Chicken Gardeners

My chickens must think I'm another chicken because I like doing the same thing they like (scratching around in the dirt!) and they always want to be around me whenever I let them out of their run. They even help me weed the garden! Here they are 'helping'. :-)

Petit Dejeuner

Home-grown breakfast; eggs fresh from the ladies at the bottom of the garden, and bread from the oven yesterday. A perfect breakfast in the conservatory.

Apron Round-Up

Well, my cheeks are rosy! My homespun kitchen apron holder (which lives beside my fancy fruit crate shelves pictured above) is featured over at BudgetCasa today. Take a look! It's a great round-up of apron ideas. One of my favourite blogs is mentioned too! It's Anna's over at Pleasant View Schoolhouse. Be sure to check out her thrifted linen dress into a long apron tutorial, so chic :)

Getting Stuck In

Some days area just days when you have to get stuck in. The oven's hot, the flour's everywhere, and the floor is a bit slippery right there but magic seems to happen and wonderful smells float around the kitchen. One day's baking means treats for the week ahead.

I've made eggy buns for the delicious sausages I got from the butcher at the farmer's market. Rhubarb tarts were created from the monstrous plants in the backyard and the short crust pastry recipe snitched from Jamie Oliver's website. The cookies are my favourite spicy gingerbread from the Raleigh Tavern Bakery Cookbook from historical Williamsburg. And last, but certainly not least, an orange sunshine cake from an old 1950's cake recipe book.

Orange Sunshine Cake
(a variation from "250 classic Cake Recipes" 1954)

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup orange juice (just juice the orange you zested)

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in one bowl. In another bowl, cream together shortening, zest, and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, and beat thoroughly. Add dry ingredients and orange juice alternatively to creamed mixture and beat well. Pour into a greased pan (I use a pretty bundt pan) Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes or until done. Ice according to taste, but it's great without icing too! Enjoy!

WIFD Friday!

It's friday for the Week in Feminine dress and I was out and about to the shops- the fella snapped these pics when we got home.

I'm wearing: cranberry skirt, pink tank top, blue polka dot blouse,
black cardigan, and cranberry hat with my trusty brown maryjanes.

WIFD Thursday!

Today was housework and sewing, and off to the farmer's market.
I'm wearing my favourite stripy skirt, white tank, flowery blouse,
and beige jacket. Accessories include pearl earrings, brown mary janes, and white hat!

WIFD Tuesday & Wednesday

Well, I missed posting on Monday - the Fella was out with the camera on a very special mission: getting my new car! You'll see it in today's picture :-)

Wednesday: Green linen skirt and green check blouse, H&M
Magenta tank top, beige jacket, and brown mary jane's.

Standing beside my new ride - a 1965 Volvo Amazon Wagon. Gorgeous!
(Finally, a reason to get my driver's license!)


Tuesday: Dark Denim Skirt, white blouse, yellow t-shirt,
mauve sweater, and vintage apron.

Action Shot! Busy cooking stir fry for supper. Yesterday I also planted potatoes,
weeded, and chased the chickens in my skirt :-)

WIFD Spring!

Here we go again!
Air out your pretty frocks and shine your shoes, once again it's time for Sensibility's week in feminine dress. I'll be blogging along this time- and luckily the weather is supposed to be bee-u-tea-ful this week so I won't be shivering in my skirts! We're going from Sunday to Sunday to squeeze in Mother's Day next week-
Today: Long Eddie Bauer Linen skirt, blue tank top, white blouse, brown knit sweater, and blue wellies! Today I've been baking, doing the wash, and gardening- all quite successfully in my long skirt :)

Something Crafty

With the Farmgirl Blog-a-thon rollin' along, this week it's time for something crafty. Here is my apron holder I made from my collection of vintage half aprons. Some I've collected myself, other's have been gifts and the best have been passed on from my favourite little old ladies that just know that I would use these aprons that used to wrap snugly around their hips in kitchens past. It's made from a small strip of wood from the kindling pile that been painted the same as the wall colour and we screwed old wooden clothespegs to hold all the aprons. I tied string around the ends and hung from a nail in the wall.

If you're feelin' crafty, just head on over to MaryJanesFarm for lots of great ideas and crafts to try!