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Home Ec

Valentine's Day Cards

Last night I made Valentine's cards with Max for his class party.  It's been a long time since he's done any crafty activity with me. ... Read more »

Around The Farmhouse: The Chickens Are Busy

The hens are busy laying now.  We are going to have to build the new coop soon because baby chicks start coming into Wilco soon. ... Read more »

Baking For The Picky Bairn

I've been baking lately.  I am  tired of my kid eating so much packaged crap.  (I've been tired of it for a long time)  I... Read more »

My House Is My Mind

There is a fierce wind blowing outside.  I think this whole day has been working up to a gale force push across the valley. ... Read more »

Burlap: love it or hate it?

Over at Pam's place there was a recent discussion about the increasingly popular use of burlap in crafts.  Many many people commented and nearly every... Read more »

Counting All The Pennies

There are more impossibly pretty people in "Speed Racer" than any other movie I've ever seen.  It's almost painful to watch- makes my eyes hurt. ... Read more »

Poverty is a joyride, minus the joy.

I was wrong about the lip thing getting better.  It only pretended to get better and then stayed exactly the same.  Tomorrow I will... Read more »

Our Ruination Has Been Recorded

Do you all remember how I alluded to other things going on with us that I couldn't discuss?  Today our financial ruin was finally recorded. ... Read more »

We Keep On Living Until We Die

Tonight it's going to be one big word soup.  I need to avoid exhaustion so I'm going to go to bed before 11pm for... Read more »

This Is Not An African Village

Remember that $100 we supposedly had to get us through until next Monday?  Turns out that a bunch of things hadn't gone through the... Read more »

Garden Strategy In Action

This morning it is already quite warm.  It is predicted that it's going to reach 80°.   It is so strange to have gone from... Read more »

Fish Is Flesh: Get It Right!

Three times last week I opted to run errands on my bicycle until I got a flat tire.  I got my tomato starts but was... Read more »

I Promised Pie

I promised pie.  This is my first attempt at sour cherry pie.  I have about 20lbs of frozen sour cherries that I picked last summer... Read more »

Everyone Loves A Poisonous Mushroom!

I am thrilled to say that I'm having WAY more good days than bad lately.  I also have about twenty posts milling around excitedly... Read more »

How To Preserve Citrus

This photograph was taken by Riana Lagarde for her article on citrus preserving.Come Read The article at:STITCH AND BOOTSMany of you are already familiar... Read more »

My Third Arm

Some of you may be aware that I've had a running intention to work on my quilt.  The quilt top that is ready to be... Read more »

Happy Little Accidents

I'm inclined to believe that much of human progress is more about happy little accidents of nature than about humankind's intellectual prowess.  Clever we... Read more »

Home Canned Versus Store Bought

Is it cost effective to can your own tomatoes? In the last week I have been doing some field research to try to answer the... Read more »

Writing Room Cleanup

Remember how I was going to start the new year with a clean writing/sewing room?  I contemplated lying to you and saying that I did... Read more »

Cabinet Candy

I don't collect a whole lot of things and when I do collect anything it's almost always something useful: tools, vases, fabric, silverware, dishes.  Things... Read more »

Kitchen Scraps Can Save You Money

(start composting today!)In my household at least 1/3 of all the contents of my garbage are compostable matter. In our last yard we had a... Read more »

Another Example Of My Genius

(Please don't forget to take the Roost poll at the bottom of the blog)My kid is just as materialistic as the next one but one... Read more »

This Week At My Urban Homestead

Before I go muck out the chicken run (a very dirty job during the wet season) I wanted to get a few things out of... Read more »

My Sick Chicken Pearl

My lovely Pearl apparently has some kind of respiratory infection and is moaning and has "ruffled" feathers (not nearly as pretty as it sounds). I... Read more »

Sewing Room Crime Scene

Chapter One: The SaboteurThis is the saboteur. Hire her for weddings, funerals, and Bat Mitzvahs...she makes chaos out of order faster than you can do... Read more »

It Isn't Thanksgiving Without A Wax Turkey

Martha herself is not as talented as me, a fact made clear by my brilliant use of a scented wax turkey that I just happened... Read more »

Choosing Fabrics And Colors

plus some lip balm mathI have been going through my fabric for reupholstering choices. I don't have enough of any wool besides this pretty orange... Read more »

Confessions of a Toothpaste Addict

Normally I don't show anyone my toothbrush. A toothbrush is a very private item. Like a bra. Mine needs replacing now and I don't dare... Read more »

Soap Whore Comes Clean

Warning: This Post Contains WAY Too Much InformationIf you weren't uncomfortable before, you will be now.So many people are sick right now with this month... Read more »

Room By Room

my new approach to fixing up my houseRemember back when we lived in the other house and after two years of being unhappy with our... Read more »

Wisconsin Is A Separate Planet

(and how Romanesco is proof of alien life in Oregon)All the time I was growing up in California my cousins in Wisconsin would make fun... Read more »

Roost Gathers Steam

This is a little pastry I made for a slow foods pot luck last Sunday. I wanted to make something that used what I already... Read more »

I Haven't Changed...It's You

It's possible that some of you think I am suddenly becoming crazed and extreme in my desire to simplify my life and to save money... Read more »

America Feels The Heat

It seems to have finally hit America that our old comfortable life by the cabbana is not particularly going to cut it in this new... Read more »

Comfort Finds Us

When I had my baby, almost eight years ago, I imagined my world was going to change. I mean, doesn't every parent look forward to... Read more »

Food Nourishes Our Bodies, Money Nourishes Nothing

My friend Laurie brought me another bag of grapes and so after a wonderful day of dealing with all the accumulated detritus of a life... Read more »

Play With Your Food

When cauliflowers are as big as your head I think it's important to understand how easily it could get the better of you. There's no... Read more »

Make Your Own Raisins

This is total pantry love. It makes me feel that I must bake something right now using raisins. I haven't bought raisins in over a... Read more »

Grapes

In my garage I have a box, a bag, and a giant pot all full of grapes. I know that the seeded ones are green... Read more »

Beware The Impostor!

(plus thoughts about the cold months ahead)When you come to my house the first thing you will be greeted by is my ghetto gate behind... Read more »

Built To Last

camellia house for a kingIt is the usual old-man grumble "In my day we built things to last...now things are made like crap so you... Read more »

Autumn

(and how I know it's here)8 clues that fall has arrived:I have a crate of apples on my porch that I picked at a friend's... Read more »

Working Girl

This is jalapeno jelly. I made 13 half pints of it after getting off work last night. Working outside the home is kicking my ass... Read more »

Forklift Of Steel

Until today I've never known what it feels like to have 2,800 lbs of hanging bundled steel gently swing towards me and what it feels... Read more »

Around the Farmhouse

plus some very unattractive thoughts on birthThis post will be a snapshot of life here on my suburban farm, of things going through my head,... Read more »

Off To The Farm

(not "the farm")One of my favorite things about this time of year (the end of summer) are the trips I take to my favorite u-pick... Read more »

Virgin or Whore

or how 1 apple is not the same as 52 applesThis post is brought to you by an anonymous commenter who says "there is no... Read more »

Crazy Water Pickled Lemon

Cookbook ReviewThese are Tiger's Eye and Jacob's Cattle dried beans that I grew in my community garden row. It is only a fraction of what... Read more »

Window Treatment

the before and afterI love Battenburg lace. I think it's charming. But I really needed some color in my kitchen. There's a lot of beige... Read more »

Magazine Mogul Killed By Own House!

All week I have had a swollen scratchy throat and thought I was either coming down with a cold or having really bad allergies. I... Read more »

Job Skill: Multi Tasking Genius

now everyone will want to hire meToday has already been jam packed even though I've had my friend Lisa B and her three kids for... Read more »

Tomatillo Salsa

14 pints is not enoughTomatillos are a queer fruit. They hide demurely in their husks until they come of age when suddenly they are splitting... Read more »

Home Preserving

weird recipe hall of fameThis salsa is good, but not good enough to warrant making as much of it as I did last year. I... Read more »

Caramelized Onions

If you have never caramelized onions, it's time you did. I realize that they sound ever so slightly haughty like something a crazed "foodie" would... Read more »

Cooking At Home

I've been spending more time in my kitchen in the past two weeks. I wonder what would happen if we all turned the necessary activities... Read more »

It's Just As Bad As You Think

Finally! Definitive proof of alien life right here on earth! Yes, my friends, that is an alien emerging from the skin (the SKIN) of a... Read more »

I'D RATHER BE PICKLING

The slogan for my summer should be: I'D RATHER BE PICKLING!My friend April has a picture up on her flickr pages of watermelon with feta,... Read more »

Cheese And Fruit

a worthy food traditionEveryone knows that apples and cheese pair well together. Cheese-and-fruit is a classic combination but I confess I rarely eat my cheese... Read more »

A Year Of Pickles

It's hard to feel let down, bitter, or cold inside when your own two hands have coaxed a bucket of cucumbers into a year's worth... Read more »

Eat Local Challenge

redesignedTen months ago we embarked on our eat local challenge which was our own not too stringent version of the 100 mile diet. The main... Read more »

American Poor

You know that moment when you realize that you have exactly $100 left in your bank account, you have no health care, you have no... Read more »

A Tribute To Home Cooking

I don't know what other secrets our friend Sharon has up her sleeve but she is quietly the best sour cherry pie baker in the... Read more »

In The Cantina

Otherwise known as Dave and Doe's house where every possible surface has had a rich patina of color and art applied to it. Dave and... Read more »

Hot! Hot! Hot!

another installment in a summer tale of avoiding debtor's prisonDon't you just want to eat some watermelon in this awful heat?! Well, don't rub it... Read more »

A Sandwich Story

Look at that sandwich. Don't you want to eat that sandwich? I want to want to eat that sandwich, but the truth is that I... Read more »

Mozzarella

I have a few hints for making mozzarella:Don't forget to salt it. Kneading really hot cheese is dangerous, so don't be a cowboy about it.Don't... Read more »

Beautiful Food

After a winter of potatoes, dark leafy greens, and celeriac, the local farmer's market is a wonderful sight! Here's what I brought home: strawberries, broccoli,... Read more »

Cheese

(and the importance of controlled rot)I cleaned my kitchen just for you.Curds and whey, the real thing.Low technology food prep.I had the presence of mind,... Read more »

Daily Eye Candy

It is so easy to overlook the naturally occurring vignettes in my own home when so much of my house and garden frequently looks like... Read more »

Pretty Kitchen Corner

I am not quite sure how the hours of every day get sucked into oblivion without my having accomplished much at all. It's possible it... Read more »

Strawberry Season

The Easiest Recipe In The WorldIt is finally strawberry season here in McMinnville. It's also rhubarb season. Obviously my mind is full of the possibilities...Rhubarb/strawberry... Read more »

Sew or Mow?

(plus an impromptu discussion of about the virtues of Oregon)I promised a little peek at the coat project and here it is. A swing coat... Read more »

Peanut Butter dips

fancy cookiesI don't make fancy cookies. I have a secret ambition to learn to make a dozen really pretty cookies that could be laid out... Read more »

Our Own Private Ghetto

We Williamsons like to create our own private Ghettos wherever we live. We have a talent for letting rust take its natural course, for letting... Read more »

A Room Of My Own

(a before shot of my everything room)This is my room. My sewing room. My writing room. My guru room. My sanctuary. My spy tower. My... Read more »

Spaghetti Sauce

A local challenge updateIt is getting pretty bare bones when it comes to fresh produce around here. If I want anything I am going to... Read more »

Clean Out Your Spice Rack

(good household management tip)My new spice rack. It's time for a clean-out. My most used herbs and spices are: thyme, marjoram, salt, pepper, cayenne, cinnamon,... Read more »

The Art of Household Management

(Where it all begins) Now that I am, at last, in a proper house* I have been finding myself thinking about what it really means... Read more »

Welcome To The Asylum

(well, I can't name it "rose cottage" can I?)Philip doesn't think "The Rose And Thorn Farmhouse" is a good name for a house. So I... Read more »

Saag Paneer Goes Local

(overcoming specificity)I am a very specific person. In every way. In every facet of life. There is no corner in my brain that doesn't have... Read more »

For The Love Of A Lemon

My new blog friend Cindy and I have discovered some disappointment in our local food shed. Mine has no lemons and hers has blueberries, but... Read more »

Variety Being The Spice And All That Crap...

(The truth about my love for birds of the domesticated sort especially)I really do wish I could have a lot more chickens than I do.... Read more »

I Wonder If Jesus Ate Pita Bread

I'll bet he did. And I'll bet he liked it too. Jesus was a Mediterranean guy, after all. One might even speculate that he was... Read more »

What Lives In Dark Corners

Vintage costume jewelry I love.I believe that homes are reflective of our mental landscape. I think we build around us a place that is similar... Read more »

Everything Good In One Post

(food, sex, secrets, sarcasm, self righteousness, and fresh mozzarella)A very local meal: rosemary focaccia with homemade pesto (from the freezer) sauteed onion spinach and mushrooms...all... Read more »

The Making Of A Housewife

Mr. and Mrs. Williamson in front of their first home.Mrs. WilliamsonHousewife.The happiest, sanest, most satisfying and comfortable time of my entire life was the period... Read more »

An Incomparable Gift

At last I unveil a gift I received in the mail. A totally unexpected gift from a friend whom I love dearly in a completely... Read more »

Scary Pickle

What the hell? Do you know what this is? It's pickled eggplant. It was simmered in vinegar and then preserved in oil. I have been... Read more »

Battle Of The Flours semolina vs. unbleached white

plus a new installment of the saga: how Angelina will ultimately alienate herself from her Master Gardening instructors.A long time ago (3 months ago) I... Read more »

Easy Duvet Cover

We do not use top sheets at our house as they are tedious and instead we use duvet covers, most of which are made out... Read more »

The Parsnip Lines Of Western Oregon

There's been all kinds of speculation around the local eating tables about the possibility that if everyone was to realize how important (and better) it... Read more »

Pasta Twists

When I go to the pasta isle at really good grocery stores I am enchanted with the many shapes in which you can buy it.... Read more »

Making Medicine At Home

(not a recipe yet)It is getting increasingly difficult to find recipes and instructions for making your own medicines at home due to our litigious society... Read more »

Midwinter Eating

(Local Eating Challenge Update)Apples at the Hillsdale Farmer's Market. They have a "Newtown Pippin" that I tried this week and it was amazing! I rarely... Read more »

Further Adventures In Cheese Making

Yogurt Cheese: Tink's WayIn my post about making yogurt cheese one of my commenters, Tink, described her own space saving method of draining the whey... Read more »

Yogurt Cheese Report

Arty picture of cheese bowl to disguise the fact that my old camera takes crappy pictures and I dropped my new one on the floor... Read more »

Nothing Green To Eat

(a local eating update)As I've been running ass over tit through crystalized molasses to rectify the imbalance in my head that is now causing me... Read more »

Amy Stewart Is Bored

(and it's our fault)Amy Stewart is bored of people talking about eating local. She said so on NPR. She is tired of the tedium of... Read more »

The Right To Bare Poultry

(and how eggs don't grow on trees)I have long believed that more important than a person's right to bare arms, is his/her right to raise... Read more »

Food Redefined=Life Redefined

I am late with this post today and I'm not sorry about it. I'm not sure how I ended up there, but I have spent... Read more »

Eat Local Challenge, Challenged

Forbidden fruit. I stole four oranges from my friend Lisa E. who had a tantalizingly huge bowl of them in her kitchen.Yesterday, after six hours... Read more »

Kale: shake it like a dog

(Eat Local Challenge- month 3)Kale is not one of my favorite dark leafy greens. I know that all the cool cooks love it, but I... Read more »

100% American Meal

99% locally grown and madeYou could spend a lot of time arguing with me about the origins of all of the foods on this plate,... Read more »

Food Related Gifts

(The results of the vote)The results of the food related gift tutorial votes are:Coffee LiqueurSpice Blends And RubsFarmer's Market ToteI better get cracking on these... Read more »

A Pickle Pantry Winter Salad

One of my all time favorite salads is a truly fattening one that includes: three bean marinated salad, pickled beets, lettuce, a liberal application of... Read more »

Food Related Gifts To Make

(That you can make or put together yourself)Plus three chances to win one of three prizes!!!! I've given this a little thought today and I... Read more »

Sour Cherry Tart

(A culinary quest)This is a sour cherry tart with a vanilla custard.I will choose this as my last dessert.Cooking, for me, isn't just about meeting... Read more »

Eat Local Challenge

Day 46You know how they say boy scouts are always prepared? Well, I am too, and I'm not homophobic which is a bonus! As some... Read more »

Who Buys 18 Pounds Of Celery?

Me, that's who. In my desperate bid to blanch and freeze enough locally grown celery to get me through to the next celery season (which... Read more »

Is This Green Enough For You?

Homemade pasta with pesto from the freezer and steamed Brussels sprouts with a mustard vinaigrette.I think, upon reflection, that I might have done better if... Read more »

Pepper Jelly

A couple of week-ends ago at the Hillsdale farmer's market I bought four pounds of jalapeno peppers to make pepper jelly with. Pepper jelly isn't... Read more »

The Blindness Of Proximity

It is truly amazing to me how blind a person (me) can be to the potential of her own home. Our living room has not... Read more »

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is Eat Local

Dudes, that wasn't an order! Don't you think that would make a great T-shirt for an eat local campaign? Philip is soon going to be... Read more »

The Great Carpet Exorcism

Evil Incarnate. See that carpet padding? It's real rubber. Real rubber has a way of sticking to things, has good traction. So if you ever... Read more »

The Carpet Is Up, The Gloves Are Off

Have you ever tried to convince a chicken to sit still? Have you ever tried to bribe one with food? Have you ever tried to... Read more »

We Hate White

(on walls)I have been in homes with white walls where I didn't hate it. Our friend Misa has a very different decorating aesthetic than we... Read more »

Eat Local Challenge

Day 29A Summation Of The First MonthWe have now been following the Eat Local Challenge for one month. Has it been hard? I want to... Read more »

100% Local Grocery Haul

Eat Local Challenge: day 25100% local grocery store haul. What's even better is that it only cost me $15.00 for one loaf of bread, one... Read more »

This Humble Mustard

One of the things I love most about urban homesteading is that the movement* is largely filled with rebel gardeners and cooks actively engaged in... Read more »

When Houses Speak

We chose the pink paint. I loved my pink house with the dark green trim. I don't have a better picture of this house because... Read more »

The Homestead Inventory

The winter's coming, is farm girl Mathilda* ready?One not-naked urban homesteader wrapped in a newly "finished" quilt top.A more practical view of the quilt top.One... Read more »

Hard Wheat, Soft Wheat

Eat Local Challenge, Day 14On my list of food exceptions for my eat local challenge you will notice that I have not included flour. When... Read more »

Eat Local Challenge

Day 12Can I eat this?I've been working on my pantry and in another day or two I'll be ready to show you how it's shaped... Read more »

Eat Local Challenge: The Framework

Time frame: one year Exceptions: Coffee Spices Sugar Vinegar Baking Powder selected grains: flours, cornmeal, barley OilPamesan cheese *The challenge will not apply to... Read more »

Piccalilli

(not a place where clowns go to die)In spite of what you might think, piccalilli is not a place where clowns go to die. Nor... Read more »

Preserving Comes To A Close

Now that I am done with my canning season...(no, really, I'm done now)... I can finally cook like a regular person. The funniest thing about... Read more »

Urban Homesteading

(an unexpected discourse)This is the tidy way we recycle our things. Yamhill County is really behind the eight ball when it comes to their recycling... Read more »

The Local Food Challenge Report

(Day 4)Not full enough yet. I have freezer food greed.So the first thing Philip did on October first was buy some beer from Washington. Oops.... Read more »

At The Starting Gate

Day one of my local/seasonal eating challenge.Pink Banana Squash from the garden.This is the first day of my year of eating seasonally and locally. There... Read more »

Pickled Eggplant

(aka: Rebel Food)These jars of pickled eggplant just may be the prettiest items in my pantry. You should know right off the bat that this... Read more »

The Seasonal/Local Challenge

(still setting the parameters)I interviewed the produce manager at my local health food store to find out when the seasonal local vegetables trickle down to... Read more »

Saying Goodbye To Many Miles Of Road

The guidelines for my year of eating both locally and seasonally.Over the past few days I have been looking at labels of origin and compiling... Read more »

The Hood River "Fruit Loop" Reprised

(In search of gorgeous pears)I always have the urge to lie down in the middle of tall grasses or corn mazes and just look up... Read more »

A Seasonal Year

I'm kind of sad to be winding down with the canning. My back will be happy. I have a hard time winding down because my... Read more »

No Rich Man's Fat Horse Can Catch Me

I keep pushing the limits of my scooter as a pack mule. Yesterday I brought home over one hundred pounds of vegetables on it. You'll... Read more »

Forty-Two Pecks Of Pickles

Late Thursday morning I got a call from Lisa E. that she had procured two cases of pickling cucumbers and could I come over right... Read more »

Homemaker Action Figure

If they ever design a homemaker action doll, can I be the designer? This would be her super suit: a Vespa helmet, goggles*, a cheerful... Read more »

The Last Ten Days In Pictures

(Plus: lyrics to live by)One of my old friends in the Portland Rose Garden "Frederick Mistral". His scent is a heady old rose scent, his... Read more »

Cleaning Day

What could be better than an entire day devoted to laundry and cleaning? I hear Pam in my head saying "Yeah, crazy girl, we've been... Read more »

Eggplant, Death, and Taxes

I have a plethora of pretty eggplant pictures to share but my six year old broke my computer so I'm writing from our laptop which... Read more »

The dangerous side of canning

(lesson: don't run with boiling water)Yesterday Lisa E. and I canned peaches and had the honor to do it while chatting like magpies with the... Read more »

One Hundred Pounds Of Summer

With my new need to budget my groceries more carefully, I'm giving a lot of thought to pantry cooking and meal planning, the only two... Read more »

A late night massacre in pictures

When I was a kid I enjoyed eating raw beets right out of the garden with the dirt still clinging to the roots in rude... Read more »

Delicate Peaches

(not a dirty euphemism)Yesterday was a huge preserving day for me. Lisa E. and I got together to can the peaches that we picked a... Read more »

Before And After

Before And After!Let's do that again from another shot...BeforeAnd After!Have I mentioned lately how my blood is moving at the speed of molasses and everything... Read more »

Beets: How I Love Thee

Indeed, I love beets. I've been wanting to pickle them for a few years but first had to find a good recipe for them (not... Read more »

37 half pints+10 pints= 5 cranky kids

(I am surprisingly good at math)On Tuesday of this week I went to pick silvanberries with the two Lisas and all of our children combined... Read more »

How I Don't Love Remodeling Work

and other true factsThe priming is under way at last. Philip kindly volunteered to start it last night. I didn't TSP or sand the paneling... Read more »

The Very First Pickle

Want to freak out the Master Canners of America? All you have to do is whisper in their ears:"Ingredient Substitution"and they will flutter around in... Read more »

Summer Rain

It's raining here which is wonderful and unexpected (to me). It smells delicious out there and all my thirsty starved rhodies are feeling the love.... Read more »

Untouched Specimen

Now that the apron project is almost behind me... (I thought I was going to be able to say "completely" behind me, but I just... Read more »

An Honest Meal

(sort of)Except for the fact that right after taking this photo I heaped on about a cup of Parmesan cheese. A little dusting is so... Read more »

Sour Cherry Jam

(drawing winner announced at bottom of this post!)Sour cherries are smaller than sweet varieties. They will pucker your lips if you eat them off the... Read more »

The Story Of Four Two Cherry Pickers

We picked about thirty pounds of cherries from Egger's Acres yesterday. And when I say "we" I mean Lisa E. and I. Not our shiny... Read more »

Cherry Season!

On the east coast and in the Midwest sour cherries are not very hard to find (from what I hear), but here on the west... Read more »

The Walking Pocket

(and more insecure talk from the Dustpan Alley)I can't tell you about this project because it might need to be secret. I realize how lame... Read more »

Angelina's Foolproof Home Designing Hints

I can tell you all what's on my mind right now, which will send you to the psychiatrist post haste, or I can skirt the... Read more »

In the red red hills of Dundee

After work last night we headed off to Lisa and Mark's house in Dundee. Naturally we had to stop to pick up some beer. That's... Read more »

My dutiful dog

Chick was confused about why I would ask her to sit on her bed in the morning. But she's a dutiful girl and did as... Read more »

How To Dry Herbs And Not Go To Jail

(a tale of two thymes in photos)Obviously, don't grow and dry pot.If you have never sheered a thyme plant before, it can seem a little... Read more »

Greek Grandmother 101

This past Saturday we had our friends Lisa, Lawrence, and their three lovely bairns over for dinner. As far as I know, none of them... Read more »

Truth in advertising

Note: All the pictures with this post have mysteriously disappeared. This makes the post almost useless. I will try to restore the post to it's... Read more »

The Sunday Ranch Report

When we first moved into this house and installed this very small kitty door, Chick could squeeze her way through. When I wheel my bike... Read more »

News Flash: Rhubarb is not a Hamptons affectation!

Another one of my wrong ideas has been completely blown out of the water. I always thought that rhubarb, and the miracle of eating these... Read more »

How to be a happy housewife

Housewife: The job descriptionThere are some people who don't believe that housekeeping is a real job. It is hard for modern people to accept that... Read more »

How to be a happy housewife

Choosing a spouseThe single most important tool you'll need to become a happy housewife is an appropriate spouse. You can love a man, but if... Read more »

Aprons: the secret weapon

A vintage voile hostess apron from my personal collection.When you think of what a design assistant in a men's necktie company would wear to work,... Read more »

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

This is our old pear tree being revived by Philip's cunning skills with the pruning blade. I love this picture because it really does make... Read more »

The Amazing Patented Unpeelable Egg!

Ever wished your chicken eggs weren't so darn easy to peel? Ever found yourself making egg salad (again) and felt the ennui spread over your... Read more »

The incredible shrinking fiber

Lisa and her family came over yesterday in a mutually beneficial gathering, as most gatherings between good friends are. I was relieved of my duties... Read more »

Spinach pasta revisited

It seems that kneading in more flour to my sticky spinach pasta dough and then letting sit in the fridge over night has successfully dried... Read more »

How to make pasta on a snowy afternoon

I'm not going to lie to you, making pasta fresh takes a little bit more effort than opening up a package of store bought dried... Read more »

The fresh pasta pledge

(There are no excuses left not to make it fresh.)We replaced the battery for my camera but found that my charger is also dead. I... Read more »

Pantry of plenty

This is one of those glorious Oregon rainy winter days that everyone is always complaining about. Philip is in Portland with my mom and Max... Read more »

Two of the oldest professions

I really like this picture of myself because I'm wearing my mom's first wedding dress which was a gorgeous black silk sari with silver embroidery.... Read more »

Airlie: a wine review

If you have never tried this wine, you're in for a surprise.Look at that cool label. Wine labels are super important, because a good one... Read more »

The loaf that might have been

This is a picture of the loaf of bread I had hoped to eat with tuscan white bean soup later this evening. I haven't made... Read more »

How to pay your bills

Paying your bills is one of those things that can be difficult whether you have the money for them or not. It's a very serious... Read more »

The big dust round up of '07

This is what my office looked like at 9:57am January 4, 2007.Exactly four hours later, at 1:57pm, (on the same day), it didn't actually look... Read more »

Progress report

(and how I'm not freaking out about the giant list. At least, not today.)The pot holders are coming along. I just have to hand baste... Read more »

Bring out the black, the summer pesto is completely gone

This little bird took the last scrap of pesto pasta pretty seriously. (I have to confess that I think it was the cheese she was... Read more »

Paint: the other antidepressant

We bought some paint for our bedroom at Lowe's and they gave us this handy little tool for free. I find it curious. It opens... Read more »

A Winter Pickle

(Another page out of a canner's notebook)This summer Lisa and I made two main recipes for dill pickles. One of them we made with no... Read more »

A Junkie of many stripes

(just slap me when I get hysterical)Yesterday was obviously a mixed bag. I got some great feedback on improving my store windows. I found out... Read more »

What is the universe trying to tell me?!

See those wires? They don't look good, do they? Know where those wires are located? In our living room. A few days ago I smelt... Read more »

A Spouse-Clocking Cabbage

That's right, that's what I said. This baby weighs in at 19 pounds, I can't help but think that with cabbages like these, who will... Read more »

In The Pickle Jar

Obviously I have a "thing" about forks and food. But this isn't just any food, this is the first jar of pickles we opened from... Read more »

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Dot thinks she's the hottest chick at the ranch, but have we seen an egg from her? (That's Dot, the black hen, always the first... Read more »

Home Canned Pears

(with a twist of genius)These pears are so good I wish my entire pantry was filled with them. I can best describe them as delicately... Read more »

The Sins Of My Ambition

(Or: How my house got ugly while I canned everything under the sun.)I want to say that this mess only occurs during my weeks of... Read more »

Ratatouille For Freezing: It's Either Now, Or Next Year!

I know it's a little over the top, but Lisa and I couldn't help but make festive little still lifes with these farm fresh vegetables.... Read more »

Eccentric Ecclectic, Art Deco, or Midcentury Modern...Does A Girl Have To Choose?

Can we all please look at this picture for an extra five seconds because it took fully TEN tries to convince Blogger that it was... Read more »

Harvest Time

The dahlias are all starting to show themselves. I could find out what their names are if I wasn't so damn lazy. But I am.... Read more »

The Pickling Show

This is the farm we visited to pick a bunch of pickling cucumbers. This farm is about six miles outside of McMinnville on Highway 18.... Read more »

Dominique ait fait le confiture de cassis

(le premier fois)(je m'excuse, je n'ai dire Francaise il ya six ans!)Since it took me fifteen minutes to construct one very poorly written sentence in... Read more »

Urban Homesteading

Urban homesteading is all about doing for one's self the things we no longer have to do, but which are useful survival skills and... Read more »

Moonlight Canning

Twenty one half pints in one day is not too shabbyLisa is removing the last batch just as all the children begin to fall apartphilip... Read more »

Canning Blackberry Sauce

Lisa milling out the blackberry seedsLisa and Angelina realize that the "jam" is definitely more of a sauceThe kitchen is very hot, that explains the... Read more »

Feathering The Nest

The poor wee hens have been living in heated darkness for over a week. They don't really care why it took us so long... Read more »

Does Size Matter?

When you're speaking of body parts in a bedroom type scenario, I'd have to agree with whoever originally said that "it isn't the size... Read more »

How to have fun cleaning your house

1. Dress up. Wear lipstick*. Don't even think about wearing those twelve year old sweats the cat peed on when you went on vacation... Read more »


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