Fall Bread Baking Day

On this beautiful Saturday.  Not too warm, not too cool, just perfect for baking bread.  Three of my grands are spending the night with us and I will make honey butter and Boysenberry jam for their bread.  They will fight over who gets to sleep on the old rope bed with a feather mattress and the losers will have to sleep on a down mattress with a well worn woolen quilt to cover them.  Neither group will mind.

Went to a yard sale and scored on a very old antique pine picture frame that we hung over Sister, a vintage oil painting. The plaster is falling off the frame and gives it a perfect deconstructed look that I strive for sometimes. I bought a white artificial punkin for a quarter so my day started out good.

Came home, baked a Spice Cake with Pecan Coconut glaze and some of my wonderful Amish White Bread.

It was a simple day, but a blessed day.  I love simple days, the first leaf of Autumn, low sun shining in the windows of my home, warmth in the slight chill of the evening and God in my heart, on my mind, within my soul.

Here is the reciept if you haven't copied it before. So easy and really foolproof.


Amish White Bread

2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C [I just use warm tap water, no thermometer]
2/3 cup white sugar
...1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour [I use regular white flour, sometimes self-rising even]

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in the warm water and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.

Mix salt and oil and add to yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. [I use the bread hook on my Kitchenaid.]

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. [I place mine in the microwave to rest.]

punch dough down, turn out onto floured surface and knead for a few minutes. Divide in half, shape into two loaves and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans.

Allow to rise for 30 minutes or until dough has risen above the pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.   Have a blessed afternoon and when you pray, say a quick prayer for me and Frank please.   Pamela

Let's See By Your Candlelight...

I love candlelight because it hides fat and wrinkles! I use mostly candles (electric/battery/real flame) during the Autumn and Winter for its calming effect and try to make a few in the Fall for my Winter use.

The glow is such a comfort and the world seems more at peace with a candle flickering in the room.  so,..how about sharing some of your candlelight pictures? I, for one, would love to see the candles in your home. Want to share? I'll start.

Punk in front of a three panel mirror.

A CANdle we manufacture.  Smells like the burning wood

in an open hearth.

Table pudding candle and oil lamp.

Small candolier hanging in the Settle bench.

I love using vintage candle molds as candlesticks.

A sweet rush light.  Sometimes I will burn real rush on occasion.

I love this candle that sits on its own candle table

by the Master's chair.

A special candlestick made by Georgia's Cleter Meader.

Display in guest bedroom.

Battery candle in a black wax crow.  I love it!

A gift from a special friend.

Electric candle on the washstand in guest bedroom.

It serves as the nightstand, too.

I hope you enjoyed your en'light'ening tour. Please post yours.

Hello Sweet Autumn!

I have been baking wonderful dessert breads with Carrots, Pumpkin and Sweet Potatoes. Got my supply of brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup. Flour? Check! Picking up Pecans already! I love baking in the Fall.

The air in Georgia is still a bit heavy but the cooler evening temps are inviting and I am anxious to build our first bonfire and sit around it eating boiled peanuts.

I have been decorating the house, too, for a ladies group from my sister's church, for Autumn Entertaining and just because I love the colors and the fragrances of Autumn.

This is a display I did last year for All Hallow's Eve.

I don't like a lot of spooky stuff but my primitive reenacting clothes work well in this display I think. Kids drop by at Hallowe'en and get to scoop a big dipper of candy from the cauldron. It is so much fun. I love the creativity of their costumes. We usually dress in period clothing and welcome them by candlelight. Nothing scary, but candles scare the daylights out of kids,...especially on all Hallow's Eve!

I am grateful for Fall and plan a big Thanksgiving Gathering each year. We all hold hands and pray. What a wonderful way to unify, to connect with family. Of course, prayer plays a huge role in our lives anyway.

I would like to ask you to pray for me and hubby right now. We have some physcial and other issues that need prayer. If you have a need for prayer please list it in the comments section. I will gladly place it in my Prayer Box.

The prayers of a righteous man (or woman) availeth much!

Autumn Homesteading Has Begun...

Wellsir, the Autumn bug has bitten me! And I intend to do something about it! Among going back to work part time at the school and building a new Children's Ministry from scratch you would think we'd have no time to think cooler temps but we do.

Just thought I would post some of our Dining Room and Keeping Room pictures.  Enjoy,...and think Autumn!

Good Autumn Tidings to each of you and your families, too!

Downsizing Sale at Shadetree Primitives...

Check out our Downsizing Sale at www.picturetrail.com/shadetreeprimitives

We will be closing out some of our collections over the next few weeks and months.

How We Became 'Civil Folks'!

This post is in response to Karen's blog request over at 'My Colonial Home'. Great idea, Karen, thanks for posting.

Our blog began in September of 2008. Hubby was recovering from open heart surgery and it was just a way for us to enjoy a bit of communication outside our family. Our hobby for many years has been reenacting the period from 1820-1865 with special emphasis on the Civil War years. We are active ministers of the gospel and so 'Civil' seemed an appropriate adjective for us,...and it denotes the time period we portray. We have collected prims since before marriage and find ourselves 'kin' to all the folks who enjoy the same things so,...'Folks' seemed to tell who we are. I guess you get it now...Civil Folks.

I suffered a double brain aneurysm in 1997 that has left me with severe short-term memory loss. Hubby and I work as a team at everything we get accomplished, he is 'me' and I am 'him'. We discuss each blog post and co-write them, the same thing with the forums and website. We cook together, do yard work, hobby, travel, do art work, write for a primitive magazine (APP), everything,...always together. We really need and depend on each other but we depend on our Father in every way.

We don't know what tomorrow holds but we know who holds tomorrow. Saying this we decided to adopt a scripture that would turn into a daily recitation for us. It will help you too if you are struggling with where you are today and what the future holds.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

This blog has given us an additional hope through good friends. May we ever be mindful that a blog post can heal or kill the spirit and we pray you are healed today!

Autumn is on its way...

Today was the first day of Summer where you could actually breathe around here. Oh, it was warm and a bit humid early on but later a cool summer breeze flew through the yard and it was wonderful. I've been doing a bit of Autumn decorating and thought I'd post a few pics. These are from my Keeping Room.

Downsizing....

...is a pain but I don't have to tell those of you who have done it before. We have decided that we need less space and fewer 'pretties' so we are selling some of our collection at www.picturetril.com/shadetreeprimitives .

Just for starters! Giving our blog and forum friends first shot before we go to eBay and then our sale at home in October. If you see something interesting, give me a shout. Items are listed in Newly Added Items Album. Fall is in the air, a bit, lots of good rain from Sir Isaac but anxious for Autumn breezes this way. Thanks for looking. Blessings~

Sandy feet,...Refreshed soul.

There's just something about the ocean. The breeze, the salt in the air, the warmth of the sun, the shadow of the moon. We just returned from a beautiful experience. For me, it is soulful, not just a vacation but a blending of the time spent and the time to come all in the present. A way to unwind. We don't do anything special. Mostly, nothing, but it is a wonderful way to wind down and wind back up for the coming year. Here are a few pictures you might enjoy.

Wife.

Ogre.

The view from the balcony.

The first sunrise. I always love arising to the beautiful skies over the Atlantic. Hope you enjoyed your tour with me. Frank

I'm Baaaack,...

...from dipping my feet into the Atlantic. Had a great time on the ocean, great sunset walks with my hubby, great seafood, great fellowship with my aging parents. But,...I'm glad to be home to my bed, my linen sheets, my stuff, the smell of my home, the light through my windows. I am thankful for the opportunity to get away but so thankful to be back home. I added a couple of new things to the Picture Trail. This is one. Thought you might like to see it. A beautiful stoneware heart bowl with a redware type glaze. So perfectly beautiful to me. I'll post more soon. So glad to 'see' you all again!

It's Been A While!

Hello blog world and friends. I feel ashamed that I have not written in so long. I do hope you can forgive me. I have stopped in from time to time and checked on some of the posts but it has been a whirlwind of a Spring and Summer for me. I have canned and frozen, jarred and pickled, preserved and put up an assortment of delectables we will eat this Winter. Hubby had a few physical problems, me too, but we are on the mend. I am so anxious for cooler weather even though we have had the wettest Summer and a bit cooler temps in a few years. I just simply love the cooler weather and the holidays it brings along with it. I am anxious to get the Autumn decor out and 'push' Summer along a bit. Not much news to write. We have made a few new items for our store.

Paper mache' boxes that we add paper to and then handpaint the wallpaper and distress and finish. I just love how they turn out and they are so handy for stashing away things you don't want seen.

Added a couple of lights to the PT Store. We made the first one, the second is really cool, too.

Rearranged the formal DR and added this wonderful old Walnut dropleaf table. Frank made the make-do chair.

Put my settle that darling hubby built for me from old plantation pine in the Living Room. I think I like it here. That's about it. I do want to tell you that we are involved in restoring an old city gymnasium built in 1935 by the WPA to be used as a theater house and music hall. It will be grand fun when it all comes about. I will post pictures as things really get going. It is on the same city block we live on and already have a musical scheduled for the Autumn of 2013! We are collecting costuming, sets and props pieces and just anticipating the fun that Folk Life Theater will bring to our little town. I hope I didn't bore you sharing the simple things of my life. I'm a country girl with a country heart. Blessings to you all! "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Pinkeep Doll

Just a quick note to show a Pinkeep Doll I am posting on my Picture Trail tonight. She is handmade from painted fabric, painted eyes and lips and large head pins for her hair. She wears a lovely vintage button necklace and her dress is a blue cotton print. Check her out at www.picturetrail.com/shadetreeprimitives Pam