Prone to Wander

the first half of July

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 00:06:00 +0000

After running the Boston Marathon in April, Shane ran two 5K races in July trying to best his previous times. Here he is crossing the finish line on Canada Day in a town about 40 minutes from us.

A friend sent me a small list of books she needed for this coming school year. Thankful to have found these to share with her!

We hosted some of our friends for a day of play: 4 sisters, aged 10 to 2.5 years.

They loved the swing under the deck.

The baby sister, 'calling' everyone she knew. ♥

Loose Parts Play gift ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Sun, 07 Sep 2025 20:00:00 +0000

Last year as I contemplated the little gifts I wanted to give to the children in my Sunday School class, I specifically focused on finding items that fit into what is often called loose parts play.
It usually consists of items that allow for open-ended creative play for both indoors and outdoors. My focus was for mostly indoor play as the items I selected were little and for small hands. (Years ago, I discovered and ordered many items for my children from the Montessori site: For Small Hands. I still browse their site from time to time because it's so sweet!)
I tried to be very selective as with the rise of dollar stores, an abundance of inexpensive items fill every home. Dover makes lovely little books of all kinds of activities for various interests and abilities and I usually get a good selection and price from Amazon. I forgot to take a picture of all the little books I gave them last year so these two are the only ones I can show.

Then Laura found the posable dog and cat erasers at our local dollar store and we bought several bags because they are just so fun. I then added some wooden items of all kinds and uses, cut some colorful string and added a small amount of clay (not pictured). I packaged each kind of item in its own tiny paper bag so that even the fun of opening small packages was enjoyed as much as possible.

One of the moms later sent me this picture of her preschool aged son playing with the items later in the week. And others have sent videos of their children using the items as well.

This past June, for the end-of-year gift, I gave different Dover activity books, different wooden pieces, more clay, peg people and play scarves.

Gift bags packed, tagged and ready to hand out.

And here they are with their gift bags on our last Sunday School class this past June.

We are slated to restart class in the next few weeks.

I enjoy this time with them so much.

the start of summer

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 23:06:00 +0000

Once Seth was done with his exams, job interviews and graduation preparation, he was free to join us on some trail walks and other adventures farther from home. We visited a local Catholic retreat area complete with a trail in the woods with the stations of the cross. While some of the displays are showing some wear from being outdoors, they are full of beauty and dignity.
The next day we headed to the coast to go the marine museum and coastal town of St. Andrew's. Laura loves the seals, especially the mascot seal, Snorkel. She calmly handled all sorts of sea creatures in the 'touch' displays, while I just handled my camera and Kate.

A flowering horse chestnut tree up close.

After a picnic lunch at a local park area, we crossed the road and went down the steps the ocean floor as the tide was way out. It was beautiful, warm and sunny. I could have stayed much longer, but we still wanted to show Seth the town so we left the tidal pools and shells and headed to the other tourist areas.

Later that week, I finished prepping for our provincial homeschool conference by packing up my books both to sell and give away at the Used Curriculum Sale.

Boxes on the floor were marked Free!

Sale items arranged on the table for quick perusal.

The table was quite crowded for most of the sale and I was kept busy until the last few minutes when I could take a quick look at the other tables.

The aftermath waiting for a turn at the elevator.

Seth prepping for his first day of his new corporate job in town.

For our third year in a row, we enjoyed family homeschool camp for three nights with friends on an island in the river where we are ferried over and our luggage is brought to our cabin. It's a relaxing time with meals served in the dining room and plenty of time to visit with friends or explore the island.

baking bread again

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 23:44:00 +0000

Last year, I experimented with a sour dough starter from a friend and after only two loaves which were just okay, I neglected the starter and then had to throw it away. No one in my family is big on sour dough bread so without someone clamoring for me to keep baking it, it was easy to give up.

Back in early June, we ran out of bread somehow and as I was feeling a bit under the weather, I didn't want to go to any of the nearby stores. But I couldn't just not have bread in the house, so I pulled out my worn Betty Crocker cookbook and looked for a basic recipe and found Traditional White Bread. It took only a few minutes to put the ingredients together in a bowl and turn it into dough. Kneading it a bit, I moved it into a larger bowl and put it in a warm place to rise. Like finding a seed starting to sprout, seeing dough rise is that same magical feeling. Finally punching it down and cutting it into two portions, I rolled and shaped it into two loaves and hoped for a good second rise. It worked again and now I had two full loaves ready for the hot oven.

Screenshot of the recipe

Out they came, golden and smooth sided. I applied some warm butter and the sides softened right up. They popped right out of the vintage loaf pans and I made myself wait before cutting into the first loaf.

Seeing a super soft and swirly pattern inside the crust without any gaping air holes was a huge relief! I sliced a piece off the end and it tasted so good!

It produces two loaves which I cut in half and freeze in four portions to keep it fresh for about 2 days at a time. The ends make good croutons and any older portions are fine for toast. It was declared much better than store bought bread and I committed to making it two times a week.
Today I prepped the dough to do the first rise for two loaves and then later decided to turn it into hotdogs rolls for lunch. The other portion I turned into hamburger buns for tomorrow's supper. So now I have to mix up another batch to keep us in bread for next week.

I did not weigh each dough portion. I just eyeballed it.

These are a 'jumbo' hotdog and the rolls were a perfect fit.

The hamburger buns rising while we ate lunch.

Brushing melted butter all over top and bottom softened them perfectly.

Very, very soft inside...

So overall, a very versatile recipe that is not fussy to work with and produces consistently good bread.

Clover up close

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 19:32:00 +0000

Next to the dandelion, white clover may be the most identifiable lawn flower. Each bloom forms from a busy network of rooted stems that resembles a complex junction of highway interchanges. Grab a handful of these dense root stems and every clover bloom in the immediate vicinity trembles. Pull harder and you start to feel like you are pulling up the carpet of your lawn, but there is no hardwood under this carpet, just soil and deeper root systems.
Now that you are starting this second paragraph, you are likely ready to be moving on from clover. I mean, what else can be said about this common wildflower except of course that we know it also comes in purple and in some areas, yellow? Surely we have covered clover sufficiently considering very few of us are full time botanists or seed salespeople?
Enter Mary Blocksma: librarian, author and clover-noticer. She wrote a book called Naming Nature in 1992 that I found secondhand more than ten years ago and incorporated right away into our Morning Time read-alouds. Several things that she mentions in her almanac journal have always stuck with me in some form or another. The ones on clover are from her July entries and since it is still July, I thought I would share her insights and some photo examples of what she describes in writing.

"With beautiful wildflowers blooming faster than I can keep up with them, I thought I wouldn't bother with clover. But even the variety I thought was the most boring, White Clover --the low-growing one with pinkish-white, inch-wide pompoms, so often found in lawns --charmed me when I looked at it closely. Like certain violets, but unlike most clovers, each three-part White Clover leaf grows from the ground on its own stem, as does each bare-stemmed blossom. The flower head --a compact globe of dainty Sweet Pea-like flowers--begins blooming at the bottom."

Then she zeroes in on the detail that charmed her and gave us this entry in her July notes:

"As each flower is pollinated, it closes up and droops, while the new flowers bloom invitingly above. When I looked at each blossom of White Clover, I could tell just how far the pollination had progressed."

Finally she sums up all the stages of the White Clover as a flower of the field that springs up and then fades away.

"A new flower head was tight and round, blooming only at the bottom; a half-pollinated flower head was skirted, like a ballerina, a dried flower head lacked only a face to resemble the head of a tiny, brown-haired doll."

Re-examining the clover patch in our backyard, I am delighted to find examples of all the stages she describes, especially the gorgeous ballerina skirt marking the "half-way" point. It is a little thrill to clearly see how each clover flower indicated its status by being upright or drooped. The tiniest pollinators seemed interested in seeing for themselves what flowers still had nectar for them, but the larger bumblebees only seemed to spend time on the flowers still facing up, clambering over each open flower on the single stalk.
There is a little rebuke in how we so easily assume we know everything there is to know. Surely we have not exhausted our understanding of even the common things that surround us. The reward comes to those who humble themselves and look carefully.

I'm very glad that Mary Blocksma challenged herself to pay attention to even the White Clover and write about her observations.

Then came May

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 00:08:00 +0000

Since Seth was done classes and exams by late April, we could now include him in our outings around the area to enjoy the warm weather and flowers.

'Rustic apple pie' for church potluck dessert

Chocolate cake with chocolate chips before I added the frosting, also for church potluck.

We also joined up with some homeschooling friends to tour the McAdam Train Station in rural New Brunswick. Kate got a little antsy, but we still managed to keep up with the group tour and eat lunch with the group at the lunch counter. Trains still come through here so all the adults were on alert as the tracks surround the building front and back.

This beautiful begonia was a Mother's Day gift to me from my mother-in-law.

We attended Seth's university graduation ceremony along with my in-laws while Kate stayed with our friend Stacy since it would be a long time to sit for her. Seth was at the very end of the procession with his classmates in the Business program but at least we spotted him! This is the second graduation ceremony he's experienced after he completed his college program in 2023. It is quite special to be part of and experience with him and his classmates.

Seth needed a tie clip for under his grad gown, so I checked my grandfather's stash and found this one with his name (Harry) on it. My mom would have been thrilled to know Seth wore it for his graduation.

Celebrating with our church family!

Pennsylvania in April (Part 3)

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 21 May 2025 20:04:00 +0000

On Thursday morning, we headed southeast of our hotel area to an outdoor shopping area called Peddler's Village. Since I had not been there in years, I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of interest for all of us, but it turns out, we enjoyed ourselves with mostly just window shopping.
Kate was more interested in Seth showing her pictures of Flossy on his phone while we waited for Laura to snuggle every stuffed animal in a store called The Total Animal.
It was fairly quiet since it was just after opening, so we had plenty of space to walk around and enjoy the sights before other visitors arrived. Before we left, we visited the indoor carousel and gave Kate a chance to ride a horse before making one last stop at a fun toy store called JaZams which had so many of our family favorite toy items.

After lunch, I suggested we continue to enjoy the warm sunny day by driving a bit further southeast toward the Washington Crossing area on the Delaware River. This meant driving through the popular town of New Hope along the river. The streets and sidewalks of New Hope were packed with tourists, motorcyclists, and delivery vehicles. Many restaurants with outdoor patios and stores with open doors and sidewalk sales had people spilling out in the slow moving traffic and busy crosswalks. It felt like it must be a summer holiday, but no, it was just a beautiful spring Thursday! Since I was driving I couldn't take any photos so you'll just have to look it up online.
I had a feeling that adding New Hope to our tourist attractions after our visit to Washington Crossing was going to be too much for my traveling family and I was right. We enjoyed walking around the historic buildings and museum but when we came back through New Hope they waved off any interest in stopping. We did stop outside of town at another historic site to see the sheep and Laura took some pictures of the ones who had wooly bangs covering their face. She called to some of the more distant sheep and the dark brown one came trotting right over much to her delight. A few minutes of patting him and some loud baaing from another sheep by the barn and all the sheep went trotting into the barn. Laura is our resident animal lover and she's all ready to start sheep and goat farming.

On Friday morning, we headed over to the newly renovated Barnes & Noble bookstore in the mall and had a very relaxing time exploring all the new displays and items being offered. I bought two illustrated editions of Robert Frost poetry and Thoreau's Walden that were in the bargain shelves. Then we headed for a mid-morning visit with family friends before going to my parents for lunch and supper one last time. I had brought some of our old family photos for my Dad to look over and identify some of the people in the pictures. So we spent more time in the afternoon working on that project before I cooked supper for all of us one last time. The next day we drove for about 12 hours to return home to Shane and Flossy who were waiting for us.

Pennsylvania in April (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Tue, 20 May 2025 23:48:00 +0000

On Wednesday morning, I remembered about the local trout nursery, so I checked online and it seemed like it was still in operation so after we ate breakfast at our hotel, we made the fifteen minute drive over there. Only a few cars were in the parking area and when we looked over the creek, we could see some walkers on another walking path, but no one else was around the trout ponds.
We walked around and enjoyed all the different sizes and colors of fish in the various containment areas. The vending machines took dollar bills, so we bought two bags of fish food and Seth and Laura enjoyed the feeding frenzy that happened where ever they tossed some food. There was a smaller separate pond containing the 'trophy trout' that the signs requested you to not feed, but all the other sizes were open to feeding.
A couple of fishermen were out early trying their lines for trout in the little creek that surrounds the nursery. It was a warm and beautiful morning and since it was only around 8am, we had the place to ourselves the whole time.

We had plans to go to another shopping area, but we were waiting until the store opened, so after feeding the trout, we had more time to go over to another park in the city that is famous for its rose gardens. I knew it was too early in the season for the roses to be blooming, but I figured it would still be a beautiful area to enjoy the early morning while keeping us close to the shopping area we would be headed to next.
This park was much busier with walkers and workmen and we walked along the various paths enjoying the scenery and looking in the ponds for signs of fish. It took a while, but we did find just a couple of fish and a few ducks too.

After finishing our shopping and having lunch out, we headed up to the town where my parents' live and decided to take a quick detour to see if we could find the elk and bison who free range on the game preserve property just a few miles from my parents' home. It took a few tries to get to the right roads before we started to see enclosures and large, brown, furry animals. I didn't get a good picture of the elk as they were so far away from the road sitting down in the meadow, but we did get some good looks at the bison herds who were sitting under the trees.

And then finally, needing to stretch our legs again after driving the 'safari' roads, we headed over to the church grove in town so we could enjoy the mass plantings of daffodils that were in peak bloom. This church has a large cemetery behind it and it's where my younger brother is buried. We had already visited his grave on Easter Sunday in the evening as the church bells were pealing and playing hymns so we enjoyed this side of the church property in a different meaningful way. Public places filled with natural beauty, shared joy and peaceful contemplation are very much still needed in our towns and cities and I am thankful for those who champion and see these projects through to completion and maintenance.

By mid-afternoon, we were at my parents' home, doing our laundry and I was prepping for supper while Kate kept my Mom company in the living room.

Pennsylvania in April (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Mon, 19 May 2025 18:30:00 +0000

I planned a trip to visit my parents for Easter weekend after checking to see what Seth's exam schedule looked like. I wanted him to be able to go down this time since he had not seen his grandparents since November of 2019. Shane was also going on his own trip: the Boston Marathon!
So on Saturday morning, we packed up two cars, closed up the house and drove together toward the border in Maine a little over an hour away. Then a couple of hours into Maine, we stopped at a rest stop together, refreshed ourselves and said goodbye to Shane who was heading to his hotel outside of Boston while we were headed much further south into eastern Pennsylvania.
We spent Easter Sunday with my childhood church family and then picked up lunch to take it to my parents' apartment. After lunch, we joined my parents in going to my brother's home which is in the same little town. My brother and his wife are amazing cooks and the food they prepare for all of us is always so good. Seth was able to catch up with his three cousins in person after not having seen any of them for six years. The oldest is just three weeks older than Seth and is also graduating from university this month with a business degree.
On Monday, we did some shopping including the mall that I grew up going to with friends before heading over to my parents' apartment to watch Shane finish the Boston marathon and to cook and eat supper with my parents. I also prepared a picnic lunch for the following day's trip to Lancaster County.
Tuesday morning we drove along many of the routes that I have traveled as both a child and an adult and I tried to process all the changes I noticed both in the landscape and the roadways. We arrived in downtown Lancaster, parked in a parking garage and headed for the library to get our bearings and wi-fi for me. We walked towards Lancaster Central Market, admiring the urban brickwork and the spring flora unfurling all around.
Crossing the street, we noticed a beautiful park tucked in between the buildings giving tribute to two local newspaper brothers, with a restaurant under a waterfall feature. It was mid-morning and quiet, but it seemed like a lovely place to find refuge from the noisy street traffic.

Steinman Park and Waterfall from Public Art Archive

We walked back out onto the street trying to complete a square to keep our parking garage accessible without having to walk miles back to it. Kate has no interest in sight-seeing so we are always keeping her restlessness in check while giving the rest of us an enjoyable outing.
Along the way, we found plenty of fountains, monuments, cemeteries, and church parks to help us enjoy the urban experience despite the noisy trucks that thunder through the downtown route. The clean streets, well preserved architecture and historic streetscape environment amongst the flowering trees was gorgeous.

As we went through a crosswalk, I looked up the side street and noticed a cemetery full of blooming trees and flowers and in the spirit of my cemetery-loving friend, Chantelle, I ushered us all into this beautiful sanctuary of the St. James Episcopal Church and Cemetery. We wandered around looking at the various tombstones, garden structures and memorial plaques.

Back out onto the street, we walked back towards the busy intersection where our parking garage awaited, the girls having had enough of the urban experience and Seth and I using our phones to look for a park outside the downtown area to enjoy our picnic lunch.

Seth found Lancaster Central Park on Google Maps, so we followed the directions out of the city and into the countryside where we turned onto a side road leading us up into the winding and hilly park laneways. We were kept busy interpreting all the park signs and arrows looking for an area where we could sit at picnic table and enjoy the warm spring day. We turned around a couple of times, trying different sections of this massive park and then finally at Seth's direction, we came up over a steep hill and looking down, we saw this historic house and property and I recognized it as Historic Rock Ford, from my planning sessions on Google Maps.

It was perfect place to enjoy our lunch on the wide porch of the house and then walk around enjoying the property as we discussed what to do with our afternoon.

We settled on visiting The National Toy Train Museum in nearby Strasburg. We didn't know what to expect so it was a delightful surprise to be able to activate most of the model train displays ourselves and enjoy all the action from so many different sizes and styles of model trains.

I made a little video of this Civil War train display. Sometimes there was so much to see and notice for each display, you had to come back and run it again from a different side to see all the action.

Driving to the toy train museum had meant driving through Strasburg itself and seeing the actual train that you can ride. So after leaving the museum, we drove back into town and I decided we should just park at the train station and see what we could enjoy just by walking around.
We were rewarded with one of the engines steaming back down the track to fill up its water reservoir, blowing its horn and giving us all the touristy vibes.

We walked along the station area and looked inside the newly arrived trains that had just disembarked its riders. The Strasburg train is one of at least three that still offer rides in Eastern Pennsylvania. My grandfather was a railroader and back in 2014, we visited the museum that was created from his workplace in Scranton, Pennsylvania known as the Steamtown National Historic Site.

At some point he started collecting model trains and for years he kept a working model train display upstairs in a bedroom of their house. He would let us go with him and we would stand next to the huge table while he ran all the different trains on the tracks for us. He passed away in 1990 when I was almost into high school and he was the first grandparent that I was old enough to remember losing.

Books read in 2024

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:45:00 +0000

Note: After falling behind on my annual 'Books I Read' posts (or really any book posts) for several years, I was determined to catch back up. It's been a lot of work to track down everything I think I read. I kept finding pictures on my phone of books I had read, library books borrowed and then random notes in my journal and even titles scribbled on forsaken post-it notes on my nightstand. It doesn't matter to anyone except me that I do these book lists, so I will update them as I find typos, additions or broken links.

Surprised by Hope, by N.T. Wright
This was my first time reading N.T. Wright and it took me half a year to read it. But I have copied many portions into my journal and have found myself thinking over carefully some of his ideas. I initially decided to read it because Douglas Wilson in his book Heaven Misplaced, (already mentioned in previous posts) footnoted this book and a respected friend had given us the book already as he thought it was very good. Since I was already thinking about heaven and earth differently than how I had been taught as a youth, I decided to dive in and read Wright's ideas.

"To put it at its most basic: the resurrection of Jesus offers itself... not as an odd event within the world as it is but as the characteristic, prototypical, and foundational event within the world as it has begun to be. It is not an absurd event within the old world but the symbol and starting point of the new world."
Several pages later: "To repeat: the resurrection is not, as it were, a highly peculiar event within the present world (though it is that as well); it is, principally, the defining event of the new creation, the world that is being born with Jesus."

These ideas and many more like it, have really made an impact on how I think of heaven and earth. I will be likely revisiting portions of this book again and again. One area that he touches on is the way heaven is portrayed in our hymnology and it changed what I want to sing. I copied down the suggestions of good Easter hymns he suggests. This book needs its own post so maybe I will list them there with some audio links for the hymns he recommends.

Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery
Sometimes when you take a book with you places to read if you have a moment, you don't read it when you could or because you are out in public with a book, you read it in a distracted manner. This is the book I hauled around with me throughout all of June, even to family camp. Written mostly in letter form by Anne to Gilbert, it recounts the three years she spends teaching English at Summerside High and boarding at Windy Poplars. To use a word my mom likes, recounting in great detail the goings-on from around the town and elsewhere is poignant and hilarious. And while Anne is the heroine as always, she is not depicted as a woman whose plans and efforts come without a hitch. She remains a faithful character to show the fullness of human emotions and foibles. To think that the books in this series might languish on shelves, even if the movies remain cherished, is despairing. Keep reading and rereading them; you've changed since you last read them!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

In the late 90s, I started working at Barnes & Noble bookstore while going to college. I believe the first book had already been published and it was the second book being released that we were opening at midnight to sell copies to the dedicated fan base. I had no idea what the hubbub was about and the children's head bookseller challenged me to read the books for myself before making a judgment on the witchcraft and wizardry. But I couldn't imagine myself having an interest or approval for this series so I always smiled and said it wasn't for me.

By mid May 2003, I was told by my midwife that I should try a bit of bedrest as I neared the end of my first pregnancy as baby was in breeched position and I was hoping to turn him. I must have bought a copy of the first Harry Potter book, although I don't remember doing that and started reading. I only got a couple of chapters in and then we ended up having Seth earlier than anticipated so I didn't finish the book that summer. I can remember trying to return to it later on in the fall of that year but didn't make much progress and ended up watching the first few movies instead.
This year, Laura asked me if I was ever going to read the books myself so I decided to try the first book again. I enjoyed it very much and the kids and I would discuss my comments and questions at the dinner table but always with Laura not wanting to spoil anything. I've since read Book 2 and Book 3 and I'm enjoying being part of those who have lived at 'Hogwarts'.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
I re-read this in anticipation of Laura reading it for a term in her Year 9. I enjoyed it much more this time than I did back in 2020. It's like I saw with new eyes what the characters represented and how Guy Montag comes to view his work and his life. In one way, it reads like a contrast between those who have intellectual curiosity and those who do not, those who can mentally afford for their ideas to be challenged and changed and those who cannot.

Emily of New Moon (Book 1) by L.M. Montgomery (I found another edition with this endearing front cover so I decided a reread was in order to refresh my memory before I went on with the series)

In the past, I've struggled to really connect with Emily in her poetic flights of fancy and dramatic character. This time I found myself more intrigued by the home life she enters at New Moon with her aunts Elizabeth and Laura and Cousin Jimmy. While she is treated with strictness and often with no understanding to her own particular dramas, she is given a childhood filled with beauty and goodness. Her character expresses what almost all girls have experienced at the hand of other girls and therefore is very relatable no matter the time period. And the story while a bit strange in some of the scenes paints a girlhood replete with joys and griefs to grow from and Emily does grow in her own unique way. I particularly enjoyed this description of their dairy.

Emily Climbs (Book 2) by L.M. Montgomery
One plotline that affects the story arc of Emily is the friendship she has with an older unmarried man who is an outcast mostly because of his disfigured body. It doesn't seem plausible that her Aunt Elizabeth or others would allow her to spend much time with this man, and not alone outside like she does. Especially since the very first time they meet which is to rescue Emily, he clearly sees her as a potential wife as she grows up.

Emily's Quest (Book 3) by L.M. Montgomery
I struggled with this last book in the series, although I read it in about two days. I really didn't like the morose tones of Emily's character and the languishing of the entire book. But I admire Montgomery for keeping the characters in check and by giving them various faults so that no one seems to be taken advantage too much by the other and mistakes are made by all. I don't understand the love story wrap up being given little attention at the very end. Why can't we accompany the lovers to their home together since we were given so many sweet details of the homemaking?
Overall I'm glad I finished this trilogy but the first book will likely remain my favorite.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
This has long remained one of my childhood favorite books and I still have my copy although I've since added several more in paperback editions. I was looking for something light to read last week after caring for some sick family members. So one evening I scoured the chapter book shelves for something suitable and grabbed this. I can't remember the last time I read this book, it could be ten years or maybe twenty or more. So I hesitated only a moment, in case I unwittingly undid all my childhood reading memories with a hasty reread.
Not to keep up any sense of suspense, the reread proved it still is an excellent story and truly timeless although the children could not have done what they did in this modern era. Only one thing kind of annoyed me in way I don't remember before and it was the constant asides usually in parenthesis from Mrs. Frankweiler to her lawyer Saxonberg. She was already recounting the adventure and her role in it, so to keep adding the asides, kept being more like nagging bits that made her sound annoying and not clever after all. But that's not really a complaint, just something that could have been removed and wouldn't have changed a thing for me.
It's a clever and fun story that also celebrates an era of urban living that is a memory for some and a 'period piece' for others.

Louisa May Alcott: Young Novelist by Beatrice Gormley, illustrated by Meryl Henderson
A thrifted copy of an enhanced children's biography of Louisa May Alcott was intended to be a refresher read for Laura on this author and the time period she lived through. I read it first and then after she read it. I encouraged her to try an Alcott book that she had not yet read as a Free Read and she chose Jack and Jill. She said she forgot how funny Alcott can be and was enjoying the book. It looks like I read that one back in 2016, so I could definitely use a reread!

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Laura and I read this aloud together. for her AO Year 9 Literature requirement. We took turns reading about every other paragraph and I kept a schedule of how much we had to read each week in order to finish it in the allotted 36 weeks that her school year runs. At the beginning, we were completely out to sea and I did try to read up a bit on the gist of the plot but only for the early chapters. I didn't want to spoil it for myself or her. And I'm so glad we managed to get into it because it really turned out to be a wonderful story with villainy contrasted with sacrificial love. Along the way, we met the hilarious Jerry Cruncher who now lives in our repertory, always ready for us to pull out and share an inside joke which we do quite frequently. And she just alluded to the hero the other day in conversation and I was quite pleased at how this story has stuck with us both.

The Puritan Hope by Iain H. Murray
I have heard about this book and topic several times and decided it was time to find myself a copy and dig in. This might be the first non-fiction book that I gave myself permission to start in whatever chapter I felt the most able to understand easily. I have since adopted this for a few other non-fiction books I am currently reading and it has helped me make progress in my reading.
As someone who has completely overhauled their theology in the last twenty plus years, reading through theological and ecclesiastical history from the Scotland and England was interesting. From attending a Scottish Covenanter church for a time in Ontario and using the Trial and Triumph book in our homeschool, I had learned about some of the issues and people who were part of church history in the 17th and 18th century which Mr. Murray covers in the first several chapters.

How to Read Slowly: Reading for Comprehension by James W. Sire
I have another chapter in this book to finish, but I'm listing here because I spent a lot of time with this book this year and I really enjoy the teaching style he writes in and the opportunities he gives for you as the reader to try his methods before he walks you through his ideas. This book was part of a series called Wheaton Literary Series and I have at least one other from the list on my wishlist. And now that I am looking through the book as I write this, I realize I want to re-read it again right away.

The Heart of the Dales by Gervase Phinn
How I ever found Gervase Phinn was likely from my days of going to a book sale and bringing home anything that looked remotely interesting. His series of five books recounting the escapades of being a school inspector in Britain is both hilarious and poignant. This is the second one I read and I confess I laughed out loud several times which is always a fun experience as Mr. Phinn gives you the perfect set-up and delivers his lines to have maximum effect. This one is apparently the last one he wrote, so that means I have three more to find out in the wild and bring home to entertain me.

Persuasion by Jane Austen
Without actually consulting my blog notes from the first time I read this, I consulted my memory which said that I had named this book as my favorite Austen novel and since I was due for a reread of all of them, I should start with this one and see if I still felt it was my favorite. Many chapters in, while although enjoying the writing of Austen, I felt story fatigue as Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth circled around the drain of their lapsed romance. I finally finished the novel and thought, surely "P and P" must be better than this.
I just checked for my previous 'reviews' of Austen novels from 2013 and 2014 and I didn't name this as my favorite after all!

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
This was such a good reread and I enjoyed every minute of it. At the time, I wasn't interested in watching any of the movie versions but perhaps I will indulge before winter is over and my hibernation finishes.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
Laura has raved about this book for years and I never had even read it once. So this December when we brought the Christmas books out of storage, I figured I would give it a quick read. At first it seemed the Herdmans' children descriptions were so over-the-top it felt forced. but I stuck with it and finished it with a better appreciation of what she was up to in those early chapters. Written for children of course, but very apt for adults to take in as well. Laura feels that only the older movie version might be worth watching. She might be right.

The Birds' Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggin
A re-read for me, but other than remembering the main character becomes ill, I needed a refresher on the story. What a wonderful and moving story, with humor and liveliness to balance out the more somber parts. This will be a favorite of mine forever.

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
I enjoyed this re-read very much. The villains are so villainy in this British gothic story of children working against the wolves. I didn't realize that she continued some of the characters in other books which form a series until I saw them listed on Goodreads. I'm now on the hunt for the sequels.

What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge
I almost always pick up vintage children's books if they are not too pricey because they often prove to be excellent stories. This one was a good read and is the first in the 'Katy' series which I did not know about. Some may find the character of Katy to be a goody-two-shoes but I think the story strikes a good balance between a younger girl having admiration for an older girl in a normal, healthy way and learning to grow up because of that healthy admiration. In recent years, I have noticed myself drawn to people I admire in my small circle and how you often even unconsciously strive to be more like them. Putting this into a story can often make the characters too-good, but for those who haven't been corrupted or unduly influenced by media or hardships, it's a natural response to goodness seen in others.

Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer
I thought this would be a light-hearted re-read, but I realized this time that this story does contain some heavy elements for a pre-teen to interact with. I would likely see this one saved until the high school years but I don't read much Young Adult, so maybe I'm just being sensitive. Lucinda traverses the streets of the city on her roller skates and finds friends in everyone despite some tragic heartaches. The sequel that I'll list next was my favorite.

The Year of Jubilo by Ruth Sawyer
I really enjoyed this story for it's setting, the period depicted and the characters developed. For Lucinda and her siblings to each have their own worries and faults but working together for the benefit of their mother and family needs seems like a forgotten narrative. Set in Maine, perhaps in 1890, the descriptions of the people and the local economy are just as good as the story itself. I'm already looking forward to rereading this one again.

These pages from near the middle of the story were very fascinating as to how buying and selling were done by stage coach with a detailed and honest driver who was Lucinda's family friend.

Out of the Silent Planet (Book 1) by C.S. Lewis
I would rename this one as "Out of My Comfort Zone". I think it mostly broke my brain trying to understand it all and in the end, I did see my time redeemed. It was actually the second book in the series, Perelandra, a library loan that officially broke my brain and I had to give up and send it back to the library to await another chance to finish it. Everyone raves about the final book, so I hope I get there!
This one had me thinking so hard, trying to imagine what Professor Lewis must have envisioned. I think I got some of it for my first attempt.

The City of Bells by Elizabeth Goudge
This is the fourth Goudge book I've read and the third I've finished. I gave up on Towers in the Mist for now. I have read The Little White Horse and The Scent of Water.
I stuck with this one and found it an interesting read with some of the characters involved in self-examination and others not at all.
Having the two protagonists devise a play to share the writings of a recluse with the world to see if they can draw him back out into the world seems very Shakespearean. The references to Hamlet made me think that Goudge was using a play the same way Hamlet did, to bring a desired reaction from those it sought. I enjoyed this novel although her style is bit more mystic than I generally like.

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story by Ben Carson, Cecil Murphey
On our way out of our local Habitat for Humanity Restore, they have an area where they dump books marked for free. Of course I almost always look through the selection. That's how I came home with this autobiography of Dr. Ben Carson. This recounting of Dr. Carson's school days from elementary to medical school was an interesting glimpse into his life as someone who knew nothing about him. I enjoyed reading about the counsel and upbringing provided through his mother whose own life sounds nothing short of heroic. The persistence Dr. Carson displayed over everything he endeavored to do from personal study to finding summer jobs was impressive. I didn't even know that high schools ran ROTC programs which provided structure and discipline for those in attendance. The medical cases he discussed in the closing chapters were all very poignant and notable for both his medical knowledge but also his care for the patients and their families. It was also a reminder of how much some families endure due to complex medical situations. Good health is a mercy of God that He gives as He sees fit and lessons through affliction are ultimately for our good.

Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling and the Mystery of Making by Andrew Peterson
I bought two Andrew Peterson's books for Shane since he started buying his albums for us to listen to although I knew of him a bit through his creation of the Rabbit Room and also his children's books. I read this title first and enjoyed his recounting of his journey from his college days into making music and touring with other Christian artists. But it was especially his ideas and advice into writing and creating art that I found insightful and helpful.

The God of the Garden: Thoughts on Creation, Culture, and the Kingdom by Andrew Peterson
After finishing Adorning the Dark, I moved on to this one and felt right away this one was more intense in what he was going to share about himself and his journey to cultivate a home and garden for his family. It felt more like I was reading things written as form of therapy for struggles that he cannot always articulate but that through music, friendships and landscaping, he can work out some of the intensity that he feels. I'm thankful that he can turn poetry and chords into really good music for us to enjoy and sing along to. Giving the intensity, an outlet to worship God through music, gives it a fuller meaning and a taste of the victory that is ours in Christ.

Civil to Strangers and Other Writings by Barbara Pym
A recent secondhand find that I scooped up quickly because in my limited reach I do not come across much Barbara Pym. I read Civil to Strangers quickly through and enjoyed the problems given to each character and the resolutions were all very pleasant and only partly predictable. The rest of the book is full of other writings still unread and awaiting me. And inside the book cover is a list of all Pym's other books I have yet to track down.

Christian Baptism by John Murray
As is often the case, (at least for me) you start thinking about something and studying it and then you find the topic or adjacent ones cropping up in other things you are reading or hearing. In this case, I wanted to examine more the understanding of baptism and in particular infant baptism and this small book is exactly what I was hoping for. (We became Presbyterian and had our children baptized back in 2009, so this is not new to me.)
I started this book and have since come back and restarted it with new eyes on the depth of meaning in covenantal relationships.
From the preface:
"The argument for infant baptism rests upon the recognition that God's redemptive action and revelation are covenantal."
Elsewhere in my reading (An Introduction to Covenant Theology), I am studying the idea of God using covenants to interact with people in ways that I've never thought about before. I'm so pleased that despite already knowing something, there is always some more insight to be gained. Understanding what baptism symbolizes in the Christian faith is a key part for me to understand God's workings more clearly. I have one more chapter to read and then I plan to go back over the other chapters again. The book is less than a hundred pages, so it's very concise.

Silas Marner by George Eliot
I was considering if for Laura's Term 2 Literature and decided to pre-read it since it had been a while since I read it. I found some areas where it was really slow going, but I kept going and found my reward near the end of the novel. The topic of suffering and mistreatment as part of the Providence of God explained by a humble cottage-woman in her own dialect: is there a finer plea for understanding written in any theological treatise?

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
I first read this in 2014 using a library loan and I have since picked up every secondhand copy I have seen for a good price to offer to others in my used books sales. I enjoy it, despite knowing the story wants you to have a heroine in one of the characters that I do not feel especially deserves it. But perhaps because I have other stories that match my values of feminine moral character, I can just enjoy the story without needing to defend it. The movie version is satisfying although it dramatizes some things that the book only alluded to. Actually I just realized since I've never done any film critiques or studies, so really I know nothing about what I should be paying attention to in films.
Here's a quote I really enjoyed this time through the story:

Just as the last picture was being hung on the wall, the German planes flew over and bombed St. Peter Port. Lord Tobias, panicking at all the racket, called the captain of his yacht and ordered him to "Redd up the ship!" We were to load the boat with his silver, his paintings, his bibelots, and if enough room, Lady Tobias, and set sail at once for England.

Britannia Mews by Margery Sharp
When looking at secondhand books, I generally will bring home anything that is clothbound and published outside of North America. This story revolved around a group of homes that were made form former stables and the lives of those who came and went as their fortunes changed. The ending felt a bit of a downer, but true to the main character. The author is more widely known for her series for children called The Rescuers which we have but I've not read. It looks like this book was made into a movie so maybe I will check it out and see if it holds my attention. I would be willing to read her other novels if I found them.

Away From the Vicarage by Noel Streatfeild
Another secondhand find that I picked up intrigued because of knowing the author of the 'Shoe books' although I've only read a couple of her children's titles. This is a sequel to her first 'semi-autobiographical' book of which I haven't read. So now I know about the second part of her life, but not the first. I really enjoyed her writing style and am now on the hunt for the first and third books to finish the stories of her life as well as any others I find.

Rechenka's Eggs by Patricia Polacco
I was looking for something to use in my Sunday School class for Easter Sunday that was a bit different than the usual retelling of Jesus' resurrection as I knew that the children know that story very well.
So I settled on this Russian Orthodox story where an old woman helps an injured goose who begins to heal, but in the process breaks a special egg decoration the woman had been hoping to enter in a local Easter festival. It's a wonderful story that highlights the unique relationship that humans enjoy with the animal world in which we can care for them and they in turn bring delight and comfort to us.
Stories like this are not considered true, but because of the world God has created and sustains, this story could be true. Biblical accounts tell us (both before Christ and after) of supernatural events that can only happen because of the world God has given us. Any story that conveys the goodness, truth and beauty of God's creation, especially His creatures, is a story that teaches us to look in wonder at His work and His purposes.
I gave them the printed image of a goose that I had colored for them to glue onto the colored cardstock and then they were given paper eggs to color however they like to glue next to the goose.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
A re-read for me and I enjoyed it even more the second time! The depth of the characters is satisfying and you feel like you live in the Moscow hotel too!

Also re-read for the umpteenth time the first six books of Jan Karon's At Home in Mitford series. Always a delight to go to Mitford! The early books are my favorite, I think.

And finally because we celebrated a new nephew born in February of 2024, I needed to look at board books again after several years of not keeping up with that market.
Here's a few cute ones I found that I needed to add to our shelves:

And here's the little library collection I put together to Welcome, Baby! Some thrifted and some new!

The Battle of the Villa Florita by Rumer Godden
This was an unsettling read since it involves children going through the difficulties of divorce in a time period where divorce was still relatively uncommon. The setting descriptions are beautiful and the children interactions with the household staff are endearing but the strain of the broken family relationships make the story darker.

Basic Meat Lasagna

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 11:46:00 +0000

These are the instructions for making a basic layered meat lasagna that I watched my Mom make and I really haven't deviated from her method except for maybe at the end when I drizzle olive oil on top of the last mozzarella cheese layer just because I like the cheese to have moisture.

I put it in a disposable pan because we were going to Nannie's house.

To make this lasagna, you will need:

- a basic meat sauce
- cottage cheese (one container of 500g/16 oz. is plenty)
- shredded mozzarella cheese (about 3 cups, but I don't measure, I just grate it and use it)
- parmesan cheese (enough to generous sprinkle on the three layers you assemble)
- nine uncooked lasagna noodles (I use oven-ready which means no need to boil first)
- large baking dish (at least 9x11, can be metal, glass, or disposable, etc.)
- aluminum foil (regular or non-stick, which I've never used)

Optional:
- Italian seasoning
- olive oil

Assemble as follows: (Photos of various steps are below instructions)
1. Spread a bit of sauce in the bottom of whatever dish you are using. (This is generally done to keep the noodle from baking onto the dish directly. If you forget, I don't think it's critical.)
2. Add first layer of 3 uncooked noodles.
3. Add sauce to lightly cover the noodles.
4. Spoon various amounts of cottage cheese and then using back of spoon, spread out the mixture.
5. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese generously over the cottage cheese, sauce and noodle layer.
6. Sprinkle parmesan cheese lightly over the mozzarella cheese.
7. Add second layer of 3 uncooked noodles and then repeat Steps 3-6.
8. Add third layer of 3 uncooked noodles and then repeat Steps 3-6 for the final time.
9. Optional: sprinkle top layer with Italian seasoning and a light drizzle of olive oil.
10. Optional: some recipes using oven-ready noodles call for adding a drizzle of water over the assembled dish before baking. I generally do this and I would say no more than 1/4 cup of water carefully added to not disturb the layers is a good idea to keep the lasagna saucy at the end.
10. (Skip this step if using Non-stick foil.) Tear off piece of aluminum foil that is larger than the dish. Lay the shiny side down on counter. Drizzle olive oil lightly on it and spread it around in the middle with hand using plastic sandwich bag to cover hand. You do not want the oil to be dripping off when you pick it up off the counter so use oil very sparingly. This oil is to help prevent the foil from sticking too much to the cheese while baking.
12. Place oiled foil side over the top of the lasagna and then fold edges of foil around the dish to help seal in heat and steam while baking in oven. If using disposable pan, support dish underneath with wooden board as seen in the photo until you slide it into the hot oven.
13. Bake covered at 400° for about 40-45 minutes. Then remove foil completely and continue to bake for another 10-15 until cheese looks golden and meat sauce is thickened around noodles and not soupy.
14. Do not cut right away! Allow about 10 minutes for the hot dish to rest and the lasagna to thicken slightly. Then using a sharp knife, cut between the visible noodle lines length-wise. Then to create square-ish size pieces for serving, cut width-wise. Use a thin edged lifter (metal or silicon) to lift the serving piece onto the plate, scoop any saucy bits left in pan to add to serving.
15. You should be able to get enough servings for 6 people with plenty for seconds for most people depending on how large you cut the serving sizes.

Step 1: add bit of sauce to bottom of dish

Step 2: first layer of uncooked noodles

Step 3: spoon meat sauce over noodles

Step 4: spoon amounts of cottage cheese over meat sauce.

Step 4 continued: spread cottage cheese around with back of spoon

Step 5: sprinkle mozzarella cheese over everything

Step 6: sprinkle parmesan cheese to complete first layer

Step 7-8: add second layer of noodles and toppings, then repeat with third layer

Ready to add foil top if not using optional olive oil and Italian seasoning or adding water

Step 9: Add Italian seasoning, drizzle of olive oil and up to 1/4 cup water poured carefully

Step 10: oil the foil in the middle to reduce cheese sticking while baking

Step 12: place foil on dish with the oil side down facing the cheese layer

Step 12 continued: fold foil tightly around edges of dish before placing in oven

Step 14: remove uncovered lasagna from oven and rest for about 10 minutes before cutting

Final Notes:
These are the basic steps. You can modify this dish in any way you wish. There a million ways to make layered pasta dishes like this.
In general, in the past, I have used a glass baking dish. Mem-mem always used a large metal lasagna pan. I've never had one of those. I like dishes that can be used for a variety of cooking needs so I have always had a large glass dish on hand.
Lately I've been using these disposable pans to take to Nannie's or church. They are flimsy and require support underneath the pan when filled. You can use whatever makes sense for you.

Christmas crafting and projects

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Sun, 19 Jan 2025 20:16:00 +0000

My mother-in-law brought a gift me to pass along to a mutual friend, but she noticed that a bit of the stitching on this gift bag had come undone. I checked my thread supply and found a blue that matched closely to the original. A few minutes of careful stitching and the bag was ready to be back in service. It feels rare these days that you have items that can be repaired simply without being thrown out. It was a pleasure to sew this up.

A couple of years ago, Laura and I were out shopping and we saw this mini steam iron in the crafting section. Without being able to check reviews, we took a chance on it and brought it home. It's been a great tool so far, for both of our various projects and uses. It comes with a little plastic cup to fill the reservoir and various heat settings to match what you are doing. I use it with this little ironing board I brought home from my Mom's sewing cupboard and it is sets up anywhere close to an electrical outlet.
I used it to iron some embroidery floss that I wanted wrinkle free for some ornaments I was assembling.

These walnut shell baby Jesus ornaments made for the children in my Sunday School class were a true labor of love and took a lot of my time and energy when I had the least amounts to give. But no one was expecting anything and I was determined to bring into being the idea I pictured in my mind. Plus, I already had all the supplies on hand. The problem that gave me the most trouble was whether to include a face on the baby Jesus or not. I had seen some similar with and without. After I carefully added a face to each one, I took one look and said "nope". So out came the sandpaper and I carefully sanded off my pen and pencil marks. Perfect.

When I was looking for a photo prop, I remembered Laura had worked on this twig 'cathedral' project before abandoning it to the basement storage to work on other ideas. I brought it back up, set it in the tree and was so pleased with it as a manger scene as I loaded up all my 'babies'. I forgot to take it out of the tree and she saw it there and asked about it. I told her how it worked as a prop for me and she was a little amused that this 'rustic' and unfinished project of hers could have worked so well for me.

Reminder photo of what I put in the gift bags for the children.

Reminder photo of Christmas gift bags for friends and family.

After Christmas Day was over, I had more time to work on projects that had been pushed off. One was to restring the pom-pom bunting that had been a casualty of Kate accidently pulling on something that knocked everything off the mantle and broke the bunting thread holding it together. I restrung it and then found a pom-pom down behind a basket that was supposed to be strung. So I picked a new thread with even more friction and restrung it for the second time. One project done. Next was to finish the last walnut shell baby that had gone missing when I had made extras. Finished that. The next project was to make three new 'lollipops' after I gave away a couple to a young friend who couldn't join us for the craft and playdate we planned. Her sisters and I made some while they were here and the ones I had made I wanted her to have. So I decided before I put the crafts items away, to make three new ones for me. The original one seen below is mine from elementary school where we made Christmas crafts each year. A few of my other ornaments survived and I have kept the ones that I thought were still cute and not damaged or spoiled. And then the last project was to repair a couple of the 'Christmas tea bags' that had come unstitched. I made these years ago for the girls' play kitchen and these two have been in my sewing basket a long time waiting for me to mend them. Projects finally done!

The walnut babies were wrapped in Kate's old cardigan that developed a hole in the pocket. I had been saving it for the buttons and now we've used most of it in other projects.

The original 'lollipop' made in the '80s.

Three new ones that give the same 'vintage' mood of the original.

Into the Christmas stocking they go!

Actually this stocking was a thrifted find from last year. Someone spent a lot of time on this, I'm sure and I found it at a thrift store in Maine. I wish they could know how much I love their needlework!

A few red stitches and these tea bags are ready for play again.

Below are some of the ornaments that came from my Mom's collection that were made by me and others. Some I kept, others were not in good shape. But I took their photos so maybe some Christmas, I can recreate some new ones in a similar style.

This '80s lifesaver 'person' was damaged and I had to throw it out. But maybe someday, I make some new ones with an updated look!

And finally, I bought a new electric fabric shaver and gave all of Kate's legwarmers a de-fuzzing. It really helped clean them up.

One done on the left. One on the right before.

So cute! She wears leg warmers often in the winter.

Winter eating

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Sat, 18 Jan 2025 15:17:00 +0000

Blurry sunrise photo seen while dropping Seth off at the bus stop.

Brrrrr. It's cold and snowy outside so let's stay inside and talk about food.

Years ago when Kate had learned to chew and eat food, I somewhere along the way transitioned out of making homemade rice and oat cereal for her and started buying oatmeal in the convenience packets. Then somewhere again further along the way, I stopped buying those because of the amount of sugar they contained. Further along, I remembered about steel cut oats and started using those again. Then I remembered that oats are apparently properly absorbed into our bodies if sprouted first. So then I stopped making oatmeal because I never took the time to sprout the oats myself. Finally I did find sprouted dry oats and cooked them a few times for myself but got out of that habit as well.
One day in the grocery store back in November, Kate pointed to the box of oatmeal packets on the shelf that I used to buy a long time ago. She seemed intent on wanting me to get them. I told her I had oatmeal at home I would make for her. So later that week, I got out the large bag of sprouted oats, read the back again to measure for water and made her warm oatmeal from those oats. She ate it right up and the next morning, she pointed to the bag high up in the pantry so I made it again. I found an empty jar, filled it with the oats and put it back on the high shelf. The next morning, she reached up and pulled down the oatmeal jar and I thought, like the bread, I should move it so she can reach it and reduce the chances of her dropping it.
Looking to make it more hearty, I started adding chopped apples and cinnamon to the simmering oatmeal, followed by a drizzle of maple syrup and cream in the bowl to cool it down. One day, I threw in raisins and then decided to add coconut oil to the water as it boiled. Another day I switched the fat to butter. I also added nutmeg to the cinnamon. Another day I substituted sliced canned peaches, then fresh pear. She eats it all up every morning. Sometimes she still hauls the bag of frozen hash browns out of the freezer and sets them out next to the toaster oven, but that's not very often these days. She's into the oatmeal.
No matter what she's picked for breakfast, she pours herself a cup of orange juice (if the bottle is not very full) and sets out a wooden spoon(if needed) and folded napkin on her two placemats. It's her breakfast routine and we thrive on routines around here.
Later mid-morning, she has a bit of a snack: a banana, crackers and cheese, scrambled egg, deli meat and cheese, yogurt or something else. I think she eats the least amount of sugar of all of us(except for me right now) and other than chocolate pudding and a bit of cake from special occasions, she eats virtually no desserts. Thankfully she rarely gets colds and other viruses and I think her good diet choices and lack of sweet tooth help a lot.

We returned to our lessons here at home on Monday the 6th and Seth started his final semester for his university program on the same day. We ended up taking him to campus for his afternoon class and stopped for groceries after that. Laura asked if we were having chocolate cake for our back-to-school day. I laughed and didn't think much of this request. Years ago, I started making a chocolate cake in September for our first day/week of homeschool lessons. I felt like we all needed something to look forward to in the afternoon of that first day. So the tradition began, inspired by another homeschool mom who posted a picture of a pencil cake (actually it was a brownie) that she decorated to look like a yellow #2 pencil with pink eraser. Very fun!
However January isn't September.
It's worse.
It's a couple weeks into the beginning of the long Canadian winter.
So when I looked over and saw a selection of these cupcakes and the two women rearranging the product told me you saved money by buying two packages, I thanked them heartily for their up-selling and we brought home these delicious little gems from the "two-bite" brand that we have enjoyed many times before. Once they were in the house, Seth was interested in the reason for their purchase so we told him that they were for students returning back to studies and that he was included in that group who might need chocolate cupcakes for strength and endurance.
North Americans might not have an aristocracy, but we know how to start and maintain fine culinary traditions!

Speaking of fine culinary traditions, that leads me into another confectionary tradition here at our house: the Christmas filling of the M&M's dispenser. And since I needed to refill it last week, I cleaned it up and gave it a chance to be part of our family lore in a little photoshoot. It's not a beautiful hand-crafted keepsake, but it is a fun part of my children's childhood and for that reason I wanted to record it here.
In light of the recent fires in Los Angeles, CA, I realized again how the things we keep and use in our homes are dear to us. Some of them are interchangeable with a simple replacement, some are irreplaceable and gone from us forever and some may be restored to us via secondhand searching. It's not trivial to take photos of our home and the things we keep in it. If you ever looked through old photographs, you know how comforting it is to see an object and say "I remember that!" It doesn't mean we have to clutter our homes with stuff, but to fondly notice the items that do make a home for us, bringing joy to our families and then perhaps record it from time to time in some form or another.

And just for a fun little demo, here's a shaky video I made.

More in the food category is my version of "festive chicken salad" that my friend Stacy made into croissant sandwiches for our Christmas lunch the Sunday before Christmas Day. It was so good that later I messaged her for the full list of ingredients in case I was missing something I noticed. She sent me the link to the food site, Belly Full and then I added what I like and had on hand. I think I ate a bowl of this without bread everyday for close to 4 days in row before I felt like I might be getting tired of it!
My version used a spoonful of homemade cranberry sauce I had made for Christmas Day meal. It's great to have something yummy to eat that doesn't need to be put with bread in order to enjoy it the best. I've tried to eat egg salad the same way, but the version I make (celery, crumbled egg, mayo, celery salt and parsley) seems too savory on it's own. Adding the fruit and nuts to the chicken salad brought some balance to the savory flavors. I don't know if egg salad lends itself to 'festivity'. I'll have to think about that some more. Maybe something with orange and walnuts. Or pear. I've been splurging on fresh pears since the new year. Seth and I really like them. I purposefully pick the ones that seem just about ripe although I have had success ripening them in paper bags in early fall when they are in season around here. Pair it with a good cheese, other dairy protein or meat protein, nuts and maybe a small handful of crackers and you have a really nice snack or lunch. Finish off with a square of dark chocolate and a cup of tea and you will have eaten one of my go-to lunch ideas.

One of the days I made the chicken salad, I substituted the sauce (yogurt, dijon, mayo) for this yogurt Jalapeno dip. It added some pep and was a nice change, although I found the other flavors were a bit more dimmed by the spice. But I've been eating this with raw veg or tortilla chips and it's very good. I first had this type of dip when my friend Sara would bring it for our church lunches. I don't think I would have been brave enough to buy this big family size if she hadn't introduced it to me before.

Since my husband works from home full-time, I make lunch for him everyday. It can range from dinner leftovers, to cold sandwiches with various fillings or deli meat, to what I call 'hearty spicy ramen' which involves adding spicy stir-fry vegetables/meat to a bowl of ramen noodles. Last week I had some bacon to use and instead of doing traditional BLT, I decided to mix it up for him with a variation on a turkey club sandwich. Instead of lettuce and tomato, I put in finely sliced red onion and pickle with a slice of slightly melted cheese, warm bacon and deli turkey between toasted bread saturated with mayo. Using a toaster oven makes these sandwiches very easy to put together and keeps the right ingredients warm. I had enough ingredients to make this sandwich several times this past week. He raved about it and asked about the ingredients which is usually a sign that I have awakened his non-foodie instincts.

In late fall, I start putting roasted meats, root vegetables, baked pasta and soups back into the meal plans. Everything is full of fat and flavor and comfort. After roasting the meats, I often make bone broth and store it separately with the animal fat in the freezer or just refrigerate it for more immediate use. I've written more about that in this older post: Soup making.
The ingredients often do not look appetizing but are full of nutrients and are inexpensive to process yourself. Here are two little bowls of processed chicken bone broth where I've already removed the fat layer so I can add the gelatinous broth to my soup or gravy.

Corn and potato chowder with ham (and possibly bacon)

Broccoli and Cauliflower soup from 2023

Here is the chicken vegetable soup with a bit of rice in the bottom of the serving bowl, added purposefully until the last minute. Years ago, I learned that even cooked rice soaks up a lot of broth, so now I add it right before I ladle the soup. During Christmas, I was using some leftover rice pilaf, but often I just cook a portion of rice in my rice cooker and keep it warm until serving the soup. Here is a serving I put together for Kate for her lunch at the island counter complete with another diy shaky video, I just remembered I had made. Oh well, you get the idea of how much broth to add to make it still look like soup.

Another version from 2023 with basmati rice.

And finally this past Sunday it was my turn in the rotation for our church family to help provide dessert for our Sunday lunch. I still had the ingredients to make pumpkin pie so I made that on Saturday and then Sunday morning, I put together this tray of goodies which someone said looked like leftover Christmas treats! Yep! Out my pantry and into the mouths of delighted children!

some New Year glimpses

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 19:23:00 +0000

My first opportunity to handwrite out the new year in my list-making notebook and I wrote it wrong. Of course, it took me a few minutes to look over my list and see that I had casually written 'Week of January 1, 2024' and all my great plans written out on Thursday listed underneath. I always write in pencil so it was easy to change the 4 to 5 to read 2025. But it doesn't seem like a new year yet, since I'm still catching up on posting about 2024.
But this morning I wrote down Laura's Term 2 Week 15, Ambleside Online Year 10 Readings and our Morning Time plans for next Monday.
And I spent time researching ideas and then talking to Seth (as we plan for his university completion and graduation this spring) about refining his job search to help him know where to apply for work. So I'm actually working toward plans for the coming days but still feel the need to process activities and ideas from 2024. So I'm adding posts to 2024 this weekend even though it's the new year. It's my way of preserving my record-keeping even if it's a bit artificial.
What's not artificial is the flavor and smell of this perfectly ripe pear that I splurged on earlier this week at the grocery store. Years ago, a hostess shared small pears from her brother's pear tree paired with delicious cheese and freshly made muffins. It is one of those food memories that stays with you forever. It also went a long way to helping me cultivate a love of good food served with beauty and style.

Some of the dresses I ordered for Kate online for Christmas did not fit because of their ill-designed neckline. So we returned them to a local store and picked this one out instead. It's a bold and brightly colored design, but the sweatshirt top and lined tulle skirt bottom portion works really well for her. This is our third dress in this style and she enjoys wearing them all.
She's eating her lunch at the island counter which is her usual lunch spot.

Soon after becoming a mother for the first time, I found a used copy of A Mother's Heart by Jean Fleming. I read that book carefully, took notes, reread it, wrote several blog posts about her writings and ideas, recommended it to friends and found another loaner copy to lend out. It was one book that stood out for me as a book on mothering that was practical but theologically strong. Years later, I discovered Sally Clarkson and enjoyed her ideas as well. But it was Jean Fleming who first held my hand as mother looking to understand the needs of her children. I also was the mother who found a used book on playing with children and read carefully through that one. So maybe I'm just a special kind of stunned mother.
In researching new books to add to our local homeschooling group's library, I found out that Jean Fleming had written a newer book and it looked very good. I kept it on my wish list and while I was ordering Christmas gifts, I took the plunge and ordered it for myself. I haven't been able to spend much time with it yet; I'm just a few pages in so I'll reserve my ideas for now. But the topic is how to spend your later years as a faithful Christian and I thought it fitting that she should have been of such help to me as a young mother and now again as an older woman. I found some recordings of various talks she gave on a Discipleship Library, a vintage website and am enjoying hearing her voice and her thoughts.

This morning I looked at my to-do list and thought I would ask Grok what is the most efficient way to digitally preserve vintage photos. Among other suggestions, was to use your smart phone with an app like Adobe Scan or Google Drive. I did a quick search and found suggestions for using both apps. Since I use Google Drive already, it's familiar to me. I clicked on the camera icon, took my first photo of my Mom's VW bug from 1963, cropped it a bit and saved it as a jpeg into a newly designated folder in my Drive account. It was so easy, I snapped a second photo and did the same. In a couple of minutes, I had finished the first album page with about six photographs, turned the page and started work on this second page. I will review the quality since it is a cloudy snowy day and this was early in the morning. But this way of preserving family photographs is very simple for me to execute and I need simple.

December (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 03:30:00 +0000

Gift bags for Sunday School Class

Cookie decorating with two talented sisters. Look at those bears and trees!

And more pretty ones!

One of the sisters' gorgeous tree!

At a Christmas string quartet concert.

Adding some chocolate to the plain profiteroles!

She wore the Christmas hat almost everyday during December.

Christmas finger-food church potluck

Pencil drawing by Laura of her favorite famous 'real' horse, Misty.

A mantle full of my Mom's Christmas carolers and horn.

The advent calendar truck still checked every night by my children.

Board game day with friends.

Sisters playdate at our house.

One of my favorites and Kate still watches it too.

Flossie guarding the gifts from our church family.

Tree moved after stand leaked water. No more watering. Lasted very well for 7 days without water.

Christmas Eve under the tree.

From a friend who loves to tease me!

Starting a snow fort with his new 'snow sleigh'.

Gift for our baby nephew's First Christmas: a wooden train.

On our way to have Christmas dinner with the in-laws.

I requested my MIL play the piano after dinner for some family caroling.

Eleven months old!

His first dump truck.

Grampie playing with a truck too!

We love him!

Sitting with Nannie and his girl cousins.

Setting the table for extended family dinner.

Ordered Thai dishes for dinner.

Back out to the in-laws for NYE with family.

NYE play time ♥

December (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 20:15:00 +0000

A photo collection of moments from the first half of December.

Close to the Catskill Mts, driving home from Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania.

A Christmas doll my Mom made years ago.

Driving to church on a snowy Sunday morning.

He prefers shoveling by hand; we've never owned a snowblower.

November mood

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 15:12:00 +0000

Race morning for my husband and friends down at the ocean front trail.

neighborhood scene

Added a new vintage Ladybird book to my collection.

Our vintage U.S. president display for our history readings drawing Flossie into inspection.

Many years ago, Franklin's red cap was removed by a creative child. Finally it was stitched back on after spending years in my sewing basket. He looks very pleased. Kate still watches Franklin all the time and we don't mind at all. His episodes are family lore in our house.

My Mom's good silverware finally being brought into service for our weekly church meals. She would be so be pleased to see them being used by our church family.

My Mom and I walking at a local nature area by their apartment in Pennsylvania on Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving flowers for my Mom.

A visit to a local independent chocolate shop that's been a favorite since my childhood.

Kate and my Mom sitting together with Kate as the caregiver.

the rest of October

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 23:26:00 +0000

Note: I'm doing something I've never done before. I'm making the postdate for these 2024 posts stay in 2024 even though I finally have time and inclination here in the early days of January 2025. I have a first post for 2025 that looks more like a New Year's post that will be accurately dated.

The girls and I have a couple of local trails and park areas that we frequented most fall afternoons. One of the afternoons, Laura participated in a provincial election Student Vote activity organized by a local homeschool friend. The next time New Brunswick has a provincial election, she will be eligible to vote!

This little teddy bear which came as part of last year's Christmas present (tucked inside a larger bear's knapsack) lost one of its arms after much handling. Laura fixed it the first time and I fixed it again with a little more rigorous stitching. It is always a good feeling when an item can be restored since we have so many other things around us that end up in the garbage despite our efforts.

Flossie enjoys the warmth of the fleece blanket while also comforting the unwell.

Low sugar treat: baked apple and raisin with cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, butter and maple syrup topped with whipped heavy cream

Picking up Seth on campus every Friday afternoon.

Tacos on repeat...

And beautiful October ended with a mild evening and clear skies under our neighborhood as trick-or-treating families filled the streets. Our area is very family-friendly with every house on our court and the main street participating and making it a safe and fun time for kids of all ages. I know there is ugliness out there, but overall the fun and family-centered themes win out in our community and make it a special night.

Thanksgiving Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 18:14:00 +0000

We booked a cabin in northern Maine for three nights, planning to return home on Monday in time to have a Thanksgiving meal with Shane's parents and his youngest brother's family.
So to help with the meal, I prepared a pumpkin pie and gave it to my mother-in-law before we left for her to freeze and thaw while we were away. Overall, the thawed pie was okay, but I wouldn't prefer it that way. The filling in the center was more soft than the rest of the pie, but it did taste right.
I used the remainder of the canned pumpkin to make Susan's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins which I posted many years ago, but to make it easier to find, I put these delicious muffins in their own post. I bagged some to deliver to a friend and then packed the rest for the cabin.
The night before we traveled, I made Cream of Carrot soup for dinner to use up some sad looking carrots. It is a family favorite and I sometimes pair it with egg rolls or use it as a starter to the main course.

Because we were leaving late in the afternoon, I made a homemade pizza for us to eat for dinner so that we could skip a supper stop and reduce the amount of nighttime driving in rural Maine.
I use the pizza dough recipe from my original Betty Crocker Bridal edition and if I have time, I freeze the dough before thawing to use. I like the way it stretches after thawing and the crust seems the right amount of chewy but still soft. This time, remembering how the dough really can stretch, I made it into a rectangle pizza. Parchment paper made it easy to lift off the pan, onto the counter, slice and serve.
The few pieces that were left over were tucked into a freezer bag and warmed-up for a late lunch upon our return home for a few of us. As easy as it is to buy frozen pizza and I do sometimes, homemade is just so good!

We cleaned up, finished packing and loaded the trunk to the gills with all five of our duffle bags and food stuffs. It was the first time we have used this little car for the five of us to travel in since our SUV was no longer stable enough for long distance travel. And it was the first time Seth has traveled back into the United States since 2019. His work and school schedule conflicted with our recent trips.
I sat in the back to help keep Kate occupied, aka, keeping as the peace. She doesn't like her siblings telling her what to do sometimes and yells about it. I try to mitigate her quirks from upsetting others especially in such close quarters. We usually load the tablet with downloads of her favorite shows from Netflix but that was overlooked in the hustle and bustle of packing and leaving. So after traveling for a bit, I entertained her with looking at photos and videos on my phone of her or family. Later Laura showed her pictures of our cat on her Ipad and she liked that too. The trip to the cabin from our house was under four hours and really didn't last that long. We are so used to long twelve hour car trips that the time really flew by although traveling in the dark isn't fun if you have to look out for moose and deer. But the blue sky and sunshine while it lasted made the fall colors glow as we whizzed past. All the photos were taken from out my window or the front windshield so the quality isn't great at times.

Safely arrived, the first night is always the least comfortable, but I made bacon and eggs the following morning before we headed into Bangor to do some shopping. The wind had really picked up and bits of tree debris were scattered on the roadways as we headed south. In Bangor, we managed one store and then realized that a lot of places in one area did not have power. We lunched at the McDonald's in a sunny corner booth and listened to the comings and goings of peoples' experiences. The family right behind us was also from Canada and I heard a teenage girl expressing hesitancy in going up to order something else because she didn't "know how to work American money". That was hilarious to me since I know I struggle with Canadian money when I first moved here.
The other store Shane wanted to go to was Bull Moose Records and was right behind the McDonald's. We checked to see if they had power and then all trooped in for a look around. I found some secondhand books to bring home and Shane found the cds he was looking for. Since the selective power outage had closed a few other places we wanted to check out, I suggested we go get coffee and donuts and head back to the cabin. I went for a forest walk when we got back and Sunday was spent at the cabin except for a short walk around a nearby town. I made supper for Saturday night and then lunch and supper again for Sunday night all with food I had brought with us or picked up in Bangor.

We crossed back into New Brunswick around noon on Thanksgiving Monday and with an hour of traveling left, I messaged my mother-in-law to see what time she wanted us to come out. We arrived at her place late afternoon and enjoyed time with our baby nephew and his parents while she finished cooking for us. Kate showed off her new Halloween costume that we bought for her in Bangor and we had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal together.

Had one or two of these before, but must have given away or sold them; I couldn't pass up this nice collection of gently used to put back on our shelves.

Someone told me she didn't like some of Hank's mannerisms so for fifty cents I decided to see for myself since I never actually read one.

Susan's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 11:40:00 +0000

* Susan's Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins *: (the following are her words) [my changes are noted in brackets]
(recipe originally from her blog, High Desert Home; she is currently blogging at Psalms. Coffee, link also in my sidebar)

2 c. all purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. ginger
1/4 t. all-spice
2 c. sugar [I use cane sugar]
4 eggs
2 c. canned pumpkin
1 c. vegetable oil [my note: I've been using coconut oil and butter to make 1 cup in place of the oil]
1 1/2 c. bran flakes [I omit this ingredient]
6 oz. chocolate chips (we almost double this) [I use 1 mounded cup of chips]

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together first 9 (dry) ingredients on list and set aside.

In large bowl of an electric mixer, beat eggs til foamy; add pumpkin, oil, and cereal. Mix well. Add sifted flour mixture, stirring only til combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon evenly in greased muffin tins (or use papers to line).

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes (we never bake this long, usually only baking for 22 to 24 minutes; depends on your oven, I guess). Cool completely on rack before removing from pan.

Yield: 18 muffins [I got 24 this time]

a bit of late summer and early fall

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 11:05:00 +0000

Those photos are just from my camera card from late September and these first few days of October. The camera malfunctions enough to no longer be reliable to take important photos that cannot be missed, but for capturing slower life scenes it still can be prodded and wrangled into finally taking the shot I was trying for.
Keeping corn on the cob warm by wrapping the cooked cobs in dish clothes/tea towels is what my mom always did when she served it. Do you think I could find anyone on the internet suggesting this when I looked for just now "how to keep corn on the cob warm on the table"? So far, no. Surely other people must do this too? This is just meant to sit on the table for a family meal. If you were catering a larger group, you would likely need a crock pot or something as it sits longer. Anyways, I brought back some of my mom's dish clothes that she doesn't need anymore and took this photo as we had the last of the corn on the cob for the summer.
The rest of corn I cooked and froze to use throughout the winter. My mom always froze corn and it tastes so good in winter soups and meals. My mom also served cauliflower steamed and I hated eating it since it was usually waterlogged and bitter. My mom no longer cooks, but she was a great cook, but as a child there were a few vegetables I really, really did not like steamed. Roasting and stir-fry to the rescue!
I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have bought a cauliflower head and cooked it. Two times it was probably used in a broccoli soup as a nod to the Subway soup I used to get for Kate before she could eat a sub sandwich. Two more times, it was probably roasted with a few other root vegetables and not very noticeable. And once I think I tried to make it like mac and cheese, but used cauliflower in place of the macaroni. It wasn't terrible, but I had a vague remembrance that my family felt like I had cheated them out of mac and cheese.
A couple of weeks ago, it was on sale at a local grocery store and before I could stop myself, I picked one up, perfectly creamy white and brought it home. I kept looking at it in the fridge and then finally took the plunge a few days in and decided to roast it by itself with enormous amounts of olive oil, salt and pepper and massive amounts of parmesan cheese. When I asked for feedback from my husband, he said and I quote, "I liked it. I wouldn't normally care for cauliflower, but cooked like this, it tastes good." Exactly my thoughts. Smother something in olive oil, seasonings and cheese and it has to be good.
The mantle is currently flanked with two depictions of our little Siamese/Tabby cat. The newest addition is a cross-stich piece of a Siamese cat that looks just like our Flossie. It looks like it was done by someone with the initials M.T. and then the year '86 added underneath. Laura found it while we were thrift-shopping in my in-law's town back in early August with visiting family. It looks exactly like her so we had to bring it home.
The kids joke that we have no family or childhood photos around, just pictures of our cat. I'm afraid I've never been one to hang up family photos except for one brief stint in a collage frame I bought many years ago and even that didn't last very long. I have no explanation except we didn't have a lot of family photos in my house as a child so maybe it's my mom's fault! But Flossie is so pretty, it's hard to say no to depictions of her breed. Oh well, I try to show love to my kids in other ways that hopefully makes up for the missing framed photos of their sweet baby faces.
I have so many classic novels on the go right now, it seemed only right to add Don Quixote to the mix especially when I realized there was a whole book of illustrations that most modern editions do not include. I borrowed both from the library and might need to order copies for myself. I'm only one chapter in but I have already laughed and reread certain parts multiple times.
For the first time in a long time, I'm dipping fall leaves in beeswax. I usually press them with wax paper and enjoy them while they last which is usually only a few months. I've been adding to the collection every few days as the leaves fall, putting them on display, using them as props in photos and centerpieces for a dinner table. I have a small two-handled copper-bottomed sauce pan I thrifted years ago that I keep handy to melt the beeswax in.

The little wooden carved bird was made by a friend of my in-law's who was visiting them a few weeks back when Kate and I stopped by. Kate was introduced to him and immediately gave him a hug. He was so touched by this that he went out to his truck and brought one to give Kate. He sands the birds so very smooth and then usually stains them in gorgeous earth colors and sells them. We've seen them for sale in a store nearby and Laura even bought one a couple of years ago for a friend who was admiring them. And now, we have one for us too!

Strawberry and apple muffins and bread loaves

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Sun, 22 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Earlier this summer, I tried a new muffin recipe from Jennifer at Bake or Break for her eye-catching Brown Butter Strawberry Muffins.
They were so good, that I've since made them into bread loaves and also switched out the strawberries for apples for a change. This is a very versatile and simple recipe, full of good ingredients that give moisture, flavor and nutrition to these delicious bites.

Here I tried it with diced apple and quartered apple slices for the top. I added cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter and also sprinkled cinnamon on top of the apple slice. They don't look as pretty as the strawberry muffins, but they are very good in their own way.

simple fall leaf garland

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Sat, 21 Sep 2024 23:17:00 +0000

Looking for something else today, I found this paper garland carefully wrapped in an unexpected place.

I had forgotten all about it.

I made it last year, likely in October when I took these photos of it on my mantle.
I can remember carefully tracing the leaves from some scrapbook paper and a paper grocery bag (I think) using two small templates I found somewhere on Pinterest.
I know they have machines you can buy that would likely do all of this, but I found it a relaxing project to have on my hands for a few days.

Tracing, cutting, counting, folding and then finally taping them into position on the hemp cord.

One strand, just long enough to wind itself around my mantle and bring some autumn color inside.

Kings Landing, New Brunswick

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 00:27:00 +0000

Come along as we meander through the beautiful village created on the Saint John River 50 years ago called Kings Landing. It is only our second visit to this magical place, but we spent a lot of time at Upper Canada Village on the Saint Lawrence Seaway in Ontario so it feels very familiar in a way.
This time, it was just Laura and I with some homeschool friends although we didn't all stay together as there are so many different places to explore.
Once you get out into the laneways and start walking between homes, barns and outbuildings, you find yourself slipping more easily out of modernity and back into the world before plastic and plumbing were common. The first I'm glad to keep at bay in our home, the second, I'm very thankful for! Although I grew up with an elderly neighbor couple who still used their outhouse and handpump exclusively so I feel nostalgic when I see the signs of primitive plumbing. And I've used composting foam-flush toilets at rest stops in Upstate New York and found them very soothing compared to the constant loud flushing sounds you hear in most rest stops. But I digress.
The apple trees were filled with ripe fruit of all colors and many apples were already littered under many of the trees. Laura tried a green variety but found it too sour, which is surprising because she enjoys the crab apple trees at a park close to our house! But others were trying some of the redder varieties so I assume there were some tasty ones to munch on.
The sunshine pouring into the houses and barns heightened the natural beauty of the items of wood, crockery, natural fiber cloths and botanicals that we found inside. To have such beautiful, well made items to use in kitchenwork, housekeeping and woodshops that can be mended or remade nearby is something most of us now know very little about.
In several of the kitchen and pantry areas, I wanted to jump in and help with whatever tasks 'needed' to be done. The simpler homes and workshops were much more interesting and homey than the finer houses with the formal furniture, expensive decorations and entertaining spaces. But it was wonderful to walk through and enjoy being in that era of 1860s even if we enjoy some aspects of modern living a bit more. But oh, the many activities to do with your hands, and the skills and knowledge that were needed to keep the homestead and village life thriving, those are missing in much of our modern life and are needed again. I know there are a lot of photos, but I hope you enjoy slipping back in time with us and seeing how we can bring beauty to our life and work in meaningful ways if we choose.

New Brunswick Day 2024

noreply@blogger.com (Heather) — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 15:39:00 +0000

Shane and I went up alone to harvest the beleaguered garlic bed at the rural property two ferries away. The first ferry is about 6 kilometers from our house (and can be seen from our third floor loft room) and runs two ferries at a time so the wait is usually not that long for the short crossing to the peninsula. Today we were able to drive right on to the ferry on our side as the last car without any wait at all. Then it's about a 15 minute drive to the next ferry across a wider river that only has one ferry. We waited for only about 4 minutes with a motorcycle crew and plenty of other vehicles with various greetings passing between drivers coming and going. The local farmstand and ice cream shop was busy with kayakers and locals on this summer holiday.

As we started the long crossing, the anchored boats on both sides of the river bobbed up in down in the bay water. As we approached the other side, I strained to look over at a friend's anchored sailboat seeing a figure in swimming trunks moving about on its deck. While I was trying to decide who the figure was, we were ready to disembark and as we drove off the ferry, who is waiting in line to get on, but the very friend whose sailboat looked occupied. Shane and I waved hello through our open vehicle windows and the cheerful greeting was passed back immediately.
How fun to see friends just like a local. It made me realize how much living here again has felt like coming home even though I wasn't born and raised here. I don't know who we saw on his sailboat but with a large, grown family living nearby chances are it was a relative of his. I've been on that boat two years ago and it was my first time sailing. He let all of us take a turn steering up and down the bay and it was definitely my Swallows & Amazons moment!

After I cleared out the garlic bed and the plastic chicken wire protecting it, Shane cleaned up the overgrown grasses and wildflowers in and around the fence posts and garden bed. I picked a couple of the wild blackberries that Shane pointed out were growing after I had lamented that there were no wild raspberry bushes on the property. I had no ill-effects from the berries so we must have identified them correctly as edible. Phew!
The large oak trees have started dropping their green acorns so autumn feels close at hand.