Homemaking Mondays: The Snow Has Come

 

Hello! 
Well the snow has really come and the ground is quite frozen

on top so it'll be sticking around a bit more. 

I love how snowy days turn the lake a pastel green. 

The birds are coming back to the feeders more now

and it's nice to get re-acquainted.  

This week has been lovely and the last touches

of winter prep are being done. 

The last one for me is to switch out the entryway 

to the winter things.

This week I received a lovely gift

from my parents through some of their friends.

They sent me some of the old things that 

they had that they were not using anymore.

I'm glad to have a couple extra pairs of sock stretchers,

and my mom's old butter bowl with paddle and block maker.

Then they also sent up the old butter churn.

I like to make butter at times and thought it would be 

so nice to put it back to good use.

Unfortunately the glass of the original churn got broken

although a new glass was found.

The glass is too big to make the churn functional

but it's still beautiful and I love having it. 

Perhaps one day I'll find the right sized glass for it.

I do have fond memories of using the churn

and it still works smooth as butter.

This week I learned something new about canning

that I'd not thought of and that is that you can put both meat and beans

in the canner at the same time as they require the same amount of time.

So...never will there be a partial load in the canner for these items.

I canned up some sausage, ham, chickpeas, and kidney beans.

I did the no soak method for the beans and they turn out lovely to.

Plus they are faster and I could make the right amount 

of jars to fill the canner.

With the lower light and coolness I think it's spurred 

the violets to blooming. 

Anyone need an african violet?

I couldn't help saving all the starters and have 

more then enough for myself. 

 I also am making a batch of jerky. 

It's still in the oven and fingers have torn off little edges

but it's still not quite ready.

In the kitchen this week I have finally 

gotten to covering up this space.

The cupboard doors were so warped when we moved in

that I took them off.

They are right under my main work space

so lots of flour and "stuff" gets 

filtered down into the drawers.

I just hung up a string with hooks but it seems to work well.

I got this curtain from the window 

as I took them down for the winter because

it's brighter in the kitchen that way.

I did put up a lacy white valance on the window 

so it's got something there but it's bright.

How has your week been? 

Have you been getting ready for winter?

Have you made something new in your kitchen?

I hope you have a beautiful day of homemaking!

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

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: Time for Cozy

 

Hello! 
Fall is getting colder and the wind has been gusting.

Time for more cozy things at home.

I have made some cozy pillow covers 

with old sweaters I found at the free store. 

They are very soft and will make nice 

snuggly items for this fall weather.

Also as the light is fading these 

sweet candle holders I found at the free store

have been helping to light up the cozy spaces.

I have two of these little copper coloured 

butterfly/flower holders. 

It's nice to toss a tea light into

and it softens the space around it.

I love candle holders and am always on the lookout 

for those ones that you can carry around. 

With the power outages we get 

it's nice to have ones that we can just grab and go.

Plus they're pretty.

With craving cozy spaces we also need to consider food.

The smell of fresh baked bread

or spice bread or apple pie or caramel popcorn

just fills the room and makes us feel cozy. 

Below I found a heart in the bread pan I floured.

Funny how little things like that 

appear in the most unexpected places

making us smile.

Along with other cozy food 

I finished up the rest of the apples I'm dehydrating.

I have stashed away a bunch of bags for winter snack in the pantry. 

They will make great snacks to tuck in a pocket

 for ski or snowshoe adventures.

Here are a couple more pillows that I covered. 

It will be interesting to see who will be the ones 

that gravitate towards which pillow.

What do you like to add to your home to make it more cozy?

Thank you for dropping by!

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: Apples and Final Pantry Prep

 

Hello! 
October has come and it's a lovely fall day.

The clouds are more like cotton batten. 

There is mist floating on the lake and the birds are quiet.

For now the wind is still but later in the day it seems to be 

determined to blow off even the most stubborn of leaves.

This past week I've been working on my final pantry prep.

The big bins of orchard apples have arrived at the store

and so now is the time to make dried apples

and applesauce.  

Also apple pies! 

There were more local carrots at the store

so I dehydrated a bunch more of them.

It's nice that with dehydrating them that they 

fit in the pantry better leaving room for other things.

I still have some beans that I want to can up for quick meals.

That will come once the apple rush is over. 

Are you making final preparations to your pantries before winter?

This week I also changed up the living room and put my chair

under another window.  This gives me better light and 

having the standing lamp is better for in the evenings.

I know I've shared this before, but I do love having 

a cozy spot in the house where I can both

relax and work.

At the moment I have a cowl that I'm knitting. 

It's in a seed stitch which is new for me.

I had to rip the first attempt out because I kept 

getting the knit/purl mixed up.

So now it's working much better but isn't without

it's imperfections. It'll be warm!

I was out with my daughter surveying the last of the

flowers in the garden when she spotted these little blooms.

The sweet peas I planted did in fact give us a handful of blooms.

Every year I try more but they rarely bloom.

SO I quickly brought these in to enjoy out of the frost.

I also harvested the last of the kale in the garden.

It's all tucked into the freezer for nice winter meals.

Even in the late fall there is still beauty to be found in the flowers.

These seed heads and dried delphinium petals are lovely. 

I did bend a few down to sprinkle seeds on the soil below.

I'll be putting compost over them soon and then they can 

snuggle in for the winter and hopefully grow in the spring.

This week I made some jam out of the sea buckthorn berries 

from our local community centre. 

I for the first time added apple to the jam to use as the pectin.

It turned out perfect and it will be a nice

treat to add to baking or what not at the community centre.

Thanks for dropping by! 

I hope you have a beautiful day

keeping your home! 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: Cheese and Deep Cleaning

Hello! 
How is your Monday going? 

Today it started off overcast and rainy 

and has turned into a 

brilliant sunny day.

I had a some milk that was on the edge

so cheese it was. 

I only make cream cheese.

The kind where you add lemon juice to hot milk.

One day I would love to learn how to make 

other kinds of cheese.

I strained out the milk and then 

propped it up on a pitcher to drip some more.

This time I'm going to mix in some herbs 

and then it can go nicely on some buns.

I'm going to make some buns with the leftover whey.

I love how nothing needs to be wasted.

This past weekend we got to participate in our 

communities fall harvest market.

It was super fun and a lot of people came out to buy things

and eat some delicious food and enjoy some of the games.

There were bubble balls, a bouncy castle, and sumo suits.

My kids tried them all!

The best part of all was seeing people we knew 

and taking time to chat 

and catch up on life.

As the leaves are falling outside

creating a soft carpet in the forest

I think of fall cleaning.

Like spring cleaning I have this urge each year

to do some of those deep cleaning projects

that I avoid on a regular basis.

Yes, avoid is the key word because

I am all too aware they need to be done

but I procrastinate at getting them done.

One of them is washing under my kitchen sink.

I did that this weekend with some lemon vinegar that I 

made and strained out.  I added some tea tree and lemon grass 

to it and it looks and smells so much better. 

I put my compost bin under the sink so yeah...

it needs a good freshening up.

Then also there are the stove vent filters that need washing.

As you can see below they were in desperate need of a cleanse.

I love how easy it is to just toss some borax and hot water in a bag 

with the filters, wait a half hour and ta da it all comes off.

Just rinse and put back in the place to collect more

from future cooking.

Next on my list are the outside windows.

The snow is coming and I'd like to have them sparkling clean

for the winter. 

Do you like to deep clean in the fall? 

If so what are some of your jobs that you 

relegate to the last resort cleaning?

Or maybe it's just me that leaves some things

until they are of project proportions. 

Thanks for dropping by! 
Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: Preserving and Keeping our Home

Hello! 

It's been a really nice day 

of preserving food for winter here. 

The fall colours are all a glow and the ducks are 

starting to congregate on our lake in larger numbers. 

One other getting ready for winter activity 

that our family did this past week 

was to join our community centre in some tasks. 

There were door prizes this year for people that came out

and our family won a mix for chocolate chip cookies

from a local company. 

I don't buy mixes, but this one was a real treat!

It was made with barley flour.

As the days are growing darker I have decided

to take on a habit that I've seen others do.

Lighting a candle in the dark of the morning as 

I prepare for the day.

It really is a gentle comfort 

that is added to the kitchen.

I had found this pottery at the free store

and bought a nice small pillar candle that 

fits in it perfectly. 

I got an unscented candle as I didn't want anything

mixing with the smells of what I was cooking.

This week we also picked all of our carrots.

Well what was left after snitching for the past month. 

Most were very small I realize

but that doesn't stem our excitement

as they taste so much better then what the store provides.

The flavour of food keeps me gardening.

Each year I try new things and I'm always learning.

These will stay in the fridge until they're eaten.

One thing I did for decorating in the home recently 

was this basket that is hanging in the bathroom. 

There has been this empty space for the past couple years

that has been needing something. 

I wanted something practical and pretty.

At a garage sale this summer I found this lovely basket

and it hung there empty for a bit. 

Then I started adding soaps to it for it's usefulness.

Then came some silk flowers...yes something I don't usually go for

but in truth I've not been able to keep plants alive in the bathroom.

Then came the doily

and finally some eucalyptus that I dried.

So a bit old fashioned in style...but it suits the space 

and the peach roses compliment the roses 

that are on the shower curtain. 

I do love flowers and the geraniums on the heater

are in all their glory this fall.

It seems as soon as some flower heads fade

that new ones spring up to take their place.

For me it's special to have these plants as they are 

all taken from slips that my dear friend now gone had given me.

Today was a busy day of canning. 

It was actually our homeschool activity.

The boys helped me peel, chop, and fill jars.

We talked about the math of how many pounds of 

potatoes it takes to fill just a single jar. 

We talked about preservation and the blessing 

of having extra food to set aside for those times 

when it's not as plenty. 

Even if they never in their adult lives use this skill 

I want them to know the value of it.

The next step will be to use the canned 

potatoes in a recipe.

There is just some kale left in the garden and a few 

springs of broccoli.

Then the garden will be put to bed.

We will add compost to the top of the garden space 

to help protect the microbes and to

add fertilizer to the soil for the next season.

This week I made some 

sausage kale soup

and it was delicious!

It was a great way to use up 

some of those little bitty leaves

that are left at this time of year.

A new recipe to store away 

in my homemaking binder.

Time to start turning to other things 

to occupy our time. 

More exploring and last of the season canoeing.

It's fun to see the birds that come to our little lake 

preparing to head south. 

There are those two otters that we saw 

while cranberry picking 

that swim by as well.

Thank you so much for dropping by 

to visit me! 

Praying you have a beautiful day 

keeping your home! 

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer

Homemaking Mondays: Re-Creating Things We Love

 

Hello! 
How is your day going?
It's a lovely day here and homeschool lessons are over.

The boys are out into the fresh crisp air to play.

It was very frosty here and all along 

the far side of the lake was brilliant white.

One of our homeschool assignments

has been to take a picture we see and to re-create it.

I found the picture below on Pinterest

and thought it resembled my kitchen stove so

the picture above was my re-creation of this picture.

There  is something about cozy kitchens that have 

homemade touches to them that draw me in.

On the stove I put out my buttermilk and yogurt that I had 

although soon I'll have kefir culturing on the counter as well.

I think that in all our homes we 

all re-create things we love.

Like special spaces that we have always wanted to have.

Things that remind us of childhood, 

or just special things that bring us comfort and have for years.

The weather has been so lovely as of late.

Cool but sunny and just a bit of rain here and there.

Perfect days to sit for awhile in the hammock and enjoy.

There are more ducks coming to the lake and 

soon they'll be gathering in earnest to head south.

I've got most of the garden taken care of and will be 

pulling the last of it in the next couple days.

A bittersweet end to the summer.

One other little touch I gave the kitchen is a new basket 

that I've hung up on little cup hooks 

to hold the oven mitts off the counter.

Nothing fancy but it's been really helpful!

The new oven we have is bigger then the last

and I'm so happy that I can proof more bread in it. 

No, you can't bake it like this or the bottoms burn

but it does help things along on bread day.

One other thing I've done this fall 

is to bring in these three geraniums from

the summer garden bed.

I thought the plain green pots were a bit dark.

So...I pulled out these cute little wooden baskets I had.

I gave them a couple coats of chalk paint 

and now it is nice and bright and cheery next to the table.

Inside the one pot it crackled really well and I thought it was pretty.

Too bad it had to be covered up.  

Oh, and I lined the baskets with heavy ziploc bags cut down to 

size so that we don't have to worry about any spills on top of the stove.

Thanks for dropping by! 
I hope you have a wonderful day in your

homemaking!

Love and Prayers,

Jennifer