Welcome to North Fork Bed and Breakfast/Gifts Lisbon,NY

2011-04-30T09:43:00.001-04:00

Blueberry French Toast and local maple syrup for breakfast at the B&B today. See the recipe at www.northforkbandb.net or www.northforkbandb.wordpress.com

2011-04-24T09:02:00.001-04:00

Three new gift baskets great for Mothers Day just put on North Fork Gifts, check it out! http://ping.fm/drJxl

2011-04-23T08:37:00.001-04:00

Coffee from http://ping.fm/SV6xu and maple syrup from http://ping.fm/ebPb3

2011-04-23T08:16:00.001-04:00

Currently serving breakfast to our guests.

Please Follow My Blogs....

2011-03-23T17:13:00.002-04:00

Hi,
I'm hoping that everyone who is currently following me will please come over and sign up on my blogs. One is for the B&B and the other is for the gift shop. I write about lots on the B&B, the baking,guests, what's happening. On the gift shop blog it's what's up and coming, new things, what's available. I'm beginning some how to and I hope to start some classes soon. At any rate. I won't be posting here so please come and sign up!

http://www.northforkbandb.wordpress.com/

http://www.northforkgifts.com/

I hope to see you there!!!

I can't believe it's snowing again! But I still love it.

2011-03-21T14:16:00.001-04:00

Was I ever surprised this morning when I woke up and it was snowing like crazy! Big fluffy flakes and lots of them. If I hadn't been on my way to the Dr. I would have taken a picture. The trees look very pretty all snow covered. You can tell it's not going to stay around. As I returned home, it was a drizzling rain. Ah...the second day of spring!

The Black Capped Chickadee

2011-03-12T12:33:00.002-05:00

Black Capped Chickadees are found both deep within forests and at forest edges. They are also found in rural and suburan areas where there are scattered trees, old fields and parks. Their breeding season spans from early April thru mid May. In the southern part of their range, the season begins in April with the northern regions beginning in May.
Typically, the houses should be placed in yards with mature hard wood trees where there is 40-60 percent sunlight. Black-capped Chickadee houses should be mounted 5 to 15 feet high and spaced one per 10 acres with the entrance hole facing away from prevailing wind. 1 inch of wood shavings can be placed in the house.
The black capped chickadee is a friendly little bird and usually one of the first to appear when a new feeder is placed outdoors. These houses should be placed one per 10 acres. In suburban areas, one may not be able to determine this type of placement. Putting out the house is still a great idea. If the chickadee frequents your yard, they will be looking for nesting sites so it certainly doesn’t hurt to try. Sometimes, as in my own experience, other birds come and take over the house you intended for a particular type of bird. I personally don’t worry about it. I welcome which ever bird wants to use the house and thoroughly enjoy watching the nest building process, the setting, the feeding and the departure of fledgelings. No matter how you slice it, birding is great fun and a fabulous learning experience.

Bluebird Houses

2011-03-06T10:51:00.001-05:00

Bluebird numbers have decreased 90 percent over the past 60 years in the eastern United States. The four reasons for this are: widespread insecteside use decreasing the food supply, severe winter which have increased winter mortality, changing agricultural practices reducing nesting sites and House Sparrows competing for the remaining nesting sites making nesting more difficult.

The best way to help increase the blue bird population is to provide wooden houses for them to nest in.

Bluebird houses shoule be placed by the end of February in areas around open fields, pastures, golf courses, cemeteries, gardens and large lawns which provide excellent bluebird habitat. These areas usually provide plenty of insects to eat. Avoid areas where insecticides are used heavily.

Place houses 4 to 6 feet above the ground and 50 to 100 yards apart. Face the houses to the south or southeast, if possible. Try to select places where trees, shrubs, utility wires or fences are within 25 to 100 feet of the houses. Bluebirds use these structures for perches when feeding. These perches are also helpful to young birds during their first flights.

If houses are located near woods and brush piles, other species of birds, such as chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, and wrens, will use the bluebird houses. These species, like the bluebird, are welcome additions to the area and should not be discouraged from using the bird house. These birds are also helpful in controlling insect populations. It may be possible to get a bluebird to nest in the same area by placing another house about 10 to 20 feet from the one the other bird is using.

Now is the time to get out there and clean out your bird houses. If you already have bluebird houses in and around your yard, they need to be cleaned out. Bluebirds won't typically nest in a house that has left over nesting from a previous year. Swallows are notorious for taking over these nesting sites. If your bird house doesn't have a proper clean out, you'll need to take the bottom off or replace it with one that does. All or our bird houses are made with vents and clean outs so the birds don't overheat in hot weather and they can easily be cleaned out.

Lip Balm Golore!

2011-03-02T06:22:00.001-05:00

I just finished making just about all of the lip balm needed to complete the fund raising order. Tonight I made Summer Honey and Berry Lip Balm. Making this is great fun! Everyone seems to really love my lip balm so that makes it even better. Tonigt I'll make the rest and get them all labeled and sealed with shrink wrap.

Stranded Guests and the Gift Shop Website

2011-02-25T21:36:00.001-05:00

Well today was very busy. This morning I spent getting ready for guests. I had an appt. and then groceries and other things. As I was out and about, my guests began calling to talk about the weather. Although the weather here wasn't too bad and their weather was ok, there were white out conditions in the Adirondacks. I'm so glad they all decided to wait and head out early tomorrow morning. I think a fun time will be had by all.

Tomorrow I will await the arrival of our guests, Tim will be doing another tasting in Tupper Lake and Sarah will be skiing. I'm hoping to make it up there on Sunday and go cross country skiing and snow shoeing. We'll see how the time goes.

Very exciting news regarding the gift shop website....more and more is getting on there all the time and if you have a chance, please do check it out! http://www.northforkgifts.com/ I'm very excited about this!! Well it's off to sleep. Tomorrow will be another very busy day!

New Pressed Flower Candles

2011-02-22T15:12:00.000-05:00

The pressed flower candles are all done. I have spent quite a bit of time organizing. I've gotten way behind so I'm trying to get things in order so I can make all of the things people are waiting for from our recent fund raiser. My shop was in a shambles. We've run out of gas twice. Both times it was really cold so I had to grab everything that couldn't freeze and run it into the house. The bringing back to the shop part was where I fell down on the job. Having to rush to put things back out and head off to work, things were not in order at all. All of the new products were here and there. Hopefully now it is straightened enough to get some much needed work done. It certainly feels better out there! Here are some pictures of the new pressed flower candles....enjoy!

A New Style Bird House and Pressed Flower Candles

2011-02-14T02:24:00.000-05:00

Today I worked on pressed flower candles which I always enjoy. This time I made some of the shorter pillar candles which are 3x3. Pictures will follow. We had a wonderful ski today as well. Of course, because I didn't have my camera, we saw porcupine. One was wide awake sitting up in a hemlock, munching away. As soon as I can get back out there, I'll have my camera. Warmer weather and rain may prevent my going out there today. The temp is due to drop to below zero tonight so Tuesday looks promising.

I wanted to share this picture of the new bird house style and also some of the other houses that will be upcoming on our gift shop website http://www.northforkgifts.com/ We've started loading products so keep checking to see what's new.

We'll be putting these and more onto our gift shop site. Great time to begin planning for spring and what new and exciting things to put in your yard and garden!

Absolutely Breath Taking!

2011-02-08T21:08:00.000-05:00

If you've been following my blog for a while, you probably are aware that I love snow and that I love to ski. I've always considered myself to be pretty lucky because I enjoy all of the seasons of the year and rarely tire of winter. I must say though, I don't really care for rain. Anyway, the snow cover is quite deep now and there's nothing like the hush that one can experience in the woods when the snow cover is this deep. I saw very litte evidence of animals today. It was very quiet. I always worry about the deer walking through the deep snow and having enough to eat. Today I saw a spot where they had stopped to browse. The heavy snow had weighed this cedar tree down just enough so the deer could browse.

A few days ago I snow shoed my way out around the first trail. It was exhausting! Today, I was so glad that I had done that! I was able to ski out there. If I hadn't broken trail the other day, today would have been nearly impossible because the snow is so deep. Here, you can see the snow shoe trail and how beautiful it was to look up the trail as I entered the woods.

I was really glad that I had made the effort to break trail. If you look carefully, you can see the snow covered, snow shoe trail. As I skiied further into the woods, I was taken by the small and large trees and how the gracefully bend with the weight of the snow. They are so beautiful with the sun light shining down through their snow covered branches.

I skiied through the woods and saw no signs of my porcupine friends anywhere. Very few tracks of any kind were visible today. The breath taking part was all in the hush created by the snow depth and continual drop in temperature. As I came around and began to exit the woods and enter the open field, I saw the beginnings of what proved to be and awesome sunset. All that crisp winter air and all of those fabulous colors in the sky. It was wonderful!

2011-02-08T16:05:00.001-05:00

Very excited about going out in the snow! It's hard work though....very deep!! Snow shoeing is even tiring.

Excellent Weekend!

2011-01-23T09:37:00.000-05:00

One of the most wonderful things about the B&B business is the people you meet. I've written about this before. This weekend we had such a wonderful time with our guests. They were very interested in the coffee roastery and everyone checked out the gift shop. Lisa baked for SLU Bookstore and the guests were threatening to steal the goods in the night because the house smelled so good. Of course today's game was a topic of conversation with guests rooting for opposing teams. That's OK though because one guest was on Tim's side! Another wonderful experience with terrific people.

Today's agenda is to work in the shop. Tim's cleaning the roaster and then it will be the game. I'm hoping to either make soap or sew, maybe both. I'd like to make more coffee tote bags as we are out of them and people seem to enjoy them. It would be fun to create some new ones. Whatever I do get done, I hope to share with upcoming photos.

And....we're preparing for the severe cold. 28 below is a bit chilly for sure.

Ah the Woods in the Snow.....

2011-01-16T20:43:00.000-05:00

This was a close up of the snow on the trees. As we skiied through the woods, the wind would blow and snow would cascade from everywhere. It is so much fun!

These are some of the pictures I took while I was skiing. The first one was taken the other day but all of the rest were taken this morning soon after I posted the first blog. The snow was just beautiful. It looked like it was glitter coming down from the sky. I tried to capture that in my photos but I'm not sure you can really see all the sparkle. It was breathtaking!

This picture was taken the other day as we set out to ski. It was nearing dusk and as you can see, the colors in the sky were just gorgeous.

In this picture you can really see the sparkle in the snow on the ground. If you look carefully you can see the sparkle as the snow is falling as well. Pictures give you the idea but the experience would take your breath away. It was just amazing. I can't wait to go back out tomorrow! Hopefully, I'll be doing some work in the shop as well.

New Products and Blog Changes

2011-01-16T11:00:00.000-05:00

Hi, just a quick note to let you know that northforkgifts.com blog is not currently working due to website construction. I'll be updating on products and such later on today. In the meantime, I'll show you one of the large candles that are now ready for purchase.

2011-01-08T15:05:00.001-05:00

Just made vanilla lavender soy wax candles in 4 oz. tins. My own scent and one of our most popular. They smell divine!

2011-01-08T13:42:00.001-05:00

First person to like a 4 oz. tin lilac candle on our facebook page will get one free!

2011-01-08T13:39:00.001-05:00

Just made fresh brewed coffee 4 oz. tin candles. Smells wonderful!!

2011-01-08T13:08:00.001-05:00

Making 4oz. lilac tin candles. Great way to spend a winter afternoon....

2011-01-06T18:51:00.001-05:00

working on the website thing again!!!

Maple Scones,Coffee, Gifts, Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T07:51:00.001-05:00

I've mentioned these delectable delights before but it must me mentioned again. There's nothing like a freshly baked maple scone and a cup of St. Lawrence Valley Roasters coffee for breakfast. The coffee site is still under construction. It's a long story....but if you see something you'd like or need a list of what's available you can call or email. Tim will be happy to help you out. We've prepared and mailed several gift baskets and many pounds of coffee over the holiday season. Soon there will be a brand new upgraded, updated, website so that our customers can buy our coffee any time, anywhere! So, be looking for that.

North Fork Gifts is also becoming busier and busier. As the gift basket maker and crafter, Lisa has been making many hand made soy wax candles, soaps, lotions, scrubs and such. Her website is also a work in progress but you can purchase via http://www.northforkgifts.com/ or on etsy or art fire where she also has shops. The same goes....if there's something you'd like that you can't seem get the website to help you with, send an email and Lisa will be happy to help you out. Don't forget that I do custom orders too. http://www.northforkgifts.etsy.com/ http://www.northforkgifts.artfire.com/ As things progress I will be updating everyone so please do come back and check us out.

I will also take this time to thank everyone who has stayed at North Fork B&B, purchased our coffee and or gifts. We look forward to an even more productive year in 2011. Happy New Year!

http://www.northforkbandb.net/ " The place where everyone feels at home."

Maple Sugar Scones

3 cups all purpose flour

2/3 cup granulated maple sugar

8 tablespoons very cold butter

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 large egg

2 Tbls. maple syrup to spread on scones before baking

Maple crunchies OR granulated maple sugar (either may be sprinkled on scones before baking)

Combine all the dry ingredients and wisk together. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, maple syrup and buttermilk and mix together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a fork until the dough is shaggy. Place shaggy dough on a lightly floured board and knead 5-6 times. Form into a ball and flatten to about 1 inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Place the wedges on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush each with maple syrup and then sprinkle each with maple crunchies.Bake at 400 degrees on center rack of oven for 18 min. or until a toothpick

North Fork Bed and Breakfast

2010-10-06T10:50:00.000-04:00

North Fork B&B has been busy! We have had wonderful guests. It's always fun to meet new people. We've had people from Washington State, Minnesota and Mass. In addition to the B&B the gift shop has had orders as well. All very exciting! With all of this, I have also started back to work which is the reason why my blog has been neglected. I apologize! I am going to try to get back to writing. I can't believe it's October! The time has gone by so fast that I can hardly believe it. All of this being said, I'm going to have some new products to post very shortly. I'm going to be making large wood wick and regular wick candles. I'm showing some of the candles I have. These new candles will be right in time for the gift giving season. Some fall fragrances....and some winter and Christmas.....take a look at some of the ones that are currently available.

This is a 16 oz. Peppermint Soy                                   This is Christmas Cookie
Wax Wood Wick Candle                                              16 oz. Soy Wax Wood Wick
                                                                                 Candle

2010-08-24T17:56:00.001-04:00

Hot Apple Pie Soy wax candle in a tin just posted on www.northforkgifts.com Ask us about our candle fund raisers

2010-08-24T12:20:00.001-04:00

www.northforkgifts.com has new products! Dried flower wreath, pressed flower candles, hand painted candle...

2010-08-24T10:50:00.001-04:00

Beautiful Dried Flower Wreath just posted on www.northforkgifts.com check the products page under the dried flower category.

2010-08-24T10:49:00.001-04:00

Just listed 3 new lip balms under bath and body category on www.northforkgifts.com you can find them on the porducts pg.

Maple Scones Recipe

2010-08-23T09:48:00.001-04:00

A while back I had said that I was going to post my maple scones recipe. I have yet to do it. Between the crash of my computer some weeks ago and the current weather situation, completion of projects has been slow. The internet connection keeps coming and going and I'm not able to find my B&B website anywhere so I haven't been able to post the recipe. I'm going to put my maple sugar scone recipe right here so everyone can see it and hopefully try making them. If you need granulated maple sugar you can get it from the Orebed Maple Sugar Shack. These scones are delicious! Enjoy.....

Maple Sugar Scones
3 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated maple sugar
8 tablespoons very cold butter
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 large egg
2 Tbls. maple syrup to spread on scones before baking
Maple crunchies OR granulated maple sugar (either may be sprinkled on scones before baking)
Combine all the dry ingredients and wisk together. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, maple syrup and buttermilk and mix together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a fork until the dough is shaggy. Place shaggy dough on a lightly floured board and knead 5-6 times. Form into a ball and flatten to about 1 inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Place the wedges on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush each with maple syrup and then sprinkle each with maple crunchies.Bake at 400 degrees on center rack of oven for 18 min. or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

2010-08-13T09:20:00.001-04:00

New Recipe posted on the recipe page. You can find it at northforkbandb.wordpress.com french breakfast muffins. Check them out!

2010-08-12T09:56:00.001-04:00

Just put the blueberry scone recipe on the recipe page of our blog. Check it out at www.northforkbandb.wordpress.com They are very tasty!

2010-08-11T17:31:00.001-04:00

Just put the new bird feeder and lighthouse bird houses on www.northforkgifts.com blog Check them out!

Maple Sugar Scones

2010-08-01T07:42:00.000-04:00

North Fork Bed and Breakfast has been serving Maple Sugar Scones for breakfast on occasion and they are delicious! We're lucky to be able to get our Maple products locally from the Orebed Maple Sugar Shack. This week we've been serving Costa Rican L'Amastad and Dark Star Blend coffees to our guests. Yesterday Tim gave our guests a tour of the coffee roastery. This morning's breakfast is our very famous strata which can be found soon on our website recipe page.

The Re-enactment in Ogdensburg,NY

2010-07-28T08:01:00.000-04:00

We had a very busy weekend during the re-enactment which took place at Fort La Presentation on Lighthouse Point in Ogdensburg, NY. We had guests that were re-enactors, re-enactment watchers and even a family attending to be part of the weekend but not actual re-enactors. It was great fun to hear all about the weekend.

While all of that was going on Tim and I were at the market. Many of the re-enactors came by in the morning to purchase goods to take back to camp and prepare meals over an open fire. Many bought coffee and were very happy to be going back to prepare coffee made from freshly roasted beans from St. Lawrence Valley Roasters.

When we go to the market, I usually bring baked goods from Baker Road Bakery to have on hand and occasionally I bring some things from North Fork Gifts. This time I did bring some of the new bird houses and bird feeders. I'm very excited about them and the lighthouse theme was completely appropriate for this weekend in particular. Here are some of the baked goods. The red and white Lighthouse is sold.

Here's a picture of a couple of the Lighthouse bird houses and feeders. I love the stone one myself. They all have their own personality and are each uniquely created to be one of a kind.

This morning I'm going to be working on messenger bags made from the burlap coffee bags. When I have some done, I'll share them so you can see what they look like. I hope to also get the bird feeders and houses uploaded to North Fork Gifts, Etsy and Art Fire. So please do check back later to see what has developed. Right now I'm off to work!

Baking and creating.....

2010-07-15T11:42:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I made maple scones, blueberry muffins,chocolate chip squares and shortbread cookies for the SLU cafe. They were delivered this morning. I have an order for a dozen muffins for Saturday when we go to the farmer's market. It's been warm, really warm here but I'm not complaining. After 3 summers in a row where all it did was rain AND it was really chilly, I'm happy to have a summer that's more "normal" if there is such a thing. Everything is running about a month ahead. The golden rod is already out and so are the black-eyed susans and the queen ann's lace. Very unusual, kinda makes one wonder what the winter will be like. Here are some pictures of those baked goods. Enjoy.....

Now it's off to tackle the front porch. Wish me luck!

2010-07-13T13:45:00.001-04:00

Check out my upcycled coffee totes made from burlap coffee bags! http://ping.fm/54P0k Fork Gifts

2010-07-11T07:25:00.001-04:00

Coffee Totes! Check them out. One up and more to follow. Upcycled large totes made from coffee bags. www.northforkgifts.etsy.com

Introducing some really awesome new products!

2010-07-09T06:54:00.000-04:00

I have been very busy and I'm very excited to introduce some new products for the gift shop and my etsy shop. I've been making upcycled tote bags from the burlap coffee bags. It's great fun and I think people will enjoy using them. Each bag is lined. Some have coffee themed material, some have calico,some canvas. All are uniquely designed. These bags can be used for the farmer's market, grocery shopping, the beach, the boat, for your knitting, as a diaper bag or for anything you need to take from one place to another. I was able to carry most of my display for the market last week in one bag. Each bag has a set of woven handles. I'm in the process of designing handles from the bags as well. These should be on the gift shop web site soon. They should be on etsy today so check them out! I'm putting one in here so you can see what they look like. More will follow...

2010-07-02T10:48:00.001-04:00

Just made ooey gooey amazing brownies for the farmer's market tomorrow! Baker Road Bakery brownies are yummy!!

2010-07-02T10:47:00.001-04:00

A very special thank you to Rebecca! Thank you, thank you!!!

2010-07-01T10:01:00.001-04:00

I'm having huge computer difficulties so please be patient with me as I struggle to figure things out! Thank you!

2010-06-24T19:52:00.001-04:00

Just put new soaps in my etsy shop http://ping.fm/Podip check it out!

2010-06-22T20:57:00.001-04:00

Ah...the aroma! tasty chocolate chip cookies yum!

2010-06-22T19:15:00.001-04:00

Just about to begin a batch of cookies www.northforkbandb.wordpress.com

Heuvelton Marching Band

2010-06-10T12:20:00.002-04:00

The Heuvelton Marching Band is trying to secure a grant for new uniforms. If you could vote daily for them that would be great! I have included a voting icon on the sidebar of this blog. You can just click on that and then use your facebook account or create an account to sign in with. To vote just go to www.refresheverything.com/heuveltonmarchingband this will allow you to place your vote daily. We need to be in the top ten to win. Thanks so much!! Every vote helps!!

The Green Market Ogdensburg,NY

2010-06-06T07:23:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Tim and I went to the Green Market in Ogdensburg for the first time. It was a lot of fun. It's so nice to be overlooking the river. The weather held out for us too. Although it was cloudy most of the time, it never rained more than a few drops. I brought bread, blueberry mufffins and chocolate chip cookies. I sold almost everything upon arrival! I will be baking for next week for sure. We won't be at the market on June 19th as we have a workshop we're attending. North Fork Bed and Breakfast will be using locally produced foods in our breakfasts and Baker Road Bakery will be using them as much as possible in all baked goods. It's amazing how much one can find at the market. I am really looking forward to next week and hoping that we have good weather. It's raining today. Hopefully, we won't have a repeat performance of the last 3 summers of nothing but rain!

North Fork Bed and Breakfast Sourdough Bread

2010-05-31T22:28:00.000-04:00

Well, I’m back and as promised, I have some photos from this morning when I prepared the sourdough loaves to rise. With my bread, you have to feed the base. The base is a potato base sourdough. After 12 hours, you make the dough. The dough rises for 12 hours and then you punch it down and make it into loaves. I took some photos so that I could show the process. It is a sweet tasting bread, contrary to it’s name. I make white and cinnamon swirl. I’ve been making this bread for 30 years now. It’s very popular at the farmer’s market. I will be going this Saturday to the Green Market in Ogdensburg. My husband Tim, will be going to the farmer’s market in Canton Friday to sell coffee. St. Lawrence Valley Roasters roasts the best coffee. You can go to his website and purchase or email him, calls are fine too.

North Fork Bed and Breakfast Sourdough bread after being punched down

This is being prepared as a loaf of cinnamon swirl bread.

This is what the bread dough looks like when it's being rolled out to make it into a loaf. After it's completely rolled out, starting at one end, you roll it up into a log.

This is what the dough looks like after it's rolled

Preparing the bread loaf

After crimping the ends you place it in the loaf pan to rise. In the warm summer months sometimes you can make an entire batch in a day as long as the base has been fed ahead of time. Otherwise, it takes about 36 hours to make the bread. As I’m writing right now, I have the first 3 loaves of white bread baking in the oven. I’m not sure I will be able to stay awake long enough to bake all of them but I’m going to try. I will take some shots of the finished bread as well to share. It certainly is tasty!! There’s nothing like it. After a while one becomes very spoiled by this bread. Guests at the B&B love it as toast and they love the french toast I make as well.

Pressing Flowers Today

2010-05-31T15:21:00.000-04:00

Today my plan has been to press flowers. Also, I am going to be blogging in both places. So, if you look for me here, you'll still find me but you'll also find me at the new address. I'm too attached to this blog to leave it. Some of my blogs are on the other site too. So, you get to pick and choose I guess. At any rate, I'm off to the shop and the front porch to finish putting the shop back together after a long stretch of having everything that could freeze in the house. The front porch still has my wreath making things on it and I really need to get all of those put away as well. As soon as I have the batteries, I'll be posting the pictures from the day and the bread making that has been taking place. I hope everyone is having a very enjoyable Memorial Day weekend.

My blog address has changed....please follow me.....

2010-05-22T17:56:00.000-04:00

Hi, after much work, my blog address is changed. You can find me at http://www.northforkbandb.wordpress.com/ Please save this address and come and sign up to follow me there. You can also see the latest blog postings as well as lots of new and exciting links. I will keep this up until I see all of you there as followers. I look forward to seeing you there!

Today I planted the window boxes and a couple of the planters. The yard is shaping up nicely. I was excited to find that a wren has moved into my new bird house which is located in the memory garden. Come and see me at the new address and let me know what you think!!

We've had a very busy weekend here at North Fork B&B

2010-05-18T13:35:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was incredibly busy here at North Fork B&B getting ready for SLU graduation. Congratulations to all the graduates. We had wonderful guests and they loved their breakfasts! Tonight we'll be doing the spotlight on the business for the Chamber of Commerce and going to Kyle's place to see his stuff. It should be both fun and interesting. Right now it's a bit overwhelming. Too many things and not enough time as we head toward the end of the school year and the start of summer.

I'm pretty sure that I've lost everything on my computer. I'm working really hard to get the laptop up and working so that I can continue with my blog and get some pictures going. It has been very frustrating and very time consuming. Hopefully, somehow they can retreive the data from my computer. If not, eventhough I have a lot of it backed up, I'm still going to have lost a lot.

I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather. Wish me luck as I work to replace the lost information and search for someone to repair my computer, if that's even possible.

Snow and Lilacs?!? on Mother's Day!!

2010-05-09T18:32:00.001-04:00

Yup, that's correct. It's been snowing most of the day here and this morning when I got up there was some snow on the ground! Very weird weather indeed. Had to wear a hat and mittens to walk today. We've been very busy here at the B&B. This weekend we had the pleasure of having guests for the Clarkson Graduation. They are from Clevland, Ohio. Always fun to meet new people.

Congratulations to my nephew for graduating from Clarkson yesterday!! We had a wonderful time celebrating this accomplishment last night.

Lots going on just now. It makes it tough to keep up here. Our Spring Concert is Wednesday with a dress rehearsal Monday, another Tuesday and then, finally the concert. I'm sure it will be wonderful. This time of the year is bitter sweet as I'll miss the students that are graduating. I've had them since kindergarten. Wonderful people. I'm very lucky to be their teacher.

I haven't had a chance to do much in the way of creating lately. Hopefully, I'll have more time soon.

The Antique and Artisan Show

2010-05-01T08:38:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe that it's been a week since the show. It was a wonderful show and it was even better because my cousin came up from CT and we were able to go to the show together. It was great! The lunch was fabulous and dessert was to die for. I was able to get a new hand crafted mirror for the Adirondack room and I'm very excited about it! It's done in birch bark with twigs around the sides. Just perfect for that room.

Getting ready for the show was both work and fun. I created some new soaps and made some lotions which sold well.

This is Patchouli made from goat's milk soap. It was a popular purchase at the show as was the lotion.

This is actually lavender vanilla but I'm going to make some the same color in chocolate.

These are some brand new pressed flower soaps with baby powder fragrance. My cousin says if blue had a smell this would be it. These were also a hit at the show.

A new soap that can be used to clean your hands after gardening or for your feet. It's an exfoliating soap made from shea butter with pumice for that extra scrubbing. The shea butter makes your skin soft.

This soap has a wonderful smell. Goat's milk with a lemongrass essential oil fragrance. Wonderful!

All in all, the show was a great experience. Making all of these new soaps was a lot of fun. There are more to come. For those of you that check the website, please be patient with me. School is extremely busy at this time and my time to upload things to the website is limited. You can always shoot me an email if there's something you'd like that you see here. northforkbandb@hughes.net I'm working on the spa bags and gardening gift baskets for mother's day gift giving as well. Hopefully, I'll get these onto the site very soon.

Spring has sprung!

2010-04-17T09:16:00.000-04:00

Spring is here for sure! It always amazes me how flowers and green grass can just suddenly appear and appear they did! Usually I'm checking daily for bulbs to be popping out of the ground. This year spring surprised me. Before I knew it, crocus were blooming and the daffodils were out. My flowering crab trees are in full bud and ready to burst forth with flowers.

You can see that these first flowers have come up through all the dead leaves left over the winter to blossom. It always takes my breath away to see the first new spring blossoms. Amazing!

These daffodils are on the south side of the house so they open early.

These are on the east side of the house and are out in the open along a fence. They usually open a few days to a week later but last for a couple of weeks and are quite spectacular. We have many photos of this spring display which grows each year as the bulbs multiply. My plan is to get a few photos of this to share so check back and see these fabulous flowers!

It's Been Way Too Long...

2010-04-11T13:35:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that it's been almost 2 weeks since I've written. I have to say, though, that it's been due to being incredibly busy. I took my chorus students to River Dance. Planning and executing the trip took a lot of time and energy but it was all very well worth the effort. My students had the experience of a life time. I would do it all again in a heart beat! The show was more than amazing. Every student said thank you to me and the other adults that went on the trip. We had dinner and then went to the show. The bus trip down was great! We had a brand new bus and the kids were as wonderful as always. Everyone enjoyed dinner at Babe's and then we walked to Friendly's for dessert. Everyone was amazed with the Stanley Theater and it's beauty. It was completely renovated a few years ago and it is not only beautiful but charming too.

Today, I'm baking. I have a couple of large orders I need to fill and I'm getting ready for the craft fair April 24th. I think it will be fun! I'm especially excited because my cousin may be coming up to go with me. As long as things go along as usual, we're hoping she can come up a couple of days before the craft fair and go along. We did craft fairs together years ago but since I moved to New York we haven't had the opportunity. I'm looking forward to it. Well that's all for now. I'm getting back to the baking but I still have a lot to share so I'll get back to it in a bit.

Oh the Baking....

2010-03-31T22:06:00.001-04:00

I know it's been a few days since you've heard from me but believe me, it's been for good reason. I opened another shop on Etsy. I debated about it for a while and then took the plunge. I'm not sure I want to keep the gift shop on Etsy open as it doesn't seem that I've been selling enough to suit me. I'm not sure about this one either but I'm doing it anyway. My new shop is called Baker Road Bakery. Since I'm baking for 2 coffee shops and people love my baked goods, I thought it would be a good idea to put them on Etsy as well. I can reach more people that way. If the baked goods don't begin to sell then I will know it's not the right thing to do. I certainly have put my time in on the gift shop part. I figure, you don't know if you don't try. I can't afford the time though if it isn't going to pan out. I've been at it a year and I'm about to give up on it.

Anyway I wanted to share some of my latest creations. These are Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopee Pies.

They are very yummy indeed. When I delivered more baked goods tonight, I was so surprised to see how many things were left from my original order. This was the first batch and I took another one tonight.

My chocolate chip scones were a hit as well. These delicious scones have buttermilk in them which gives them a most wonderful taste. I'm pleased that they are a hit and can't wait to make more.

These raspberry squares went really fast!

And last but certainly not least, sour cream coffee cake. I hope you enjoy seeing some of the things I've been baking. Every day I am planning on making soap and then another order comes in. It's OK. I don't mind! Well that's about all for today. 7AM rehearsal so I'm done for the day.Hopefully, I'll be able to write again tomorrow.

It's Official...

2010-03-26T06:27:00.000-04:00

Yup, Baker Road Bakery. That's what we're called,well, for the baking part anyway. Our baked goods will be part of what we offer at the upcoming craft show on April 24th in Canton. This morning has been crazy! For whatever reason, even though I need to go to work, I decided to change the look of the blog. I don't like it as much as what was here before but I can't seem to find my way back to what I had originally. Rather than miss being able to post, I decided to just go with this and work on it another time. I really wanted to say more about Baker Road Bakery but time does not permit. I'm hoping to be on Etsy, we'll see....At any rate, the clock it ticking and I need to go to work. More will follow regarding Baker Road Bakery, North Fork B&B and the gift shop. It's Friday!! Gotta love that! Check back for updates.

More Baking....and more thoughts of Jane

2010-03-24T16:19:00.000-04:00

I've been doing more baking. Molasses cookies, chocolate chip, sour cream coffee cake, raspberry squares. It has been keeping me busy. I find myself wondering, how many of us do what we have to do and not what we want to do? I know, we all have things we have to do. That's a given but what about the things we want to do? How do we fit that in? Our recent loss of my sister-in-law Jane has had a profound affect. She was very strong and had her opinions about things. She has made a lasting impression on so many people. I am one of those people. I think about her every day. I think about how much she loves her children and her husband and family. She ate good food, bought locally as much as possible. That applied to food and products. She wanted to support local businesses as much as possible. She cared about the earth and recycled. She loved to grow flowers and vegetables. She loved to preserve food for winter and make jams and jellies and canned pickles. I think that love and joy is what hit me the most. Jane loved each new day. Even when she was very sick, she made the most of that day how ever she could. So, I find myself thinking, quite often, about making the most of each day and being happy going through it. Not every day can be happy. We all have things. The way that I want to proceed in life is with joy. I want to be doing things because I want to do them not because I feel I have to. And, I think a less stressful existence would be a good idea. When I find myself really stressed, I long to get rid of it by doing something enjoyable. Sometimes there is too much work. Even when the work is what you love and it's something you don't mind, it can be stressful. Maybe you have to do too much or do that task so many times that the joy is lost. My goal is to go for the joy! I guess this has little to do with baking or the bed and breakfast or the gift shop. That really doesn't matter to me today. I have found joy in sharing these thoughts and that's good enough for me.

Upcoming Craft Fair

2010-03-18T06:23:00.000-04:00

I'm hoping to be working on new products and making soap after work today. Yesterday I spent my time baking. I got another pretty large order for a coffee shop so my time was spent filling that. My plan for today is get cracking on getting ready for the annual craft fair and Antique Show in Canton on April 24th. All week I've been designing this new soap in my mind and I can't wait to put it together. Here's hoping it'll be today. I have some awesome new molds and fabulous colors. I'm also planning to put together some new spa bags too. As soon as I can manage to get these things going I'll be taking photos to share. Check back and hopefully, I'll have some brand new products for you to see. That's the plan...

Baking,Baking and more Baking....

2010-03-15T20:56:00.000-04:00

If there's one thing that I have always loved to do, it's bake! I'm not sure exactly how it all started but I remember wanting to make special cookies at Christmas time for family and guests. Each year I would begin baking cookies in the fall a couple of times a week. Sometimes I would just practice and other times I would freeze some. By the time the holidays arrived, I had enough cookies for gifts and for family and guests. This past summer I baked and sold bread and cookies at the local farmer's market. Now I'm baking for a couple of local coffee shops. This weekend I made some cookies and muffins. I also made a cake and a couple of different kinds of scones but neglected to take pictures to share. This has kept me quite busy! Music teacher by day and weekend baking warrior!

This is a chocolate chip muffin. Looks pretty tastey even if I do say so myself. I'm very lucky, my husband taste tests for me!

This is an Apple Cinnamon Muffin and the topping has walnuts in it. Wonderfully delicious!

Chocolate chip cookies that go really well with coffee!! The perfect combination....

The last but not least.....my shortbreads. My sister-in-law loves these cookies! I usually make them bite size but decided to try making some rather large ones to see how it would go. They came out well and tasted fine even in the larger size. My experiment proved to be a success.

Changes on the horizon

2010-03-07T12:40:00.000-05:00

We've made some big changes at http://www.northforkgifts.com/ Take a look.... Sent out a hand painted candle to one of our online customers. Updates to the site make it possible to purchase various gifts from our shop. We're planning to add products from our bakery as well. Many pressed flower design candles were added as well. Soon we'll be out gathering lots of things to press. Pressed flowers are so beautiful and so much fun to work with. We are working on making more dried flower arrangements and decorative wreaths. These are always a great way to spruce up our home as we await the first spring flowers.

It's been very busy!

2010-03-04T15:05:00.000-05:00

It seems like a very long time since I've written. I've been finishing up "my small business 101" through the entrepreneur center at Clarkson. I think we all learned a lot. I've met some wonderful people and my head is just spinning with new information and ideas for the bed and breakfast.

The baking continues as well. Scones, squares, bars, bread...very yummy stuff!! Today I spent the day in Canton at "Boot Camp" for women's business. There were many wonderful women there sharing their business expertise. It was a very interesting day for sure.

The out of the box sampler boxes are on sale and North Fork Gifts is in the box! It's very exciting!

Breakfast Scones and Cinnamon Apple Muffins

2010-02-18T09:27:00.000-05:00

Just made these delicious Cinnamon Apple Muffins. A wonderful way to start the day! I'm going to put the recipe on our website. Our Bed and Breakfast Guests will be having these muffins and Breakfast Scones in February and March. Finding new delicious recipes for our Bed and Breakfast guests is a lot of fun! Anyone staying at our B&B will have a chance to taste these for breakfast! Just let us know you saw our blog or the recipe on our website and we'll be sure to make these for you during your stay.

Our new Breakfast Scones are also a wonderful breakfast treat! These are yummy! Made with buttermilk and just a bit of whole wheat flour, they have a wonderfully wholesome taste. These go well with a variety of fresh fruits and vanilla yogurt. They are great just by themselves as well with a cup of St. Lawrence Valley Roasters fabulous coffee.

A Very Busy Day....

2010-02-13T11:07:00.001-05:00

Today is a very busy day here at North Fork. We are creating several new products and we're very excited about them. We are making foot soap, new lotions, layered soaps and guest size sample soaps. We'll be posting pictures of these as soon as we can so check back to see them!

My Out of the Box Sampler

2010-02-13T07:58:00.000-05:00

I feel the need to tell everyone about my out of the box sampler. I continue to be amazed by the number of artists and the variety of products that they make. My very favorite from my sampler box were the handmade cards. You simply must check these out! Go to her website and you too will be amazed!

Inside of the cellophane bag that the cards come in were card confetti, tags and it was sealed with a sparkly red heart sticker. Just the right embellishment.
I especially liked the ribbon the the card and stamp added just the right touch. It says "In Love With You yesterday,today,tomorrow,forever" The card itself has texture as it has raised hearts on the card, the ribbon and it opens at an angle. All of these characteristics lend themselves to this exquisite presentation. http://www.apenny4u.shophandmade.com/ is the place where you'll find what I'm talking about.

These pictures are just a few of the wonderful cards,gift tags, gift bags and gift boxes that you can purchase here. I highly recommend checking this out. I know you'll find something you'll love and just have to have.

http://www.apenny4u.shophandmade.com/

My Out of the Box Sampler Box Arrived....

2010-02-11T06:08:00.000-05:00

I can't even believe it's been a week since I 've written. I apologize. Another music festival, illness and the sheer fact that things have just been way too busy would be the contributing factors.

Yesterday I was excited to find that my Out of the Box Sampler had arrived. It had all kinds of wonderful things inside from many different artists. There were soy tarts, cookies, lotion, soaps and handmade cards, just to name a few. I plan to provide more details later today or tomorrow. If you have a chance, do sign up for one of these boxes as they are worth every penny and then some. This one was a Valentine box. More details forthcoming. It's off to work for me! http://www.outoftheboxsampler/

What exactly are wood wick candles? and...a Barred Owl comes to North Fork

2010-02-04T06:40:00.000-05:00

Wood wick candles are candles that have a wick that is made from wood instead of the traditional candle wicking material. They are quite wonderful because when they are lit, they crackle like a fire. They create a wonderful atmosphere. I highly recommend them!

OK....check this out!! Yesterday, near twilight, I saw a huge bird circle in the back yard. At first I thought it was a hawk but it was a Barred Owl!! It landed on the pole that holds our bird feeders and it was awesome.

I have to say that it was quite amazing. As you can see from this picture, they are quite large. Acutally they are nearly 2 ft. in length. I was quite fascinated as I watched it turn it's head from side to side and then look right at me! I took as many pictures as I could. After a couple of minutes of perching here, it went over and sat on the top of the pergola for a bit and then flew away. It was a wonderful experience to see this large bird close up.

I'll be watching to see if it comes back to visit any time soon.

Wood Wick Candles in a Victorian Jar

2010-01-31T18:30:00.000-05:00

I was so excited when I first saw these victorian jars. I couldn't wait to make wood wick candles in them. The pewter top sets it off. I haven't put my usual organza ribbon on these as I'm still thinking about what I like the best. Smelling the lilac made me think of spring and all of the wonderful things that come with that time of year. Skiing is so much fun and I look forward to going out into the woods and along the edge of the fields everyday. There are so many things to see. There are always tracks from one kind of animal or another. Today we saw fox tracks and rodent tracks. We saw many deer tracks as well. It was a very fast ski and a great deal of fun! One of the other fragrances in my candles was Lily of the Valley. What a wonderful smell. If you close your eyes you can imagine standing in a patch of them. Such a tiny flower and such an incredible aroma! I just love seeing them in early spring.

What a wonderful smell. If you close your eyes you can imagine standing in a patch of them. Such a tiny flower and such an incredible aroma! I just love seeing them in early spring. Another flower that is amazing is lavender. I've yet to get it to come through the winter but I will keep trying none the less. Lavender has a most wonderful aroma. It is used in aromatherapy for relaxation. I've had my experiences with this for sure. This past fall I bought some lavender buds to put in my soap. I was so excited to make the first bars of soap with lavender and I was so proud of how nice they looked. It was all quite temporary however. My mom put some by her kitchen sink. She liked it as much as me. Over the course of a few days, the lavender began to turn brown. It looked like my soap had bugs! My neice reached to use it at my mom's and jumped and threw the soap bar thinking it had bugs on it. Obviously I have some work to do in this department. I am

very proud of my lavender candles. I like the colors and so do my customers. I'll have to keep working with the soap to get it right but this wood wick soy wax candle came out really well. As I think about spring and the warm weather, I do start to wish for the end of winter in a way but usually it's when the snow has melted and there's no chance of it coming back that I am ready for spring and summer to arrive. Until they do, I'll keep making as much as I can to be ready for the upcoming crafting season and the sales that'll have in the mean time.

More Pressed Flower Candles

2010-01-27T21:32:00.000-05:00

Here are more pressed flower candles. They are so pretty. I love burning them because the flame ends up behind all of the flowers as the candle burns. They are really beautiful. This one has some grasses and a few maple leaves along the bottom.

The leaves are collected in early spring. The grasses are picked in the summer. Some grasses can be pressed, others need to be hung and dried. I usually press the smaller and thinner ones as they work better for candles.

This beauty, to your right, has large flowers pressed along the bottom with delicate flowers and a few grasses coming out toward the top. A wonderful deep pink-lavender flower. Quite delightful.

This is a favorite of mine. I love the delicate flowers and grasses.
The colors in this one are really pretty too. There is some very deep blue, almost purple, with some lighter creamy colored flowers and greenish grasses. The combination is really pretty.
All of these can be purchased at our gift shop.

Awesome Soaps and more candles on the way

2010-01-26T20:46:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I made amazing goat's milk and oatmeal soap. There are 2 different fragrances and both are amazing. Oatmeal, milk and honey and warm vanilla sugar. Both smell wonderful! I just love the way oatmeal feels and how it softens and helps your skin. This is great for a winter shower or bath. I made several different guest size soaps for our Bed and Breakfast Guests to use. I put them in our complimentary ammenities baskets. Everyone loves our soaps and many guests purchase some from our gift shop to take with them when they depart. They make wonderful gifts and they are a nice addition to any bathroom or kitchen to add that special touch.

Valentine or anytime....Spa Bath Basket

2010-01-24T17:52:00.003-05:00

Here's a really nice valentine or any time spa bath basket. I always leave compimentary soaps for our bed and breakfast guests. I'd like to offer a spa package and I'm working on putting one together. Part of that involves a Spa Bath Basket similar to this one. In this basket there's a Basic Bath Tea,

a 4 oz. bar of "Beneath the Stars" sweetened honey soap with an all natural goat's milk, heart shaped emed.

there is a nylon suds maker soap bag,

and a bag with 6 unscented, heart shaped pink and white bath fizzies.

A very nice and very enjoyable basket all for a very resonable price. Go to http://www.northforkgifts.com/ or http://www.northforkgifts.etsy.com/ to see this new basket and make your purchase before we run out! I'm also working on lotions and made quite a few new candles yesterday so check back often to see what's happening.

Peppermint Candles

2010-01-20T06:08:00.000-05:00

Last night I made peppermint candles. I'll be making more today. They smell wonderful. There's nothing like that fresh clean smell. We have lots of different fragrances to choose from. Frazier Fir is on the list for tonight's candle making session. You can take a candle making class when you stay at our B&B just let me know when you book your room that you'd like to take a class and it can be arranged for you.

So much fun in the woods today skiing

2010-01-18T18:33:00.000-05:00

We had so much fun in the woods today skiing. This is the first thing we saw. It is what remains on the ground after the pileated wood peckers have made holes in the trees.

Here's what the holes look like. I apologize for the blurry picture. This is what happens when you take your glasses off to ski because of the freezing drizzle. You can see the huge holes in the trees. The wood peckers had quite the feast by the looks of it.

We checked this out for a while and then headed over to Petey's loop. As you may remember, we saw 4 porcupines yesterday but I had forgotten to take my camera. Today, we weren't so lucky. We only saw one.

The big dark lump in the middle of the two tree trunks is a porcupine.

You can see him even better in this picture. Basically he looks big and black. They don't move or anything. They look like they are sleeping. They are quite cute.

These are some close up shots of a set of single porcupine tracks. It's such fun to go through the woods and see who has been there. I find it all so very interesting. I couldn't wait to get back and share these pictures. Hopefully, the next time I'll have my glasses and more porcupines to take pictures of.

4 Porcupines and No Camera!

2010-01-17T18:57:00.000-05:00

If you've read my blog before you would have noticed the porcupine trail I pointed out (literally) with the tip of my ski. Well today my daughter and I went skiing and we took what we call Petey's loop. For many years now, we've seen a porcupine in this one particular white pine tree. We have come to call that porcupine, Petey. Today, as always, we looked again for porcupines. Up until now, we haven't seen any, just tracks. Today there were four! They were hanging out at various points in the tree. My daughter showed me where they had chewed the bark off of a nearby pine tree. I just kept saying, "The one time I come out here with no camera, and look what happens!" It was too late in the day to come back and get my camera. My daughter said they will often gather before bad weather comes. She said that was probably a female that had kept her babies with her as they often do. I'm hoping that tomorrow I can head back out and hopefully get some pictures of all of this. For now, it just has to be what I described. Here's hoping that tomorrow we can get some picutres.

Some nice soaps

2010-01-15T18:32:00.000-05:00

These are sweetened honey soap with a goat's milk embed and perfect pumpkin fragrance. They have a raffia bow. These are wonderful soaps for a guest bathroom or to have in your kitchen. They have a wonderful spicey smell and the colors blend in just abut any kitchen decor.

The are my favorite! Shea butter snowflake soaps with either sparkling snowflake or first snow fragrance. These smell wonderful and make your skin feel fabulous. I also package them on a nice wooden soap holder. These are very useful and very nice looking soap holders. The soap does not get soft and mushy on these holders. The air can circulate and preserves the life of your soap.

I love using shea butter soaps, especially in the winter. Look for more items coming soon!

Had a great ski....

2010-01-14T21:00:00.000-05:00

Tonight I had a great ski. Getting ready for guests this weekend. Working on linking and continuing to build the gift shop website. Things are slowly coming along. My first ever fund raiser starts tomorrow and I have a music festival for work this weekend. I'm co-chairing the festival which at times has been a huge amount of work. I'm glad I had a partner to work with. It makes things much easier. Tomorrow will be rehearsals with the concert on Saturday. It's all very exciting. I'm sure the concert will be as wonderful as ever. I'm going to be creating some new things within the next few days. I'm very excited about making them and then sharing them here. Time to finish the chores for the day and hit the hay. Tomorrow and Saturday promise to be very busy.

The Gift Shop....

2010-01-13T20:30:00.000-05:00

As I continue to work on the website and making new things for the shop, I thought I'd upload some of the pictures to show the variety of items available. Here are some beautiful table runners. On the left are hand made cards for various occasions.

We also have a few Amish Pot Holders which have quite a bit of hand stitching on them. They are blue and pictured above. We have a variety of kitchen towels and soy candles.

There is a very wide variety of dried flowers for our customers. The ceiling is lined with statice that I grew and dried as well as natural grasses for dried flower arrangements.

Here are some hand painted candles, pressed flower candles, soy candles and soaps. I'll post more pictures in upcoming blogs. That's about all for today.

New Things Are In, New Stuff In The Works!

2010-01-12T19:48:00.002-05:00

As the day wore on, my one saving grace was coming home to the new things I had ordered. Blue jars and new baskets. Both wonderful. I'm only sad that I'm too tired to make anything. Once again, I need to go to sleep. I was hoping all day and imagining all night while sleeping of all the things I planned to make today. I'm simply too tired.

I did want to say that I tried both of the soap bags and I love them both. They make wonderful bubbly lather and feel great on my skin. I'm sure anyone who purchased them or will purchase them will love them! That is a wonderful thing. Well, that's all for now. Hopefully, I'll have more energy and a better day tomorrow.

Today It's All About The Cookies....

2010-01-10T20:38:00.000-05:00

There are some days when the appropriate thing is to make cookies. Today was one of those days. I woke up too early for a Sunday and actually did attempt, without success, to go back to sleep. After some coffee and breakfast, I went to the grocery store. When I got home, I decided it was time to bake cookies. I wanted molasses cookies and found a wonderful recipe. This picture is of those delicious molasses cookies. I really wanted to do more than one kind. I just love to bake. I especially love to bake cookies. The second batch were Amish Sugar Cookies and oh man are they good! I had never made either recipe. I was pleased with both and so was Tim.

I have to say that these are one awesome cookie! If you've never tried them, you must.

The baking was followed by skiing. I cut some completely new trails even though it was kinda windy. Tomorrow I can add another loop to my skiing. Or maybe later in the week actually as I have a pretty busy schedule tomorrow and will probably have to ski at night. Not good for picture taking but it works for getting outside and being able to ski. Actually we're supposed to have a southwest wind and often that brings lake affect snow. Oh well, it doesn't hurt to dream. Now it's off to figure out some new valentine labels. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? First day of the work week. Hopefully it will be a fun day.

Skiing in Paradise!

2010-01-09T19:33:00.000-05:00

These are pictures of porcupine trails. I hope I spelled that correctly. My daughter, a wildlife scientist, taught me what they look like. It is always a pleasant surprise when I find one in the woods while skiing. All those feet trudging along from one tree to the next producing the most amazing foot path. In this picture, above, you can see the path right by the tip of my ski. The top picture is where I tried to show the depth of the path and photograph how neat it is to see one of these in the woods!

This picture is coming onto the back trail. I took these yesterday when I went for a ski. It was snowing like crazy. I love skiing into the woods when it's snowing. The snow just kind of sprinkles down into the woods. This path has a watering place for the deer in the winter. As I skiied, I noticed several places where trees that are leaning over from the weight of the snow have been eaten by the deer browsing for food. It's quite magnificant. No matter how many times I ski the trails, I'm always amazed by one thing or another.

I am sooo glad that this picture came out! I took several, trying to get the right shot. This is it! Snow laden branches, deep in the woods. No wind has touched them yet. The quiet takes your breath away. I just had to share these experiences. Some of you may live in the south and miss the snow. Others, may be wishing you could have snow. So this way everybody gets to see the snow and the woods in winter. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Pressed Flower and Hand Painted Candles

2010-01-07T06:07:00.000-05:00

North Fork Gifts has beautifully crafted candles done in pressed flower designs or hand painted. These candles are a wonderful way to brighten a winter day or create atmosphere on a cold winter evening. As the candle burns, the light shines behind the design. They are very pretty and a great "pick me up" for the winter months and into the spring and summer. We have both scented and unscented candles. Each one is different and unique. Due to the fact that they are all hand made, no 2 are exactly alike.

My hope is to be able to make some new things very soon. Having moved everything, I'm in the process of figuring out just how I'm going to put together a work space. I have just about all of it figured out now and hope to begin creating as soon as this evening. The only thing standing in my way at this point is tiredness. I am very, very tired. I'm not sure if it's all the extra at work, the weather or a combination. Hopefully, I'll be up and running this evening and presenting some cool stuff by tomorrow. We'll see what happens. Now it's off to work!

A Wonderful Day to Ski!

2010-01-05T21:10:00.001-05:00

Well, this is a picture of some of the brush that surrounds our woods. On this particular day they were just beginning to be snow covered. Today the woods are absolutely breath taking. I hope to get some photos of them to share when I go skiing. Yesterday and today my skiing took place in the dark. I had appointments after work and by the time I could get out there it was dark. I love it when it's like this. The snow is all sparkly and there's a hush that comes over the woods as the snow trickles through the trees. It smells different too. It is simply wonderful and there's really nothing quite like it. It's been difficult the past couple of days because while I'm at work and watching the snow, I'm thinking that I should have brought all of my ski gear so I could ski on my break. Anyway, I wanted to share this most wonderful thing. Our guests can ski at no extra charge when they stay at our B&B. You need to bring your own equipment. We don't have rentals available but we have some awesome trails. Snowshoes work too!

All the things that could freeze in the gift shop have been moved for the winter. They are safe and inside where it's warm. I will work from the house until the spring. I'll work on really making extra things for our customers so we'll have a great selection of various things available in the spring.

Why blog?? What's a Gift Shop to the owner and creator???

2010-01-03T17:47:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure what to do with the link thing at the top of this so I'm going to skip it right now. Over break I watched Julie, Julia or Julia, Julie. I really loved the movie. I wasn't too keen on the ending. I have enjoyed break but I feel like I'm destined to find places for things and that is my life's plight. Find a place for this and reorganize that. Throw that away and put this here and that there. Often I ask myself, why blog? Does anyone read it? Has anyone even seen the darn thing? And if they had, did or do, what do they think or what is their reaction? No one has ever commented so who knows!

Today, I don't care. Today it doesn't matter to me in the least little bit. Today this is simply a way for me to vent!!! Today I have decided that blogging is a way for me to vent about this stuff. Stuff, there's too much stuff and simply too many things. Too many things to deal with and too many things to think about and too many things to find places for. Today, I had to fish or cut bait. I decided to cut bait. After much thought, a huge gas bill and in an effort to maintain, I turned off the heat in the gift shop. I moved everything that could be ruined by freezing into the back hall or back porch or what ever you want to call it. It's where the wood box is, it's where we keep the skis and snow shoes and it's where my computer and half the gift shop are located. All of the things I need to make soap and candles are scattered in various places. Where ever I could fit them, I put them. I have no idea what's going to happen when I go to make soap or candles. Yup, I had a good cry and then I determined that I was NOT going to let this get to me. I was going to deal with what was in front of me and just keep on keeping on. Sounds so rediculous, I know but in the process of processing all of this stuff I came to realize that I absolutely love making soap and candles, creating. Most of what I have made, I have sold so I have to give myself some credit there. I do wonder, however, why I am so driven to do this stuff. There we are again with the stuff! Anyway, this gift shop and the creation of things is extremely important to me. I enjoy it and I look forward to the next creation. When I'm supposed to be sleeping, I'm thinking about new things to make.

I continue to work at trying to become more known on the web and in my local community. I don't want to have a huge business. I don't want a bazillion orders and feel overwhelmed with it all. I just want to make as much as I can and sell it. It's that simple. Until today though, I really was not aware of how much all of this means to me. All I do know is that I will continue to move forward and see what happens. It's all I can do.

As for this blog and blogging in general....I will keep doing that as well. As best and as often as I can, I will blog and continue to hope that someone will comment and that more people will become followers. There's no way I can sit at the computer for the hours it would take to keep up with everything all the time. I don't have the time or the patience. Today though, I have blogged and I have vented and for me that is all that matters.

2009-12-14T05:24:00.003-05:00

Once again this morning, I'm having trouble uploading pictures. I'm not sure why. I'll do the best I can. Anyway, the above picture is a beautiful dried flower arrangement in a pottery vase. A very pretty addition to any decor. A wonderful way to brighten up the fall and winter months!

Here's a picture of some of the dried flowers we have available. Several are in bunches as seen here in our baskets. You can alos see some of our table toppers and a basket of towels. We have a brand new, larger size, assortment of bath teas that make wonderful stocking stuffers too.
I'll continue to update as time permits. Yesterday was outside lights. Oh my did it ever take a long time. That was done in between yet another trip to the store and accompanying at the church for a friend. It certainly is a busy time of year! New stuff coming in tomorrow and I can't wait!

Finally, Pictures!

2009-12-12T16:26:00.011-05:00

At long last, I finally have some current pictures. Something is not right with my camera! Tim let me borrow his camera and I took several pictures to update the gift shop. Today was very exciting. We have received more orders over the phone and on the website. One is for a larger gift basket to ship. I just love doing these things for people at holiday time. Actually, any time!

This gift basket has the four holiday coffees; Frosty's Favorite Flavor, Candy Cane, Jingle Bell Java and Mistletoe Mocha flavored coffees. To purchase any of these you can call. Go to http://www.stlawrencevalleyroasters.com/ or http://www.northforkgifts.com/ and call or email. Not all of what we have is on our website yet. Baby steps. We're getting there.

Here's the 2 sampler size gift basket. We have something for everyone on your gift list!

You can even get a mug with one coffee sampler! Now onto the soaps....

We have lots of different soaps in many different shapes and sizes. You can get guest size (1.5oz.) snowflake soaps, celtic knots, oatmeal, vanilla-lavender in goat's milk or shea butter. Most are 1.50 or less. These make wonderful stocking stuffers.

It's taking way too long to upload this evening. Look for us again tomorrow and we'll share more from North Fork Gifts.

Winter Is Upon Us

2009-12-11T05:39:00.003-05:00

I haven't written in a very long time. My goal is to try to get to this more often and keep people up to date with what's happening. Last Sunday we had our open house. This past week the weather has made many changes in the scheduling. Our concert was postponed. Yesterday's trip to Utica to see Mama Mia was cancelled. We'll be going to River Dance in April instead. Tonight is caroling followed by hot cocoa and cookies with the singers. In the upcoming week we'll be singing all day on Tuesday as we travel to Ogdensburg and visit various nursing homes and Meadow View Apts. in Heuvelton. Our concert is TBA. The K-6 concert is on Friday and this week is also secret santa so....needless to say, it's going to be very busy.

The shop is warm and cozy. The tree is up and decorated and I spent a few hours the other day putting insulation into the bays along the ceiling to hopefully, keep it even warmer! I'm hoping to post some pictures of all the new things. Right now it's off to work! Hopefully, I'll be able to get back at this on a more regular basis.

The shop is open as long as we're here, we're open!! So please feel free to come by.

A Pleasure Indeed....

2009-10-24T08:44:00.007-04:00

We had the pleasure, at North Fork B&B, of meeting Virginia Brown Waite, Florida Congresswoman, when she stayed with us this weekend. Today we will be open for business in the gift shop where Lisa hopes to be making more soap and candles as we prepare for more guests at the B&B and the upcoming holiday season. We have lots of new fragrances and some new soaps that will be coming out as well as some new candles. Check our blog and see the new things we'll be offering in our gift shop and on our website.

Today's a Very Exciting Day!

2009-10-12T09:24:00.006-04:00

On the down side of things, I had to say goodbye this morning to my brother, his wife and my nephew as they head back home. We had our Thanksgiving weekend again this year and a wonderful time and fabulous food was had by all. My niece will have to head back to college as well today. We'll all miss each other and be looking forward to the next time we can all be together. My nephew helped me with my cello. He plays really well and had encouraging words for his aunt. He was also incredibly helpful in the gift shop hanging dried flowers. Today the ceiling should be finished! It's almost there....the dried flowers are down and ready to be put out. The Fall bags are on display and all in all it's a very exciting day!

These bags are a a sample of what we have in the shop. To see them all check out our website at http://www.northforkgifts.com Our Balsam wreaths will be on display soon so check back often to see all the new and exciting things to come!

Dried Flowers

2009-10-09T06:07:00.003-04:00

This weekend we'll be bringing out the dried flowers and finishing the ceiling. This is one example of the wonderful dried flowers we'll have on hand. Bunches can be purchased to decorate or use in arranging. We have quite a few bunches of statice available as well. You can see more at our gift shop website within the next couple of weeks. http://www.northforkgifts.com For those of you looking to keep warm as the colder weather approaches please check out a fabulous site for hand painted and hand dyed fiber for those winter and holiday projects at http://www.moonlightandlaughter.com For coffee to keep warm and a fabulous new fundraising idea check out our coffee at http://www.stlawrencevalleyroasters.com All great places to find wonderful things!!

Oh that ceiling....

2009-10-08T05:46:00.006-04:00

We're still working on the ceiling in the gift shop. Here's hoping it gets finished this weekend! Right now we have guests from Virginia and we're getting ready for our Thanksgiving weekend. We celebrate it now so all of our family from CT can travel without worrying about the weather. In my album on facebook there are lots of pictures from last year's dinner. I just love to have everyone for dinner. It's always fun! Stay tuned for more pictures from this year's dinner.

Here's the progress we've made so far...Yesterday I posted the regular ceiling before anything had been done. There are 4 bays left that still need blue board. The picture on the left, below is the ceiling with the blue board. The picture on the right is what it looks like when it's finished. Of course I couldn't wait to hang some of the baskets used for dried flower arrangements and gift baskets. I dont' think it's going to be long now before we have it done!

Rainbows and Fall Foliage

2009-10-07T05:56:00.007-04:00

We've had quite a bit of rain lately. In between showers we've seen some beautiful rainbows over the farm. This is one them. I have to say, these do make tolerating the rain a little bit easier! Looking out over the field and seeing the beautiful foliage is nice too.

I'll be adding the finishing pictures soon so check back! This is the ceiling of the gift shop before anything is done to it. Check back often for updates. Check out our website to see the new things and purchase items from our shop at http://www.northforkgifts.com Become a follower of our blog and a fan on facebook.

Lots of New Things in the Gift Shop...

2009-10-06T05:58:00.005-04:00

Our new little candle with a wonderful fall fragrance. The 1.5 oz. hexagon shaped soy candle. A wonderful way to celebrate the fall season with a fall fragrance.

Wooden Wick Soy Candle 12.5 oz. Perfect Pumpkin fragrance. Wooden Wick Candles evoke the sound of a crackling fire when lit. The perfect way to enjoy the crisp fall weather.

Each day after work a little bit more comes together in the gifts shop. In the soaps, we now have a small 1.5 oz. soap the the upcoming holiday season. Keep up with our blog to find out what new gift items are available.

The Fall Season Is Upon Us....

2009-10-05T05:58:00.003-04:00

We've been incredibly busy here at North Fork with both the gift shop and the Bed and Breakfast. We've had cool weather and rain. The leaves are changing like crazy and it's really beautiful. The picking of the straw flowers has slowed down. The new vented heater has been installed in the gift shop and Tim and I have been working on putting up the rest of the ceiling. It's tough because there's a lot hanging on the beams and the measurements change as we go along. Little by little though, we're getting there. I made some new soap this week that's really neat. Tiny bars that fit in the small organza bags. They will be a great addition for guests and for the upcoming holiday season!

Lots of new items....

2009-09-08T05:53:00.006-04:00

We've got lots of new items in the gift shop! Beautiful aprons for the holiday season including Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and some that just celebrate the harvest. New Autumn Harvest soaps! A Fall line of bags that are just wonderful and 2 warm and cozy fleece throws to celebrate the upcoming Fall season. Many new candles including our new wooden wick candles. Lots of new things to see. The dried flowers continue to grow nicely. Statice and straw flowers are picked daily and the new dried flower bunches will be going up within the week. http://www.northforkgifts.com/ is the place to buy your holiday gifts or gifts for any occasion. The website is still being worked on. You can email me to pay for items that are not listed with a button for purchase. The bread is selling really well too!

Incredible Weather

2009-09-02T05:40:00.003-04:00

Now it's back to work. The weather is wonderful! The flowers are blossoming nicely in the gardens and the second set of the corn crop is coming in. Due to an extremely wet summer, the pumpkins seem slim to none. The butternut squash seems non existent as well. When it's that wet, the plants form blossoms but as they begin to form the fruit, they turn black and fall off. This nice sunny patch of weather will hopefully provide enough drying time soon enough for some of these plants to produce. If they don't, there's always next year! The hummingbirds have started to migrate as there are fewer and fewer at the feeders these days. I used to take the feeders in on the first of September but read that there are stragglers who need extra food to make the trip. Hummingbirds won't stay just because the food is there. They know when to migrate and they will as soon as they are ready. Last year I had 2 little hummingbirds that stayed later than usual. As soon as they were plump, they took off.

We've had a few customers in the gift shop and that's very exciting. I need to make more soap and candles. I have many pressed flowers that need sorting and filing. The bread has been selling very well too. There's a lot of work to be done on the websites and I'm hoping when I get back some energy and have recovered from the start of work, I can make lots more stuff and be ready for the holidays!!

Finally some warm and sunny weather....

2009-08-16T06:57:00.003-04:00

We are finally having some warm and sunny weather after 2 months of nothing but rain. Yesterday afternoon I was finally able to kayak and even went for a swim in the St. Lawrence! I haven't done that in years. We were kayaking just off Welsley Island. I had never been there and always wanted to go. The water was quite pleasant. We saw several Osprey. On one siting I was sure it was an eagle because of the white head but my daughter was quick to point out the black mask around the eyes and the pattern of black and white on the lower parts of the bird. We saw a Great Blue Herring as well hanging out on the side of the river. He was quite content to preen himself and look magnificent. All in all it was quite wonderful.

The garden is looking better with the warmth and the sun. The pumpkin plants are blossoming and the butternut squash is as well. The statice is growing like crazy. I've been able to pick a large bunch of flowers each day. The straw flowers are coming in better with more varied colors beginning to blossom.

North Fork B&B is quite busy and due to be even busier as parents bring their students to college. This morning's breakfast will feature sourdough pancakes! Yum!

Rain,The Farmer's Market and the Mystery of the Mouse!

2009-07-25T16:53:00.010-04:00

I haven't written since our first trip to the Farmer's Market. Our first experience was very positive. Tim was able to sell his coffee and people were very interested in locally roasted coffee. It was great fun. I was also able to sell some of my soap and candles. It was a very nice day.

The paperwork never came together but I'm hoping the person will be able to meet on Monday so that this Tuesday I can sell baked goods at the Farmer's Market. We went last Friday as it was drizzling. We checked the weather map before we left and both thought the showers would subside. We were wrong! We got to the market and set up. People immediately were buying coffee and we thought we were in for a great day. Within minutes it began to pour. I quickly packed my things away in a large plastic tote. I slid the tables in a bit and moved some of the coffee to protect it from the rain. When Tim returned from some errands, it rained even harder. By a bit after 11 we decided to call it a day. The rain got worse and worse and we were worried about the labels on the coffee as they began to curl from the excess moisture. This week it looks like the weather will be better. One can only hope!

Well, the first time we went to the market I noticed mouse droppings in my car. I have searched the entire thing for this mouse. Today, I was going through the bath teas and saw some herbs in the bottom of the basket. Then, in the bottom of the tote there were, you guessed it, mouse droppings! Now I ask you, how does a little mouse get into a huge, sealed plastic tote, chew a bath tea, eat a pressed flower off the top of a candle and another one off of a soap box, and get out and away? This is just crazy!! The night before the market my new bath teas came in. I worked like crazy to make them for the market on Friday. There was no mouse then and there's no mouse now. Anyway, I'm showing some of the new bath teas that have escaped this mysterious, masterful mouse.

I'm very excited about these new bath teas. They are fun to make and they are nice to use. They also make a wonderful sachet. I plan to make more and include a new larger size as well.

We had guests at the B&B as well. Here's a picture of the breakfast table and the wonderful cinnamon french toast that we make here at North Fork B&B.

Off to the Famer's Market

2009-07-21T06:34:00.002-04:00

Well, today I'm off to the Farmer's Market. We'll see how it goes. Tomorrow I will finally be getting the paper work in order so that I can market my bread. I'm very excited about that! So I'll be selling my sourdough bread at the market as well. I'm hoping they have taken care of checking into the coffee. We should be selling that today as well. Let's just hope the rain holds off!

The garden is doing well. The corn is pretty tall now and the rows that were eaten by the birds are even filling in better than I thought they would. Yesterday I had to free a bird from the deer fencing. I'm not sure I like that fencing. One bird got caught in it before but I didn't get there soon enough. I'll be back to talk about the Farmer's Market. Still working on the gift shop website. There just never seems to be enough time!!

Busy, busy time at the B&B and the gift shop

2009-07-17T09:55:00.005-04:00

This is a fabulous sunflower field in Maryland. I had to take pictures of this! Quite beautiful.

After taking some time off and doing a little bit of traveling we're back at it full swing. The coffee business has been pretty busy these days with lots of deliveries. Coffee can be purchased from the website. I'm not sure why people aren't using it. I wish they would or let me know if there's a reason they don't. http://www.stlawrencevalleyroasters.com/ the best coffee ever!

So, getting back to the travel. En route to a family reunion, we checked out a dried flower farm where we purchased a wide array of fabulous dried flowers that will be available in the gift shop. The Wheat Wreath pictured above, is just one of the many different types of wreaths and swags we will have in our gift shop.

We stopped in Lancaster and Intercourse,PA where we found many great ideas for the both the B&B and the gift shop which I'm currently working on implementing.

We're finally linked with Bed and Breakfast.com and their blog site. We are on facebook as well. The linking thing there is a bit more complicated. I'm still in the process of figuring that out.

I hope to have some pictures of the garden and the flowers very soon so check back often.

Rain, Rain and more Rain!

2009-07-08T20:31:00.005-04:00

Seems that the past few days have been nothing but rain. I keep trying to work only to be rained on some more. Tonight it is finally clear and the sun is out. It seems like forever since we've seen the sun. In the midst of the rain, I created some pretty cool candles. I like them and I hope my customers will too. Here's what they look like.

The one on the left is a pillar done with pressed flowers. The 2 above are pressed flowers on the lid of the candle tin. The one on the left (candle tin) is Fresh Brewed Coffee. The one to the right is Lily of the Valley. The pillar is unscented. Just some of what went on in the rain. There was also the bout with the tiller which is now in the garage caked in mud. Oh well. I'm taking a break for a few days and then I'll be back at it. Sometimes it's good to rest. I don't do that very well, resting that is. I need to now though so I am. This morning was really busy with coffee again. If you want to try the best coffee you've ever had in your life, try my husband's coffee. You can buy it off of his website if you'd like. http://www.stlawrencevalleyroasters.com He has flavored coffees too for those of you that prefer them or just like them once in a while for something different. It is worth checking out for sure. Well that's it for now. Time to begin that break I was talking about. Hope you enjoy looking at these candles.

Pressed Flowers

2009-07-05T08:57:00.003-04:00

Totally enjoyed Rock for the River last night! Awesome show with incredibly talented musicians. It's always fun to go to Clayton.

Today will be spent putting together orders to be shipped tomorrow morning. I'm very excited that I've sold pressed flower soap and candles with pressed flowers on the cover! I'll be creating all day today and hopefully working in the garden. Guest preparation for the B&B too. So it's off to work....website stuff too and more bread! It'll be busy for sure and great fun!