Daffodils Swaying in the Breeze

Don't you just love this delightful animated gif? These wonderful moving flowers give me hope that spring just might be right around the corner. via

Bird Bread -- Continued

Here it is upside down after the second baking.

Back upstairs in my kitchen cooling.

First slice with homemade hummus. I like it. I just made up the hummus. I dumped a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas in my food processor along with a couple spoonfuls of organic oven dried tomatoes in olive oil from Costco and a generous amount of lemon juice and whizzed it all together. It was delicious.

Recipe: Life-Changing Bread

I mixed up my first batch of Life Changing Bread last night and left it covered on my kitchen counter overnight. I didn't want to go to bed with the scent of baking bread in the house. The directions said I could do that. I just learned about this viral recipe on Instagram and couldn't wait to try it. It actually looks like a suet cake for the birds since it's all seeds and nuts and no flour. You are supposed to mix it in the same pan you will be baking it in but it calls for one of those silicone loaf pans and I don't have one. And I never will. I am very skeptical about such things and that goes for Silpat too. I'm so old fashioned. Anyway, let's get back to this bird bread. I think I'm going to bake it downstairs where I have an electric oven in my mom's old kitchen. The oven in my kitchen is gas and the heat is very uneven. I'll give you a full report later.  Recipe below from My New Roots. I found the odd ingredient that replaces flour at Whole Foods. Cost $6.99 and a box has enough for 14 loaves. That comes out to 50 cents per loaf. Not bad. I used hazelnuts and chopped them coarsely first. I didn't want my bread falling apart trying to slice through a whole nut. Next loaf, I'll use slivered almonds.

The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread
Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients:
1 cup / 135g sunflower seeds
½ cup / 90g flax seeds
½ cup / 65g hazelnuts or almonds
1 ½ cups / 145g rolled oats
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder)
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt (add ½ tsp. if using coarse salt)
1 Tbsp. maple syrup (for sugar-free diets, use a pinch of stevia)
3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or ghee
1 ½ cups / 350ml water

Directions:
1. In a flexible, silicone loaf pan combine all dry ingredients, stirring well. Whisk maple syrup, oil and water together in a measuring cup. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add one or two teaspoons of water until the dough is manageable). Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight. To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it it.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
3. Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down directly on the rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing (difficult, but important).
4. Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to five days. Freezes well too – slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!

Red Barn Nearby

I took this photo yesterday. This old red barn is just down the street from the green barns. This one looks like it has seen better days and is in need of some repair before it's too late. I can't imagine this location without it. 

What a difference a day makes. We had a very gray day today with a rainy afternoon. It helped with melting more snow and that's a good thing. I just hope it doesn't rain hard tonight because there's supposed to be wind too and that scares me. Fingers crossed. 

Pennsylvania Stone Farmhouses in the Brandywine Valley

The 1725 John Chad House has traditional pent eaves between the stories. I've never seen this feature in person but it looks quite wonderful in this photo. 

The brick 1724 Abiah Taylor House, near West Chester, has an unusual second-floor balcony in the center of the pent roof, and restored casement windows. The 1995 frame wing at right was added by architect John Milner, a leader in the continuing farmhouse tradition. These two photos came from this fascinating article.

Farmhouse Love

This is a drive-by photo of the farmhouse that goes with the green barns. It is painted pale yellow. The farm buildings I featured yesterday are to the far left with a good bit of yard between the house and the shed. The previous owners had chickens. I hope the new owners do too. We had a glorious day yesterday as you can see from the beautiful blue sky.

One rooster and five hens.

This is a photo I took inside the barn of the beautiful white rooster. See other photos of the old owners' poultry here.

New Green Paint on Barns and Shed

I was so busy having my own house painted last year, I completely missed these barns and shed getting a new look. The last time I saw them the little on on the right was white and the two bigger barns were brown. The property has changed hands and the new owners are making it their own.

Red Cedar Shingles aged to Brown on Barns

Garden Shed

Old photo of the complex as seen from the house.

Restoring the Cupola

This takes my breath away.

There is a whole complex of old buildings that look like Old England around the corner from me. New roofs are going on all. These guys on the peak of the cupola are so brave and surefooted. I am always amazed at people who can do this since I have a fear of heights!!!

My New Jersey Woods

It's going to be 60° today so the melting will continue.

I have an office meeting this morning. I dare not hope for another open house tour like the stone house last week. You ca be sure I'll take you along if there is anything interesting.

This is the morning sky I looked out upon while I was waiting for my coffee to finish brewing.

My Cottage at Dusk Today

Well, I made it through the first full day of Daylight Saving Time. The sun was going down and casting nice shadows on the front of my cottage. I wanted you to see that the snow on my roof is melting nicely on all 5 levels. You really can't see the one to the right of the front door. I think I take my wreath off the door tomorrow. I keep meaning to but kept putting it off. I can get to the garage now so that's on my list to do tomorrow.

The Wonder Dog is happy he got to go all the way to the deep end of the property today. Good night and sleep tight. xo

Ha Ha -- Fake Snow

I just signed up for Google+ and downloaded the iPhone App so I could upload photos to my blog directly from my phone. I had something called "Auto Awesome" checked and this is what I got. Hey, who knows what else auto awesome does? We'll soon find out. I took this photo just a few minutes ago when the Wonder Dog and I trudged thru the deep snow to get to the way back. The sun was going down and it was nice. I've polenta bubbling on the stove for my dinner. Love it creamy style with tomato sauce and grated cheese on top. Yum. I love being able to post photos directly from my phone. 

Self Portrait Marie-Denise Villers 1801

This Marie-Denise Villers painting, which may be a self-portrait, was once attributed to Jacques-Louis David. Marie-Denise Villers (French, 1774–1821). Charlotte du Val d'Ognes (died 1868), 1801. She's lovely, isn't she? Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

So Close, Yet So Far Away

I got rid of all the dog beds in the middle of living room so this is the last view of the one that was in front of the fireplace. I think we can safely say Tabitha and Webster are respectful friends now. I tore the living room apart over the weekend and did a major cleaning. I have decided that doing one room at a time is the way to go. I usually try to do the whole first floor which takes all day and seems like punishment.  My new way worked really well last week and I'm all finished except for the kitchen. My grandmother did her spring cleaning this way only she devoted one whole week to each room. Now that really does sound like punishment, doesn't it? See you later. xo

Private Swimming Pond

This frozen private swimming, fishing, boating pond goes with the antique stone house I blogged about earlier this week. It's much larger than this end with a diving dock and so much better than a pool in my opinion.

How are you holding up after losing an hour of sleep last night? My animals did nothing but sleep all day and I never did get a nap. I'm going to have a cup of tea to help keep me awake for all the TV shows I hope to watch tonight. There's nothing on PBS but there's a new The Good Wife, one of my favorite shows. Enjoy your evening.

Life's Little Instruction Book | Volume II | Page 70

A few more suggestions, observations, and reminders on how to live a happy and rewarding life.

Great advice from a father to a son that went viral and became two books.

Internal Clocks at Work

Tabitha and Webster aren't buying it. Daylight saving time is for humans. Daylight sleeping time is for animals.

I'm already planning my afternoon nap. Zzzzzz

Spring Forward Tonight

Today was a good day for cleaning the living room, airing out all the dog bedding and before I knew it, I had wrapped Webster up in it all. He decided to take a nap in the sunshine while I was vacuuming. Tabitha took her nap on my bed. It was nice going in and out without a polar vortex and everything is continuing the slow melt. Don't forget to set your clocks forward tonight before you go to sleep. Sleep tight. xo