2015 Summer Vacation

Posted on September 24, 2015 by Deborah

*Hello*!

Can you see me waving?

No, not the loon (who seems to be waving) but me! 😉

Long time, no chat everyone! Totally my fault though as the past year has been nothing short of controlled chaos (and I use that term loosely). Last summer hubby and I started getting our house ready for sale, meaning de-cluttering, purging, building a new bathroom, gutting and renovating the original bathroom and sprucing up the property. All that effort eventually paid off, even if it tried our patience (and bank account) as we sold promptly this past March in 3 days.

After … Read more...

Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Salad

Posted on September 10, 2015 by Deborah

One very busy day over the summer when I was back south for appointments, I didn’t have time to make a veggie wrap (my favourite go to lunch item on the run) in the morning so I popped in to Denninger’s (a local deli/European food market) to rummage through their prepared food aisle. I came across this salad and after scarfing half of it down in the car (the other half saved for dinner), I vowed to recreate it. Now that the apparent heat wave of summer is over, I can turn the oven back on for roasting fall veggies. … Read more...

Vegetarian Fajitas for my Sweetpea

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Deborah

Yes, for my darling daughter the vegetarian. She is coming up to the Homestead for a week and I need to feed her since her hubby will not be around for the entire trip. Coming up with new and exciting recipes for her to be a guinea pig for can be a challenge, but knowing her likes and dislikes, I have pretty much made her stuff she has not turned her nose up at….yet.

Today’s dinner was Vegetarian Fajitas. Super simple to make in less than 30 minutes with stuff you most likely already have in your fridge. Kitchen Tip: … Read more...

Do You Hear Crickets Chirping?

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Deborah

It has been a crazy few months around the Southern Homestead. So much to do in so little time that I have neglected one of the things I love to do most….write my daily adventures. Hence the title of this post…the long time sound often used to denote nobody or nothing is around or listening.

Let’s see if I can catch y’all up here…

I spent almost every waking moment from January until 2 weeks ago purging, cleaning, primping and staging our home for sale. I sewed new throw pillow covers for pretty much every room in the house (14 … Read more...

Autumn Stuffed Squash

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Deborah

I wish I had the room to grow squash. Because I love squash. Butternut Squash. Acorn Squash. Santa Squash and many other Fancy-Schmancy Squashes. They are all good. You can do so much with them too. Baked Squash, Fried Squash, Squash Soup, P’sghetti Squash & Meatballs even…the possibilities are endless.

It is Fall in Ontario, which means it is comfort food season. Apples, squash and all kinds of root vegetables are at their peak. Nothing like freshly pulled carrots to make your taste buds appreciate your hard work all summer.

Squashes are even better. They are sweet and savoury all … Read more...

Dyeing With Marigold Flowers

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Deborah

This year I had an abundance…..no…an over-abundance of Marigold flowers around the Homestead. They not only provide cheerful, sunny, colour to my garden landscape, but they are also perfect companion plants in vegetable gardens as their somewhat obnoxious smell wards off harmful insects, as well as luring the pollinators towards my veggie plants.

So what to do with this overabundance of flower heads? Well, you can’t eat them, but you can use them to dye yarn with. Which makes sense since I have been spinning up a passel of yarn in the latest hobby craze to enter my life.

Dyeing … Read more...

Rustic Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Deborah

Rustic is a good choice for describing this soup. It is also the result of me not having my immersion blender handy as I took it back down to the southern household last week….dang it.

But, as things typically happen for a reason, not having the blender made for a rustic (think chunky) soup that was loaded with texture. Texture being one of those elements Chopped judges pine for on tv.

This past weekend was rainy….and windy….and cold….and did I mention rainy? Yes, it was extremely rainy. So rainy that hubby almost started building an ark. Therefore it was excellent … Read more...

How Come There Isn’t Enough?

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Deborah

I need more time. 24 hours in a day isn’t enough….

24 hours in one day
– 8 hours for sleeping
– 1 hour for eating
– 8 hours for working
– 3 hours for “domestic chores”
– 1 hour for errands/etc.
= 3 hours a day for knitting/fiber related hobbies….

Seriously

How am I supposed to get these projects done?

This is what I have on the go at the moment (not counting the project that is currently on Bob the loom, whom is missing from this photo…sorry Bob). I have a sweater just started (the lovely gold/brown yarn), … Read more...

Summer Bounty & Fiber Thrills

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Deborah

Me: Let’s see…what was my password to log into WordPress?

WordPress: Username ______________ Password ______________

First Try: Type type type type….Nope, that isn’t it, let’s try another one.

Second Attempt: Type type type type…..
Crap, this is what I get for leaving it so long between posts.

Third Attempt: Type type type type….. Yay! I’m in!

As for my audience here….have you missed me? I sure have missed y’all (typed with a southern accent, make sure you read it in one). It has been an insanely busy Spring that launched headlong into Summer. So busy that I haven’t had time … Read more...

This and That & Things In Between

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Deborah

Hi! How are you?! Where the heck have you been?!!
I have been looking for you everywhere.

I know, I know… I said I was going to be posting *regularly*…but in my defense, there are just too many things happening around here that are keeping me from sitting down to this medium.

This will be a fairly short post, just snapshots of what is happening in the Southern Homestead…

Bob the loom is naked. It is time to plan the next project now that my table runner is complete although it will be heading to the Northern Homestead as the … Read more...