Quick Project

In my entryway there is a cold air vent in the floor. It had gotten quite neglected and became dusty and rusty. I am quite embarrassed about this since it is right in my entryway and everyone sees it when they come in.

This morning I picked up a little can of gloss black paint at the dollar store and spent a bit of nap time getting that vent fixed up. I can't tell you how much better it looks and what a difference just that small project has made to the overall look of the entryway.

So for one dollar and a bit of time the project is done!

Here are some pictures of the work in progress and finished. Yikes! It was awful wasn't it! So much better now!





Blessings,
Liisa

Being Good Stewards

In this day and age where we are constantly fed images of "perfect" homes and "perfect" lives through the media it is very hard to resist the urge to spend far more than we really need to on things that don't really matter and in reality don't bring us much closer to attaining that "perfect" life. There will always be one more thing, one more must have item.

I am prone to pouring over these pictures of beautiful homes and trying to see what would work in ours. If I am not careful this can lead to a feeling of discontent and longing for more money and more things. That is when I need to step back and be grateful for what I do have. However by reading these magazines and studying ads I know what to be on the look out for in the second hand stores. I have been able to find almost everything I have wanted for our home by being patient and waiting to find a really good sale like our living room rugs that were marked down and then on an unadvertised sale for 75% off the already reduced price or finding it at the second hand store.

Recently I was on the look out for a full length mirror and I found one tucked behind some tables in the second hand store an paid only a fraction of what one would cost new. Now on my list is a swag for over the mirror in my freshly painted entryway.

Another area besides the media that we can get pulled into spending more than we need to is through our friends. Thursday morning my friend told me she was making some cute new winter curtains for her kitchen. This got me to thinking about my valances in my living and dining room. Some of you may remember my post about them. I love them. I was so excited to get them and they are lovely. But when I was talking to my friend and hearing about her new winter curtains I was suddenly not so thrilled with my floral valances with winter coming and I was thinking about how much nicer it would be to have a more wintry pattern that flowers for the coming season. I was still thinking about this when I went out later that day. I found some lovely fabric at the second hand store that would do very nicely and it was only $6 for several metres and was a very good quality fabric with a beautiful pattern. Oh I was tempted but you know even though it fit my criteria of being a really good deal I did not need it. I love my curtains, I was very blessed to get them and they are just fine for year round use. Winter curtains never even occurred to me until I was talking to my friend. I am grateful for what I have and the money I would have spent on new fabric is better spent on things we do need.

I am not saying that we shouldn't talk to our friends about things they are doing to make their homes nicer for their families on the contrary I have been so inspired and encouraged by this and by reading others blogs. I just need to be careful to evaluate the things I do or buy and make sure they are right for us. It is easy to get swept up in the idea that I NEED that or I MUST do that so it is important to step back and evaluate whether it will really benefit my home and my family or whether it is wasting money or time that could be better spent elsewhere.

Blessings,
Liisa

Artwork from www.allposters.com

Above Rubies Ladies Retreat!

I am so excited!!! Nancy Campbell from Above Rubies is coming to Ontario in May for a ladies retreat in the Muskokas and God willing I will be going! I have been so blessed by their website and having been hoping for many years that she would come to Ontario for a ladies retreat and now she is!!! I cannot tell you how happy this makes me!

Details are not finalized yet but the cost is expected to be around $160 dollars and that will include a bed for two nights, 5 meals and the sessions. It is taking place at Camp Crossroads near Torrance Ontario May 8-10. For more information you can visit the Above Rubies website and look under retreats in the sidebar.

There are no tickets available yet but they say that they can accommodate 200 women and young ladies over 13 years of age and expect it to fill up fast so if you would like to ensure a spot you can email those organizing the event at above@exhort-daily.com to reserve a space. I emailed this morning to reserve spaces for myself, my sister, my niece and our friend.

How exciting! I am so looking forward to the sessions and I am also looking forward to the opportunity to fellowship with so many like minded ladies.

Blessings,
Liisa

Pumpkin Activities

Here are the pumpkin ideas we did today to use up our pumpkin cutouts.

For this one I wrote out this song on a sheet of paper and we sang it while gluing pumpkins on.

Mr. Pumpkin (tune: Where is thumbkin)

Mr. Pumpkin,
Mr. Pumpkin,
Round and fat.
Round and fat.
Harvest time is coming.
Harvest time is coming.
Yum, yum, yum.
That is that!


For this one I drew a wall on a piece of paper and the monkeys glued a pumpkin on top of it. Then they colored it while I read the poem to them.


Pumpkin, Pumpkin

Pumpkin, Pumpkin,
Sitting on the wall.
Pumpkin, Pumpkin,
Tip and fall.
Pumpkin, Pumpkin,
Rolling down the street.
Pumpkin, Pumpkin,
Good to eat!!

I found these at Teachers.net They have a whole page of pumpkin and harvest poems and songs, you can find them here.

Blessings,
Liisa

Old Fashioned Cocoa Pudding

I don't remember where I found this recipe so if was on your site please let me know and I will give you credit.

I made this two days ago and my family loved it so much they asked for it for dessert yesterday too so I had to share it here.

Old Fashioned Cocoa Pudding

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups water
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp. margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
whipped cream (for top)

In a sauce pan combine the sugar, cocoa,flour and salt.
Gradually whisk in water and egg yolks.
Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil, stirring constantly.
Cook and stir for two minutes or until thickened.
Remove from heat, stir in margarine and vanilla until blended.
Pour into individual dishes.
Refrigerate until set.
Garnish with whipped cream.

Yield four servings. Can also be used as a pie filling.

This pudding is very thick and rich so I did not flavour or sweeten the whipped cream. It would work very well in a pie. This made four little dishes of pudding and a little dish was all you needed! Very chocolaty and rich, oh so good!







Enjoy!

Blessings,
Liisa

Home is Best

It hit me again today that there are no other women at home during the day in my neighbourhood or in my circle of friends. Either the women I know are out working or they are out busy doing things elsewhere. Homes are empty.


Here is a poem that struck a chord with me today....


HOME IS BEST


Stay, stay at home, my heart and rest;

Home-keeping hearts are happiest,

For those that wander they know not where

Are full of trouble and full of care;

To stay at home is best.



Weary and homesick and distressed,

They wander east, they wander west,

And are baffled and beaten and blown about

By the winds of the wilderness of doubt;

To stay at home is best.



Then stay at home, my heart, and rest;

The bird is safest in its nest,

Over all that flutter their wings and fly

A hawk is hovering in the sky;

To stay at home is best.



Henry Wadsworth Longfellow



For me home is best.

Blessings,
Liisa

Activities for the Monkeys

We do not celebrate Halloween but I was given a bunch of bat cutouts to use with the children I didn't want to waste them so here is what we have been up to.

Yesterday we glued some on a piece of paper. I wrote out this little song in the corner and we sang it as we glued.

Bats are Sleeping (to the tune of Frere Jacques)

Bats are sleeping, Bats are sleeping
upside down upside down
Sleeping in the morning sun
Waiting for the night to come
Then they'll fly around
Then they'll fly around.

Today we glued them to big Popsicle sticks two for each child and played this game...

Two Little Bats

Two little bats hanging in a cave
One named Dan, one named Dave
Fly away Dan
Fly away Dave
Come back Dan, come back Dave!

I got these ideas from this wonderful bat site for children called Going Batty Lots of fun activities etc. there.

Tomorrow we will use up some of the pumpkin cutouts I was given. More on that tomorrow! ~smile~

Blessings,
Liisa