the place to be

Much like a large, woodland creature, I find myself stockpiling food as the days get colder and shorter.  I don't think I'll get to hibernate this year, but I like to be prepared. 

We ate turkey sandwiches until we ran out of bread and tomatoes and everything but turkey.  So, one afternoon this week, I spent several hours in the kitchen making use of all the leftovers.  I made turkey soup (like chicken soup, with turkey).  I made turkey tetrazinni (it's in the freezer and I love knowing it's there).  I made sausage and potato soup (no turkey- we also had some sausage to use up). 

The kitchen might be my favorite spot in the cold months.  It's toasty and there's lots of light and I can crank up the music while I work. 

So this morning, I am back at it.  I've got chili simmering in the crock pot for dinner and I'm making a special lunch for two dear friends who are coming over.  Visitors in the middle of the day- what fun! 

 

(Incidentally, Steve and I are both still mourning the absence of that pie- cheesecake on the bottom, pumpkin on top, dark chocolate in the middle.  Oh, my.)

Hope your weekend is full of Christmas cheer- we're going to finish decorating and hopefully start on some gifts!

we're here, we're there... we're everywhere

 

 

 

We have a lot of irons in the fire right now.  It's fun, this holiday bustle.  For the next three weeks, in addition to selling online and at two retail stores, a few select Plumfield Shop items will be available through The Makery.  The Makery is a website, run by three sisters from North Carolina, that features sales on handmade goods from North Carolina artists.  So it's handmade, plus local, and you don't even have to leave your house. 

 

Be sure to check out the "Men's" category for our items- we're selling scarves and iPad cases this week and they're going fast!  (Is it any wonder when the model is so handsome?)

 

Now, if you like to leave your house, here's another way to pick up some locally made Christmas gifts- The Boulevard is having a one year anniversary party tomorrow night from 6-9pm.  You can check out the invitation right here.  There will be drinks and snacks and 15% off everything!  Steve and I are so excited about going and plan to grab a few gifts while we're there. 

 

Scoop Charlotte did an awesome write up on The Boulevard last week and if you scroll down to look at all the pictures in the article, you'll catch a glimpse of some familiar looking leather and wool zipper pouches. 

 

Want something fun to do this weekend?  We'll be at the Christ Church Christmas Bazaar on Saturday, December 1st, from 9:30-1 with all kinds of cool stuff.  I've been sewing faster than we can photograph everything and, as a result, we're taking lots of items to the sale that aren't available online yet.  It's like a surprise! 

 

Truthfully, I'm a little tired just typing this all out.  But I'm also feeling energized with the adrenaline that can only come from doing something you love.  So, it's back to work for me!

we gave it our best shot

Well, we celebrated Thanksgiving in full-on party mode.  There was turkey.  There was pie.  There was blood orange sparkling soda in the middle of the day.  And we were all properly thankful. 

 

The theme of this year's Thanksgiving was supposed to be relaxation.  I give us a 7 out of 10.  Sometimes we have trouble relaxing.  Sometimes we think that work is relaxing.  Sometimes we find ourselves running an online business that doesn't take holiday breaks. 

 

I completed a couple of major sewing projects last week and was so excited to get some pictures of them.  Thankfully, the weather was pretty great and we spent lots of time outside and then taking pictures seemed less like work and more like fun. 

 

One new item in the shop is a lunch box that was designed specifically with Steve in mind.  In fact, I made him one first, then made another because I liked it so much.  It has a large, flat bottom and can hold enough food for two regular people, or one very hungry man. 

 

We were even able to multi-task on a few chores (does that count as relaxing?) and I took pictures of Steve modeling some new scarves while he hung the Christmas lights.  Festive, right? 

 

I've been saving up things to share with you over the long weekend, so stop back in tomorrow for some more fun stuff!

 

P.S. - It's Cyber Monday!  Treat yourself to 10% off your entire Plumfield Shop order with the coupon code "FALL2012"

thankful

I looked back over our pictures from the year today and I found so many reasons to be thankful.  There are always reasons to be thankful, but sometimes they're right on the tip of your tongue and, other times, you need a little reminder.  I'm glad that we take so many pictures, because I needed the reminder. 

 

I'm thankful that I get to run a business that I love and sew and sew and sew.  Sometimes I can't believe that's my job. 

 

I'm thankful for every meal I cook.  I love that I can provide healthy meals for our family and I'm grateful that there is always enough to eat. 

 

I'm thankful for all of our family members.  Steve and I are lucky to have a whole passel of parents and siblings to love. 

 

I'm thankful for my best friend, Natalie.  She is by my side (mostly via phone) for every frustration and every joy.  There are days that I doubt I'd make it through without her voice. 

 

You probably could have guessed it, but I am so thankful for Steve.  His kindness and care for me are much more than I could have dreamed of and he has the heart of Christ.  My cup overflows. 

 

Happy Thanksgiving, friends.  I hope that you are able to see all the ways your cup overflows too. 

 

"From the fullness of his grace, we have all received one blessing after another."  John 1:16

                                                                                      

 



the weekend of not-what-I-expected

Happy Monday, friends!  Can you believe it's Thanksgiving week?  I always love the days leading up to a holiday. 

 

As promised, I would like to report on the new recipes we tried out over the weekend.  On Friday, I made Spicy Pork Sandwiches with Cilantro Slaw.  The pork cooked for six hours and made the house smell great.  I honestly couldn't wait to eat it.  So I sampled a little bit before dinner time and BOY was it spicy.  And I know that it's called "Spicy Pork".  But really- this was serious.  Not at all what I expected.  I even used less peppers than called for, as suggested in the recipe for those that like less heat. 

 

It was really the sauce that was spicy, and, thankfully, the sauce ends up being separate from the pork.  Each time we ate this pork over the weekend, we used a little less sauce, until the final time when we just ate the meat with some plain old barbecue sauce on it.  The meat was super tasty and, if you like to sweat while you eat, the sauce had a nice flavor too. 

 

Saturday night we went to see "Babes in Toyland" at our favorite community theater.  Do you know the storyline?  No?  Well, I didn't either.  But I'd certainly heard of it and assumed, wrongly as it turns out, that it was a holiday play.  Am I the only one?  It has "toyland" in the title, for goodness sake! 

 

"Babes in Toyland" is not a holiday play.  There is one song at the end where they mention the word "Christmas", but otherwise it is a sort of Mother Goose story variation with several love triangles and a couple of evil villains who turn out to be halfway decent guys.  Thankfully, Steve can make almost anything fun, so we laughed our way through it and made friends with the people seated next to us. 

 

Last night, we cooked dinner together and tried the Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce.  It was so, so good.  Five stars.  The sauce has whipping cream, and wine (plus the whiskey we added for good measure), and lots of garlic, so it really would be hard to go wrong.  I am seriously looking forward to eating it again tonight.  As the sauce is semi-heavy, we made some green beans with pearl onions as a side dish and it was just right. 

 

Today I am making chicken stock and sewing up some more men's scarves for the shop- we had a run on scarves this weekend and are all out!  Possibly early Christmas shoppers, or just people who are cold.  Speaking of Christmas shopping- have you started yet?  Steve and I worked on a list over the weekend, but haven't really gotten serious about it. 

only today

Steve is working from home today and I am glad that he will get to enjoy the leaves with me, all day long.  It's true- sometimes I catch a glimpse of our back yard, all red and yellow, and I feel guilty that I am here and he is not. 

Lately, I've been in super think-ahead mode.  I guess almost everyone is with the holiday season upon us.  (Is it really upon us?  I still can't believe that Thanksgiving is next week.)  How do you approach the holidays one day at a time when it seems like everything requires pre-planning?  Meals, gifts, travel, parties, everything has to be thought through. 

 

Sometimes all the thinking makes me weary. 

 

So today, I am giving myself the gift of thinking only about today.  We need clean socks, we need something for dinner, and there are little threads all over the living room floor.  I'm looking forward to working my way through that list and, when I'm done?  Feeling done.  Feeling ready to enjoy the weekend and the fall air and my trusty companion. 

 

Tonight we're trying this new recipe- I'll be sure to report back here next week and let you know how it was!

I haven't cooked in four days

As is usually the case, when it rains, it pours.  This week I needed to make enough products to restock my space at both retail stores, plus have extra leftover for a couple upcoming events. 

 

So I had to quit multi-tasking. 

 

I'm usually a HUGE multi-tasker.  Working from home is perfect for me.  I love to have the washer and dryer going and something cooking on the stove while I stitch away at projects. 

 

But every task takes time and I realized that I needed to be a woman of singular focus this week if I was going to accomplish my goals. 

 

I will confess to doing a bit of laundry, but it was sort of a necessity.  Other than that, it was me and the sewing machine for eight hours straight each day.  And sometimes the iron got a turn. 

 

I am happy to report that my method worked and I have already completed my list for the week.  So now I can turn my attention to other important things, like grocery shopping (we have exactly three eggs and a bunch of parsley in the refrigerator) and wearing my hair not in a bun. 

 

 

I'm drooling over a couple of new recipes on the Pioneer Woman's blog that I want to try out this week- Spicy Shredded Pork and Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce.  We'll test them out and then report back here, okay?