Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Books and the aroma of baking bread


The front which came through last night bringing tornado warnings south of us and heavy winds-rain to our area has also been the culprit behind this achy-stuffy head.  Even then I can still enjoy the aroma of baking bread coming from the oven.  Yum...

There is one Green Mountain Apple Cider k-cup hiding behind a can of tomatoes in my kitchen cabinet.  It is calling my name and telling me this is the time to pop it in the red Kreuig.  Hot apple cider was made for such a blustery day.

I've been reading both The Everlasting Meal and Pippa Middleton's Celebration.  A true review will follow later but I can say that both are fun to read in their own way.  I'm continuing to work my way through Call the Midwife, whose long time in reading has nothing to do with how much I like it (for I do!) but more about the plethora of reading material available at the moment.

Yesterday, a package awaited at the rural mailbox containing a copy of the 1922 book The Next to Nothing House.  It had been on my Wish List for a very long time and recently purchased when a very inexpensive copy became available.

It was through Lanier that I first read about the book... here.  You may think an entire book about a woman talking about her house and furniture would not be all that interesting but it truly is wonderful!

I have to admit, though... the affect on my head from this front coming through has lessened my interest in reading a little.

Instead, I can see in my near future a soft pillow and a throw and a DVD popped in the player as I sip hot apple cider and indulge in whole wheat honey bread with a slather of real butter.

Perhaps the perfect way to enjoy an afternoon when everything on my To Do list has been checked off?  I think so...

Picture: A Good Book; allposters.com

17 comments:

BECKY said...

Oh...homemade bread and a good book?! What more could a person want or need? Nothing, in my opinion...other than a non-stuffy nose! :)
I love your blog, Brenda. I e-mailed you a couple of weeks ago when I read your post about books that included "Call the Midwife." I loved that book! I'm a follower or yours, too. Thanks for sharing lovely words and photos with us.

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

Now I want to make bread!

I have been reading up a storm lately! Hurrah!

We have wet warm weather here, too. Way too mild for January...

Take it easy, friend! Hot cocoa is in my future!

Deanna

Anonymous said...

'A throw, a DVD and hot apple cider.' Sounds good. I'm going to check out those books if possible too.

Jane said...

Enjoy The Next to Nothing House! I have all the books by the author (whose name alludes me at the moment). Wish I could time travel back in time and get the bargains she got for real antiques. It is my decorating handbook.

Vee said...

Oh yes, you deserve the relaxation. All your chores done and the stress of tornado warnings and bad weather and having the stuffies —d.e.f.i.n.i.t.e.l.y.

That sounds like just the sort of book I would enjoy. Have you ever read Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield? I've started it. It's available on Guttenberg so I was testing out that iPad.

Anonymous said...

So glad the tornadoes missed you! What strange weather the mid-section and eastern U.S. has been having this winter, with extreme temperatures from end of the spectrum to the other! No wonder you have the sniffles! We are getting our usual wet drizzle in the Pacific Northwest. It's a bit dreary, but a pot of tea and your blog makes it much more bearable! I was looking for your posts about your scrapbook journaling, but can't seem to find them Did you remove them? How can I access them again? I loved the sample pictures and the links to the others, too, as I've only recently begun this new hobby and would like to view them again. Can you tell me how to find them again?(pretty please?) Thanks so much!

Hugs and Blessings,
Laura C. (from WA)

Judy said...

I just checked the link to Lanier and discovered that she had come across Alice van Leer Carrick in a big, red book of Christmas stories - I was lucky enough to pick up that very same book for $1.50 in a thrift store, just before Christmas! I think her "The Next to Nothing House" sounds wonderful - I do hope I can find a not-too-expensive copy.

Anonymous said...

Reading, nesting, wonderful.
Hope your head clears soon.
Your have such a wonderful way of describing Home.

Unknown said...

I made two loaves of bread today also and hubby & the children were delighted! :)

La Tea Dah said...

I've been enjoying reading as well. Right now I'm reading one of the books you suggested a week or so ago. Loving it! Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Dear Brenda, I will be praying for you to recover quickly! It is -22 degrees with the windchill in my neck of the woods. My candles are lit and my cup of coffee is steaming. I just reserved The Next to Nothing House through inter-library loan, thank you for alerting me to this interesting sounding book :o)
Stay warm and cozy, Dee

loralie said...

everything on your to-d list checked off?!
your list must be shorter than mine.
enjoy your afternoon

Lynne-Aussie said...

Hi Brenda,
I really enjoy your posts about books, I managed to get a free ebook of The Next to Nothing House cant wait to get stuck in it, hope your feeling better soon, we are recovering over here from floods in Qld and now the weather is hot and steamy again, oh well the weather is strange all around the world now.

Echoes From the Hill said...

I purchased Next to Nothing House last year. I really enjoyed it. Abe Books, on line, has several copies that are very reasonable.

I followed your link to Lanier's blog and was curious about the mention of the big red book of Christmas stories. I did a little digging, and discovered it is, "Fireside Book of Christmas Stories" by Edward Wagenknecht that was published in nineteen forty-five. Abe Books had two copies listed for $3.69, shipped! I ordered one, and I'm really looking forward to reading it.
nancyr

Anonymous said...

I thought the Everylasting Feast was an interesting and helpful book!

We too have been nearly blown to bits here, but so far no tornados so we are grateful indeed!!
Elizabeth still in VA

Front Porch Grace said...

Sounds like a lovely way to have spent your evening.

Your post has had me making a book wish list through Lanier's store and on AbeBooks and Amazon. :-) With a cup of coffee or two (or three or four) that was a fun way to spend a couple of hours!

Hope you feel 100% better soon.

Sounds like you get the weather we get, only sooner. Yesterday we experienced 70s, crazy straight line winds (neighbor's tree snapped and landed on their boat, my children watched it happen from the kitchen window as they were finishing supper dishes, scary, but thankfully, no one was hurt),pounding sheets of rain, flooding, and then freezing temps all in one 24 hour period.

Very blessed to know that you all are fine.

In His Grace,
Michelle

Donna said...

Hi, Brenda! This is Donna, the one who commented about blogger formatting over at Vee's blog yesterday. I saw where you added a comment under mine.

First of all, you're very welcome. I'm glad that I was helpful.

Also, I don't know taking blogger text and then copying it to Word. If you unformat your blogger next, then you would have to be very careful not to save it like that in your post. I have found it very easy to type away like crazy in Word to do my composing and figure out where my photos should be inserted. Then it's just a matter of cut/paste in blogger, select all with your mouse, hit the unformat button, and then format your font and fix your paragraph returns. I insert photos last (sometimes loaded from my computer, but mostly linked from flickr links).

If you have any more questions, just give me a holler!