Monday Morning Recap

Good Monday to you all!  The sun is shining in my corner; the kids are officially on summer break, and my garden is finally all planted (thanks to the help of my wonderful father-in-law).

I would love to share a few farm highlights from last week, but first of all I want to thank Suzanne at Pieced Pastimes, Aimee at It's Overflowing and Ruth at Living Well, Spending Less for featuring me on their blogs this past week.  As a new blogger, I can not even begin to tell you how excited, flabbergasted and honored I was to see my posts pictured on their sites!!! I was dancing around on cloud nine, talking incessantly to Hubby about it.  I never expected what I had to share would be interesting enough to be featured on another blog. Thanks ladies for choosing my posts to feature on your beautiful websites...it has encouraged and inspired me to keep blogging.  Please, go check out these lovely ladies' charming blogs.

On to the farm...the older boys helped me prepare the squash garden for planting. They were less than thrilled about pulling all those weeds, but reminding them that they were working towards a much-longed-for Lego set quickly pushed them into action.

 It looks like their next project will be to finish painting the fence and give the old chicken coop a fresh new face. Thanks to their help, I was able to plant the Buttercup and Delicata squash along with a few flowers. 

The Little's played a bit of soccer...

...and then lost one of their balls in the wild blackberry patch.

They searched and searched...

...and finally found it!!!

I mixed up some of my Weed Killer and sprayed it on my brick walk-way.  The weeds were very quickly creeping in and swallowing up the path. Once those pesky weeds are dead, I will sprinkle the entire area with baking soda to keep them from coming back.

 Little #6 helped me prime my sprayer.

I weeded the peas and trained them to use the fence for climbing...poor peas, I could barely find them in all of the weeds...

...much better!

I rototilled the rest of the vegetable garden and then took this picture.

Inspired by Lucy, at Attic24, who takes monthly pictures of the Yorkshire Dales from her attic window, I decided to take monthly pictures of my garden, so that I  can go back and see it's progress through-out the summer. This picture was taken on June 15 after everything was finally planted 
Here is the tomato patch.  Not much to see right now, but I'm hoping the July 15 picture will show a big difference in growth.

I started a project that I can't wait to share with you in few weeks (if it turns out as planned). I'm so excited about it...I've waited months to start it. I'll give you a little hint; it's involves these...

 ...and this.

Hmmmmm...uncommon combination, wild roses and a meat grinder!!!  ;)

The Littles gave Hubby a gold-panning kit for Father's Day, and they went on their first outing yesterday afternoon to the river that runs behind our house.  They didn't strike it rich, but they had lots of fun.

I stayed back with the tiny Littles and listened to Beethoven with Little #7.  After watching this movie Saturday night, I was inspired to open the windows and crank the volume to Moonlight Sonata, Symphony No. 5, and The Pastoral-Sixth Symphony. Little #7 tried to squeak in some Mozart (he likes Mozart's more peppy pieces that he can dance to), but I told him the afternoon was dedicated to Beethoven, but we would have an all-Mozart afternoon very soon.  I'm excited, that at only five years old, he is already learning to love classical music and knows the name of a few composers.

It looks like it's going to be an exciting week here in the "home addition" area.  Lots of great progress has been made on it, and I'm hoping to add some more pictures to Instagram and maybe even post a second edition of "The Story of Our House" this week.

Thanks for stopping by my little corner.  I hope you have a great week!

Linked with A Bowl Full of Lemons

Thrifted Treasures #4

Good evening! I hope you all had a good day.  We finally saw the sun, and the Littles and I were able to get some much-needed fresh air.  We spent most of the day outside, and it felt so good after the days of cold rain we had. I normally like to post in the morning, but the sunshine and my garden were calling to me today. I planted brussel sprouts, various kinds of squash and more cucumbers (with ten little mouths to feed, one can never have enough cucumbers).  I weeded and rototilled the vegetable garden and planted a few perennials that were given to me this past weekend. I also started Little #10 on solid foods...he is actually doing better than I expected.  He just needs to learn to open is mouth a bit more, but he will get the hang of it soon.

Now that my chores are done, the sun is down and the Littles are all tucked in their beds, I can relax with a cup of tea and share with you today's "Thrifted Treasures".  They are completely of the frivolous, personal, luxurious nature.  After a long, torturous visit to the dentist this week, I treated myself to a Goodwill shopping trip and found some goodies that I just couldn't pass up. 

Opulent Mother of Pearl Necklace 

Picture Taken by My Daughter

Picture Taken by My Daughter

Picture Taken by My Daughter

Sterling Necklace and Earring Set

Picture Taken by My Daughter

Picture Taken by My Daughter

A Dress in Scrumptious Colors

Some Night Time Reading

It's so nice to treat oneself to a few special items without breaking the budget.  I can't wait to wear the Mother of Pearl Necklace...maybe this Sunday.

It was a long day, and I'm happy to be finally snuggling in for the night.  I can feel the cool breeze and hear the peepers chirping through my open window.  All is still and peaceful at Front Forty Farm, and the book on my nightstand is begging for me to pick it u, p and read a few pages before my heavy eyelids close. I hope you all have a peaceful evening...thanks for stopping by.  Good night!

Linked with Living Well Spending Less, The Shabby Nest, The Thriftiness Miss, Petals to Picots, Boogieboard Cottage, Keeping it Simple, Say Not Sweet Anne, Creating My Way to Success, Create with Joy, Huckleberry Love, 

Grapes

Good morning! I'm sorry I haven't been here in a few days.  It is raining here (again), and we have been having internet problems for the past few days; sadly, I haven't been able to access my blog. I woke this morning, though, to a bit of access. I'm not sure how long it will last, but I'm going to try and squeak out a post while the going is good. 

I was strolling through my garden last week, checking out the progress of my delicate seedlings...such a rewarding feeling to watch the tiny plants and seeds grow and  mature, yet, extremely discouraging when something doesn't do well...enter the story of our grapes.

Twelve years ago when my garden was still a baby, Hubby and I bought three grape vines and planted them along the fence in the front of the garden. They were beautiful plants, covered with baby grape bunches.  I was so excited.  I had visions of lovely, green vines covering my garden fence, laden with beautiful purple grapes.  Much to my chagrin, however, the plants didn't do so well. They quickly diminished from robust, healthy plants to spindly, weak vines.  Two have died, and the other has barely been hanging onto life for the past eleven years, never producing another grape.  I'd almost given up on growing grapes until last year.  My daughter and I were browsing the plant nursery, looking for a few annuals to fill in the empty spots of my perennial garden, and I game across the grapes.  I couldn't resist...they were beautiful!!!  I just had to try my hand at growing grapes one more time.  I purchased two of the healthiest plants I could find, one northern variety of green grape and the other a concord grape.  I planted them on either side of my newly Hubby-built pergola that frames the entrance to my vegetable garden.

I faithfully watered, weeded, and fertilized the new grapes.  I even hand-picked Japanese beetles from their lovely leaves, determined to help my new vines flourish.

Imagine how relieved I was to find new green growth on the vines this spring after the long, rather harsh winter we had here in New England.  My twelve year old vine even showed a little promise...I didn't expect him to survive another winter, but he had!

Not only did he survive, but look what I found...

...glorious, beautiful, wonderful baby grapes...not just on one plant, but on all three!!!  Yes, even my old, failing plant has its first baby grapes in twelve years!!!  Can you believe it???  I'm still in shock!  Oh, and each plant has at least three bunches...one plant has more!  I'm so excited!  I walk out to my garden daily, even in the rain, to check on those tiny, precious baby grapes. I'm praying that I can post an update in a few months, showing off large clumps of round, juicy ripe grapes.

Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by my little corner.

The Story of our House (Part 1)

It is raining here today, so I will not be working in my garden...the corn, potatoes, squash and brussel sprouts still need to be planted, but they will have to wait another couple of days.  I decided to take some time and share with you the story of our home.  It's not just a house; it's a project that Hubby and I have been lovingly working on for the past fourteen years. When we first drew up the plans for our home, we never imagined that we would fill it with ten children.  At the time, we only had one toddler with a baby on the way.  We are now bursting at the seams and are in the process of building on an addition.  We are getting very close to having the new addition complete and I can't wait to share it with you, but first I wanted to tell you how Front Forty Farm came to be.

I have always loved old houses. Growing up I lived across from my grandparents, whose home was over 150 years old and had been built and past  down by our ancestors.  Grandpa farmed on the family homestead that his relatives had built, and he always took care to preserve the past and its history.  I loved my grandparents and cherished the time I spent in their wonderful home.  An appreciation for old houses was cultivated in me at a young age.

I grew to love the creaky floors; the musty root cellar; the tiny, wall-papered bedrooms tucked under the eaves; the nooks and crannies; the windows that were never clear because of the wavy glass; the narrow staircase winding down to the family sitting room; the pantry lined neatly with mason jars full of canned produce; the horse-hair plastered walls, held together by layers of wallpaper, each layer telling a story of those that came before us. 

I knew from a very young age that I wanted to live in a house like my grandparents...I wanted to be surrounded by nostalgia.  I was hoping to someday acquire an old home and restore it to its original glory.

When Hubby and I were first married, my parents deeded a piece of property to us.  We were very excited to have been given this wonderful piece of property, but the land did not include my dream farmhouse.  We would have to build our own. We had a piece of land, no house, and barely two pennies to rub together.  Hubby and I spent hours discussing what type of home would fit our needs and our budget, keeping in mind my wish for an old farmhouse.

Our piece of land, once called the Front Forty, used to be farmland, but over time the pastures became woodland again.  Hubby cleared the trees off the spot where the new house would go, and, in an attempt to save money, we milled the trees into boards that would be used in the building of our new home.

Hubby, with only the help of his father, built the house and barn.  He sheathed the walls with rough boards like my great-grandfather would have done, rather than paying the high price for modern day ply-wood.  Our floors were constructed from wide-pine boards milled from old-growth trees that were cut from my father's land.
We purchased interior doors, for $10 apiece, that had been removed from a house used for Union Officers' quarters during the civil war. We bought French doors, complete with antique glass knobs, from an old sea-captains home.  They were $100 for the pair. Our exterior doors once graced the entrances of other old homes...we paid $25 for one, and the other broke the bank costing us a whopping $75.  Most of our windows are used, purchased very inexpensively from a homeowner who was replacing his windows with a newer style. 

We installed claw foot tubs and pedestal sinks that we purchased for pennies.  My kitchen has an enameled cast iron, double basin, farmhouse sink. I had been in desperate search of a sink of that description, but we couldn't find any that were within our budget, until one day I was driving through town and spotted a yard sale.  I slowed down and noticed two men carrying a sink down the front steps.  As they set it down on the lawn, I realized it was the EXACT sink I had been looking for.  I was so excited that I was shaking.  I literally ran to them...not wanting anyone else to get to the sink before I did.  When I asked how much they wanted for it, I almost passed out.

Ten dollars!!!!!  Ten dollars is all they wanted for this beautiful, antique sink!  I couldn't believe what I had heard. I quickly rummaged through my purse, gave them a ten dollar bill, and drove home.  I begged Hubby to go pick it up with his truck immediately...I didn't want any changed minds.  I finally had found my farmhouse sink and for a mere ten dollars!

With our attempts to save money and my love for the old, our house began taking on the look of a century old colonial.  In fact, one day an appliance repair man came to fix our dishwasher, and he had to go to the basement.  As I lead him down the stairs, he said, "Wait, I thought this was an old house...but you have a modern basement.  I was expecting an old dirt, root cellar.  How old is this house?"  I giggled to myself...we had tricked him.  We actually succeeded in making our modern house look like it was built a hundred years ago. 

Although we are the first family to live in our house, I'm hoping our home is around for centuries to come, lovingly revealing the stories of the families that once called it home.

Thank you for coming to visit my corner of New England.  It's not grand or lavish, but it's home, my home...my "old" New England farmhouse. I look forward to sharing with you more of The Story of Our House.

(In the mean time, you can check out t, he progress on the addition through my Instagram link on my side bar.)

Linked with Cheerios and Lattes, Natasha in Oz, Nifty Thrifty Things, That DIY Party, Sew-licious, Lil Luna, Clean and Scentsible,  The 36th Avenue, Creations by Kara, Adorned From Above, Lady Behind the Curtain, Sugar and Dots, I Love My Disorganized Life, Rae Gun Ramblings, Daisy Cottage Designs, The DIY Dreamer, The Real Housewives of Riverton, Pieced Pastimes, 4 You With Love, Kitchen Fun with My Three Sons, Becoming Martha, Shaken Together, Design, Dining and Diapers, Chic on a Shoestring, Alderberry Hill, The Dedicated House, Coastal Charm, Our Home Away from Home, New Nostalgia, House on the Way, The Blackberry Vine, French Country Cottage, The Farmhouse Porck

Thrifted Treasures #3

 This is probably one of my favorite thrift store finds of all times!  I know, you are probably looking at this banged-up wooden box, which has seen better days, thinking, "Mmmmm...okay?  What is so special about that?"  I thought the same thing when I saw it sitting in the window of the Goodwill.  Our Goodwill likes to display the "better quality" items in their window, and I was interested enough to check it out.  I asked the cashier if I could have a peek at it.  The price on the tag was $19.99, and I almost handed the box back without further inspection, but I didn't.  I just had to answer to my curiosity and find out what was so special about this old, wooden box.  I opened the lid, and I could barely contain my excitement when I saw its contents...

...a sparkling set of Rogers Silverware, extra plate! 

I then discovered the little drawer and found MORE silverware...three tiers of beautiful Rogers Flatware!   The drawer acted as an overflow...it had a few extra pieces of the main set and some miscellaneous pieces from other sets.

Over the years, I have slowly replaced my stainless flatware with silver (well, silver-plated) pieces.  Eating with silver (even if it is only plated) makes a mundane meal seem so much more...elegant. Our everyday flatware is a collection of various patterns; and, although I love my mismatched set, I was always a bit envious of my friend's matching silver passed down from her grandmother. You can't imagine how ecstatic I was to find this charming set for only twenty dollars.
I'm stashing it away, saving it for special occasions.  Someday when my Littles aren't so little, I may use it as our everyday flatware...someday.  For now, I am happy using it for special occasions.

Isn't is beautiful?!?!?  When I find the extra time, I would like to research the pattern...it's name, when it was manufactured, etc...

Here's one more cute little treasure.  I couldn't pass it up for $.99.

 Isn't it darling?!?  I love the vintage, blue-green color on the inside and the delicate flower painted on the front (a Bachelor's Button, maybe).

Thank-you so much for stopping by my little corner.  I so enjoy sharing my second hand  treasures with you; it's fun knowing there are others who appreciate the thrill of thrift shopping as much as I do.  Have a great night!

Linked with A Glimpse Inside, Seven Alive, Two Yellow Birds Decor, 52 Mantels, Becoming Martha, Chic on a Shoestring. Design, Dining + Diapers, Finding Fabulous, 

Stroll Through the Garden

I play a game with the kids that Little #7 (he's five) really enjoys.  He asks almost every day if we can play it.  We listen to classical music, and I go around, asking each of them what particular instruments they can hear.  They always try to be the first one to mention a new instrument.  One of the pieces that we recently listened to was Vivaldi's Concerto No.4 (Winter).  It is lovely; I've been listening to it all day...such an energetic piece.  I thought if you opened this in a new tab, you could listen to Vivaldi while we "strolled" through my flower garden, possibly making my simple post more interesting.  Make sure you keep listening because the piece gets better as it progresses.

Let's go see what is blooming in my garden today (did you click on the link so you could listen to Vivaldi while we check out the blooms?)

Purple Iris 

Bearded Iris

Rosa Rugosa (the first blooms of the year)

Bachelor's Buttons

Princess Lilac (first bloom)

Rhododendron

Now wasn't it fun "strolling" while listening to Vivaldi? Maybe sometime we could have a cup of tea with Mozart.