To Fix or Not To Fix
I love my stove, absolutely love it! It’s not a spring chicken, it’s been cooking our food for many years, probably 13 or more. Unfortunately the control panel is starting to go. First the number 5 quick working, no problem, I can bake things at 249, close enough, right?
Then the timer started to work intermittently – ACK. I use the timer on the stove constantly, no really, it use it 10-20 times a day and not just for cooking. Whenever I’m doing something that needs timed, or whenever I want to remind myself to do something, I set the timer. If I put wood in the wood stove, I set the timer to remind myself to check the fire and close the damper. Life without the stove timer will be interesting. Luckily, I can use the timer on my iPad, though not as convenient as the stove timer.
Now I have to decide if it’s worth getting a new control panel for the stove to the tune of $400 and maybe $150 more if the touchpad needs replacing too – YIKES. We love using RepairClinic.com to buy parts to repair our own appliances. Over the years we’ve saved loads of money fixing them ourselves. Sometimes however, it’s not necessarily worth what it will cost to fix an old appliance. I’ve been saving money for a new stove for quite a while, I sure hate to lose this beauty though. She’s been a wonderful kitchen companion for many years. It’s only a matter of time before the oven won’t turn on, so I have to decide soon.
Do you ever repair your appliances yourself?
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I Spy….
I spy a spot of bare ground in my back yard! Of course this is a high spot in the yard and the snow blows off of it, there are still 20 or more inches of snowpack in the other areas of the garden. This is a start, the spot gets a little bigger each day. Bring on the spring thaw!
One thing that I love to do in the spring is to watch the areas that lose snow first. These are perfect places to plant hellebores, hyacinths, crocuses, snowdrops, tulips, daffodils, and other spring bulbs. They can take any cold weather that is still to come and will add beautiful early spring color to the garden. In a few years I’ll be adding these plants to this area, perhaps this spot will become hellebore garden. If you’ve ever read The Layered Garden: Design Lessons for Year-Round Beauty from Brandywine Cottage, you will want to start a collection of snowdrops and hellebores.
Any snow left in your garden?
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Make it a Double, or a Triple
Whenever I make something that freezes well I double or triple the recipe. Then I freeze single portions in wide mouth pint jars. I find this really helps when I don’t have time to come up with a healthy meal or when I’m just too tired to cook. They also come in quite handy when my pantry gets a little bare.
Last week I tried this recipe for Curried Broccoli Soup and we LOVED it. I got more broccoli at the co-op this week and made up a double batch to throw in the freezer. This soup is good for any meal, even breakfast. This weekend I have had it every single morning. I’m happy to have a few meals worth tucked away in the freezer. (for tips on freezing in glass jars check out my post on that topic).
Do you double or triple recipes so you have extra to freeze for later?
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Maine Maple Sunday
Yesterday was Maine Maple Sunday, a day of sweetness all around Maine. People flock to the local sugarhouses and eat all sort of sweet maple goodness. My neighbor and I went to four different places, some large, some small, each unique.
We ate waffles with maple cream, pancakes with maple syrup, maple bread, maple cookies, maple donuts and the kids had ice cream with maple syrup on top. Even though it was bitterly cold and there were gale force winds it was a lovely way to celebrate the arrival of spring.
Do you have any local spring festivals that you like to attend?
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Friday Favorite: Gifts
Unexpected packages from friends are such a wonderful thing. This week I sent a package to a friend in Ohio and I received a package from a friend in Ohio (not the same friend). Finding something unexpected from someone I love is one of the little things that makes my day, it definitley makes you feel loved and appreciated. I really need to make an effort to send a note or gift to someone at least once a month.
As you can see Dexter enjoys getting gifts from friends too!
Have you sent/received something unexpected recently?
