Old Applewood Homestead or Shaver House

Thank you to Susan for hosting "OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY". @

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/





Today I chose to show for Outdoor Wednesday this old house in the city in a park like setting ............ I love this home. I went last week to this home because it held a Christmas Past Fair. I go every year and buy some handcrafted Christmas ornaments. But mostly what I remember of this home is that I got married here about 22 years ago. We rented the home for the whole day and said our vows. In 3 years we will do our 25th Wedding Anniversary here with all our friends and family.

Inside they have really gorgeous Victorian furniture and most of it is original. I didn't get to take any inside pictures, it was very, very crowded and almost everyone was walking single file one after another. So, I think I would have not been able to get any good snapshots.


History of the house;
Peter Shaver, was the builder of the house. The eighth child of William and Mary Catherine Schaeffer, he was born in Ancaster, Ontario in 1809. It is believed that the children of William and Mary anglicized the family name to Shaver. It is not known exactly when he came to Etobicoke [ a suburb of Toronto], however, with one of the first land deeds for the area, 21 year old Peter purchased 100 acres to farm. It was a rather primitive part of Ontario, for all that existed were fields of black walnut trees. Two years later he would marry Esther Vansickle, whose ancestors had come from the Netherlands. They had six children.
Peter Shaver who was the grandfather of James Shaver Woodsworth, founder of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation and a leader in social reform. It is interesting to note that the house remained in the same family from the time it was built until its relocation.

Front of the house, in the summer time they have beaytiful flowers all planted around and an apple orchard surrounding the property.

Side view.

Side of the house where the kitchen has a walk out.

I guess if you wanted some water in the old days you had to venture out here to the well.

Birdie Home.

Hope you enjoyed my tour of this Old Home..................... 'The Applewood Homestead" in the City of Toronto.

Be sure and visit the other participants and see everyone's Outdoor Wednesday.

Have a great "OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY"!


Thank you for stopping by......... :-)

Teapot and teacups

Hi to everyone visiting 'Tea Things Tuesdays' at http://shabbypinkandpretty.blogspot.com/.


Thanks to Kim for hosting this and be sure to check out everyone and all their 'tea' treasures!



This was my Mom's tea set, she had gotten it from the Ukraine when she went for a tour. It was still the USSR and she said it was very hard to buy anything there at that time. She managed to get six teacups and saucers and six teapots all for less then $20 US.......at some village bazzar that they were at. When my Mom passed on I inherited the whole set, I display them in my kitchen cupboards which have clear glass fronts.



Santa waitng for a nice warm cup of tea. I think that he's ring his bell for all his elves to come. :-)

This teapot is below my chandelier which has the Christmas ornaments hanging off it.

Santa is still ringing his bell for his elves to take a break and have a cup of tea. :-)

This Santa has baked some gingerbread cookies for his cup of tea.

This label was on the back of the saucer, I haven't got a clue what it stands for but probably some numbers the maker used for his own records.

Now I think that I'm ready for a cup of tea myself.

Thank you very much for stopping by and please do leave a comment I love to hear from you.

Happy "TEA THINGS TUESDAY"!

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Christmas Tree

Christmas Tree

This Christmas tree's theme is colourful filled with old and sentimental ornaments that have been in my family, my daughter's hand/made ornaments when she was lil', toys, colourful bows.........really anything goes here that we have collected for years. It also has white lights. Under the tree there is a Santa collection.......well some of my Santa's.

This tree topper 'Angel' I have had for 40 years. I always put her up every year on one of my trees. My Aunt Manya bought it for me and I always treasure it as she has passed away a long time ago.

Blue Monday Dancing Shoes

Thank you Hostess Sally for hosting "Blue Monday" for some fabulous inspirational ideas and fun!

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DANCING 'BLUE' SHOES

I was thinking what I could put up for Blue Monday and I decided to show my two ceramic shoes. I have actually used them a couple of times as vases with some nice white flowers with a touch of greenery or even just some greeneryand that even looked pretty.

...........in the background are my Polar Bears checking their mailbox with their blue cable knit sweaters. I just love anything with Polar Bears, they are such a beautiful graceful animal.

.......back view.

........front view.

My kitchen has a blue and white theme going through it and this Benjamina Plant sits in a corner and this year I put some blue ornaments on it with blue lights. At night when you light it up it glows this beautiful blue across the walls. I haven't quite finished it, but thought I would take a picture and show you it almost done.

Here are my two Polar Bears looking to get their mail. In their cable knit sweaters.

Be sure and visit the other participants and see what everyone is up to.

'Old Fashioned' Potato Soup

Thank you to our wonderful Hostess Susan for hosting this "Foodie Friday".

Stop by for some fun and exciting recipes and fabulous pictures at http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/

"Old Fashioned"Potato Soup

This is a soup I remember my Grandma, Aunt and my Mother making when I was a child and I still make it. It is one of my husband's favourite soups. I don't really go by a recipe as I just do without, but after so many years of watching I just wing it everytime. But I did write up a recipe as best as I could while I was cooking it.

My Grandmother told me since they had an abundant supply of potatoes where she was from this was one of their soups that they would have for breakfast..........yes for breakfast. I guess if you had to go into the cold wintery Siberian cold blustery, windy and dark weather real, real early you would need something warm and hearty.

4 potatoes, peeled and cubed BUT leave 1 potato whole
1 onion, chopped

1 or 2 carrots, peeled and grated

1 rib celery, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped

2 Tbsp. dill, chopped

8 cups broth or water

Canola oil for sauteeing or butter if you prefer

salt and pepper to taste

Simmering Soup

Bowl of hot Potato soup.

1. Saute in oil or butter [your choice] chopped onion, grated carrot, chopped celery, and minced garlic till carmelized.

2. Near the end of sauteeing add chopped parsley and chopped dill.

3. Put sauteed veggies into a saucepan and add 3 chopped potatoes and also saute. I do the potatoes separatley, this way they get more carmelized. I always carmelize my veggies when I make any kind of soup. This way they are not wishy washy tasting but have a taste and body to them. But that is just my 2 cents of opinion.

4. Put into saucepan ready sauteed veggies, 1 whole potato and add 8 cups of broth or water.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 45 min.

6. When soup is ready take out whole potato and mash and put back into soup. I do this too thicken the soup broth.

Sometimes to each bowl I add chopped fresh dill........but my husband likes to squeeze some fresh lemon into it. This is good with some nice fresh crusty soup and we are ready to go.

Yummmm with fresh dill.



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Happy Foodie Friday to All..............