My Sink Garden on American Pickers TONIGHT!

 Normally I wouldn't bother you on the day before Thanksgiving! I KNOW how busy you are working, shopping,cooking, baking, house cleaning, maybe even traveling to see your loved ones as I type this announcement! But, on the outside chance you'll be  sitting near a TV tonight at 9:00 PM ( hopefully with your feet up ) watching a new episode of American Pickers I wanted you to be on the lookout for my sink garden! Its made a few appearances on my blog and Facebook page over the last couple of years but it's hit the big time and its supposed be featured among some other " still photos" on tonight's episode of American Pickers on the History Channel! How did this happen? Does my garden sink have an agent? Nah, I wrote a guest post about up cycled garden containers for my dear blogging friend (Sonya Kanelstrand who blogs all the way from Norway ) of Kanelstrand Blog last June and the visual editor for American Pickers came across it and asked Sonya if they could feature it. Sonya sent them my  via email and I gave them the go ahead to show it!

Now, that being said.. I suppose it's possible they will have their fill of photos to use and my little sink garden could get kicked to the curb, but just in case you know where I'll be tonight!

 Keep up that creative blogging you all do so well cuz ya just never know were your own sink garden will end up!

Gratitude

 

Dear friends,

The Thanksgiving holiday is almost underway! Before you know it we'll be sitting round the table with our loved ones eating delicious roasted turkey with all the fixin's with laughter all around us.

The sound of children and adults mingling together makes a lovely song on Thanksgiving day and reminds us all we have so much to be grateful for.

It's not how much we have but what we do with what we do with what we have that counts. I've always believed that. Life will always have it's ups and downs. Times of plenty and times of pennies will come and go but you can always have love and a grateful heart. That costs nothing! 

As for this little ole blogger, I'm so thankful that I have all of you to share with and be inspired by all year round! Aren't we a lucky bunch?

From our table to yours we wish you all a very Happy and bountiful Thanksgiving!

 The Dandelion House Crew,

Deb, Boz, the teens, Max, and the " cottage hens "  

Who's coming by for leftovers this weekend? 

VINTAGE 1950's Flocked Organza Half Apron and it's FOR SALE!

 

Good Monday morning friends! Boy is it cold out here on the shorelines today on the farm coast of New England! It's the perfect weather to stay in stock the shelves of 

My Vintage Homestead on Etsy.

I've added a few new things and I wanted to share this darling vintage half-apron in perfect vintage condition with you because I know many of you are collectors!

The red flocking is so vivid and beautiful! I don't think anyone actually ever wore this apron!

You can find it here if you're looking to add to your collection or it would make a nice gift for a friends collection! Stop by and see what's new! 

Leave me a link to your Etsy shop below so I can come visit!

Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop # 135

Dandelion House Fall Leaf Arrangement

Dear friends, Welcome back to another week of the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop! 

Are you ready for Thanksgiving? If your laggin' in the preppin and plannin' you're in the right place! 

 You can bet your bottom dollar that The FRUGAL Farmgirl/Boy Friday Community of blogger's will have festive fall decorating crafts, yummy down-home recipes, and simple tips for doing it all on a budget! 

 Last weeks entries provided an entire Thanksgiving menu from the roasted Turkey all the way down to delicious deserts! It was quite a spread! Here are a few that got my mouth waterin'!

 Katie of Maple Grove shared the back story on how the Turkey got to be the main attraction for America's traditional Thanksgiving Dinner alongside her tips for how to Brine and Roast a Turkey and make perfect gravy from scratch! 

Candy C shared her homemade Oatmeal Honey Wheat Bread recipe. Perfect for Thanksgiving dinner and day after turkey sandwiches! Better make a few loaves!

City Boy Hens shared his recipe for Thanksgiving Harvest Apple Cake! Love the maple leaf stencil!

It's not all about the food during the holiday season... Creating Beauty, comfort and a peaceful home free of stress and negativity for your loved ones is paramount to successful holiday season. Not that I need to tell any of you that. But, I've got a few ideas of my own on the subject!

Here's a little teaser for ya! I've finished up a few things for Grandmas Room and I'm sharing it over at the MJF BEACH Farmgirl Blog!

We won't be hopping again until the day after Thanksgiving.

Heidi, Dolly, Debbie and I  are grateful for all you share with us each week and we can't wait to see what you have up your sleeves this week! 

Happy Thanksgiving Farmgirls and BOYS!

We love you! 

Heidi of My Simple Country Living 
and White Wolf Summit Farmgirl Blog
Dolly of Hibiscus House and Dolly is Cooking
Debbie of Farmgirl Unleashed 
and me of course!

1.) Write a post about your farmgirl lifestyle and brag a little about your farmgirl talents while your at it! Share what being a farmgirl means to you. Include lots of photos of your farm, crafts, animals,  quilts, home decor projects and thrifty make overs, your backyard garden, chicken coop, recipes, studio or workshop. You get the idea!

2). Leave your entry in the  Linky tools space to your  Farmgirl Friday post.

3). Please include the Farmgirl Friday button ( or link back here ) in your post and remember to share this hop with all of your blogging friends!

4.) Enter up to three entries per hop! 

 DON'T BE SHY~  

Be sure to leave a note if you're new to the hop! If you haven't clicked that follow button yet, please join us and be sure to stop by our FACEBOOK page and like us there too! 

As always, thank you for your continued participation! Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! See you on the hop! 

PS. This is a blog hop, so please share it with your friends by copying the code at the bottom of this post and including it into your weekly entry!

Simple Sunday Supper~ Pot Roast with a HEALTHY Side of Locally Grown Root Veggies

I love the smells that fill the house on a cloudy, windy fall day when our crock pot is working over time filled to the brim with a 2 lb chuck roast basted, dried onions, plenty of crushed garlic, and salt and pepper. It truly is a simple Sunday Supper!

 There are so many variations on cooking a pot roast aren't there? I've yet to master roasting one in the oven. My pot roast has evolved over the years. I used to use Lipton Onion Soup mix ( low sodium ) with three or four cups of water in the pot with garlic, salt and pepper. It was always tasty that way, but I like to mess with things, even when their good! I wanted an organic version so I started using organic beef stock which was equally tasty and better for us. When I went to find my beef stock for this recent post roast, I was out of it but I did have some organic vegetable beef stock so I figured, what the heck? I'll try it! In my husbands words it was " out of this world ". That's the phrase he uses when he's really impressed with something. I had to agree. Using the vegetable stock allowed the flavor of the meet to come through and with the additional simple seasonings it was just mouthwatering good. 25 years in the making and I finally perfected my pot roast!

What do you like to serve with your pot roast? We love mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, carrots and onions, and fresh green beans too sometimes. If I don't roast the veggies in the oven, I'll usually toss them into the crock pot along with the meat. However, this past Sunday I got sidetracked with some raking outside and other little projects. By the time I came back to my roast it was too late to add them to the pot so I cut up some locally grown purple potatoes ( which I've since learned have a higher nutritional value than the familiar white or red potatoes) and carrots from last weeks CSA delivery and boiled them on the stove-top for 25 minutes. Just long enough to get slightly tender with a little crunch left in them.

 Just look at how pretty the purple and orange are together! I seasoned them with some butter, salt and pepper. I can't tell you how long it's been since we had veggies that tasted so good!
Oh, I almost forgot the biscuits! I cheated and used canned biscuits. They are great in a pinch and they bake up nice and flaky!

Here's the recipe: Crock Pot Roast

2 lb Chuck Roast  (specified for Pot Roasting )
4 cloves garlic
1box organic vegetable stock
 Fresh ground sea salt and pepper  to taste
1 1/2 table spoon dried onion bits.

Set crock-pot to high, add the roast and all remaining ingredients and cook for 4- 6 hours until meat is tender and pulls apart easily.

Boiled Carrots and Purple Potatoes
4 - 6 large organic carrots
6-8 purple potatoes

Cut carrots into 1/4 inch slices and add to 2 cups water. Boil for 25 minutes or until tender and crunchy! Cut potatoes into bite-sized chunks and add to 2 cups water. Cook same as the carrots.
Drain water out of each pan, add 2- 4 Tablespoons of butter and salt and pepper to taste. 
Simple and Perfect every time!

 Buying local food, means fresher tastier and healthier meals on your table. Farm to table at it's best!

Try doing a google search in your area for local Organic CSA year round' delivery or pick up services.
They are beginning to pop up across the U.S.!

We are fortunate to have South Shore Organics serving the south shore of Boston.



 

Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop # 134 and FARMGIRL FRIDAY KITCHEN E BOOK?

 Dear Friends,

Welcome back to the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop!

Your place to let your hair down and get down and dirty with all of your favorite bloggin' friends from far and wide. As Thanksgiving Day grows near Heidi, Dolly, Debbie and I can't help but feel so very lucky and grateful for all of you!  We want you to know that your loyalty and participation in our fun little hop each week is very much appreciated and we thank you from the bottom of our farmgirl hearts for all you share with us ( and each other ) all year long. 

You know me, I'm always thinking of something creative to dig my pitchfork into. The idea of a Farmgirl Friday Cook Book has been tugging at me for a while now.

 But, before I bite off more than I can chew I would like to know if any of you would like to see YOUR family recipes in a book or an E book? I would feature select recipes that have been submitted to our Farmgirl Friday Blog Hops over the last two years and going forward.

Title ideas?

The Farmgirl Friday Cook Book

Farmgirls Can Cook

Today's  FARMGIRL Kitchen 

Farmgirl Friday Recipe Box  

Today's Modern Homestead Kitchen 

 HOMESTEAD KITCHEN CATEGORIES

canning, preserving, homemade breads, homemade dairy, cooking with herbs, holiday's, eating local,

bread, vegetables, poultry, pork, beef, fish, side dishes, deserts, pies, appetizers.

All recipes would have a little excerpt from the cook with a photo or two to go along with the recipe. 

 All due credit would be given of course! Maybe we could even come up with a charity to donate a percentage of the sales too? 

 Please weigh in at the bottom of this post or send me an email if you would like to brainstorm further!  

 Whew! Alrighty then! Let's get hoppin'!

Your Farmgirl Friday Hostesses

Heidi of My Simple Country Living 
and White Wolf Summit Farmgirl Blog
Dolly of Hibiscus House and Dolly is Cooking
Debbie of Farmgirl Unleashed 
and me of course!

You know what to do!

1.) Write a post about your farmgirl lifestyle and brag a little about your farmgirl talents while your at it! Share what being a farmgirl means to you. Include lots of photos of your farm, crafts, animals,  quilts, home decor projects and thrifty make overs, your backyard garden, chicken coop, recipes, studio or workshop. You get the idea!

2). Leave your entry in the  Linky tools space to your  Farmgirl Friday post.

3). Please include the Farmgirl Friday button ( or link back here ) in your post and remember to share this hop with all of your blogging friends!

4.) Enter up to three entries per hop! 

 DON'T BE SHY~  

Be sure to leave a note if you're new to the hop! If you haven't clicked that follow button yet, please join us and be sure to stop by our FACEBOOK page and like us there too! 

As always, thank you for your continued participation! Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! See you on the hop! 

PS. This is a blog hop, so please share it with your friends by copying the code at the bottom of this post and including it into your weekly entry!

My Vintage Homestead Business Cards Survey!

Front

Dear friends, 

What am I doing up so late on a Monday night? No, I don't have indigestion, or insomnia or incontinence but, thank you for asking. :) What I do have is a case of IN-decision! 

 I've been plugging away off and on all day creating my new business cards for My Vintage Homestead Etsy shop! I promised you I'd post again when I came up with something to include inside each package for my customers remember? Good!

 Now I need your help! 

If you were a customer ,which one of these two cards would you prefer to receive with your purchase? 

A traditional size business card ( pictured above and below) 

Back

 Or, 

a postcard ( [pictured below ) which is larger in size, easier to find, and perhaps prettier to look at?  

 

 

Back

I'm having a heck of a time deciding cuz I love them both! 

Would you be so kind and vote for your favorite?

Me thanks you!

PS. I used Vista Print to create them! I don't get any compensation for stating that, I just like their templates, prices and print quality.

Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop # 133 and My NEW Vintage Homestead Etsy Shop!

  Happy Farmgirl Friday everyone! Are you ready to sit back and relax with your favorite farmgirls and boys this weekend? Me too! We've been gathering so long now that I get excited when the season changes because I know I'm in for a real treat with every link you share as we lead up to the holiday season. If you've got time and you can remember to do it please share some of your favorite holiday recipes on my Facebook page for Recipe a Day! It's so inspiring to see all that yummy goodness in one place and its easy for others to share too! 

FARMGIRL FUN: After becoming a vintage dealer in my local antique mall last January I decided to take the plunge into online shop keeping. I am now an official Etsy Shop Owner, along with millions of other shop keepers. Boy, do I have a lot to learn! I hope I'm not in over my head! I'm not fully stocked yet, but I am having fun adding new vintage, handmade and time worn items every day and I've already made a couple of sales! The actual online set up shop wasn't really difficult, but I need to make a little packing station area and have a place to store items that are waiting for a new home.

 I know many of you are  already savvy Etsy Shop keepers. Any tips for a newbie shop keeper like me would be most appreciated! Do any of you advertise or join communities on Etsy? I would love to hear your experiences too. I'm working up a new business card at Vista Print and investigating shipping materials. I like the idea of keeping things simple. I'll post when I get it all coordinated!
 I invite you to come visit  MY VINTAGE HOMESTEAD and favorite my shop and I'll return the favorite to you if you Etsy too!

 

That's the excitement at Dandelion House Homestead this week! What's new in your farmgirl world? 

Heidi, Dolly, Debbie and I want to hear all about it!!!

 Heidi of My Simple Country Living 
and White Wolf Summit Farmgirl Blog
Dolly of Hibiscus House and Dolly is Cooking
Debbie of Farmgirl Unleashed 
and me of course!

You know what to do!

1.) Write a post about your farmgirl lifestyle and brag a little about your farmgirl talents while your at it! Share what being a farmgirl means to you. Include lots of photos of your farm, crafts, animals,  quilts, home decor projects and thrifty make overs, your backyard garden, chicken coop, recipes, studio or workshop. You get the idea!

2). Leave your entry in the  Linky tools space to your  Farmgirl Friday post.

3). Please include the Farmgirl Friday button ( or link back here ) in your post and remember to share this hop with all of your blogging friends!

4.) Enter up to three entries per hop! 

 DON'T BE SHY~  

Be sure to leave a note if you're new to the hop! If you haven't clicked that follow button yet, please join us and be sure to stop by our FACEBOOK page and like us there too! 

As always, thank you for your continued participation! Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! See you on the hop! 

PS. This is a blog hop, so please share it with your friends by copying the code at the bottom of this post and including it into your weekly entry!

Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop # 132 & Missing Cherry Tomatoes.

 

Welcome back farmgirls and boys! I hope you all had a safe and fun All Hallow's Eve! I ate way to much chocolate as usual and I'm not one bit sorry about it!

Fare thee well to October. My favorite month has arrived! Happy November! I'm a November baby which probably has a little something to do with it! I'll be 52 years young in a couple of weeks! 

 I'm sorry to be so late getting our hop up today. If you can believe it, we've already lost power this year! It went out early this am due to high winds last night and didn't come back on until late this afternoon! You know what I'm thinking about? A GENERATOR! Don't ask me why after living in New England for 12 years we don't have one yet because I don't have a good reason. If it hadn't of been for the hospitality of some good friends of ours we would have likely frozen to death during the blizzard of 2013 last year!  

We're shopping to make sure we are NOT in that predicament again this year! I know many of you are off-grid and are probably very familiar with living with backup generators. Any tips for  this suburban homesteader? What should we look for that would heat a home under 2000 square feet? 

Now, on to solving the case of the missing cherry tomatoes!

 Sometime during the height of mid summer I went out looking to see how our cherry tomatoes were doing. The plants had all flowered and were dripping with tiny green fruit! But I was mystified as to  why there were no  delicious ripe cherry tomatoes. The other varieties of tomatoes had begun to ripen already. Obviously some critter  ( a squirrel or bird ) was steeling them right out from under my nose when I wasn't looking! I was puzzled but didn't really put two and two together until one day Max and I were out in the garden and I lost sight of him. He's a corgi so that's not hard to do. I can usually get his attention if I call out to him Max! Cookies!!!!!! So I did. It took him a while but he finally came running.. Guess what was on the top of his long little corgi snout? TOMATO SEEDS!!!!!!

 I didn't know corgi's ate tomatoes! Did you? 

 I never did harvest any cherry tomatoes this year cuz you know who ate em all!

I caught him today acting very innocent as he passed by the tomato plants.  

Nothing to see here... Move along...

I knew better so I stuck around to catch him in action.

Hmm? What's this I see? Green tomatoes and...

Max pretending he's a goat.

At this point, he KNOWS I'm watching but he won't be distracted...

It's tomato pick'n time! 

 So, there you have it. The case of the missing cherry tomatoes is solved! I guess corgis like tomatoes after all!

We can't wait to see what fun happenings you have to share this week!
Let's get to it!

 Your Farmgirl Friday Hostesses want to know!

Heidi of My Simple Country Living 
and White Wolf Summit Farmgirl Blog
Dolly of Hibiscus House and Dolly is Cooking
Debbie of Farmgirl Unleashed 
and me of course!

You know what to do!

1.) Write a post about your farmgirl lifestyle and brag a little about your farmgirl talents while your at it! Share what being a farmgirl means to you. Include lots of photos of your farm, crafts, animals,  quilts, home decor projects and thrifty make overs, your backyard garden, chicken coop, recipes, studio or workshop. You get the idea!

2). Leave your entry in the  Linky tools space to your  Farmgirl Friday post.

3). Please include the Farmgirl Friday button ( or link back here ) in your post and remember to share this hop with all of your blogging friends!

4.) Enter up to three entries per hop! 

 DON'T BE SHY~  

Be sure to leave a note if you're new to the hop! If you haven't clicked that follow button yet, please join us and be sure to stop by our FACEBOOK page and like us there too! 

As always, thank you for your continued participation! Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! See you on the hop! 

PS. This is a blog hop, so please share it with your friends by copying the code at the bottom of this post and including it into your weekly entry!