Magazine Life

After years of publishing the photoblog I made the decision to start this spin-off blog. I was itching to say more than was posssible in connection with the photos, and so "At Home With the Farmer's Wife" was born.

Very early on I reached a place where a decision had to be made. Was this going to be a blog describing a magazine life, where laundry is always done and cakes never fail, or would it be a true life blog where I paddle around the house in socks sruggle to keep up with the laundry?

You know the answer. Magazine life is unattainable, at least in my world.

It's been ages since my sewing room looked this inviting.



What brought on this discussion? I'm going to bake my buttermilk pound cake in one of those $30 cake pans. This one.



Two years ago I made this cake. I had planned to publish the beautiful photos online.



The only problem was that it was a spectacular failure. The tops of the trees stuck in the cake pan and the whole thing tumbled out in a mass that resembled pale yellow and brown boulders.



I was tired. It was late as I walked to the fridge for butter to start the whole process again.

Bake another cake, that was the plan. Bake a perfect cake and photograph it to represent the perfect magazine life. The only problem was that I was too tired to bake another cake and besides the truth is sometimes more interesting than perfection. There was more to be learned from the failure, a chance to get creative with the jumbled mass. It's important that we share our imperfections so that others know they're not alone. No, you're not the only one that has baking disasters or laundry disasters.

We're all in this together. We all need to cut ourselves some slack. The next time you see someone who's life is too good to be true, it probably is.

Now, wish me luck with this cake because I'd rather take it to the Corn Drop celebration in all it's glory than to repurpose it into a trifle.

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I did somehow manage to get the battery door closed on the point-and-click camera. The only problem is that it's missing a memory card so I'm off today to locate one. I've got to have something to record the Corn Drop festivities!!

Have a wonderful New Year's Eve everyone. Thanks for visiting with me today and stay safe and warm.

The Shakey Photo Project

It was very exciting to be part of the Chicago Photobloggers group. It was through this group that I met Bill Vaccaro and Ron Slattery who created the Shakey Photo Project. Believe me when I say I was surprised to be included in the group of 31 photographers who were sent cameras and even more surprised when someone first referred to me as a photographer.

Here's my photo of the observation silo.



And a barn....



or course, because I'm all about the barns.

The interesting thing about both of these buildings is that they were saved from the march of development and certain destruction when the Peck family donated the Italianate farmhouse, barn and silo to the city of Geneva. The Park District took ownership and responsibility for the large property. The barn has been converted to a multi-use space, used for meetings and exhibits. The silo has a circular staircase and two viewing platforms that look out over the former farmland which has been returned to prairie.

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Houston - we have a problem!

As of yesterdaym, all my digital cameras are broken! I have three, a small point-and-shoot which has a broken latch on the battery door; a larger Fuji that went kablooey yesterday and now only takes photos that resemble ultrasound images; and a big, expensive Nikon that has developed problem recording to the memory card. OH MY......so many cameras, so many problems. They were all purchased around the same time period and lo, they're breaking down in the order of their purchase.

I'm off to attempt repairs or to purchase something inexpensive to tide me over until I can effect some repairs. What's a blog (or a shop) without photos? If I was Maya Angelou I'd be able to paint with words alone.

Sale in the Shop

Just a note that all Christmas aprons are on sale in my shop. Look on the left hand column and you will see a link to my Etsy shop.

Thanks.

Monday Morning Staff Meeting

Here we are again, together on a Monday Morning. There's some chocolate cake in the fridge and we're all going to have a piece and finish it off.

Just take a small slice because it's incredibly sweet. I'm sorry to tell you that we've eaten all the peppermint ice cream pie.

If you don't have a sweet tooth you might be interested in the leftover filet mignon.

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What a difference a day makes, 24 little hours.

Remember the photo of The Farmer setting fire to the grill?



That was the scene on Christmas day.

The Other Mother had planned a large family gathering here at the house for the day after Christmas. All the grandkids and great-grands had been invited, 28 people in all. She'd arranged for catering and we'd cleaned the house but as I've said many, many times, here in the midwest the weather rules your life.

Here's the scene on the day after Christmas.



Same grill.

Our guests were to come from quite a distance and only a few lived close by. The Other Mother was very disappointed but honestly it was kind of cool to be snowed in with all that food, including that large chocolate cake and a peppermint ice cream pie!

Here's our patio table.



Guess what? It's snowing again. This is great news for The Son, who is a snowboarder, but for the rest of us not so much.

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I received my copy of the Shakey Photo Project book. It's a really interesting collection of photos that clearly shows the viewpoint of the photographers.

The Chicago Photobloggers, of which I was a member, would meet up at a location to have a "shoot out". It always amazed me that a dozen photographers could come away from the same spot with totally different photographs.

Come back tomorrow and I'll share my images from the book.

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There's a possibility that a new addition to my team.



She's pink. She's a heavyweight. I think she'll be a late Christmas gift to myself.

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Thanks all I have today. The meeting is now in your hands.

Christmas Album

Christmas morning falls into a familiar pattern.

The Son plays Santa.



The Farmer was shocked to learn that the Fashion Police had a warrant for his arrest.



Black turtleneck topped with a navy blue Master's Tournament golf shirt and a festive Christmas tie.

The Daughter got a sock monkey,



..... and a hat. All gifts approved by one of the Chihuahua's.



Chicago White Sox scrubs for The Son.



The Other Mother gets a multi-generational hug.



The Farmer gets a gift "As Seen on TV".



And now he looks like a Biblical character.



Moses, perhaps?

We end the day with filet mignons prepared on the grill.



Heck no, we don't let winter dampen our grilling spirits.



Pay close attention to how that grill appears in that photo because tomorrow you're going to get another view taken on the day after Christmas.

I'm Dreaming of a White (day after) Christmas

The weather.

Again.

I promised you that I wouldn't bore you with talk of weather but it occurred to me that the weather is truly part and parcel of living in the midwest. Our daily lives are affected by the elements and we are forced to be flexible or risk putting ourselves at risk.

The days leading up to Christmas were fraught with onslaughts of ice and rain. The ice coats everything and has a tremendous destructive power. Black ice is a hidden danger that has caused many a vehicle to crash. Our trees are expecially at risk.

It was with great sadness that I turned the corner to discover our neighbor's beautiful willow tree had succumed to the weight.



I thought willows were made of wood that bends and gives. Unfortunately, this tree was loaded beyond it's limit.

This was the scene two days ago.



It's gotten worse. The tree has split further and half the tree is laid out from the break line like a lacy fan spread on the ground.

Today we were to have a large family gathering, planned by the Other Mother. Unfortunately it's been snowing since last night and all the guests were to come from a long distance. It's looks like the party will not happen. It's certainly a disappointment for the Other Mother but again, in the midwest you must bend to the elements or break like the overladen willow.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas. Come back tomorrow when I'll share photos from our Christmas morning.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from the land of ice and snow.

.....Mostly ice this morning.

I'm Published

Yes, I am. I am published.

Not a scientific paper, a cookbook, a novel or a memoir, it's a photo book.

Two of my photos have been published in a book entitled, "The Shakey Photo Project" which was compiled by Chicago photographers Bill Vaccaro and Ron Slattery.



Bill and Ron are fellow members of the Chicago Photobloggers group. Ron is a dealer in antiques, estates and all around interesting junk. He came upon a stash of junky plastic cameras that had originally been a promotion for Shakey's Pizza. What did he do? He bought the lot of course! What else would you do?

Together with Bill he came up with the idea of sending cameras to 31 photographers along with a roll of film and a challenge. Take photos with the "Shakey camera", develop them, check out your contact sheet and choose two photos to include in the book.

It's been awhile since I submitted my photos and to tell you the truth I can't remember what they were. i'm sure they involved barns or decaying farm images. The camera was so bad. I was forced to tape it together with duct tape to prevent light leaks. After several rolls of testing I finally came up with some images to submit. I still have the camera and I love it. Such a contrast to high tech. It's kind of exciting to be able to get interesting images from something so basic as a plastic camera.

I've ordered a copy of the book and when it arrives I'll have a pleasant surprise. I'll share the images with you at that time.

Until then, here's a link to the book on Blurb.

SHAKEY PHOTO PROJECT

If you've never had the chance to check out my photoblog, it's here:

THE FARMER'S WIFE

For a period of a year or two I posted a photo every day. Wow, looking back that was a commitment.


R.F. Houtz's "sit-a-spell" method of doing business. The Farmer's Wife Photoblog.


Abandoned farmhouse. Farmer's Wife Photoblog.


City Barber - Farmer's Wife Photoblog.

Some of the other photographers included in the Shakey Photo Project are quite famous, including artist and photographer Kay Westhues.

KAY WESTHUES - FOURTEEN PLACES TO EAT

Speaking of photoblogs, have you ever visited Express Train? I "met" Travis through the photoblogosphere and he featured my photoblog at a presentation in New York City, calling me the Poster Child for Photoblogging. HA. I was very enthusiastic about the fact that the internet had leveled the playing field and even someone sitting in the middle of nowhere could find a venue for their art. Anyone could present their viewpoint. How exciting is that?

EXPRESS TRAIN

There won't be any book signings, ala Pioneer Woman, but I'm excited nonetheless. Thanks for listening.

You can get a small preview of some of the photos by clicking on

SHAKEY PHOTO PROJECT PREVIEW

Monday Morning Staff Meeting

Good morning everyone. I'm late to the meeting but I've got a good excuse. I caught a bad cold and have spent the last three days sleeping! Unfortunately this puts your internal body clock in a tailspin and last night I found myself unable to sleep and crocheting at 2 a.m.

Wouldn't you just love to dive into the buffet this morning?



It's beautiful, isn't it? Unfortunately I can't take any credit and even more unfortunate, it's all gone! That's the spread that neighbor Jackie put out for her cookie exchange. As usual, lots of delicious and unusual things including cheese and macadamia nut morsels that you'd skewer with a chunk of pineapple. So yummy!

I apologize for teasing you with that image because all I've got for you today is a lame buffet of my own making.

It's a cold pizza and chocolate fudge buffet.


Buffet item No. 1 - Cold Pizza


Buffet item No. 2 - Chocolate Walnut Fudge

Feel free to enjoy either or BOTH.

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Until recently my blog has not been bothered by comment spam. But a short time ago one of my blog posts became a dumping ground for the most ridiculous spam imaginable. I've been deleting this stuff daily and one of my posts in particular was a major target and I was forced to simply save that entry as a draft (unpublished) in order to stop the spam.

How about you? Have you been having comment spam issues? I don't want to return to that annoying word verification but if this continues I'll have no choice.

DEATH TO THE COMMENT SPAM!!!!

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Somehow I managed to avoid the impulse to buy one of those $40 cake pans but I fell prey to something I've always wanted, a cupcake stand.



Isn't this a cute one?

I'm not a big cupcake maker but who could resist the opportunity to bake some up and display them in this cutie?

It's fun because the spiral is bouncy, although I wouldn't want my cupcakes flying off into space.

The best part? It was the only one left in the store and it was marked down to $5. Hooray for sales.

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When my kids were little I did craft shows in order to raise a little more money for Christmas and other special treats. My sewing machine and I hummed along daily creating all kinds of Christmas ornaments and dolls. There were always body parts laying everywhere. The table would be covered with muslin arms and legs.

This Christmas I'm creating a signature ornament for gift giving to my friends. It's a penguin and therefore there are penguin body parts laying around.



The kids are accustomed to this sight and it's no longer traumatic.

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You are officially invited to attend Corn Drop 2009. Neighbor Betty wants you all to join in the fun.

What's a Corn Drop, you ask? Betty and her family are transplanted Long Islanders who for many years missed the excitement of the ball drop in Times Square in New York. Having adopted the midwestern can-do, make-do spirit they created a midwestern version called the Corn Drop.

At midnight a 6 foot tall ear of corn, fashioned from yellow and green Christmas lights drop from a 30-foot pole.


Corn, ready for dropping.

There's a huge countdown clock and DJ music. It's awesome!


Dancing in the snow during the countdown!

Unfortunately I'm unable to provide a live feed so you can join in the fun on New Year's morning.


Countdown - 2008

For years we've been wanting David Letterman's mom to attend the festivities. So if anyone knows Dave's producer OR his mom, let me know and we'll provide a limo or a tractor to pick her up in Indiana and transport her to the party.

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OK, I'm turning the meeting over to you. Anything we need to discuss?

Sugar Cookie Snowflakes

Yesterday was a busy day of errands before the cookie exchange. Thanks for your patience because I forgot to include the recipes for the sugar cookie and the royal icing.

Better late than never. Here you go.

SUGAR COOKIE ROLLOUTS

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Mix flour, baking powder and salt; add gradually to butter mixure, stirring constantly. Do not chill the dough. Working in batches on a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out cookies using a decorative cookie cutter and bake for 6-7 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Makes about 3 dozen cookies, but the amount depends upon the size of the cookie cutter.


ROYAL ICING

3 egg whites
1-1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
3 to 3-1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

Beat egg whites until foamy, add cream of tartar and whip until peaks form. Add confectioner's sugar. Beat 5 minutes.

That's it. Now go to work and create something wonderful.

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Does anyone know how to create a link to a separate printable recipe page? If so, could you please e-mail me? I'd like to make recipes available in a more print-friendly form. Thanks!

Do the Math

Here's the final result of my baking/decorating session for tonight's cookie exchange.



Just plain old sugar cookies made a little special with the addition of some royal icing decorations.

I know I'm crazy because I love very detailed and tedious work such as this. I also love hand sewing, making the tiniest stitches.

Three batches of my sugar cookie recipe netted me 180 cookies, more than I actually needed. There were actually a few more but they were broken and had to be eaten. You know how that goes.

My high school math teacher is probably laughing up in heaven as he sees me do the math, especially after I announced to him that i would never, ever need math in real life.

180 cookies x 42 swipes of icing for each snowflake......

EQUALS

7,560 swipes of icing.

Well, now you know why my piping isn't exactly perfection.

Thanks for following along on my cookie baking adventure.

Preoccupation

Sorry, nothing much from me today. Why? Because I'm preoccupied with snowflake cookies.



Many thanks to George Gaston, who gave me tips on organizing the effort and making things run smoothly. Thanks George!

P.S. You gotta love a man who can cook and bake. Unfortunately, all the men in my life are old school. You know, the ones that feign ignorance in those areas.

Apple Cinnamon French Toast Casserole

Today we're going to make a French toast casserole. If you like French toast, you'll love this dish.

Let's get started.

Listen to Paula Deen. Use real butter.



Melt 1-1/2 stick of butter in a saucepan. Add 1-1/2 cups brown sugar, 1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1 or 2 apples, peeled and chopped. Mix well into a paste.



Pour into a 9 x 12 inch pan.



Spread evenly over the bottom. This doesn't look pretty (like logs in a bog) but it's delicious, I promise.



Remove the crusts from a loaf of white bread. Start layering the bread.



Make two layers, using smaller pieces to fill in spaces.



The bread should fill in to the edges.



Next you're going to need 6 eggs and 2 cups of milk.



I love the way the yolks look against the cobalt blue bowl.



Beat the eggs and milk together until well blended.



Pour over the layered bread.



The bread will eventually soak up all the egg mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Dot iwth additional butter and sprinkle with a cinnamon sugar mixture and put under the broiler until melted and bubbly.

Enjoy.



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APPLE CINNAMON FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE

1-1/2 sticks butter
1-1/2 cups brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1-2 apples, peeled and chopped
1 loaf white bread
6 eggs
2 cups milk
Additional butter, cinnamon and sugar for topping

Melt 1-1/2 sticks of butter in a saucepan and add the brown sugar and cinnamon. Add the apples and stir to make a paste. Spread over the bottom of a 9 x 12 inch pan.

Cut the crusts off the bread. Layer the bread over the cinnamon mixture, filling in space with smaller pieces.

Beat the eggs and add the milk. Mix well. Pour over the bread layers. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, or overnight. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until knife inserted into the misture comes out clean.

Top with small pats of butter, sprinkle with a cinnamon and sugar mixture and place under the broiler until melted. Serve hot.

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GIve this recipe a try and let me know if you like it. We love it. The bread part is like a light fluffy souffle and the apple/cinnmamon mixture adds just the right touch of sweetness.

Thanks for taking time from your busy day to visit with me. We're still trying to stay warm.