For the Farmgirl at heart

Everything farmgirl, vintage, handmade, homemade, fabulous and fun!

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Summer Berry Picking

One hot morning, I decided it was time to introduce Moo to one of my favorite things about summer...picking berries.
We got all sunscreened up, jumped in the car and headed over to the Temecula Berry Co. to pick some of their luscious Blueberries. First of all, let me say that no matter where you live, I am willing to bet that within an hour drive from your front door there is a small farm that either has a u-pick season or will let you pick a few berries, apples, whatever for a small fee. Temecula Berry Co. is a u-pick berry farm and while the season is short, it is worth it to get out there and take advantage. There is nothing like picking the fruit you will soon be eating fresh from the bush (or tree). Kids really love it and enjoy the hunt. At this farm, they even give a big smiling blueberry sticker to the kids so they know to only pick the blue ones, not the green or red (both have yet to ripen and are quite bitter). They give each kid a little beach pail to fill with as many blueberries as they wish...a full bucket is about 2 pints and will cost $10*. We went 1/2 way and got one pint for $5*. Some may argue that 5 is not the greatest price for berries, but consider that it took my little 4 year old Moo about 1 1/2 hours to pick 1 pint of berries and since you only have to pay for the berries (there is no per person fee) the whole family can have a day of fun for $10. Plus, you get to go home with delicious fruit that YOU picked! Not to mention the importance of helping out local farms and supporting the local economy instead of running out to the market and picking up some Colombian blueberries (ok, I don't know if blueberries are grown in Colombia, in fact I'm pretty sure they're not, but you get the point).
Not only do the kids get to have fun hunting for the perfect berry, but they get a little education in the mix as well - and they won't even know it! Visiting a farm, seeing how they work and learning the basics - fruits and vegetables grow on plants and you can pick them and eat them. Surprisingly, since so many of us just buy our produce from the supermarket, many kids have no idea how they are grown - even that they grow at all! My daughter loved seeing that plants not only produce flowers for smelling and picking, but yummy little treats like blueberries! She also got to sit on a big red tractor, climb all over scratchy hay bails and learn about how the funny looking scarecrow helped to keep the birds away from the berry bushes. A trip to a farm is a learning opportunity for any age group, and for the really young set, the idea is to have fun and show them where their food comes from.
After such a nice day of berry picking, Moo and I came home to make a yummy Blueberry Peach Pie, which was just a basic blueberry pie recipe that I threw some delicious peaches from the farmers market into because it just sounded SO good. A little dollop of whipped cream and you have summer on a plate! Fun, educational, yummy - what a way to spend a day!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

A Little Something for Myself...

This pregnancy has been really hard on me so far, and I still have a little ways to go. So I thought it would be nice to treat myself to something fun. New shoes? Nope, my feet are the size of watermelons right now, I'd never be able to wear them again after the baby is born. New outfit? No, once again, I am the size of a watermelon right now. Not too long ago, I saw on one of my favorite blogs, The Farm Chicks, a post about Wrenhandmade and some of the beautiful hair accessories they sell. Well, I thought that would be perfect for my little treat!
Let me just say that it was impossible to pick a color! The blues were beautiful, the reds were amazing and there were just so many cute things, it took me forever to make up my mind. I finally decided on the set of yellow bobby pins pictured above. These are the pins I got, beautiful, handmade fabric flowers attached in some magical sturdy way to three nice quality bobby pins. They look just adorable floating around a messy bun, hidden so just the little flowers pop out. I love them and can't wait to get another set...maybe the red? Or the hot pink? Maybe both? Well, I can decide that later. What you should do right now is go on over to www.etsy.com and visit Wrenhandmade. Simply lovely!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Fear of Yo-Yos

For the longest time I had an irrational fear of yo-yos. Don't ask me why, I just thought they were VERY complicated and VERY hard to make. Maybe it's because I never had anyone in my life making them that I always thought they were some great mystery.
I recently picked up a book at the craft store that I just HAD to get...Sew Pretty Christmas Homestyle by Tone Finnanger. I'm drawn to crafty books with amazing pictures and this one is full of them. However, quite a few of the projects use yo-yos as decorations. Uh-oh! So for a while, I was just content to look at the projects and dream about how wonderful they would look in my house, if only I could make one. But after actually reading the book, I found a little tutorial on how to make a yo-yo and thought, I can at least try. What will it hurt to try it out?
So a scrap of muslin and embarrassingly an hour later, I had a yo-yo! It took me a while to get the feel for the fold and gather, the right length of stitch to create a nice small opening in the finished product and not a huge hole, but it was a grand success. So I promptly found another scrap of fabric and made another yo-yo. Now I had two yo-yos (of different sizes mind you, since I just free-handed the circles instead of using an upside down cup or something) and had to figure out what to do with my new little treasures. I was really proud of them, okay? Couldn't just let them sit around in the craft room forever. So I dug around a bit until I found a brooch backing and a cute button. Sew them all together and viola! Instant badge of honor! Yo-yo, you do not scare me anymore and I think I will use you in many ways over the coming years. My next ideas include a pillow for my daughter's room and possibly a garland for our Christmas tree...hmmm...

Friday, June 25, 2010

Who doesn't like Smore's?

Since I mentioned the Smore's cake in my Welcome post, I thought I should get busy and actually tell you about it. My Husband's birthday is in the beginning of summer and nothing says summer like smore's around a campfire. So I decided to make a Smore's inspired cake for his 30th birthday this year. Notice there is only one candle...we didn't want to burn the house down.
So the cake was just a store bought mix, your favorite chocolate mix will do. Next you will need your basic smore's supplies - chocolate bars, marshmallows and graham crackers. I also used marshmallow fluff between the cake layers which turned out to be a HUGE mistake as the fluff never sets and creates a very slippery top layer. The next time I make this cake I will just use vanilla frosting for that layer. Oh, and you will need a really good chocolate frosting.
Now all you have to do is follow the directions on the cake box, but before you bake the batter, break one of the chocolate bars (or more if you're feeling sinful) into each of the two 8 or 9 inch rounds. The chunks will get really soft but will hold their shape making for nice little morsels of deliciousness throughout the cake. Now bake the cake according to your package.
After the cake has baked and cooled, assemble like you would a normal cake using the vanilla frosting to ice between the layers. Next frost the outside of the cake with the chocolate frosting. I used large marshmallows cut in half to top the cake but you could use small ones to make a very pretty border for yours. Then I just crumbled some graham crackers and sprinkled them on top of the cake. Let me tell you now that the graham crackers are the BEST part. We were all fighting for the bits with the most cracker crumbles. Next time I make this cake I will press the crumbs into the sides of the cake in a very thick layer, since that was everyone's favorite. I think that little graham flavor is really what made the cake taste like a giant smore. It was delicious and would make a perfect cake for a child's camping themed party or any outdoor summer gathering. A hit with the 4 year old as well as the 30 year old! If you try it out, let me know how you liked it.

The first post...Welcome

It seems so strange to me that there must be a first, awkward post. Maybe a little something to introduce myself to you...maybe a little something about what this blog is about or why I feel compelled to write it. I really don't know what to say about any of those things. What I do know is that I'm a stay-at-home Mom with too many ideas and not enough time in the day to do them all. This blog is my attempt at capturing those ideas, good and not so good, tried and untried- a place for me to keep them. To inspire me, inspire you or remind us of those things that sounded like great ideas only to end very, very badly. The Smore's Cake I created for my Hubby's 30th birthday, great idea. The marshmallow fluff used as icing between the layers of the cake, not such a great idea. Marshmallow fluff never really "sets", let's just leave it at that. So hopefully, this blog will inspire you, make you laugh or at least make you realize that the effortless shabby chic, farmgirl lifestyle that I strive for is not all that effortless for some of us. I hope you have fun on this journey with me...what am I saying? I hope I have fun!