Homemaking Mondays: Flowers in My Home Garden

 

Hello! 
This past week I acquired a couple new things. 

One is a lovely new tea cup and saucer that I just love!

The delightful blue and white and the sweet butterfly.

I've also tried this new Meyer Lemon tea by Stash and it's delicious!

A good wake up tea.

With all the flowers that are around the house 

I was inspired to add more. 

I saw this idea on an ad that kept coming up in my social media feed.

So I talked to my daughter about it. 

She is a wonderful designer so she created this for me.

The flowers in my garden as a mother. 

I went rummaging through my collection of frames 

that I've collected.  

I only had to cut the picture down a tad and it fit.

It's sitting here on my sewing machine but at some point 

I will find it a permanent home. 

I am loving the beautiful burst of the pink violets as well. 

I must say I do also adore the little ruffled petals. 

With homeschooling I've been trying something new

for when the boys read books. 

They read all the time but I wanted to challenge them to 

dig a little deeper and think a little more about what they are reading.

I came across this SOAPSTone method. 

It asks some good simple questions for the 
speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject, and tone. 

No book how simple it may seem is just fluff. 

Every book has something that it's teaching or wanting to convey. 

The author of the books values and beliefs also come through in their writing. 

So doing author studies or research is good to understand more about

what you are reading. 

The springtime is becoming more forceful up here 

and winter is starting to back down.

The sun is warmer when it does shine and the temperature is rising more.

The winds are strong and yesterday we actually had rain.  

Of course it was snowing again some this morning....but it's already melting nicely.

There are now little patches of soil under some of the bigger trees.  

There are puddles and mud in the drive and the smell.  

Oh the smell of springtime is starting to come on strong! 

Indoors the seedlings are growing. 

I am itching to start the greenhouse work...but alas

there is still too much snow just yet.  

I re-seeded more squash today as for some reason my others 

don't want to grow? 

With gardening it's my eatable hobby and every year is an experiment.

Sometimes some things grow without effort and others 

well...they need some strong encouragement. 

In it all the Lord is good and there is always something to eat in the end. 

I pray you all have a wonderful week! 

Thanks for dropping by!

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: It's All In How You Mix It

 

Hello! 
How do you like your tea? 

I like to mix my own tea mostly.

Some of this and some of that.

I also like my tea nice and strong.

Add some cream and sweetener and it's lovely.

I do enjoy simple herbal tea as well

although lately I've been drawn to adding some 

black tea in with mix. 

Chamomile, Ivan's Tea, Peppermint,Red Raspberry and Black

is my go to mix at the moment. 

Sadly I have just finished up the last of my Ivan's Tea

so I'll be anxiously awaiting the fireweed this summer.

Do you like to mix up your own blends of tea?

With all the new growth celebrating the longer

hours of sunshine are the geraniums.

I did take some cuttings to start some new fresh plants.

In doing so I cut off the flower stems

and they are being enjoyed in little vases.

I love the little bottles that my essential oils 

come in and after they are emptied

they may beautiful little vases for small bits of flowers.

With the longer hours of sunshine 

the melting is continuing to change the scenery.

There are more patches of ground showing and the icicles 

are forming and dropping from the eaves. 

This one big icicle outside our main door lasted 

a long time before dropping away.

It doesn't look that long in the picture but it was 

a few feet long. 

There are lots of ways to look at things.

With spring comes puddles, mud, dirty vehicles,

and random drastic changes in the weather. 

Sometimes I admit it can be a bit frustrating at times.

It is all in how you look at it though. 
Just like I like to add this and that to my tea

I am trying to look at each aspect as a beautiful 

part of the blend. 

 I pray your day is blessed today!

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: Snow is a Melting!

Hello! 
Snow is melting! 

There is a lot of snow to go...but it's starting.

The icicles off the eves are lovely and 

there are patches of ground showing here and there.  

It is wonderful to watch the birds and squirrels 

scouring the earth for tasty bits. 

Even our dog seems to find patches of clear earth to lay

down in.  Then of course there is some cleaning at the door to be done.

 

I went out for a short hike with a couple of my children.

The snow is quite soft but on the skidoo trails

it's still quite manageable.  

Even with the heavy cloud cover we could see

the distant mountains on the horizon. 

I also found this cool tree at the edge of the trail.

For some reason all the texture caught my eye.

There was also this cool tree trunk with the colourization on the bottom.

It was also much bigger then it looks in the picture. 

The springs are running stronger

and at one point the trail goes over them. 

It's a well packed trail and will be there for quite a bit longer.

This week some cinnamon buns 

were in order. this time I just used vanilla in the icing

that in the picture has melted into them. 

It has been a lovely week just puttering about the home. 

There are so many little things that come to 

our attention as the increased sunshine 

seems to stir us to action. 

With changing up the top of the sewing machine 

I thought that I'd add these cute little bluebirds from the hutch.

Along with the search and destroy missions on the cobwebs

it's good to dust those out of the way places we like to pretend don't 

exist most of the year.  It's a work in progress.

Thank you for dropping by today! 

Praying you have a beautiful spring day!

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: Friends Share Life's Journey

 

Hello! 
This journey of life the Lord God has given each of us.

He has also graciously allowed us friends to 

walk alongside us. 

Now the greatest friend I have known is the Lord Jesus himself.

The real one that I met through His Word.  

I am grateful for the treasure of the others 

that have come into my life.

From my husband to ladies that have let me share my life 

with them and their lives with me.

Those in person and those that I've never met outside of the internet.

I'm a fairly quiet person but treasure those I know.

Little moments shared in the comments of this blog

are also special to me. 

A lady I've never met shared a delicious bread recipe with me. 

Portuguese Bread

Yes, I did try it today and it's delicious! Thank you! 

Also learning from others online that I've never spoken with. 

Through their blogs and things they have written. 

One thing I have enjoyed and has become a kind of friend is this cookbook.

The Prairie Homestead Cookbook. 

Some of us view our cookbooks as friends.

Those recipes that we use often 

or just cookbooks that we read through that inspire us

to care for our family through our kitchens. 

I think friends are like flowers that bring a fresh scent

to our lives and smiles to our faces and hearts. 

Some are in our lives for a short time and some for a lifetime.

All part of the lives that God has given us. 

Thank you all for dropping by

and I pray you have a blessed day!

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: Fresh Bread and Spoon Butter

 

Hello! 
How are you this morning! 

The sun has been waring with the clouds

lately and it's been going back and forth 

from being overcast to being clear blue.

When the sun shines the icicles drip and 

when the clouds come there are light fluffy flakes 

floating down through the trees.

The air smells different and fresh. 

This week I pulled out my sourdough again after a break.

I tried a new recipe from Farmhouse on Boone.

It didn't turn out great for my first try...looks pretty but

inside isn't totally cooked and very dense.

I need to find a warmer place for it to rise I think. 

One factor is putting it in the fridge at night before cooking it.

It was nice to cut and made for a pretty design though. 

I put away the fresh eggs in their basket on the counter.

I love getting fresh eggs from a friend....one day

I dream of having our own chickens. 

Keeping them in a basket on the counter is still my 

favourite place to store them.

They look pretty and are handy.

This week I have been doing a bit of maintenance at home.

You know those little jobs that often get 

put off in the routines of life. 

One of them was conditioning my wooden tools in the kitchen.

I put together another batch of spoon butter 

that I learned from the Prairie Homestead Blog. 

It's also in her cookbook that I have.

I love it because it smells nice with the beeswax and also 

seems to last well on the wood. 

I got the spoons and cutting boards all 

conditioned and leave it overnight before using them. 

As you can see from the jar above I started to use it before it 

cooled completely so I used the soft part in the middle. 

I love cutting boards and use them all the time. 

Do you have a collection of them? 

I keep mine out on my counter for easy access

beside my stove and knives.

I also keep my one serving tray with them and tucked

behind it my tea cozies.

I was watching a couple videos from Inspired by Nikki

Lady of the House. 
She shared one video about re-arranging the house. 

I  personally like to do this but no so much my family. 

It's nice to change up little things 

though to just make things fresh and new.

Plus sometimes it is more functional as well. 

Do you like to re-arrange your home just for fun?

I hope you have a beautiful day

keeping your home!

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: Pesto Cheese Buns and Sunshine Inspirations

 

Hello! 

It's been a lovely week here and I have been 

enjoying the longer daylight and the fresh air. 

It's been warm enough to open up some windows and 

air the house out. 

The air has that smell of the early days of spring.

I got a post from a site I follow 

Farmhouse on Boone. 

She posted sourdough herb buns. 

Yeah...I had to make my own version of them. 

I added pesto and aged cheddar cheese to my buns today.

With the coconut oil in the pan and the olive oil from the pesto

the bottoms were so crispy and flaky!

Then of course there needed to be some loaves

for sandwiches and toast this week.

At the free store this past weekend I found this cute candle.

It's beeswax and it was super dirty from sitting a long time.

After being washed up some

I popped it in a jar I had on the counter. 

I added some rocks to the sides to hold it in place. 

It'll be nice to light up some evening.

I do love the honeycomb design! 

From the top or the sides.

With all the beautiful sunlight these days

the violet starters are growing quickly. 

I hope to separate them out in to their own pots soon.

Then to find homes for them all.

With the extra warmth and sunshine the icicles on the house have been 

growing and falling in repetition. 

One of those interesting things the Lord has created 

that brings me to a stand still to just watch.  

Also with this beautiful sunshine the lemon oregano

has been exploding.  

At one point I thought the plant wasn't going to make it and 

I started some cuttings.  

Now it's growing well again and I have to say

it's one of my favourite plants now.  

Just brush the leaves and the aroma is enough to 

cheer you! 

Oh and we have a very friendly squirrel that has been running 

along the side of the house and windowsills. 

This morning it stopped in the kitchen window to listen to 

my daughter and I chat with it.  

How has your week been? 

Have you been baking anything someone inspired you to bake?

I hope you have a beautiful day! 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: Tiny Houses and Sunshine

 

Hello! 

It's another beautiful day.

The sunshine has been poking out here and there

and it's warmth is very welcome!

I wanted to share with you some pictures of the finished 

tiny houses my sons built. 

We talked about the importance of the structure build

and what goes into the real houses.  

They used hot glue because the wood glue took so long to dry.

The boys took these mini lights to illuminate the inside.

Then they also took rocks to build fireplaces/stoves.

My one son sewed some felt bedding for the bed.

They also both decided to paint the outsides

and one of them did the inside floor.  

They also put up some cardboard for the walls and roof to glue the

siding and shingles onto.  

Something fun and a bit informative to.

The tiny growing things are doing well 

and today I transplanted the tomatoes for the first time.

I have a big pot of bone broth on the stove boiling away for the day.

I'll can it up after a few more hours.  

For small batches of bone broth I use my Instantpot but to can it

I like to make enough to make using the canner worthwhile. 

My daughter is baking mincemeat cookies today 

and I'm looking forward to  eating some. 

Yesterday my children and I went to one of their friends birthday party.

It was an outdoor sliding party and it was super fun! 

The kids flew down the hill so fast as it was packed and warmed from the sunshine.

Thankfully no accidents happened! 

I hope you are having a beautiful day where you are as well! 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer