Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods:
Warm, a little humid, but sunny and pretty.


One of my simple pleasures:
Quiet time. :)


On my bedside table:
Two balls of yarn, my double edged knitting needles, my clock and a light.


On my TV:
Going to be watching starwars in a few minutes.


On the menu for tonight:
Fried Zucchini, home made cole-slaw.


On my To Do List:
Finish the cushions on the chairs, go test drive a van in the morning.


New Recipe I tried last week:
I wouldn't know which one to put, probably a new swiss chard recipe.


In the craft basket:
My craft basket is overflowing. I have a quilt that needs finishing, and some appliques that need to be ironed on.


Looking forward to:
Sleep...it's been a long day. :)


Homemaking Tip for this week:
You can preserve onions best by using panty hose and tying knots between the bulbs. Hang them in a cool dark place, and they'll last quite a bit.


Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other):
I haven't had much of a chance to look at other blogs.

Favorite photo from last week:














This is the antique candy wrapper I found in the cushions I bought at the flea market last week. I snapped a few pictures before throwing it away. Was just neat to have a flash back from another time.





Lesson learned the past few days:
Flea market finds can keep you having happy vibes for a few days. What fantastic find.


On my Prayer List:
My mother in hopes her neuropathy eases off soon.

Dining Room Update

So, today we went to Jo-ann's fabric and purchased some fabric and new cushions for the chairs. We've finished two chairs so far, and possibly might finish the other four either tonight or tomorrow. I've taken a few different pictures to show the old fabric and the new fabric. The old cushions were absolutely frightening. I have no idea what mystery material was used, could have been wool, cotton, or asbestos for all I know. I took the chairs outside to disasemble just in case anything weird happened.





 

I did some research online last night, and it appears that my set might be an English Regency style set. They were popular in the 1920's-40's. I assume mine is not worth the thousands that those online were, and probably in mint condition it wouldn't be worth that much either. Doesn't matter though, I love it.

 

I chose a mild pattern mostly because the busy pattern that was on there before gave me a headache. Who cares if they're sitting on a boquet of flowers, right? Anyway, I had to include the picture of my husband who refuses to grow up, or read the lables that bags were not toys.

 

New Dining Table

Here's a few pics of our new dining table that I purchased today with the help of my dad. We paid 75 bucks for it and the six chairs at the local flea market, or swap meet for you west coasters. It needs some work, some refinishing and some work on the chairs, but I'm excited to start this project with the help of my dad.

 

Here's a view of the top. The side leaf folds down, and the middle leaf tucks away in the middle.


 

Under the table shot here, see how the leaf will fold down.

 

Brass claw foot that needs to be cleaned. Not really sure how to polish brass, any thoughts would be great.



 

Here's the top. Needs to be sanded down and refinished. I'm excited to see how this comes out.

CSA -- Community Supported Agriculture

I know it's been a while since I've posted, life has kept me busy and enjoying the beautiful spring weather. My garden is growing and hopefully I can convince my children that sugar snap peas are delicious right off the vine before they're gone!!

In recent weeks my husband has come more on board with some of the things that I've been talking to him about with food for years. He heard an interview with a local radio host on his way to school about a movie called Hungry for Change. When I started my natural food diet about 6 years ago, it was met with critism from my family. My husband lovingly humored me, and my parents thought oddly enough I was doing a disservice to my children. My mom last year told me she saw an article about food coloring and the unknown effects on the brain, causing hyperactivity in children and more. Even more scarier is the information found here about MSG.

My simple approach to all of this information is to purchase organic products that are as local as possible, and to do any processing at home. I was lucky enough to stumble across a local organic farm, and gladly purchased a share in their CSA. Yesterday was my first pick up and I had a huge brown bag full of vegetables. I had to work yesterday, so I didn't get to eat any of them until last night. I found a swiss chard recipe and cooked up about half of the beautiful rainbow chard she sent. My children thought the chard was special because of the pinks and yellows from the stems. I nibbled on the bag of sugar snap peas while I cooked, and my husband was a trouper. He tried everything, and didn't really like it. He tasted the sugar snaps, and wasn't a fan, and even tried the chard recipe...(which I'm making again btw...it was AMAZING!)

This summer will be excited foodwise I think because of this. I'll be trying vegetables I think I never would have otherwise. Today I'll be cooking some escorole in some soup with some lentils and a botched batch of bread. The snap peas I'm sure will be gone, good thing I have a vine of my own still producing like crazy. More soon, hopefully I won't be a stranger!