Chestnut Hollow

2012-01-09T14:29:00.002-05:00

How awsome is the God we serve! I have been enjoying some lovely verses about the treasure we have as christians, and the treasures that will be ours for all eternity. How humbling that God would put within our sinful, broken, mortal bodies, the treasure of salvation and His Holy Spirit. I think of that verse in Matthew 5:16 " Let your life so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven". The light of God's love that shines forth from us is a testimony to the world of God's power, and when compared to our vile bodies, our "earthen vessels" stands in stark contrast.

“I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden wealth of secret places, So that you may know that it is I, The LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. Isaiah 45:3

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:7

That their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Collosians 2:2-3

Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.
2 Timothy 1:14

2012-01-09T09:31:00.010-05:00

Goodmorning! It is another beautiful sunny morning. I need to keep reminding myself that it is winter and spring is still many weeks away! This weather has been so wonderful. I purchased a pretty little pink primrose last week at the grocery store, and it sits on my desk at work blooming beautifully. When winter decides to show up, as it inevitably does!, and we are knee deep in snow and ice, it will be a reminder that spring will come! Speaking of spring, this year I plan to start some flower seedlings indoors and transplant outside in early summer. I also am going to try "container gardening" with vegetables and plan to get creative with different types of planters, wooden boxes etc to grown them in. I would like to plant carrots, peas, potatoes, golden beets, lettuce, radishes, spring onions. I have a fairly decent sized wooden box that I have previously grown tomatoes in, which I think would work well for potatoes. I am going to keep my eyes open at thrift stores over the next few months for containers that would work for this project. I have really enjoyed watching River Cottage over the last couple of months, and it has spurred me on to trying my hand of this.

2012-01-07T08:03:00.003-05:00

What a beautiful mild, sunny day today. Hard to believe this is January with days like this - it felt like Spring. Worked on house cleaning today, laundry, and some more organization.

Also enjoyed a gingerbread latte with my oldest daughter at our local coffee shop. We enjoyed lovely conversation in our favorite corner table in the front window, with the sunlight streaming in. We are great talkers, her and I, and we chattered on for nearly two hours!

For supper tonight I cooked a prime rib roast, mashed potatoes with gravy, yorkshire pudding and green beans.

2012-01-06T14:28:00.010-05:00

Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.

1 Peter 3:3-5

As I put my heart and intent towards developing more quietness, gentleness, calmness in my life what better inspiriation in stiving towards this than the beautiful words precious in the sight of God. The aim of my every action and word should be to please God. If the qualities of gentleness and quietness are precious to God, He will help me to achieve this in my life.

Luke 6:45 says "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.

Where does a gentle, quiet spirit come from? the heart. I cannot hope to achieve these qualities just by "trying"; it must come from within. How does one develop the "inner" qualities of gentleness and quietness? From reading and studying the Word, meditating upon verses, walking closely with the Lord and communing with Him in prayer. In Deuteronomy 6 God commanded Isreal to to keep the words which he was commanding them on their hearts, to bind them as a sign on their hands, to be as frontals on their forehead, and to write them on their doorposts. In this way they would be reminded constantly of the Lord's goodness, graciousness, and mercy towards them, and of the Lord's commands, so that they would not forget and slip back into unfaithfullness. The Lord wanted them to live to their greatest spiritual potential, as he longed to bless them, and He wants them same from us! We should structure our life, and our home, so that we too will be constantly reminded of the Lord's goodness and mercy, and his commandments. Will quietness, gentleness, calmness be a result of this? Most certainly!

2012-01-05T09:01:00.010-05:00

It has been a busy couple of days getting back into routine after such a nice break! Gone are the relaxing, slow breakfasts, and the quiet, lazy days. As 2012 unfolds I want to strive to create a better sense of stillness, calm, and quietness in my everyday busy life that is so precious yet hard to accomplish.

Isaiah 32:17 says, The work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. " Another lovely verse found in Isaiah 30:15, "For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: “ In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”

How do we find this quietness in the middle of a hectic day? Firstly, I believe that starting your morning in the Word helps achieve this. Days when I am running late and don't have time to read first thing, it does affect the way I handle stresses that come my way during the day, and my attitude. As Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart". The Word is our source of life. When we make it a priorty to begin our day in the Word we will definitely be blessed by it and will have a greater chance of maintaining peace and quietness through our day, and have a better attutitude towards the difficulties and annoyances we face each day.

"A Quite Life"

2012-01-03T15:38:00.010-05:00

I love British village post offices - they are all so individual and quaint - some timber framed, some with thatched roofs, always adorned with beautiful baskets of cascasing flowers. Inside there are always treasures to be found- little items for the home, cute nick-nacks, soaps, stationary, sweets. During my time living in England I always enjoyed browsing through post offices - so different from those in North America!

The lovely post office in the beautiful Cotswold village of Painswick

The beautiful thatched post office in Brighstone on the Isle of Wight, situated on a lovely, quiet street.

2012-01-02T12:07:00.003-05:00

It is a sunny but blustery day today. All the snow that fell at the end of last week is now gone. We have just finished a late breakfast and I have washed the dishes and tidied the kitchen. We had another decadent breakfast - I believe restraint is around the corner if I want to continue fitting into my current clothes! I tried a new recipe for baked french toast with a yummy, gooey topping of brown sugar, butter and corn syrup. It was very good, but very sweet.

It is back to routine for me tomorrow as I will be heading back to work. I have had a wonderful break and feel truly rested.

We took down the Christmas tree on Saturday as well as the other Christmas decorations. The house always seems so bare after putting away the decorations. Christmas touches in the home have such a homey, cozy feel. I still have a beautiful red poinsettia on my dining room table, as well as my Friendly Village dishes on my sideboard which will continue to be used over the winter months.

The rest of my day involves finishing up some correspondence, continuing to knit a scarf I started a few days ago, and cooking, of course!

2012-01-02T10:29:00.005-05:00

The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: The world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.

The north and the south, thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon rejoice in thy name.

Thou hast a might arm; Strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne: Lovingkindness and truth go before thy face.

Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: They walk, O Jehovah, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name do they rejoice all the day; And in thy righteousness are they exalted.

For thou art the glory of their strength; And in thy favor our horn shall be exalted.For our shield belongeth unto Jehovah; And our king to the Holy One of Israel.

Psalm 89:11-18

2011-12-31T08:06:00.006-05:00

Well, here we have arrived at the last day of 2011 - this year seems to have slipped by very quickly. It has been a good year and I thank the Lord for his kindness, care and protection through another year. Truly his grace is endless, his love unending, and his power limitless.

I am not one that is good at making or keeping resolutions but as each new year begins there are always things I hope to achieve, lifestyle adaptations I hope to live up to. As 2011 ends and 2012 is within arms length, the words that swirl through my mind for 2012 are simpler life, and embracing the common life. I would like to slow down my pace of life a bit, become more organized so that the duties that I need to do throughout my week are done with more ease, less stress. Enjoy each day in its simplicity, enjoy where the Lord has placed me at this point in my life, the tasks he has given me to do. In the summertime I read a devotion that really tugged at my heart strings, author unknown, "we cannot depend upon great events, striking circumstances, exalted moments and great occasions to measure our zeal, courage, faith, and love. These are measured by the commonplace, workaday tasks, the homely hidden paths of a common life.

When the Lord brings something great or big into our life, an answer to prayer, something tangible we can lay hold of, how easy to know we are in the centre of His will, and we feel excitement, joy, peace, at knowing this. It is the everyday tasks, the everyday jobs that are monotonous where it is easy to lose sight that we are carrying out His will just as much as those who are heading off to the mission field or other zealous pursuits.

Here at the Hollow today we are busy getting ready for guests. There is washing to be done, groceries to be bought, food to be made and fluffing to be done!

Wishing you all a very blessed New Year's Eve and a very Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T10:38:00.005-05:00

We woke up this morning to a blanket of snow covering everything. Nothing is prettier than freshly fallen snow and the silence it brings is like music in itself. We enjoyed a warm breakfast of oven baked bacon and gingerbread pancakes. These are lovely buttermilk pancakes with the addition of 1/4 cup molasses, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. We enjoy eating these during the holiday season.

We are still working at a slow pace here, savoring the last few days before routine and responsibilities once again beckon us. I have made sure though that I have done something useful each day, and so have set myself to organizing one thing a day. Tuesday it was cleaning out the desk drawers, Wednesday it was organizing our entertainment cabinet, Thursday it was cleaning out my writing drawer, which had become a catch all for all sorts of things. I also went through two containers of scrapbook paper and supplies and weeded out bits of paper and scraps not likely to be used. Why is it the thought of organization seems to tedious and yet when you get tucked into it, it takes surprisingly little time and the results of opening a tidy well organized desk drawer are so rewarding?

I have also taken advantage of these lovely "lazy" days and finished three blurb books from the years 2009 to 2011. This is something that I have been wanting to do for quite some time now, but haven't had the time to get it done. I am looking forward to them arriving in the post!

2011-12-29T10:16:00.002-05:00

We have been enjoying a few relaxing days here at Chestnut Hollow. Those lovely quiet, special days after Christmas where everything has slowed down and feet can finally be "put up", and the minutes tick away in pleasantness. Have enjoyed lingering over coffee in the morning and enjoying eating treats had only at Christmas, such as fruity panettone, which I love toasted and spread with crab apple jelly (Greaves of course!). How decadent to be able to take one's time over breakfast - truly a treat in my books! I received a french coffee press for Christmas and am enjoying the beautiful flavor of coffee it produces. Outside the weather has turned quite cold with a dusting of snow during the night. It is nice to be snugged up inside with no place needed to go!

2011-12-28T07:29:00.011-05:00

Here at Chestnut Hollow we have been enjoying a blessed December month. This is one of our favorite months here at the Hollow and we have been enjoying and savoring every moment. We have spent the month decorating and fluffing the house for Christmas, baking favorite Christmas cookies, shopping, and wrapping, and enjoying simple Christmas festivities. Our thoughts have also been on the Savior and his birth into this world in the form of a baby. How he took on human flesh and humbled Himself so that we could know forgiveness of sins and the peace that comes with eternal life. How wonderful our His names: Counsellor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father & Prince of Peace, to name a few.

2010-07-13T14:50:00.007-04:00

As summer unfolds and the days get warmer and sunnier, thoughts turn towards vacation. If I could press a button and be given my dream holiday this summer then I would most certainly want to spend it at Chatsworth House holiday cottage, Swiss Cottage. Set in the beautiful countryside of the Peak district, Swiss Cottage is a most charming, quaint, romantic cottage. It was originally built as a gamekeeper's cottage, and has been beautifully restored by the Duchess of Devonshire. To me this cottage speaks of idyllic days and the perfect spot to get away from the busyness of everyday life. I absolutely love the style of the rooms and could be quite content to call this place "home"!

2009-06-03T13:25:00.003-04:00

What a beautiful time of year with the spring flowers in full bloom and the early summer plants flowering; the fragrant lilac's in their varying shades of mauve, the tulips and daffodils adding bright spots of color in gardens; the sweet pink and white bleeding hearts, and one of my very favorites -peonies. It is such a magical time of year when the earth has said goodbye to winter and sprung forth in the tapestry of rebirth and hope.

2009-01-14T08:49:00.003-05:00

My favorite time of day in the winter is early evening when the sun has set for the day and the house become aglow in lamplight. I love looking into windows from outside and seeing how cozy and inviting a house looks. No matter how many crumbs may be scattered on the floor or dust bunnies may be gathering on the furniture, like magic when the sun sets and lamps are turned on the crumbs and dust disappear and are no longer visible!

What is more iniviting than curling up in a chair with a good book under the glow of a reading lamp?

Or the soft glow of a lamp on a kitchen counter? After the supper dishes have been washed and the kitchen tidied for the day, I love turning off the main kitchen lights and leaving the counter lamp glowing on its own.

And of course the warm glow of a bedside lamp, luring you to bed at the end of the day

What is your favorite time of day in the winter?

2009-01-07T04:06:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful book this is! Written by Jane Brocket, she has taken some of the favorite childhood books from the past and brought to life the scrumptious foods mentioned in those books, such as Ma's hand-sweetened cornbread from the Little House books and Paddington Bear's favorite marmalade buns. This book certainly contains two very pleasant combinations: past childhood books and eating!

QUILTED COASTERS

2009-01-05T02:55:00.000-05:00

I was given the book "Last Minute Patchwork Gifts" this past summer and have enjoyed making some of the projects in the book. One project in particular which is fun to make is the quilted coasters. I used Moda charm packs and made up some of these coasters to give as gifts. I also used the same method used in sewing the coasters to make hot pads, sewing together four charm squares to make one larger square. I used different fabric for the front and back of the coasters and hot pads to make them reversible. They make a unique gift and are fun to make.

A PERFECT WEEKEND

2009-01-04T16:25:00.005-05:00

A bit of eating...

A bit of crocheting...

A bit of reading!

2009-01-02T06:24:00.001-05:00

These little cakes are a delicious way to start your morning - served warm they melt in your mouth!

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 beaten egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
sufficient milk to moisten dough (1 tbs)
1/2 cup raisins or currents

Stir sugar into softened butter.
Crack an egg into a bowl and beat.
Add to butter/sugar mixture
Add dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, nutmeg)
If needed to make dough hold together add milk a few drops at a time.
Fold in dried fruit.
Roll dough into a small ball about the size of a walnut and flatten.
Cook on a heated griddle. Turn once to brown both sides.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T12:10:00.003-05:00

O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord all the earth.

Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among the people.

For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.

Honor and majesty are before Him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.

Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering and come into his courts.

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.

Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord: for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and people with his truth.

~Psalm 96~

2008-12-24T06:05:00.003-05:00

A very merry Christmas from our house to yours!

Have a blessed holiday season with family and friends.

2008-12-21T06:30:00.004-05:00

Christmas Village

One of my favorite Christmas decorations is my lighted Christmas Village. It is the first thing I turn on in the morning and the last thing I turn off before going to bed!

There is a little schoohouse

A little cottage - peek inside the window and see the family sitting down to supper!

A Christmas shop full of shoppers buying last minute gifts!

A victorian house with the family gathered around the fire having a cozy evening reading books!

I love how the little village looks at night with the lights glowing.

2008-12-20T06:00:00.002-05:00

Here at our nest we have been busy with Christmas baking. Is there anything lovelier than the smell of cookies baking in the oven? We have our freezer stocked now full of goodies to eat over the holiday season. Some of our favorites are gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies, shortbread, checkerboard cookies and molasses to name a few!

2008-12-19T14:01:00.005-05:00

Christmas Goodies

I visited our local specialty foods shop this past weekend and bought some goodies to have over the Christmas season:

Thorntons Toffee from England - yummy!

Fruit candies from Farrah's in the Yorkshire Dales - I must confess that it was the jar that sold me on these candies!

Harney & Sons Holiday Tea - smells wonderful!

Raspberry Jam from Tiptree England

2008-12-11T06:33:00.001-05:00

Patchwork Pillow Fun!

I had a small amount of scrap fabric pieces left over from a quilt I made and decided to use them up by making a patchwork pillow.

It didn't take very long to put together - simply cut out equal-sized squares of coordinating fabric (my squares measured 3 inches by 2 inches) then sew into strips. Join the strips together to make your pillow front. I added a 3 inch border around the pillow then attached the back of the pillow. The finished measurement of my pillow was roughly 19 inches square.

It is a great way to use up scrap material and you can make them as big or as little as you want. With Christmas around the corner it would also make a nice gift!

2008-12-07T06:38:00.001-05:00

MUFFINS 'N JAM

If you love jam on your muffins like I do here is a great way of baking the jam right into the muffin. Just fill the muffin cups halfway up with your favorite muffin batter, add a dollop of jam and then another spoonful of muffin batter. Pop in the oven, bake and enjoy!

My favorite jam with muffins is strawberry. What is yours?

2008-12-04T07:35:00.000-05:00

PAPER CRAFTING THURSDAY

I'm joining in on Kelli's 'paper crafting Thursday' today. As I am sure you are all more than aware, Kelli has a lovely blog "There's No Place Like Home".

Today I would like to share some Christmas gift tags that I have made using cardstock, old Christmas cards, stickers, ribbons etc. These are really addicting to make and once you get started the ideas flow. It is so nice to adorn a gift with a touch of something homemade.

2008-12-04T06:23:00.000-05:00

CINNAMON SPICE ORNAMENTS

These oranments are so fun to make and the smell is heavenly! Your house will literally smell of cinnamony goodness!

3/4 c. ground cinnamon
2 tbsp. ground cloves
1 tbsp. ground allspice
1 c. applesauce
1 tbsp. ground nutmeg

Mix all spices together, blending well. Add applesauce and mix well. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness on wax paper. Cut shapes. Gently transfer ornaments to an ungreased cookie sheet and allow to dry at room temperature, 4 to 6 days. Before drying, make a small hole in top of ornament with a large needle and a loop of gold or silver thread or apply a small magnetic strip to back. When ornaments are completely dry, store in sealed plastic bag or air tight container until ready to use.

I strung red gingham ribbon through the holes and tied in a bow

I hung the ornaments on a little table top tree and added red beaded garland. I made mostly star-shaped ornaments but also added smaller hearts and gingerbread men.

2008-11-25T06:05:00.000-05:00

An easy Christmas floral arrangement

Two bunches of holly plus creamy white flowers (I used hydrangeas) placed in a wood basket. Simple yet elegant. The white flowers really "pop" against the dark green of the ivy.

2008-11-24T05:40:00.001-05:00

The finest house in Thrush Green, everyone agreed, was that occupied by Joan and Edward Young. Built of honey-coloured Cotswold stone, some hundred or so years ago, it had a beautiful matching tiled roof, mottled with a patina of lichen and moss. It look southward, across the length of the green, to the little town of Lulling hidden in the valley half a mile away.

A Glimpse Into My Saturday

2008-11-22T16:12:00.000-05:00

Cinnamon buns and a mochachino - great way to start the day!

Put up and decorated the Christmas tree

Made cinnamon Christmas ornaments

Laundry

Made up some Chex mix

Decorated the house with Christmas decorations

Hope you all had a lovely Saturday!