The Pleasures of Homemade

We have decided to do a pre-Thanksgiving. As we will not be able to celebrate on the actual date we have coined tomorrow evening as our holiday. We have a healthy crew coming to join in and we are preparing a feast with all the usual suspects, turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, etc. I have chosen this year to make it as "from scratch" as possible. I am finding that the more I make myself the more I enjoy the process. So with preparation in mind I have begun my homemade adventure! I made a fresh loaf of white bread two days and cornbread tonight to make stuffing with, homemade mac and cheese is just waiting in the fridge, the cream of mushroom in the green beans will be from scratch, and the pie is next on the agenda. My mother always makes the best walnut/pecan pie. I will be trying to replicate it for my Thanksgiving table out here on the coast. She has a fantastic and fairly foolproof pie dough that I am impatiently waiting to get from her tonight ;-) I encourage everyone to try something homemade this holiday, it really is a wonderful thing.

Life As Usual

I think that this time of year may be my favorite so far on the farm. The colors in the woods were magnificent! In fact, about a week ago I was sitting out in a tree stand for a few hours...no deer to report unfortunately...and it was just so beautiful. Being out here in such a rural setting has allowed me to see the beauty of nature over and over again. I think that the restoration process we have been going through in and outside of the house has clouded my view day after day but seeing the wildlife and trees change has captured my attention again.

We had wood delivered to heat our home through the cold winter months and the hubs and I have been stacking it with fervor...and sweat! Its really rustic using the wood stove but so homey. Of course, it forces you to see just how much you are using to keep warm. Its not just flip a switch or turn the thermostat up a few degrees and get a bill, its bring in armloads of wood and see the pile shrink knowing exactly how much that pile cost.

Trying to finish up odd jobs around the farm before winter hits. Mulching the new and old beds, cleaning up the garden and amending the soil, general cleanup around the house and barn, the list seems to be never ending. But all in all, I really love it out here.