News from the Nest, March 18
Good Morning!
Have you ever looked forward to doing something so much and then, when you are smack in the middle of it, wonder, ‘Oh geez, what have I done?’
I may be having one of those moments right now. And I’m fairly confident my neighbors are wondering, ‘Oh geez, what has she done?’
I’ve wanted to paint this brick for the past three and a half years, and now we are doing it. About a third of the home has been primed, and I think we have another week of this current situation. Of course, I’m nervous about my chosen paint color, but that’s me. Here is the transition thus far.
Table of Contents
guess what? the new site is live!
Not sure you’ll really notice too many changes on this page, they are bit subtle. But I think you’ll notice a huge change if you pop over to the home page! Head on over and let me know what you think! We are still tweaking, so comments and suggestions are welcome!
new on the blog
If you bake one thing this week, make it this Date Cake! It is moist and so very flavorful. The dates are soaked for a bit, which softens them and turns them almost to caramel. (drooling yet?) Then it is lightly spiced with cardamom and vanilla. You COULD add a toffee sauce, but you really don’t need to. As is, it’s a perfect dessert or coffee cake.
We are always looking for ways to grow our flowers and vegetables organically, avoiding harmful pesticides and commercial fertilizers as much as possible. Companion Planting is one of the tools we use to grow healthy plants without pesticides. We are going to do a deep dive into companion planting over the next several weeks. This first post outlines the general benefits and methods and includes a printable sheet for the first five vegetables for which we identify the ten best companions. (Hint: Marigolds are worth their weight in gold)
from the kitchen
- Creamy tomato soup is one meal that fills my stomach and warms my heart. I don’t know what it is about it, but I swear it benefits my mental well-being. This tomato soup recipe is creamy without adding cream, using pureed white beans instead.
- Don’t have a can of tomato sauce? Here are sixteen substitutions you can use for tomato sauce.
- Simple cheese puffs are great alongside this tomato soup.
- This curry salad dressing elevates simple salad greens into a unique and delicious side dish for any meal.
from the knit studio
- This waffle stitch knit dishcloth is made even more charming with the addition of a very simple, contrasting crochet border..
- Not comfortable with crochet? Not to worry, there’s a post for that. This post shows how to add a simple crochet border and is perfect for those new to crochet.
from the arts + crafts studio
Even a broken window can be the canvas for upcycled artwork! Excuse the dark pictures! I need to go back and re-edit the photos from my early days as a blogger/photographer.
Use thrift store sugar bowls for a bird feeder.
in the garden
Are you getting anxious and excited to get out in your garden!
- Last week I shared the basics of container gardening, how you need a thriller, filler and spiller for a cohesive garden in a pot. I’m going to start sharing some container garden ‘recipes’ for you over the next several weeks so you will be fully inspired and have a plan in place once it is time to plant your container gardens. Here’s this week’s Container Garden Inspiration and Recipes.
house + home
Well friends, I am off to worry about paint and get some more content ready for you for next week!
Until then, love yourself hard!
Hugs,
love your new updated site,its beautiful and as always,chock full of great ideas and hints and the beautiful pictures.t
thank you for the time and great effort you put into it, it’s well worth it.
god bless
Thanks so much Jen!
I do love the new site too! Just brings it up to date.
And thanks so much for your kind words. I do love this wee job of mine!
Have a fantastic day!
Hugs, Lynn
I love brick that will take me a while to get used to it being white I’m so afraid of her it might falloff.
Come off , and the white will start showing throw.
Hi Sally,
My mom is the same way, she prefers the brick. But actually, the brick absorbs the paint and won’t peel off. It is primed with paint made especially for brick. But as my grandma always told me, different opinions is ‘what makes the world go round’.
Have a great day and thanks for chiming in! I think it has been about 50/50 in terms of who likes plain brick and who likes painted.
Lynn
You are amazing. If I only had half your energy and creativity.
You make everything look fun and you want to try doing them.
Love your new look.
Thank you
Karen
P.S. Differently going to do my pots outside like the one you showed.
Love it💕
Good Morning Karen! And thanks for your very kind words!
You know, I just can’t sit still and seem to always need some sort of project going on. So, this blog is really the perfect ‘job’ for me!
I’m excited about the new blog look too! Just gave it a nice refresh.
Which pots are you going to do? I love the one with the fig and the pink caladium.
Have a fantastic day!
Hugs, Lynn
Hi Lynn, like your photo closer to the top! Can you use plain or self-raising flour (if it needs a raising agent) with the cheese puffs? Don’t want to hunt down tapioca flour just for this one recipe and I’m not bothered by gluten. Thank you! Regards, Kathryn
Thanks Kathryn,
The house is almost done! Think they will finish this week.
And yes, you should be able to use plain white flour in the cheese puffs. It doesn’t need a raising agent.
Have a great day!
I love what you’re doing with your house. Brings it up to date. You might want to check our ”Blesser’ house” to see what she did when she painted her brick. Blessings,
Thanks Rebecca,
I checked out Blesser House. That looks fantastic. I’ve always liked that look on brick.
She has lots of great ideas!
Thanks for the kind words and suggestions.
Have a great day,
Lynn
The exterior paint job on your house is going to look amazing!! What a difference Lynn it’s fantastic.
Thanks Jill! I am very excited! It has been a long time coming.