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
 

 

Homemaking Mondays:Colour In Our Day

 

Hello! 
It's been a beautiful summer. 

A lot more sunshine and warmth than last.

It has cooled today and we've had a few showers. 

The mosquitos absolutely love the cooler temps 

and when you go out they come at you in clouds.

There is a place for all creatures in nature

even if there are some that we are less fond of. 

As it was quite cool this morning I opted for

some nice hot tea instead of a cool drink. 

I like to make fresh drinks with lemon and mint. 

My tea was just plain black tea with some fresh lemon balm.

One of my comfort drinks.

I went out to check on my garden. 

I do love all the flowers I plant but often

the ones that the Lord plants catch my attention the most.

I do love fireweed and there are places in my

yard that I purposely don't fuss with so that they will grow.

In the Bible in the book of Matthew

the Lord speaks of the lilies of the field and how 

the Lord has arrayed them. 

If we would take the time to note the exquisite detail

in which the Lord has created the flowers

we will understand that nothing we can create 

can compare to what He has already created. 

For just the brief time the flowers bloom...He made such effort.

There are other plants in my yard that I do need to fuss with.

Like the chives.  I pick the blossoms so that they don't reseed.

I missed a few last year and wow I have a forest of little chive plants

that are growing up amongst the garlic and onions.  

SO...in come the blossoms to my kitchen window to be enjoyed.  

I have at times made chive vinegar but have yet to make a new batch this year.

My family was blessed with a huge gift of delphinium plants this year.

One of my most favourite garden flowers.  

Here is the very first bloom to open this season. 

The garden is doing really well and below 

is my wheelbarrow of nasturtiums and kale. 

The flowers are just starting to come and soon my son

will be pruning it back for me.  

Never a need to dead head them as he loves to eat the blossoms.

Some friends of ours introduced us to phacelia.

I have ever since been trying to plant some in my garden 

as the bees and butterflies adore it. 

It is so delicate and beautifully scented.

This year I have just a few plants that are just inside

my greenhouse to draw in the pollinators.  

Mosquitos are also pollinators but we do our best

not to welcome them. 

My son and I went to the store this year and for the first time

bought some bug net hats to make

gardening more bearable when they are most hungry.

We had to try them on of course.  

We decided to get two like mine. 

Thank you for dropping by today! 

I hope your day is beautiful!

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: The Work Of Your Hands

 

Hello! 
It's a drizzly day out and a good day 

to think on the past week.

Little bits of pleasant things 

smattered through out days. 

Last week my sons and I enjoyed a quick lunch outdoors.

We took a break from our gardening work

and eat at the picnic table. 

I have this wonderful wooden tray 

that I put some food on to carry outside. 

It's been quite nice weather up until the last couple days.

Now it's been raining...which we do need.

I just wish it interspersed with sunshine so I can work outside.

So indoors my thought turn on rainy days.

I found this candle at the free store and as I looked around

I also spotted this cute little bowl all on it's own. 

It's got a stamp on the bottom that says

Cream Petal from Grindley England.

I thought they went together nicely and so I have another

cute candle piece to put in the house.

There are some larger wildlife that is emerging to where

we see them more. 

The bears have come to the roadsides to enjoy

the fresh spring dandelions.

Below is one of the bears we saw this week 

the other was a momma grizzly and her two cubs.

Under the row covers at home we  have some 

wonderful things growing for us to eat.

This coming week the community market begins again.

We'll be there selling jam and other odds and ends.

It is one of my favourite events. 

Great place to buy local food and also to enjoy

the local conversations with friends new and old.

With the rainy days it's getting me working on

my crocheting projects more. 

I always have more in my head then gets through my fingers.

The geraniums in the kitchen are still giving us

lovely blooms to enjoy. 
The herbs are getting big enough to snitch from

and that is a real treat.

I have peppermint floating in my water bottle right now.

Another treat is what my husband brought me home

from a garage sale this week. 

He finds some of the best things! 

I've been wanting a matching dish set.

He found this white dish set for just $10! 

There are 11 cups with the set..I'll never need them all

so they are tucked away but still accessible 

if something comes up.

In our home we all have our own mugs that we love.

SO these would be just for company.

I love them as they have

 a wonderful classic look and will go

with anything we use or table cloth we have.

Colossians 3:23-24

"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;     Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance:  for ye serve the Lord Christ." 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 "And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;     That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing." ~Thank you for dropping by!  Love and Prayers, Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: Renewed

 

Hello! 
It was time for some renewing in the house. 

Sometimes in the middle of the winter things just need 

a fresh touch.  

I changed up the top of my one kitchen hutch

and dusted off this little framed verse that was there. 

I must admit I am not great at dusting often.

This is one of my favourite verses and it is a good 

reminder as we can loose our focus on things. 

God's will is much different then the worlds.

It is good to have verses put up around our homes to bring 

our attention to the Lord and what His will is for us.

A short bit ago a friend of ours retired from his job so we made 

some fun carrot cake cupcakes for him and his wife to enjoy.

It's a diabetic carrot cake with lots of carrots and flaxseeds. 

So it's not only delicious but better for us. Not that cake can really 

be labeled healthy...but it sounds good. :) 

We have accumulated a few different fun cupcake papers. 

I did have them stuffed in a drawer but saw this

fun idea on Pinterest.  

Yes, sometimes creativity needs a boost at times. 

I had just finished using this one jar and thought it would 

make a great place to store them so that we could enjoy 

their cheerful colours and then be inspired to use them more. 

I found this beautiful large doily at the free store and it 

was perfect paired with a blue ribbon and bow.

I put a new plant on the top of my hutch as I sadly

ended up killing my ivy that was there.  

Not sure what I did, but it didn't make it through this winter.

I have started a new jar of clippings that will hopefully take root

and become a new plant in the spring. 

I still very much enjoy using the little candy jar with the bird on top. 

It was a gift from a friend and it makes me smile. 

It's been fairly warm and I was surprised to wake up to 

almost -30C this morning.  

The sky is mostly blue and the sun is shining on 

the icicles hanging from the eves.  

The sunshine brings a warmth to the inside of the house

as it shines in the windows. 

Thanks for dropping by! 

What do you like to do in your homes to 

renew them in the middle of winter? 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: Sometimes Waiting is Hard

 

Hello! 
Sometimes waiting is hard. 

Yes...in many different aspects of life. 

Today as I went to check on my greenhouse 

and clear the roof of water pockets 

from last night's rain...

I passed my pot collection. 

They are all waiting for their flowers and herbs.

The weather has been quite cool this spring 

and it's going to take longer to 

safely put out the plants. 

Below I bought a new planter to go on at the top

of the steps to the front door.

I hope to have sweet peas there to smell nice as you come in.  

The plants coming up on their own 

are slow coming as well.

The chives in the one garden bed,

some delphiniums in another. 

Then I have some happy little garlic sprouts 

that have come up. 

Little bits of joy to make our 

gardener hearts to smile.

There is new life in the spring. 

It gives us pause to observe it's beauty.

Here are some of the flowers and berries 

waiting to be planted. 

Some new kinds to try

and then my beloved pansies. 

There were not many blue varieties this year

and I'm glad I could snag these ones.  

They are covered with a frost blanket at night in the greenhouse

just to make sure they don't freeze.  

Some of the garden space we have 

is quite old and has not been used for some time.

The grass, trees, and weeds have taken over.

Yesterday my daughter helped me clear and dig up one section

of an old bed to plant some raspberries in. 

As time will allow in the future 

I hope to clean up the other beds to be used as well.

These raspberries are from a dear friend's yard.  

Planting them in memory of her. 

It has been a treasured thing for my children to 

pick her raspberries. 

After checking on the greenhouse 

I wandered down to the lake's edge.

It's a bit of a cool day with rain

so peaceful though. 

Sometimes the clouds feel like a blanket.

The comfort of the Lord is here

when days are hard, when there are struggles. 

Psalm 27:14

"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, 

and he shall strengthen thine heart: 

wait, I say, on the LORD."

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: Refresh the Virtuous Woman

 

Hello! 
It is a beautiful thing homemaking is.

In all the stages of life it's important to come back to 

the Word of God and refresh.

I've been reading through some of my old studies on the

Proverbs 31 virtuous woman. 

Thought I'd share some links if you were interested in

this study as well.

A Virtuous Woman 

A Virtuous Woman part 2

A Virtuous Woman part 3

A Virtuous Woman part 4

A Virtuous Woman part 5

The worlds around us is changing as the seasons change. 

Our little lake is starting to open up as the ice melts. 

There are some perennials starting to emerge from the soil 

as it thaws.

This past week we got the greenhouse's old plastic removed 

and the boards cleaned up.

Then we got rain and it stopped the project...for now. 

Soon we'll get the plastic on and then 

we will start to get things put out.  

We are now above freezing much of the time at night. 

Not that warm during the day...but it's coming. 

There are little bursts of colour inside as the plants mature.

There are cheerful tiny sunflowers, geraniums, cosmos, 

and some tomatoes. 

Promises of what is to come in the summer garden. 

As things in the garden progress...

inside the home there is bread made, soup bubbling, 

fresh laundry folding, sock knitting 

and restful cups of tea.

Praying your day is filled with the love 

and contentment of homemaking. 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: The Beauty God Brings

Hello! 
It is a lovely wintery March day today.

The mercury is rising some through the day 

so that is nice and later this week it'll be warmer. 

Then the windows can once again be opened 

to freshen up the house. 

I am sorry I've been a bit quiet. 

A couple weeks ago I lost a dear friend of mine.

It is hard to say goodbye. 

I treasure the memories and times the Lord 

gave for us to share. 

The Lord has been freshening up our home 

with the beautiful flowers

that are opening and giving a beautiful light scent

to the room.

Have you ever smelled a grape hyacinth? 

Delicate and sweet!

                                        

There are still little tiny rosemary seedlings coming

in the new terrarium. 

  

There are tomato seedlings that are ready to be 

transplanted into pots.

Hopefully I can get that done today.

It is so hard when starting seeds.  

You look at the trays and all the little plants....

and then have to think ahead to how big they will 

become before going outside. 

There is only so much room next to the windows. 

So planning carefully is important.

I still always end up moving furniture to accommodate more 

before it's safe outside.

As there is lovely growing things inside...

winter is still far from over here. 

I went with a couple of  my children to go sledding

with some of their friends.

The below picture is the top of the sledding hill

where you can see for miles! 

Perfect day to be out...

the only wind was what you felt

flying down the hill.

There were skidoo rides up to the top and so I joined in the fun 

a couple of times. 

A bit sore today...but it was so worth it! 

It has been a bit since I have done a whole lot in the kitchen 

as far as fun baking.

My children have been wonderful and have been taking care of 

things as I've been busy doing things

for my friend who passed away.

I made bread...and then my daughter sliced it up

boiled some fresh eggs, sliced some cheese

and laid out a nice meal for us. 

The Lord is good to us in all the little details of life.

May we always keep in mind 

eternity.

That we can put every aspect of life into 

it's proper place. 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

	Romans 10:9-10  "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
	For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." -KJB

Homemaking Mondays: A Biblical Perspective

 

Hello! 
It's a lovely Monday morning here and I've been pondering 

what to share with all of you.  

A few years ago I started to share some scriptures that 

the Lord was pressing on my heart....and the same is happening today.

I'm not great with words, but would like to share with you some of the practical 

everyday aspects of homemaking from a Biblical perspective. 

The following is taken from a previous post.

Titus 2:3-5

 "The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

Here we see that the aged women (the ones who have learned and are proficient at this), 

are to teach the younger (who still need to learn).  

To be sober: not taken with strong drink, but also sober is to be aware, vigilant.  Also not given to an influence of passion...calm, controlled in the case of making decisions/ sober judgement.

Yes, women are known for their emotions, but we can learn to control ourselves when we need to be wise and make good judgement calls. 

To love their husbands!  This is so sorely missing today.  The trend of husband bashing that I have seen over the years has been atrocious!  We need to be taught to love, care for their needs, respect, honour and yes...to submit to our husbands.  We are to be their helpmeets, not their bosses.  

To love their children. Oh how the world sees children as either a burden or as an excuse to not take care of what they are responsible for.  A child is a blessing from the Lord and yes, they take a lot of work. They require a lot of your time and energy.  This is a good thing!  The world is not all about you and what you need.  As a mother we are to be sacrificial, to look to the needs of our children above our own. 

Some look at children as more important than taking care of their homes or doing other responsibilities (including taking time for their husbands).  There is a balance.  

To be discreet.  Noah Webster defined it like this:

Prudent; wise in avoiding errors or evil, and in selecting the best means to accomplish a purpose; circumspect; cautious; wary; not rash.

To teach the younger women to be self controlled, to use wisdom in the affairs of their homes.

To be chaste. This refers to sexual purity: for an unmarried woman to not involve herself in sexual relations, and for a married woman to remain faithful to her husband and their marriage bed. 

Also this refers to one's conversation.  To teach the young women to be free from obscenities. To have your speech be pure, uncorrupt, and free from hurtful words.

1 Peter: 3:2 

"While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear."

Keepers at home.  Keeper denotes one who keeps or cares for the home.  At denotes that they do it at home and not from an outside source. There is much that is involved in keeping a home, and as an older women who is skilled in this, she can share her wisdom and knowledge with the younger woman in this area as well. 

I would say that it would be in the areas of cooking, cleaning, shopping, managing bills, gardening, etc.

Good.  This could be seen from various angles, but really it means not evil.  We get the knowledge of what is good by reading and studying God's Word.  

Obedient to their own husbands.  Now pride says... no one is going to tell me what to do.  But obedience says "thy will be done and not my own".  To love our husbands in this way, to respect their headship in the home and the decisions they make is a very important skill that needs some direction from the older women.  It's not to be a doormat for our husbands, but we as wives need to submit ourselves to them.  If they ask something of us, we need to respectfully carry out the request.

That the Word of God be not blasphemed.  The unbelieving world is watching!  Will we honour the Lord through our marriages, parenting, personal conduct, and homes?

It is a high calling we as women have, and we need the older women who are knowledgeable in this to teach the younger women these things...or they'll learn from the world in an ungodly manner.  

Thank you for stoping by! 

Praying that you may find some edification through this.  

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

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