Monday, June 29, 2015

Simple Pleasures...


"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…

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  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…

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  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…

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“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…

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“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…

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"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

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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…

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“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

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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…

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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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