Handy Bread Making Tip

I'm new to making homemade bread from scratch. It's only last year that I decided to tie on my trusty apron and dive into a recipe that always terrified me. 20 or more loaves later, I don't know why I was so scared! I got the recipe from Suzanne on her blog Chickens in the Road. If you visit her blog, just do a search for Grandmother Bread and you'll find all kinds of recipes for different kinds of bread.

Here is a photo of some of the first loaves of raisin bread I made.

Anyhow, back to the tip I learned today. I was catching up on the blogs I visit and Monica over at The Mennobrarian had a post about making bread and she shared this handy tip -You want your water temperature to activate the yeast; too cold and it won't, too hot and it will kill it.

 I never knew this so it's something to keep in mind when making homemade bread. 

Thanks Suzanne and Monica!  

Farmhouse Tables

I was going through some of the photos I've taken and I thought I'd share a couple of the Farmhouse tables that I love.

I like the fact that none of the chairs match...a few years ago that would have drove me nuts! Guess I'm not so picky anymore. I think it adds charm and character to the house. 

Love the lace table cloth and curtain....just yells SPRING to me!

Both of these photos were taken at a Heritage Village that my Grand daughter and I visited last summer.

Great Book about the changes over the past century

This book is such a good read and the best part....you can read it for free here http://www.jesuslovesme.org/henryand.htm 

Wood stove memories

Oh, how I miss our old woodstove! I miss the smell and the warm heat that used to radiate off of it while it kept our small home on the lake warm. The snap, crackle and pop of the wood spitting as I fell asleep is one of my favorite childhood memories.

This one is similar to the one we had.

Of course in those days it was my Father that rose early each morning and stirred any remaining embers and started a new fire before my Mother and I got out of bed to start our days. I was sure glad he did because our floor would be icy cold in the mornings. Mom would be the one to stoke the fire during the day while Dad was at work and I was at school.

Our home was a remodeled summer cottage with no foundation under it. It had a crawl space that my Dad and I would bank up with snow each winter to try to keep some of the heat from escaping. It was small with 2 bedrooms at the back and had an open living room/kitchen/dining room in the main part that held the woodstove. When it was really cold, we used a space heater for the back of the house.

When my parents purchased the cottage, it was in dire need of remodelling and we spent many years transforming it into the home I remember so well…but more about that in another post.

The house we’re in now has baseboard heaters that only throw a bit of heat which then goes straight up the wall only to escape out the windows they're under.

This is the one I'd like to have someday.

For now, I have an electric fireplace that I’ve put in the kitchen by my computer desk so I can sit and watch the dancing flames – it throws a bit of heat too.  I’ll have to just settle for that and enjoy the peace and warmth of the woodstove when I go out to the ice hut for winter fishing – which I hope will be soon!

My electric one in my kitchen at Christmas.

1904 Helpful Hints on Love and Marriage

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought I would post this amusing snippet from a 1904 booklet.

I wonder how many people actually tried these. *smiles*

Great place for a nap

For some reason this bedroom looks so inviting and cozy to me. It might have something to do with the warm sunshine coming through the window, but I think it would be just as cozy this time of year wrapped under that warm quilt. Don't think I could give up my bed with the memory foam top or my memory foam pillow - best investment I think we've ever made!

Old General Store

Well I hope everyone is having a great start to 2011. Mine has been quiet so far and that's just fine with me. I'm a  homebody and love the peace that comes with it.

Have you ever been inside an old fashioned General Store? I've been in a few and we even have some that are still around in the area. Of course the items have changed in the "One stop Shop" General Stores, but I still find them fascinating. Whenever I watch the Waltons (and my family will tell you it's way too much), and there's a scene from Ike Godsey's store, I'll pause the DVD just so I can look at all the stocked supplies he carried in his store. I'm also blown away by the prices on the signs he has up!

I thought I'd share a few photos I've taken over the years of some General Store Museums that we visited. Click on the photos for a closer look.

The 4 photos above were taken in Huntsville Ontario at the Muskoka Heritage Village.

This building is in the middle of nowhere...literally if you blink while driving through this small town of Commanda, you would miss it! It's now a museum but was once the General Store, Post office and hub of the  tiny community. It was built in the late 1800's. 

This beautiful cash register is housed in a Museum about 10 miles down the road from me in the small village of Nipissing Ontario.

I have a lot more photos that I'll post soon! Until then, keep smiling and enjoy the New Year!