Abandoned Farmhouse Love (Part II)

A long while ago, I posted about a sweet abandoned farmhouse just down the road from where we live. To read about it, click here. We like to take long walks and sometimes we will pass by it and dream.

I thought today I'd share with you a few more dilapidated farmhouses to love............

possibly the overseer's house at Sandy Point in Chowan County, NC. ca. mid-19th century

side elevation of the above property

This unique late eighteenth century house which looks to be constructed in two parts perhaps at different times: half gable and half gambrel roof --is located in Pasquotank County, NC. This is a RARE find to see early historic houses like this one in North Carolina. It is remarkably intact with its wood shingle roof, weatherboards and massive exterior end chimneys. The porch looks to be a later addition but is in and of itself an impressive feature.

And, of course, there's still the adorable farmhouse right here in my neck of the woods:

 I have a sad update about my sweet farmhouse down the road from where we live. I was driving by the other day and noticed after some recent storms that a TREE HAD FALLEN ON IT and the roof appears to be falling in! Something must be done soon or else the entire structure will begin to waste away and slowly crumble due to exposure and water damage. Its obvious the owners are just waiting for the property to fall down :(  But I can't help but hear it crying out, "Save me!"

So now I want to hear from you, readers! Have any old farmhouses caught your eye lately or tugged at your heartstrings?

Eating with the Seasons: Summertime!

I know this post is LONG overdue as we are nearing the end of summer, but I thought since we are FINALLY starting to get regular production of tomatoes it would be fitting!

Back in the spring I posted on eating with the seasons based on a springtime harvest in your garden or your local farmer's market. You can view the post by clicking here. Now that we are in the heat of summer, seasonal meal plans feature produce such as (LOTS OF) tomatoes, beans, squash, okra, cucumbers,  corn, eggplant, and peppers.

Here is a look at a one of our recent weekly harvest baskets:

"rattlesnake" beans, brandywine yellow tomato, "white wonder" heirloom cucumber, and okra

We have also been getting handfuls of golden tomatoes ("Amy's Apricot" variety) every week and I've stopped by local produce stands to purchase tomatoes for super cheap that were going bad to make sauces for canning. I've harvested small amounts beans and peppers and we honestly haven't had too much squash lately. We still are enjoying garlic from our garlic harvest, and we have replanted lettuce, beets, and several other things for a late summer/early fall harvest (hopefully).

An example of a weekly meal plan during the summer months using seasonal produce might look something like this:

- Tomato and fresh mozzarella caprice salad with fresh basil and homemade balsamic vinaigrette, with fresh garlic bread

-lemon chicken with sauteed green beans and garlic mashed potatoes

-Pasta salad with cherry tomatoes, peppers, cheese, olives, salami, and vinaigrette dressing

-Grilled or smoked salmon (or other type of fish) with yellow squash, zucchini, and tomato au gratin with fresh bread

-BLT's with three bean salad (green beans, southern peas, red onion, and kidney beans)

-BBQ pulled pork or ribs, with baked beans, squash casserole, corn on the cob, and cornbread

-homemade pizzas with fresh tomato sauce or garlic and olive oil, with choice of toppings including peppers, onions, tomato, fresh garlic, fresh basil, peppers, etc. 

-peach ice cream

-blackberry cobbler

-watermelon


On the flip side, I will just be totally honest with you, our garden hasn't done nearly as well as we had hoped. So many of the things we planted were damaged or eaten by critters or just didn't produce well. A lot of our colder-weather crops we planted in the early spring didn't do well we think because we had such an usually warm spring. It also could be that our entire garden is not getting enough sun :(

A nice surprise we had in our garden are two GIANT pumpkin plants we had randomly pop up- one in our compost pin and one on the side of our patio. We have no idea how these came about but they are sprawling across the entire yard and have tiny pumpkins on them!

Are you eating with the summer season right now? What do your meals look like?

Linking to:

Home is Where the Heart is Link it Up #6

A Special Heirloom Quilt

My husband's grandmother, Mary Grace, passed away last fall. She was an amazing Christian woman. Full of strength, wisdom and of course, love.

One of the things we received of hers was a quilt made by her mother-in-law, Effie Melinda (my husband's paternal great-grandmother). It is a beautiful and colorful quilt....and I love it. It was most likely quilted in the 1930s.

I especially am fond of the "pinwheel" pattern and the navy. I have it in my guest room currently but am thinking about hanging it up on the wall as a colorful piece of art. What do you think? Too much for one wall or do you prefer to see them folded or draped over something?

I am finding that I am really drawn to antique quilts, and I see a collection starting in my future :)  I have two machine made quilts that are new, but this hand-stitched antique quilt is so beautiful and I feel the need to collect and preserve a few more!

A sneak peak of our guest room.....more photos to come once I have it "finished!" 

I love having the house peppered with family heirlooms in each room...pieces that retain so much value and meaning. It's like having a little part of Mary Grace with us still :)

Do you have a favorite quilt or other family heirloom?

Day Trip of the Month: Savannah, GA!

During our family vacation to Hilton Head my husband and I were able to slip away for a couple of days to one of our favorite places: Savannah!  

The Paris Market: an antique and home accessories shop with french-inspired
goods and decor. There is some serious eye-candy in every inch of that store. Love it!!

Love these Federal style and Greek Revival row houses. The cast iron fences, gates,
 and stair railings are so stunning. Reminds me a little bit of New Orleans.

One of the brick residential streets sheltered by a canopy of live oaks. Beautiful!

An alleyway between the row houses. What a great spot for an herb garden!

Of course we couldn't visit Savannah without going to Forsyth Park in Forsyth Square!

Me and the hubby before heading to our anniversary dinner at Alligator Soul.
It was sooooooo yummy. I had the shrimp and grits :)

As you can see, we had a wonderful time exploring the beauty of Savannah. Awesome shopping, fascinating history, incredible food, and stunning architecture all in one place.