Ashley English's Blog, page 21

Design Sponge At Home

BIG congratulations to Grace Bonney of Design Sponge. Her forthcoming book, Design Sponge at Home, is now available for pre-order. I know what a labor of love this book has been for Grace and, as an author myself, know what relief and titillation she's feeling to be so close to her book's publication.Check out the trailer above. The book promises to be an indispensable tome of domestic decor tips

This Place Is My Home

FRIENDS! What a weekend we had. If yours was anywhere near as glorious and inspirational as mine, then you must be feeling pretty fine on this Monday afternoon. On Saturday, we partook in the annual Family Farm Tour. Multiple farms in several counties across western North Carolina opened wide their barn doors to the general public. Along with my good buddy (and editor extraordinaire) Nicole (who

Catch the Buzz

For you local folks looking for something to do tonight, I invite you to come check out a panel discussion on "Women & Bees" that I'll be included in. Part of Asheville International Pollinator Week, the discussion follows Tammy Horn's talk on how the honeybee has been perceived in this country and how those perceptions have changed as the country has developed through the centuries. She'll also

Guest Post: Saving the Big Money

Hi all. I've got another guest post lined up for you today. This one is from Indio over at Saving the Big Money, an "eco-minded, frugal living, homesteading, gardener in suburbia." She's sharing her recipe for making compost tea, which your crops will undoubtedly welcome! Here's her post: "Ice tea is one my favorite summer time beverages. On a hot day, there is nothing as thirst quenching as a

And the Winner of the "River Cottage Family Cookbook" Is...

Renee, lucky number #132 and the voice behind the beautiful blog Heirloom Seasons! Congratulations. I'll be in touch for your mailing information. Thanks so very much to all of you that participated, especially those of you dropping in from Soulemama. Look for another giveaway beginning next Monday. This is so fun!!!

Home Schooled?

So, I'm thinking of teaching some classes, chez English, this August and September. I thought I'd put a feeler out first to see if any of you local yokels would be interested in such a thing.The topics of the classes would parallel my books. That translates to canning, chickens, and dairy-making classes (I'm thinking of a basic beekeeping class out here early next spring). I might also pair up

Father Time

Happy Father's Day! Today is Hubs' first time celebrating this holiday. In recognition of the occasion, I whipped up a feast of local sausage, eggs from our chickens, and vanilla bean waffles with a blackberry & blueberry compote. My mom and maternal grandmother joined us and we dined heartily at our big oak dining table while the clouds gathered outside and the rain poured. When considering a

Soulful Mothering

Hi friends! I'm blogging it up over on the luminous Amanda Soule's Soulemama today. Come find me there!And I thought I'd share this short, silly video of Huxley. He was "singing" right before I grabbed the camera, his new, favorite thing to do. You can see how close he is to crawling in it.Also, I've been reading, and laughing and seriously overall enjoying, Matthew Amster-Burton's book Hungry

A Peck of Pickles

The season of the pickle is upon us! Stumped for recipe ideas? The genius folks at Saveur magazine have rounded up "22 Perfect Pickles" to tantalize your palette. Check it. I also have first-hand knowledge of another great source of pickling inspiration....*Image from Saveur.

River Cottage Family Cookbook (+Giveaway!!!)

I have very few heroes. It's not that I can't find folks who inspire me beyond measure; there are plenty of such individuals. My beef is more with the idea of a "hero" itself. We're all human. We all make mistakes. We're all incredibly mortal and sometimes selfish and occasionally hurtful or neglectful. There are a few folks, though, who, despite their flesh and bone selves, have found a way into