Monday 28 December 2020

Homemaking Mondays: Frosty Days of Winter


Hello! 
How are you enjoying the frosty days of winter? 
Sometimes it is sunny and crisp
or foggy and moist. 

This past week my family joined some other
homeschoolers to enjoy some time out 
ice fishing on one of the big lakes not too far away.
Now we didn't catch any fish...
but it was a great time being outside.
The air was heavy with ice fog
that blurred the vision of our surroundings.
It changed colours all through the day
as the sun shone through or the fog thickened.  
My hair got very frosty out in the fog.
I felt like the trees with hoarfrost on them. 


The kids and I have been working on making some 
colourful sun catchers and ice candle holders 
for the snow castle
Some with twigs and seeds, 
others with fruit and berries.
They will be a treat for the squirrels and birds as they thaw.


This candle holder below had an interesting 
effect when the cranberries juiced
and ran down.  
Reminded my daughter of balloons. 


There have also been some wonderful nights where the 
temperatures have dropped and the moon 
has come out and the stars have
shone brightly.

Last night was one of those nights.
I woke to find the moon shining directly in my window on my face. 
It was so clear and I enjoyed watching it as it 
moved along in the sky until it was out of view.
Sometimes when the moon shines brightly it catches the 
icicles and lights them up along the house.
On nights like that you can see outside like during the day.
Shadows falling and the moonlight
lighting up the snow and sending the crystals 
to glittering.
What beauty the Lord God has created! 
All creation proclaims Him!

Also this week we've enjoyed opening up 
some of our canned beef stew.
It was so delicious and I'm glad there is more in the pantry.
I've also with the cold temperatures been able 
to put out extra baked bread in a rubbermaid 
into the sunroom to freeze.  Like an extra freezer space.

Thanks for dropping by!
Love and Prayers,
Jennifer

Tuesday 22 December 2020

Keep Him In Perfect Peace

 


Hello! 
Sorry I didn't get a post up yesterday...life had other plans.
This past week my younger daughter had a birthday.
I made her a card....and no it's not wintery. 
It is just what seemed to come together.  
Are you like that with things.  
You begin with one idea 
and then when you are finished you think
that is not what I expected it to be?

Sounds like much of life. 
As I think of my daughter becoming an adult.
Trusting the Lord will lead her where He 
wants her to be.
Her course may take some detours and alternate routes.

Proverbs 16:9 
"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps."

As she trusts in the Lord He will make plain her way.

I also made a cheesecake for her.
She wanted a mint, chocolate swirl one. 
It did crack some...I have to be honest. 
So I made a truffle mix...filled in the holes
and smoothed it over the top.  then I added 
little truffles around the outside. 
Some chocolate sprinkles and pearls 
and it was delicious! 


The light has been a bit brighter lately as the temps 
have dropped some. 
When the temps drop, the skies usually clear.
Occasionally the sun will shine in the windows during a short part of the day.
Mostly it just touches the treetops and gives a golden glow. 
I love how the sun shines through the snow that is built up on the branches.



This is the shed we have and the snow has been 
accumulating quite a bit even with the one melt we had.
It has been a winter for playing in the snow for sure!


As the world swirls about us
trying to just rest in the Lord and enjoy the rhythm of each 
day at home.
Even with the needed grocery shopping and outings for the kids
always coming back to the comfort of home. 

Isaiah 26:3 
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, 
whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."

Peace...true peace is found in Christ Jesus alone.

Love and Prayers,
Jennifer

Monday 14 December 2020

Homemaking Mondays: The Variation of Light

 


Hello! 
Good Morning to you! 
I love the way that the variation of light 
changes so quickly in the morning 
and then in the evening as the sun sets. 
Cloudy skies sure do make for the best colours.

Often I find myself just considering how the light changes
in the clouds, in the snow, in the trees.
God has created such beauty and
I sometimes consider that most will
miss those variations in nature as life's 
demands keep us moving so quickly.

Thinking of light.
Our community centre has a snow castle being built.
It needs some lighting in the darkness.
There are some glow sticks that were available through
the community centre but they are only one time use items.
So we have decided to create some ice candle holders.
We can place tea lights in them and they can be used 
on more then one occasion.
Below is our first one.  
We used a mushroom container for the base and then
 a grape juice jug (cut in half) for the holder part.
We put some evergreen 
branches in the ice and as it warms 
they will give off some nice scent.


It's so pretty when there is a candle in it.  
Like a fireplace in the forest.


This week I also put up some chopped up roast.
I had canned chicken..now there is some canned beef.
Good for soup or a quick meal.
I'm finding the more time we are spending outside 
the less energy we have for meal prep.
So...I am especially thankful for these kinds of items 
tucked away in the pantry.


My younger daughter 
made some delightful sugar cookies this week.
They were pretty and tasted delicious!


With the variations of light.
It's amazing how the sun which is oh so slanted
at this time of year
lights up the evergreens so that they glow.
The boughs laden with snow on the outside 
giving concealment to the little birds 
that flutter in and out finding food.

The icicles hanging from the eves are also very pretty.
I was surprised the other day to see a chickadee 
fly up and land on one.
They do like to peer in the windows.
Perhaps it's their "people-vision"
and they find us entertaining? 


I took my children out for another ski yesterday afternoon.
It was later in the afternoon and the sun was going down. 
The light up through the clouds was beautiful
and as the light changed it was harder to see the snow under our skis.
A thoughtful neighbour made a skidoo trail for us through part of the forest 
so that we could meet the main trail. 

Attention to detail....
that is what I think of when I consider the variations 
of light that I see.
God is so specific....
in all things!  
May we read His Word 
and know His Truth!

Thanks for dropping by! 

Love and Prayers,
Jennifer

Monday 7 December 2020

Homemaking Mondays: Adventure is Calling and I Must Go


Hello! 
Do you need some adventure in your life? 
I know many who feel they have to go and do grand things.
But what if there were adventures close to home
that you might miss while
looking out there?
This week my kids and I made a snowshoe trail around our place.
It meanders through the trees.
There was a lot of fun and laughter 
as we trudged through the snow. 

My boys and I went this week to our local community centre
no far from home.
We went skiing on the trails there
and went places we'd not been before.  
It was only three km we trekked 
but we discovered new hills to go down and
struggle up. hehehe 
We learned to glide better and turn corners. 
All of this through falling snow and wind. 
A little adventure close to home.

Trudging for hours in the wilderness 
is not necessary for adventure.

Now would I love to climb a mountain or 
raft a raging river?
If one day if the opportunity arose I would. 
I try not to get caught up in what is 
"out there"
for then I might just miss what is right here. 
In a world where we don't often know our neighbours,
or the alleyways between streets.
There are lots of places around us in cities, towns, or countryside.
Adventure can even be found in meeting someone new...
perhaps just saying hello to someone we pass by.


This week has had more adventure in the kitchen. 
I love baking buns in my skillets.  
The cast iron cooks so nicely and 
the bun never stick. 
I also tweaked my recipe awhile back
and now enjoy the fluffier texture. 
Also just the simple act of adding something interesting
like flax seeds or herbs to the bread
makes for a new flavour to savour.  
I like to add new things to the food I serve and then 
ask my family..."so what do you think?".
They answer with "what have you done this time?".
Adventure can be anywhere....
even in mom's cooking. :) 


This week our local Skills Canada office
was giving out cookie decorating kits to encourage children
to learn a bakery skills.
A local bakery made the gingerbread cookies and then the 
children used some of the wonderful 
decorating elements to create colourful tasty treats.
Perhaps one of my children might become a baker?

This week I also made some peanut butter balls.
They come by many names but they are all good. 
For mine I just take a bunch of peanut butter,
then I add "some" softened butter
"some" icing sugar (until it makes a fairly stiff mix)
Then I add in Rice Krispies. 
I roll them into balls and chill. 
then I melt chocolate chips with a dollop of coconut oil.
I dip the balls in the chocolate and then drizzle the 
leftover chocolate over top.  
Then chill again. 
So yummy and easy!


Adventures come in all shapes and sizes.  
Let us not limit adventure to something out there.
There is much to explore and enjoy 
close to home. 

To me homemaking is an adventure.
It is a gift the Lord Jesus has given me.
Those who think homemaking is boring just need to 
find adventure in the little things
close to home.
It's there if you just look.

Thanks for dropping by! 
Love and Prayers,
Jennifer

 

Monday 30 November 2020

Homemaking Mondays: Oak and Vanilla


Hello! 
How are you today? 
I wanted to share the progress the little oak tree is making. 
It's so cheerful to see these lovely leaves emerging.  

It's been a lovely week here enjoying 
the winter.
We have been out learning to ski and 
working on the snow castle. 
I followed my children down a hill on my skis.
I made it down on my feet....
minus my poles and most of my dignity.
Ha! At least not too many people were looking.
Evening walks have been so delightful
as you don't even need to use a flashlight with the 
moon shining so brightly!

A friend also came to see me and brought me a gift.
Some vodka to make some vanilla with. 
I've never done this...
but it's already starting to have a touch of colour. 
Now to wait and wait and wait for it to be ready.


I've been knitting more. 
I received a great deal on yarn 
at one of our local shops and so I was able to buy 
even more sock yarn. 
Lots of feet to cover. :) 

My son needed some zippers fixed on his snow pants.
I don't know about you but zippers are not my friend and so
I opted for sewing on some velcro that thus far has 
seemed to do the job!!!!  
Now he doesn't get snow up in his boots anymore. 

Sometimes I think it would be nice to knit this little girl some
socks for her feet.  
Out in the cold often tucking her little toes into her tummy to warm them.


I've also been making lots of hot chocolate mix as we've been taking our 
little thermos cups with us out on outings.
I use a big mason jar (1/2 gallon).
1/3 cocoa, 1/3 powdered milk, 1/3 sugar, & 
a couple packages of vanilla sugar.
Easy and more economical then buying the mix at the store.

I hope you are all enjoying the day! 

Love and Prayers,
Jennifer

 

Monday 23 November 2020

Homemaking Mondays: Broadening My Canning Horizons


Hello! 
Today I would love to show you
some of what I have been learning over the past year.

As the snow falls softly outside 
I have tucked yet another item into my pantry
as I have been
broadening my canning horizons. 

I have always loved to see rows of mason jars 
full of delightful colourful things. 
I have been canning jam for quite a long time,
 relish and salsa for not as long. 
I wanted to see what else I could put up in my pantry
for the cold days of winter. 

Today I tucked in some pressure canned beef stew 
to my pantry shelves as the newest addition
to my canning journey.
I really wanted to have some meals put away 
for days that we are rushed or 
not feeling up to cooking.
 

Then this year I also learned to can chicken.
I canned up some pint jars because they are the perfect
size to make a pot of chicken noodle soup. 


The chicken pared with some canned bone broth
and some canned carrots is perfect.
Throw in some noodles and 
you have a hearty meal for the whole family.


This  year I also learned to can 
roasted tomato soup. 
It is so delicious and next year I want to 
can a lot more of it.


I also learned to can pears.
Well....I do have a bit of learning left as you can see
my pears ended up floating.


I canned quart jars of carrots for meals,
and pint jars of carrots to go into soups.


I learned a new salsa recipe 
and it's delicious with chips 
or put into a meal. 
I like to mix a pan of chicken with a
jar of salsa and then put it into 
tortilla wraps with some cheese. 


So..just thought I'd share that as I was puttering in my pantry today.

This past week has been full of wonderful 
outdoor activities.

My boys have been working on building a snow castle
at the local community centre.
We had a nice break partway through our first day
and enjoyed some frozen M&M's on a "couch"
my son had chiseled out.

We've been meeting other homeschool families for outdoor 
skating at the rink.
The one day I forgot to bring my skates but enjoyed staying 
close to the wood stove.
I sure miss the feel of wood heat at home. 
~So this is a nice treat! 


Our community centre is hosting Saturday Family Fun Days.
We were able to borrow some skis for the winter,
and then get a ski lesson.  
Our family has never been cross country skiing together 
and so a couple lovely young ski coaches 
gave us a private lesson. 
I was so impressed with how well the children did for their first time
and it was really fun. 

SO now as the snow is falling outside 
and the children finish up their lessons for the morning
I shall make some lunch and then 
settle down for some knitting. 

Thanks for dropping by! 
Love and Prayers,
Jennifer



Monday 16 November 2020

Homemaking Mondays: Fill Your Home With Colour and Pleasant Smells


Hello! 
How is your day today? 
I'd love to share with you some pictures of the lovely
flowers that are blooming in my home today. 

I think that homes need to have colour.
Not loud in your face colour,
just gentle notes of it here and there.
Just enough to make you take pause to notice.


Colour in the home 
makes me think of joy.
Not the loud shouting kind,
but the gentle peaceful kind.

When I was young I remember on a cold winter's day
looking into a window and seeing flowers.
Now I see flowers in my windows and it brings 
me back to that moment. 
Seemed a bit out of place with the snow...
but it brought a slow dreamy smile to my face. 

Now colour doesn't have to come in the form of flowers
although they are wonderful.
Just a colourful blanket or quilt put out to snuggle in,
or a picture on the wall that has a lovely colour to 
draw one in to have a better look.

In our homes...
 we can give those possibilities to those that dwell in them?
Gentle smiles and appreciation..perhaps some joy?

One little speck of joy I have is seeing the leaves unfold 
from this little oak tree.


I love when the house smells good. 
On bread baking day the smell is one of my favourites.
Sometimes one can add a fresh scent by cleaning or 
putting essential oils in a diffuser.
I find I tend to lean towards those smells that come naturally.
Like fresh laundry and sheets, 
good food being prepared for those I love,
and fresh air that comes in when the doors/windows are flung open.
Good smells make the home inviting.


This past while I have started to add some sourdough 
to my bread and leave out some of the yeast.
It makes the bread taste so nice, but using 
the yeast still it makes it quicker 
then the traditional sourdough. 
It's about a cup of sourdough starter subbed for 1 Tb yeast. 
It makes lovely fluffy bread. 
A bit of buttermilk and some eggs make it even nicer.
Below is the leftover cinnamon bun dough 
that didn't fit in the other pan.
It made a lovely loaf. 
Of course it was all drizzled over with orange glaze. 


This week has been lovely in the little things.
There has been snow much of the time and sometimes
the flakes are big and fluffy and give me pause as I peer out the windows. 

I finished a pair of knitted woollen socks for my husband. 
I have a few socks planned so my work basket is full of woollen yarn 
awaiting being shaped into something useful. 

School lesson are going smoothly.
It is so nice to learn new things even when they are hard 
to figure out at times. 

So how has your week been? 
What kinds of colour and smells 
have filled your homes today?

Love and Prayers,
Jennifer


 

Monday 9 November 2020

Homemaking Mondays: Lending a Hand


Hello! 
It's a lovely morning here
the sun is just lightening up the sky 
and there is a tint of yellow over the mountains.

It is clear today
and I woke to moonlight 
streaming in my windows.
Such a change from summer.

I have pulled out my new sock yarn and 
am working away on some socks. 
Some for my husband and then some for my kids.
I know you can just buy socks at the store...
but these homemade ones are so comfortable.

After all that snow we received last week,
there has been much shovelling going on. 
We made it out to the end of our driveway! 
What a feat that was! 


Then I took some of my children to help
shovel out a lady's drive so she could get 
her vehicle out of her garage and then a bit about her house.
Some spending money for them and a lovely gift to! 
My favourite colours and it's perfect 
for up next to the tea hutch.


There is no end of shovelling needs....
the boys during one of their homeschool activities 
helped to shovel out part of the community centre as well.
This is one place we are blessed to spend time at. 
It is wonderful to be able to lend a hand.

Then with all the snow outside...
we have a new little tree starting inside. 
We were gifted a few lovely little acorns by a dear friend.
Three of them had sprouted and so we 
decided to plant them and see what happens. 
First one has come up!!! 
Kind of excited about this.  


This week we had some excitement by waking to a fire alarm.
The alarm went off on it's own and there was no fire.
There was a smell in the house and we 
had some trouble breathing. 
We called the Fire Department and they came to check it out.
They found a fuel leak.
Thankfully the repair man was able to come right out and fix it. 
The alarms don't usually go off for fuel leaks...
so I truly believe the Lord was waking us up to the danger.

There are so many little blessings the Lord Jesus 
has placed in our lives.

Praying you have a beautiful day!

Love and Prayers,
Jennifer

Monday 2 November 2020

Homemaking Mondays: Hello November! Hello Winter!



Hello! 
How are you this fine November day?
It's a snow day for us here. 
The roads are closed and we've just ended 
a winter storm. 
The sun is out and it's beautiful!


I made some chicken noodle soup today.
It is wonderful to be able to pull all these
ingredients out of the pantry
as we can't go anywhere. 
I had some broth in the fridge and then 
added canned chicken/ carrots.
I like these tiny noodles that
I've found at our local store. 
One bag will do three pots of soup.


It was the perfect fuel for heading out to shovel. 

Above is the before and below 
is to show you where we stopped....for now.
It's a lot of snow and I think we're gonna need 
some heavy duty kind of help for the rest. 


Would you like to come to a picnic? 
My boys have already been out sliding on 
a little hill in the yard. 
One of my boys was the first to strap on his snowshoes and 
pack a trail around the house to another door.
My daughter was out early to clear away the snow from the bird feeders
to let her little birdie friends have breakfast. 


I found this lovely new to me cup at the free store
this past weekend. 
I have a teapot/cup set that my Mom gave me
that matches. 
It's rose brocade and it has such 
a nice handle. 
I love hot chocolate in it. 


We also had this lovely little fellow visit us. 
He is so fluffy and my daughter says 
he has murder mittens on. 


We first discovered him
having a bit of a snooze 
out in the yard in the
morning sunshine.


It has been a blessed week and I am so thankful to the Lord
for this warm home and all of His provisions.

I am knitting some socks and enjoying much of this 
stormy winter weather we've had from the inside of the house.  
There is some plastic on the inside of the main windows to help keep out the drafts.
The oil stoves are on and keeping us warm. 

Thank you for dropping by! 
How has your November started?

Love and Prayers,
Jennifer




Monday 26 October 2020

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