Finding Bliss in the Kitchen

It's not too hard to find bliss in our kitchen. After renovating it this past winter, the kitchen is my favourite room in the house. I've always loved being in the kitchen and creating wonderful yummy things to share with my family (and for me to eat too!). I'm terrible at writing down recipes, I just jot down notes to myself that must seem like ancient Egyptian to anyone else looking at them! So I will spare you that ;) Instead, for this week's blog-a-thon post I'll post some pictures of yummy things that have come from my kitchen.

Strawberry Raspberry Pie

Tea Time! Kentish Rarebit and Lemon Scones with Clotted Cream and Jam

Hot Cross Buns


Italian Bread

If you're looking for bliss in the kitchen sashay on over to MaryjanesFarm and discover her aprons, organic food, bakeovers (yum!) and a whole forum full of Farmgirls and their recipes.

Eggstatic

Lo and behold - An Egg!
No more threats of chicken dinners for these ladies-

Three Brown Hens

My Three Rhode Island Red Pullets

Presenting the lovely ladies who have just taken up residence in the Palais de Poulets out back. They've been in the sun room for a week while we readied their abode. Introducing Hermione, the lightest coloured one- also a Miss Bossy Boots, Harriet who is the darkest brown of the three, and sadly Ron - who is reddish brown and is a tad.. er.. slow. I hate to speak ill of any of them, but I fed them a piece cucumber and instead of going for it, Ron started eating the pine shavings instead.

No eggs yet at twenty weeks old. Hurry up girls and earn your keep!

Heart of a Farmgirl

What does being a Farmgirl mean? Gosh. Such an innocent title yet filled with so many meanings for different gals. For me it's blue wellies, brown hens, secret gardens, chocolate chip cookies, and just knowing when the peas are ready for picking. It's twirly skirts covered in practical aprons, and heads covered in hats with ribbons on them. It's old old houses, green, never-ending pastures, and maple sugar bushes steaming in snowy March.


But being a Farmgirl is so much more than that. I once saw a psychic (stay with me here, honest!) and she said something that stuck. She said I was 'salt of the earth'. I'd never really thought much about that expression, especially regarding myself so I did what I usually do, I looked it up. People who are 'salt of the earth' are people who are decent, dependable and unpretentious. And you know, that's what I think us Farmgirls are when you get deep down to it. We don't fall victim to the hurly burly of society tellin' us to do this and that. We just are what we are- and love it, pure and simple. If someone lined up all of us Farmgirls in a row, we'd be as different as day and night. One likes primitive art, one does barrel racing, and one crochets doilies but we are all there if we're needed and don't make a fuss about it. We're happy gettin' muddy, or pleased with just watching the birds in the trees. We all just know- without really knowing why- that we're all Farmgirls at heart.


I may live at an orchard now, but my heart always lies with the first farm in my life. The one that nurtured my Farmgirl heart. It's my Grandpa Alfie's farm. He was born in the house, and I'm sure that's where he'll spend the rest of his days. It's where I dug for treasure with a kitchen spoon in the old backyard midden and unearthed shards of blue and white china, it's where I used to explore endlessly and discover a thousand hidden nooks, it's where Pancake Day was in March at the Saloon in the sugar bush, and it's where I swung in the hayloft and ran from the bull's pen. It's given me a million happy memories that fill up my Farmgirl heart.

If you know you're a Farmgirl or have an inkling you might be, skip on over to MaryJanesFarm .
The tea kettle is always on for friends.
Want to join in the blog-a-thon fun? Hop on over to Tina's blog and check it out!

Practical and Pretty

It was an apron of all things that started me back into the Farmgirl way of living. Oh, I can't deny that I've always been abit *ahem* old fashioned for my age (a ripe old 25, mind you) but after going to university and being stuck in the city for five years, my country girl was in hiding. There was no fresh air, and no birdsong, save for the seagulls and crows around the rubbish bins. There was a lot of concrete and not a lot of green space to laze about on or go tramping across. There was nowhere to get your hands dirty, or muck about in rubber boots.

Lucky me, I found a job in a little tiny village beside the river and found a little house with a big backyard where I could hang a hammock. Finally! The country began to seep back into my life and happily I dug out my neglected sewing machine, and found the first pattern I would sew in over a decade. Sense and Sensibility's Edwardian Apron pattern was the perfect topper to protect me from flour, dust, and whatever else I managed to get into in a good day puttering about.

It's been over two years since I made that apron, and it's falling apart now. Worn thin from washing and wearing. The bias trim is falling off, and one pocket is hanging on for dear life, but I've got another apron in the works now, though I doubt the old one will ever be completely retired. The new one's a pretty number with a full skirt from the early fifties. It'll be yellow with soft pink trim. I have a collection of half aprons too, that I mostly wear doing dishes or cooking, but none can compare to the older full apron styles of long ago. So pretty, and so practical.

If you want to sew your own apron, check out MaryJanesFarm, she's got some really cute patterns, or read her Ideabook or Stitching Room book. They have patterns you can just take to the copy shop and make your own!

Ps. That picture of me wearing my favourite yellow apron was taken on vacation! Yep, I take it with me everywhere. That's me at the Huckleberry Tent and Breakfast - another fantastic Farmgirl business!

FarmGirl Blog-A-Thon

Are you a Farmgirl at heart?

Over the next month I'll have lots of posts up here ('bout time, eh?) because the girls over at MaryJane's Farm are running a Blog-A-Thon. We want to shout from the rooftops how much we love the farmgirl way of living, and we want everyone to know about the great lady herself, Mary Jane Butters, and her business- check her amazing farm out at www.maryjanesfarm.com

It was Mary Jane's Ideabook that showed me the way to an online community full of sweethearts that are always happy to lend an ear, or answer a question (from what to do with an escaping turkey, or how to grow potatoes in straw!). Check out the forums, buy the food, read the books - you'll love everything, and that's a genuine Farmgirl guarantee!

Tag - you're it!

I've been tagged-

The rules are:
1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

What I was doing 10 years ago:
I was at the World Championships for Odyssey of the Mind in Baltimore, MD.

Five things on my To Do List today:
1. Call the Volvo Club of America
2. Buy shoes for wedding
3. Take friends to airport
4. Finish brooder for chicks
5. Renew library books

Four things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Go green - everything organic, everything at home renewable energy
2. Donate lots to NaNoWriMo
3. Travel extensively
4. Buy a stone cottage in Cornwall, England

Three of my bad habits:
1. Reading into the wee hours
2. Eating cookies for breakfast
3. Reading loads of D/G!

Five places I have lived:
1. Fonthill, ON
2. Kelowna, BC
3. Vancouver, BC
4. Ancaster, ON
5. Fort Langley, BC

Five jobs I’ve had:
1. Museum curator (teeny tiny museum)
2. Museum Assistant
3. Gardener/House Helper to a sweet little old lady
4. Coffee re-opener (don't ask!)
5. Heritage Interpreter

Please feel free to be tagged!

Washing Day

Meg's Wash Day Laundry Powder

1 cup Grated and whizzed up Laundry Soap (Sunlight bar)
1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda
1/2 cup Baking Soda

Making your own laundry soap is so easy!

I just grate a bar of Sunlight soap and let it dry out for a few days, then whazz it up in a blender until fine and powdery. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together and then put it into a pretty jar or container. I use 2tbsp per wash. That's it!

As an alternative to fabric softener I just add plain white vinegar to a 'downy' ball, and throw it in with the wash. Everything comes out clean, fresh and not overly fragranced.

Try it!

Spring Chicken.. House

This spring I finally get to have my very own pets again.
Since the poor Fella's allergic to everything with fur, I set my sights on a few chickens instead! My step-dad's been busily hammering away and has built the most incredible 'Palais de Poulet' for them. I still have to paint it, but here are a couple work-in-progress pictures to peek at. At the moment the first occupants will be three very lucky Rhode Island Reds.

Wait til you see it whitewashed and with it's board and batton siding on,
oh mon dieu!

Happy Spring!

A blooming bouquet of paper roses for my mum's birthday.

More Kitchen Pictures

Here are a few more Kitchen Re-do pictures.

The Great Kitchen Re-do!

This winter I have been a busy worker bee making my new kitchen pretty as a picture. A picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll let the Before and Afters show you what I've been up to!

This is what the kitchen looked like when we moved into Grandpa's old house.

We took out the table, and I painted the walls a pretty robin's egg blue, then painted out the trim and baseboards. The old rocker was my mum's first auction find when she was my age, the cookbook shelves are a couple of old pear crates, and I made an apron holder for my collection. The fella also welded the lampshade, and I covered it.

The main kitchen when we moved in.
It was very dark, so my priority was lightening it up - lots.

I painted out all the cupboard doors (over thirty of them!), sewed up a new curtain, and found an antique table at an auction to use as an island.

A lot can be done with a lick (or two!) of paint, and the only big costs in the re-do were the new soft vinyl floors, and the vent hood. The old floor had a great big scorch mark on it, and the old vent hood no longer worked so they were a must-do. I have to say that I am so very glad it's all done! It was a lot of work, but it was worth it. I may just never leave the kitchen again :)

Pretty Pocketbook

Necessity really must be the mother of invention because I had to create this little wallet for myself the other day. My old one, bless it's heart, was falling to pieces and despite fruitless searching for a replacement I decided to make my own from my stash. Using the old wallet as a pattern ( I really did love it) I cut some fabric from an old sheet, installed my first zipper in years (thank you Sew Mama Sew easy zipper tutorial!) , pinned on a sparkly paste brooch and voila, brand new pretty pocketbook.

The old one.. sniff sniff

The new one.. so pretty!

Snow in the Night

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening


Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
-Robert Frost

Cold Comfort Farm

"There's always been Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm."

I simply must write to let all and sundry know about this absolutely wonderful movie. I recently got it from the library (though I have seen it before!) and spent a wonderful evening laughing out loud at the screen.

This film is eccentric, witty, British humor in the charmingly idyllic 1930's Sussex countryside. Kate Beckinsale is my heroine as Flora Poste, who's aim is to experience life and then write a novel about it at the age of fifty-three. After her parents die, she moves in with her Great Aunt's mad family and fixes them all quite tidily. The characters are marvelous, from Ian McKellen's fire and brimstone preacher, to Sheila Burrell's Aunt Ada Doom who 'saw something nasty in the woodshed' (what that was has sadly been quite forgotten). Another favourite actor, Rufus Sewell (watch him in ShakespeaRe-Told: The Taming of the Shrew with Shirley Henderson. Excellent!) plays the highly sexed cousin Seth, who longs to be in the Talkies. Overall, it's a great parody of all the things the countryside ought to be.

Not only is the dialogue extremely diverting, but the costumes are brilliant. I wish I had a wardrobe full of Flora's clothes and hats.
Rated PG (mostly because of Seth..)

Homemade Holidays

Christmas was a flurry of homemade items and I was busy all month baking and sewing away for my family. It was such a treat to be able to give each one such a unique gift to suit their own lives and personalities. I was inspired by the Homemade Holidays tutorials posted over at Sew, Mama, Sew. Since the holidays are officially over now I can finally post up my projects..

Here is my favourite knitting needle case I made for my mum.

Rolled Out (notice the bit of ribbon for tying in stitch markers.)

All Rolled Up.

Sew, Mama, Sew

Craftsters amazing and easy Jordy Purse

The capacious tinyhappy shoulder bag (missing it's button in this picture, oops.)

The ultimate Sock Monkey (I actually made two for Christmas this year)

Jungle theme Coasters (shown without matching hotpad and placemats)

My first attempt at tea dyed stocking. Lace for me, red cuff for the fella.

Baking Baguettes

"Without wishing in the slightest degree to disparage the skill and labour of breadmakers by trade, truth compels us to assert our conviction of the superior wholesomeness of bread made in our own homes."

- Elisa Acton, Modern Cookery for Private Families, 1845.

Inspired by a library book,
Joie de Vivre; Simple French Style for Everyday Living
by Robert Arbor I set about trying my hand at making baguettes. I've been baking bread for years, though mostly relying on my bread machine to do the kneading for me. This time though, I did it the old fashioned way and was pleasantly pleased with the result. Lovely crisp, crunchy, crust and dense interior - perfect for smothering with butter and honey. Yum!

The recipe I loosely based my bread on was the One-a-day Baguette over at Epicurious.com. Try it!

Winter Whites and Christmas Colours

Winter blew in early this year and I couldn't be more pleased. One of the things I missed most about the West Coast was the lack of wintry days, well - never again!

I'm very happy to be a housewife this winter and have been puttering and decorating with my favourite vintage ornaments. Christmas greens have never been easier to get - just walk out the back with my clippers and a bushel basket.

Here's our little Balsam Fir all decked out for the holidays, just waiting to have brightly wrapped packages underneath.

Orchard House Farm

Since November, the fella and I have been on a very great adventure; leaving our easy, breezy, and rainy, west coast village life and moving to the chilly, rolling, countryside of southern Ontario. We now live up above the Niagara Escarpment, in a pear orchard where my step-grandfather used to grow Bartletts, Anjous, and Boscs. They still grow here but are farmed by a local fruit producer instead.

The rest of the property around us is vineyard, rows upon rows of grapevine stretching from here to forever. I can't wait to see them leafy and dripping with shiny purple and green globes. There is lots of room for a good vegetable garden and the seed catalogues are ordered but right now, with a blanket of snow on the ground everything moves inside the little modest bungalow that seems huge to our old tiny yellow duplex.

Life in the country has a steep learning curve, our well is full of bacteria and our cistern needs a liner, the wood furnace is a hungry beast and we are rushing to find enough wood to keep it satisfied, the snowblower won't work and a blizzard roared in last weekend... There are days when we wished we lived in our nice cozy city apartment again, but most days we love the country side. The quiet, the views, the birds, the forest at the end of the dirt track..