was much further then usual.. 

This little cottage used to be the train station in St. Martins many years ago..

So sad... 

I hope they can rebuild..  

Met up with some old friends there.. 

It was amazing how much damage the waves did... 

Here is a link to a news broadcast that covers the storm.. 

I thought that some of my far away friends would like to see the video.. 

HERE...

And another little recipe that I tried out for supper tonight.. 

We had them with filet of Salmon..

Vinaigrette Potatoes.. 

Peel and chop up 5 cups of potatoes.. 

Boil in salted water until tender.. 

While they are cooking make up the vinaigrette dressing.. 

Dressing.. 

1/4 cup of olive oil or canola

3 T. of white wine vinegar

1/2 cup of chopped celery

1/4 cup of chopped scallions

Salt and freshly ground pepper 

pinch of red pepper flakes

Whisk well.. 

Drain the potatoes and mash well.. 

Pour in the dressing and stir well..

These really go rather well with fish... 

Nice change, too.. 

Well, my dears this is all for tonight.. 

Tomorrow is the Lord's Day once again.. 

Looking forward to worshipping the God of the universe.. 

Take care and God bless.. 

xo

A Winter's Afternoon...

Hello dear hearts.. 

A lovely Winter's afternoon here .. 

Cold but the sun shone.. We had a snow storm over the weekend and everything is beautiful and fresh looking.. 

Nonetheless, I prefer the bare fields even if they are not as pretty.. smile.. 

So many things to do on these Winter afternoons, I find.. 

My to do list is long.. 

Not just household chores but creative things like remaking my country calendar, sewing bags for my scarves, tights and such, new recipes to try,  writing a new cook book, a list of redecorating I would like to attempt, taking care of plants and repotting a few and so on and so on..  

Believe me, I won't accomplish half of them but the ambition is still there.. 

You know what they say.. 

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.. grin.. 

Anyway.. 

Most winter lunches are soup around here..  

One of my faves but nothing new.. 

The recipe is Here..

Terry and I made a little trip down to St. Martins to check out the cottage on Friday.. 

We picked a great day as the waves were lovely.. 

Love windy wavy days... smile.. 

I told him we should stay overnight.. 

We may have been a bit cold as the heat is turned off.. 

The harbour.... 

The dear old cottage... 

And at the end of our street.. 

More lovely waves.. 

We made a wee trip up the road and filled some water bottles with some cold fresh Spring water.. 

It was a great day...

So blessed to be retired and still able to get around and enjoy ourselves.. 

On Saturday we spent the day with Shonda and Dave.. 

We went to East Side Marios for supper ... 

My most favourite spot to eat.. 

Pasta, of course.. And seafood... smile.. 

Still trying to use up our New Year's turkey... 

This was a recipe my friend Maxine gave me many years ago.. 

It is very good although I have made a few adjustments...

Terry had seconds... smile.. 

Here is my version of the recipe.. 

messy writing.. 

Hot Turkey Salad Casserole.. 

2 cups of diced turkey. 

1/2 cup of chopped celery

1/2 cup of chopped onion 

1/2 cup of chopped green pepper

1/2 cup of mayo

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 can of sliced mushrooms and liquid

1 cup of milk 

1 cup of raw rice , washed 

1 cup of chicken broth or water.. 

salt and pepper 

Fresh chopped parsley to taste.. 

1/2 cup of grated cheese.. 

Mix turkey, veggies, rice, mushrooms, parsley, salt and pepper and mayo in a greased 2 quart casserole dish.. 

In a separate bowl stir together the can of soup, milk, mushroom liquid and broth.. Whisk if necessary.. 

Pour over above in casserole dish and stir well.. 

Bake in a 350 degrees F. oven with cover for 45 minutes.. 

Add cheese on top and take off cover and cook for another 15 minutes until casserole has thickened up and cheese has melted.. 

Serve with fresh bread and a green salad..  

Hope you like this.. 

I have been trying to get all the Christmas decor put away.. 

What a job.. 

Much easier just putting it up, I think.. smile.. 

Anyway, it is done but we have to clean a space on the shelves as I am trying to reorganise it all.. 

We were on the roads all last week almost so this week it is home sweet home.. 

We have a new sofa set coming on Wednesday.. 

Terry and Dustin took our old set up to the farm and what a chore that was.. 

I can't remember it being such a trial to get it in the house as it was getting it out but all is well that ends well.. 

It is up there in the living room... 

The delivery men will deal with getting the new one in so that is all good.. 

Well, this has probably gone on long enough for this time.. 

I hope you are enjoying your winter season.. 

Oh .. 

I wanted to add this that I posted on my Face Book page.. 

Love Does..

I get the invitation every morning when I wake up to actually live a life of complete engagement, a life of whimsy, a life where love does. It doesn’t come in an envelope. It’s ushered in by a sunrise, the sound of a bird, or the smell of coffee drifting lazily from the kitchen. It’s the invitation to actually live life, to fully participate in this amazing life for one more day.  Turning down this invitation comes in lots of flavors. It looks like numbing yourself or distracting yourself or seeing something really beautiful as just normal. It can also look like refusing to forgive or not being grateful or getting wrapped around the axle with fear or envy. I think every day God sends us an invitation to live and sometimes we forget to show up or get head-faked into thinking we haven’t really been invited. but you see, we have been invited – every day, all over again.
— Love Does // Bob Goff

It was written by Bob Goff and I loved it ..

Have a great week sweet friends and thanks so much for dropping by and leaving your wonderful notes and emails.. 

God bless.. 

Linked to... 

JES Homemaking Mondays.

Blessings..

Happy New Year everyone.. 

Welcome to the Blessed Hearth this evening.. 

I am so glad you dropped by.. 

I am sorry that I have not posted very much lately.. 

Time just seems to slip by and another day is over and I have not put the effort necessary into posting.. 

I just told Terry that starting tomorrow if the Lord wills I shall strive to do better.. 

I did buy a book from Chapters that has inspired me for the Winter and I will share it with you all. 

It is just about being home and making an effort to get some simple special touches for our homes and our lives... 

We had a lovely Christmas and our New Year's family time was wonderful... 

The grandsons and Shonda , Dave and Dustin were all here for New Year's eve and overnight to the next day.. 

They had fun times playing the game Catan.. 

Or I think that is what it is called.. 

A very serious game, though.. smile.. 

We had a Chinese supper later in the evening ...

Chinese.. 

Egg Rolls and Plum Sauce 

Chinese Soup and a Chinese Salad

Fried Rice with Bacon

Apricot Chicken 

Desserts... 

We had been without hydro the day before so I had double the work before everyone arrived so I was zonked, shall we say.. I went to bed before midnight.. 

This old gal isn't what she used to be but our dear daughter was such a help and it was all good.. 

The next day I arose (smile) at 6 am to put one of our turkeys we raised this summer into the oven... 

And on with the day.. 

Everyone arrived.. 

Trevor and Tammy had a night out alone and arrived on New Year's Day with Tim Hortons coffees for everyone..  

There were 14 of us..

My dear Mom... 

She loves all the kids and her and Gerald have a great time with them all.. 

They sure are growing... 

Such special young men.. 

Not because they are ours but just because they are.. 

I am so glad they walk with the Lord and are carrying the torch forward... 

Their grandparents sure do love them.. 

Just like you do yours, eh! 

Shonda and I had some time together while the guys played the game ....

There are a lot more pics but I won't bore you with them all and will get back to normal posts next time.. 

This is a Chinese salad we like.. 

Chinese Salad.. 

2 or 3 cups of cooked raw rice, cooled.. 

Chopped veggies to suit.. 

Mushrooms, green onions, red or green peppers. celery, parsley and then a handful of roasted peanuts or whatever kind you like..

You can also add a couple of cups of spinach if desired or even some fresh beansprouts.. 

The dressing.. 

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon soy sauce 

1 garlic clove minced

 1/2 tsp. sugar

6 Tablespoons olive oil 

salt and pepper to taste

Mix with salad at least a half hour before eating.. 

Anyway, dear hearts this is all for tonight.. 

So blessed in the past year and looking forward with joy to this new one.. 

God has been faithful and I am glad He is holding my hand.. 

God bless sweet friends..