Painted Pig Farms

I wanted to put a word out for Painted Pig Farms and their all natural pork and homemade soaps. We first tried some of their soaps because I had expressed an interest in learning how to make my own soap. It turns out that a we loved it so much that we had Joel and Amy pay Nathan in soap for some work he did for them. It is 100% better than the stuff you buy at the store and it smells divine.

Their pork which is their main business is delicious. So far we've tried both the smoked ham and pork chops. Their pigs are born and raised right here in GA.

You can see them at the Statesboro Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. They're just a few tents down from the Sugar Magnolia tent were Nathan is. Please support you're local farmers and businesses!

Savannah Jazz Festival

Last weekend was the Savannah Jazz Festival. Nathan and I are not huge jazz fans but we enjoy hearing it live. We had never been but it's free and you get to sit outside, eat, and drink a glass of wine or beer. The weather is finally cooling off a bit so we decided to check it out.


It rained on the drive down but we were hoping that it would miss the park. It didn't and it ended up raing half the time we were there. It was worth it and we stayed until about 9.

Our friends the Flemings joined us in the fun...

...and their son enjoyed getting to know the Savannah ladies and playing in the rain.

Next weekend (7-8) is the Folk Festival and I think we're going to try a go. Maybe it won't rain!

Goat Cheese, Green Onion & Garlic Pizza

This is one of our favorite pizza's at the bakery that I work at (Sugar Magnolia) and a few weeks ago we recreated it at home to save a little money. I used my whole wheat pizza crust recipe that you can find here. I cut the top off the head of garlic, drizzled a little olive oil over the top and roasted it in foil until it was nice and soft. After it had finished roasting I put it in the food processor with a little olive oil to make a spread. I used the garlic as my base added mozzarella and goat cheese. After It was done baking we sprinkled some fresh green onions over the top.



The weather was so amazing that we sat outside on a blanket with a bottle of wine. A perfect meal.

Summer Shirt & Dessert

I started this post a month ago...just got around to posting it.


About three weeks ago I made this shirt using this pattern that I modified a little bit to fit me. It's probably the last summer item that I will be sewing. I've just started on a vintage vogue pattern that Nathan bought me for my birthday.

I don't have a picture of this amazing ice cream but I have to share it because it is amazing and very easy to make. It's from Nigella Lawson and I've been wanting to make it for a while but finally got around to it last week when I realize that I didn't have my churn to make ice cream.

Nigella Lawson's Bitter Orange Ice Cream

3 Seville oranges (or 1 eating orange and 2 limes)

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

wafers, to serve (optional)

If using Seville oranges, grate the zest of 2 of them. Squeeze the juice of all 3 and pour into a bowl with the zest and sugar. If you're going for the sweet orange and lime option, grate the zest of the orange and one of the limes, juice them and add to the sugar as before. Stir to dissolve the sugar and add the heavy cream.

Whip everything until it holds soft peaks, and then turn into a shallow airtight container (of approximately 2 quarts) with a lid. Cover and freeze until firm (from 3 to 5 hours). Remove to ripen for 15 to 20 minutes (or 30 to 40 minutes in the refrigerator) before eating. Serve in a bowl, in cones, with wafers — however you like.

Recipe used with permission, from Nigella Bites by Nigella Lawson.

Fall/Winter Wardrobe

I've been thinking about fall and winter lately. As of right now we won't be living anywhere with a real winter. I have to say that I'm disappointed about being here where the winters are so very mild. I have a great deal of winter clothing and accessories from last winter that I'm afraid if we're here in GA that they won't get used. Of course our situation could change at any moment and we could move somewhere much colder.


So with the thought of temperatures below 90 degree's and possibly wearing something other than linen I'm trying to figure out what items I would like to add to my wardrobe. I have quite a few vintage patterns and will be acquiring even more in a few weeks when we go visit my parents. The plan is to sit down and map out and make a list of items I would like to sew. With all of my many vintage patterns and buttons it could very easily become a strange hodgepodge of a wardrobe if I'm not careful. Once I figure how what my projects will be I'll let ya'll know.

Dilly Bean Review

So do ya'll remember when I did this post about canning green beans? We opened a can a couple of weeks ago to give them a try. These are by far the most amazing green beans I have ever had. I'm not a canned green bean fan usually but I love these. The dill and garlic is what makes them so amazing. They're the bean version of a dill pickle.

Weekend In Savannah

Two weekends ago Nathan and I headed down to Savannah after we had finished working at the bakery in the morning. We checked into the Marriot and then headed downtown for some window shopping and eating.

Saturday night we ate dinner at Vinnie Van Go Go's in the market district. I think they have the best pizza in Savannah and the best outdoor seating.

Artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes and Italian sausage...yummy!

After walking a few blocks to burn off a little pizza went stopped by The Distillery for a couple craft beers. They have 25 taps and rotate the beer they serve. The atmosphere is very nice and the menu looked really good. We'll have to go back sometime when we haven't already eaten.

Sunday morning we got up and walked down Bay street to B. Matthews Eatery for brunch. I had called ahead because someone told me that we should make resurvations. We showed up right at 9 when they opened and there was already a small line. After we ate we knew why.

Nathan ordered a opened-faced salmon BLT that was topped with a poached egg. It tasted just as amazing as it looked.


I had a crab, atichoke and goat cheese omlette served with fruit and yummy stone ground grits. It was by far the best omlette I've ever had.

I have more pictures but for some reason my computer won't upload them right now. We went to church after eating at B. Matthews and then ate lunch at Blowin Smoke BBQ. Their beer selection was pretty good and they had fried pickles! We've been looking for fried pickles since we left Charlotte so we were pretty excited. After doing some antiqueing we headed back to Statesboro. It was a nice time to get away and just spend time together. Hopefully we can take a trip to Charlotte soon to visit friends and all of our favorite spots.