Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Homemaker's Prayer



Last night I started reading this book.
 (lent to me by a friend who knew I would love it, and I do!)
I fell in love with it from the first paragraph (pictured below)! 
reflections on the value of home, 
timeless good advice for homemakers,
 prayers, stories and recipes
connected to the stories!


In the first chapter, (written in the '60's) she is contemplating the 
increasing breakdown of homes,  the foundation of strong nations!
Even more relevant now! 



Lord, help me to make home a haven of kindness and grace
For nothing else in all the world can take home-sweet-home’s place
Then fit me with Thy joy and strength, fill every task I do
With thankfulness and love, so above all, I honour You

Lord, help me guard the heart of home with fierce, yet tender care
Lest some ruinous habit leaves it in sad disrepair
Keep me aware of what may harm or wreck its shielding wing
For the heart of the home is like a living, breathing Thing

… And never let the barb of discontentment tear a hole
Into the fabric that ought to protect, cheer and console
Lord, when my home begins to feel like a fragile, chipped cup
Still, let no failure foster the temptation to give up

Lord, teach me with humility to tend with mother’s pride
To details that kindle a glow that reaches far and wide
So that, no matter how far from its happy hearth we roam
The flicker of love’s Candlelight instills a sense of home

…and always draws us gladly back to where we long to be
To nourish us with home-sweet-home’s familiarity
Where welcomes are never worn thin, where love attends life’s woes
In, pray what grants a glimpse of Home beyond time’s curtain-close

© Janet Martin


I love how the beginning of the second chapter
 is in sync with the season I am in;
slowly tucking Christmas away, bit by bit


Books like this kindle in me 
a sweet contentment for the domestic 'mundane'  bliss
For things like 
mending...

ironing...

folding laundry...


tidying clutter...



making cabbage rolls...


(enough to freeze some for convenient suppers-for-one))


Cabbage Rolls...



Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.



Thursday, June 29, 2023

Crook of Joy


Making muffins...simple joy!


Sometimes, out of the blue, a wave of sympathy rolls through me 
as I wave at grandchildren leaving,
 or as son comes home for visit and fridge-forage, 
or as the word 'home' slips from my lips without second thought, 
until suddenly I am smitten with utter grief 
for the millions of refugees who had to flee their home-sweet-homes...

Sometimes then, the Simple Sacred steals my breath
with a fresh and humble thankfulness
for the beauty of our beloved crook of joy...home!
Yes, with all of love's foibles and flaws, home, sweet home!!

Enjoying the final bowl full of 
plush, pink peony-pom-poms for this year!



Where child and garden flourishes in fleet simplicity
Where more than supper nourishes its precious company
Where comforts are not fancy but are priceless, nonetheless
And nothing on earth quite compares to its fair happiness

Where flower bouquets bring beauty to duty’s dear mundane
Where nobody outgrows the open arms of its domain
Where heartaches are confided, where we learn to give and take
Where tasks are oft divided but then, so is tea and cake

Where wonderful aromas waft through open kitchen door
And suddenly our burdens weigh less than they had before
Where the brunt of life's blessings overflows our tender hearts
With thankfulness for home sweet home and all that it imparts

Where prayers and cares soft-mingle in medleys of smiles and tears
Where summer always flies too fast into Past’s cast of years
Where patience is a virtue of great benefit and cheer
To safeguard joy and peace while youngsters learn to persevere

Where we are always welcome to forage the cookie jar
Or fridge or pantry no matter how older-now we are
Where no matter the weather or how far away we roam
No place on earth is better than the berth of home-sweet-home

Oh Lord, we grieve for those whose homes they had to swiftly flee
And leave behind rooms filled with mementos of family
How oft we mourn the war-torn town and countryside bereft
Of happiness of home sweet home and only rubble left

Then, we with meeker labor, repent of some selfish ploy
And become humbly gladder for our home-sweet crook of joy
Where there is nothing commonplace about its grace of chores
Or laughter round its tables or mothers waving from doors


© Janet Martin

So what's today's 'grace of chores'? 
Weeding!
The rain makes everything grow!





Colossians 3:17
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, 
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, 
giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

(distracting baby with a coffee-tin drum
because he wanted to mix muffins too!!)😂💗



Monday, February 27, 2023

In Winter's Storm (there is no place like home)

 Nothing like a winter storm to rekindle thankfulness for home!



Here winks the lure of friendly fireside
Cheering the labor’r toward eventide
Here, with loved ones to gather and to sup
Fruit of love’s labor filling plate and cup
Here the tea kettle, while centuries wing
Pours fresh-steeped comfort for pauper and king
Here, like a haven while wild wind-beasts brawl
Home in winter’s storm, is sweetest of all

Here wish-lists dwindle, snuggly satisfied
With hugs and slippers, while the countryside
Is tossed, lost in white brumal gusting swell
As Old Man Winter pummels hill and dell
…and we, borne on parchment catamaran
Sail into ancient worlds and back again
Where no matter how fair the climes we roam
Nothing compares to winter’s home-sweet-home

Here happiness is like a warm handshake
A steaming ‘cup o’ and a bite o’ cake
Here hobbies are like mini getaways
Here mother sometimes pauses work and plays
Here we have nowhere else we’d rather be
Than watching birds flit from feeder to tree
And wrangling thankfulness into a poem
As we thank God for winter’s home, sweet home

Here beckons the gold halo of lamplight
Here little tots are tucked in extra tight
And all is quiet save the howling gale
That overflows contentment’s hallowed grail
That crackles and pops as flame-dancers leap
And book soft-plops as reader falls asleep
Lulled by the lays that rake the leafless loam
While kindling thankful praise for home, sweet home

© Janet Martin



Thursday, March 11, 2021

Happiness, Heaven-on-earth and Love


This poem was written with young parents in mind but
has something in it for us oldies too😉😄
(yes, it's muddy boots and wet-everything season!)
(because I do childcare some 'memories' stay quite fresh😅)


"Me? Trouble?!! 
How can you even think it?!"


It doesn’t always look like much; the noisy thick of it
Can spill and spread in such a way to make you ‘sick’ of it
Yes, you confess the mess is often quite more-than-enough
It doesn’t look like happiness, heaven-on-earth or love

You slip on the spaghetti that your darling toddler flung
Next week you’ll find one dried to the ceiling or a chair wrung
The toy-box you replenished at Christmas with eager joy
Is like a decoration ignored by dear girl and boy

Between lost socks-boots-mittens, you find scribbles on the wall
Where budding artists practiced while you answered a phone call
First signs of spring are tracked across the fresh-mopped kitchen floor
‘Enjoy these Best of Days’ says ‘Mrs. Old’ who lives next door

The sink is full of dishes while fridge and cupboard run bare
Baby is teething so you do not have patience a hand to spare
You sure could use the nap your youngster refuses to take
It would work such sweet wonders for your arms, back and headache

The bills are due, there are a few you had not counted on
Thank God for work and by His grace you’ll keep chugging along
…where Something steals your breath as only Little Tot can do
And you forget all but the precious face looking at you

Yes, it can feel like quite a fight, the messy ‘stick’ of it
Keeps you from understanding quite, the tender quick of it
But some day you’ll look back and see (like we did) sure enough
That this really is/was happiness, heaven-on-earth and love

(Optional ending)

(…the point to this ditty I guess is, whether young or old
In the middle of muddle-cuddle-mess-blessed hug-and-hold
Or past the place of youth and grace as we embrace ‘what’s next’
And wonder at the mirror-face, half-laughing and half-vexed

…we ought to try to take and make the best of where we are
Nobody needs to be perfecto or a super-star
But learn to count the beauties and the blessings one by one
Because no matter where we are, where we are is soon gone!)

© Janet Martin



Monday, February 10, 2020

Castle (of a different kind)

This past weekend we visited Casa Loma in Toronto (story/history here)
 A dream-castle never completed...
Below is a teeny glimpse of but one of the many great accomplishments of once wealthy
Henry Pellatt who died penniless







After much amazement I was glad to return home to the welcome
 of a much more modest 'castle'
full of cracks and patches
and family!

The world is filled with castles unnoted by light of day
Though if one would take notice one might witness works of art
Not all towers and turrets are masterpieces of clay
The architect of love is at the mercy of the heart

The castles love constructs are made of plans oft run awry
The beauty it designs often revised or incomplete
Where images of outcomes once envisioned strew the sky
While love trips over mercy-sonnets scattered at its feet

The blueprint that love follows boasts no grand embellishment
No marble statuettes or glitz of crystal chandeliers
No domes showcasing frescoes or graven accomplishment
The sparkle of love’s castle glitters in laughter and tears

Its walls wear priceless scenes of days and years that came and went
It halls filled with familiar footsteps, not by gaping throngs
And though it may not leave its mark by some grand monument
It echoes with the lyrics of love's unrecorded songs

Love does not need the luxury of satin or brocade
Its rooms are not elaborate yet draw the longing eye
Where warm welcomes and loving arms feel almost heaven-made
The castle of contentment something money cannot buy



© Janet Martin






Friday, November 22, 2019

November's Supper Hour

Let's start with dessert since it is not the norm at our house
but guests always give a great reason for a treat, which was the case last night.
So what is a quick go-to when you suddenly realize 
there's nothing in the house and we need dessert?!
Banana Pudding!
Scald 3 cups milk
While it heats mix 1/4-1/3 cup of cornstarch with 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp. salt.
blend and add 1/3 cup COLD milk.
Add to scalded milk whisking briskly all the while.
Reduce heat to med-low and stir until mix says 'blub-blub-blub',
then add a splash of vanilla extract , stir
and pour over sliced bananas!
Serve warm or chilled and topped with fresh whipped cream.
This dish makes me feel like a little girl
on those rare nights when supper was either tapioca of cornstarch pudding.
Simple and satisfying.

The main course was a mix of Sunday-Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday's meals rolled into Thursday!
How does this happen??!!
Well, it started with Sunday, coming home from church, 
anticipating a crockpot holding nicely browned potatoes and roast beef.
Alas, because all the words are worn off the settings I had turned the knob too far 
and it was not set at high but on the 'keep warm' setting, 
leaving lukewarm, still hard potatoes.
All was not lost however because they still cooked
 (though not in time for lunch)
 and turned out to be a big help during fall housecleaning midweek.
On Wednesday I shredded them, added chopped chicken 
leftover from Tuesday night's roast chicken dinner 
( plus a bit of chopped ham), sprinkled in some corn, 
made a sauce with leftover gravy, 
leftover swiss-chalet-dipping sauce 
and a can of cream of mushroom soup+water.
Toss and pour in pan
(The crumb topping under the shredded cheese is ground up rosemary-cheese scones
 which Victoria tried a while ago but they were not edible! 
I was not home when she made them
or I might have told her that 1/2 cup dried rosemary is definitely a misprint!
But ground and used sparingly these 'flopped' scones are great as a savoury topping!
I named it Chicken Cordon Blu Casserole because of its richness and ham-chicken-cheese.
It was a big batch so we had enough for last night's main dish...
 

Monday's contribution; Cabbage Rolls... 
The Cabbage Rolls take a bit of time to prepare but are well worth the effort!
An autumn highlight at our house after the winter-cabbage is gathered.
(I use green cabbage in a LARGE pot of boiling water)
Last but not least...the salad, not leftover😊
consisting of a base of mixed spring greens, topped with thinly shredded red cabbage, 
shredded red beet, chopped cucumber, crumbled feta and roasted unsalted sunflower seeds.
Drizzle with dressing of your choice. (I prefer dressings on the side)

Something about the rain lashing at windows 
and the wind rattling at loose shingles and soffits (hopefully not!) and doors
makes us feel extra-humbly blessed to have a roof over our heads
and a place to call home-sweet-home!


 
These days the dark falls early
Deep blue turns to ebony
November’s rain taps windowpanes
The wind moans like a sea
And front-porch lights hail ‘welcome’
From heav’n-on-earth’s modest dome
And heavy hearts turns lithesome
At the sight of home-sweet-home
Where it is not ‘the dressing’
That makes this place so dear
But the precious, sacred blessing
Of gathering loved ones near
And thanking God for mercies
That we could never earn
Glad, as the dark falls early
For each loved ones safe return

© Janet Martin







Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Let's Just Stay Home


 All schools including colleges and universities are closed today in hopes that people 'just stay home'!
It's much safer for those trying to keep roads clear if there is less traffic skidding about!





Let’s just stay home
The wild wind wails
and flails its tears like broken glass
Let’s stoke the embers into flame
and make Cozy;
this too shall pass
Let’s snuggle beneath fuzzy shawls
while Nature decks its halls with B-r-r-r
Let’s bake a cake (or muffins)
to celebrate
Time’s creaky gait toward summer-r-r!
 Let’s count the ways we love thee, home
Thy warm welcome
never wears thin
How sweet the tempo of thy poem
How dear the laugh-lines
of thy grin
How beloved thy roof and walls
They gather us closer a bit
And shelter us from brutish brawls
while Old Man Winter throws a fit
...and heaven drops its hints of joy
in cheery kettle-tune and such
In happiness of girl and boy
at ease near mother's gentle touch 
Let's picnic by the fireplace
Let's just ignore the roaring clock
No, let's look time straight in its face
and savor every tick and tock
Let's live life slow;
let's be ourselves
Ah, never mind what others think
Family-arity fills shelves
with photos, books and poet’s ink
that authors within wood and stone
the solace of love’s humble prayer
while we work fingers to the bone
lest home-sweet-home becomes threadbare
So, not without meek, thankful thrill
do we utter this sacred Tome
while wild the gale exerts its will  
glad, glad we say;
let’s just stay home

© Janet Martin



and then the irony; while writing this poem Matt, after hearing his school is closed went straight to work. "I'm not sitting around here all day!" he said to his anxious mother😊

I got a text from a neighbour asking if its okay if she comes over today.
(I guess she's not feeling the 'let's just stay home' thing either😁)

Victoria on the other hand told me she's so glad to be home today 
because she didn't sleep very well last night due to the fact 
that she kept dreaming there was a crow in her room that constantly flew at her head😂