Ashley English's Blog, page 8

Sweet, Sticky & Scrumptious

I can't be completely certain, but I think that, before this past Thursday, the last time I ate a pork chop was sometime circa 1993. Aside from some Jimmy Dean rounds cut right from the tube and fried until crispy (to be served alongside the Saturday morning breakfasts of my youth-sausage, eggs, biscuits and "fried" apples), my house didn't consume that much pork. Pop was a greater consumer of

What I'm Digging

Happy Friday, friends! Huxley and I just returned from trying out "Mighty Mites," which is essentially baby gymnastics. He was crazy for it! From the pit of foam cubes to the climbing mats to the trampoline, his little baby body and mind were struggling to contain his exuberance. Best $5 I think I've ever spent!

Here's a round-up of this's and that's that piqued my interest this week:
*Anna's

Hey, Soule Sister

Oh, friends. Have I got some NEWS! Next Friday, at 9:55 a.m., Hubs, Huxley and I are hopping on a plane and heading to the chilly shores of Portland, Maine!

When Amanda posted the two launch events for Taproot a few weeks ago, on a lark I imagined attending the Portland Longfellow Books reading, and all of the logistics it would take to make that happen. Enter some frequent flier miles and hotel

Outstanding In the Field (Humpday Giveaway!!!)

Have you ever visited an apple orchard at the height of that fruit's season and thought to yourself "Oh man, I'd love to dine at a long table here, buttressed  by Pink Ladies on one side and Arkansas Blacks on the other"? Or visited a local farm for eggs and imagined what it would be like to eat a meal on site, at a cloth-clad table, chowing down on the site's eggs and other provisions?

Well,

Moving On Up: Cleaning Chronicles

Walking around the UNC-Asheville campus this past weekend for the Organic Grower's School (SO much fun!), the abundance of spring blooms on display was profound. Hyacinths, daffodils, tulip magnolias, camellias, muscarii, snowdrops-the works, all showing their finery and offering incontrovertible proof that spring is 'a knockin.

A winter's worth of shut windows, co-mingled with woodstove dust

Breathe Deep

The good folks at Breathe Magazine have a great article in their newest issue on all things homesteading. Check out my fellow jam-making, chicken-tendering, work-slinging blog buddy Jessie Knadler as we chat about domesticity and gender equality.

Breathe is also featuring giveaways for both my and Jessie's books. Click here to enter to win the Homemade Living book series (all four books!) and

What I'm Digging

Happy Friday, friends! We were a house under siege this week, chez English. Some sort of weird and sudden stomach bug hit us hard Wednesday evening. Yesterday saw lots of moaning, groaning, belly-holding, and general lying about in bed, waiting for the discomfort to end. Today is much better, thanks to peppermint tea, Oscillococinum, Reed's ginger brew and good old Alka-Seltzer. These rough tummy

This Is My Life Now

You know those moments in your life when you suddenly pause and think, "This is my life now. This is what I've become"? Sometimes they happen at peak moments, when you're flying high and feeling good because you confronted a fear, or learned a new skill, or had a great meal with friends. Others happen when you've had better days, and you find yourself yelling at the cat for meowing too loudly in

Dirt Doesn't Hurt

Those of you know that know me personally are aware of the sort of house I try to keep (when the fastidious folks at Martha Stewart Living recently published a special "Best Of" organizing magazine, I was all over it). However, those of you that have known me for a long time (Mom, Dad, brothers & sisters-I'm looking at you) know that, well, let's just say, the old brown mare, she ain't what she

What I'm Digging

Happy Friday, friends! We've had an interesting week, to say the least. Tuesday witnessed my first knitting class. I must admit, it's not a skill I intuitively picked up straightaway. Quite the contrary. I figured out making a slip knot and casting on, but actually making a knit stitch? What? How? Where? I was totally lost. That's alright. I'm a tenacious sort of gal, so I'll figure it out, one