Rustic Barn Art

As you have seen with a lot of my home's designs, I have always loved the contrast of black and white.  All the buildings at Lowfields are white clapboard or board and batten.  I recently hung a black "tool trophy" on the side of the long barn where we wash our tractors.   We made it out of old and broken tools and watering cans that we nailed to a piece of plywood and spray painted black.  Sometimes I fill them with fresh flowers!

Love the contrast of the black and white

Up close

One Pot Spaghetti

When it comes to cooking, I am known amoungst my family and friends to be the queen of short cut cooking.  As I was making spaghetti sauce from my garden tomatoes, I noticed how watery the sauce was before adding any other ingredients to make my sauce.  At that point, I figured I would save a pot and just go ahead and boil the pasta in the tomato "water".   Once the pasta was done, it was so rich that I didn't even need to add any paste!   One pot cooking is definitely the way to go... 

Tomato "water" 

Finished spaghetti boiled in the tomato water

A little garnish

Ready for a perfect winter night's meal! 

Barn Buffet

The guys and I made this table out of a beautiful tree root that we found in the woods and a broken piece of marble leftover from my bathroom.   It sits in front of a barn door that we never use and is the perfect spot for seasonal flowers in an old bucket.

One of the Confederates likes its new hiding spot under the buffet

The chickens like it as well! 

Winter Warmth

Clara Belle and Floyd find many ways to keep warm during the winter months.  And some of them are actually outside!   Where you find one, you always find the other...  usually snuggled up next to one another. 

Snuggled up in matching blankets

The iron bench really radiates heat in the sun!

On the "sun deck"