Seeing the Blessings

 

I bought this cute little sign before we moved into this cottage after selling our home. This cottage was not somewhere I EVER wanted to be and I figured I needed every possible reminder to be thankful to God, so I bought a bunch of signs to put all over the cottage. It was a good thing it was coming into fall and there were lots with the theme of being grateful, thankful and blessed.

This cottage came up when we had 2 weeks to go to be out - I have mentioned all this before. So this was it. All I could see was how it was an old, run down, super cluttered and pretty sketchy place to have to live in the middle of a giant weed field far from my town and my friends. And there were bugs everywhere! Eeeewwww! I was NOT pleased. 

But it is just about a month later and I just realized that I am happy here. Not something I ever thought would happen. God has blessed me and given me eyes to see the blessings He has provided. 

We are comfortable in this little cottage. We just laugh at the quirks. Funny- I just looked up quirky so I would know how to spell it and the dictionary defines it as - characterized by peculiar or unexpected traits. Ha! That sums up this cottage for sure lol! The kitchen light - the only one- is a hanging light that periodically fades on and off and when you step in certain places you stumble because you are suddenly on an unexpected slope. However it is all part of the adventure in this quirky cottage! ~smile~

The house was furnished  -amply lol! So we will only have to move a bed and chair with our boxes etc.and I have not been able to put things away out of the boxes and bins so I am already pretty well packed to move when we are ready.

Having to drive my hubby to town in the morning if I need the truck gives us time to talk and hold hands and just be together for 20 extra minutes. The drive back gives me time to pray - eyes open!! haha! Or just to listen to some worship music just a bit of time to focus on God before the day gets going.

I have a route I walk here that takes me around the whole subdivision and there is such beauty here. Beautiful homes and cottages, amazing gardens, the lake, the woods, not to mention the birds! We have seen birds we have never seen before - yesterday we saw a yellow breasted nut hatch and we have had tons of flickers. God has blessed us all with the amazing and awe inspiring variety and beauty in our world. What a gift that is. It all just speaks to me of God's love for us.

These are so pretty - they are the size of a luncheon plate!

 

Wild Grapes

Morning Glories

Super Cute House in the Neighbourhood

A Path to the Lake

So there are blessings everywhere I just need my eyes opened to see them. God is so good and has provided for all our needs. 

Happy Monday!

Blessings,

Liisa

 

 

 

 

 I bought a few signs like the Thankful Grateful Blessed one I showed the other day.

Dollar Tree Calendar DIY

 

I have been talking about this craft made from Dollar Tree calendars since I saw this tutorial and I finally made a couple today.

At first I was only able to find this calendar...

Which was not one I really wanted. I searched the local Dollar Trees several times and then on Friday there was the one I really wanted! Yay! It is so pretty....

The circle designs are perfect for putting on the chargers which I also got at Dollar Tree. They came in White, gold, silver and a raised design gold one at our local store. I liked the white best so I grabbed a bunch as I had been hoping to make some as gifts with the different designs and maybe a couple of ones for me for different seasons.~smile~

So I got to it! First I cut out the designs. For the Christmas one I cut all around the leaves and edge details and it really made it look nice on the the charger. 

Next came the mod podge -I love Dollar Tree I was even able to get little bottles of it there. I painted the center of the charger with mod podge  and carefully laid on the design. I thought oh this is great and looked away for a second and looked back and it was all bubbled and wrinkled - *sigh*

In the tutorial she does warn that the pictures bubble and wrinkle. But she felt it added to the farmhouse look so hey who am I to argue lol!

I used a plastic scraper tool to smooth out what I could, then added a top coat of mod podge paying attention to the edges and they ended up not looking too bad when they were dry. The only thing I will say is that due to the thin calendar pages you can see the numbers and lines in spots showing through from the back if you look closely. If your pictures are not white they will not have that trouble. The pumpkin was one I thought may not work well but I ended up liking it best.

Now that they were dry I added some decoration to the edges. I just used some frosted greenery and holly leaves on the Christmas one and added a pine cone, holly berries and some tiny red berries. I like how the holly in the decoration picks up the holly in the picture.

 

For the fall one I layered gold maple leaves over red ones and hot glued them on then made a burlap bow to go on. I just took a piece of the burlap ribbon and folded the ends to the center to create a bow shape then wrapped jute around the center and tied it off in the back. I hot glued that on and added a piece of pip berry wire that I had twisted around my finger to make it look a bit like a curly pumpkin vine - with cute pip berries ~smile~

 

To hang them I will hot glue a pop can tab to the back of each one. Simple and free! What could be better!

So I think they turned out cute- not perfect but they will still look nice on the wall.

For my next project I will be making the magnets also shown in the Unicorn Dust tutorial using the pictures on the back of the calendars and the tumbling tower blocks from... Yep! You guessed it Dollar Tree! I am hoping those turn out well and look good enough to give as gifts. We will see!

Happy Sunday!

Blessings.

Liisa

Frugal Old Fashioned Recipe

 

Last night I made a recipe Mark has been requesting for a long time - it is one his mom always made. 

This was my first time making it so I was not sure how it would turn out but he LOVED it. It had all the happy childhood memory flavors he remembered. ~smile~

It sounds like a crazy thing to make but it is honestly really good and super frugal so a win win!

It is Tuna in Gravy on Mashed Potatoes. Here is the recipe as my Mother in Law told it to me. It helps to picture a wee little German lady with a heavy accent as you read this. hee!hee!

Tuna in Gravy

Brown half an onion in a generous piece of butter. Once onions are brown - they really do need to be brown to get the right flavor. Stir in a can of drained tuna.

Mix 2 packets of beef boullion (she always used Bovril.) with half a cup of hot water. Stir into the tuna and onions.

Boil. Mix some cornstarch and water and stir in to thicken. I used a shake of Veloutine instead.

When thick serve over mashed potatoes.

Note - I doubled this recipe for my hubby and I and we had some left over for lunch today.

 

According to Mark's request I needed to make the mashed potatoes the same way she did. I apparently succeeded because there were lots of mmmmm's coming from him at dinner!

My Mother in Law's Mashed Potatoes

Peel and cut potatoes in small cubes. Boil in very salty water. I mean she used to take the box of salt and pour from that generously. I on the other hand could not bring my self to do that but I did put some big shakes of salt in from the salt shaker.

Once they are very soft, drain and mash with a 1/4 lb.or more of butter and a splash or 2 of half and half. Stir with the potato masher until they are a whipped consistency add more half and half if needed to get a whipped texture.

Mound on a plate and create a well in the center and fill with gravy. My mother in law was famous for saying the gravy is where all the goodness is. Everything she made had gravy ~smile~

Note -it is quite a bit of butter considering it was not a big pot of potatoes, but maybe butter is also where all the goodness is! haha!

So that is it! A very easy and very frugal meal that made my hubby very happy. ~smile~

Happy Saturday!

Blessings,

Liisa

Hubby's Birthday!

 

I love this picture of Mark - we were out for a picnic (or as he says -" It is called food outdoors - men don't picnic) Lol! and I snapped a pic of him when he wasn't looking. He hates posing for pics so I have to sneak attack him ~smile~ 

Yesterday was Mark's birthday so it was a busy day of course! It seems special days always end up being busy and being here in the cottage added a bit more to the day.

I started the day by making my hubby some scrambled eggs with feta cheese and toast for breakfast. Just an everyday kind of breakfast but it was just before 5 a.m. and we had to leave at 5:30. I should have planned ahead and pre-made some breakfast meats or a breakfast casserole so I could just warm it up so it would be a little more special but he enjoyed it. ~smile~

Since we moved and we are not in our own home I am having such a hard time getting back on track. I seem to be just flying by the seat of my pants ( well skirt lol!).

I took him to meet his ride and came back for some personal Bible time (morning devotions). I agreed to go out with my Mum and a friend to do some shopping so I had to be back in the town I had dropped Mark off in by 9:30. It takes me 40 minutes to drop Mark off and come back then 20 minutes back to that town to meet my Mum. So after getting some tidying up done it was time to go again!

We went to the second hand store we went to the other day and I was so blessed to find a large piece of counter top that was made into a cutting board. I was planning to go to the counter shop and get a piece cut for me. Up North our counters are ceramic tile so they are not smooth because there are grout grooves between each tile. It just doesn't work well for rolling out dough, pie crusts or tortillas or even for kneading bread dough. I do quite a lot of these things and we do not want to get into a kitchen renovation at this time so I thought hey! if I just get a piece of smooth counter top big enough to do these jobs that is an economical solution. And this sure was! It only cost me $3.50 - I was thrilled. I am not sure how much the counter shop would charge me but I am guessing a lot more than $3.50. It even has the sides finished and it matches my kitchen! ~big smile~

I was also happy to find another button up shirt for my hubby and all adult clothing was half price! So great! Then on the way out I noticed they had some boxes of free things and a lot of books. I grabbed 3 cookbooks mostly just to look over in the car while we were driving. We enjoy talking about recipes so free worked for me. I figured I might find a couple of new recipes and then I could just donate the books to another second hand store. Well, it turns our that one of these books is wonderful! It has down to earth recipes that I would really make. It even has many of our families favorites in it. I LOVE it! I have plans to make just about everything in it. ~smile~ I have yet to look through the other two but I am sure there are some good things in those too since they are church cookbooks and church ladies always make yummy things. 

 

We naturally popped into Dollar Tree because why not! Actually I really need to stay out of that store - so much cuteness and great deals. I grabbed another loaf of  bread - I still can't believe that they have Country Harvest Bread and Wonderbread for $1.25! I have not had time to get back to baking our bread but hope to very soon - Mark hopes so too *wink*  I am concerned about the oven here though. It is not steady-  one pan of cookies is perfect the very next is burnt and the one after is raw. I am so looking forward to having my own full size oven. I grabbed a couple of things I needed and a couple I didn't.

Next was lunch at Dairy Queen. It was right across the street so we all got the chicken strip meal deal that came with a free Sundae. Mmmmm Sundaes! I needed to stop there anyway to pick up an ice cream cake for Mark - they are his very favorite. The only trouble was that this was around noon. We still needed to pop into the grocery store then had a 30 minute drive back to my Mum's then I still had to wait until 3:15 to pick up Mark. Thankfully Mum made room in her freezer to keep it until I got him. 

After we got back to Mum's it was just 1:30 so I dropped into the second hand store there,where I found a Christian Amish fiction novel. Next I went to visit a friend. She is the lady I used to visit just about every afternoon and brought meals for until we moved. She is in her 80's and is quite sad that we have moved. I am going to make a point to visit her more often. She is such a sweet heart.

The day was not over yet! I did a few errands in town then picked up Mark. We grabbed the cake then on the drive home he suggested that we just grab a pizza for dinner so I would not have to cook. He is so sweet! It was hot and I was really not looking forward to heating up the cottage more with the stove. Also I was kind of wiped out by this point!

I talked him into also getting some ready cooked chicken fingers that he loves from the grocery store to go with it. Thankfully I had brought 2 cooler bags and some ice packs for the cake because getting things took a while.

At the grocery store we found a bag of grain free cat food for 50% off. I was pleased since we switched to grain free cat food after our one cat had become diabetic years ago. After giving him insulin shots twice a day for about a year and changing the cat food to grain free he grew out of it. Praise the Lord! Giving a cat a needle twice a day is no fun for us or him! I do not want Piggy to go through that either so we kept on with the grain free.

 Then Mark found some Royal Oak mesquite wood chips for the bbq for 2 cents a bag. Yes 2 cents! We could not believe it. Things like this are why I always check the discount section. He was very happy and bought every bag. He will share with our son and a friend. We did get looks with 18 bags of wood chips in our cart lol!

We picked up our very first Extra Most Bestest pizza from Little Caesars (Oh my it was so good!!) and headed home.

Added to this whole day was us dealing with an offer we were making on a house up north we hope to buy for my mum to rent from us.

Crazy day! But we were able to just relax for the evening which was so so nice!

Mark loved the cake which was slightly softer than it should have been but still ok and he was very pleased with his gift. He said it was a good birthday! ~smile~

So that explains the lack of a post yesterday. 

Happy Friday!

Blessings,

Liisa

An update on that house we were offering on - after going back and forth a couple of times they were not willing to go low enough for it to work out for us so the house hunt continues. *sigh* We just know that, that house was not the best one for us to buy. We had asked God to either open the door wide if it was His will or slam it shut if it wasn't. So far that door has shut. So we will trust God and keep looking. ~smile~

Fall and New Beginings

 

When I was out for my walk this morning I came upon these two leaves lying on the road. I thought it was just a perfect picture so I took one. I am sure I got a few looks for standing in the middle of the street taking a picture of the ground. Oh well! ~smile~

The changing leaves got me thinking about how things pass on and then in the spring life bursts forth again. It reminded me of what is going on in our lives right now. The life we have known for the past 20 years is coming to an end. 

We have sold the home we raised our son in, where so many memories were made, where the great tree house war took place between my son and the neighbour girls. Where Andy learned to skate board with only 2 hospital visits, where our family jokes were started. It is where we cared for my mother in law for many years until she went to be with Jesus. It is where I got saved, where I started ladies ministry and my ladies weekly Bible study. It was filled with many children though my childcare work and many friends of my son's who we watched grow from young boys to men. Where loud band practices took place and teens flowed freely in and out of our home. Where my annual Christmas cookie party took place with upwards of 30 ladies and plate upon plate of wonderful cookies and squares. Where we had family holidays every year. Where Mark and I became empty nesters. So many wonderful memories were made and so many good times had, and yes some sorrows shared as well.

Now my hubby has applied for an early exit package from his work. It is a buy out. He has been there for 20 years this month. He enjoys his job and it pays very well and has awesome benefits. So it is  a scary thing to do for sure!

We have lived in our town for 25 years, everyone knows us and we know them. We are greeted by name at the bank and are friends with the ladies at the local grocery store. When we would go for a walk we would meet others and chat and share a moment together. We had had the same neighbours for all 20 of our years there and we felt more like family than neighbours.We were very, very happy in this little town.

We have been in the same church for many, many years Mark got baptized there on a mother's day long ago (the very best mother's day gift I have ever received), we renewed our wedding vows after a Sunday service in the Pastor's office with just the Pastor, his wife and Andy and his girlfriend. We did it for our 20th anniversary and call that our "real wedding" since neither of us were Christians when we got married and the vows before God took on a whole new and deeper meaning when He is truly in our life. It was so special. My mother in law's funeral took place there and so did my Dad's. The people there are our family and we love them greatly. We just got a new pastor too who is an amazing blessings to us all and his wife is such a sweet lady. I have taught Sunday school and children's church and led VBS crafts there seeing the changes in the children from little children to youth to college age and now adulthood. We have attended the weddings and funerals of our church family rejoicing with those who rejoice and crying with those who cried. We have served where we are needed and loved every minute of it.

 So this is like our fall, things here are passing on and it is sometimes hard and bittersweet but we need to keep our eyes on God and know that good things are coming. That there is a purpose in all this. We really believe God wants us up North and pray He will use us however He sees fit to share the joy of knowing Him with others. It is an exciting time - there are so many plans I hope to bring to life. It is also exciting because of course our son is already there and we so love the little town that is our new home. God is so good and has opened doors for us and made ways when we could not imagine it working out and so we trust him with what ever comes next.

Our prayer is always Lord please open the door if this is your will and slam it shut if it is not. Praise the Lord we serve our God Who hears and answers prayers! 

We are now at the waiting stage as we wait to see when Mark's last day of work might be, then we will move ahead onto the next adventure in this journey God leads us on!

 Just some thoughts a few colorful leaves brought to mind on this warm and sunny fall day. 

Happy Wednesday!

Blessings,

Liisa

Welcome Home!

 

This is the sight that greeted me when I returned to the cottage after shopping. That is Piggy and it just looks like she is saying welcome home! I have been waiting for you! ~smile~

This got my thoughts going in a couple of directions. First was a happy marriage tip. I always see my hubby off to work -  I kiss him goodbye at the door and stand there and wave as he drives off. When I hear our truck coming down the road (sometimes having a loud diesel has it's benefits lol!) I go to the door and greet him there with a kiss and let him know I missed him. 

I do this because I really do miss him when he is gone but also because I want him to know he is loved and appreciated. It is important that he know he matters to me. That it matters that he goes to work to support us everyday and that I care that he comes home to me at the end of it.

I also try and have dinner going when he gets home so he can smell good things to come and if it will be a little while until dinner is ready I have a snack waiting for him. I do my best to have the house clean and welcoming for him. I want our home to be a safe haven for him after a long day dealing with all the stress that goes along with his job. 

Many years ago a couple of our friends split up. Things had been going badly for quite some time and when it finally ended the husband confided in me that the one thing she did that hurt him the most was she never saw him off to work - never even got up or even made his lunch. She also never greeted him when he came home, she barely tossed a hello over her shoulder to him and certainly did not stop what she was doing. He said it made him feel like he didn't matter to her at all. That she could careless if he even came home. It was extremely hurtful to him. I never wanted my hubby to feel that way.

Second thing that seeing piggy there reminded me of is creating a welcoming home. What I can do to make people feel welcome at our home. Here are a few things I do...

- I try to keep my house clean and ready for when people just pop by so I never need to hesitate or be embarrassed to invite them in. Also if the day has gotten away from me and things are not all tidy I invite them in anyway without apology, I do not want them to feel like they are putting me out, I just carry on with the visit since they are there to see me anyway and not my house. That was a hard go for me at first until I popped in on my friend one day. She was in the midst of canning, home schooling and selling puppies not to mention the kittens running around. She was disheveled and her house was cluttered and messy and it was a happy busy place. It was one of the most comfortable visits I have ever had with anyone. She was genuinely happy I was there and carried on with her day while we chatted. It was a game changer for me.

- I keep a selection of teas, coffee, hot chocolate and k-cup cider and flavored coffees on hand so I can offer my guests their choice of beverages.

- I bake several times a week so I always have some type of baked treat on hand to offer.

- I like to have nice mugs and pretty serving plates for guests because I think it makes people feel special when there are pretty things ~smile~

- I keep a list taped inside my cupboard of how guests like their coffee or tea so that when they come again I do not have to ask I can just serve them their beverage the way they like it. It really does go a long way to letting them know they are special to you and you are glad they came by.

- When you love others and love hospitality it really does show and that is the most important key to making people feel welcome.~smile~

So just a few thoughts that a chubby little kitty in the window brought to mind.

Happy Tuesday!

Blessings,

Liisa

"Go Bag"

 

A "Go Bag" is a bag that I keep packed with things I may need when I am out for the day. That way I can just grab it as I head out the door and know I have everything I may need for anything that may come up during the day. This saves me from having a GIANT purse.....well not that my purse is tiny by anyone's standard! Hahahaha!

For my Go Bag I usually use this fabric tote. It is a nice size and can hold magazines and yet is slim enough to fit nicely in the space beside my legs in the truck without being n the way. 

Inside I always have the green zipper pouch which holds personal items, a travel size antiperspirant because you never know when a crazy morning rush will cause you to forget *wink*, kleenex and a handkerchief - which can often be a multi purpose item! You would be surprised what you can use one for in a pinch! 

There is also a pink eye glass case from the dollar store which holds bandages in 2 sizes, safety pins, wipes and a baggie of medicines with a paper that has what they are, directions and expiry date. Just like Advil, Gravol, allergy pills and Tylenol- that kind of thing.I also need to put back in a small sewing kit. 

I have a baggie with a pair of surgical gloves because you just never know and a small bottle of hand sanitizer. I also carry a smaller one in my purse so this one is good if I run out and need a refill.

I have a fan because I am ALWAYS on fire hot. Like year round - middle of winter - whenever. I could blame it on my age but I have always had this trouble. I blame it on growing up in Northern Ontario and being used to colder weather - yeah we will go with that. ~smile~

I like to bring a spare pair of pantyhose since I only wear skirts and thus in cooler months pantyhose. I have done this ever since I got a run in a pair I was wearing in the mall- like a great big huge noticeable and uncomfortable one. I ended up having to buy a pair for quite a bit more than I wanted to spend so now I bring my own spare.

I also put in a charger adapter for the truck, some rolaids -though not a huge bottle just a couple in a wee container, a pen, usually a notebook, a magazine in case I am waiting some where and some crocheting in case I am waiting a long while or it is a long drive. I also have a plastic bag - always a handy item to have.

This go bag has saved the day far more often than I can say. And not just for me it is nice to have things in case someone else is in need of it.

I guess that is it - I toss in my water bottle and off I go!

Happy Monday!

Blessings,

Liisa