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

 

 

 

So Blessed

 

                                           Isn't this sign cute? I found it at Dollar Tree. 

God has been working on me about having a more grateful heart. I have so many blessings and yet I had let some disappointments suck away some of my joy and gratefulness. I spent some time in prayer and have been able to see the blessing in what I thought was so terrible. That is the way it goes sometimes. The first impression of something is not always what is true. Which is why the Bible admonishes us to think about what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report. Did my thoughts find into any of these categories? Nope!

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8

Today my heart is over following with gratefulness and joy. God is truly good.

Our day started with an outdoor service at church. It was wonderful - a beautiful, sunny fall day and we got to sing! It has been six months since we have been able to sing together as a congregation due to gov't health guidelines. What a joy that was! Another blessing was my Mum and another friend from my ladies Bible study came and joined us today! I have not been able to get them to come to church before so it was a real blessing. Then the sermon - wow! Our pastor knocked it out of the park today. ~smile~ He does an amazing job every Sunday but today just really spoke to my heart. So great! I .am so thankful for our church family and the love we have for each other

My hubby had to work this afternoon so we could not stay to picnic afterwards which was a shame. Everyone was to bring a bag lunch and visit together with social distancing ofcourse.

After Mark went to work I had a rest then went for a walk. Here are some pictures I took when I was out - so much beauty to be thankful for....

      Fresh tomatoes from the garden here at the cottage.

These grow all over the yards and by the driveway.

This jasmine down the road smells amazing! As soon as you get anywhere near it 

that is all you can smell. Beautiful!

 

Leaves are starting to turn! Fall is my favorite color!

 

Ferns in the woods.

View of the Lake

 

So very pretty! I love the color of these!

It has been a great day full of many blessings and I am grateful to God for each and every one and for opening my eyes. 

My hubby has returned so I will go spend some time with him before bed. Then it will be up for a brand new week tomorrow.~smile~

 

Happy Sunday!

Blessings,

Liisa

Bacon Burger Dogs

 

My hubby LOVES to BBQ. He is a charcoal loving, meat smoking, multi bbq owning fanatic. ~smile~

I love this about him especially since he makes us amazing food every weekend that weather allows. *wink*

Today he made us Bacon Burgers Dogs. First he seasoned some ground beef, then he flattened out a handful of it making a thin flat circle. Next he put on top a half a juicy jumbo hot dog and rolled up the beef to fully surround the wiener. That done he wrapped each one in bacon. At this point you could sprinkle them with some bbq rub.

 

On to the bbq for about 50 minutes until they test done. Mark did smoke them as well with some mesquite - just a small piece.

Oh my! Are these ever good! So simple and yet so yummy! I have had bacon wrapped hot dogs and bacon burgers and even burgers made entirely of ground bacon but these were next level. We ate them just as they are no bun. Mark put bbq sauce on half and left half plain- both ways were awesome and they would be good on a bun as well but we really didn't miss it.

I heartily recommend everyone try this you would not believe how great they are - I thought I knew what they would taste like but I was wrong. 

Oh in the picture you can just see the ribs he bbq'd as well. I was spoiled for sure today they were super good as well! I was in charge of the salad so a Greek salad rounded out the meal.

Now I am so full I just need to relax for the rest of the evening!

Happy Saturday!

Blessings,

Liisa

 

A Long Day on the Go with a Dollar Tree and Second Hand Haul

Yesterday was a very long day on the go! It all started at 4:40 a.m. when my alarm went off - that is my usual wake up time here at the cottage and that gives me time to make my hubby some breakfast, pack up his lunch, make the coffee and have devotional time with him before he has to leave. 

After he headed out for the day I had my personal Bible time with my furry little Bible study Buddy Piggy (our cat). Then got busy tidying up. I did some blogging and gathered up for the day.  My Mum picked me up at 9:30 and in usual fashion for me I had tried to do too much in too little time and then ended up dashing out the door without thinking and left my "go bag" at home. It is small tote bag I keep packed with anything I may need for a day out. I will have to do a post about the "go bag" and show everything I keep in there. It is just easy to grab on my way out - well easy when I am not on a mad dash. *wink*

Anyway, Mum and I had planned to go to a second hand store in a town about half an hour away. It is huge and I have been shopping there since my son was in kindergarten - he is now 29. In fact it was the very first second hand store I ever shopped at. I had no idea that was even a thing until I moved to this area and met a lady who befriended me and taught me all about the money saving joys of thrift shopping ~smile~. All through Andy's growing up years there must have been a boy just a bit older than him whose mom donated his outgrown clothes to that store. I was able to buy brand name - expensive brand name - clothes for Andy from kindergarten right through high school.  God bless that mama with a heart to share their blessings with that store and through that to me.

After the second hand store we planned to go to Dollar Tree in another town 20 minutes from there. I LOVE Dollar Tree. I love it far too much and I really should stop watching Dollar Tree DIY and haul videos on You Tube because I get so sucked in by all the cuteness!

So that is exactly what we did. Here is a picture of all I bought at those 2 places...

Yep carried away! Mostly at Dollar Tree especially as I went for a card and gift bag lol!

At the second hand store I found 2 dress shirts for Mark - one long sleeve and one short. This store always seems to have shirts in his size 3x, not all second hand stores do. Of course he is 6'3 so he needs them to be long too. God has blessed me because I always find them there and the price is right at $3. ~smile~

I found some white pillowcases which was a blessing. We like to have 2 pillows each so I like to have white pillow cases for the second pillows as they go with any sheet set.

I also found a book, I really enjoy Christian Amish fiction and after I read it I pass it on to a friend and when she is done they go to 3 other ladies before they end up in the Church library. ( well these little books do not end up in the library but the regular novels do).

I was happy to find these brand new pewter ornaments which I will save to tuck in with Christmas gifts.

That was it from there - oh! I also found the movie Grease. It was the first movie I ever went to with friends when I must have been just 9 or so. There now everyone knows how old I am. Ha! We were living in a very small very northern town so I expect it was quite some time after the movie came out before it made it to that wee little theatre. Anyway, Mark has never seen it so I plan to force invite him to watch it with me. *grin*.

Now on to the Dollar Tree goodies..

Some gifts for my son's dog Beau for when we go up North next time 

I thought these window clings were super cute and would perk up the cottage a little more ~smile~

Such a cute wall sticker! I have this in my bathroom up North but when I saw it again I grabbed one to keep as a spare in case something happens to that one. I just loved it!

I picked up these things for some DIY projects I saw on You Tube. I will post about it when I make them. You can find the video I got the ideas from here. Such awesome ideas! Unfortunately this was the only one of the calendars I could find at that Dollar Tree of the ones she used and I got the last one.

Then just some wet wipes always handy! How cute is the packaging - make them look a little more special than they are *wink* and some Country Harvest bread. I was super excited to find that Dollar Tree carries this bread - Mark likes it and it is over $3 at the grocery store and $1.25 at Dollar Tree. Can't go wrong. And I did actually remember to get the birthday card and bag I went in for haha!

We did hit the grocery store and go out for some lunch too. So a full day out already.

So after ALL of that my Mum dropped me at Mark's work since he and I were going to drive 3 hours from home to buy a snowmobile he found on Kijiji. It looked amazing and the price was right. He spoke with the man and it seemed like the perfect deal. We really want one for our Northern life once we get moved up there so off we went.

At this point it is 3:30 - 3 hours later we arrive. The man is there - drinking a king can beer and is locked out of his truck and it is not even his house so he has no tools so Mark could do a compression test. The machine was really quite rough and had an exhaust and oil leak. There was oil coming out the exhaust and the clouds of exhaust were so wild it was hard to get near the machine. It was banged up as well which did not show in the pictures. *sigh* So we passed on it. 3 Hours there 3 hours back. Oh well! All we were out was some gas money -it was worth a try and we had a nice time being together and talking, we went out for some dinner on the way back too ~smile~ The only trouble was getting back so late. The alarm at 4:40 seemed to feel extra early this morning! 

So a long day on the go indeed but it was a good day!

Have a Happy Friday!

Blessings,

Liisa

 

Cinnamon Swirl Loaf

This recipe is so easy but makes a really good and impressive looking coffee cake when you slice it and see the swirls which is perfect for gift giving. When ever I make it I am asked for the recipe.

I use this as a gift for new neighbors, thank yous, and add it to a meal for new babies or bereavement, really for anytime I need a little gift for someone. It is easy to wrap and decorate just to make it a little more special.

So Here is the Recipe...

Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake Loaf

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup buttermilk ( I use 1 cup milk mixed with 1 tbsp. vinegar)

1 egg

1/4 cup oil

3 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. cocoa (this adds such a nice flavor and color to the swirl ~smile~)

In a large bowl combine flour, white sugar, baking soda and salt

Combine milk, egg and oil. Stir into dry ingredients.

In a small bowl combine cinnamon, brown sugar and cocoa.

Grease the bottom only of a loaf pan.

Pour half the batter into the pan, sprinkle with half the brown sugar mixture, then rest of the batter and rest of the brown sugar mixture.

Swirl with a knife.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 - 50 minutes or until it tests done.

Here is a picture of the one I made for my neighbors here at the cottage ...

The cakes look especially pretty with a wide floral fabric ribbon over the brown paper and with raffia instead of jute.

So there you have it Cinnamon Swirl Loaf. ~smile~

Happy Friday!

Blessings,

Liisa

Adjusting to Cottage Life

 

Well we have been in the cottage for just over two weeks and I think we are adjusting now. It was a big change for us. We went from a large old house to a small old cottage. The cottage is filled with another woman's things, furniture and every other thing. She did her best to make some room for our things which was sweet. But there were just sooooo many things here. Like everywhere! 

I did some rearranging the first couple of days and set some of her things in nooks out of the way. But we live mainly out of totes, baskets, boxes and suitcases. Which is totally fine as this is only temporary. But it is feeling like home now. God is good and has been really helping me get used to it here.

There are beautiful flowers here like Morning Glories - when they first bloom the are a pure blue and fade to purple then pink. I have never had morning glories before. So pretty!

The owner loves nature and let the side yard be a mostly wild garden so I have also had wildlife I never heard before. We had a whippoorwill! I had never heard one before. I never got to see it but he sure made himself known - SO loud! I also heard an owl and the other morning when I came back from from dropping off Mark it was still dark and some thing big flew past me as I was going to the door. It freaked me out! So much to get used to. 

We had been in our house for 20 years so anywhere else would have taken some getting used to. I drove by our old house yesterday and felt a twinge of sadness but it was not as bad as I had thought it would be.

 I feel so so bad for the new owners though. I guess last week they had a sewage flood in the basement!!! We were completely shocked! Everything was good when we left. They said it was somehow coming out from the basement bathroom vanity and seemed to be somehow connected to the bathroom in the apartment - so crazy! We never even had the basement bathroom hooked up. They said it went from the basement bathroom under the wall and all under the washer in the laundry room. So awful! It just made us sick to think of them going through that. She let me know they had plumbers in who saw no obvious problem but hooked up the basement bathroom. So I pray they have no more troubles. It sure makes our adjustments here seem insignificant!

We had our first Laundromat adventure this past weekend! My, my, we were out of our element. The laundromat was full of people some of whom were staring at us as we clearly had no idea what we were doing. I have been to one before but that was many, many years ago. So I brought quarters not realizing washing machines now take loonies. $2 a wash. Thankfully Mark had some cash so I told him there must be a change machine somewhere. Well he finally found it around a corner. We got even more looks and comments of hitting the jackpot as the sound of $20 worth of loonies and quarters rang out through the laundromat! I guess that was all he had lol!

 

So money sorted out I wiped out the washers with a lysol wipe and loaded them. Mark was embarrassed I wiped them out but I know people who have washing machines bring things they don't want to wash at home there. Also I am a germ-a-phobe I admit it. Thankfully we were away from others and no one else saw it - I would truly feel awful if I offended anyone. So after reading and rereading the directions on the lid we managed to get our clothes washed. The dryers had not changed in years as far as operation goes so we had no trouble there. Once everything was dry ( so quick even the load of jeans and towels only took 20 minutes - those are great driers! ) Mark was about to dump the clean clothes on the counter so I could fold them and perhaps a little too loudly I said NO! I would just fold out of the basket. I had just spied the washer next to the counter covered  - really covered in little black hairs and white specks. EEEWWWW! 

Our whole adventure took just about and hour and 20 minutes so I was quite pleased with that and have confidence that we will be able to handle it next time without all the stares and embarrassment. ~smile~

I have been driving Mark to meet up with the guy he usually rides to work with. It is a 20 minute drive so we have to leave at 530 a.m. This is another adjustment not just for us but for our neighbours here. We drive a big diesel truck which is loud, really loud when it starts and well it is even loud when it runs. We feel so bad but there is nothing we can do. Fortunately we have very sweet neighbours. They said we did wake them up the first couple of mornings but now that it is getting colder at night they have their windows closed. They were so nice about it. I made them a cake and a little bag of cookies for their dog to apologize for the truck. So funny their dog is named Andy which is our son's name. That makes me smile whenever I see him. 

 

I make a cinnamon swirl coffee cake loaf often and everyone seems to love it and ask for the recipe so I made that for them. I like to make the loaf because it is easy to wrap it up in a cute way and it seems a little more special for them. 

Here is a pic of how I did this one....

I always use a strip of brown paper first then use a pretty wide ribbon strip and tie a piece of jute or raffia around it with a bow. I attach a tag and there you have it. So quick and easy but so pretty ~smile~

I will share the loaf recipe tomorrow God willing!

Anyway, I best get ready I have to prep for tomorrow morning now because I am out for the day with my Mum then I am meeting my hubby at work and we are off for a 2 1/2 hour drive to buy a snowmobile. We are not going to get home until 11 or 12 tonight so we will likely fall into bed and I will be back up at 4:40 and too sleepy to make lunch for Mark etc. Thankfully he is happy to just have cereal some mornings ~smile~

Happy Thursday!

Blessings,

Liisa