Friday, November 30, 2012

THE FRAGRANCE OF CHRISTMAS~

Here at Dog Trot Farm our primary source of heat is a wood stove. There are pros and cons to heating with  wood, the warmth is undeniably unbeatable, however someone needs to be at hand to keep the fire burning.   Now that cold weather has arrived the wood stove is put to use daily, I like to place a pot of fruit and spices on the stove to simmer, giving the house that "Christmasy" scent...    
 I fill a cast iron pot with warm water, cut up an orange (orange & apple peel will do as well), add a cup of cranberries, a couple of cinnamon sticks, and a handful of whole cloves. Place the pot on the back of the wood stove...in no time your home will smell wonderful...(remember to refresh water when needed).

And speaking of Christmas...the window boxes are now filled with fir boughs and berries gathered from our woods, just in time may I say before the soil froze... to top the window boxes off, I added a battery powered candle...  giving them that "primitive" feel.
If you are a primitive decor lover, you know you  can never own to many of these candles...best invention in my opinion since sliced bread...Can you believe tomorrow is December 1st? So many things to accomplish and so little time...crunch time is looming...it's no wonder I can't sleep!!!! Good night...

23 comments:

Julia said...

I can imagine the nice scent in your house. You make things so homy.
Have a nice weekend to get festive ready.

Hugs.
JB

MTWaggin said...

Love those smells and I too have a cast iron dutch oven on my wood stove. But it has been too warm to use it much! Weird I know!

annie said...

looks so good Julie!
love the window boxes with the battery candles, seems to beckon you homeward. Hug Winslow for me, have a great weekend!

Larkrise garden girl said...

Julie, I will have to try that. I just use a woodburning stove for heat in the home. That is such a good idea!Cheri

jennifer768 said...

Oh I wish my screen had a scratch and sniff!I do so miss the warmth of a wood stove from my childhood days.Lovely window boxes!Hugs,Jen

Pondside said...

I like the thought of that good smell coming from the back of the stove and will have to give it a try.

Primitive Stars said...

Morning Julie, oh heavens I bet your wonderful home smells so good, I don`t have the pleasure of a woodstove but do put those goodies in a old small pot on the stove and leave on low to smell the Christmas smell, oh ya!!!! Love the look of yor window box, those little prim candle are trick......Blessings Francine.

Farm Girl said...

It is so true Julie, I turn the calendar and it feels like I start a month log sprint. It is all good though. I love what you put on your stove. It still isn't cold enough to have a fire.
I keep hoping it will be soon. Our days are still in the 70s and that is with the rain.
I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Anonymous said...

We were just discussing "ripping out the gas fireplace, and replacing with a woodburner this morning". Thanks for the reminder of the scent of wood burning.
You live in my favorite place on earth! Maine.
Lovely blog!
Stacey
www.downtoearthdigs.wordpress.com

Peacemom said...

We had a woodstove in our house three houses ago...loved it! used to do the same thing you do and I do miss it. We had a very slight dusting of snow here today, it was quite festive.

Can I just say, Travis in elf shoes from a couple of posts ago...oh...my...goodness! Could he be any cuter? ~Vonnie, NH

Janice said...

Those are two great ideas to get the spirit of Christmas started.

Gail said...

I use to put vanilla in the water on the stove. Always smelled like I was baking.

LOVE wood heat.

Rugs and Pugs said...

Julie ~
So hard to believe it is December!
I love the warmth of a wood stove and I do believe I can smell your potpourri!
Happy Sunday to you!
Hugs :)
Lauren

Kellie from Indiana said...

I suffer insomnia as well, I empathize with you. I will cross stitch at night and sometimes my trying to focus on the little stitches will knock me out... Sometimes.

Julie Whitmore Pottery said...

You know i have some of those candles but they don't look like yours, I hide them in paper lanterns, will look for the more primitive style which is perfect for the kind of tree 'we' like
xx
julie

Terry and Linda said...

I keep a pot on our woodstove all the time, since that is what we heat our house with. Like you I so enjoy the fragrance!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com

¸.•*¨*•♪♫♫♪Merry Christmas to you ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥
˜”*°•.˜”*°•.˜”*°•.★★.•°*”˜.•°*”˜.•°*”˜”

dr momi said...

We heat with wood too, but no stove to put such things on. I wish we had planned better when we built!

WendyBee said...

Mmmm....lovely! We don't have a wood stove, but I wish we did. Maybe someday it will be the right option for us. We have a fireplace (which we all know is inefficient). My father had a beautiful 19th cent farmhouse with a central chimney. There were 2 fireplaces, one opening into the kitchen and one into the front parlor. He bought inserts and installed woodstoves, and the house was always warm and toasty (despite the drafts!). And I love seasonal scents -- for now I am content with Yankee candles - can't beat'em for fragrance. Enjoy the season!

Emily said...

Oh how I wish I could come by for a visit. Your place sounds so warm and cozy and festive. Do you have snow yet?

Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes said...

Hi Julie, I'm going make your recipe to sit on my stove, I'll bet your home smells wonderful!

Your decorations are beautiful, I love the candle, nice touch! I'll bet your boxes look fantastic too!

Happy December birthday to you! The farmers market is at the Highland Greenhouse on Highland St. Route 1 to Route 107 (Amato's, Walgreens, & gas stations on corners). When you go over the railroad bridge hook a left (a real hook). You'll pass St. Maximilian Kolbe on your right. Highland St will be about a country mile down the road on your right. Enjoy!

Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes said...

Hi again, that's 207 NOT 107!!!

From Beyond My Kitchen Window said...

It sounds like the chutney I make every year around this time. I can almost smell the Christmasy smell. I bet the windows boxes look wonderful.

Anonymous said...

I often simmer spices on the woodstove - it helps to improve the humidity of the house and freshens at the same time! The stove gets a real workout in the wnter and since my woodpiles are very generous this year I don't need to stint!
Holiday blessings!