Our House Story

A Natural Way of Life

2015-02-28T14:09:00.000-05:00

So much has changed in our home since my last blog post! Becoming a mommy really changed my priorities and took away from my blogging time! It's been two years though and things are settling down!

We've gone through many transitions with the house and with our lifestyle over the past two years. I've been striving to be more natural in the way we do things in and out of the home! We've been cloth diapering, I made all of our baby food and switched to all natural cleaning products. Most recently I've started using Essential Oils and I can't believe I didn't start sooner!

After one day of diffusing, the house smelled and felt so fresh...naturally! These two oils packed such a punch that after one month of struggling with a cold my 2 year old was healthy in two days!

Don't get me wrong I am in no way becoming a crunchy momma...just making a few more natural decisions!

Sanka is ready to be a Big Sister!

2012-10-02T15:31:00.001-04:00

We are excited to have reached the 20 week milestone and to announce that our little baby is going to be a girl!

We had an amazing ultrasound experience. It left us feeling much closer to the baby and of course much more excited!!

Everyone is thrilled that she's a girl except Peanut...his face says it all!!!

A boy would have equalized gender ratio in our house, but it looks like the girls will still rule!

Boy or Girl??

2012-10-01T05:00:00.000-04:00

Do you know what today is??

Today is the day we find out if we're having a boy or a girl! It is a very exciting day!

There are so many wives tales out there to "help" you figure out what you're having, the Chinese Gender Chart seems to be the most popular.

According to that we're having a girl...so we'll see how accurate it really is! The Chinese Gender Chart uses the mother's age at conception and the month of conception to determine the gender.

Some of the funny gender predictor tests, which I haven't done, include the baking soda test and the cabbage test.

Both of these tests require mixing the "ingredient" with urine. The reaction of the urine with the baking soda or cabbage is your predictor...I think I'll wait for the ultrasound!

Wood Carrier

2012-09-28T05:00:00.000-04:00

For my Dad's birthday this year he asked for a wood carrier to transport logs into the house to be burnt in the wood stove.

He had one that my Mom had made for him probably 30 years ago...it definitely lasted a long time! I used his old one for size measurements and as a basic idea. I also found one on pinterest that I used for inspiration, you can view it here.

I used duck cloth as the main material and there are wooden dowels across the top.

First step was to create the beige stripe. The strip was only on the front but you could do it for the whole carrier. I chose to make the stripe 1/3 of the carrier's total width knowing the beige handles would be equal widths on either side of the stripe. I folded right sides together and sewed the length of the material, then flipped it inside out creating a pretty seam.

Once the stripe was done I attached it to the brown material. I sewed down each side of the stripe with that pretty seam I had just created hidden in the back.

Next was to actually create the brown body of the carrier. I chose to double the material to make it stronger and also eliminate any seams on the edges where the logs could catch.

I sewed the brown material the same way as the beige stripe.

Now it was time to sew the handles. Following the same idea of sewing right sides together I sewed up from the bottom leaving 1 1/2 inches at the top for the dowel to go through.

There are 4 handles total. Once they were ready to be attached I folded the open edges of the brown carrier body tucked the handles in and sewed straight across!

As a fun added touch I decided to add a T to the carrier.

My Dad's initials are TTT so he can choose what the T stands for! I traced a wooden T onto the dark brown then used iron on adhesive to attach it to the beige stripe.

This is a picture of the wood carrier's first load of the season! We'll see if this one lasts 30 years!

Honey Apple Pouches

2012-09-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I love honey?? Well I love it A LOT!! I especially love when I have honey bought from a farmer as opposed to the food store honey in a bear...don't get me wrong, the bear is cute, but there is something about fresh farmed honey!

Anyway, fall is the perfect time of year to use honey as an ingredient because it goes perfectly with apples! My Honey Apple Pouches combine honey, apples and puff pastry...how amazing does that sound?

Ingredients:
(These vary based on the number of pouches you plan to make. The corstarch, honey and cinnamon are based on 6 pouches)

Pastry Sheet(s) - 1 sheet makes 6 pouches

Cooking apples - each pouch uses approximately 1/4C apples

2 tbsp cornstarch

¼ cup honey

½ tsp cinnamon

Butter

Cinnamon/sugar mixture

Prepare puff pastry. I will admit in my case it just meant thawing the frozen pastry. I no longer feel guilty about using store bought puff pastry though since I saw an episode of Jamie Oliver where he said he uses store bought! Cut each sheet into 6 equal squares. Place the squares on a greased cookie sheet. I prepared the honey "sauce" at this point so the apples would be exposed to the air for the least amount of time. Mix the cornstarch, honey and cinnamon well. Now back to the apples...

Peel and dice your apples. I cut large chunks since they shrink when heated. Place a good amount in the center of your pastry square.

Once all your squares have apples drizzle the honey "sauce" equally among the squares.

Fold up the pouches. I simply pull the corners into the center and up, then cup the pouch in my hand pinching the sides closed. Leave a little opening at the top of the pouch to allow steam out while the apples cook.

Melt and mix your butter with a bit of cinnamon sugar. (this is really based on your own preference.) Brush this mixture over each pouch.

Bake at 400 for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 375 for 20 minutes.

Eat warm or at room temperature...you could even go crazy and top with some ice cream!!

A New House Coat

2012-09-24T05:00:00.000-04:00

Do people still wear housecoats?

Don't worry this post isn't really about housecoats...it is about our house getting a new "coat"!

We have taken on the project of re-siding our house. Originally it had a mixture of clapboard siding and shingles. The shingles were worn and we lost a few in wind storms so we decided to replace all the shingles with clapboard siding.

In this picture you can see the different materials by the paint color. All of the red is shingles. The yellow is the existing clapboard.

This picture also shows you the wonderful angles we get to work with. We don't have very many straight walls...and those that are meant to be actually aren't either! Ahhh the joys of an old home!!

One of our fears was that we had no idea what we would find under the shingles, especially since it's such an old home! We were very pleased to find dry solid wood!

The first section we did was the downstairs "bump-out." We decided this was a good place to start since we could stand on the ground and reach everything! No need to start out 10 feet above the ground!

Once the old stuff was removed we had to start layering it back up! First layer is tar paper, which easily gets stapled up!

We didn't staple the bottom of the tar paper though since we needed to attach flashing.

The combination of tar paper and flashing are like a rain coat for the house.

Once those were all set the pretty layer finally went up!

We had purchased primed wood so it looks painted in this picture, but it's not!

We're going to complete all the siding, then do the painting!

Next spot is the back of the house, then onto the 2nd floor...that's when I'll be very nervous!

Sanka is not a fan of this project, she doesn't like all the power tools! This picture makes me laugh so I just had to share it! She was looking at me like "this project is really getting on my nerves!"

Farmer Fail

2012-09-21T05:00:00.000-04:00

While it is true that half of my genes come from farming families I seem to have missed out on those genes! I have finally admitted that I am just not meant to be a farmer...or at least not have a garden! (I'm not ruling out my ability to care for animals!)

This summer I tried growing tomatoes, green beans, carrots and peppers.

Sadly, I got one cucumber, 3 beans and a bunch of very small carrots.

We're a big fan of baby carrots in this house so it wasn't a total loss!

I threw these into some chicken soup and they were delicious!

I'm super excited that cooler temperatures have arrived...in this house that means - SOUP!!! I will be sure to share some of our favorite soups soon!

Scented Pine Cones

2012-09-19T05:00:00.001-04:00

I love walking into a craft store and getting a whiff of the scented pine cones! The problem is when the holiday season is over the scent is gone but the pine cones still look good. To keep the pine cones from last year smelling nice I decided to "re-scent" them.

This was so simple and cheap! All you need is pine cones, fragrance oil and a Ziploc bag.

I chose to use Amber Vanilla for a warm cozy smell.

Fill a Ziplock bag with your pine cones then pour in 1/8-1/4 of the oil into the bag. Seal and shake till it looks like the pine cones are well coated!

I left my pine cones in the sealed bag for one week. I'm not sure if this was necessary or not, but I wanted to give the pine cones a chance to absorb the oil.

I love how the pine cones look and smell in our fireplace!

Baby Room Progress

2012-09-17T05:00:00.000-04:00

22 more weeks to go! As I mentioned in my 17 week update we've started work on the baby room. The project has become a bit more than we expected but we're both glad we've made the decision to do it all!

So far the floors have been prepped for new hardwood, the old ceiling tiles are almost completely removed and we moved a wall! (Well I didn't actually have anything to do with it since it was a dusty job!)

The room originally had a large closet, which was nice...but not necessary for a baby/child. We thought about it and talked about how the room would work and decided it made more sense to have greater floor space and a smaller closet.

This is almost a before photo.

(Please excuse the pixelated hard working man in the bottom of the picture!)

By eliminating half of the closet we gained a 5 ft x 3 ft amount of floor space!

The perfect nook for a crib!

The closet organizer slid right over into its new place...that was one thing I didn't want to lose!

We were lucky that we were able to use all the existing materials...we literally just moved the far closet wall over to what would have been the middle of the two closets and wala a little taping and spackling and we have a new nook!

These photos give you a glimpse into the ceiling tiles that are coming down as well as the wallpaper! I can not wait to get rid of the "green"!!

Pinterest of Interest

2012-09-14T05:00:00.001-04:00

I've decided to start a new monthly post where I share what I've found on pinterest as well as my "review" of it. As a self diagnosed pinterest addict I often get recipes, cleaning ideas, projects, decorating ideas etc. from the site. Some of these ideas work out great or taste great while others don't!

Homemade Products/Tips

This past month I've been gathering homemade cleaning products to help cut costs as well as use more natural (aka less chemicals) products around the house. I've already shared our adventure with Homemade Dog Shampoo...and that was just the start!

About 3 weeks ago I started using the infamous Dawn and Vinegar solution to clean the shower/tub. It's great, works really well, even removes the hard water stains!

Link

My most recent household replacement is homemade Febreeze. I use it on the couch and carpet without any discoloration!

Link

Food

I have been pinning tons of recipes for fall and winter so I haven't tried any of them yet...I can't wait to try them though! Especially all the pumpkin recipes full of nutmeg and cinnamon! YUM!

One of the recipes I did try I had high hopes for but was disappointed. This would be a good base recipe but it definitely needs some excitement added to it! It was a Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole. All of our favorite ingredients were in it: cheese, chicken, black beans, corn & salsa...but it just didn't work!

The original pin is from Tasty Kitchen. Here's the link to check it out and see what you think.

A recipe that I did have success with was Coconut Oil Zucchini Bread.

Link

I made one large loaf and two small loaves. On one I added some shredded coconut to the top to make it look pretty, and I actually preferred the flavor of that loaf...but really it was all delectable!

Quotes/Sayings

I stumble upon quotes that ring true for me quite often on Pinterest but over this past month I'd have to say this one is the most special I've seen!

Link

These few pins are only a sample of what I've pinned recently...I'd love to have you follow me to see what else I've been able to discover in the world of Pinterest!

Steak Soup

2012-09-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

I had some steak in the freezer I wanted to use up but the weather wasn't nice for grilling so I decided to try making a soup. I found a recipe from Gray Cardiagn for Crockpot Steak Soup. I changed a few things with the recipe based on our preferences and what I had in the house already.

Ingredients
3 C. water
1can diced tomatoes with garlic and onions
6 oz frozen carrots
5 oz frozen corn
1 lb. sirloin steak, cubed
4 beef bouillon cubes
1/2 C. butter
1/2 C. flour

Place everything (except the butter and flour) in the crockpot and cook on low for 9 hours. During the last 1 1/2 hours I added the roux of flour and butter.

This smelled so good cooking away all day! It was excellent paired with the homemade French bread I made and shared here.

Pregnancy Update - 17 Weeks

2012-09-10T06:00:00.000-04:00

This past month has flown by...not feeling nauseous sure does make a difference! I am still struggling with being tired, but that's okay, it will all be worth it in a few months! I figure this whole pregnancy experience is preparing me to slow down and accept that it's okay to sit down and relax in the middle of the day!

Our 16 week appointment went well! Everything looks and sounds perfect! It's so amazing to hear that little heartbeat - it sure does beat fast!! According to babycenter.com this is what our little one is looking like this week.

Source

We've started tackling the baby's room. At first it seemed like we just needed a new floor and some paint...but the project list has grown now! I'll be sure to share more details in a future post but our to do list in that room includes:

Moving a closet wall
Replacing the ceiling
Rewiring the electrics & adding a ceiling light
Removing old carpet & installing hardwood floors
Removing old wallpaper & painting the room
Decorating (that's my favorite part!)

Here is a sneak peek of the ugliness we're dealing with. "Nice" green paint covering "beautiful" paneling on the bottom and an "elegant" shade of green painted over textured wallpaper! At this point any change we make will be an improvement and dramatic!

My First Loaf of Bread

2012-09-07T05:00:00.000-04:00

I decided it was time to try and make homemade bread. I needed to conquer my fear of yeast! I had a yummy soup cooking in the crockpot and thought it would be perfect paired with some yummy homemade French bread so I set out on my adventure! In the end it wasn't too bad!

Of course I strolled around pinterest to find a recipe. I finally settled on this one from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, which she says she got from The Sisters Cafe. I was intrigued with the cycle kneading with the mixer instead of by hand. I didn't change anything from her original recipe, and it turned out great!

The only thing I will do next time is bake each loaf on their own cookie sheet to give them a bit more breathing room.

The crust is the perfect crispiness and the bread texture itself is amazing! Perfect paired with a yummy soup!

Pet Feeding Station

2012-09-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

As we prepare for the baby's arrival organization is on the top of my to do list! Did you ever see the movie Cheaper By the Dozen? The 1950's version, not the more recent one, I haven't seen that one maybe it's the same. I often remember how the father in that movie tried to make everything more efficient...now I'm not going as extreme as he was, but I do think there is some value in eliminating walking from one end of the room to the other to get something when you could just keep at at the other end.

So anyway...I wanted to make feeding the animals more efficient. Originally the cats had their food upstairs and the dog was downstairs. Why we ever did that I have no idea, it doesn't make any sense! Alas, I combined them all!

I used an IKEA shelf (I believe it is meant to be a TV stand). It is the perfect height for Sanka with enough room underneath for the cats. As you can see I still need to get a mat for under the cat's water. Peanut has a terrible fascination with playing in the water so something has to be under it to soak up his mess!

Next to the shelf there are two IKEA containers. One with dog food and one with cat food. It is amazingly efficient!

As I've mentioned before Sanka and Peanut are best friends, so they enjoy eating together!

Valentine prefers to eat alone, but she does seem to like the new set up!

Oatmeal Raisin Bars

2012-09-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

As my pregnancy progresses I'm trying to increase certain types of food into my daily diet, but in a creative way. I've just started having cravings for sweet treats but I don't want to grab chocolate or cookies so I searched for something with a bit more nutritional value that would still satisfy my craving.

That is when I came across a recipe for Sour Cream Raisin Bars by Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice.
I followed her recipe almost exactly so I won't repeat it all, be sure to click through and check out her recipe. The only thing I changed was using a little less white sugar. Instead of 1 1/2 C I only used 1 C. After eating these I would decrease it even more or perhaps skip the white sugar all together...I will experiment.

There are a few steps to these bars and that almost deterred me but I was so curious how the sour cream was going to taste in this type of recipe so I made them and it was totally worth it!
Besides I got to use my new pastry blender!

There are three layers to these bars. The bottom crust, which is my favorite part! Then the sour cream and raisin layer which gets cooked on the stove then layered on top of the bottom crust.

The top layer is a loose crumb.

After they bake they do need some time in the refrigerator to "congeal." I was so anxious to taste them and did try them warm...it wasn't so good! Once they were chilled though they were very good!!

An Apron or Laundry?

2012-08-31T05:00:00.000-04:00

I never wore an apron...maybe as a kid...I vaguely remember a little chef outfit. But as an adult I never bothered. However, the more I got into cooking and baking the more clothes I was ruining so I thought I'd give the apron idea a try. I am here to tell you it's a pretty neat thing!

According to Wikipedia there was a decline in apron wearing during the 60's when washing machines and clothes became cheaper. I can see how that could happen but I also know (from experience) that some stains do not come out in the washing machine! If you take a close look at one of my aprons you can imagine what my clothes would look like if I wasn't wearing the apron! (I have a terrible habit of wiping my hands on my clothes.)

The apron is coming back though. I'm sure you've all seen the gifty types with fun sayings for Dad at the BBQ or Mom favoring a glass of wine over cooking. I have four aprons, two of which are "fancy."

This first one even has matching pot holders...very fancy!!

The apron below is actually from Italy. It is customized with my name. As you can imagine I do not wear this one...it's so fancy that it's just for decoration!

The one thing that all my aprons have in common, which I think is essential is a pocket! I suppose originally the pocket was meant to hold eggs or produce gathered from outside before starting the cooking or baking. I tend to keep a dishtowel in mine for drying my hands.

So what do you prefer...wearing an apron or doing laundry? Have you joined the apron renaissance?

What do you look for in a good apron?

Homemade Hummus

2012-08-29T06:00:00.000-04:00

I am a huge fan of hummus, especially now that I am trying to pack as much nutrition into small meals! Chickpeas are loaded with protein and fiber; two important elements of my preggo diet!

Recently my aunt made some delicious homemade hummus for a family picnic, it was great and has now become my own go to hummus! The store bought hummus has added ingredients to preserve freshness that I would like to avoid if I can.

Surprisingly because of where I live finding tahini, one of the main ingredients, was a challenge! I finally got my hands on some and created my first batch!

This recipe was quick and simple! Gathering the ingredients probably took more time than actually making the hummus!

HUMMUS(Adjust to your taste.)
1-2 cloves Garlic
1 can Chickpeas...drain saving 1/2c bean water
Splash - 4 Tbs Lemon Juice
2-3 Tbs Tahini
1-2 Tbs Olive oil
1 Tbs Tamari or any low-sodium soy sauce
Salt/Pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend.

Sorry the picture is a little gross, the tahini was dripping down the side!

Once things start getting blended you'll notice it is a bit thick. Add small amounts of the saved bean water (1 Tbsp) at a time into the hummus mixture until you get to your desired consistency.

Place in a bowl and enjoy! I love dipping veggies into my hummus!

Baby Countdown

2012-08-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

40 weeks is a looooong time! There is so much to do & prepare so the long amount of time is nice but waiting is just not something I'm very good at! So I decided to make the waiting a little bit more fun by creating a countdown jar.

I took a vase/candle holder and re-purposed it for the next few weeks. I only used materials I had on hand and wanted to make sure the end result would blend in with our decor since it would be on our mantle for quite some time!

I placed a piece of burlap in the bottom of the jar then used twine to accent the shape of the jar near the top.

I painted a square piece of wood black and used a silver sharpie to write the words. It was fun to create and did not take long at all!

The next step was filling the jar. I counted out the number of days that were left till the baby's due date. At the time is was 195. So I placed 195 Hershey kisses into the jar. Each day we remove one of the kisses. As of now we can't see the top of the kisses, but once it gets down further it will be fun to watch them disappear as we get closer to giving real kisses to our little baby!

Homemade Dog Shampoo

2012-08-24T05:00:00.000-04:00

As much as I hate the summer heat, Sanka hates it even more! Her thick coat just sheds and sheds - huge clumps! And yes, those huge clumps then cause me to vacuum everyday! (not fun in the heat!) To help end this vicious cycle we decided to give her a bath, hoping it would cause a lot of the loose hair to come out.

I have always used store bought dog shampoo but recently saw a variety of homemade shampoos on pinterest so I thought I'd give it a try! I read what several other people had done, took inventory of my own supplies and created our very first homemade dog shampoo!

The ingredients are simple and cheap!

I used equal parts vinegar and Dawn dish detergent. (I didn't have a full bottle of one scent so in addition to original scent she got some pomegranate, which ended up being quite nice!) I added approximately 1/2C of coconut oil.

The next step was getting Sanka prepared. She is not a fan of outside baths with a hose so she was not happy about this situation!

Once Sanka was wet poured the soap into our hands and onto her fur and scrubbed away.

The hair just came off in clumps.

As you can see Sanka's favorite part of a bath is getting toweled off!

We were very pleased with this shampoo. She still needed some good brushing for the next few days but the clumps around the house were much less! She smelled and felt great too! At first she did have that wet doggie smell, but that went away and she just smelled clean! We always joke after she gets a bath that we forgot she had white fur until we see it clean again!

Cornish Pasty

2012-08-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

Cornish Pasties are a popular meal in the southwest of England, particularly Cornwall. That is actually where I had my first pasty and fell in love with the simple yummy meal! Pasties became a popular meal in Cornwall because it was something the tin miners could take with them for lunch and easily hold in their hand to eat.

I recently attempted to make them from scratch. They didn't turn out as good as the ones I ate while sitting on the seaside in Cornwall, but I was pleased and we'll be having them again!

This picture does not make them look appetizing, but trust me, they are good!

The most time consuming part of making pasties is the dough. You could cheat and use pre-made dough, which would speed up the prep time. The inside of the pasty is simple.

Cornish Pasty

Pastry - the same amount you'd make for a pie (top and bottom)
1 lb ground beef
3-4 red potatoes
6 oz. frozen carrots
6 oz frozen corn
Seasoning
1 egg
1 Tbsp milk

Preheat oven 325º
Brown your ground beef then add the potatoes and cook over medium heat until the potatoes are soft.

Next add the carrots and corn. Use your seasoning of choice. I used an all purpose seasoning mix. Turn the heat down and cook over low heat for another 3-5 minutes.

While the meat mixture is cooking roll out your pastry and create 4 circles with about 6" diameters.
Spread the meat mixture among the four circles.

Fold each circle in half and pinch the edges.

Use a fork to poke steam holes in the top of the pasties. Mix 1 egg and the milk together and brush the pasties. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

Serve with gravy.

Note: Feel free to add any vegetables you prefer, but as I've mentioned before, in this house I can't sneak any green in!

A New Chapter

2012-08-20T05:00:00.000-04:00

It's been a few weeks since my last post, I have been very busy though working on the newest chapter for our house story! The chapter won't actually be released till mid February but my body has already started prepping! Have you guessed what our new chapter is about??

We're having a BABY!!!!!!!!!

We are both very excited and anxious; however the past few weeks were a bit rough for me, hence why I haven't been posting! I am now in the 2nd trimester and my body seems to have finally adjusted to its new job!

There are days when I think I don't know if I can wait till February to meet this little addition...then there are times when I think how are we ever going to get everything ready by February! (And no those aren't the hormones...that's just me!)

In addition to the normal getting ready for baby stuff we have a big project we started and haven't finished that MUST be finished! You might remember back in March when I shared that we ripped the ugly green carpet up from our hallway and front bedroom...well we still haven't replaced the flooring! And before we can start on any of these indoor projects, which of course include creating the baby nursery, we need to paint the outside of the house! Somehow it will all get done, right?

So anyway that is what I have been up to! I am back now and ready to continue sharing recipes, home renovations, and craft projects! I'm sure many of these posts will have a new angle as we work on this new chapter!

Patriotic Pinterest

2012-07-02T08:42:00.001-04:00

I can't believe just how many great projects and recipes I have come across for the Patriotic season! The Patriotic Link-Up Party I co-hosted with Suzy from suzyhomemaker.net is coming to an end. I will miss seeing the awesome new links and meeting new bloggy friends! I'm glad I created a patriotic board on Pinterest though so I can revisit some of these great ideas next year (or even September for Labor Day!)

I thought I'd share some of the great posts I've come across through our link-up party as well as just strolling around Pinterest!

The Partiologist

Two Yellow Birds Decor

I hope everyone enjoys their July 4th celebrations this week!

Fabric Shopping Tip

2012-06-29T06:00:00.000-04:00

If you've ever purchased your own fabric for curtains you know the time and patience it takes to walk up and down the fabric store aisles! You go into the store with one idea in your mind and then see things you might not have thought of so now you are overwhelmed with the possibilities! Not to mention you're in a store surrounded by colors that aren't in the room you're planning to make curtains for and let's not even discuss the terrible lighting!

Photo Credit

For me, the toughest part is picturing what the fabric will look like gathered as a curtain. In the store the material is "flat" but we rarely hang our curtains in a perfect flat line. The large bolts are easy to unroll and gather yourself to get a visual but those little square samples in the special order section are not as easy!

While shopping with my Mom the other day we wanted to compare three fabric options for her dining room windows. The curtains are almost always open so we needed to be able to visualize how the pattern would actually look scrunched up. I quickly took advantage of those annoying hangers the samples hang on and pleated the curtains up...now we could see and compare how they would each look.

I would always shy away from these little sampled because I couldn't picture how it would look, but now with this trick I might just give them a second chance! Unfortunately, neither of us were in "love" with any of these options so we are actually still on the hunt for her perfect dining room curtains!

We have just a few more days till the end of our Patriotic Link-Up Party! Take a minute to pop over and see all the great links...there's so many awesome ideas I'm having trouble picking a recipe to use for July 4th! Also remember to share your Patriotic posts!

Blueberry Scones

2012-06-27T08:32:00.001-04:00

Proper British Scones With a Pop of Blueberry!

I absolutely love scones! When I am in the UK it is my number one treat! There is nothing better than stopping in a little cafe for tea and scones - delicious!! In fact some of my best travel memories are from sitting in little cafes just taking in the sites (and people)!

I have been searching for a good authentic recipe and finally found one...but you know how I am, I always have to tweak it! ;) The original recipe is from Nicky at delicious days. Be sure to check out her blog, she has great recipes and it's fun to read! I really didn't tweak too much, the main change was using fresh blueberries instead of dried fruit like sultanas.

I think the neatest thing about this recipe is that you combine all the ingredients in a food processor! It is super quick and easy as well!

Ingredients (yields 10 smallish scones)

1 2/3C all-purpose flour, plus more for handling the dough
1,5 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
4 Tbsp cold butter
5 oz half & half
1/4C blueberries (or other dried fruits)

For brushing: 1 egg yolk and 1 tbsp 1/2 & 1/2

First combine all your dry ingredients and blend with the food processor.

Next add in your chilled butter cut into small squares. Pulse the food processor a few times until the butter is no larger than a tiny pea. Once that is completed add the half and half.

Turn the food processor on until the dough forms a ball (or oval in my case!).

Place the dough on a well floured surface and knead. DO NOT overknead - if you do the scones will be tough instead of flaky!

After I flattened the dough I pressed the blueberries into the top. I later realized I could have just kneaded the berries in during the previous step. (My initial fear was I'd burst the berries all over the kitchen, but they were tougher than I thought!)

You can use any type of cutter to cut the round scones out of your dough. Growing my my grandmother always used a glass to cut round things (primarily pierogies!); my glasses all seemed too big so I decided to use a mason far - it was the perfect size!

This was my first time using my silicone spill mat (Thanks Mom!). I simply placed it on a cookie sheet then laid the scones out. (They don't spread when they bake so you don't have to worry about spacing!)

Before you place them in the oven be sure to brush them with the egg yolk mixture.

The house smelled amazing while these little British treats were baking! Sanka & were both anxious for the timer to go off, but it was well worth the wait!

They came out beautiful - I love the color!

Traditionally these would be served with clotted cream and jam, but to be a tad healthier I ate mine plain! I didn't miss the extras at all! It was so yummy and the baked blueberries were like their own little jam!

Patriotic Link-Up Party Featured Post

2012-06-25T08:20:00.000-04:00

It's time again for me to pick a favorite post from our Patriotic Link-up Party! This is a tough task...we've had so many awesome bloggers share their recipes, projects and even their ways of honoring our soldiers and country!

Since I featured a project last time, I thought I'd choose a recipe for this feature. I've chosen Sugarkissed's Patriotic Apple Pie Pockets! What's more American than apple pie in the shape of stars?

Sugarkissed's Patriotic Apple Pie Pockets

I think I'll be making these for our July 4th picnic this year! They are just so cute and festive...not to mention I bet they taste amazing!!

Be sure to check out Sugarkissed's blog and all her other great recipes! Also hop over to suzyhomemaker's blog to see who she has chosen to feature from our Patriotic Link-up Party!