Home's

As we look forward to the coming of Spring, my thoughts turn to gardening and what we may be able to  do.
As it looks like we may be  living in a much smaller area, especially garden area I have been giving thought to container gardening and as herbs are so easy to grow I thought we might start with these.

For a starting place here are some ideas I have had on file for years to share with you also~

What are some of your favourite herbs?

Blessings to you and your homes,
  

For many years I had dreamed of cooking on a wood fired stove.

The idea seemed to me to represent all those aspects of home making that I enjoy.
The beauty and love of  Hearth and Home. The desire to feed our family both physically and emotionally by creating that warm atmosphere in the kitchen which is to me, the heart of any home.

I guess  it all began when I was talking to a friend and how she mentioned that they were renting their home out and how it had a wood fired cooking stove.
I remember saying 'isn't that hard to cook on?' and her response was one that delighted  and intrigued me for many years to come.
So when we looked at building our home over 8 years ago one of the  have wan to have items for me was to have a wood fired oven. I seriously decided that I ONLY wanted a wood stove and not have a back up electric or gas one.
The reason for this was I have know other people since my first introduction to wood stoves who have both and they tend to only use the wood stove in the colder months. I did not want this to happen to me
If I had  a wood stove I wanted to use it all the time and rather than fall into the temptation of using the 'back up one we simply  did not install one........and this ha been  a decision  I have never regretted!!
I had always imagined a beautiful Aga Stove but after research on different brands (and the fact we could not get a wood burning one in Australia but had to have gas) we finally ended up with this great Thermalux Grand Cuisine.

I admit even though I loved the cooking capacity of the stove I still loved the look of that Aga. So the way around this was to have my dear husband and older sons to make a beautiful surround around the stove complete with mantle over the stove and light in under the stove top.
They also built a wood box to one side that looks just like a cupboard and I have marble tops on the sides.
These we picked up for $50 each as odds
One of the things I always loved when looking at those beautiful magazines was the way that the Aga stove was always surrounded by a beautiful cupboard arrangement and mantle. When I looked at the  plain and quite sever lines of the Thermalux Grand Cuisine I was just, well honestly, a little disappointed with the look of it. It did not look as pretty as the magazine versions and although I loved the fact that the stove was so very very big, having huge hot plate options and very large stove capacity as seen above, I wanted the pretty version.

In regards to actual cooking capacity I have been able to put three trays of food on both sides of the ovens and then underneath there is a warming oven or very slow cooking oven that also has two selves.
I can't tell you how much I have loved this space, especially at times when we have huge 'cook ups'  like when we are doing Christmas, Easter or birthday cooking
As you can see there is quite a bit of room beside the stove to put hot things on without worrying about the timber tops. The wood box is very large and able to hold a fair day's amount of wood within it. I just need the wood box fillers to actually bring it in off the verandah each day!

On the other side of the stove I have a post and pans shelf that has, well most of the most used pots for everyday use.
Once again the space beside the stove allows for many things to be placed on top.
Of course you can see that there also is a large amount of actual cooking room on top of the stove for large pots and as I have for many years had a kettle boiling on the stove, it is just another plus for this stove.

The kettle can be boiled and then placed on the side simmer plates to keep warm all day so it is a very easy step to put the kettle on for a 'cuppa'

Cooking on a wood stove is so very, very easy. I guess it is a  matter of getting used to it, but I hardly ever check the temperature gauges and cook mostly by how the fire looks and how long the fire has been hot for etc.

Our older girls have pretty much learnt to cook using this oven and they can not imagine cooking on anything else, nor can I for that matter as I really love it.
It is a complete picture of cooking and providing warmth for your family in so may ways, including having people stand in front of it to keep warm while chatting to you as you do the cooking.

If I was building a kitchen again I would make this stove a  priority again.
There is nothing so beautiful tasting as a Christmas Cake that has been cooked in a wood fired oven over a long period of time.
Or baked lamb and apple crumble or gingerbread cookies or muffins or scones or............

How I have loved it  BUT stay tuned for  more interesting news in my next post - The Times they are a-Changin' ........

Blessings to you and your homes,
 

One of the favorite games that our younger children especially love to play is with the pots, pans, plastic containers and utensils they have to create a 'mud kitchen'.
I have been thinking about this post a lot and about  how much to say, but frankly what matters most is that our children play this over an over again and obviously to me that it really feeds their imagination and thus they grow form that and so return to this form of play that really is a very  simple activity that can take hours and even days of their time

I have seen many 'mud kitchens' on line and often would drool over the set ups of some of these elaborate spaces. I would think to my self  'if only our children had a place set up with a little cupboard to store all they items and a special designated space like these fabulous mud kitchens" and then I look and see the beauty in the simple  use of stools and other everyday items the children put together.

In fact they do not seem to feel deprived at all, it is simply me thinking and comparing to others and how they provide for their own children.
Each of us is different and while the 'extras' are nice, they are not essential. Which should be obvious to me  really, because our children have not felt the need to ask for more than they have.....and I am truly thankful for that!
So for your viewing pleasure, and mine , because I love to see the results of this creativity here are lots of pictures, with out much wording of various creations and wonderful delicacies the children have produced.
Above I think this one was a milo
Chocolate cake with chocolate chips
A nourishing soup
One of the busy chefs
Arwen taking her turn at the kitchen
This is Myffwyn's master piece. I adore this cake and love the camellia buds, but sh!!, don't tell her Daddy
This one is the latest house they created in a patch of clearing in amongst some trees
The breakfast porridge
The kitchen space
The living area complete with nursery for the babies
Bedroom
The red wagon filled with water behind the 'kitchen' is the well
I think they actually brought some food from the house to eat while 'cooking in the mud kitchen'
Here we have another day with the stools being again used along with the planks we have for see swas and a bit of wood spanning two 'ponies' which are builders saw horses, which are very handy for play equipment.
Seriously when we were building a contract builder made 'ponies for the children complete with a hole for a hobby horse head, which he supplied as well. They had a fabric saddle and reins and a tail.
Our children were delighted and we still use them for many things, mostly play wise over 8 years later.
a wide variety of dishes

I remember this one as soup


Definitely meatballs
and hmm chocolate something.
Again the 'mobile mud kitchen' set up but the picture is when they had finished playing but this time near the swing set.

Of course I have many more 'mud kitchen' photos but I think you have had enough for now....

Another interesting note is that Moran now wants to actually write her 'mud kitchen' recipes down into a book, complete with pictures so she can have a recipe book to work from.
Now I think that is a fantastic idea, don't you?

Blessings to you and your homes,
 

For a long time I have wanted to make some hand cream for us to use and then I would get busy else where and it remained a though and desire only. However when Rogan  started to get cracked and chapped hands I decided that today was the day to do this.

This is a beautiful nourishing recipe for hands, feet, elbows and knees but is a little thick for a full body moisturizer.  Of course now I will be wanting to make this type of moisturiser soon!

So how do you make the hand cream?
You will need a saucepan, enamel bowl, wooden spoon, measuring spoons, scales and electric mixer
Ingredients for this:
340 grams liquid olive oil
129 grams of bees wax
171 grams of coconut oil
435 grams of distilled water
40 or more drops of essential oil
Put the bees wax, olive oil and  coconut oil into the enamel bowl. Put the bowl over the saucepan of  water and bring to the boil.
Heat the mixture until everything has melted
Remove from heat and allow to reach room temperature.
Slowly pour in the infused water while beating at a high speed.
We actually used a hand held mixer to get the required speed that allow the ingredients to be mixed in well.
Add the drops of essential oils and mix again
Spoon into containers.
We did not have those fancy silver containers, so we used what ever we had on hand. Glass jars, plastic tubs and a couple of tins.

It is a very simple and easy to do and I really have benefited by using this myself. It is thick and creamy and really has softened my hands that I have found were becoming dry in the winter weather.

Go on try it, you will love it!!

Blessings to you and your homes,
 

A Keeper of the Hearth!
A Keeper of Hearts!

How I love these phrases and how I believe they  combine to hold dear all those things I cherish.
Home and Hearth a place for my soul to be at rest.
A place where I can feed the body and the more important aspects of those I love. My vocation can be summed up in this statement - 'A Keeper of the hearts around my Hearth'

In times past when every home had a wood fire and hearth for either cooking and/or warmth the family would gather in this place to replenish both body, heart and soul. Food for the body, warmth of family and friends.

All would gather around this place and be nurtured.

In so many homes today we don't have a hearth to gather around and yet still where do most people gather while visiting? Yes, in the kitchen!

I can't tell you how many times those who have come into our home have gathered in our kitchen. In this way I find it is easy to get to know one another better. In the everyday setting of preparing a meal or small snack it is easy to let our guard down and really get to the to share with others and this opens the way to get to the heart of our own hearts and perhaps even to bless others.

Of course in our home we have the blessing of a wood fired oven (our only cooking source) as well as other wood fires for warmth in Winter. I never tire of seeing how the warmth of a fire can draw people to one area of the home and thus induce interaction that may not have been happening before. So often we have one  or more people  backing up to the stove while we work in the kitchen o,r as we are in the family room to have a line of bodies trying to absorb this heat, even when not so cold.

It is the visible and tangible heat from a fire that draws people and I know (from previous homes) that  ducted heat through a  home, while warming does not produce the bonding that occurs through 'hearth love'

Therefore I truly see the way that the saying 'the heart of the home is in the kitchen' for once the 'hearth' was the kitchen and as a home maker, a wife and mother my most of my cherished moments happen in the 'heart and hearth of my home.

In fact I think of my role as a Keeper of the Hearth more of a guardian protecting those I love, by nurturing the whole person and this so often happens in the heart of my home- the hearth place!

In times past, the hearth–the fire–was often the figurative center of the home. It was used for cooking and the heat for ironing. In the evening, candles and lamps because of the cost were used very minimally and thus the fire from the hearth was used for lighting purposes as well as for warmth.
The hearth fire  heated as much of the home as possible form this one central location.

Without other  possibilities that we have in modern times made available by lighting from electric sources  families would usually gather together around the hearth–it was a place of warmth and a place for stories, everyday crafts that could be done together while sharing a common and entwined life together.

As I reflect on this thought I think it tragic in a way that due to the lack of the 'hearth place' that it reduces the opportunity for the' heart of the home' to be THE place where we may encourage and love one another, to strengthen and nurture each other in preparation for the life work we all are called to do!

Blessings to your homes,

The joy I find in home making is a blessing I am thankful for.
It is the little things that bring a smile to my face as I go through the day
Today as every day when I do a lot of preparing to cook just reminds me how I love this life.
If there is one aspect of home-making I love, a particular it is cooking
Being in the kitchen with my children, often daughters and younger children.

So today being a rest day I felt very happy to be in the kitchen baking chicken to go into the pot of vegetables we were preparing for chicken soup.
Adding the next lot of flour to the sour-dough starter.
Preparing the next lot of yogurt and kefir
Then I started the soaking process for Muffins and Buttermilk biscuits, these will be finished tomorrow.
While this was happening we were adding the last ingredients to the tomato sauce so it could simmer away through the day.
 Perhaps you are thinking this is not a rest day. This is not what you should be doing on a Sunday, the Lords Day.
Perhaps you are right : for you.
However for me this is a rest day, a day I get to do those things I enjoy without the pressure of weekdays and time schedules to work to. Knowing we have lessons to work on, chores to do and other day to day essentials.
Sunday is a day to totally be at peace with what I choose to do with the day, thankful to God that I am given this day to love Him and still be happy in my creative endeavours.
So I love a day when I can indulge in MY rest and recovery options. In fact I do not think of these as work but as an opportunity to shower those I love with the fruits of my love, and thankful I have the opportunity to do so.
Obviously by now it must be lunch time so to keep things simple today we made Peach Yogurt Smoothies a variation on our Banana Yogurt ones we have been enjoying.

After feeding and rocking our baby to sleep I then went up to the loft to work on my sewing projects, this didn't  go for long though as he soon woke up. However it was interesting to see that some of the children brought up their projects (reading, puzzles, painting and sewing) to the loft just to be in the same space with me.

Next up was playing Uno with my sweet Moran and her Daddy. She has really discovered card games and wants to play all the time.
The children really enjoy this day as well, a day when they can catch up on reading, perhaps play a board game or other games. I also admit to letting the older ones play some computer games, this for me is a huge thing as I monitor this VERY tightly.
Interestingly enough the older children have found a lot of fun in the fame Twister over the last couple of days. It is delightful to hear them playing this together and enjoying the simple and yet memorable fun this game can provide
Then I wanted to print out an embroidery pattern to work on while giving my younger girls reading lessons during the week so I found this Sunbonnet Sue pattern to do.
I adore Sunbonnet sue and some years ago our Autumn embroidered one for me. I haven't done a lot of embroidery lately and just really felt the desire to follow this up in my free time.
So I look forward to working on this next week and I am trying to decide whether to do a whole group of them or individual ones.

As we had dinner all prepared it was a very easy evening and due to the simplicity of the meal we had a rare treat for sweets, something I call Banana Cream.
So very tasty and delectable:
Whipped cream with sliced banana on top with a drizzle of honey and sprinkle of nutmeg.

As Stephen, Rogan and Saxon went to the evening Mass (we others had been to Vigil Mass) I received a phone call after Mass to say Saxon had sprained his ankle, again, for the third time in a few months, and needed some TLC when they got home.
So love, due care and attention were administered for our poor boy.
However another opportunity to really love and serve as I know our Lord would want  me to.

Of course chatting to our older boys is always a pleasure and I am blessed that we can do this on a daily basis. I love sharing what they have done and telling them the ordinary things we have done in our family and how much we miss them still.
With joy like this to behold today as well as every day I really love to look into the faces of those I love and receive the love and joy that is there to be taken.

May you all have had a most blessed Sunday as I have had.

Blessings to you and your homes,
 

A gift of the heart is truly one of life's most blessed gifts!!

Recently, well last month now, our children (those at home) prepared a most special gift of time, thought and love for our 25th wedding anniversary.
They spent the days before this planning on what to do as a special thing for us. We were not allowed to know anything and they planned the menu for us as well as the whole day preparing the decorations and gifts for us.
They made this beautiful banner, as well as cards, place cards, and a special treat for later.
The day even started off with buckwheat pancakes, cream and peaches and jam in bed for breakfast.
Of course this means home made cards that we received from them, the older ones helping the little ones with this .
Place cards for each of us
The meal consisted of a beautiful roast chicken with a non grain stuffing mashed potatoes and vegetables. I must say I loved the stuffing as it mostly contained dried prunes, apricots, onion and wine.
As the 25th wedding anniversary is a silver one. The children decorated the table with anything they could find that had a silver colour. Hence we had pots and pans utensils and other non traditional decorating items on our dinner table.
This being one of the little place cards
We tried to get as many photos of our family, sadly minus our older two boys, for the occasion, so bear with me on this. For some reason Saxon is not as good a photographer as he is with so many other skills, so many of the photos are blurry. However they do record a precious memory for us and that is priceless.
The children insisted that they needed to dress up for the occasion hence you will see hats with cloaks and jackets, all just part of the fun.
Vellvin
Saxon- dude
Trahaearn
Arwen
Eden
Moran
Autumn
Corbyn - all Corbyn's photos are moving shots, very hard to get one not fuzzy
Rogan, love the moustache
Myffwyn
Saxon, again for real
Of course the children had to make a cake  for us and so they made the special occasion cake we have had mostly and then decorated it with whipped cream and pink flowers in the shape of a heart
Preparing to cut the cake
Yep cutting together.
The wonderful gift afterwards was this special event~
A home movie voucher (we got one each) to a movie we had not seen in years with built in baby sitting service, ie the older children would put the little ones to bed saying prayers etc and be 'on call' so we could watch this uninterrupted
When we walked into the 'movie theatre' aka our lounge room, this is what greeted us
The lunge moved close to the TV along with dressing gowns and slippers and...........
a table full of movie watching food. Great stuff like chocolate, chips and fizzy drink. Just like the real movies. Then toward the end of this Autumn brought us in a beautiful latte each.
And reason for all this started with this man, who could have known.

Thank you to our beautiful and precious children for a night to remember, amongst all the other precious memories we hold of you. Love you so much xxoo

Blessings to you and your homes,