Road Trip Across Canada: Ontario and Quebec

Hello!  Next stop on our Road Trip Across Canada is Ontario and then Quebec.

These two provinces share so many things in common as they go from Canadian Shield to Lowlands by the St. Lawrence or Great Lakes. 

They share the same kinds of animal and bird species.  

But there are marked differences in culture as Quebec is predominantly French, 

and Ontario is predominantly English.  

Again we read lots of books!!!

Here is a smattering of some of them.

We also took to Google Maps (satellite) to see where some of my relatives live in Ontario, and to check out the Niagara Falls.

We took to World Book Encyclopedia Online to learn about the Sault Locks.  Which allow the big ships to travel between Lake Superior and Lake Huron.  

We learned about the beautiful Georgian Bay and the amazing Algonquin National Park.  

We checked out a friends blog who shared some of the pictures of her adventures in this park, and also her visit to the Royal Canoes Museum.  Very interesting!  A place that we most certainly would pull our truck up to and stay awhile! 

We talked a bit about the farming that goes on in Ontario as my grandparents long ago had a farm there, and now one of my dear cousins and her husband have a dairy farm!

While we learned about the Great Lakes, we leaned about ship wrecks and water pollution.

As we travelled more towards Quebec, we stopped off in Ottawa and talked a bit about the parliament buildings and the capital of Canada.  

Once in Quebec, we learned about the St. Lawrence Seaway and all the wonderful different shorelines.  From forested to great beaches.  

We had a wonderful internet search for Quebec landscapes and found there are many wonderful parks and trial systems to explore there.  

We visited the Chateau Frontenac, and walked along it's boardwalk.  

We meandered through the old buildings full of history and visited the Quebec City Military Fort.  

We talked about hydro-electric dams that are in Quebec. Then there are the Cabana a Sucre stores!  Do you love maple syrup? Other then just on pancakes?

We explored the winter sights of the Carnaval de Quebec with the canoe river races, the human bowling, and oh the sledding tracks!  

We checked out different kinds of food for this part of Canada.  In Ontario, there is so much diversity that it was hard to narrow anything down.  So we looked to Quebec.  

We found that a pork dish called Ramekin Tourtieres sounded good, so we made our own version of it.  I didn't have little pretty dishes to cook it in, so we made it separately.  Very interesting, something we'd have again for sure!   

Then we wanted to have something with maple syrup since it's popular in both Ontario and Quebec. 

We didn't want the usual...so we made the sugar pie!

Oh yum yum yum!!!

We joined our homeschool group to share with them what we learned. 

We made little ones to share, and kept the big moose one 

(since we didn't have a maple leaf cutter) for home. 

It was very sweet, but it tasted more like a caramel then regular maple syrup. 

These are both interesting provinces with so much to offer in both adventures in the forests, history, and fun activities to do.

I hope you enjoyed a bit of our study of these provinces.  

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: To be Discreet

Hello!  Welcome to Homemaking Monday! 

Today I'd like to elaborate on what it means to be discreet. 

To be discreet, is to be careful, cautious, prudent, judicious, condiderate, guarded, tactful, wary, watchful, discerning.  Any of these words resonate with you? 

I looked up discreet in the Webster's 1828 Dictionary:

Prudent; wise in avoiding errors or evil, and in selecting the best means to accomplish a purpose; circumspect; cautious; wary; not rash

Vines says this about the word discreet:

Of sound mind, self controlled. 

2 Timothy 1:7

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

So a sound mind comes from the Lord!  

It is to the Lord we must go to gain this quality, it's not something that just happens.  It is learned yes, but also is given of the Lord.  We need to pray like Solomon, God give us an understanding heart.

1 Kings 3:7-10

"And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.

And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.

Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing."

As I've studied this quality, I've come across some verses that I'd like to share with you. 

Genesis 41: 33& 39

"Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt."

"And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:"

Mark 12:34

"And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God."

Here it's showing how important God views this quality.  Not only God, but others in authority, and down to the common man, this is a quality that is very valued. 

Proverbs 22:17-21

"Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge.

For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips.

That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.

Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,

That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?"

So how does this look in our daily lives as homemakers?  

First of all, we need to realize that not all thoughts that come into our heads need to come out our mouths.  That there are times that are best to say something and times when we need to be silent. 

With this quality, it not only gives respect to others, but also shows wisdom in self control.  How many times have you opened up your mouth too quickly and had to eat your words?  I know for me I've done this many times.  By God's grace I'm learning to be more discreet, to consider things and to consider my words carefuly before I speak. I'm sure you've all heard the phrase: "use some tact".  It's knowing when to say something, and how to say it.  It's discernement.

With being discreet, we are aware of not only what is around us, but also what is behind things.  It leads us to ask questions, to weigh things in our minds, to be discerning.  We need to make judgement calls.  The world would cry out "thou shalt not judge", (and we all judge things) not realizing that we are to make righteous judgements, not unrighteous judgements.  This happens in all aspects of our lives. 

In our homes, it is measured out in how we spend the income our husbands provide for us.  How we train and nurture our children. How we spend our time in caring for our homes and families. How we care for others outside of our homes.  As we are discreet about things, it leads to peacefulness as we consider other's needs. 

How are we to make righteous judgements? How are we to be discreet? 

We need a standard, and that standard is the word of God!  

Don't hesitate to look things up!  The more time we spend in reading our Bibles, the more we will have the mind of Christ Jesus.  We need to hide God's word in our hearts.

The purpose of being discreet is to avoid error and evil.  The Bible is clear on what is error and what is evil.  As the Lord teaches you through time with Him, the more evident it will become to you.  It will be as you are looking out into the world with brand new eyes, and ears.

This quality is not only beneficial to ourselves, but to our families.  To our children who are constantly watching us and looking to us to do what is right.  We are living ensamples. It is important to exercise this quality to keep our children safe, and to lead them to righteousness.

Just some things to think about...a quality that is a high priority for us homemakers to gain.  

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer  

Cool Comforts

Hello! 

Today I just have some odd cool comforts to share with you.  

Above is a new shawl I made using Bernat Pop yarn in Violet Vision.  You can find the pattern here! 

A sweet friend of mine made one of these shawls and it was so lovely I asked for the pattern. :)  

My daughter's pink violet that she keeps above the kitchen sink is blooming and it's so lovely! 

I also adore this little tea pot from a dear friend.  It says Friends warm the Heart.  Then I also keep my little tea strainer easily accessible.  I just put up the screen on the window a few days ago as the bugs are starting to come out.  

On that note, the bats have come back to roost in the garage wall.  I'm not fond of the fact that they make the garage stink, but that they eat so many bugs!!!

It's so cold here this spring that I've not even planted all of my garden...it's all ready for seeds though. We got some rain today and I hope that it'll help the leaves come out on the trees, they are just barely able to flutter in the wind now. 

Another cold comfort for me are the flowers!  

I have some amazing pansies that I found this spring.  I'll be saving some seeds from these for sure!  I have them planted in a box by my front door.  

I also have some lovely metal pails of flowers planted.  

Dusty Miller, Lobelia, Pansies, and Petunias. I have two pots like the one above.

Then I have a pail with sweet william that was a gift from my children. 

The fireweed are starting to come up and the grass is starting to have a green tinge to it.  

The weather has been so cold that things aren't wanting to break forth just yet.  

All in the right time it will happen...then we'll get to plant things outside. 

Praying you have a lovely day! 

Jennifer

Road Trip Across Canada: Prairie Provinces

Hello!  Today I'd like to share with you a bit about our study of Canada's prairie provinces. 

Albert is a vast province with a great deal of different terrains.  

Like in the picture above, there are mountains and forests, vast areas of flat treed forests, badlands, and lovely prairies.  

Saskatchewan is mostly prairie along the southern part and as you go north, you encounter more forest and many lakes and rivers.  There are also a couple small deserts there!  

Manitoba starts with prairie on the southern western end, then moves into forest and the Canadian Shield (which is full of rocks, lakes, and forest). 

We of course read lots of books!!!  

We read some about the prairies history and what people do there. 

We learned about some farm equipment and different kinds of things there grow there.  

Things like wheat, peas, canola and much more! We made note that something we eat is grown in Manitoba (Hemp Hearts). 

We learned a bit about ranching and how cows used to be "out on the range".

We also read some fiction about prairie life.  The book Ticket to Curlew is based in Alberta. 

We again shared some of what we knew with the homeschool group.  

We made some herbed bread sticks as a treat. Since much of our grain comes from prairie provinces.  

We had the privilege to visit a couple museums in Alberta while visiting family.

There are little  museums smattered all about in little towns, and well worth looking them up! 

There was the Sexsmith blacksmith shop.

It may not look too exciting on the outside, but inside there were floor to ceiling pulley systems that worked all the machinery.  Lots of tools and odd contraptions.  Not majorly interesting until a man came in and started them up!  Oh the noise, and the excitement of learning how it all worked!  

Then we also visited this museum...it was an old firehall.  Boring on the outside, but inside it was stuffed full of antiques that had been donated and there was so much to see.  Everything from cooking needs to household tools, cameras, typewriters, licence plates, signs...and I could go on.  

Our final stop was at the Paszkowski house.  

It was like walking back in time.  You could see the one front room had been used as a doctor's office.  

One of the amazing aspects of Alberta, that Saskatchewan and Manitoba share...is that it has such a big sky! 

We enjoyed the vast clouds and gorgeous sunsets.  We even got to go through a massive thunderstorm and watched it come our way from across the plains.  

The fields seemed endless and the bright canola was beautiful against the blue sky with fluffy white clouds! 

Another beautiful part of Canada! 

Thanks for joining us on this part of the journey!

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: Loving Your Children

Welcome to Homemaking Mondays! 

Today I'd like to share a bit about loving your children.  

Now culture and modern society and pshycology have much to say about loving your children, but what does the Bible say?  To a believer this is most important!  

Loving our children goes far deeper then snuggles and kisses! Although those are important to.

Psalm 127:3

"Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward."

Children are a special blessing and we are to take their lives seriously and be serious about raising them.  Caring for not only their physical needs, but also their emotional and spiritual needs as well. Now all of this takes a great deal of our time and energy...do not despise this.  It all has it's place in our lives and homes.  In a world where the "me monster" reigns, we need to remember to sacrificially serve our families, and that includes taking the needed time with our children.

Loving our children by raising them up to know the Lord and His Truth.

Proverbs 22:6

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

Proverbs 54:13

"And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children."

2 Timothy 3:14-17

"But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."

As we see in the scriptures above we are to train our children.  

This is an active role, it means time, it means commitment, it means love in action.

Webster's Dictionary states this: To train or train up, to educate; to teach; to form by instruction or practice; to bring up.

The children will be taught of the Lord.  For this to happen, we need to make the Bible available to them...read to them, teach our children to read, and then they can read and learn for themselves.  People think that they can just take their kids to some church and sunday school and that will do it.  But you can't find that in scripture...the parents are responsible to do this!  Not to mention that "go to church" isn't in the Bible, but that is another study.  Our children need to hear from God, and the only way that can happen is to give them God's word.

The big thing that jumps out at me is that once we've taught our children the things of the Lord it will continue with them into adulthood.  We must understand the gravity of this.. and it needs to start right away. "And that from a child...." Sharing God's word does't need to start just when they can read...we can quote scripture, sing scripture, and tell them about the goodness of the Lord from the moment they are born.  

Loving our children is sharing with them about the way of salvation according to the scriptures so that their souls may be saved!

With training, I think of all those things we teach them.  There is the regular things like eating, potty training, dressing, & cleaning up after themselves.  There are also thins like not to touch things that will hurt them, or go places that are dangerous.  Setting boundaries. 

We teach our children manners and how to treat each other.  How to talk to each other, take turns, be kind, be compassionate, and so on.  We need to get our guidelines from scripture. 

Part of training up our children is through discipline.  I know there is a huge array of opinion on this..but what does the scriptures say about this?

Proverbs 22:15

"Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him."

Proverbs 19:18

"Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying."

Proverbs 13:24

"He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes."

Proverbs 29:15

"The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame."

Discipline is not fun for the parent or the child...but must be done to teach them the right way. To leave them to themselves will only lead then away from righteousness and into error.  Some think that it's cute when children are mischievous or mouthy or just plain rebellious.  No, it is not! 

Proverbs 20:7

"The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him."

I love this verse, and it goes for both moms and dads.  We must be the examples for our children. They will see us, and will learn quickly what is required of them...if we require it of ourselves.  They are watching! 

1 Timothy 3:4

"One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;"

Having children in subjection is to have them obedient and not unruly.  Yes, children will be children...I know, BUT we need to be on top of things and make sure they are redirected appropriately.  We need to teach them self control and respect for authority.  If they won't obey us, how are we to think that someday they will be willing to obey God? 

So many of today's society believe in being "friends" with their kids...no, you need to be their parent.  Yes, you can have very close relationships with your kids, but above all you need to be the one to put your foot down an make them mind.  You need to teach them why and not just set out rules.  There is a purpose for your training and teaching, and they need to also know what they are working towards.  You as the parent are to be the one in control, not the child.  As they grow you can step back more and more as they mature.  

Colossians 3: 21

"Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged."

This goes for mothers to... we need to be considerate of how we go about our parenting.  We don't want to discourage them, and this often means being ever watchful not to place our children in situations where it will obviously lead to more then they can handle. It clearly states that children are to obey their parents in ALL things...not just the things they agree with.  Obedience is one of the greatest skills that they will learn.  Human pride in all it's gusto fights against this...it is foundational that they learn this at home in a loving environment, so that one day they will be willing to be obedient to God on their own....and seek God not their own will.  

All of this takes time, watchfulness, and prayer!  Loving our children is directing them in the paths of righteousness, of truth.

We need to pray for our children and seek the Lord's help as we love our children.

There is much that can be said on parenting...I'll share more in another post sometime.  But of utmost importance we need to know what God says on the matter.

I hope that some of what I've shared will be of benefit to you!

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer 

Road Trip Across Canada: British Columbia

Hello!  Today I have some fun things to share with you about our study of British Columbia.

It was an amazing adventure amongst all the roads and ferry systems they have in British Columbia! 

There are areas of mountain ranges...parts of the Rocky Mountain range that goes all down the west coast of North America.  There are places of hot wonderful growing areas like the Okanogan Valley that is famous for it's fruit! Just think apples, peaches, apricots, cherries, blueberries.....and so much more!

We learned about what lives along the beaches and in tidal pools.  

One thing we learned was that they use canoes a lot there.  They even have a wonderful bathtub boat race in Nanaimo!  Check it out on YouTube...so fun! 

We learned about some wonderful islands up the coast, how many places are only accessible by ferry or float plane/ boat.  

We learned about whale migration up the coast, and seals. :)  

SO when we joined our homeschool friends, we decided to make some canoes of our own.  Since canoes have and still do play big role in getting around this amazing province. 

We built frames out of skewer sticks and hot glue...then used balloons to cover them with. 

They turned out great! 

They even float!  We played with them in the sink for a bit. :) 

Here is a view of the inside framework.

We weighted it with clay  to keep them upright in the water.

We ate Nanaimo Bars....

and had some baked salmon.  There are lots of salmon in British Columbia along with many other sea foods that are popular along the coasts. 

British Columbia is a wonderful place to see so many places...and then there are also so many miles of just open wilderness!  

Thanks for joining us! 

Jennifer

Beauty is in Every Day

Hello!  I have been blessed to join in with Stephanie's Tea Cup Exchange again this year.  

You can find the Exchange Reveal HERE! 

I received this amazing box from Marina.  She hardly used any packing for it was stuffed with goodies that kept everything in it's place and safe!  (The tea cup was packed well inside a box within the box though!)

I laid all the goodies out on a chair for you to see.  

There is a wonderful cookbook, and some amazingly sweet cupcake papers.  

I've never seen any so lovely! 

Beautiful napkins and some treats for my doggie from her doggie! 

Very thoughtful!  

There was a lovely ball of spring yarn. 

A wonderful array of tea and hot chocolate! 

Then some yummy chocolate tea cookies.

A sweet little tea pot dish to hold tea bags and spoons.  

I've always wanted one of these. :) 

A great pair of oven mitts and a cute cupcake towel.

Then comes the tea cup.....and it's got my favourite bedding plant flower on it! 

Lovely pansies!!!

It is an Elizabethan tea cup from England. 

I thought it was even more fitting for my middle name is Elizabeth. 

                           

I pared it up with my pansy tea pot and plate (which is missing the cup) 

so now it's a full set of pansies for me. 

I tried the cinnamon spice with orange blossom she gave me first. 

It's so delicious! 

Then a wonderful card and sweet note from her.  

I love all the thought and creativity she put into the package. 

I'm so blessed!!!!

Now here is what I sent to Lynda in New Brunswick.

I found this sweet tea cup set and it came in a beautiful box. 

It's called Blooms.

I made a couple doilies to go with her tea set.

I love that this tea cup has some sweet flowers in the inside to. 

As you can see below, there is an array of colour and blooms all over. 

I found some tea from the Northwest Territories, 

containing much of what we have here in the Yukon. 

Along with a box of Stash tea that had a few kinds to choose from.

She said she liked sewing so I made her a pin cushion, and also 

she likes to crochet/knit so I sent along a ball of yarn to match things. 

Lastly I made her a card with some bright roses.  To go along with my letter to her.

I had lots of fun putting together a package, and being able to meet new ladies. 

Praying they each were blessed by this exchange as I am. 

Jennifer