Ashley English's Blog, page 23

Live! And In Person!

Local folks, let's meet! I'll be chatting about all things "Homemade Living" and beyond at 3:00 p.m. this Saturday, May 21st, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. I'm friendly! I like to chat! I enjoy meeting new people! Do it!!!!!! Come on out, enjoy the bookstore and cafe, and Waynesville's lovely downtown, and say howdy. Hubs & Huxley will be in tow, as well! *That's me in Mallaig, Scotland, in

Making It (+ Giveaway!!!)

Residing smack dab at the intersection of "walk" and "talk" are Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen. Creators of the popular DIY and sustainable living blog Root Simple (formerly 'Homegrown Evolution') and the book The Urban Homestead (described by the New York Times as "the contemporary bible on the subject"), Kelly and Erik have, in short, got it goin' on, strong. By their own description, the couple

Relish & Pickles & Being In A Pickle

Friends! How is it already Sunday?! I swear, ever since Huxley got sick, I feel like I've been playing catch-up, and losing. That said, I think things are starting to turn around. Our amazing friends Eli (Asheville people, do yourself a favor and go visit his coffee cart, Ursa Minor; tell him I sent ya-and get the Bombay Blast-AMAZING!) and Faryn and their almost two year-old son, Milo (who plays

And the Winner of "Building Country Comforts" Is...

Lucky #130, Sarah! Thank you everyone for your comments. Sounds like you're a crafty lot, with mile-high building dreams! Glad to be in such aspirational, big-thinking company! I'll be back later with another giveaway. I'm really digging this whole giveaway business. I hope you are, too!

Ain't No Woman Like the One I've Got

Ain't no doubt about it! My mom is the tall(-ish) one on the right in the photo above. SO FIERCE, right??? She rocked the '70's like no one's business. In fact, she rocks the '10's like no one's business, too (this is the woman, mind you, who came to my college graduation in a floor-length cheetah print caftan and has never met a cocktail ring or oversized purse she didn't immediately befriend).

The First Taste

This week saw a series of "firsts" for our little Peanut Sauce. That cough he had last Friday? Well, it turned into his first full-on cold. It was pretty rough going Saturday morning through Wednesday, but he's definitely on the mend now. He's had lots of snuggles, and numerous warm, steamy baths while the essential oil gently emits eucalyptus oil. He's had the humidifier going and extra layers

Future Foods

These future apples and blackberries are making my mind turn to pies, cobblers, crisps, jams, and fruit butters, not to mention straight-from-the-tree/off-the-vine eats! Ah, the growing season!

Treehouse

Here's some images of the Purple Martin house that Hubs recently built. Pretty spiffy, eh? He parked it atop the spot on our white birch tree where a branch snapped off during our '09 December Snowpocalypse. I'm diggin' it. We'll see if the Purple Martin's dig it, too!

Building County Comforts (+Giveaway!!!)

Hubs has been on a building bonanza lately. Just yesterday, he hung up an incredible Purple Martin birdhouse he'd constructed over the past week (photo forthcoming). To that project, I can add these others that he's worked on these past few months: cold frame from old windows, pea trellis and planter, chicken coop reinforcing (we now have 'primary', 'secondary', and 'tertiary' lines of defense

And the Winner of "The Hip Girl's Guide to Homemaking" Is...

Daisy Diver, random number #87! Thank you again to all who participated. This giveaway business is a good time, right? To that end, let's keep the party going! As soon as Huxley goes down for a nap today (poor fella's cough on Friday morphed into much more the next day and hasn't let up yet), I'll be back with something else for you to win!