Monday 18 December 2023

Homemaking Mondays: Winter Thoughts

 

Hello!
The winter has been so warm here this year

with the temperatures going up around the freezing mark often.

It makes it nice to be outside...although 

it has been darker with more cloud cover and the ground

being so slippery.  

Roads are harder to navigate and takes more caution.

Especially for my son who is learning to drive.

I often will drive the first part of a trip out 

to see how the roads are before handing over the keys to him.

He is a very good driver...but you know...I'm a nervous mom.

With the darkness, I love the moments 

where the sun bursts through the clouds and fills the sky

with golden light.

Sometimes I will find myself at the window just soaking up

the rays of sunshine. It never lasts long.

I love how the sunshine brings a warmth to a room or outdoor space.

Inviting.

It has been making me think about how we make our homes inviting.

How can we be the sunshine for our family?

Do we greet our family with a smile and a kind word?

This month is my younger daughter's birthday.

It has been a blessing to be apart of her life as she grows

in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus

as well as in beauty.

I've not been making as many cards lately

but whenever I sit down to make one it is special 

because of who I'm making one for.

 I've been doing more knitting but haven't gotten 

those projects completed yet.  

It's good to have a full work basket

with new projects and mending. 

One part of making wool socks is darning the holes.

I've been still enjoying the carnivore way of eating.

I'm feeling stronger and the scale has started moving down again.

I have tried a new meal.

It's sardines/ eggs/ parmesan cheese 

mixed up and cooked in my waffle iron.

Slather some butter on top and yum! 

Strange how I can now admit I like sardines. 

My children and I last night went to our community centre

for their yearly sparkler skate. 

It was fun to be out and enjoy the company of my kids on the ice

and of friends and community members.

Young and old alike out on the ice.

Great skaters and those who needed to be careful and go slow.

I actually love these kinds of events because of what it teaches my kids.

People worry about socialization with homeschoolers.

The truth is that when your children engage in activities with 

people of all ages they learn so much more then being with 

people their own age more. 

Yes, it's great to have friends your age as you can relate to them 

in the stages of your life.

The lessons and understanding you learn from older people 

or lessons you can share with younger ones.

It's special to watch my children come alongside young children

voluntarily helping them and bringing smiles to their faces

just because.

Then to watch them sit down with men and women much older

asking them questions and listening to their lives.

We all need all of these relationships. 

Our community centre has a wonderful

Olympic size rink as well as a tennis court next to it.

This year our "ice man" has created this serpentine track to enjoy.

One fun thing with sparklers...they are more fun in the dark!

 
Thanks for dropping by today.
I pray you have a wonderful week! 
Thank you for all of you that leave comments
and share a piece of your lives with me.

Love and Prayers,
Jennifer


Monday 4 December 2023

Homemaking Mondays: The Lord Provides for Even Simple Things

 

Hello!
I am always amazed at how the Lord 

provides for the simplest things that you would think

that he wouldn't find important.

I needed a frame for my puzzle that I just glued.

Then off to the free store I went for our regular dump day.

Just waiting for me was this frame.

I did have to cut the top of the puzzle down by an inch

but then it slid right in perfectly. 

This kind of thing has happened in my life so many times.

Does God care?  Yes! 

Not only does the Lord Jesus provide us salvation for our sin

but he also provides for those little details in our lives

that we often don't even voice. 

So I say....talk to the Lord about everything.

It may surprise you what he provides. 

This week I've  been able to finish up a couple more

pairs of socks.

The one above I ran out of the one colour so I added 

a fun pink toe.

It was the same kind of yarn so the texture was consistent.

So this morning I'm back to working on my crochet project

my blue afghan.

The sky is grey and the trees have a fresh dusting of snow

that is softening the world outside. 

I went out and fed the birds this morning

and added a little "fat cake" for them as it's getting colder.

I made these "fat cakes" for them out of pumpkin seeds

oatmeal and bacon fat.

It's a great way to use up leftover bacon fat and it 

nourishes them in the cold.

Do you make your own for the birds? 

What do you add to yours? 

My boys and I borrowed some skis for the winter

from our community center. 

It's so nice to be able to get out and glide 

along the paths.

I'm a bit stiff from my first journeys out

but that will pass as my muscles remember.

I wonder what trails I'll explore this winter? 

Do you like exploring?

I hope you have a wonderful week

keeping your homes and perhaps discovering 

a new trail or place to enjoy.

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer