Homemaking Mondays: Local Tea and Winter Days

 

Hello! 
Deep in winter and the days are darker

and the cold is settling lower.

It's nice to hunker down and enjoy some times just 

watching winter from the inside 

of the windows.

The birds have been a source

of wonderful entertainment as they

gather round the feeder and perch up in the trees.

We have lots of chickadees, pine grosbeaks, and 

also some regular grey jays.

My younger daughter is especially friends with them 

and they come and eat from her hands

and will perch on her hat or shoulders.

When the weather turns a bit colder

or the the winds pick up they come to the feeder

more often and the flocks of "regulars" gets bigger.

The resident squirrel at this feeder is often chasing 

the birds away for her chance to snag some seeds.

She's one tough squirrel and has lived through visits by 

a weasel that comes around.

Fry bread/ bannock is a great quick bread to make

when I don't feel like baking.

Below this one turned out like a heart 

and my son says he can see the word love 

written in it.

For the comfort of tea

it's nice when you can enjoy some local 

blessings with it.

I have some wonderful fireweed tea that I bought from a local lady 

with some added rose and calendula petals.

Can't just have one cup so you need to make a pot.

Stir in some local honey and it is a wonderful treat on a cold day!

My daughter has been making some of these beautiful snowflakes.

They are crocheted and she says they are 

very easy even though they appear quite intricate.

With the cold we've been using up a lot of our canned chicken.

So when I found some chicken breasts on sale, 

I bought a bunch and canned up some more. 

The jars are wonderful to have on hand for quick meals.

Here is a sunrise we saw this past week.  

The light is precious at this time of year and when

the sky starts to glow I find myself at the window just watching.

Well today is my daughter's birthday 

so I'm off to put some chilli on and ice a cake. 

Praying you have a beautiful day!

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: A Bit of Time in the Kitchen

 

Hello!

I know I've been quiet on here but I needed a bit of a break. 

A bit because I needed a refresh 

and a bit because of needing to attend to some other 

things more. 

Time...it goes swiftly. 

Yesterday evening I sat in my chair by the window 

and was enjoying watching the sun set 

through the trees. 

Yes, it was early..about 3pm. 

Soon it will be the shortest day of the year.

I've been spending a bit more time in the kitchen. 

Below is a pic of the crumb mixture that 

I was making for apple crisp. 

I love the frothy warm melted butter. 

With this I mix up the crumble by hand.  It just seems to 

come together easier for me for some reason.

I have also started to propagate some more violets. 

The main plants have started to die off so I thought

it was just time for something new. 

I have to break off the big leaf so that I don't end up 

with a whole forest of violets. hehehe

I have two kinds started. 

One is a double purple and the other is a purple with a white ruffle.

I made some more apple hand pies.  

They are a delicious snack and the addition 

of chunky sugar on top is perfect.

In the picture at the top of the blog you can see 

the reflection of my geranium in the tea.

I love that my geraniums bloom in the winter. 

Also...I like to have a cup of tea while I work in the kitchen. 

Do any of you like to do that? 

Do you find that you have a special kind of tea for when you're

working from when you just sit and rest for a bit? 

I like black tea with peppermint for when I'm working 

and herbal mix tea for relaxing. 

Praying you have a blessed day! 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer