Put the kettle on and pour yourself some tea...

For the past few weeks i've been going to the mailbox every day, hoping to find the latest Country Living Magazine to be there waiting for me and still... it hasn't come.
Ok. maybe it's not really as big of a deal as that line just made it sound, but well, it kind of is. After buying the last one at B&N for the beauty of a farm kitchen on the cover, i decided it was time to be a big girl and order my very own subscription for the first time instead of taking off with Mother dear's old ones after she looked at them... as i've done for as long as i can remember. 
read about it here
I'm starting to wonder if i'm not as grown up as i thought, maybe i forgot to pay. Maybe they're waiting to send me the June issue. please please don't wait that long!
oh my...

In the meantime, I've been seeing some delightful e-mags that i've found loaded with inspiration and beauty. Thought you might like them as well. Usually i'm much more excited about something i can actually hold in my hands but i am finding there is room enough in my heart for these gems as well.

Souvenir Magazine
This one is a favorite. Heather Bullard's work makes my heart sing.
I was a little sorry to discover this is the first issue I actually have to pay for, though i do understand and it's certainly well-deserved. It's just that it was so fun to get the whole thing, full of ideas and so much beauty! delivered to my inbox!

Read full PDF document here

A new one (for me). I found it on a favorite blog Homestead Revival. There's no way i'm close to giving up chickens for duck eggs but i do find some of the pages fascinating. Fun to see that people are choosing to live beyond "modern" norms. I'd love to have bees. There's a great page full of recipe alternatives to make mixes you would usually buy. I made the crackers today... simple and delightful! My friends have joked that i could make anything out of flour and water... but the reason is just that if you keep things simple and understand the components that bring it together you really can. This section illustrates that well. For example the crackers are simply flour, salt, butter and water.
Old cookbooks are some of my favorites as well for that reason. They were written before the days of mixes and condiments so you can really learn so much about natural preservatives and methods just by reading them. This is a good one...

I like that it's written by a Showalter, back in the 50's. My Mother-in-law let me borrow hers for Apple Butter we made in a copper kettle over the fire last fall. (yeah i should probably give that back!) My affections are greatly influenced by the recipes contributed by "Mrs. My-Husbands-first-and-last-name".
I also randomly came across this blog called 7sweetsand7sours.com ... all about cooking from this book. fascinating.
Well, maybe i'm the only dorky one who thinks that's fascinating. nevertheless.
Moving on.
Rouch Wedding
Oh Rouche. I'm {happily} already married but who could resist this beautiful spread. sighhhh... maybe we should get married again.
Or... maybe not. Whether you're headed to the alter or not, this is such a fun guide for inspiration.
Just don't try to mimic the perfection.
Life, after all, is not about being perfect.
Live well, my friends.
I hope you are inspired today!
It's time for me to go put all my inspiration to work and get my hands dirty cleaning up my house. Company's comin'!!

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“Be glad of life, because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars; To be satisfied with your possessions; to despise nothing in the world except falsehood and meanness, and to fear nothing except cowardice; to be governed by your admirations rather than by your disgusts; to covet nothing that is your neighbor’s except his kindness of heart and gentleness of manners; to think seldom of your enemies, often of your friends, and to spend as much time as you can with body and spirit. These are little guideposts on the footpath to peace.” –Henry Van Dyke

Comments

  1. I can identify with the waiting on a magazine. I am currently waiting on two- one for my husband and also the Taproot one I ordered for my sister. It's such a let down feeling to open the mail box and neither of them are there:)
    I have a Mennonite Community cookbook my Grandma gave me. She checked all the recipes she used in it. Needless to say it's extra special to me. Lovely post- keep inspiring.

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  2. thanks for all these links! can't wait to have a looky. and i will rave with you-- country living is awesome!! each episode just keeps getting better and better too. they just know how to do it (MMM!) right.
    and i don`t think i got the newest one yet either....

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  3. Yes, there is nothing more gratifying then a hardcopy of a magazine, finding it in your mailbox, and looking through it 5 or 6 different times to make sure you didn't miss a single piece!
    It's the little things in life! :)
    xoxo, A

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  4. Your posts, Amy dear, they quite inspire and delight me not ky in content but in the "you-ness" of them! -Suz

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  5. Thanks for stopping by my blog! I'm glad I'm not the only one who'd love to have bees! Can't wait to read more!

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  6. Thanks for the link to the 7 Sweets and 7 Sours. I had never heard of that tradition. It was an interesting blog.

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