This blog is moving to a new home!

May I have your attention please? Ahem.  I have an announcement to make.  This blog is moving to a new home!   WordPress.com is a very nice hosting service and very easy to use, but even in the short time I have been living here, I’ve found myself bumping my head against a number of technical limitations. So I am moving Buttermilk Hill to – well, Buttermilk Hill!   It’s the same blog, only in a new place. And I really hope you’ll join me.  I’ve enjoyed getting to know so many nice people in the last month and I don’t want to lose touch with any of you.

So please change your links, friends.  The direct link to the new blog is:

http://apps.buttermilkhill.com/blog/

The link you’ll need to subscribe to the new feed is:

http://apps.buttermilkhill.com/Blog/Rss/

Sorry for the hassle, and I’ll see you there!

~ Stephanie

End-of-Summer Supper

There isn’t much left in the garden.  Some carrots and tomatoes, and of course the ever-abundant Swiss chard.

But what’s left is still delicious.   Last night we had fresh steamed carrots, super-ripe Roma tomatoes with balsamic vinegar, some wild rice, and a crab cake.  Man, what a dinner!  Summer’s winding down now.  Soon it’ll be too late for picking dinner out of the garden.  In the meantime, though, I’m going to enjoy every last, fresh bite. 

What’s left in your garden?

Fortune Cookie Friday

 

 

Life is a verb.

New Throw Pillows in the Market

Last Saturday I was having a bad day.  I was just blue – do you ever have those days? Anyway I came home that afternoon to find a box on my doorstep, and inside the box were some new pillows for the market.  As soon as I saw these, I just had to smile.

These are darling! They are limited edition pillows made by Gretchen Ciccotti of the Cleveland area, who designed these just for Buttermilk Hill!   Gretchen uses a blend of new and vintage fabrics, lace, and careful stitching to create her designs.   Her work has been recognized by the Cleveland Plain Dealer for its unique style and one-of-a-kind designs. 

I hope you love them as much as I do. 

(And Gretchen, welcome to Buttermilk Hill!)

Fourteen Years Ago Today

Tom and I got married fourteen years ago today.  We were married in a small, fairly casual ceremony on a very warm evening in Orlando, Florida, on a balcony overlooking a lagoon.  I wore a lovely beaded suit and had a huge hairdo. (Long story.) Tom wore a splashy tie I chose myself and got teary-eyed during the ceremony. It was a beautiful evening.

Like all long(ish) marriages, ours has had its ups and downs. Some of them were big ups, and some of the downs have been big, too.  Anybody who has been married a long time will tell you that the secret to a long marriage is not getting divorced.  I know that sounds silly, but it’s true.  I mean: the secret is staying together through the lows and working together to create the next high.

In honor of our fourteen years together, here are a few quotes on marriage that really resonate with me.

• Chains do not hold a marriage together.  It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years.  ~Simone Signoret
• Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, but through being the right mate.  ~Barnett R. Brickner
• A long marriage is two people trying to dance a duet and two solos at the same time.  ~Anne Taylor Fleming
• Only choose in marriage a man whom you would choose as a friend if he were a woman.  ~Joseph Joubert
• A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers.  ~Ruth Bell Graham
• Don’t smother each other.  No one can grow in shade.  ~Leo Buscaglia
• Once a woman has forgiven her man, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast.  ~Marlene Dietrich

And last, but certainly not least…

• Like good wine, marriage gets better with age – once you learn to put a cork in it.  ~Gene Perret

(Happy anniversary, Tom!  I love you more than yesterday but less than tomorrow.)

UFO Sighting

Image by twistypiper via Flickr

There’s a UFO in the dresser drawer in my guest room.

Also, there is a UFO in a box in my office closet. 

I’m not talking about the kind of UFO that has little green men. I’m talking about the really mysterious and scary kind… Un Finished Objects.  

Do you have any UFOs?

The cool weather is coming, and crafty types like me will probably be spending more time in the coming months hunkered down working on new projects.  But what about the old projects? 

Last night at my knitting group, Naughty Knitty by Nature, I asked this question: “Do you have any UFOs?”  We’ve been knitting together for probably five years now, and we all know that there are partly knitted skeletons in each other’s closets.  My friend M. only has one UFO, and it’s her very first knitting project from her Knitting 101 class. (She did a beautiful job on the knitting itself, but finishing work isn’t her bag.)  Another friend, Karen, has a drawer full of UFOs next to her bed, and it haunts her. More accurately, it haunts her husband, who asks her why she never finishes a knitting project.  (Karen, you are terrific! But girl, I warned you that I was calling you out… It’s been probably 3 years since I started teaching you how to knit that striped Christmas stocking, and I want to help you finish it before this Christmas season arrives!)

So,  here’s the thing. I’m setting a goal for myself that before I begin any new crafts projects this fall, I am going to turn my UFOs into FFOs (Finally Finished Objects).   And here’s the other thing… I’m challenging all of YOU to join me.

So chime in here and tell me about YOUR UFOs.  Fess up!  Email me with photos if you like, or send me a link to your own blog and post about your progress. 

Join me in making a commitment: by November 1 (that’s about six weeks), what UFO will you proudly convert into a Finally Finished Object? 

Here are mine.  I’m comin’ clean.  The quilt’s been in the guest room dresser and hasn’t been touched in probably two years.  (The sad thing is, I probably started it four years ago.  And darn it, I’m going to finish it this fall and use it to warm my lap this winter.)   And the hooked rug?  Gosh, it’s almost done, isn’t it?  Come hell or high water, both WILL be completed by Nov. 1.  

Are you with me? 

An Upcoming Adventure

Ladies and gents… I am very VERY excited about an opportunity that’s come my way, and I can’t wait to tell you about it.  On Friday, Oct. 1, I have been invited to visit Garth’s Auctions, Inc. for a special “backstage tour!”  Christa Johnson, Director of Public Relations for Garth’s, has offered to give me a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in one of the country’s largest auction houses. And better yet, on auction day! 

I’ll have the chance to ask questions about how the auction world works, observe an auction in progress, take photographs, and more!  And of course I’ll rush back here after the auction to share photos and tell you all about it.  If there are things you’d like me to ask that day, please feel free to leave me a note so I can add your questions to my list.  I’m really excited about this unique opportunity and can’t wait to share all the backstage details with you!