The Lickinest Cat - Lionel with Tuppence

 A Lick of Approval

***

'Pumpkin Spice'

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Anglophile Friday - Yew Tree Farm, Borrowdale

 Yew Tree Farm Bed & Breakfast

Note: All of the photos shown here are from the website, www.borrowdaleherdwick.co.uk.
The map is from mapquest.co.uk

Last week's Anglophile Friday post, as you may remember, included a video of working dogs, and especially Border Collies in the Lake District fells. (The link takes you to a map of the Lake District fells. Evidently Yew Tree Farm is in the Central Fells area.) Joe Relph and his Border Collies were showcased in that video.

 Joe Relph and one of his Border Collies

 So where is Yew Tree Farm and where are Joe Relph and his Border Collies?

Right there, where you see the purple marker.

Of course, as soon as I (originally) watched that show on PBS, I went to the computer and tried to track down that beautiful scenery and those amazing Border Collies. Joe Relph was thrown in for free. I found them at Yew Tree Farm near Rosthwaite in Borrowdale. It seems that not only is it a working farm (they raise sheep for meat), but they run a B&B and a tea room as well. There seems to be no end to their entrepreneurial bent.

Joe Relph seems to be a busy man. He's a shepherd. He's got work to do. I'm sure he didn't set out originally to be a host at a B&B, let alone become featured in a Nature TV show. (Kevin figures that the B&B was probably his wife's idea.) :-). Whatever, I found a few reviews of the Yew Tree Farm B&B in Borrowdale on Trip Advisor.

I laughed when I started reading them, and with the first review listed, I knew I'd like this no-nonsense farmer-businessman. (It helps to have watched the video first, to have gained some respect for his work and to have seen what a remarkable dog trainer and owner he is.)

From a Trip Advisor review: "Apparently Prince Charles and his sons have stayed here, and perhaps that explains the slightly haughty attitude from the owner...
When is breakfast, I asked...
Between 8:44 and 8:45 was the reply...
Oh well 8:44 then please, I wish to make an early start."

I think the first three reviews mentioned the non-negotiable breakfast time. :-) But there were lots of positive reviews as well, people who loved the B&B, the food, and the hosts.


Another Trip Advisor review:  "We have just returned from a four night stay at Yew Tree Farm and have had a wonderful time in this lovely cottage despite the poor weather! Everyone at Yew Tree made us so welcome, the rooms are very cosy and breakfast was fantastic which really set us up for the day. Breakfast is set out on one large table which is great for chatting to other guests, and we met people from America and Australia plus some English guests who were staying there on their way across the Coast to Coast Walk. This is such a peaceful place and if you need some time to chill out and relax in a beautiful setting then this little gem is the place for you!"

===
More important to me than the B&B, however, are the Border Collies, those amazing working dogs that allow Joe Relph and his wife Hazel to make a living on that harsh terrain.

Look at the gorgeous views in any direction from Yew Tree Farm!

Yew Tree Farm, Rosthwaite, Borrowdale, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom.

It's on my bucket list.

***

'Forest Floor'

a woodsy floral luxury soap

...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at

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Have a great weekend, everyone!

Abundance and Gratitude

Abundance

Just before the predicted hard frost on Saturday night, Kevin went out to the garden with an old banana box and came back with these treats. We already have peppers and tomatoes galore, so I was glad to find some vegetable lovers at our hymn sing Saturday evening. 

Every time I see something like this, I am amazed again at the grace of God, who made all these things to sustain us, to give us enjoyment, - and to bring Him glory. How can we not offer Him a heart of gratitude.  Look at the variety of color, shape, texture, and taste! For us? We who continually set our hearts on everything else but God?

Clockwise, from left: Thyme, Aloe, Lavender, Rosemary, Basil, Lavender, Oregano, Parsley

Most of these plants I've been able to winter over in the past - with the exception of basil. Bethany informed that the reason I had no success with my basil project last year is that basil is an annual. So parsley and rosemary must not be annuals?  I really need to look these things up. Most years, I dig up my herbs which flourish all summer in the garden and start to die bit by bit in the winter, but they just manage to limp along until spring - when I can set them outdoors once again. We'll see what happens this year.

Lionel and Tuppence will miss their windowseat, but they will definitely enjoy the newly-arrived 'salad bar.'

Tuppence, with fewer options at last year's salad bar

P.S. The hymn sing (last Saturday evening) was such a great time for friends to get together and praise God in song! I'm already looking at October's calendar...

♫♪

 Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

Amen. 

***

 'But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.' - Romans 5:8-11

Birthday Breakfast Burrito

'Henry Burrito'

Our daughter took this photo of Henry and his daddy a couple mornings ago and labeled it 'Henry  Burrito.' Would his grandma love to snuggle up to this little burrito!!

Thanks for the sweet photo, Honey. And Happy Birthday!! ♥

*** 

'Peaches & Almonds'

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Now also at ETSY! 

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup - Recipe GF

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

One must be armed with a few good soup recipes for these chilly autumn evenings. This Roasted Butternut Squash Soup is one of the best. We love it, ever since I first made it a few years ago. We'd enjoyed something similar to this at Michaelhouse in Cambridge, England. Of course, my kitchen doesn't offer quite the same ambience as Michaelhouse, but it's not bad - and getting to my kitchen is much less expensive and much more convenient.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup - Recipe:
Delicious and Gluten Free

1 (very) large butternut squash, halved and seeded

4 T. butter
1 large onion, chopt
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 T. minced fresh ginger root
1-2 t. hot curry powder from Penzey's
2-3 McIntosh apples, cored and finely chopt
   (I used a couple cups of my own McIntosh canned applesauce)
1/3 c. port
1 quart Pacific (gluten-free, organic, free-range) chicken broth
(You can add another cup of chicken broth or even a cup of beef broth, as long as the majority of it is chicken broth.)
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne (to taste)

Spray cut sides of squash with cooking oil and place cut side down on large baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees until flesh is soft, about 1 1/4 hours. Let cool, then scoop flesh out into large bowl.

In large stockpot, melt butter and saute onion until tender. Turn burner to low setting.  Stir in garlic, ginger, and curry powder. Cook a minute longer. Add apples and port. Simmer for 10 minutes or until apples are soft.

Pour broth into stockpot mixture. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne.

Now here's the best part:  In times past, I would take a couple cups of this mixture at a time and puree them in my blender, then add them back to the stockpot. What a nuisance! Then, I bought a new stick blender and instead of that long process with my blender, I puree everything right in the stockpot with my stick blender. SO EASY!!

As you heat this, make sure it's on a very low setting.

Serve with fresh-from-the-oven hearty brown bread or use my good gluten-free bread recipe and soft butter. No kidding, you will thank me! ;-)

***

Check out my natural, handcrafted vegan soap
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'Pumpkin Spice'

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and at my ETSY shop! 


  

Frosted Apple Spice Handcrafted Soap

Frosted Apple Spice

Here in NW Wisconsin, it went from hot summer to chilly autumn practically overnight! Sadly, all of my butternut and sunshine squash looked a tad translucent when I checked on them Sunday morning. Although had I covered many other plants to protect them from frost, I totally forgot to cover the squash - which live in their own garden behind the garage. I wonder if the people at the huge, nearby pumpkin patch had to cover all those pumpkins on Saturday night!

Because of a hard frost last spring after the McIntosh tree was in full blossom, it bore no fruit this year, although I do still have dried apple peel and several pints of applesauce from last year's crop.

There's something so inviting about the fragrance of spiced apple! Do you remember going to the apple orchard when you were a kid? We did, and they gave us spiced apple cider as well as samples of several apple varieties. I remember the blue skies, the warm sun, the cool air, and the bees that hovered near the apple bins. Our Frosted Apple Spice homemade soap will most certainly take you back to those wonderful weekends at the apple orchard (minus the bees.)


Frosted Apple Spice is made with all natural base oils. Creamy, fragrant, natural. No animal products are ever used in our homemade soaps. It's a favorite soap for a quick shower or a luxurious bath. With dried and ground apple peel from our McIntosh tree, Frosted Apple Spice soap has just the right amount of botanical. Both the apple peel and the textured top of this bar of soap make it a beautiful, visually appealing, 'frosted' bar of soap.


Read more at Homemade Soap'n'Such...

'Highland Tweed'

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Now also at ETSY!

 

You'll find me at These Linky Parties:
Mop it Up Monday   and Mix it up Monday and Make it Pretty Monday and The Chicken Chick and  What's in the Gunny Sack and  Making the World Cuter Mondays and Make the Scene Monday and  Make it Great Monday and Made By You Monday and  Something I Whipped Up Monday and  Motivate Me Monday and  Making Monday Marvelous  and  Get Your Craft On and Tip Me Tuesday  and  Inspiration Board and You're Gonna Love it Tuesday and  Take a Look Tuesday and  Tasty Tuesday and Tasty Tuesday and  Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays  and Two Maids a Baking and What's Cookin' Wednesday and DJs Sugar Shack and  Cast Party Wednesday and The Shady Porch and   We Did it Wednesday  and It's a Party at Creative Princess and Mom on TimeOut and  Link it Up Thursday and It's Fall Y'all and Crafty Friday (Thursday) and Mandatory Mooch and  Petals to Picots and  Threading Your Way and Lisa's Gluten-Free Blog  and I'm Lovin' it Friday and Maiden d'Shade and It's a Hodgepodge Friday  and Foodie Friends Friday and Creative Bloggers and  Serenity Saturday and Overflowing With Creativity and  Home and Family Friday 

Anglophile Friday - Border Collies in the Lake District

A few years ago, Nature ran a special titled, Dogs That Changed the World. The most interesting part was that about Border Collies. The particular Border Collies were owned by Joe Relph from Rosthwaite in Borrowdale in the Lake District of England.

If you're a dog lover, I think you will enjoy watching this video. Move the cursor to begin the video at 42:30 and stop the video at 50:13 to get the section on Joe Relph and his Border Collies. It is a fascinating video, and scenery you won't want to miss!


I hope you enjoy it!

***

'Lavender Fields'

...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at

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Now also at ETSY!! 

Have a great weekend, everyone!

 

Rock of Ages

 September sunset

Our Bible study group is getting together for a hymn sing. I can't wait. And one of the hymns I'll suggest is this one - Rock of Ages. Such an old hymn, and such a great message!

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the Cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

Do you have a favorite hymn?

Travel

I'm not sure what it is I like about this wagon. It was about 1 PM so it was in bright light and hard to get a decent photo. Maybe I'm starting to like rust, like Sandra does. :-) I was going to say that rust is really growing on me, but that might be too close to the truth for comfort.

By train

My cousin is visiting from Montana. We don't get to see her very often, and it's a special treat that I get to spend time with her this week.  The map above shows, roughly, the route from her house to ours, in Wisconsin. It is 1048 miles, taking about 17 hours by car and approximately 20 hours by train. I have taken exactly one train trip ever, and that was from Minneapolis to Great Falls, MT. The train is far more comfortable than a plane (unless one is traveling first class, I suppose), but you also have the opportunity to look out the window and see the amazing scenery of the United States. Well, that is, unless you're traveling across the upper Plains, in which case it's mostly flat land with an occasional elk. So it's not particularly great for sight-seeing, but it's incredible for raising crops! And actually, the beauty of the vast cropland near harvest time is an awesome thing.

We have friends in England who took a train(s) tour of the United States. Like all of us, prior to traveling it, they had no idea of he enormity of this country.  For some of you who may not be aware of this fact, England (not to be confused with the UK) would fit inside Wisconsin.


I look at that map and wonder what's the greatest distance any of my blogging friends have traveled by train.

How about you?

***

'Balsam Cedarwood'

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Now also at ETSY 

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

 

 Apple Cheesecake, just out of the oven

It's that time of year again, when the daylight hours are dwindling, the air is getting that cool, crisp feeling to it, and the garden produce is in.  I dug through my recipes and saw this apple cheesecake that I'd not made since fall of 2010. I couldn't believe it, for it is one of my favorites. And just a reminder - make sure to chill this cheesecake for several hours before cutting. I once ordered cheesecake at a restaurant and the server *warmed* it in the microwave before bringing it to the table. ??!!

Autumn Apple Cheesecake, Recipe:
(Also Gluten Free)

CRUST:
1 c graham cracker crumbs (I would use a gluten-free cookie or cracker)
1/2 c finely chopped pecans
3 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 c butter, melted


FILLING:
3 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
3/4 c sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 c apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (I used Granny Smith, but only because the original recipe called for them. I think they hold up better than my McIntosh do.)
1/3 c sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 c chopped pecans
Caramel sauce

Crust:
Heat oven to 350. Mix crumbs, pecans, sugar, cinnamon and butter. Press into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. bake 10 minutes.

Filling:
Beat cream cheese and 3/4 c of the sugar at med speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each. Blend in vanilla; pour over crust. Toss apples with combined 1/3 c sugar and the cinnamon; spoon mixture over cream cheese layer. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes. Loosen cheesecake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Drizzle with caramel sauce.  Oh My Goodness!

Be sure to let me know if you try this recipe. I think you're gonna love it! :-))

***

'Frosted Apple Cake'

A Favorite Autumn Soap

...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at

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Also now available at ETSY


 You'll find me at These Linky Parties:
Mop it Up Monday   and Mix it up Monday and Make it Pretty Monday and   What's in the Gunny Sack and  Making the World Cuter Mondays and Make the Scene Monday and  Make it Great Monday and Made By You Monday and  Something I Whipped Up Monday and  Motivate Me Monday and  Making Monday Marvelous  and  Get Your Craft On and Tip Me Tuesday  and  Inspiration Board and You're Gonna Love it Tuesday and  Take a Look Tuesday and  Tasty Tuesday and Tasty Tuesday and  Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays  and Two Maids a Baking and What's Cookin' Wednesday and DJs Sugar Shack and  Cast Party Wednesday and The Shady Porch and   We Did it Wednesday  and It's a Party at Creative Princess and Mom on TimeOut and  Link it Up Thursday and It's Fall Y'all and Crafty Friday (Thursday) and Mandatory Mooch and  Petals to Picots and  Threading Your Way and Lisa's Gluten-Free Blog  and I'm Lovin' it Friday and Maiden d'Shade and It's a Hodgepodge Friday  and Foodie Friends Friday and Creative Bloggers and  Serenity Saturday and Overflowing With Creativity and  Home and Family Friday 
 

Our Etsy Shop is OPEN!

Little Frog in a Big Pond

So here I am, posting while Svengoolie is hosting 'Bride of Frankenstein'  on Me-TV, one of the six channels we get - which is still more than we need (obviously). Kevin, Bridger, and Misty are watching Svengoolie and eating popcorn. I left the room because I don't like to watch scary things before going to bed. Compared with What Lies Beneath, (a movie I will never watch a second time), maybe it's not scary at all, but I'm not taking chances.

So the point of this post was to announce that at long last our Etsy shop is up and running. Besides www.homemadesoapnsuch.com, we wanted to have an Etsy presence for those who do not know us and feel more secure shopping at Etsy.  Our Etsy store has international shipping for Canada and the UK.  

We're getting our soaps listed on Etsy, a few at a time.  Please pass the word along to your friends. :-)

Our daughter is taking care of our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/homemadesoapnsuch. 
Be sure to 'Like' us on Facebook. It will make her happy. :-)

Of course you will continue to find all of our natural, handcrafted soaps listed at our main store,  www.homemadesoapnsuch.com. We appreciate all of our loyal Homemadesoapnsuch customers and invite everyone to check out our new autumn soaps.

Our new Etsy shop is at www.etsy.com/shop/homemadesoapnsuch

So have I thoroughly confused everyone?  I'm sorry.

I've been sitting at this computer way too long!

P.S. No, we do not sell frogs. 
I took this photo at Sand Creek when the grandkids were staying with us, and I thought this little guy deserved to have his photo on a blog post.

***

'Clover Blossom'

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Now, also available at ETSY 

Sunshine Squash

'Sunshine' Winter Squash

I love the intense orange color of this winter squash. I ordered the seed from Park Seed Company, which is where I also order my Carmen Pepper seeds. I haven't eaten a Sunshine Squash  yet, but if the color has any influence on me, it will taste good. Funny how that color is so appealing in a fruit or vegetable, but not in wall paint or clothing. It looks a lot like a Buttercup, except for the color.

There's still a lot growing in the garden - carrots, squash, lots of peppers, and herbs that I plan to pot and bring indoors. Then there's the cleaning up of the garden. I hope the weather stays nice. It's much more pleasant to work outdoors on days like this - low 70's. I spent much of the afternoon digging up irises to thin out the bed, a job I've been putting off for the past three or four years. I think I got about 1/5 done. Hopefully, with the light gained from trimming the huge maple, my irises may actually bloom next spring. This year I only had a few blossoms, due to overcrowding and lack of sunshine.

Carmen Peppers

This is last year's photo, but we managed to get a great crop of Carmens this year too, once the really hot weather passed. I also noticed that my lemon verbena plant is doing well. I'm not sure I'll be able to winter it over in the house, but it's worth a try.  Seems that it's only hardy to zone 8, and we live in zone 3.

 Is your garden cleaned up already?

***

Soap Sample Assortment Sets

now available

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Anglophile Friday - a Mini Tribute

MINI Horn Section

 'ONLY  THE BRITS...
(ALL  PLEASE STAND FOR THE MINI  HORN SECTION)

Fresh  from recording all 205 National Anthems to be played at this summer's 
games,  the London Philharmonic Orchestra has teamed up with MINI for one more 
performance.  All stand please for conductor Gareth Newman and the London 2012 
Limited  Edition MINI's unique tribute to Team GB.'

I just got this from a friend in England and thought you might enjoy it too. :-)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

***

'Clover Blossom'

...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at

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Now also at ETSY 

Car Accident

This photo is from the

Barron County News-Shield

Last week, a young friend of ours was on her way to town in her Buick, about 3:30 PM, driving speed limit on a county highway. A one-ton crew cab diesel truck with a trailer pulled out in front of her from a side road. The force of the impact flipped the 8,000 pound truck and buckled it. You can see from the photos above the resulting damage to both vehicles.

Both drivers walked away from the accident.

This was not because of airbags, but because of the weight and sturdiness of their vehicles. As you can see from the photos above, the front of the Buick took the brunt of the impact, leaving the driver unhurt except for a few cuts and bruises.

Today we saw a small car with a license plate that read, 'LESSGAS'.

It's true that a '91 Buick may not be as cool as a new smaller car and probably doesn't get as good gas mileage as some (it gets low 20s on short trips and high 20s on the highway), but when it's your teenager in the car accident, you might be glad it's a sturdy old Buick. The outcome would have been very different if she'd been driving the little car whose license plate read, 'LESSGAS.'

We praise God that our young friend came through this accident virtually unscathed. We also praise Him for advances in technology that resulted in a vehicle that would protect her from this horrific collision. I guess we have to decide between safety and fuel economy. Maybe some day we can have both.

***

'Rugged Denim'

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The Grand Gazebo

 The gazebo of my dreams

I grew up on a farm and have always loved living in the country. The only time that town life (and I don't mean city*) appeals to me is during the long Wisconsin winters, when I imagine walking my dogs by the light of street lamps and seeing the big snowflakes floating gently to the ground. Okay, maybe the reality would be slippery sidewalks or snow that's going sideways. Still, I do imagine it from time to time when the house in the country and the icy roads make me feel isolated.

 The front porch

Notice the gazebo in the background. And notice that beautiful front door! By the looks of the weeds growing up through the sidewalk, that front door has had precious little use of late.

This house (and gazebo) is in Westby, a town in the southern part of the state. I'd be very tempted to move there if only a) our church were there, b) my husband had work there,  c) my Bible study group lived there and d) I had a large alfalfa field north of the house.  Those are kinda important, so I suspect that I'll not be moving any time soon, but I do love the area. So does our granddaughter. She announced that she IS moving there when she's all grown up (which really isn't very far off).

 Mountain Ash

Wagon and U.S. Flag

If you scroll back to the photo of the porch, you'll see this little wagon and milk can. I thought it was such a cute object to have in the front yard, and sure beats a pink flamingo!

Each fall I try to plan things to do with friends during the long winter, but each winter rolls around and we sort of hibernate. This is not good, but it's very difficult to break this habit, especially when it's cold (like zero degrees) and gets dark so early. I hate going out at night on slippery roads and in the dark. 

What do you do in the winter, especially if you live out in the country and have to actually make an effort to get out??

*This does not include London. I wouldn't mind a 3-year stint living in that great city! (if the cost of living were no object, of course.) ;-)

***

'Morning Brew'

All-natural coffee soap

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