Autumn Corners

It's been awhile since I've shown the little corners of my home. Not much changes as far as decor goes, but I do start to see signs of Autumn all around. Signs like a refreshed supply of wonderful yarn to make lots of gifts for birthdays and Christmas.


The comfy quilts come out, ready for a little person to come snuggle in Daddy's big chair.
The canner, a constant sight on my stove right now. So many wonderful jams and sauces put up for the winter.
An art box that stays out full time now, ready for any little project.
The last of summer's *mama flowers* given to me by my little princess. SO sweet.

Some of my other Autumn loves:
~big bright candles~a softly glowing fireplace~piles of pinecones brought in from our nature adventures~the smell of cooked apples and cinnamon~jars of beautiful canned food put up for winter~half finished projects waiting to made into gifts~our birthday season~more time inside doing puzzles and playing games~the wonderful crispness in the air~fragrant stews and soups simmering in the pot~bright red, orange, and yellow maple leaves in vases~slowing down the pace~
I pray that you are having a blessed and productive week. In God's Love, Tami

Tomato Frenzy

September was all about tomatoes. They are still everywhere!


Look at this funny little tomato. Isn't it cute!
These little tomatoes in front are Red Currants, they are so great for salads and for snacking.
One of our favorite side dishes. Fresh homegrown zucchini, green beans, and Sweet Chelsea tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. SO yummy.
I am roasting tomatoes here. We made some yummy sauce with these babies. Aren't the beautiful? This recipe is from "Back to the Table" by Art Smith. A very beautiful book.
Now that the rains have come, I am pulling all the remaining tomatoes. I should be able to finish ripening them nicely.
Well, I am off to do a little knitting or maybe peel a few apples for apple crisp tonight.
Have a truly blessed Monday. In God's Love, Tami

~Yummy Quiche~

We made Jewels' quiche this past week. Oh, it was so yummy. We definitely need to make more than one next time. It was delicious served with coleslaw and warm rolls.

We are having a lazy Saturday here. The rain has come and is here to stay. We'll see lots of gray sky for the next several months. This time of the year, I love to get out all my pillar candles and group them on the dining table for a beautiful and warm glow to offset the grayness outside.

I pray that you all are having a blessed Saturday! In God's Love, Tami

All Settled In

We are all settled into Autumn now. I was a nice little blog break I had, and I have so much to share.
We have been sewing, knitting, canning, baking and cooking intermixed with homeschooling, reading, hanging wash, and tidying. All of that daily wonderfulness that I love.

The children and I are all settled into our Autumn routines. It feels so good to change gears and settle into a slow pace. I try and leave Thursdays and Fridays for *no running around* days. It is a nice starting point for the weekend when my hard-working hubby is home.

Well my hubby finally gave in and fixed the clothes dryer. I am a little relieved and a little sad. I have enjoyed so immensely the pleasure of hanging wash. I am grateful though that over the many, many rainy weeks we have here in Washington that I have the luxury of a dryer. After living without a dryer for the first time ever in my life, I am so much more aware of just how easy my laundry was and how I took it for granted. Never again. I am all about being grateful.
I will go back to hanging 100% of our wash in the Spring, but for now I will dry the majority of it. If you remember I also gave up the automatic dishwasher. I am sticking with that, except for on the rare occasion that I make such an incredible mess that I see no way out of it by hand-washing........which is about once a week :~)

We've turned on our gas fireplace a few times already, oh do I love a warm fire. Bliss.

We have had so many apples around here lately. What a blessing it is to be able to put up applesauce, cut apples, and apple jelly.


Here is some of our homemade applesauce. I have another huge basket of apples to process this week. With the price of apples this year, I am so grateful for all the apples we've received and have been able to pick.
Plums from our beautiful Italian Plum tree. We look so forward to these every year. YUM.
I pureed some of the plums and canned them for later use in muffins and quick breads. I can also add a little sweetener and use it like jam.
I am spending much of my spare time getting ready for the "birthday season". My 4 children were born in October and November, so I am busy making gifts and decorations for celebrating.
I am planning on having all Christmas gift preparations completed by November. I am loosely following the Organized Christmas plan to help me stay organized.
I pray that you are all having a blessed and productive week. I am glad to be back.
In God's Love, Tami

Hello October!

I am back with lots to share. We have been busy doing wonderful Autumn things!

I will write and show lots of photos in the next several days.

Have a blessed and productive Wednesday!

In God's Love, Tami

Changing Rhythm

Since I am smack dab in the middle of what has become a blogging break, I think I will take the rest of September off and get better acquainted with the changing rhythm of the fall. We have been busy getting settled into new routines. I will have lots of pictures and some recipes to share. See you all in October! (or maybe sooner if I can't stand it :~)

Bless you all during this transition into autumn, my favorite season of the year.

In God's Love, Tami

Let's See......

We have been so busy getting ready for a shift in routines. I can feel it in the air, Fall is on its way. Maybe it's all of the rain we've had the last few days. It makes me want to curl up with a quilt and a good book. Cozy.

It's a little discouraging that my big tomatoes have not ripened yet. I have a few tricks up my sleeve if we end up with a bunch of green tomatoes. :~)
I am gearing up to do a little sewing, repurposing some clothing, making dolly quilts, making birthday gifts for the "birthday season" we have during October and November. I have lots of ideas. We'll see if I can fit it all in.
We are contemplating buying a Aladdin Oil Lamp to help reduce our energy usage further. We are managing to keep most of the lights turned off during the day, we have converted all our light to CFL's, and we have unplugged those things not in use. During the evening hours it would help to have a oil lamp that did a good job of illuminating our livingroom.
Does anybody have any experience with the Aladdin brand lamps?
We are starting our gift plans for Christmas. I have found that I enjoy the season so much more if I have all of the extended family gifts taken care of before November. I also like to take our Christmas photo early enough to make out our Christmas cards and have them ready to mail. This way I can enjoy Christmas for it's true meaning and our family can spend lots of unhurried time celebrating and creating.
I will spend this next week preparing for the school year and try to simplify some of our routines to cut down on too much running around. I also have some baking and canning to do.
I am continuing to de-clutter and simplify. The grocery store prices are shocking and I am making nearly everything from scratch. We are fortunate to have so many apple trees around and friendly neighbors that don't mind sharing. We have lots of wild blackberry bushes too. I foresee a pie or two in our future. :~)
Well that's about all we've been up to. I pray that you all have a blessed and productive week.

In God's Love, Tami