"As the years
pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday
blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly
grateful. They are the things that fill
our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness – just the pure air to
breathe and the strength to breathe it; just warmth and shelter and home folks;
just plain food that gives us strength; the bright sunshine on a cold day; and
a cool breeze when the day is warm.”
~ Laura Ingalls
Wilder
Marmalade making season has arrived…
One of the great
joys of winter is the sight of orange trees laden with beautiful fruit, ripe
and ready for the plucking…
I love the heady
citrusy aroma of boiling fruit wafting through the house, and the many jars of
gorgeous homemade marmalade adorning the pantry shelves…
Some to be given
to dear friends…others to be enjoyed in the months to come with tea and toast
on Sunday mornings…
~
Bright orange and yellow calendula is in
bloom…
My
heart swells with sheer delight at the sight of beautifully blooming calendula
in the kitchen garden…
Every
morning after the dew has evaporated, we step outside to cut the lovely open
flowers and lay them to dry on a tray lined with muslin…
We
have hopes of attempting soap making later this year, so we are drying as much
calendula as possible for use in the soaps…
~
Fresh
eggs daily…
Is
there anything as delightful as strolling to the henhouse to collect freshly
laid eggs…?
Watching
the chickens peck at the seed thrown to them and seeing them enjoy a healthy
dust bath is just one of the simple things I love in life…
It
is with a sad heart that I report that one of our little hens was attacked by a
bird of prey…I do hope we can increase our little flock with the addition of a
few more hens this spring…
~
“We gather
simple pleasures like daises along the way.”
~ Louisa May
Alcott
Warm crusty
bread to enjoy with hearty soups…
With
the arrival of chilly winter days, I am in search of some deliciously hearty
soups to enjoy with freshly baked bread…
Coming
home after a brisk walk in the crisp outdoors to the smell of baking bread is
wonderfully comforting…
And
kneading bread is the perfect way to warm up…smiles…
~
“I am
beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the
real ones after all.”
~ Laura
Ingalls Wilder
What better way
to start the day than with a steaming cup of coffee and a precious devotional
to ponder on throughout the day…?
Quiet
days spent at home mean plenty of time to dwell on the majesty of the Lord…
It
is a sweet blessing to daily immerse myself in His Word and to spend time in
prayer…
He
is teaching me valuable lessons about contentment, and leading me into a
closer, deeper relationship with Him as I seek to know Him more fully…
~
"Christian
contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which
freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every
condition."
~ Jeremiah
Burroughs
How cosy the
house is when the fire is lit…
I
am so grateful for our little wood stove which warms up the living area…
Children
gather around the fire with their books…knitting needles and chunky wool are
brought out…nourishing soups are placed on the stovetop to slowly simmer till
dinnertime…
I
love the smell of wood burning…there is something quite satisfying about it…
“If you have
been afraid that your love of beautiful flowers and the flickering flame of the
candle is somehow less spiritual than living in starkness and ugliness,
remember that He who created you to be creative gave you the things with which
to make beauty and the sensitivity to appreciate and respond to His creation.”
~ Edith
Schaeffer
~
The peas are
beginning to flower…
Even
though the garden has settled into a quite state as the weather turns colder,
there are still
a
few crops to brighten up the winter garden…
The
peas are beginning to flower…the celery is growing bigger, and I am dreaming of
crisp
spring mornings spent tending the vegetable patch…
There
is a lot of compost to be made in the next few weeks as well as fences to be
put up before the
growing
season begins…
~
“I have often
though that if heaven had given me a choice of my position and calling, it
should have been on a rich spot of earth, well watered, and near a good market
for productions of the garden. No
occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth.”
~ Jefferson
~
As
a new week and month begins, I pray that each of you will be inspired to find
joy in the simplicity of life…in the little things that may seem insignificant,
but
are gloriously lovely to those who choose to see them…
We
are richly blessed, and we should striveto seek the beauty in everyday objects
and praise the Lord for the gift of them…
~
Have
a beautiful day, sweet friends…it is always such a joy having you stop by and I
pray you leave feeling refreshed and encouraged…
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