a spirit of simplicity

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The fun My sister is visiting my brother and sister-in-law a few towns over so my husband and I went over for dinner. While we were there we all carved pumpkins! I know it’s much, much too early.  Certainly they will rot by Halloween but we had fun together and that is all that matters. The random Here and there bits of Autumn have been making themselves known.  A Sycamore leaf caught up in the lichen covered wooden fence looks so pretty filled with the sunlight of a delightful Autumn afternoon.  The good While we were carving pumpkins it started to rain a little bit and when it stopped a giant double rainbow appeared just over the house!  It was the first time that my sister, brother and I had been together since my mum’s funeral in July so this beautiful rainbow seemed pretty special.  ~ ~ ~ All Seasons The good, the fun, the random The hearth and soul

   t Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:10 ~ ~ ~ Scripture and a snapshot Sunday scripture blessings You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Welcome Autumn Natalie Faith loves her mama’s kisses I love the old glass in one of the old buildings just around the corner from my house. It is old glass which was hand blown.  The nights have been cooler of late…which means the mornings have been foggy. Last year my mum put some gourds in the porch planter along with some chrysanthemums. We noticed that the squirrels nibbled at them throughout the season. This spring I noticed that quite a few rogue vines were interspersed throughout the gardens.  Now…we have a bowlful of pretty gourds at the kitchen table! ~ ~ ~ Friday fave fives Friendship Friday Thursday favorite things

  I am thankful for myself.  My health, my sense of humour, my belief in who I am, my faith, my adventurousness, my photography, my ability to turn a phrase, my love, my spirit, my heart… I am 58…inching toward 60, my mum passed away at the start of summer and I am, for the first time, parentless, which leaves me more free in some ways, than I have ever been.  I am forever grateful for my mum and I miss her more than words could ever say…I tear up as I type this. However, I feel as though I have a chance to sort recreate, or add-on…or even just sort of shift about the parts of me that inevitably change with the passages of life. I am mindfully and purposefully creating/choosing the me that will emerge from this sorrowful time. Almost like a cocoon of sorts  A metamorphosis  ~ ~ ~ Thankful Thursday

  Golden yellows and oranges Darker greens and all shades of brown Colour the world with Autumn My very favourite season here in New England ~ ~ ~ Our world Tuesday Image-in-ing Nature Notes

  Since apples and zucchini are so abundant at this time of year, it’s only natural that the two be used together in one recipe. I don’t really know the origin of this bread, but I do know it’s been one of our favourites for many years. Ingredients 4 cups all purpose flour 1 tablespoon backing soda 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon salt 5 eggs 1-1/2 vegetable oil  2 cups sugar 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla 2 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini 1 cup peeled shredded apple 1-1/2 cups chopped pecans (optional) Directions In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In another bowl, beat eggs. Add oil, sugars and vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients; mix well. Stir in zucchini, apples, and pecans (batter will be stiff). Spoon into three greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes or until done. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield:  three loaves ~ ~ ~ Grace at hom

  The good Early Saturday morning was quite foggy… Such a quiet and pretty time for walking along the harbour.  The fun The last muster of the season was on Sunday. My son-in-law’s team won the competition for the day and came in second for the year! I love this picture with my daughter and granddaughter, Natalie.  The random It’s very random that I post a picture of myself! I’ve been trying to do it a bit more often.  It’s important that we celebrate ourselves once in a while! ~ ~ ~ The good, the fun, the random

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ t For all flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of the field; The grass withers and the flower wilts; But the word of the Lord remains forever 1 Peter 1:24-25 ~ ~ ~ Scripture and a snapshot Sunday scripture blessings You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter

  Under the big old Beech tree in the playground at work. I was snapping women pictures of the children and my phone happened to switch to selfie-mode. So…I took a quick shot of myself. My grandson’s first day of pre-school this year.  His birthday is in October so he won’t start kindergarten till next year. This year he will go 3 half-days a week. He is very excited about it! Joe and I walked to old Fort Sewell after dinner one evening this week. There was a stiff breeze coming off of the ocean and we had our sweatshirts zipped up for the first time in months and months. The pre-revolutionary era fort had been closed for renovations for the past year and just reopened at the beginning of the summer. I had walked it earlier in the year but this was the first time Joe had seen it. They really did a spectacular job. There was some concern that they would “fix” things so much that it would be unrecognizable. The fort was established in 1644. It turned out that the restoration was perfectl

  This is a luna moth caterpillar for those that don’t know. I found it on the playground under the big old Beech tree.  They are harmless though they don’t look it. The moths live only for about one day and they don’t eat at all. They just recreate and then die. ~ ~ ~ Nature Notes Image-in-ing Our world Tuesday

  This was the scene at the boatyard as I walked around the corner to have breakfast at the Driftwood.  The crane is used for getting boats in and out of the Atlantic. but on 11 September there was an American flag hanging from it.  Waving high over our little harbour. Boston is just about an hour away from us and we all remember where were on that day. I found a Luna moth caterpillar the other day. It was quite the strangest looking creature.  I had to post on facebook to figure out what it was. They are harmless even though they look a bit disconcerting.  I didn’t plant sunflowers this year.  Last year my mum and I planted a few of them in the front garden beds along the street. We watched them grow tall and turn toward the sun. We heard the neighborhood children admiring them as they walked by with their parents. “Look at how tall they are, mummy.” In all the sadness and worry of my mum’s passing this summer I never got to planting the sunflower seeds.  This is a picture of one from

t Let us then pursue what leads to peace and to building up one another. Romans 14:19 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Sunday scripture blessings Scripture and a snapshot You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter

  Marblehead Boat Yard’s flag which hangs from the crane they use to lift boats into and out of the harbour is one of my very favourite sights.  They hang the flag on Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labour Day. I’m very grateful to live in such a beautiful place. I hope y’all had a very relaxing and enjoyable Labour day weekend. I had all sorts of plans laid out for deep cleaning and organizing at home but in the end decided to spend one day with my grandchildren, one day with my brother and sister-in-law, and the rest of the time relaxing. I’m pretty sure I stayed in my pajamas most of Monday. I found a wonderful old cook book at the second hand store. Inside were all kinds of all natural, earthy crunchy recipes. My favourite! This is stewed prunes with cinnamon and orange.  I’ve served it over steel cut oatmeal with walnuts and a drizzle of maple syrup. Yum! I did have a chance to pull out some of my Autumn decorations over the long weekend.  I don’t really consider summer over u

  t Thus said the Lord, Stand by the roads, and look And ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is; and walk in it, And find rest for your souls. But they have said, “We will not walk in it.” Jerimiah 6:16 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Scripture and a snapshot Sunday scripture blessings You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter

 Over the weekend I went up to Maine with my grandchildren. We went to an old fashioned fireman’s muster. My son-in-law pumps for the town he lives in. We had a great time! I am a lead teacher this year! I will be co-leading with another teacher who I really like and admire. I really think we are going to make a great team and I’m excited for the new school year to start next week September has brought cooler temperatures with it! It was so nice to be able to open the windows again. This is the view off of my guest bedroom window.  For some reason our cat, Tucker has been extra friendly. He has been following me around and curling up on the sofa with me when I watch TV. It’s nice as he usually naps on the top of the sofa while I’m sitting there  but doesn’t normally want to snuggle.  ~ It’s prep week at work so the school is closed to students. I’ve been getting out a bit early and on the way home one day I stopped at a favourite shop in Salem.  I bought a beautiful handmade metal and