Homemaking Mondays: In Home Projects and Outdoor Fun

Hello! 

How are things with you this week?

For me there have been some indoor projects

and some outdoor fun.

I have started a new scarf with some sweet yarn 

that a dear friend gifted me. 

I'm using a slanted shell pattern this time round. 

Then I have this lovely ivy plant that is ready to go to

it's new home at a friends place.

Also a great score at the free store this week 

is this serving tray that is made of teak wood and

after an oiling it's great to use for taking tea and 

little meals to others about the house. 

This week I also redid the cushion on my office chair.  

It has been falling apart for quite some time

until I finally just did it.  

I had bought a new taller cushion of foam, 

then grabbed some material that I 

thought complimented the space. 

This chair is special for me since 

it used to sit in my grandparents living room for extra guests. 

This is a fun material that I find very cheerful!

We've had a couple foxes around and this time

we got a picture of this 

pretty one eating seeds that fell from the feeder.

The snow has begun to fall and is starting to cover things up.  

What do you do when there isn't enough snow to sled?

You pull out your dump trucks

get in and have your brother give you a push. :) 

Of course the birds are happy in our yard

for a new feeder! 

My daughter made a new feeder for the other side of the house

so she could watch them from her bedroom window. 

With the ice having frozen solid enough there has been 

a lot of skating going on on our little lake.

It's fun to be able to skate all the way around 

since the snow isn't very deep. 

There are lots of others out on the ice 

and we've met more of our neighbours.

There are a few tufts of grass along the shore. 

It's so nice to be able to skate further...

for now. 

The kids have started to clear their rink space

for soon it will be all they have on this side of the lake.

This week we made some fun cupcakes 

for a friend.

I used my wacky cake recipe as I love 

how it tastes and turns out.

Thought this might be more fun then just a touch of icing.

Thanks for dropping by! 

I hope your week has been full

of fun and needful projects. 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

 

Homemaking Mondays: Fresh Spaces

 

Hello! 

I hope you are enjoying a lovely day

whether it be sunshine or rain or snow.

Today I'd like to share with you some of my fresh spaces.

This past week I received in the mail

a little essential oil diffuser my husband had ordered for me. 

It is so nice to have this little aid to help freshen up the air in the house. 

I usually cannot handle scents, but mild 

essential oils are ok. 

I like to add different combinations.

One of my favourite is black spruce with grapefruit. 

I like to add essential oils to my mop pail as well. 

It just helps to add that fresh space when it's clean.

To me fresh spaces are not always newly decorated or

arranged spaces. 

Sometimes it's just the addition of a fresh scent, 

or a fresh bloom on one of our indoor plants. 

This week we've been blessed with a few blooms 

from our geranium plants.

They grace the dining room window and add a 

cheerfulness to the space.

In the kitchen I have a bowl of little spider plant babies.

They are rooting to create future plants.

I've given one batch away and started another.

They add a freshness at the kitchen window. 

I am pulling out a couple of my winter throw blankets 

and switching them with my summer ones.

I think it is nice to have fresh spaces.  

Not that I am always changing things up...

but sometimes just noticing those little details 

that bring a freshness to a space. 

For me fresh spaces cause me to linger....

to take that extra moment to notice. 

In God's word I also find those fresh spaces. 

Those passages of scripture that I've read many times.

Somehow they have something new and fresh for me. 

God's word is alive and brings me pause...

to notice that fresh new truth I had somehow not 

noticed before. 

Take the time to pause...and pay attention. 

You may find some new fresh space

 you were missing all along.

Thank so much for dropping by! 

I just want to say thank you so very much

 to those of you who have left me sweet comments. 

I am sorry I am unable to respond to most of you. 

Just know I treasure them and the time you 

spend in leaving them.

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

A Lovely Taste of Fall

 

Hello! 

Another beautiful fall day here....

as we are waiting for winter to arrive.

There were a few snowflakes descending this morning 

but none that stayed around.

We have had no internet for a few days 

so I'm a bit late in posting this.

No internet made for a few more things getting done.

Yes, sadly I'm guilty of that to.

Above I finished up a blanket I was crocheting.

Then I made a new print to go in the bathroom.

I took some decorative scrapbooking paper 

and printed off a verse onto it.

Then I cut it to size and freshened up the frame.

Sometimes it's just a little thing 

that makes a room more inviting. 

Isaiah 26:3

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on thee:

because he trusteth in thee."

Then I found some little pie pumpkins at the store.

They are hard to find so I got a few.

I cut up some and scooped out the seeds for roasting.

Then baked the rest.

It's all measured out in the freezer awaiting pumpkin bread.

Oh...then there is some in the fridge 

awaiting being made into a pumpkin pie.

I made pumpkin spice bread this week on a cookie sheet so that 

I could cut it out in smaller portions for a fun presentation.

Then of course there had to be whipped cream!

Plus some lovely hot tea! 

Yesterday the sunset was oh so lovely! 

Here is the sun hitting the other side of the lake as the sun went down.

Earlier and earlier darkness starts to descend.

Thank you for dropping by!

I hope you have a beautiful day!

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: Canning for the Pantry

Hello! 

A lovely fall day here 

and it is nice to know that we are almost 

ready for winter. 

I've been canning a bit more.

Using my pressure canner for more then just soup stock.

This year I've done carrots and chicken for the first time.

I thought I'd make some soup to can...

but then decided I'd focus more on ingredients 

so that I can make more of a variety.

Below is some cheeseburger soup that I made this week.

I added a bunch of summer greens that were in the freezer 

and that was just the right touch.

In this new house we are blessed with a walk in pantry. 

It has narrow shelves all around and an alley way space between.

The shelves will hold two quart jars deep and 

three pints with the last offset.

It's cooler then the rest of the house, 

but not that cold....yet! 

We have stored a lot of food down there

and it's nice to have it out of the kitchen 

and then just going down to get what we need for a meal. 

There are rubbermaid totes holding some dry goods.

Some bins for potatoes and onions. 

We didn't get a huge amount of potatoes,

and then we bought a few more. 

It's not that cool so they won't hold that long. 

But!  Long enough for us to eat them all. :) 

The pantry also hold other odds and ends

like extra cake savers, and 

my cake decorating toolbox.

As soon as I'm all done with my canning

all those supplies will get fitted in there as well.

It's fun to look at the shelves when I'm down there

and see the fun things that I've processed 

on the shelves. 

Jams, relish, salsa, tomato soup, carrots,

pears, oranges, broth, and chicken.

Little testaments to how I've spend some of my time.

One other space that I've been working on lately 

is the laundry room.

There is this "window" that is cut into the wall 

for heat distribution. 

I like to be able to sit things on the sill that it has

but things got knocked over.

So I added this bit of chicken wire

to keep things where they're put.

Then I added some small fun 

printouts with clothespins.

With the little window and a plant it 

makes for a quite cheerful space

to do the laundry in.

With fall all around us it has made me want to crochet again.

I was given a couple fun cakes of yarn 

and decided to make a small blanket with them.

A dear friend taught me to take the "cakes" apart

and then roll up the yarn in separate colours to make the sections bigger.

I decided to give it a try.

So....I've begun.

I'm going to change up the original order of the colours

primarily because now I have no idea 

what they originally were because my basket got bumped. 

HA! 

So it shall be a surprise how it all turns out in the end. 

This is a simple pattern of two alternating rows. 

I've used it before for baby blankets and it's

very pretty and simple to work up.

You can find it HERE if you want to try it.

What has fall got you thinking about?

Have you been squirrelling things away in  your pantry?

Have you settled down with some yarn?

Praying you have a beautiful day! 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer