Friday, September 29, 2017

September

It is hard to believe tomorrow is the last day of September! Where did this month go?! It has been quite a while since I last posted here - the summer months just flew by. Summer is always a busy season for us: working in our garden, canning, picnics by the lake, day trips and just enjoying time outside in our yard. 
 I enjoyed canning a variety of foods this summer. There are so many wonderful recipes on-line, I thought I would share a few of the new recipes I tried this year. The two quart jars contain soup, this was my first time canning soup and I am so pleased to have delicious homemade soup in my pantry! The two recipes I made are French Onion Soup and Tomato Vegetable Beef Soup (if you click on them you will be taken to the recipe). I am also hoping to can chicken soup within the next few weeks, which will be nice to have on hand during the cold season. It had been years since I made pickles and this year we had an abundance of cucumbers, so pickles were a must! I made "The Best Dill Pickles", they are delicious, but be forewarned the red pepper flakes do make for a zippy aftertaste. I also made pizza sauce for the first time, I eliminated the red pepper flakes from this recipe. : ) Two of my favorite recipes from last year that I made again are: Zesty Salsa and Spaghetti Sauce. I made a couple of different jams this year, but the unanimous favorite was Vanilla-Rhubarb Jam!
It feels good to look at my pantry and see so many jars ready for the winter ahead. It is always a treat to enjoy a taste of summer throughout those long cold months.
Over the summer months I completed a project that has long sat in my work basket unfinished. I am so please to have this beautiful design complete and ready to frame! This is my second embroidery project from Clementine Patterns. You can see the first one here.
I did make a few changes in the pattern's colors. I love bluebirds and changed the original robin colors to bluebird colors.

As a side story, we put up our first bluebird box this summer. Within two days of having placed the box in our side yard we discovered a bluebird couple had begun a nest! I was so pleased! They had a successful family of four babies. It was truly a blessing this summer. : )
 Another project I completed over the summer months was this doily. I have enjoyed revisiting this handicraft.
Our garden is pretty much done for the season. The pumpkins were a surprise since we never planted them. We think they must have been in our compost from last fall. Due to the rainy season they never did ripen as they should have, but I rather like the unusual color.
Our hens are spending their days scratching through the newly fallen leaves. They are comical at times! Adam says they make him think of a biker gang. They travel as a group at all times and have poor Winston (our cat) terrified of them!
This week I finished reading "Out of The Storm" by Grace Livingston Hill. It was a wonderful story of two brave young people meeting during a ship wreck. As you may know Grace Livingston Hill is one of my favorite authors. While I peeled vegetables to can this summer, I listened to a couple of her books on Librivox, it really made the time fly! I would highly recommend her Marcia Schuyler trilogy! Here are the links to all three: Marcia Schuyler, Phoebe Deane and Miranda. The series takes place in Upstate New York during the mid-1800's. Each story had me on the edge of my seat, I couldn't wait to see what would unfold next.
With the days growing chiller I have resumed my evening knitting. The scarves shown above are so practical and cozy! They are knit from a variety of lovely fibers, including alpaca, wool, cashmere and silk. You can find them in my Esty shop.

I hope you are all enjoying a lovely start of autumn!

"As for God, His way is perfect:
    The Lord’s word is flawless;
    He shields all who take refuge in him."
Psalm 18:30

10 comments:

  1. You've had a busy summer! Beautiful needlepoint work! I like their patterns. Thanks for the GLHill titles. I haven't read those and will definitely try to find them. :-) Pretty doily and I like the Miss Marple scarves. Those are fun to knit and make a nice gift for someone too. Enjoy your autumn and God bless! ♡

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    1. Thank you Anne! I think you would really enjoy the "Marcia Schuyler" trilogy, they have become three of my favorite GLH books!

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  2. You have been so busy! All those jars will keep you going through the Winter.
    I'd love to know what the white flower is that you are holding, it looks similar to a Lily of the Valley.

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    1. Thank you Elizabeth! The flower is an elderberry blossom. They smelled so pretty. : )

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  3. So impressed with your canning and your lovely embroidery.

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  4. I love the look of home canned jars of food. So pretty!

    Your pumpkins are fun! I love the color.

    I think doilies are so neat, but have never attempted to make them.

    It's always so fun to find favorite books.

    Your knitted scarves are gorgeous!

    My box from the teaparty exchange arrived today and I was delighted! It was fabulous fun to open it and was filled with the sweetest things. THANK YOU so much! This was my first time to join in the exchange and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

    I agree....I never have enough time for blogging...and for all the other things I enjoy doing as well. I laugh and scold myself sometimes because I want to try too many things and perhaps I should focus more on one or two. But I love a variety! If the laundry and dishes just wouldn't pile up so quickly! ;) But blessing in that too!

    I already tasted the chocolate and the teacup and little creamer are adorable. I love the doily and the apron. The apron pattern is very fun.

    Thank you a million times!

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    1. Thank you Deborah!

      I am so glad the box arrived. : )

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  5. What a delightful post and the Rhubarb Jam sounded divine :)

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  6. What a lovely post! Your writing always makes me feel so homemakery. ~smile~ I am a homemaker, but since I've been fighting cancer, I've not had energy to put into it like I would like to. My chemo's over, so I'm regaining some strength and energy. I'll enjoy it while I await my surgery next week!

    I've added you to my blog list on my blog. Thank you for including me in yours.
    Be blessed!

    Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage

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  7. You are an inspiration! Gardening, canning, stitching, knitting, reading, besides mothering and housekeeping! Seeing all of your projects and handiwork is really encouraging to me. Among the mundane task of day to day life I can, and should, take time (make time) to craft and be creative. Thank you for sharing!

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