Tidy Brown Wren, bringing order to your nest

Oh, how I love to decorate for Christmas! The mantel is always first.  It's a difficult mantel to decorate because it's very large and has to be flame resistant because we use our fireplace a lot during the winter.  And did I mention, it's large?  No hanging stockings, no draping garland, and no sparkly tinsel allowed for fear of it going up in flames. I used the same fake greenery I've been using for years, adding large pinecones to beef it up.  With the addition of new lanterns left over from my daughter's wedding , I decided to just use metal and natural elements this year.  I used three rustyish stars that hubs strung onto a piece of barbed wire.  I love how they fill the ackward space between the mantel and the firebox.  See the top of my fireplace tool holder?  It's actually a small weather vane that I found in my uncle's basement about 20 years ago.  We screwed it onto the top of the tool holder that the previous owners of our h...

                                                                                                           (source) I had to chuckle while writing this because I was imagining your response to this Monday Motivation!  "She's nuts".  "She has too much time on her hands".  Or my favorite, "She's just too tidy".  Yes, all of these comments have been directed to me at one time or another.  Truth is, I have an eye for things that need to...

I love cooking Thanksgiving dinner at our home.  I love celebrating with lots and lots of people.  We like to invite anyone who doesn't have family in town to join with us.  Some years, we keep joining tables to our dining table to make sure everyone has a seat at the table.  I don't wait for my home to be perfect before I entertain because I know it will never be.  This year it was only a few members of our family who gathered at a single table to thank the Lord for all of the blessings He's given us.  It was a bit somber as it was the first holiday without my mother-in-law.  I was brought to tears as I made gravy, because we always did that together.  I was happy that it turned out well - I've never made it without her! Lately, a number of people have been curious about holiday celebrations at Brown Wren Acres.  It always surprises me because I just  figured we are doing our "thang" - making do with what we have and trying to m...

Happy Thanksgiving Thanks, O God, for boundless mercy From thy gracious throne above; Thanks for every need provided From the fullness of Thy love. Thanks for daily toil and labor And for rest when shadows fall; Thanks for love of friend and neighbor And Thy goodness unto all. Thanks for thorns as well as roses, Thanks for weakness and for health; Thaks for coluds as well as sunshine, Thanks for poverty and wealth, Thanks for pain as well as pleasure All Thou sendest day by day; And Thy Word, our dearest treasure, Shedding light upon our way. Words by August Ludvig Storm (translated by Norman Johnson)

Every year, on Thanksgiving Eve, our family drives across the water (Chesapeake Bay) to have a feast with my Dad's side of the family.  Aunt Essie puts on quite a spread and doesn't allow anyone to help.  Since our family consists of several large eaters, I always feel bad about not contributing to the meal but Aunt Essie insists on doing it herself. I don't want to go empty handed, so I always bring a hostess gift - something small as a token of thanks. I usually take a jar of apple butter, or a candle, or a loaf of banana bread.  This year I wanted to do something different. I bought a small jar at Walmart, tied on a bow, and added a sticker.   The hardest part, so far, was getting the store sticker off of the bottom of the jar.  I practically had to do surgery! Then I got my ingredients out to make a fun treat.  All you need are Hershey kisses, mini Nilla wafers, and a bit of chocolate frosting.  You simply put a dab of frosting on th...

                                                             (source) Whew!  It's been a crazy few days but I made it through! First, thanks to those of you who came out for the Craft Stash Swap.   I think everyone was happy with what they took home. Second, you can't tell by reading this post, but I'm typing on a new computer.  Our old computer woke up with an ugly case of "The Blue Screen of Death".  Hubs is working on it but it was decided that Tidy Brown Wren needed her own computer.  So, now she does!   It's taking me a while to get used to the new, stiffer keyboard and "touchier" touch pad.  Now, on to busine...

When we moved into our home 5 years ago this room had pink shag carpet, fake birch paneling, and pink plastic mini-blinds. We ripped out the carpet and mini-blinds and painted the paneling.  I immediately filled it with our old computer desk and all manner of crafting supplies. This is how it looked most days because I had no room to store things and the desk did not function very well.  My sewing table was made from an old file cabinet I painted and an old dining room table leaf that we found in our barn.  My ironing board was always in the way. This is the other corner of the room.  This is all of the space my Hubs has to do our bills and paper work.  It used to be a closet.  The opening was covered with sliding mirrored doors.  We removed the doors and painted the interior to brighten it up.  We already had the desk which, thankfully, fit perfectly into the nook. After many hours of pondering, visits to Home Depot and Lowes, and markin...

One of my readers, Tiffany, asked for a pumpkin pie recipe after reading my post about processing your Halloween pumpkin to make pumpkin puree .  I started to give her my old pumpkin pie recipe but realized that it really wasn't as healthy a recipe as it could be.  So, I began to experiment.  Here's my new and nutritionally improved recipe.  I'm still working on tweaking it and I'll write in paranthesis what I plan on changing next time. First, the pie crust: This is an unusual pie crust, but it's very flaky.  2 cups whole wheat pastry flour 2 cups white wheat flour or unbleached flour 1 1/2 cup organic shortening 2 tsp. kosher salt Mix with a fork or pastry blender until well mixed and forms "pea sized" chunks. 1 Tbl. vinegar 1/2 cup cold water 1 egg Add to the flour mixture to form a smooth dough. The recipe says it makes enough dough for 4 crusts, but my pie plates are kinda big and next time I'll divide it into thirds.  ...

Out in my herb garden, I was able to harvest parsley, rosemary, and sage. I stripped the leaves off of the stems (laborious) and laid them on newspaper in the window of my guest room.  After a few weeks this is what they looked like. . . I threw the dried leaves into the food processor and 30 seconds later I had enough "spice mix" to fill 4 cute jars. My herbs are still producing, so I think I'll have enough to make 4 more.  With a cute sticker, this will make a nice addition to a gift basket. Speaking of gift baskets. . . I'm preparing one for my 100 follower give-away.  As soon as my  little "thing-a-mabob on the side bar shows 100 followers, I'll do a drawing for a wonderful Tidy Brown Wren gift basket.  Hmm. . . I wonder how long it will take me to get to 100? 

Once upon a time, there was a little coffee table.  It was small and inexpensive and it wasn't particularly beautiful.  After many years of use, it found itself in the back of a pick-up truck, heading to the dump.  Along the way, the truck hit a bump in the road, and the little table bounced out of the truck and landed in the middle of a rural road. Shortly thereafter, a young grad student on her way to school, found the forlorn table sitting upside down in the middle of the road.  Feeling sorry for it, she scooped it up and placed it in the back of her compact car.  Since the grad student was preparing to marry, she knew she could fix the little table and place it in her new home.  Alas, on another day heading home from school, the grad student found a better table on the side of the road.  A large, round pedestal coffee table that would be perfect for her new home.  She forgot all about the little coffee table she had stored on ...

I know it's early -  but it's not too early to order, purchase, or make your Christmas and Holiday cards.                                                                                                 (the inside of last year's card) I just discovered a pretty good deal on the BeCentsAble blog about ordering from See Here .  I saved 50 % on my cards and I can check that "to do" off of my list.  I usually make my cards but this year has been really crazy- busy and we had wonderful photos taken at m...

If you live locally, you're invited to a Craft Stash Swap.  If you're a crafter, I know you've got extra supplies laying around.  It's just how crafters roll.  This is an opportunity to swap craft items.   If you would like to start a certain craft, but don't have any supplies, come and check out the swap.  Crafters are generous and you'll be able to pick up scrapbooking supplies, rubber stamps, fabric, etc. to get started.  We'll also have some craft storage containers to share as well.  I'll provide refreshments.  Feel free to invite friends.  The swap will probably last around 2 hours but there is no time limit. Here are the details . . . What:  1st Annual Craft Stash Swap When:  Saturday, November 20, 2010 at 2:00 pm Where:  Brown Wren Acres Why:  To trade extra  craft supplies with other crafters. Who:  Anyone who like to recycle craft items

I finally got around to taking some pics of items I've been upcycling to put in my Etsy shop.  I've got different styles for different folks. Here's a button accented shoulder bag. Here's a stylish tote bag for the "mom on the go". Here is a retro looking apron I upcycled from 2 pillow cases.  Who doesn't love a pink purse?  Because I can't get enough of buttons, I added a pre-made button trim to this little tan cutie.  I've still got Christmas items to put into the shop so I'd better get busy!

We're having some success in our Fall garden.  We planted seeds and seedlings in August and hoped for the best. Here's our Swiss Chard - one of my favorites. This is a variety of cabbage called 45 day cabbage or "short" cabbage.  I need to research how to harvest it.  So far, no heads of cabbage are appearing and it's well past "45 days".  Anyone?  Ideas? Our Sugar Snap peas are blooming now.  If I could just get a few pea pods, I'd be happy. Here's the next round of peppers for me to pick.  I'm a bit apprehensive after my last adventure . Here are some greens I'm experimenting with.  Mustard (Mizuna) to the right and broccoli raab to the left. This is all of the spinach that came up.  That is, unless my chickens really like to eat spinach seedlings.  And what do we have here?  A tomato plant trying to horn in on the Fall veggies?  Sorry babe, you don't stand a chance.  Don't you know you're a tropical plan...

In my quest to be healthier, I'm venturing into the area of  home cleaning products.  Lately, I've become more sensitive to the scents and chemicals used in everyday cleansers. For the past month I've been experimenting with using borax, baking soda, vinegar, and lemon juice to clean my bathroom and kitchen.  My goal was to narrow down the ingredients to 1 or 2 basic items that would do most of the work for me. Here's my choice: I already use borax in my homemade laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent so it was one of the first products I tried.  To clean my sinks, I simply wet a sponge, sprinkle a bit of the borax on it and scrub the sink.  Then I rinse the sponge out and use it to rinse the sink.  I dry and polish with an old dish towel.  My sink comes out clean and shiny.  I do the same with my shower and bathtub.  As for cleaning the toilets, I simply sprinkle some borax into the toilet (@ 2 Tbl.), scrub with the brush, ...

                                                                                    source Often neglected, rarely looked at, always stepped on.   No, I'm not describing how you might feel on a particular day.  I'm talking about door mats - the workhorse of the home.  They keep dirt from entering your abode. Before the weather starts getting crazy around here, I want to take a closer look at my door mats. Here's what I'll be looking for: 1.  Do the mats look worn or tattered?  Frayed edges can be a tripping hazard.  Worn out mats won'...

If you're in the Hampton Roads area, mark your calendar for Saturday, November 20th. I'll be having my first Craft Stash Swap at my home. What's a Craft Stash Swap? It's a party where everyone brings their extra craft supplies -  fabric, yarn, stamps, paper, stencils, patterns, craft books, anything crafty - to trade or share with others.  As you can see, I have a lot of craft supplies.  I'm getting ready to redo my craft room, adding more work surface and better storage, so I want to weed out items I no longer use.  I have several stamp sets, hard cover craft books, and pieces of nice fabric.  I also have craft storage containers to share. Any items left over after the sale will be donated (unless you want to take it back home with you - which your professional organizer highly discourages).  Here are the details: What:  1st annual Craft Stash Swap Where:  Brown Wren Acres When:  Saturday, November 20th  at 2:00 pm Email m...

My friend, Donna, introduced me to a company called Thirty-One.  They have a variety of products designed to make our lives and our homes more functional, organized, and beautiful - all at the same time. Oh, the name?  The company's mission statement is based on the 31st chapter of Proverbs in The Bible.  This chapter describes a godly woman providing for her family and taking care of them with purpose and grace.  The Thirty-One motto is "Products with purpose - opportunity for a lifetime".  Donna gave me one of the products to "test drive" in my home.  I had a great time experimenting with the Square Utility Tote. It would make a great library tote.  I loaded it down with some of my largest books and it handled them like a champ.  The two sturdy straps can handle much more weight than I could possibly carry.  The top rim is sturdy metal so it keeps the sides from folding over.  Clever! I made a simple tag for the handle ...