Homemaking Mondays: I Love Fall

 

Hello! 
I know I've said this before

but I love fall.

I love when the colours change and set the world aglow.

 I also love it when the leaves have all fallen

leaving the world in shades of brown.

The forest darkens and as you watch the wildlife 

are preparing to bed down for the winter. 

The sunshine is more slanted and shines deeper into our rooms.

There is a coziness to it all.

In the kitchen there are also fall preparations.

Canning beef stew for quick easy meals.

Delicious apple sheet pie

enough to share.

Today there will be mincemeat cookies 

after the bread comes out of the oven.

I've finished up the cowl I was knitting.

First time knitting in the round and with the seed stitch.

It's not perfect but it's warm and comfortable.

Along with the knitting I bought some fun

crochet cotton to work practice some crochet stitches 

with another lady I met.

Easy projects to add some colour inside our homes.

The snow has come down the mountains this week.

No...it's not staying.

We have had lots of rain and some warmer temps so it's all but gone.

It's like a wake up call to all....Are you ready for winter?

Then we get a little break to get those last fall projects 

taken care of before the snow comes for good.  

For me I had forgotten to tuck up the canoes 

against the house so that will happen today.

Then I need to finish tucking steel wool into the mouse holes 

that have been created in the porch. 

The first snow is always good for snowmen or snowball fights.

This time round there was a layer of frozen rain on top

so with the crust it was best used for first sledding trips. 

This past week at the free store I found this 

beautiful crocheted afghan and I washed it up and 

it's now adorning my bed and is so cozy!

It's lovely to snuggle under for quick naps to.

Do you find you are more tired during season changes?

I sure do and take time for little rests.

I also found a couple lovely sweaters that I can wear.

It's still warm enough (just above freezing) that you can wear

just a heavy sweater over a long sleeved shirt. 

The cozy fall attire that will soon turn to winter coats. 

For now I love the benefit of layers.

Whether you are at the end of fall or just beginning 

depending on where you are.

I do hope you are enjoying the beauty 

and special moments that come with fall.

Through it all may you see the Lord's handiwork 

in all the details.

Thanks for dropping by!

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: Canning for the Pantry

Hello! 

A lovely fall day here 

and it is nice to know that we are almost 

ready for winter. 

I've been canning a bit more.

Using my pressure canner for more then just soup stock.

This year I've done carrots and chicken for the first time.

I thought I'd make some soup to can...

but then decided I'd focus more on ingredients 

so that I can make more of a variety.

Below is some cheeseburger soup that I made this week.

I added a bunch of summer greens that were in the freezer 

and that was just the right touch.

In this new house we are blessed with a walk in pantry. 

It has narrow shelves all around and an alley way space between.

The shelves will hold two quart jars deep and 

three pints with the last offset.

It's cooler then the rest of the house, 

but not that cold....yet! 

We have stored a lot of food down there

and it's nice to have it out of the kitchen 

and then just going down to get what we need for a meal. 

There are rubbermaid totes holding some dry goods.

Some bins for potatoes and onions. 

We didn't get a huge amount of potatoes,

and then we bought a few more. 

It's not that cool so they won't hold that long. 

But!  Long enough for us to eat them all. :) 

The pantry also hold other odds and ends

like extra cake savers, and 

my cake decorating toolbox.

As soon as I'm all done with my canning

all those supplies will get fitted in there as well.

It's fun to look at the shelves when I'm down there

and see the fun things that I've processed 

on the shelves. 

Jams, relish, salsa, tomato soup, carrots,

pears, oranges, broth, and chicken.

Little testaments to how I've spend some of my time.

One other space that I've been working on lately 

is the laundry room.

There is this "window" that is cut into the wall 

for heat distribution. 

I like to be able to sit things on the sill that it has

but things got knocked over.

So I added this bit of chicken wire

to keep things where they're put.

Then I added some small fun 

printouts with clothespins.

With the little window and a plant it 

makes for a quite cheerful space

to do the laundry in.

With fall all around us it has made me want to crochet again.

I was given a couple fun cakes of yarn 

and decided to make a small blanket with them.

A dear friend taught me to take the "cakes" apart

and then roll up the yarn in separate colours to make the sections bigger.

I decided to give it a try.

So....I've begun.

I'm going to change up the original order of the colours

primarily because now I have no idea 

what they originally were because my basket got bumped. 

HA! 

So it shall be a surprise how it all turns out in the end. 

This is a simple pattern of two alternating rows. 

I've used it before for baby blankets and it's

very pretty and simple to work up.

You can find it HERE if you want to try it.

What has fall got you thinking about?

Have you been squirrelling things away in  your pantry?

Have you settled down with some yarn?

Praying you have a beautiful day! 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Leaves are Falling!

Hello!  

Are your leaves falling yet?  Ours are, and I love to watch them float to the ground.  

I felt in the mood to make some fall cards.  They'll be going into the Farmer's harvest market this weekend.  

I had a bunch of odds and ends of fall paper, and it was fun to piece them together with some fall stickers I had, ribbon, and some leaf/ acorn brads. 

We don't have acorns up here, but I think they're so cool.  

A friend of mine sent me some in the mail! 

I think the best part of fall is the change in the smells in the forest.  

Oh, and the wind...I am one of those that loves wind!  

Soon the leaves will be all over, and the raking will begin (no point starting before they're done falling!).  

Do you like raking leaves?  Then jumping in the piles?  

Hope you have a wonderful fall day!  

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

School and Fall begin in Earnest

Hello! 

Here at our home, school and fall have begun in earnest.  

Formal lesson times have resumed, and it is fun to be doing new things and with enthusiasm.  

This year we bought a few new books and my children love to read real life happenings. 

One fall activity that has been accomplished was to put up some more wind chimes.  

In our case, we'd been collecting bells and odds and ends of broken wind chimes.  

Here are a couple that we made.  

First one has some metal rods, a bell in the middle with a wooden piece to catch the wind.  It's all hung from a stick that we found in our scrap pile.

Second one here is just a bunch of strings of bells of different sizes hung by fishline from a stick.  

It sounds so pretty when the wind catches it.  

Last post I shared about this little desk that I inherited.  

It is a lovely little item that is very practical for us.  

Inside it holds the pencils, pens, erasers, markers, notebooks for Bible verses, 

play money for counting, math number charts for various skills. 

As fall is descending, it's cooler.  It's the perfect time to enjoy the warm of homemade shawls. 

The lovely shawl pin was a gift by a dear friend. 

The colours are emerging and are so lovely to take the time to really notice. 

I encourage you to not only look from afar, but as the colours emerge where you live, 

take a closer look...so much intricacy.  

I've brought some flowers into the greenhouse to last a bit longer.

Now that the vegetables are finished up, there is more room.

Oh, and I love the colour that many of our rhubarb leaves turn.  

Always gives me reason to pause and take a closer look. 

My younger daughter loves to get up close and capture the tiny details. 

Below is a pic of her hiding in amongst the fireweed that has gone to seed. 

It's so amazing to watch the gentle breeze capture the seeds in gentle waves...

sending them off to a place yet to be found.

Here is one of her sweet pictures that she took that day.

Thanks for dropping by!  

I'd love to hear about your school or fall time happenings! `

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: The Season of Fall

Welcome to Homemaking Mondays! 

Today I'd like to share about the season of fall. 

Do you love fall? I do!  With it comes the change of colours, smells, and temperature.  For some the coolness is more welcome then for others.  Me, I love the crispness that begs for a shawl to envelope my shoulders, and nips at my nose.  Sadly though, it also means that I have to resort to wearing socks again. :)  

With fall comes new tasks in the garden, kitchen, and pantry.  There is garden produce to put up for the winter...either from your own garden or from the store.  It is good to have food that is saved when it is "in season" as it just tastes so much better and has more nutrition in it.  

I like to can jam, relish (this year I tried dill relish for the first time), and applesauce.  I put most everything else either in the freezer or dehydrated and tucked in the pantry. 

I find that a well stocked pantry is very important through the winter as often the weather inhibits us from going to town at times.  Plus it keeps me from wanting to buy more in the store when I'm there when I know I already have it stored away.  It's good to find things like meat on sale as well and store it away for when it is needed.  It's a time for making sure you have enough warm clothes and blankets for your family.  Sometimes this means making another quilt or buying some new item of clothing.

Proverbs 32:21-22

" She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple."

Proverbs 6:6-8

"Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest."

Homeschool lessons are beginning and I love to see the eagerness that comes at the beginning of the fall.  The bringing out of new books is always fun and captures their attention.  Sometimes it's super quiet with them reading. :)  It's good to have lots of books where they are leaning things while they read, and not just for entertainment.  People often say you have to give children fiction for them to read...no, that's far from the truth.  Find a subject that  you child is interested in and find books that talk about it.  I have seen my children reach for an encyclopedia or book on natural disasters before a storybook.  Don't expect them to always want fiction...and you might be surprised where they gravitate towards.  

I was given this cute little desk and chair set by my father when we started homeschooling.  It was built for him by my great grandfather and has seen many years of use. It's now about 60 years old.  It was looking a bit worn so a fresh coat of paint really cheered it up.  We use it to store my younger children's school supplies in.  No more "Where is my pencil? " questions... it's all contained!!! 

Fall is a time for filling woodsheds, raking leaves, pulling out bird feeders and getting them ready to fill.  We fill our bird feeders here after the bears go to sleep. 

Lots to do outside in the lovely crisp air!  

One thing that I also love about fall are the walks in the forest, or just sitting outside taking note of the details of change.  The children and I talk about the changes we see, hear, smell, and taste (berries).  Soon we'll be cranberry picking and eating to. :)  

Take the time to enjoy the fall, to sit with a cup of tea or hot cocoa and watch awhile.  

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Do You Love Apples?

Do you love apples?  I do! 

It's full-time and the MacIntosh apples are now in the stores.  

They're my favourite for they are sweet and cook down so nice and soft.  

No need for extra sugar with these. 

We purchased a few pounds this week and plan to make a few different things with them.

This round I am making dehydrated apples. 

We found this dehydrator at the free store this year and it works perfectly.  

I found some inserts in a stores clearance section that I trimmed down to fit inside.  

This way it'll be much easier to clean.  

I set to pealing, coring, and slicing up the apples.

My boys helped lift each layer (we have five) and line up the apples on the trays.  

I think they did great at their spacing!  

Then we plugged it in on the counter top and waited....the fan came on and in a couple minutes there was warm air blowing out of the air vents on top.  Oh the smell....yummo! 

Above you can see the last of them getting a bit more drying time. 

Below is the plate with our first batch of dehydrated apples.  

We were all delighted with them! 

What a treat to have this way of enjoying apples! 

We used to use our electric oven, but now with a propane stove it's not possible to get the low heat option. We also have a wood stove for heating in the winter...we shall try drying apples on a rack behind the stove once it's on for the day.  

Thank you so much for dropping by!  Do share if you like dried apples, what you favourite apple is or your favourite way to prepare apples. 

Praying you have a wonderful day!

Sharing with Raising Homemakers.

Oh, I found this great chart on apples!

A Little Pot of Cinnamon Honey

Hello!  Today I'd love to share with you a little find I made at the free store.  

It was a sweet little pot with a lid.  

It had a cinnamon label on it, but I already have something to hold my cinnamon.  

So....I thought I'd make some cinnamon honey.  

I just put in some cinnamon and added honey. Easy Peasy. 

Do you like cinnamon honey on your toast?  or in your tea?

With fall time here full on the leaves are collecting on my deck, and around my yard.  I love to watch them fluttering down, and blowing across the yard.

Soon I need to catch up with sweeping them off my deck.

There has been a lot of overcast skies, rain, and of course wind. Where would be be without wind in the fall time to blow the leaves off the trees, and out of the neatly raked piles we're working on. 

I love the beautiful colour changes that go on up the mountains as well.  There has been snow up there from time to time already.  

I hope you are enjoying the weather outside...and if it's a bit nippy, just bundle up some more.  

Praying you have a blessed day!

Thanks for dropping by!

Sharing over at Raising Homemakers.

In the Details of Fall Beauty!

Hello!  Just popping in for a bit to share some of the fall beauty that we've been seeing this week.  

I've been busy getting ready for our school lessons to begin.  Finishing up some summer projects and getting ready for winter. We'll be ordering some firewood soon, and we had to get the woodshed ready.  

Our garden is finished, and most of our flowers are finished as well. 

We are enjoying the beautiful colour that is coming out in the trees and vegetation.   

The berries are starting to all ripen and you can see the colour popping up from the forest floor. 

This is one of our favourite spots to go to on our river.  The river curves around and leaves this one area with lots of sand and "warmer" puddles.  

My kids were wading around the last couple days...but I myself like to stay in the warm sand. :)  

The sand was warm and deep and perfect for digging ones' toes into. 

There were a myriad of little tiny mushrooms in the sand amongst the horsetail.  

We found a new nest that was up in one of the spruce trees close to the water's edge. 

The fireweed is just coming out in gorgeous colour!

The wild roses are changing into lovely yellows and oranges as well. 

While down by the river my kids found these interesting creatures.  They were in these little pyramid type things pointed out into the stream of water.  The girls took a couple out and after a bit these creatures started to climb out of them.  They didn't bite or anything, but I think they're kinda creepy looking!  Something we'll be looking up.  

*we looked it up and couldn't find anything and then sweet Wendy wrote me about the caddisflies she's seen, and they must be some of these.  They make their homes out of what they find in the environment around them. The ones in our river have a pyramid shape.   Very interesting! 

Then as we were walking home through the forest the last time, I noticed this cool outcropping of fungi on a log beside the trail.  SO many little details that have us stopping and pondering. 

Thank you for dropping by!  It's nice to be able to share with others some of the things I find interesting in life.  

I find that there is so much to learn and enjoy around us, that often gets missed in busyness.  Lets slow down in life to see the details that God has created. 

Sharing with The Art of Homemaking Mondays.