The Ames Plantation Heritage Festival

One of my very favorite past times is visiting living history museums or festivals. I am drawn to simpler days and the folks that created such beautiful lives with so little except their ingenuity and creativity. I never tire of learning more.

I was so fortunate to attend The Heritage Festival at The Ames Planation in Grand Junction, Tennessee. So many arts were represented there, and I left wanting to experience them all.

I just wanted to share some images from my special day.

A glimpse of old tyme cabin life













A few of the delightufl historians who spent time teaching me about the domestic arts of our foremothers







On the farm







Colton had a fun day too! He found an orange tractor (his favorite color).



He was the first in our family to milk a goat. A fact that he is extremely proud of.



Colton got to feel sheep wool and llama wool. He saw photos of the sheep, touched the wool, watched it being spun into yarn and then held a sweater that was knit from the wool. It was a wonderful experience for him. I was pretty thrilled myself!



And finally he got to pet some very large draft horses which he complained were breathing their hot air into his ears. LOL


I have already marked my calendar for next year!

And please don't forget to scroll down to my next post for a wonderful giveaway and free Penny Rug Christmas ornament pattern from Ginger at Primtives by the Light of the Moon. Really ... you don't want to miss it!

Wishing you joy,
Lea

More Chickens!

I had the pleasure of having my friend, Cathy and her boys, visit our home last week. It was a lovely autumn day and while the older boys cared for the younger ones, Cathy and I had time to just sit and share. We homeschooling moms call it a "teacher's conference". Cathy is passionate about frugal living and it was nice to glean from her knowledge of farm and family.

Cathy & me ~ Do you see that enamelware bowl & lid? Cathy brought cookies in her thrift store find bowl ... and I just happened to have my thrift store find matching lid. They needed to be together so they went to live with Cathy. I kept the cookies!

Cathy has a small farm with a wide assortment of animals ~ 8 goats, 2 sheep, 2 pigs, 9 dogs, a gazoodle chickens and 39 cats ... no that wasn't a typo! LOL And she shared with me 3 lovely white leghorn laying hens that we now refer to lovingly as the Dixie Chicks. Thanks so much, Cathy! I am so excited. We are now getting 3-6 eggs a day. Perfect for our family.

Cathy, a Dixie chick and Dalton

The other chickens still haven't quite accepted these new girls into their society, but I am hoping before long I'll see them all clucking around the yard in harmony.

Our two black hens (Cora & Juri) are so darling. One morning, I found Juri swinging on the front porch swing. Really, she was! Just as if she had always enjoyed a good morning swing. Then she walked over to one of fruit crates and laid her egg right at the front door. Now both black hens lay their eggs at the front door each morning. In fact, they wait in line to use the box. It is a real hoot to watch them ~ Better than the old fashioned milk men of the olden days.

Cora laying her egg on the front porch

We still have not prepared a proper hen house. Most of our free time is being spent chopping wood for winter. And we sure have needed it these past few days ~ it as only 25 degrees last night.

Photo of Brandy's hen house

But I am glad I was delayed because I discovered a lovely journal and adore the little hen house that they have created. It is both simple and so very practical. Brandy at In The Service of The King posted new photos of her finished coop and has shared "in progress" photos in previous posts. It is a perfect design that I think I am going to give a try.

Blessings & joy,
Lea

Homemade Chicken & Rice Soup ... and some Giveaways!

There is nothing like hot soup and home baked bread when the days get chilly. I enjoy them all ~ creamy split pea, potato soup and chicken soup with rice! Since I cooked up a pot of soup today, I thought I'd share the recipe with you.



Chicken Soup with Rice

1 3 lb. broiler-fryer chicken (discard giblets)
6 1/2 cups of water
1 medium onion, cut into large pieces
2 ribs celery, cut into pieces
1 clove garlic
1 bay leaf
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 rib celery, sliced into pieces
2/3 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper

Chopped green onions to garnish

Traditional stove top method for chicken & stock:
Place your chicken, water, large onion pieces, celery, garlic, and bay leaf in a stockpot over high heat; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 1 hour or until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken from stock. Strain chicken stock and chill; discard vegetables. Skin and bone chicken. Pull meat into bite-size pieces; chill.

Crock pot method:
Place same ingredients as above into your crock pot. Cook for 6 hours on high or until chicken is really tender. And then follow the remainder of above instructions. I prefer to use my crock pot since I put the chicken on in the morning before school. By the time Jeffrey comes home, it is ready to be made into a fresh soup.

Now skim any fat from the chicken stock. Combine stock, carrots, celery, rice, chopped onion, bouillon (if desired), salt and pepper in a large soup pot on the stove over medium-high heat; bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 30 minutes, adding chicken pieces during last 10 minutes.

Frugal tip: I only add about 1/2 the chicken back into the soup. I save the other 1/2 for making chicken tacos the next day for lunch.

If you wish, garnish with green onions and serve warm with fresh bread & butter. Of course, always get creative and use what you have. I always add lots & lots of carrots if I have them available. Sometimes I don't use buillon at all. Sometimes I don't even add the chicken ... I just save it for another meal and use lots of carrots & celery. It is delicious that way too!

This recipes makes about 9 cups of soup. Hope you enjoy it!


Now for some fun giveaways!
Dalyn at Muckbooks N Aprons is hosting a giveaway for one of her homemade goat milk soaps and a lotion bar. She is also beginning her journey with raw foods which I find fascinating. Can't wait to read more.

Another giveaway is going on at Living Off The Grid. Ang is giving away a delightful farm basket of homemade goodies. She has just moved to a 40 acre farm and has gone completely off grid. That has always been a dream of mine and I look so forward to reading about her adventures.

The Joys of Autumn

What a glorious month we've enjoyed here in West Tennessee! I do believe that I might enjoy autumn year round. Here are some of the fall pleasures I've been enjoying these past weeks:

Gathering muscadines ... using whatever means necessary to pick those juicy grapes. (Don't you love the hair? Remember I spent hours in the bucket of a dozer being lifted none-to-gently into the trees!)


Making homemade carmel apples covered in nuts and sprinkles.


Autumn decorating with natures gifts. Black was the perfect prim choice for painting these two old brass candle holders that I got from the local Goodwill store. What a find for 99 cents each!


Time to get stitching. I just finished these two little church-going chickens for mom. She and I are each making matching redwork Bible quilts. We're going to stitch 42 blocks representing Biblical truths. I just got my supplies today and can hardly wait to begin.


Fall festivals ~ This weekend we attended The Ames Plantation Heritage Festival. It was marvelous with all sorts of living history and demonstrations. Now I want to join a quilting bee, spin wool, bee keep and stencil every wall in my home!


Campfires at home ~ warm evenings of making memories with the family.






Take time to enjoy the simple things in life!

Wishing you joy,
Lea

Pumpkin Spice Everything!A Recipe & A Giveaway

I don't know about you, but Spice Pumpkin is my favorite fragrance of all. It doesn't have to be autumn either ~ though it is especially nice this time of year. Whether its a candle, a soap or a freshly baked prim (you prim artists know this well), I just can't get enough Pumpkin Spice all year round!

The only drawback is that all those spicy fragrances leave us Blakneys craving fresh baked bread ... and I usually feed the craving by baking Pumpkin Bars. This recipe was the very first baked item that I ever learned to make from scratch and I always enjoy making it again and again. I posted it last year but it just seems a perfect time to share it again.

It is sooo good ~ especially for cool mornings now that we can warm up our ovens and make our kitchens nice & cozy.

Photo credit goes to Colton Blakney ~ Photographer in the making

PUMPKIN BARS

What you'll need:
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup canned pumpkin

What you'll do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat eggs. Stir in sugar & oil and mix well. Sift all dry ingredients and add them to the egg/sugar/oil mixture. Mix well. Add pumpkin to the mixture and stir well again. Pour into a greased 12x8 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool completely. Then you can cut them into squares. They hold their shape nicely and look great on a nice serving plate.

All done! My boys & husband just love these so much that I have to make two batches if I intend to have one.


Well Kay at The Rustic Cottage is hosting a giveaway for two bars of her delightful handmade soap in her new fall scents of Pumpkin Spice and Chia Tea. They are just so nice and I believe she sells them in her Etsy shop too. So stop by her blog for a visit and be sure to sign up for this fun contest!

Smiles,
Lea

Antique Kitchen Utensils & A Fall Giveaway

A couple of weeks ago I was visiting my friend Sue of Country Pleasures. She has recently moved into a new home and has been sharing her amazing decorating talent with us in her journal. I sure have been enjoying watching her plain, empty rooms transform into the most cozy & pleasant living spaces.

One of things that Sue did in her big ole' country kitchen was to hang antique kitchen tools on the wall. I just loved the result and decided I would dig out some of my old pieces and hang them as well.

And I just love it!

Before:

You can see Colton's little school area below. One day I hope to have a Hoosier cabinet there, but I'm in no hurry for him to grow up!

After:



I kept the cross-stitched piece in the center because my dear traditional sons couldn't bear for me to take it down since it has hung in our kitchen since they were young. Change certainly does not occur easily around the old Blakney place! The green handled pie crimper was a very thoughtful gift from Sue. I'll think of you every time I see it, Sue! Thank you so much.

Across the room I have my antique rolling pins and some vintage aprons. I just adore aprons and wear one every day. There is just something practical and yet romantic about wearing an apron. It makes me feel so connected to my ancestors and their simplicity of life. Guess that's why I enjoy antiques as well.

Look how Sue's old pie crimper matches the green handled roller perfectly.



My only disappointment is that the lack of color in my walls makes everything look washed out. (Sue used Brazilian Flame and its gorgeous!) I have never used color on walls probably because I am so afraid to ruin it. But I am trying to work up the courage to try just one wall or maybe the laundry room where I can close the door if I really make a mess of it. Believe me, no one goes into the laundry room but me!

Make sure to stop by to visit Sue at Country Pleasures. I know you will enjoy browsing through her photos. She has transformed her laundry room into a place I think I could spend some serious time! LOL And right now, Sue is hosting a fun Fall giveaway too. You don't want to miss that!

Blessings,
Lea

From My Kitchen ~ Lemon Cookies

I am such a chocolate lover! I tend to make lots of chocolate cakes, brownies, chocolate chip cookies and chocolate creme pies. But for my son Luke, who doesn't eat chocolate, I always have to be certain to make treats that bring a smile to his face too.

Here is a simple but scrumptious treat that is a favorite of my son, Luke, and uses only 4 simple ingredients.

The beautiful pottery star hanging in the background is a lovely gift from my friend, Linda of Parker's General. It was baked with Queen's Anne Lace pressed into the pottery. When it was fired, the flower burned away but the imprint was left. Isn't it beautiful?

LEMON COOKIES
1 box lemon cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix lemon cake mix, eggs and oil in a bowl. Pinch off quarter sized pieces of dough and roll into balls. Dip into confectioners sugar and place on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or when tops begin to crack. Remove from oven and cool completely.



You can also experiment with other flavored cake mixes like strawberry or chocolate as well. I haven't tried them yet but have been told that they're delicious too.

Enjoy,
Lea