Are You a Modifier?

I have a bad habit of modifying recipes.

I have good intentions of following word for word,

ingredient for ingredient but,

I  am a rebel and always question authority.

I will read a recipe and think about what other

things would be wonderfully paired with the main body.

Yeah.

And, I'm a cookbook note jotter-downer so I can remember

what the heck I did then I write a note afterward

in relation to the taste and suggestions for next time.

Gonna be for some good reading for someone, someday.

My latest rebellious act was taking a basic

 white cake recipe and tweaking it by 

adding some yummy extract 

and a little of this and a little of that.

Off the charts delicious.

And, of course, I did the same for the frosting.

Almond and cherry = true love.

I shall hold tight, this wonderful combination.

I think it just might make me famous. 

{Just kidding. Okay, I'm not.} 

to be continued...

Bloom

Sometimes our path leads to a dead end

 {lots of times for me, recently} 

because what you are looking for 

is right in front of you  and you don't even know it.

 Maybe,  you are just meant to ...

Yesterday was a monumental day 

for The French Pressed Home thanks to

my hubby's love of research. 

Something I looked into a couple of years ago, 

prior to moving here, has recently changed

dramatically, and for the good.

It's something very small scale {and manageable} 

that will either give us the

ability to grow or decide it's not right for us.

Regardless, with minimal investment,

it's a win, win, situation.

Persevere and keep looking into things because

things can change a lot in a short period of time.

You just never know.

to be continued...

p.s. It has nothing to do with a B&B or flowers, K?

A Quick Cover

I just want to share a quick way to change up your

bedding without buying a new comforter or quilt.

I love my white Matellase bedding because it's pretty

classic, simple and serene. 
It's easy to wash and since our cat 
sleeps on our bed, I do it often.

It's a coverlet which allows me to layer

my bedding {underneath it} or pare it down, depending on the time of year.

I do like pops of color though, so I usually put a folded quilt underneath

my pillow shams so there's a contrast but it's not over-done.

Well, I happen to check out the remnant basket at JoAnn's a couple of weeks ago 

and found a good size of Waverly's Ballad Bouquet in Robin Egg Blue in there,

so I bought it. I figured there would be enough to make a throw pillow and at

that price {discount for remnants}, I was happy!

I did have enough to make a pillow, 

the lazy way of course, because 

A.) This chick doesn't sew zippers {yet- gonna learn}, and

B.) I knew I could whip it out quick since I am a do-it-now, gal.

I sewed it on the outside so I could leave a little flap

around it making the pillow appear larger than it truly is.

My stash of pillow forms are 22x22.

Well, I decided I really like that print and color so I decided

to purchase some extra fabric to make a little throw

to replace the quilts I was using before.

Gotta love 60% off!

I bought 2 yards {should have bought 3}

and just did a quick stitch all the way around.

I figured this would be a great way to change things up without

spending a fortune on new bedding or quilts or whatever!

I wish I did get that extra yard because it would look even better

hanging off the side a bit but, I still love it.

I'm considering painting our drywalled walls a similar

soft blue {I can't believe I'm saying that}.

Hmm....  we'll see. 

You know me and my mind changing. 

I'm looking forward to replacing my faux flower bouquets with fresh picked 

flowers from the garden, this spring.

And pictures of your children in your bedroom are supposedly a no-no {whoever made that rule up must not have kids}, but I love my Petunia in this picture. She had money and was so excited.

Yes, there's a picture of the boys on daddy's side. :)

Then there's this guy, who I caught peeping on my picture taking session.

Sorry little guy, there are nuts in the house but not the kind you eat. 

And, lastly... I want to show you my moo.

I don't buy stuff like this often but I have always loved this cow head so

I figured, what the heck!

I love it.

And that's that!

We'll be working on the coop some more this weekend.

I finished caulking yesterday before our rain today so hopefully it'll dry enough 

{and warm up} to paint this weekend.

Those girls need to get out and do some scratching!

See ya soon!

Putting It Out There

It's amazing how a little boost of self esteem

can give you wings. 

I am so happy to announce that our

Premium Pure Vanilla is now sold in a retail shop in our town!

We have an all purpose Vanilla {regular}

and a Brandy Infused Vanilla that

is amazing! Every bottle has its own beans 

and the flavor intensifies as it ages.

I just made fresh whipped cream with 

the Brandy Vanilla, this morning, and it is the

most delicious thing I have ever tasted.

Especially with the flecks of bean in it.

If you are local or within driving distance,

stop by Taylormade Boutique

and take home a bit of

The French Pressed Home.

{I do want to sell it direct but I have to research the legalities of shipping liquids.}

I know...

What a wonderful weekend this girl had.

I put on my make believe and pretended

I was the inn-keeper of my

dream Bed & Breakfast.

We had company come {family}.

I spent the week deep cleaning, planning delicious menus,

shopping and preparing the accommodations.

It was the best week and weekend ever.

I am a cleaner by nature and DNA.

My mother was a lifetime housekeeper

and I went along on weekends to earn 

extra money and scrubbed toilets and ironed

sheets and pillow cases. 

I didn't care much for it at the time but

honestly, it instilled my love of cleaning. 

It's methodical, it's a stress reliever

 and I love the results

of my hands' efforts.

I payed special attention to our guests

allergies {pets-which we have} and know

it was a concern before they came.

I am happy to say, no sneezing, no wheezing,

no nothing! {I have my tricks and remedies}

He was exceptionally happy 

{so was I}.

The conversations we had were fantastic.

We laughed {a lot}, talked about farming and gardening,

talked about dreams and the future and my ego was boosted.

A lot.

Not the head in the clouds-damn I'm good, kind,

 but the get back to keeping the dream alive, kind.

I know what I'm made of.

I know my talents.

I know what I want to do for our family.

I know that it will work and

I know God has his plan.

I think this weekend was His message to me

to not give up, which I kinda had.

He sparked that love and passion in me again.

When it's time, it will happen.

I'll just keep believing in that.

Hey Purdy Girls

I cannot, for the life of me, believe how fast 

this batch of chicks grew.

They are only 6 weeks old and are fully feathered. 

They didn't even go through that funky stage where they look

sickly, half feathered, half downed.

**Name correction! Blossom's name has been changed to Butterscotch, per Brockarooni.

Yesterday was a great day, we moved them out of the house

and into a house of their own.

Our poulailler {pooh-la-yee} (chicken coop) is almost entirely built with reclaimed material.

I wanted to use pallet wood but hubby is not a fan of nail removal

from that hard wood. I suggested the sawzall and all I got 

back was "the look". I guess that meant no. 

Since we have sub freezing temps right now, I cannot paint it.

I'm hoping it'll be warm enough this weekend, 

fingers crossed!

The porch: I LOVE the patina of this wood! 

It once was a ceiling of a porch

my husband redid in one of the old houses here.

 Obviously the wood around it is new but 

I'll be giving it this treatment along with the exposed

wood but I am leaving the chippy paint. 

Then, that baby is getting SEALED!

The door and screen: 

The door was our former front door and the

 screen is one of two that were from a barn clean out. 

The other screen door will become the entry door

to my garden which will be in front of the poulailler.

I am using Joanna's garden area as

an inspirational start:

Source: Magnolia Homes

Give it a couple of weeks and this will totally be transformed!

We have some old copper light fixtures {again, recycled}

 that will flank the front door. 

They are so cute and very storybook looking.

This segment of a picking ladder was also from that same barn. It will make for a great temporary roost until I find the perfect branches in the woods. 

I'm going for this look:

source: pinterest

And yes, there will be a chandelier in there.

I'm heading to Habitat tomorrow to see if I can find one

that I can refurbish, just like the good old days. I will paint it 

white though. Chickens are dusty and black is not the best color for anything in the coop!

How you doin? We're warming up!

You can see specks of down still poking through. It won't be long before they grow more and fill out. 

Can't wait for those eggs!

Now, to bundle up and get to work!

More updates to come soon.

What Was I Thinking?

There's nothing like fresh, crisp air to clear the cobwebs.

The past couple of days were spent outside working
on a little something and designing the location and
layout of the new garden area.

My sweet Mabel.

I decided on a permanent spot for the clothesline
so we  got my clothesline poles put back in {yay!}.
I look forward to hanging all of our linens again.
Oh, how I love my clothesline!

This is the old location.

I've been thinking about The French Pressed Home, the "business" and
the truths, since my last ranty post about it all.
I got several supportive emails which I am so grateful for
because you understand and those conversations really made
me feel so much better and made me think.
And boy, have I been thinking about it all, a lot.

What was I thinking?

Life is different for us now that we moved.
My mindset has stayed the same, though.

I don't need to have "something" to prove my worth.

My home is my business.

My family's well being is my life.

THAT is the most important thing.

I am going to work my fingers to the bone
in the dirt. :)

My blog is my life journal and I write it
to connect with others that have similar
interests, to share my flitty thoughts but mostly,
I write it for me.

So, instead of focusing on what "I'm supposed to do",
because that is all I know,
I'm rerouting those thoughts to what I
want to do.

We've been in our home for a year and a half.
We've worked on things, re-assessed things,
planned, executed and scratched it all and
did things different than we had planned.
It's all about learning, being open to change
and being flexible.
Guess what?
It is all working out.
I suppose I could learn from that, eh?

I am living my dream.
Right here. Right now.

What is meant to be will reveal itself,
on its own, in its own time.

Till then, I will just be.

Happy New Year

Here's to beautiful beginnings...

Happy New Year!