Our Canvas Bordeaux Buckets shown above
Don't let pesky flies bug you during your 4th of July outdoor celebrations. Our new Willow and Glass Fly Catcher takes care of these pests the old-fashioned way--without harmful toxins. This vintage style fly catcher will have guests buzzing as your garden becomes a fly free zone. It has a hole in the bottom. Fill it with something tantalizing. Flies get in but they can’t get out. A good all-natural fly catching recipe, based on the old adage, “you can catch more flies with molasses than vinegar”, is a simple mixture of equal parts molasses and water. It's especially helpful for those annoying fruit flies, too.
When the warm weather embraces us, my family does a ton of outdoor entertaining. Our patio basically becomes our daily living/dining room. I get tired of lugging things in and out of the house though, which is why our new Wire Glassware Caddy is my new best friend. Forget having glasses slip and slide all over trays. The caddy keeps them safe and sound for easy, convenient transport to our outdoor world. Available at Farmhouse Wares.
I must have this vintage style picnic tin. It comes with all the goodies you see here. Its red, white and blue colors make it perfect for a 4th of July picnic.
Some of you may recall my post last year about Mr. Fluffy's annual shave. Well, it's that time again, and he's looking smart with his new hair-do. (Many of my friends like to refer to it as a "hair-don't.)
My friend Lindsey of A Great Full Day is asking for our help. Like all of us, Lindsey is searching for a way to reach out and offer support to those affected by this devastating oil crisis. As a lifelong Louisiana resident, Lindsey's heart aches over the Gulf tragedy that is unfolding around her beloved coast. She's decided to donate 100% of the proceeds of this beatiful photo print to the Audobon Society who is helping preserve wetlands, heal animals and clean up the mess. Lindsey's seashell print is a reminder of the fragile beauty that is at risk here. Lindsey is also offering free shipping on this print when you purchase by midnight June 14, just mention this blog post in the message to seller section during checkout from her etsy shop.
Have you tried greek yogurt yet? OMG! It is pure, creamy heaven. Greek yogurt is a lot thicker than the yogurt we all know and love, and it's packed with protein. My favorite is Chobani, and they say there's "a jaw-dropping 14-18g of protein in every 6oz cup of Chobani." I like to dress mine up with Agave Nectar (known as honey water and also a very good treat). This has been such a busy week, running here and there. Greek yogurt has come to my rescue, keeping my engine running. When I'm this busy, I usually get all droopy by afternoon, with a low-blood sugar feeling, but not since I found Chobani. Sweet!
I'm pretty crazy about the casual country style of enamelware, and nothing says country living quite like our new Vintage Style Enamel Pitcher. The simple charm of this enamel pitcher fits right in with any decor, but every farmhouse needs at least one. Inspired by flea market finds, our white enamel pitcher has black trim and a generous spout.
The warm spring around these parts is bringing an early crop of fresh strawberries. This is a good weekend to find a pick-your-own berry farm and stock up on these juicy fruits before they pass. You can even freeze them for smoothies and other treats later. Support your family farms and check out Local Harvest for a farm near you. Happy weekend!
I've been eyeing this Ruby storage cube by Lexie Barnes. A great way to tote those towels out to the pool this summer, the Ruby features sturdy handles, water-resistant waxed canvas, a wipeable lining, and a durable black ballistic nylon bottom. They're 50% off, too. I love the red and white of this Kiri fabric for summer, but Lexie has other fun fabrics available. Yup, the Ruby is a real gem.
Yesterday, I whined to you all about how I miss the beach. One of the things I love most about being around the ocean is that my hair always looks fabulous. There's something about that salty air that reacts well with my hair. It gets all its bounce back and my natural waves seem to be...well, wavy again. But since this girl is too busy for the beach, with all my chickens and country chores, I found a way to get that beachy look every day. John Master's Sea Mist is a miracle product. Made with natural sea salt and certified organic lavender, Sea Mist gives me the beach hair look that I long for. I may not feel the relaxing glow from a day at the beach, but my hair looks good, and that makes me happy.
Hope you all had a lovely start to your summer with plenty of Memorial Day festivities. We were supposed to head to the beach for the weekend, but a massive storm ripped through here last Thursday night and changed everything. It was the scariest storm I had ever experienced in this house. The wind was whirling around in every direction, and all we could hear were trees cracking and glass breaking. My patio umbrella and table went flying across the lawn, smashing all my glass candle holders along the way. In the flashes of lightening, I could see that the huge tree behind our chicken coop was no longer there, but we couldn't see if the coop was damaged. I woke my daughter and brought her downstairs, because the sound of tree branches scraping against her window was too much for me. Soon after, the winds calmed and we could see through the bright strikes of lightening that our Memorial Day would consist of a lot of clean up and little relaxation. We had no power or Internet access for the following two days, so today I'm playing catch up with work, plus I'm pretty exhausted from hauling tree limbs. The good news is the tree just missed the coop, but did damage the run. I'm still in shock, and even today, I could see the sky turn black again, so I ran out to salvage some of my peonies. They're just blooming, and I knew a hard rain would destroy them. I'm so thankful everyone is OK. I would like a do-over though on this whole long-weekend thing, 'cause I sure could use that beach break.
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY
Last night we were enjoying a summery dinner on our patio. I looked out to our sunny yard and realized it was raining. Our umbrella was keeping us dry, and the sun was shining, but the rain was falling all around us. The shower quickly passed and gave way to this stunning rainbow. The crazy thing is I had just been listening to Isreal Kamakawiwo'ole's Somewhere Over the Rainbow. I figure it's going to be a lucky week.
I've been obessing over finding the perfect way to display my house number ever since we painted last year. So, of course, I turned to my favorite design resource Remodelista, and voila! There it was...the porcelain enamel house number plate of my dreams. This classic design is made by Danish company Ramsign and they ship worldwide, so ciao for now, as I'm off to purchase this little gem. They've got my number!
Brighten your home with the casual, country style of Farmhouse Wares!
Sylvester (April 2009-May 11, 2010)
I had to share this picture of one of my azalea bushes. It has absolutely exploded with blossoms. She didn't look so hot last year, but many of you may recall my post about the back-breaking work of putting composted manure into my all gardens last spring. Yes, I moaned and groaned about the labor at the time, but look at the results. Very satisfying.
My daughter recently informed me that she's going to make it her mission to find the world's best pie. So I told her she should start with rhubarb pie. After all, it's in season and they do call it the "pie plant". When she made this strawberry rhubarb pie we were all quite pleased. I'd say she's well on her way to not only finding the world's best pie--but she may be the maker.
Last week I wrote about my love of lilacs. Well, I should have mentioned the wonderful lilac scented home care products that we carry, which will fill your home this fresh spring scent.These environmentally friendly products, by Sweet Grass Farm, include lilac dish soap, linen spray, furniture wax and more. You'll love doing the laundry with the Farmhouse Lilac Laundry Powder and Softener. Your mood will improve when you tackle spring cleaning with the Farmhouse products, and your home will smell heavenly.
We just got these adorable Vintage Style Milk Can Lamps in at Farmhouse Wares. The vintage style milk labels and earthy burlap lamp shades give this set tons of farm fresh charm--perfect for your farmhouse decor. Brighten a guest bedroom, a country summer cottage or your farm kitchen with this set of two.
I'm simply in love with lilacs. I love how they fill the air with the sweetest scent. I love how a vintage vase filled with their blooms can turn any home into a country retreat. I love how they remind me of my Grandmother and the hot May days we would spend making lilac necklaces together. If your feeling the love as much as I am, then consider a trip to the annual Lilac Festival of Rochester, NY, May 14-23. The host park has over 500 varieties of lilacs and 1200 bushes. That's 10 days of lilac bliss, and it's free.
Let's see.... Things have been relatively calm around the coop these days. The sick chicken, the one that was being pecked apart by the others, was nursed back to health, and her re-integration with the others was smooth as could be. Our strategy was simple: she inadvertently got out of her cage and basically begged to go back in the coop, so we opened the door and voila! We then went away for the weekend to avoid our tendency to over-mother the situation. When we came home, everyone seemed to be getting along just fine. Phew! The rooster.... Well, he's still an issue that we have mindfully procrastinated. You may recall, he's been known to attack all of us from time to time. Trouble is, I'm still in love with the big lummox even though he can be a real jerky-head. My husband and daughter have no fear, and they just tend to the coop chores with a tennis racket in-hand. I basically wait till he's sleeping to go in there. But, my husband will be going away for a few days, and I have to be able to tend to them. All I can say is that I'm still not ready to eat him or anything. I'm more likely to don my ski pants again (even in 80 degree heat), pick up the tennis racket and pray that the jerky-head leaves me alone.
Last night we attended town meeting to vote on new zoning guidelines, which are designed to protect and preserve the agricultural farmland and forest areas of our rural town. My neighbors were part of this zoning board, and they worked tirelessly to create guidelines that would be fair for all. It’s noble work. I am deeply grateful that they are willing to volunteer their time to this cause. Farming is such a big part of this community, that the thought of over-development with traditional subdivisions would break my heart. So I was pleased when it passed town meeting virtually without opposition. It seems that, in addition to preserving the open space that creates distances between us, it also managed to bring our community closer together.
I've made a lot of bread in my time. My husband studied the art of making sourdough starter to the point where I couldn't stand to hear another word. He was even considering taking his starter to bed with us to keep it warm. (OK, that’s an exaggeration, but he did tell me that’s what they used to do in the old days.) To be honest, I’ve always been a little disappointed with our homemade bread. Many a loaf has come out so dense and heavy that you’d rather play football with it than eat it. But I have finally found the most brilliant, fool-proof, scrumptious deliumptious recipe. I spotted it in Martha Stewart Living last month and just knew it was going to be a winner. This whole-wheat recipe is from My Bread by Jim Lahey and Rick Flaste. It does not require any kneading, but you must (and I mean must) cook it in a Dutch oven for the most perfectly crunchy crust and a light and airy inside. I’m talking easy, heavenly success—not to mention a load of savings compared to fresh bakery bread. You must try it--trust me!
Even though Johnny-jump-ups posses a boy's name, I always think of them as girls. The tiny wild ones that grow in my yard remind me of young ballerinas, dancing delicately in the breeze. I decided to put some of these little girls in my terrarium. I tucked this patch, which was tethered to some moss, into a galvanized chicken waterer. Now they have center stage.
Mother's Day is May 9th!
