We are officially decorated for Christmas.  I'm not sure we've ever been completely done this early before.  Of course, that doesn't include the years where we've barely had any decorations up at all because we just didn't prioritize it with all of the busyness of life.  Thankfully, that is in the past. I requested that we try to get everything done between Thanksgiving Day and the day after, knowing we have a few busy weeks ahead.  We don't put up a ton of decorations, mind you, but it all takes time.  Sure enough, we were done by Friday night with ple ..read more

This is an incredibly easy and very delicious snack cake.  I use the base recipe for so many variations throughout the year and this one is perfect for fall. Notes on the ingredients: Flour - I have tried this recipe using 1/2 all-purpose flour and 1/2 white whole wheat flour and it worked perfectly.  I have not tried any other flours or combinations. Sugar - I have only used granulated sugar for this recipe.  I do cut ours down to just under 3/4 cup and I'm sure you could cut it down more if you desire. Milk - you can use water in place of the milk (dairy or non-dairy ..read more

  November 12-19, 2023 Last Monday was our chilliest morning so far this fall.  A cool 18 degrees Fahrenheit is how we started our day.  The frost was beautiful though, so I ran back inside to grab my camera for a couple quick pics when I was out with the Coop Girls. I did a little grocery shopping last week since I avoid the grocery stores the week of Thanksgiving.  I went to purchase my "free" turkey from BJ's.  You received one for "free" if you made a $150.00 purchase the week before.  We assumed they would offer this again this year and held off pu ..read more

  It's cranberry season and I try to incorporate them in some of my favorite dessert recipes.  This quick and easy bread is a regular in our kitchen.  It's moist, delicious, and bursting with beautiful red tangy cranberries coupled with the perfect complement of fresh orange.  I hope you enjoy it too! A few notes about the ingredients: Flour - I have not tried any other flour in this recipe. Sugar - I have not tried any other sweetener in this recipe.  1 cup of sugar is a lot, I understand, but it's to offset the tartness of the cranberries.  It really is ..read more

  October 29- November 4, 2023 Hello!  I hope this finds you doing well!  Sweater weather has officially arrived.  We've had a couple light frosts and a hard frost (26 degrees Fahrenheit) and highs ranging from 41 - 55 degrees this past week.   As I type, I have split pea soup cooking away in the slow-cooker, spelt bread dough rising in the warmth of the pellet stove, and a hot turmeric latte next to me.  It's one of my favorite things to drink in the cold months. November and December seem to fly by, unfortunately.  I try to take the time to e ..read more

  Sunday was chilly.  There's no other way to describe it.  Our farmer's market is outdoors through the end of October, which is nice since we love being outside, but it does start to get a bit cold as fall progresses toward winter.  The temps just barely made it to 50-degrees Fahrenheit and tack on the wind chill to bring the "feels like" temp right back down into the 40's.  Not bad, but when you are standing in a booth all day, it's chilly.  So that means I was fully dressed in winter wear.   I don't know if I've touched on this before here on the b ..read more

  October 10, 2023 Yesterday's low temp was 39 degrees Fahrenheit and this morning I woke up to a balmy 41 degrees.  This morning our indoor temp was down to 60 degrees Fahrenheit which means I made the decision to light the pellet stove.  My husband, who talks a big talk about no heating until November, was secretly happy to feel the warmth as he walked down the stairs, I believe.   As I hung laundry yesterday on the outdoor line, I chuckled at the fact that I had tank tops, t-shirts, thermal undershirts and sweaters.  All in the same load.  Last week's ..read more

  This week has been a surprise.  Temps in the 80's has meant we've had a last taste of summer.  I worked on putting much of my garden to bed.  Some years I just run out of time and forget about it until the snow begins to thaw in spring and reveals the truth - my lack of fall clean-up.  I was able to complete all but the active beds.  We are blessed to have kale, arugula, lettuce, basil, cilantro, dill, oregano, sage, chives, green beans, beets, eggplant, and peppers still producing, despite the fact that they've been severely neglected.   The la ..read more

  September 23 - 29, 2023 Hello!  And just like that, October has arrived.  Is it warm this week where you live?  It's in the upper 70's to mid 80's here most of the week.  The nice thing is that the overnight temps should stay in the upper 40's to low 50's.  It's officially fall so I crave soups, bread, sweaters, wool socks and all things cozy.  We've been blessed with some of that already (and a lot of crunchy leaves on the ground) and will be back to the cool weather this weekend.   I even had to break out my hot water bottle for 2 evenings ..read more

  September 4-10, 2023 Well, I'm sure you can imagine why I've put "heartbreak" as part of the title, so I'll get right to that first. Gosh friends, it's so hard to even write this.  Our sweet little Oliver passed last week.  We knew it was likely coming sooner rather than later, between his age (13 1/2) and his ongoing medical issues.  The good things are: he lived to 13 1/2, he had a pretty good day that last day (he was pretty peppy and was barking at me and carrying on throughout the day), and he had us right beside him at the end. We had taken him to the e ..read more