Dishes and Dishes

Sticking to my word!

Today being Easter Sunday {Happy Resurrection Day}, I thought that I would

wait till morning to post but I have some free time between

breakfast and our Easter meal later today,

to sneak in a little post. 

Since my life evolves around food, I thought I'd

share my table with you.

The boys went on a junking adventure

yesterday {I was working} so I squeezed in 

a little time to clear off the catch-all table {dining}

so I could set it for Easter.

I decided to use plates, cups and silverware that

I've been collecting for the bakery.

I have kept my thrift store selections limited

to lighter, paler tones so when they're stacked,

they all kinda go together. I think they

are a beautiful compliment to each other.

To add to the feel of vintage, I decided not

to iron my vintage embroidered table cloth

because it feels a little Rachel Ashwell, when I don't

{not because I'm lazy}.

{I have a deep love for all those mismatch pieces but

I'll save that story for another time. ;) }

This morning, our breakfast consisted of

Creme Brulee French Toast (YUM!)

of which I managed to pick the bomb recipe

off Pinterest, smoked sausage and

mixed berries with vanilla cream

and topped with a flower of sweet

cream frosting.

Yes indeed, I will squirrel this recipe away to 

put it to use in the bakeria. 

Later on I will start on our afternoon meal

of smoked ham with a crackle crust, fried

corn with bacon {new trial recipe}, my traditional

hashbrown/potato casserole and popovers/yorkshire pudding.

Then for dessert (which I will eat tonight and in the morn), 

this beautiful mess...

I hope your Easter Sunday is being spent with family and 

loved ones and I hope you have great peace in your heart

on this glorious day.

With much love, Amber

YIKES!

Oh, hello!

Remember me? 

As today marks the first day of spring, it's been since winter

that I have paid any attention (physically) to this page.

Trust me, I've wanted to.

My life as The French Pressed Home

has completely shifted to

FPH BAKERY and I couldn't be

more proud or happy. 

Most days, I still cannot believe it. 

No, we haven't opened the store yet.

Since we are doing the work ourselves 

{mostly Bruce at this point}

in addition to working full time to pay for it, 

it takes time.

Not to mention that peeling the layers back of an

80 year old building has given plenty, if not more,

fun projects to tear out and re-do.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it was/is 

a full gut. Top to bottom, inside and out.

And life with a contractor is definitely not a life

with band aids. No, no it's not. Fix it right so it

sustains another 80+ years.

Sure, I've been disappointed and frustrated

but I know that in the long run, it will be well worth

the time it's taking to do this right.

I appreciate Bruce's talented hands and his mighty

brain that can pull this off. He's definitely a

master of his trade.

All of these renovations are purely funded out of pocket 

so in order for this place to swing the doors wide open,

we gotta WORK in order to do that. 

My kitchen has shrunken due to the rolling racks that 

have found their way into my life, as of late.

Every once in a while, I'll roll them into the dining room so 

I can reminisce about the days before they moved in. 

Oooh, it was so spacious! lol! 

It won't be too much longer before they roll on out and 

down the road to their permanent home.

I am looking VERY forward to not working where I live.

I am not one for drawing the line between

home/work even though the kitchen/dining room

threshold holds the imaginary line

between the two. Many days, to my disdain,

the "house" gets neglected {ignored} so I can focus

on the work in my place of employment. The kitchen.

It will be nice to have the separation.

Right now, I'm looking out toward the coop and my weed filled garden.

I hope to get some things planted out there but I may 

end up just planting flower seeds this year and hitting

up the Farmer's Markets instead. We'll see.

Whichever, it will look beautiful against that 

pretty little coop.

Please follow me on Instagram and on my FB page 

{or friend request me, it's all one in the same!}

where I post quick updates regularly.

And like all good things, this post must come to an end. 

Time to get in the kitchen and heat up that oven. :)

I vow to make my Sunday mornings my posting time

because frankly, I'm ashamed so much time as passed.

May the warm sun of Spring warm your face, sweet friend.

Thanks for visiting.

xo, Amber

Too Much

Oh, you know, next week, the week after. The days and weeks

have somehow managed to run together.

I am not complaining one bit because I know that 

every moment I am busy is one moment closer to

having the doors slung open. 

There is an unbelievable amount of work

that has to go into opening a commercial

business. I think I have all my i's dotted and 

my t's crossed then there's one more thing

that needs to be done.

We're still a ways away from opening but

it doesn't mean I'm not working.

Today, I crossed time out to catch up on my

other duties. I'm sure not everything will get crossed off the list

but there's always tomorrow, right?

Riiiiiight. 

Saturday, we took a "business" trip across the river 

to Georgia. I say a business trip because

we were looking for dishes for the bakery

and whatever else we could find that we need.

I just find it foolish to pay for brand new stuff

when old, vintage pieces are more charming

and lend to the feel we want for the bakery.

Well, I'm happy to say we succeeded in filling our

quota for plates! Now my hunt continues

for serving pieces, tea/coffee cups and

more forks and spoons. 

I'm pretty confident those will be filled rather quickly as well.

I have been baking almost every day since before Thanksgiving.

That has been my life so decorating the house and doing 

home improvements have been put to the back burner until

I get some routine back.

And no, sometimes the beds don't get made. :)

I'm not sure how often I will be able to post but

I will still pop back every now and again.

I want to share the happenings at the bakery but want 

to make sure that's what you want to read about. 

Yes or no?

I hope your New Year is starting well and things are going

as you plan. I take it one day at a time.

 If I don't get it right today, there's always tomorrow. 

Hugs and Love!

Christmas Blessings

I have so much to catch you up on!

I have been working 'round the clock

and I am so, SO behind in all things Christmas.

{I haven't even sent Christmas cards out}

I have been blessed with so much and am so 

grateful for everyone who has made my dream

come true with their continued support of the Bakery. 

Every day that passes is one day closer to opening the doors

and that makes my heart so happy.

I will fill you in next week when I have a few days scheduled off.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a New Year

filled with love and all things good.

love, Amber

A Side To Share, Again

Thanksgiving is almost here!

I shared this recipe last year (afterward) but

wanted to freshen your memory in case you

needed an extra vegetable side or are taking

a dish to a gathering.

You will not regret making these, I promise!

Click any photo to take you to the recipe.

Happy Thanksgiving!