January

The Holidays are over and all the kids have gone home. It's quiet now. 

I've scrubbed the house clean, emptied my closet and dresser, purged and organized.  It happens to me every January. Some people make resolutions, try to get healthy, reflect on the past year. Me - I clean up and get organized with a vengeance.  After weeks ( months, maybe ) of build up -  shopping, baking, decorating, going to parties and entertaining at home; after all the expectation of having the kids home again and all together, having the kids home and in and out at all hours, I'm so intoxicated by anticipation and excitement that by New Years Eve I'm near ready to burst. I'm scrambled. It's true - there's nothing else to do but enjoy all the fabulous mayhem because I know I'll miss this when it's over,  but I have used up all my patience not worrying about the mess so by New Years Day I just HAVE to clean up.  

It's also a nice distraction from all the quiet :-) 

 So today I baked.

Sweetly spiced scones with cinnamon and cardamom from this recipe.  I left out the blueberry jam and the drizzle but they would be delicious with both.  

When we were in England, scones were served with clotted cream. Sounds questionable ( clotted ???) - but it really was a treat.  

And then I found this recipe for Oatmeal Muffins. I added one chopped apple. 

Best Apple Oat Muffins ever. 

You should try them.

Have a great week! 

let it snow!

What a sweet surprise yesterday to look out and see snow falling. I don't imagine it will still be here on Christmas morning but there's nothing like the first real snowfall to put me in a happy mood. 

 I love how a blanket of snow makes the fields, the yards, and the shoulders of the road all clean. Like fresh sheets on the bed.  I love the sound of snow falling; how it muffles all the dirty sounds of the day to day busy-ness and transforms it to a distant hum. Snow falling softly, floating down like a heavy sigh from above, reseting my balance and the world outsides'.  

I feel warm, and cozy, and content, and blanketed - inside and out.

Hope you are all having a relaxed weekend before Christmas! 

hugs, Karen <3 p="p">

It's a Wonderful Life

Today I was reminded of how I am blessed. 

While we decorated the tree we watched this movie. It"s one of my all time favourites. And Mike's too.

"It's a Wonderful Life"

Chilly, rainy days, like today, are precious. Conversations with Mom. Spending the afternoon cuddled up next to Mike under a home made quilt, watching an old black and white movie for the hundredth time.  A hot cup of peppermint tea with honey and a candle burning.  A homely little, make-do tree.  Kids home for dinner. 

These Santas were on the tree in Mike's childhood home. 

The true value in these old ornaments is the connection they have to Mike's Mom, who passed away years ago, and his story book childhood, that made him the man that I adore today.

"Only the heart knows what is precious" 

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Have you seen "It's a wonderful Life"?

What's your favourite Christmas movie? 

<3 karen="karen" nbsp="nbsp" p="p">

Barn Love and a Book

I have a penchant for barns.  When we were property shopping we looked at a house that had a beautiful big round barn. We couldn't make it work... but I really wanted that barn. 

This barn is just down the road my old house. It stands on a stone foundation and is built into a small hill.

Sadly, it sits unused and has fallen into disrepair.

I found a book called The Enchanted Barn  available free here. 

It's a story about a young woman and her family that move into a barn in the early 1900's.  Here's an excerpt: 

They were coming now to a wide, old-fashioned barn of stone, with ample grassy stone-coped entrance rising like a stately carpeted stairway from the barn-yard. It was resting on the top of a green knoll, and a great elm-tree arched over it protectingly. A tiny stream purled below at one side, and the ground sloped gradually off at the other. Shirley was not noticing the place much except as it was a part of the landscape until she heard the conductor talking to the man across the aisle about it.

"Good barn!" he was saying reflectively. "Pity to have it standing idle so long; but they'll never rent it without a house, and they won't build. It belongs to the old man's estate, and can't be divided until the youngest boy's of age, four 'r five years yet. The house burned down two years ago. Some tramps set it afire. No, nobody was living in it at the time. The last renter didn't make the farm pay,—too fur from the railroad, I guess,—and there ain't anybody near enough round to use the barn since Halyer built his new barn," and he indicated a great red structure down the road on the other side. "Halyer useta use this,—rented it fer less'n nothing, but he got too lazy to come this fur, and so he sold off half his farm fer a dairy and built that there barn. So now I s'pose that barn'll stand idle and run to waste till that kid comes of age and there's a boom up this way and it's sold. Pity about it, though; it's a good barn. Wisht I had it up to my place; I could fill it."

What have you been reading lately? 

Kitchen Dreaming

I've always had trouble making decisions. I remember as a small girl going to a toy store and being told to choose one thing. I knew I wanted Barbie clothes... but I couldn't  decide which package.  

Even ( or maybe especially )  under threat of leaving with nothing.  

More often than not, that's exactly what happened. I'd leave with nothing.

I remind myself that not deciding is still making a decision...

 So the delays in construction at our new house have given me an opportunity to dream. I'm figuring out what I love most. 

This weekend we went out shopping for a kitchen. 

These cupboards from Martha Stewart at Home Depot...

this pantry ( which I have to find ) ...

This sink ( which I already have ) ...

these floors ( which I have ) ...

This countertop ( which I have but am hoping that we can make the backsplash too ) ...

I hope it all comes together as in my imagination. And I hope I don't change my mind after it's too late.

Any ideas or suggestions? 

Hugs, Karen

Old Stuff

I like like old stuff. 

In the beginning, everything I owned was second hand out of neccesity.  We were young, and I stayed at home to raise our family. Being frugal was simply part of my job. 

Now, "making do" is just what's comfortable.   

There's freedom in living simply.

There's beauty in the everyday.

You just have to look. 

This old car was just left in a field at the side of the road. 

I can imagine it's whole beautiful life - can you?

I hope you have a beautiful, simple week :-)

  Karen 

Potlake Update

Progress on the house has been slow most of the summer, but October brought cooler temperatures and lots of activity. We discovered that there wasn't much ( well, none really ) of a foundation under the east side of the house so had to  deal with that. 

It  seems that the path of progress is one step back then two steps forward. 

We are on a roller coaster - discouraged, then hopeful; impatient, then filled with anticipation.

We are trying not to stress about how long this is taking, focusing on what we have control over,  letting go of things we cannot change, and working at choosing our battles.

It's been a real test. 

I'll show you what's happening right now...  

This is the back of the house... all the windows are in and exterior insulation is up.

The rock pile in the foreground is a whole other storey - stay tuned. 

This is a view of the kitchen. The bathroom has been moved and the patio door is where the window used to be. The small over-the-sink window has been replaced with a larger one, which came from directly across on the opposite wall.  A french door will go in that spot. 

You can see the ceiling a bit too.  

We are adding a small front porch. 

This is a straight on front view of the front porch. The french doors will go in once the exterior construction is finished. 

This week we hope to have the roof finished and the siding on... 

Keep your fingers crossed! 

hugs, Karen