Homemaking Mondays: Colours are a Changing!

 

Hello! 
The colours are changing as fall is creeping in.

The rain has come cool and soaking.

The winds have picked up strong and brisk.

Summer is ending and fall is taking over.

I love this time of year as the smell in the forest

changes and the cranberries are ripening.

It's nice to do some things inside during the cooler parts 

of the days and when it's soaking rain.

I have been picking the last of the flowers in the garden that 

I don't want to loose to the frosts.  

I picked a couple sunflowers that sprouted from seeds

the squirrels planted for me in the garden.

They were just starting to open and so I brought them in to enjoy.

Amazingly snapdragons are great in the cold and ours are blooming 

so well in the cooler temps.

I also did something with the items that I've been finding.

I decided that the slate was perfect for the table and I added

a couple candles on either side of our basket.

Then I made a doily this week and added it to the arrangement.

The doily is just from a pattern that I found off of Pinterest.

It worked up in a morning and even with cramped 

fingers from not working something so small in some time,

it was very refreshing to try a different project.

If you are interested in my Pinterest account you can find it 

HERE!

I was in the kitchen the other morning.

Making tea and getting ready to bake some sourdough bread.

I had pulled out my homemaking binder

to have a look for cracker recipes.

The title on the binder caught my eye again.

Cooking Traditions

My binder is full of recipes from people I have known and loved.

Some are gone and some are still with us.

Making recipes from others we've known brings

more then just good food that we enjoy

but also the memories we have of being with those

that have shared with us.

It leaves me to ponder...what is coming from my kitchen?

My younger daughter, at work offered to make some 

homemade biscuits instead of them using canned ones.

It was a special thing for her to share what she knows

and I'm so pleased that she is also sharing 

what she has learned in our own kitchen.

What kitchen traditions are we making?

I ended up making some sourdough crackers from a recipe

that came from the Prairie Homestead Cookbook

although it's tweaked a bit.

I used fresh ground barely flour and then mixed in 

some grated cheese to part of the dough.

They make for a great snack.

Plus also helps to use up some discard.

Fresh bread is so much a special part 

of my homemade kitchen.

I find it's not hard, or time consuming.

It is delicious and saves our family money.

For saving on the grocery budget this is one very

simple step that I encourage anyone to do.

There are so many varieties of bread

and all of them add a richness 

that money cannot buy to our tables.

As the cooler weather 

is creeping into the environment around us.

I have been spurred to create yet another warm item.

I was gifted some gorgeous yarn 

so part has become this new hat 

and the rest is being worked into a cowl to go with it.

I took the fur pom pom from my old hat and added to this one.

I will be looking for another fur pom pom to replace it.

I must say that I prefer the real fur to yarn as it 

looks lovely all the time and doesn't wear out the same.

Thank you for dropping by! 

What have you been up to in your 

homemaking days?

Oh, and also regarding the question about the pesto buns,

yes I make them up like cinnamon buns

adding the pesto and cheese instead.

I hope you have a beautiful day! 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

A Bit of Sewing For a Lady's Kitchen

Hello!  

I just wanted to share some sewing I've been doing for a 

young lady's kitchen. 

I think that the kitchen is really the heart of a home, 

and with all the work that goes on in there

 it's nice to have pretty things to work with, 

and to wear.

Plus aprons are wonderful to keep your regular clothing clean.

I'm not sure about you...but things for me can get messy in the kitchen. 

SO here is an apron in a lovely blue floral mix. 

It's simple but functional. 

I made the straps in the back long enough that she can wrap them around 

and tie it in the front if she wants to.

The front pocket has three compartments.  

They're not too deep, but I find that I rarely use deep pockets, 

but it's great for stashing odd things....like clips and cloths.  

Then I added a couple metal loops for the neck strap. 

This makes it super easy to adjust the length. 

The pot holders above I quilted with some cotton batting 

and a special thermal layer.

Should be good to use with hot things either on a table or counter...

or pulling hot things out of the oven. 

It's just a couple simple things to make a kitchen more cheerful.

I hope they make her smile when she uses them. 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: Made for You

 

Hello!  

Don't you just love when there are things that are made just for you? 

That is one of the beauties of handmade things...

they can be tailor made.   

I was able to finish this blanket and then I added a sweet tag on it.

A dear friend of mine gave me a few of these tags and this is the 

first one that I've sewn on.  

They are nice and sturdy and will be good and durable.

Baby blankets often get lots of washing.

My husband bought me this wonderful thoughtful gift. 

It is a fan for our wood cookstove!!! 

It doesn't require electricity and it does work quite well to help 

disperse the heat from the stove to other parts of the room.

It really gets to going when the stove is hot.

I'm so glad that we have this!

As the stove was hot this week we slipped in a sheet of pumpkin seeds to roast.

I learned that if you wash them, boil them for a bit,

and then roast them they turn out much crispier. 

I tried it this year and yup...they are super crispy and delicious.  

They don't last long...too bad that there aren't more in the pumpkins.

Today I also pulled out my spices and mixed up some

Pumpkin Pie Spice. 

I roasted the pumpkin in my crockpot and it's all ready to go into 

a pumpkin pie.  

 I hope to get to that soon.

I like my crockpot for cooking the pumpkin for I can stick it in 

and then walk away for a bit. 

I thought all the spices layered in the jar were pretty...

and then I shook it up.

I also labeled it...very important!!!

Do you ever use odd things in the kitchen as serving bowls?  

I have come to like my pie plates to serve fruit and veggies in when needed. 

It's also kinda fun. 

Today we had peaches and apples with our snack.

Thanks for dropping by to see what I've been up to.  

Praying you have a beautiful day!

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Nests and Flowers

 

Hello! 

Spring is upon us and it is nice to see the change in the seasons. 

Along with the seasons, there are seasons in life. 

As we are preparing for another in our home,
I've been making a few cards to use in the next few weeks.

I found some wonderful bird nest images from

Shoregirl's Creations that I hadn't used yet. 

Then I pulled out some lovely papers 

(and I have lost the company name for them).  

I love the softness it all brought together.  

Along with some lovely ribbon gifted me by Judith from Lavender Cottage. 

The colours worked so well together... well in my opinion. :)

The I found these sweet towel images by Shoregirl Creations as well...

the just needed to be used. :)  

I found another set of papers that were very cheerful.  

I love the happy red gingham.  

I added a little flower stamp tot he postage spot. 

I also found these sweet papers, and I didn't want to make a card 

where they were covered up too much. 

So I looked through my stash for ribbons and flowers to add to 

each card.  

Some of the flowers I crocheted, and then I found the pretty paper ones. 

I searched my stash and found some lovely pearls and rhinestones 

for each of the flowers. 

 

Now, for some real flowers. 

This week the wild crocus have come up on the hill behind our home. 

They are so cheerful in our cold temps, but the sunshine is beckoning them out.

I pray you are having a lovely spring and that you are finding time to 

stop and take a look at the nests and flowers around you...

or in your craftrooms. 

I love how the glory of the Lord is seen in even the tiniest details of His creation! 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: Something Fresh

 

Hello!  

This is the new apron that I have made for myself. 

I just wanted something fresh. 

The temperatures are rising some, 

and the snow is staring to melt. 

Spring is coming!

 

I bought this fabric awhile ago and finally cut into it. 

I found some gross-grain ribbon that matched,

and some lovely crocheted cotton lace.

 

Then I also had some lovely eyelet lace border that I'd saved

from an old bed-skirt. 

 

It'll be nice to wear for baking. 

Something to cheer me in the kitchen. 

Do you have an apron that makes you want to bake?

Do you like to make something new to wear for spring? 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Fun with a Hook

 

Hello!

I have just finished crocheting up a very fun octopus.

It is the size of a pillow with delightful tentacles. 

I have made it for a dear cousin for her son.

For the sake of mailing it, it's going without the stuffing

and with a ball of yarn to finish stitching up the tentacles afterward.

 

The tentacles were fun to make, and they curl all on their own. 

The eyes were fun mostly because my son had to pretend 

they were his and make funny noises. 

Lots of giggling and smiles ensued.  

 

I got the pattern from Mama Moseley Crochet Creations.

I looked and the huge one I have isn't available anymore?...but there is a smaller version. 

Here is an update....my cousin sent me a couple pics of 

my sweet little cousin and his new octopus. 

Praying you have a lovely day! 

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: A Reason to Smile

 

Hello! 

Isn't it lovely that no matter what happens in life, that the Lord can always bring

to mind something that can give us a reason to smile. 

One thing that makes me smile are little notes just because.

 I find that in our society today that little notes give people great pleasure. 

Whether expected (as in a birthday) or just out of the blue.

It doesn't need to be handmade or fancy.

Just the knowledge that someone took time out of their life for you.

I was talking to a sweet older Christian lady that I know.  

She isn't able to get out and see people as much as she used to.

She says that just little phone calls or notes in the mail 

cheer her heart so very much. 

I got one of those sweet out of the blue cards in the mail from a friend this week.

Just to know that I was thought of and that she took the time to send me this note 

made me feel very loved and cherished.  

Do you take the time to let others know you are thinking of them? 

Perhaps it is a shut in or elderly person that you know could use the encouragement.

That they know they are not forgotten. 

Or really anyone could be blessed by the simple act of being sent a note, a phone call, a card. 

Are you willing to take the time to do that?

To add this simple act to your homemaking day?

If you do, it will be greatly treasured and appreciated. 

Just a little simple act of kindness.

Love and Prayers,
Jennifer

 

 

Homeschool Study Snipits

 

Hello!  Thanks for dropping by!  

Today I'd love to share with you about a couple things 

my kids have been doing this week. 

My younger daughter decided to make some bubble solution from scratch 

and some bubble wants out of stir sticks and pipe cleaners.  

As it was so super cold up here,

she wanted to see how they froze. 

So she and her older sister went out and blew some bubbles,

and took pictures as they froze.

 

They would freeze and then they'd collapse on themselves.

So beautiful and interesting. 

 

My younger son was studying bees this past week and finished up a project today. 

 It was a part of his been report. 

He added yellow pom poms for honey and pollen. 

Then he made all the stages of life of the bees.

From egg to emerging bee. 

 

He used modeling clay, and then pipe cleaners for legs.

 He also cut out a bit of plastic and covered the last larva, and the pupa stage 

since they are sealed in until they are fully ready to emerge.  

It was a fun hands on exercise for him, and I hope he will remember it more 

then just reading about it. 

Yarn Between My Fingers

 

Hello! 
I know I've been kind of quiet on here as of late.  

The year is coming to a close and there has been yarn between my fingers. 

As the world outside is reveling in idolatry, I like to stay out of it as much as possible. 

My children are taking a bit of a winter's break.

Snuggled into our warm home we are finding things to keep ourselves busy with. 

So...I've been doing some new  yarn things.  

Above I learned to knit a cowl.  I love the stockinette stitch. 

I used a set of circular needles for this and put a rib of knit/pearl rows on each end.  

I used some soft Bernat yarn and it will be cozy for someone.

 

This set of scarves that I crocheted were very quick and easy.  

I looked all over for patterns and let me tell you...there is no end of them!  

I finally decided to just choose a couple different stitches.  

So each scarf has a set repeating rows.  

One row half double crochet, then one row of half double crochet cross stitches.  

I didn't add any fringes since I'm not very competent at that...and they are still nice. 

 

 Lastly, I made this double v-stitch crocheted scarf. 

I used up the last of three balls of purple yarn I had. 

Now...what will be next?  

Do you have yarn between your fingers?  

What are you making? 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer