HARVEST SWAP

"HARVEST SWAP"

from Nancy

Picture of all of my swap goodies

Autumn candle, tea towels and wooden pumpkin

The "Harvest" stitchery

Here is the picture of the Pumpkin and Crow make-do

Well today I received my "Harvest Swap" parcel from Nancy my swap partner. Her Blog is http://stitchesnstrokes.blogspot.com I just loved everything!!! She does awesome work. Great quality. Nancy made me a beautiful harvest stitchery that I just love and a gorgeous pumpkin make-do with a crow....how did she know that I LOVE crows!!! There was a really nice wooden pumpkin that I am going to hang on the door of my summer kitchen, a great smelling harvest candle with an autumn candle ring and a star candle plate. Nancy also sent me 3 beautiful tea towels in harvest colours...they look great in my kitchen! Now I feel spoiled. I had better not forget to mention the nice letter she included in the package with autumn graphics on it. Thank you so much Nancy. Everything was lovely. I will treasure these.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH CAKE

This is a recipe for Butternut Squash Cake with cream cheese icing :)
It is so good. I am making this for our Autumn "Ladies of The Evening" at Quilts and Calicos in Exeter. This is a potluck supper and sewing night. There is usually around 12 ladies who come and we have a nice dinner and sew a project and just have a good time and a lot of laughs. Funny, when I drink a glass of wine, I sew better....go figure!!! :)

Here is the Recipe

Butternut Squash Cake

2 cups of Sugar

2 Tablespoons of cinnamon

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup canola oil or vegetable oil of your choice

2 cups of butternut squash (cooked)...you may use frozen

Cook and mash the butternut squash. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Put into a greased and floured 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Allow to cool.

Makes 12-14 servings.

Cream Cheese Icing

8 oz cream cheese

1 stick butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 lb. confectioners sugar

Mix the ingredients together, adding the sugar in stages until the desired consistency.

Cover cake generously.

I mailed off my "Harvest Swap" package today for my swap partner Nancy. She should get it in about a week. They say 8 business days, but it usually gets to British Columbia from here a little sooner. I sure hope she likes everything.

COUNT DOWN TO SIMPLE GOODS SHOW

The countdown is on!!! I just realized that today is exactly 2 months away from the Simple Goods show in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. If you have never been to this you are really missing out. It is the BEST Primitive show around. This will be my third time going to it, and I don't think that I would ever want to miss it. They have the best primitive antiques and artisans around.
You can check out their website at http://simplegoods.net

FINDLAY OVAL CIRCA 1930

Well my little trip North paid off yesterday. I purchased a Circa 1930 Findlay Oval woodburning cookstove. The place had some beautiful stoves. DH and I will have to take a trip up there one of these days to bring it home. I had a great time yesterday. Stopped at a few Antique shops on the way home, stopped for lunch and got some groceries. I will post a picture when I get it home and have it installed.
I have spent all morning blanching sweet corn, taking off the kernels and putting them into freezer bags for the freezer. We are going to have enough corn to last through the winter. I can use it to make my chicken and corn chowder soup. I still have lots more beets to process. Then there is the carrots. The chilli sauce and jams are all done for this year. It will nice to get all of this freezing and canning out of the way. DH and I are both doing about 10 different things at once.
He is building his hangar for his airplane and I am renovating my porch into a summer kitchen. We both have other stuff on the go also, like the canning, lawn cutting, chopping firewood for the winter and then DH will have to harvest his crops for the season. You don't have to look far for a job on this farm.

BACK TO SCHOOL

Well today I went in to write my entrance exam for College. I was so nervous about it, I never slept at all last night. They gave me 4 hours to complete the test, but I had it finished in just under 2. They called me this afternoon and told me that I had passed with flying colours so I was VERY happy! I never thought I would be going back to school at 53. Oh well, I guess it is never too late. I will be taking Internet Graphic Design. I have taken a few night courses and I really like it, so starting in November I will be going full time for 1 full year.
I am going North tomorrow to look at Woodburning Cookstoves for my summer kitchen. Hopefully I can find one at a reasonable price. I plan on hitting the road around 7 a.m. as it is almost a two hour drive. I think I will stop at a Tim Horton's on the way up and grab one of those sausage breakfast sandwiches :) I just love them!
On the way home, I'll be able to Stop at Quilts and Calicos Quilt shop in Exeter and pick up some fabric for Ladies of The Evening next Friday night. It is potluck supper, wine drinking and sewing from 5 p.m. until midnight (if you can last that long...LOL). Last year, my sister was visiting me from B.C. and she got to come with me. She had a great time, lots to eat and a lot of nice ladies to sew with. We do this in the spring and fall and I don't think I have missed one yet.
Well I had better get off of this computer, I have to get up early.

RENOVATING THE BACK PORCH

I have started doing renovations on my back porch. I will be turning it into a summer kitchen. DH will be helping of course, I am not that handy LOL. Right now the porch is mostly glass, but I will end up with only three windows. We will be putting board and batten pine on the outside and pine on the inside walls and the ceiling. A wood burning cookstove will be going in for heat and baking bread and doing my canning. There will be a huge primitive cupboard about 6 feet tall against one wall to keep all of my pots and pans and canning equipment. The cupboard will be painted a dark cranberry colour (my favorite) and aged of course. The floor is cement and I will be painting it a caramel colour to match the inside of the house. I have to find an antique door that will fit too. Of course there will be a screen door also. I already have 3 old windows in the basement that we can use. We also have to replace the roof as it leaks like crazy, so it will be brown steel. I just can't wait for this.

I have been pickling beets all day today and I will probably be going until late tonight. I can't believe how many beets that we grew this year. The pumpkins are coming along too. I think I will have to put a sign out at the road....Pumpkins for sale! I even planted some of those Giant ones!! :)

DH had all of his recreational aircraft association members (RAA) over last night for a meeting in his shop. He got to show off the airplane that he has been working on for the past eight years. I think they were all very impressed. I couldn't believe there were around 50 men in his workshop. I spent all morning yesterday baking banana bread, cookies and squares for their coffee break.

I have also finished the items for the "Harvest Swap" I am very pleased. Just some finishing up then I can mail off the package. I liked the main item so much that I had to make one just like it for myself.

I have to go on Friday to write the entrance exam for College :( I have been trying to study math, but it has been 35 years since I was in school. I am not looking forward to it.

Well back to pickle some more beets!