Little Pretty Things

This was a recent find. These antique cut steel beads are in perfect shape. Often they are rusty. The pink glass beads came in a funky old tobacco tin.
This was a belt for some long since forgotten dress. Not perfect but lovely.
I love bead hanks. They often still sold this way. I love they way they feel in your hand.

We had some snow today, but nothing that stayed on the ground. While the rest of North America is gearing up for All Hallows Eve, we put up the Christmas garlands outside. (I much prefer to get these things done before the temperature drops too much.)

Girl week begins tonight! Denise should be here any time now.

I'll post when I have time this week. I'm sure there will be a few adventures to share with you.

More Walking Shots

These pictures are from the end of our driveway. At this point, in our walk, Aaron made the comment that he thought my walks might be more "productive" if I actually did some walking. Funny guy.
When I was little, my grandmother liked to take my brother and me for walks. She loved to go for walks. My grandpa worked as a grounds keeper at a golf course and they lived right on the property.
Their house was pretty neat from a child's perspective. Their basement even had a dirt floor! Can you imagine that? Maybe that's where my love for old houses comes from. They can be so very mysterious you know. My grandmother had an old wardrobe in the room we slept in. I imagined all kinds of things "lived" in there.
On our walks she would have so much to tell us about everything we looked at, whether it be birds, trees, flowers. Perhaps, that is why walking is not an activity that can be done without a camera for me. Too much to look for and see.

Enjoy the weekend!

Autumn Beauty

Aaron and I went for a walk this week and there was much to look at and enjoy. Once hidden by leaves, empty nests abound.
I love how this Cedar tree stands in contrast to the yellow Maple.
Last year, I bought a bunch of sad little pots of discounted mums to use in my milk cans. they thrived with a little attention and at the end of the season I tucked them all into the Milkhouse Gallery garden. They are very happy there! I get to see them every time I step out the door.

~Don't forget the 20% off sale in the Milkhouse!

Have a great weekend, Everyone.

Playtime, 1960s style

I recently came across this at the local Goodwill. While other folks were carefully checking out the fancier items- glassware etc. I nabbed this. My grandparents used to have this game at their house. We would play it when we visited, along with a whole lot of Chinese checkers too. It is perfect and complete. We have been having fun with this, after dinner, while the wood stove burns away in the evening.
This was a yard sale find. I LOVE old boxed toys. They hold so much potential for fun inside. Well, as a kid, they do. I doubt you will find such a "dangerous" assortment of chemical fun today. I loved my old chemistry set. I would still have it, I think, if my brother hadn't sold it to a friend of his.
Just look at all the cool test tubes filled with mysterious powders.
This box of consonant flash cards is fun. Love the vintage images.

What did you love to play with as a kid?

Quick Mint Chocolate Cake

Aaron is teaches drawing classes to a couple of young girls each week and I like to have a little something different for their break at the halfway mark. This is something I have been making for many years and I do not remember where I found it. However, it is made in the pan you bake it in and the results are always wonderful so I thought I would share it with you.

In an eight inch spring-form pan, sift 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 3 Tablespoons cocoa, 1 teaspoon baking soda. With an index finger, make three holes in the dry ingredients.
Pour 5 Tablespoons melted butter, into one hole. 1 Tablespoon white vinegar in another hole and 1 teaspoon pure mint extract into the last hole. Pour 1 cup cold water over all and mix with a fork to moisten all the ingredients.

OPTIONAL: you can toss in a half cup of chopped nuts of your choice or finely chop half a cup of nuts to decorate the sides of the cake after it comes out of the oven.
Bake at 375 deg. F for 30-40 minutes until cake tests done. Remove from oven and top immediately with 1 cup of semi-sweet or whatever you prefer, chocolate chips and return to oven for 2-3 minutes longer.

Remove from oven, loosen sides of cake with spatula, release cake from ring of pan, and spread melted chocolate chips over top and down sides of cake.

At this point, if you didn't toss the nuts into the batter you can spread them around the sides of the cake for a very attractive presentation.

Tastes best warm. Enjoy!

Apple Season

I've used up a lot of apples this year. Not just in my grandmother's apple crisp. How can you not love the combo of apples, brown sugar and oatmeal?
For a big ol' pork tenderloin, I cut it lengthwise and filled it with a stuffing made from red onions, celery, stale bread cubes, and chopped apples. Oh, and a little caraway seed. For these really lean roasts I like to do a weave of bacon on top. It's looks nice and keeps things moist.
This was a new recipe. Butternut squash soup. It has squash of course, but also potatoes, and apples, a little cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne pepper. It has a base of chicken broth and just a little milk. I like to use my submersible blender to smooth out the whole soup.

And of course, a little warm soda bread to dip in the soup.

What are your favourite cool weather foods?

Our Young Swiss Family

Kathrin came to us from Switzerland 15 years ago. She was already a lovely, poised young woman back then. She was a blessing and a joy to our family that year and we have been so very fortunate to have kept in touch all these long years since.

She has always referred to us as her Canadian parents and Canadian brothers as we have referred to her as our Swiss daughter. That makes her husband our Swiss son-in-law. He didn't seem to mind at all.
Now all grown up and married with a dear little girl of her own, it was a real treat to have them come all this way for a visit. Her husband, Daniel was a delight too.
Gumdrop was not so sure about the new addition to the household that week, so she kept clear of everyone. Odelia however was on high alert for all sounds and smells that might come from this tiny person. If the baby was up, Odelia was right there, making sure all was well.
Rosie only gave Lea a cursory check and then determined that this kid would offer no food opportunities and therefore was not worth any further attention.

One of my favourite pictures, of Kathrin singing a Swiss song to Lea, at the cottage.

This little sweetie is a true outdoors kind of girl, after her dad. Here she is, all happy to be "outside," holding the front door to the cottage open while watching the sun go down.

She also traveled so well on all the flights back and forth during their trip too. After her mom.

It was a great week.

Men And Their Domains

Everyone in our house has a hobby or passion or whatever you want to call it. I have my studio. Aaron has a studio. Marty has his workshop which he shares with Joshua. He has his own workbench in the garage where he is often puttering with one project or another.
Joshua has also declared, for anyone who will take note, that there are some things he simply will not do.
Give the boy a grinder, welding torch or other tool, and he's off. Never bothered by the noise or smell or mess.
What a guy.

Frosty Morning - Snow

This was my view this morning. Wonderful. Sunrises change quickly.

There was snow too. Ack! I knew it was bound to happen. Winter is on its way. So is my old school chum, Denise, for another week of girl time. She'll be here the first week of November. YAY!

Hope you have a cozy weekend, Everyone.

Scott Dobson- Fence Builder

While at the cottage recently we took in the Perth Autumn Studio Tour, again. We've been attending it for many years now. It's a great way to take in the fall colours and enjoy the winding back roads around Christie Lake. Here is one of my favourite artisans.

Scott Dobson is a fence builder. He creates split rail fencing the way it used to be created many years ago. Suitable for the rocky landscape of the Perth area, he's an expert.
The property he was at for the tour had all kinds of neat things to look at.
Fence models.
Out in the field (literally and figuratively), building fences, you come across all kinds of interesting natural elements.
I enjoyed looking at his collection as much as any of the the other art on the tour.

Men At Work

A while back Marty and Joshua embarked on a project that has been a long time in the making. Okay, I have wanted something to hold the garbage cans and recycle bins since we moved here. Nothing like having to chase down bits of cardboard after a very windy night.

Voila! Our new garbage hut. What can I say. My men don't things halfway. This baby is gong nowhere and can hold all that's necessary for organised garbage storage. They cobbled it together with scraps of wood and other leftovers in the barn.
They are sitting where the garbage cans sit. See how spacious it is?
Tidy little shelves for those blue boxes.
And the bonus, a spot for your seasonal tools.

Natural Wonders

Just a little recap of the sizable wasp's nest high up in a tree in our front yard. I did a little research to find out how to go about preserving such a thing. With the cold weather we have had I can be confident it is no longer occupied by living wasps.
I was out today to run a few errands and came back to find that my good son had retrieved it for me. It was built around two tiny little branches. A few broom handles taped to the tree branch saw did the trick. He said it pretty much floated to the ground. I wish I could have seen that!
I think the design in the paper is just amazing.

Some Mornings Just Take Your Breath Away

Sunrise,
Peaking through the trees.
Setting the yard on fire.
Autumn is simply the most wonderful season.