Using up the Old and a Gentle Reminder...

Good Afternoon to one and all...

It is a beautiful sunny day here today but I am trying to do the dreaded taxes:)  I work for an hour or two and then work at something else... I don't want my brain to clog... smile..

I have been trying for the last few weeks to work on eating up some of our put up food.... frozen and canned...

So, this morning I made a couple of batches of cooked strawberry jam... I decided to buy a few packages of fresh ones that were on sale and mix them..  I find the jam is much fresher tasting..

I really washed the fresh ones well, though and just mixed them with the frozen...  

As you can see there were quite a few bottles and it tastes really good...

After; I worked a bit more on the papers and then decided to make a pan of my Dad's favorite treat...

I used to love making these for him when he would visit .. It is hard to believe that he has gone Home now for over 22 years.

Whenever I make strawberry jam I remember these squares and how Dad loved them...

I thought you might like the recipe...

ENGLISH TEA SQUARES...

3/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar  (I use splenda)

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups sifted flour

1/4 tsp. allspice

1 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup strawberry jam ( I use 3/4 cup)

3 T. confectioners sugar (I forgot)

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy and then add egg and vanilla.. 

Stir well...Add flour, allspice and almonds and blend well.. 

Spoon half of mixture into lightly greased 9 inch pan.. 

Carefully spread strawberry jam over top and then add rest of crumb mixture.. Pat down.

Bake in 350 degrees oven for 40 minutes...

Remove to cooking rack and sift confectioners sugar on the top... 

Makes 3 dozen... 

Lovely with a nice hot cup of tea... 

I was reading a book last night after I had gone to bed... It is a book about a family who lived in  Ireland many years ago..

It is not one of the best books I have ever read by far but as I was reading it a paragraph that was written made me pause..

The writer was talking about the love of God...

He compared God`s love to a cloak that we wrap around us...

He stated that no matter what we go through in life that God`s love surrounds us and shields us like a cloak...

Isn`t that a wonderful comparison....  

Nothing happens to us as His child unless He allows it to.. He will not let us go through anything alone and everything that happens to us is approved by Him... He holds us in the palm of His hand. 

I had to lay the book down and ask His forgiveness for the many times that I have feared instead of trusting Him.. I needed to  thank Him for His love... I am a mother who needs to remember this daily...The book stated that the opposite of love is actually fear... How true... Perfect love casteth out all fear...  I realize that I need to put my trust in His Hands that my children are in His palm.... Whatever happens in my life is blessed by Him because I am His child... I love Him and I need to trust Him always...When troubles come He places us in the cleft of the rock and covers us with His Hand... We are safe... He protects...

I am thankful that I read that.. Sometimes, even though we are His child we need a gentle reminder to put not just ourselves but our families or whatever circumstances we are in right back into His care...

What an awesome God:)

Thanks again for dropping by... 

Blessings... 

  

A Little Spring Outing....

Happy Monday Morning.....

I trust you all had a good weekend... We had some heavy rain and wind but some sun, too.... A perfect Spring weekend, I guess..

Terry and I went up to our old farm for awhile on Friday.

I thought I would take a few pics and show you what it is like here in an Eastern Canadian province.

New Brunswick.. 

There are lots of deer in the fields all along the way..

Old buildings that have weathered another Canadian Winter...

I wonder how old this one is.....

The rivers and brooks are full ... There is still some snow scattered here and there along their banks...

Every time we go to the farm I look for this guy...

He lives along the river and is quite gorgeous, I think...

Here are some of his friends who live with him..

Last Fall when we went by I was sure the turkey must have been saved for Christmas.. smile...

I guess not... He is still there... When I got out of the car to take their pics they all came up to the fence and the turkey was complaining loudly the whole time.... lol...

Lots of goats but only one donkey...

They were so friendly..  I think they must have good owners.

The further up in the hills we went the more snow there was... Most of the fields are bare but the hills are still covered.

We thought we would go up and stay for a few days this week but we decided it is still a bit cold so we will wait another week or two..

I should have taken a pic of the old farm but you have all seen it in previous postings, I am sure..

Anyway... our back yard had a lot of these holes...

Terry said they were all underneath the snow..

Moles???

We have never seen this before but I think they must have been tunnels all made by mice or moles.....

I guess they have all left for their summer homes now, though... smile..

I should have taken pics of pussy willows and the red dogtooth growing along the ditches.... We are much slower than a lot of you readers who live South of us but we will catch up soon.. smile...

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little posting..

This is the dreaded TAX WEEK.... sigh....

I thought I would show you a dear wee plant that I have been nurturing for almost two years..

An old gentleman in St. Martins gave me a slip of his plant.  He called it the Dolphin Plant. 

I brought it home and rooted it .. That took weeks to do..

Then I planted it and it blossomed even though it was quite small.

A beautiful red dolphin flower... So sweet.

Then when I brought it home from the cottage it almost died and was down to four leaves... Oh dear:)

But I have tended it and watched it and watered it and it has taken off again..

Now we again have a bud... Thank you, Lord.

When the blossom comes out in a day or two I will show it to you again...

Have a good Monday my dears and will get back to you soon..

Love to you all and God Bless...

Crafting Day and Shepherds Pie Recipe...

Hi  all.....How are you? 

On my last posting I had told you all that my cousin Valerie was coming for a visit for a couple of crafting days.... 

 Val is one of my many first cousins from St. Martins where as you know we summer and I run my wee shoppe...

We had such fun.... talking and crafting and talking and laughing..

You sure can tell we are FAMILY... 

We love so many of the same things... 

God and our families, our homes, our craft talent, cups of tea and cake.... We even have the same ailments ...smile... 

Our husbands are very similar... 

We even each have an adopted child who is exactly the same as our biological children... Born of our hearts...  

God really blessed our time together...

Anyway...

I thought I would show you a few things that she taught me..

Needle Punching...

Here Val drew out a simple pattern on some burlap just to get me started....

It seemed simple enough.. She can paint and draw so well..

Such a God given talent...

Perhaps you would like to meet her...

This is Val... She has been so kind to teach the Keepers of the Home how to blanket stitch and made coasters with them all..

They loved her and so she has consented to come again...

Our next meeting, actually... 

We hope to be making something like this..

I am hoping you girls like this... She will have different styles, of course... They don't have to be primitive... smile...

This is the needle punch... And my first attempt.. I just love doing it.  So easy and fun to do...

This is one of Val's first attempts... Pretty good, eh?

It will take me a bit to get a rug done but all in due time..

This is a craft I can do easily while I am keeping shoppe....

She also showed me her cross stitching that she is working at...

I love the pattern..

We worked at computer crafts, paper crafts and more...

She also shared a recipe for our supper last night. 

A really neat Shepherds Pie..

I will give you the pinch of this and a cup of that recipe..

ok?

VAl's Shepherds Pie..

Peel and cook a pot of potatoes... as many as you think you need.

While they are cooking brown up a pound or so of hamburger. 

Add a chopped onion and a couple of cloves of garlic..

Season with salt and pepper.

When browned add a can of tomato soup and 1/2 package of Sloppy Joe Mix...

In the meantime in a large casserole dish spread out a large can of creamed corn. 

On top of that add your hamburger mixture..

Over that add vegetables of choice. eg.. peas, green beans or carrots...

Drain your cooked potatoes and cream with milk and butter.

Spread over top...

Place in oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes..

Serve this with a nice fresh salad and bread of choice. 

A lovely potluck dish, too...

I will be sharing the other craft work on my other blog...

PRIMITIVE LACE

tomorrow or sometime soon. 

Valerie went back home this afternoon but there was someone wondering where she went... smile..

Which way did she go?  giggle.... 

I hope you enjoyed your little visit here.  I love having you all. 

You are welcome anytime and if you can leave a comment then I am doubly delighted... smile..

Have a wonderful weekend...

God Bless

Getting a Country Bedroom ready for Company

Hello everyone...

Today is Tuesday and tomorrow we are having company... My sweet cousin Valerie is coming to stay for a couple of days.  She is one of my cousins from St. Martins on my Mom's side of the family.. 

We are going to have a crafting party... We both love prim crafts and when we chat on the phone we say that we could go on for days...

Today, I made sure her bedroom was already for her...

This is one of our spare rooms and I thought she might like it best.  I changed the bed... There was a kind of flannel heavy quilt so I put a lighter one on...

A little lavender in the bedding just so it smells nice ... Gram always kept a bunch of tied lavender in her linen closet.. hmmmm... I wonder if Val knows that. 

She lived there at the end of the Gram's lane..

We lived 2 hours away and only went down a few times a year and usually stayed for a couple of nights...The sheets always smelled so wonderful....  The smell of lavender always reminds me of Gram...

Then I put some magazines and books out on the window seat and made sure there was a  jug ready for a middle of the night drink...I will fill that up later...  

Then I made sure there was a clock and stocked the bath with toiletries that Terry gets from the hotels when he is away..

Don't you find that they are so nice for guests?

Oh, I also placed a couple of bunnies around to decorate for the season..

I know Easter is about a lot more than bunnies but I do like a few around...

So, my dears I will get back to you and let you know all the fun things we end up doing.... (if the Lord wills)

She is going to try and teach me a couple of new craft things...

Thanks so much for stopping by and I love your little comments.

Have yourselves a lovely day....

God bless...

I wonder what I should make for supper....smile.... 

A Shiny Little House

Hello everyone... Just a little post today.. 

 Some ladies and I went to a Retreat this past weekend ... It was wonderful and we came away with a sense of restoration... The speakers and singers were very anointed and God really touched our hearts.. We were blessed and made new commitments to put God first in our lives..

We had two rooms among over 400 ladies and there was a connecting door... So much fun and great fellowship... Thank you, Lord... but...... this old lady is SO tired...

I don't think anyone in our room slept very much but that is OK as it is only once a year....

I have not accomplished a lot today but I came across this little poem that our daughter memorized when she was only in grade 2..

I can remember waiting for the bus and we would be going over it..

So sweet... I must ask her if she can still recite it..

Spring time is here and I need to do some cleaning so this poem always comes to my mind..

A SHINY LITTLE HOUSE...

I wish, how I wish, that I had a little house

With a mat for the cat and a hole for a mouse,

And a clock going "tock" in a corner of the room

And a kettle, and a cupboard, and a big birch broom.

To school in the morning the children off would run,

And I'd give them a kiss and a penny and a bun.

But directly they had gone from this little house of mine,

I'd clasp my hands and snatch a cloth, and shine, shine, shine.

I'd shine all the knives, all the windows and the floors,

All the grates, all the plates, all the handles on the doors,

\Every fork, every spoon, every lid, and every tin,

Till everything was shining like a new bright pin

.

At night, by the fire, when the children were in bed,

I'd sit and I'd knit, with a cap upon my head,

And the kettles, and the saucepans they would shine, shine, shine,

In this tweeny little, cosy little house of mine!

by.. Nancy M Hayes..

There is no place like home...

whether it be a cosy little house or a mansion on a hill.

Home is Sweet..

Shonda was also at the Retreat and it was so nice to see our sweet daughter there  worshiping the Lord. 

God is so good and so faithful..

I will be back soon, Lord willing. 

May God be with you all.. 

No knead Herb Bread Recipe and blog hop

Hello...

Thought you might like this lovely bread recipe to try out over the weekend... perhaps.....

This is one of our favorites to have with chicken or pork..

It has kind of stuffing flavors... poultry seasoning  and such..

It is a no knead recipe which I love as you have no doubt figured out from reading the blog...

I do have a bread machine but I take spirts in using it...

I have not used it for ages... Going through a no knead phase, I guess... smile...  

Terry and I just don't eat much bread anymore so for me to knead up a batch just seems like more bother than it is worth.  Especially, when it is so easy just to make 1 loaf....

Here is the recipe...

NO KNEAD HERB BREAD..

 In a large bowl place:

1 envelope of yeast

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon parsley

1 3/4 tsp. poultry seasoning

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

Then add 1 1/4 cups warm water which has 2 Tablespoons butter melted in it.. (make sure your water is only lukewarm.)

Stir this together well and add 3 cups of flour  -  1 cup at a time.

Mix well and  let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Make a topping  1 well beaten egg.

Place bread in greased bread pan or casserole dish.

Brush egg on top and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. celery seeds.

Let rise... Bake in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes...

Hope you enjoy this recipe...

Very easy to make...

And tastes good...

Have a God blessed weekend everyone..

Hugs...

Textures of Home.. Proverbs 24:3-4..

Good Morning my dears....

This morning as I arose (smile) and made my way out to the kitchen to begin my day I passed by the doors into the livingroom. 

It was so cheerful with the sun shining in the Eastern windows that I thought I would share it with you all..

So ... please come on in... I am just going to post some textures that are in this room for you to see... ok? 

Those were just a few close ups of this room.. 

Not everything is perfect but it is home...

When Sammi and I opened the patio door (which has not been opened all Winter)...

This is what we saw.

 There is still snow out in the old orchard but the flower beds near the house are clear and starting to come up...Spring is here..

Isn't God good?

 There is no place on earth that I would rather live than here in this province of New Brunswick.. 

I thank Him for that....

I thought I would share a little verse in Proverbs with you....

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiuful treasures. 

Proverbs 24:3

Of course this verse is not referring to this house that Terry and I live in or the one you live in....

But to our bodies which are the temples of the Lord...

If we will study His Word and learn to apply the wisdom that he gives us there then we build up the house we live in. 

When we do this we begin to understand all that He has done for us and we establish our goings on the Word of God.. 

 We begin to apply His Word to every facet of our lives..

With this knowledge of Him as a child of God then our lives are filled with spiritual riches such as love, joy and peace but also healings, a sound mind and material provisions that we need. 

He also gives us wisdom to help us with our families and marriages and all in our daily lives.. 

When we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts He builds this home.

Then the textures of our lives which is so diversified with home, family, friends, work and so much more becomes centred upon Him..

We then realize  that this house is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ and His Righteousness..

No matter what prevails we are safe from the storms of life and we can lean on Him....

He is the Answer today....

Thank you dear ladies for stopping by... I love to hear from you..
                         
                                         GOD BLESS...