Sunday, September 10, 2017

Cocoon~I love my cocoon~

















Our nightime temps  have tumbled..

I found I was craving a cup of tea or two in the afternoon..
about 20 yrs ago..I was still working..it was our 25th wedding anniversary and for some reason I felt we should mark the occasion..at that time I had my mom's china..that I love..paper thin..cobalt/ultramarine border..and a set of 12 Zeller's clear dishes..( 12 for $25.00 I think:)..
so being into gardening we bought ouselves this set.

Pretty pretty..and for 10 yrs I did use it..but the last 10 I have hardly used it..we just don't entertain..except family..and the boys are still young for fancy pants dishes..so I use clear mostly..and I confess to having started collecting dishes at that time..
so I have enough forever and a day and someone will luck out at a future garage sale..when I am gone .

All this to say I saw a tea cozy that reminded me of the dishes..I also found Kathleen on the Varage Sale part of Facebook..who knits on order.

and I asked if she could make it..she bought the pattern..and made me the cozy.
I see a lot of  future use out of the tea cups and plates:) 
So cute.
She is an expert knitter..and accepts custom orders.
If ever someone would like something knit perfectly..let me know:) my contact w/ her is through the mail at VS..we have met now also:)

Just wanted to show you how darn sweet it is.
I have another she made me..and it is unbelievably cute..you'll see:)

So the colder nights are making the tomatoes take their sweet time to ripen ..but when they are ready..they are pretty:)

On IG you get inspired..either the cookies..the painting..the crafts..the gardens..pretty towns..pretty homes..
one night Stephanie Fehrenbach was offering a course..for those flowers we see everywhere..have not watched the video but the PDF files show how to make those cute floral wreaths etc.."le fun"~♥
By the way.. use good watercolor paper..I used that GREY watercolor book from Winner's/TJ Maxx..

it's NOT watercolor paper.
I did not notice the paper is grey..



Mes filles continue to please me with their pretty faces ..quirky attitudes and their love of Kraft slices:)..they will be snowbirds come much cooler temps and reside at the best AirBnB possible and I will miss them:(  
Chez Alain~
Caramelle and Bécassine.

I made a small batch maple pecan scones..I added pansies..a touch..the recipe is not amazing..so I won't share..just make your best scones and add some pansy petals:)

but..hey..I love the box to give as a gift..blank..just watercolor..or do what you want on the template!

Just Google templates for pie wedges or scones..print on cardstock..or paper like I did..watercolor..and glue on cardstock..so cute!You can find some here.

I find Geraniums.. the Targaryens in a garden:)
Because now we have one more Targaryen..lol

I dislike Cersei with a passion..

I had to Google the spelling..
my daughter knows all the names..I know the faces and who I like;)

John Snow♥

And yes..Keurig happened..  we have a Cuisinart coffee machine  that grinds our beans..and yum:)..we have a Breville espresso maker..and Jacques loves it..we have a Nespresso frother and..wow..

I am always tempted by my daughters/son-in-laws..full on Nespressos..and at Costco..I sample and am tempted..

but ..I am a Hazelnut coffee lover..

we spent a weekend away with the whole family:)

And the Airbnb had a Keurig.
Geesh..  so EASY..for me.

so I came home and Googled and Amazon'ed..and sure enough Van Houtte had a highly rated Hazelnut Keurig Cup..
(add to cart..chaching.)

I have to admit.

Je t'aime Keurig♥

And it lives here now.

Coffee is very good for us..
Read up;)
As is green tea..
And dark chocolate ..
and a mediterranean diet.

And Jamie Oliver's 5 Ing new book..I found this recipe HERE.I love his blog..his pics..♥





This was delicious.
I thnk this book must be a winner.
Notes..I had NO burratta..I had soft mozza..but wanted a kick..I used Emmental..very different and easy omelet..

great tip..

...plating the heirloom tomatoes and herbs and oil and balsamic   before cooking the omelet..as an omelet waits for no one♥

So Good!


Take care~





59 comments:

  1. I just came from a brunch of Dim Sum, a feast of flavors and total delights, but your gorgeous omelet has me wishing for one. You know your do that to me, Monique. I can be satiated, visit a post of your beautiful food offerings, and find myself wishing for some of what you are sharing.
    We are coffee drinkers, and a few years ago when our Breville coffee grinder and maker quit, we didn't replace it. We just indulge using our Nepresso when we want a coffee. It is so easy and perfect! Good thing coffee is good for us. '-)
    Love the knitted cozy. It is so cute!

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    1. Dim sum!It has been ages for me.
      We are both..green teas..all kinds of teas..but coffee also..I was off it for a long time..
      Jacques has always favoured it.We have the Breville and I found it a bother lol so it went under the cabinet..and a Cuisinart that grinds the beans appeared😀Our kids have a espresso and gave us a frother that we. Love..I had been very gempted many times with the a espresso..and then the weekend away and the Kurig happen with Van Houtte Vanilla Hazelnut pods.I am one of THOSE lol coffee drinkers that loves hazelnut:)

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  2. Awww, I love this time of year with the cooler nights and bright, clear fresh days! So ready for the Fall and winter. Now I want an omelet for dinner :)

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  3. Isn't it nice to rediscover some of your treasures that have been sitting in your own house. The tea cozy is so sweet! When I first saw it I thought Monique really is getting very good with her yarn work! I like the pattern very much. Your tomatoes look so pretty too. I must admit I did not get mine in the garden so none here�� I so admire your watercolors too. I painted our front door lapis blue. Half of the door has a mullion "window" so I used a craft brush to paint there and my fingers were experiencing some tingling. So water color painting does not look good for me. The omelet looks delicious too. Enjoy your afternoon teas with your new cozy. Can't wait to see the other one too.

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    1. It is fun to rediscover treasures..our tastes change through the yrs though I think!
      Lol. I may try one..one day..She is reallllllly good!So nice of her to do them for me..
      Your front door ust look Sooo good!
      Not sure..but I promise holding a watercolor brush for short moments,is so much easier and more fun than a reg paintbrush and a door.
      I think I painted way too many big things in my earlier life..so done ..I sometimes think a color on the front door would look cute and then,....NO.
      Have to paint the fence this Spring..but Jacques usually paints one side☺️

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    2. Monique the big paint brushes didn't bother me. It was the craft brush with the slim handle that caused the tingling. I don't envy Jacque having to paint the fence in spring.

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  4. All beautiful Monique. What beautiful handwriting you have. Everything sounds good there, except turning cold. I didn't get a long enough summer. My what nice tomatoes for this late there. Ours are kaput from the deer. Having to buy homegrown ones at the grocery store and they are very expensive. I told the cashiers to hand it back to me as I didn't trust them squishing it in with other things. The tea cozy is perfect. You find such interesting things online.

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    1. I know!Sometimes buying certain fruits..or veggies that are so perfect..I say..don't worry..I have my bag and I bag..flowers too.
      I am very sad re Florida..wondering if things were as bad as expected..

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  5. I was thinking of you today with the storm hitting the Keys. I have a friend that goes to a time share in St Johns the last 2 weeks of September every year. It's demolished.

    Anyway, love your blogs, photos and paintings and of course your gentle stories.

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    1. I am on pins and needles until we hear about our spot and Karen..I can't even imagine what stress this has caused her with the 12 units and all the work😞

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    2. Fingers crossed for the best possible outcome.

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  6. Your omelette looks amazing and I am sure it taste as good as it looks.

    If I have coffee after 2 p.m. I don't sleep, but do love a cup of sleepy time tea about 9 p.m.

    I am so ready for Fall and the cooler nights.

    Enjoy your week.

    Mary

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    1. Never after 2 for me either!Even if I have decaf..lying in bed ,,I think,they made a mistake 😌

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  7. This is the time of year when we start eating omelettes at camp on the weekends :-) Love Jamie Oliver!
    When I saw your chicken, it reminded me of the chickens that some folks from Key West wrapped in newspaper blankets, and transported them in their cars when they evacuated for the hurricane.
    The Keurig happened here also...I bought one for our camp after years of saying I would never own one. We love it!
    The cozy is too cute!

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    1. I keep thinking of Fl..I emailed our Karen..to be safe..category 1 we heard now..but how much damage before that?
      I never wanted a Keurig..till I tried one..🙂We are so funny thinking we would NEVER have one lol.
      Now..I don't think I would be as contented without🙂☺️

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  8. I am always sad to see summer on the wane. It is still quite warm here during the day with cooler nights. We were in Chicago for Labor Day, and the temps were much cooler. Love the tea cozy and the watercolors. So nice to have homegrown tomatoes. A perfect omelette! Mine never turn out so well. Our little has a broken leg - trampoline accident while attending a friends birthday party😢 - and is confined to a wheelchair- so I am trying to help out best as I can. In July, he had a concussion from doing a flip off the play structure at school. Little boys! At any rate - life is busy! Nice to see your calm beautiful photos.😍 We recently bought the Nespresso - love it!

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    1. Ry!What worries he is giving you!!!That beautiful blond boy is active like ours..in a wheelchair..poor little darling!!!An you!!!!!😢

      I have Nespresso at my daughters homes as a treat..I need milder..on a regular basis..my genetic make up now tells me so...
      Older..not wiser for sure..

      I hope he heals quickly..mending fast.
      Nice to see you😘

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  9. Yr cacoon is Divine!!
    Was that gorgeous omelette on Dorriann? Hmmm...

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    1. It was!He is great..so is Jamie of course!And your art..wow..it has just skyrocketed Carol.

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  10. The tea cosy is adorable as is the lovely post. We have the Jura Impressa Z7 One touch coffee maker and it is awesome. A bit pricey, but so worth the price. Grinds fresh coffee beans for each cup and many options to make lattes, etc. I love making omelettes. They can be for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

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    1. Jura rings a bell for sure..I have never looked into one ..I will see what they do!

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  11. That omelette seems to be absolutely delicious. I love omelettes and as a matter of a fact I'm a
    Coffee drinker. That's why my Nespresso machine works several times a day.
    Have a nice week.
    Hugs

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    1. They do work more than once chez nous too!Bonne semaine!

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  12. I love the cup.. it looks so beautiful..

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    1. I bet you are anxious for your renovations to be done so that you can sit back and relax a bit..if you can☺️

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  13. Biggest sigh. Whenever I come here I just sink into all the gorgeous photos, the paints -- oh! The paintings. So pretty. Your class sounds wonderful. And the omelette. Yum. I love egg-anything and Emmental -- one of my favorites. Another sigh. And the Beatrix Potter pages and your sweet "girls"-- you send them away in the winter? Where do they go? You'll miss your eggs!

    It just feels so warm and cozy here (no pun intended), even though the outside is a bit nippy. I'm excited to know what you are working on creatively -- and you are SO right about watercolor paper!

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    1. Their real father..Alain..my son- in- law lets them stay with him..you get so used to having chickens..they will be in expert hands blus all their sisters are there😊Thank you Jeanie!

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  14. Lindas imagens! Feliz semana! Cumprimentos

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  15. Tried to leave a comment earlier. Don't know where it went. Love all of your beautiful photos Monique. Pretty china cups and tea cozy. I too am ready for Fall. We have lots of rain now from Irma. Friends from Florida are staying with us. So sad about all of the devastation, but their home was spared.

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    1. I have been waiting to hear about our area!
      Tried emailing you..but there is no email address on your blog..how kind of you to have your friends!

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    2. email should be on my blog. But here it is pennyklett@gmail.com Would love to hear from you.

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  16. Love the tea cozy...need to learn how to knit again someday. :) xo

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  17. HI Monique....
    Beautiful.....beautiful....beautiful!
    I am crazy thinking about our beach cottage too!
    I wrote to the owner on Friday...she was evacuating her town house in Tampa...have not heard since! We can't seem to find anything about Indian Shores! What was the name of your complex again? On the beach,right? Geesh.....what a dilemma.
    Missing you on IG...hope you are well...
    Enjoy your evening...
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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  18. Dearest Monique,
    Yes, what would we be without our 'healthy' and much needed coffee and tea?!
    While tropical storm Irma took our power out for 8 hours, that was the first thing we missed...
    And now after missing Internet and TV for 2 days, finally catching up.
    Yes, chocolate (dark with hazelnuts in...) is another 'healthy' must!
    Sending you hugs,
    Mariette

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    1. Being without power ..well having lived that in our great ice storm for days on end it seemed..I sympathize Mariette!
      Every time our power flickers..I wonder!All our hydro lines are above ground..huge trees in our communities..so sometimes outages are long.We are all so darn dependent on power..for almost everything.
      I m glad it is over and hope things return to normal for all those in the aftermath of the latest storms..

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  19. So sorry that I am tardy visiting your post :( We were out-of-town and each day was activity-filled that I didn't have time and then we arrived home so late that our first day back I only felt like staring into space.
    What an adorable tea cozy! She is definitely a talented knitter. Sure wish I could pick up knitting like you picked up crochet. Love the pic of your Girls. They are 2 lucky chicks to have you and Alain to care for them :) We were away during Hurricane Irma and thought of you and so many of our friends and acquaintances who enjoy Florida. One of them is a couple from our Gourmet Group and they have a condo in the Keys. Can't wait to see them at our next dinner on the 23rd to find out if it's still standing :( I'll have to read the synopsis of GOT as we don't get HBO. Agree on Cersei from when I was able to watch it. Gorgeous Jamie omelette!

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    1. Bonjour ma petite amie!I know you must have had so much fun!The omelette makes a pretty looking thing:)His blog is full of eye candy!Often if not always a phone I think he mentioned.
      I hope your friends home is ok..I had written Karen before Irma..no news but I have been Googling and it seems our area is ok..I mean storm damage such as trees and things..but I think ok..
      She must have worked so hard!!
      The girls😊

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  20. That tea cozy is adorable!!! We have a Keurig, but I keep talking myself out of the Nespresso. But I do need a milk frother, don't I?

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    1. Hi Pam..if you are till contemplating a Nespresso..I know our Costco has a great special before Christmas that includes the frother..so maybe wait..we had the frother lol so buying the Nespresso with a frother seemed off..and both my daughters had frothers.
      Life is short ..get it..the Nespresso😌If you keep thinking about it😊

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  21. Love your beautiful heirloom tomatoes Monique. And that omelette - yum! I love our Keurig - the coffee is so easy and now we have no waste. Glad you spent time with family - those are the best! Have a lovely week.

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    1. Tricia..one of my daughters sent me one of your IG posts..Apple pandowdy..saying how beautiful!!🌟👍🏻

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  22. Every little thing is beautiful to the eye - such a joy to come here, as always. And Emmental sounds wonderful in your lovely omelet - one of my fav cheeses in a melty grilled sandwich. Still miss New England/NH :)

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    1. Hi Katrina..I have no idea where my reply went..I will blame it on the Internet.
      First of all..as always thank you for your visit..we wonder and hope for our blog friends and always wish them well🙂I hope one day you find your way back to being in a nest that doesn't make you miss another.
      But I do know the feeling of loving a place a lot❤️

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  23. I needed a dose of Monique. My soul is weary and needed a delicate refreshing. As always, your kind, beautiful heart shines a light into mine. I feel better. Thank you!

    Rob333

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    1. I am sorry your soul is weary.
      I want you to know it happens to me too.
      I only write about the colourful part that my life goes to.
      It would not be right of me to say that my soul is never weary.
      Thank you so much for your comment.Take care.

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  24. Monique hope you are doing well, I was thinking how are you, a big hug!!

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  25. Today is Sept 26...You haven't posted for 16 days? I made a post today after a considerable time away...
    I see you are still working delicately with watercolors...still appreciating life's beauty and your family...

    I would like to eat that omelet right this minute!!!

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  26. Love your beautiful heirloom tomatoes Monique. And that omelette - yum! I love our Keurig - the coffee is so easy and now we have no waste. Glad you spent time with family - those are the best! Have a lovely week
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