Christmas in the Country

Place silverware inside pretty winter mittens for a whimsical look.  Add a scarf as a table runner.  What a cozy tablesetting for  breakfast on a frosty morning.

Christmas in the Country

Want to create a fun, simple tabletop decoration?  Place a vintage ornament atop  a candlestick. 

                                                                            

Friday's Fave Five hosted by Living to Tell the Story

Every Friday I will be posting my five favourite things about the current week.  This is a fun thing hosted by the blog "Living to Tell the Story."  Here are my five faves from this week:

1.  I learned how to can apples and canned 12 quarts.  What a great feeling of accomplishment and
     security!

2.  We had some wonderfully warm weather on Tuesday, and I spent a great deal of time outside.  I
     raked   some leaves to put in the chicken coop later this winter.  The chickens will love digging
     through that this winter when there's nothing but snow outside.

3.  I decorated the house for Christmas!  I LOVE my Christmas village even more than having a tree. 
     And pulling all those decorations out is like meeting old friends again every year.

4.  I also got out my Christmas music and started playing it.  I often wonder why we only listen to it
     this time of year.

5.  Along the same lines, I baked Christmas cookies yesterday.  My husband enjoyed those last night.

Christmas in the Country

Today is December 1st and the Christmas season is upon us.  What a wonderful time of year.  We try to keep Christmas simple so that we can remember the true meaning of the season.  We thank God for sending His Son Jesus to us.  When I decorate, I tell the Lord that this is for His birthday.  It helps keep the focus on Him.  Every day from now until Christmas I will read a passage of Scripture from the Christmas Story, or sing a Christmas carol, or read a poem having to do with His birth.  Remember the Christmas Ideals books?  I have several, and they are a wonderful source of Christian inspiration. 

 In this post I am going to give simple Christmas tips/ideas for making the season special.  Choose whichever ones you think you'd enjoy.  Post your own ideas to share.  I am going to do this daily right up until Christmas Day.  Enjoy your holiday season!!

I keep all of my Christmas books and movies in a wicker basket by a cozy chair.   Set aside one night a week, or however many nights you have time for, to read or watch a favourite.                                                                  

Canning Apples

Earlier this fall I bought some apples at a local orchard.  A small bag cost $7.95, which I thought was high.  But, I figured the price for local food is going to be higher but worth it.  Then I found a local Amish store.  This week I paid $8.50  for a bushel of apples.  Do you have any idea how many apples are in a bushel?  A LOT!!  A bushel of apples is four huge grocery bags stuffed full.  So today I decided to can some of them.  It was my first time for canning anything except for the pickles I did this past summer.  I got directions from a website and simply followed it.  It was so easy.  The most time-consuming part of it was preparing the apples.  That's a lot of peeling, coring, cutting, and slicing.  I canned six quarts and am quite proud of my efforts.  And that was only one bag of apples.  I have three bags left and am thinking of making and canning or freezing some homemade applesauce this week.  Will also get some baked goods made and in the freezer.  I love having things on hand in the freezer for when company comes.  Here is a picture of my quarts all ready to be processed in the canner:  

And here is the finished product:

Home Remedies and Alternative Medicines

In trying to get back to basics and live more sustainably,  one of the things I've been doing is trying to depend on doctors and medicine less.  Don't misunderstand me - I'm NOT saying I don't think we should go to the doctor or take medicine.  I do think, however, that in general, people depend on them too much.  I have been doing a  lot of reading on home remedies, and have decided to occasionaly post some here. 
One of my favourite home remedies for headaches is lavender oil and peppermint oil.  You must make sure you buy the 100% pure, or Grade A.  It is best to buy these at a good health store.   When I get one of my bad headaches, I put a few drops of lavender oil on my forehead and temples.  Don't overdo it, because it may not work .   More isn't always better.  I also put peppermint oil on my neck and temples when I feel a tension headache coming on.  It really works!

The Ragbag

When I was growing up, my mother always had a ragbag.  I don't know the origin of this, but I imagine they kept rags in pioneer days as they didn't have papertowels or handiwipes : )  I have always kept up the tradition of having a ragbag since I got my first apartment.  Rags are great for dusting or washing walls.  I don't own a mop as I don't like them.  I mop my floors on my hands and knees.  And yes, I use a rag to mop with.  Whenever an article of clothing no longer fits or is stained and isn't fit to give away, it goes into the ragbag.  I cut it into various sized squares.  I like my rags on the small side.  I cut larger rags for my husband to use in his workshop and on vehicles.  Not all material is suitable for rags.  I don't cut up anything silky because it just isn't good to clean with.  Cotton and denim are great.  And flannel is wonderful for dusting.  I used to keep my rags in a grocery bag in the closet.  However, I recently bought one of those thingies that holds plastic grocery bags, and I filled it with my rags  and keep it in my kitchen.  It is much handier.