Blooms~

Indoors..

And outdoor ones..

Blooming tea..  and David's Tea..Strawberry Rhubarb..w/ a wee cherry financier.
I just made a few with leftover batter from my fave cherry almond cake..
The cherries on top?
I pitted then re-inserted the stem..before baking,then no surprise..just don't eat the stem.
So cute♥
Pinks will be coming to a screaming halt one day..so I am soaking in the rosés..
Is there anything more graceful than Japanese Anemones..or Sweet Peas in the garden?
One for it's sway in the wind and beauty..the other for it's scent and form.

John Keats~

P.S.
We saw The 100 Foot Journey..
We both enjoyed it very much.
A Feel Good Movie~

That pie again♥and ♥things~

I shared this recipe with a link a while back..
I have to tell you..or humbly suggest to you that you make it.
I know it off by heart now.
Jacques always requests this one.
It's such a keeper..
I know the recipe by ♥ now..I'll write it at the end so you can know it off by ♥ also..

Sidestepping here..if I may..speaking of ♥s..

A little while ago..on one of  Marie's blogs..I won this ..Dreamfarm Clongs~

It's a nifty tong..unlike any I have ever owned..

Fantastic quality

Unique.

Marie told me she would be popping it into the mail..

She lives in England..it's quite a flight..

In so little time it arrived:)

But two boxes arrived from England.

 I was perplexed and wondered what was in the other box.

Well Marie remembered that I love the mini Bonne Maman jam etc jars..

I have a honey one that I put little bouquets in..but was on the search for a few more..on a wish list..

Wrapped all individually in a cute yellow teacakes box..tumbled out these mini Bonne Maman jars:)

A dear little greeting card..sweet ribbon..

Some of Marie's own cards from her own artwork..and two cute little cards I have put in my wallet that have her business stamp on the back..

The Artful Heart♥

C'mon..you must admit this girl is filled with talent.

Amazing to say the very least and in person..even more perfect if possible.

Charming and Perfect.

It is amazing to me that her work is not in stores..

She does have a CD available at Ooh lalacreations..

But I see a fully commercially marketed  cookbook maybe?

A whole little section in stores with cards and aprons and cookbooks etc..

First of all she could write her own cookbook with all her recipes..illustrate them..and then there would be this whole collection of cuteness to go with..

Helloo..someone should listen to me..

♥

It is not unusual for bloggers to get to know each other and send little souvenirs through the mail..

In fact even Christmas presents get exchanged..

And birthdays..

Or we win something..

I don't usually post about these things....because to me these things are private..and it is not a usual happening..But I won a prize..:)

I think I have won 3.

Susan..Helene..and now Marie..

In 5 years:)

Probably because I don't enter giveaways..but if a blog I follow religiously is having one..I can't not comment ...

PLUS I feel her art should be shouted out from the rooftops..

And this is the perfect op!

Plus the little jars..:)

Because they are dear.

How thoughtful..

just thoughtful thoughtful.

Sometimes little things appear on a day..that was longing  for a little extra sparkle...

♥

La Recette~

Pie Dough of your choice.

3 apples..Cortland or gala..(mine weren't:) )peeled cored..and sliced thinly

3 cups of fresh strawberies sliced(or frozen)

1 cup of sugar

2 tbsps of quick cooking tapioca

1tbsp lemon juice

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp milk

In a large pot bring the apples ..strawberries..sugar ,tapioca and lemon juice to a boil..stir delicately and allow to simmer 5 minutes..

Temper.

In a 9 inch pie plate..place your bottom crust..fill with cooled filling..top..Brush with the egg yolk you have mixed with the milk..

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for ap 40 minutes.

Let cool..serve once cooled or refrigerated.

I think it could win contests.

Courtesy of Ricardo!

Rainy Days~

It's been raining cats and dogs and  it's been  ccchhhhillly these past few days..
Not ANY gardening going on at  all except to look outside and think ...waning...
And what's up with that area? NEXT year ..I will put this or that..:)

Always plans..in my head for a better garden come  Aug ~Sept.Actually Sept would be ideal to go to France..my garden doesn't need me..
I'm not going..just saying.

Yesterday I had a sweet surprise in the mail
I don't usually show and tell..but I won something..and she sent me something I didn't win too..that was just so sweet..
I will show you later when these clouds dissipate.
Watched a couple of good movies..

The Butler(The Movie Channel)

The Book Thief (Netflix) ..had read the book twice..that girl..Love her..Sophie Nélisse  watch for her!I had seen her in a French movie made here in QC.. Monsieur Lahzar..she is amazing.
Both movies..tears.
And..
Les Vacances du Petit Nicholas very last minute at a downtown cinema with the boys and their parents.
I love movies.
Would like to see the  The Hundred  Foot Journey.

Did some baking..and they are good..
I found my inspiration here..
Chocolate filled cinnamon donut muffins..
I made half the recipe.
Make your chocolate filling way ahead..mine took FOREVER to firm up.I think I should have used a heavier cream.Or less cream..or more chocolate.
You could also use Nutella  for a quick fix..yet different taste..
They are GREAT.
Donna Hay..so ..stands to reason right?
Bon Weekend~

Golden~

Golden Pond~
Golden Anniversary~
Golden Slumbers~
Little Golden Books~
Goldilocks~
Silence is Golden~
Golden Globes~
The Golden Rule~
Golden Quotes~
Golden Milk~

Already some golden days here.....
I cannot believe our maples are starting to change~
Our eldest darling daughter turned 39~this past Sunday..we gathered in the garden..
We had butter brickle for dessert and mini passionfruit cheesecakes..

Ate a little latticed squash tart for dinner one night~with bacon and French shallots fresh eggs cream and cheese..puff pastry..herbs..all in a square Fat Daddio's tart pan with removable bottom.
Made a Tartine wanna be bread..Took me 9 days to make the starter..and I have come to the conclusion that I am the messiest starter maker.
We had the leftovers a la garlic bread on the BBQ with dinner for our daughter's birtday..they loved the taste..and the night of the latticed tart...we had some too.
I will try again..but with my young friend Lee Ann's method~
Favorite Golden things above..
The songs still move me..
And I never ever knew how much I would love Katharine Hepburn even more all these years later.
Loved her then..love her more now.


The day I prepared this post I was saddened to read about
Dear dear Robin Williams.
It just made sense to add Golden Globes to me.
RIP dear Robin Williams.
Golden Globes

Shrimp Ceviche and Maggie~

Maggie is my favorite Daylily..and she most probably will always be..
She's my July Joy in the garden.
She is stunning and prolific..and sturdy..and glorious.
I love her.
It is so easy for me to love plants.
I am just so easy:) To fall in love.
To celebrate August .. a lovely app is this recipe of shrimp ceviche..I made it about 5 yrs ago and posted about it..
Didn't make it since then until recently..
It's as good now as it was then.
It's a perfect summer appetizer..
You can have all kinds of presentations.
I am partial to this serving platter I purchased about 5 years ago.
The spoons are bigger than nomal..like small mise en place bowls with handles..A good sized medium shrimp sits perfectly on top.
You can find my original post here..
With a link to the recipe..That is here too:)
It's fresh and sparkling and clean..and delicious..
I served them with miniature silver forks..
They were perfect.

La Recette~

La Recette~
1 navel orange, peeled 
½ cup fresh orange juice 
¼ cup fresh lime juice 
½ cup diced watermelon 
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger 
½ cup finely diced red onion 
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes 
1 Tablespoon sea salt 
1 pound large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound) peeled and deveined 
¼ cup of chopped cilantro 
lime wedges for serving
Cut orange into segments and chop enough pieces to measure ¼ cup. Stir together orange, orange juice, lime juice, watermelon, ginger, onion, red pepper flakes and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. Steam shrimp until just pink and rince in cold water to stop cooking. Add shrimp and cilantro to watermelon mixture and toss to combine. Cover and let marinate at least 1 hour. Serve with lime wedges.

It's from Taste Book~

Mind you they are all quite pretty♥
Lucky girls that they are.

Prisamcolor~

Did I say Prisamcolor?
Did I mean Prismacolor?
My favorite new coloring pencils when I was young?
No I meant Prisamcolor as in Sam:)
Sam..all her dishes are so colorful..you just want to make them all right away..
As was the case when I saw her Chicken Orzo Salad~
We have been busy here and there..I knew we were out the whole next day..I had everything here.. mind you I did not grill le poulet..we had Costco Rotisserie poulet left in the fridge..so I used that..
I added a few little things..because we had straight out of Fred's garden broccoli..I had cute little shoots..I love those..
I scaled it way down..  we had enough for our dinner..and enough for lunch the next day..
So you have to scale down to what suits you..
I love orzo...should think of it more often..
Should eat more colorfully..
Thank you Sam..
You can find her recipe here~
And all her other technicolor posts there too..Have fun..

Also ..in the last shot..do you see that cute bouquet?
I wanted to send you in this direction..cutest things to add to photos..I love the name of her blog too..
We lived happily ever after~
You can find beautiful fonts..tips on how to use with Photoshop or PicMonkey ..
It is always fun to learn something new..

In the garden..I am watching some annuals thrive..
Perennials wane..
Deadheading..
Still mourning my huge evergreen out back:(
Adjusting to more sunshine..
Feeling August in every fiber of my gardener's soul.
I can hear it too..anyone else.. hear August?

In the kitchen..
Making tried and trues like Marie's Raspberry bars..Jacques LOVES them..so do I.
Shrimp Ceviche..I'll share it again soon..
A wannabe Tartine loaf of bread..
My young sweet friend  Lee Ann makes it all the time..she mentioned it to me..
I was keen on trying it..
More to come:)
Some easy little breads..will share..a not so great loaf of another bread..so no I won't share..my fault I am sure!
So a few things..ready to share but thought I would start with the salad..:)
Nancy..my friend..gave me a hydrangea bush one Easter and the first bloom appeared last week..it's gorgeous.
On a different note..

I am again working on Christmas Ornaments....the link is to the kits..but if you feel like going on your own with her beautiful patterns etc..go here..
I have made A Walk In The Woods..

Ice Skating..

and this year..Night Before Christmas is my choice..I bought the pattern last year..I buy them ahead of time because I cannot resist them.

( this last shot...Photo courtesy of Alicia's website.. as mine are in progress..almost done though~)

How cute is her baby girl under the blanket?
I know I mention her blog a lot..but it was love at first sight with Amelia and all♥

I have other patterns of hers to get into..but I usually complete a set of 3..x 3..per year..
One set for each of our daughters and one set for us.
Sometimes I make an extra or two..if I think someone will like them.
Sometimes..they do..and I can tell..and other times..I think some prefer bought ornaments.
So I change it up a bit..
I buy Alicia's beautiful patterns and set out on a mission to find floss and felt and embellishments.
Sometimes hard to find the right color floss..etc..
I have only Michael's close by..
The right felt color is even more difficult!
I had to PAINT flesh color..on felt..
Oh lala..
Anyways..it is all worth it.
I love to stitch and see how everyone just seems a tiny bit different..

Imagine my surprise at seeing these for sale from someone last weekend.....

Four boxes of flosses..lovingly kept and numbered by someone who used to love  to X~stitch.
While she was x-stitching..we are the same age..I was creweling.~
She was moving and did not wish to keep these anymore.
I bought them.
I am attached to them already.
They will come in handy for little add ~ons..or a whole item outline..for different embroideries..hoop etc..

She was dear when I met her.
I hope she knows I will take care of them for her.
And then ..well.. I guess one day when I stop..someone else can have them.

So cute n'est-ce pas?
I've rambled..
This is like a journal a bit for me..
It's amazing how sometimes you forget when you actually did something or tried a new recipe a few years back..and well..here I have it♥

Have a lovely weekend~

Kid Friendly~ and this and that.

Gleaned from this beautiful blog..I had a few smores bar recipes to try and picked this one.
I must say it was easy and Jacques really liked them..so they are not only kid friendly:)
I confess..I took a few bites..♥

I used my small torch to get a bit of the campfire look:)
I don't know about you but I am AMAZED at the quality of blogs I find on my armchair travels..
Recipes..Photography..or just thoughts..travels..camaraderie.
All age groups.

It's all here..tried and true..at our fingertips..with comments and instructions..
From all over the world.
AMAZING.
And these young people who cook and bake and photo..
Impresssed to say the very least.
At their age.. Pillsbury crescent rolls..turnovers..etc..were my repertoire de choix:)
Kudos..to all..♥
Speaking of kids..  well young girls..almost teens..soon to be 12..
Friends from California were here visiting their families and came to see us.
So nice to take time from their busy schedule..
I have mentioned them before..Here and here..and..etc:) .. a lemon loaf ..that I cannot find my link to!:(
Their soon to be 12 year old daughter..had an outing with her cousin..so she did not come..but look at the bag she made for me♥ that her parents graciously brought.
So SWEET.I loved it so much I had to make a journal page..after this  photo I glued some of  the turquoise tissue to my page and added my California license plate they gave me years ago.
It was lovely for us to sit and visit with them:)
I wish they still lived here.

I love my son-in-laws bunnies..

This one..although beautiful...is not his..it's wild and lives somewhere between my neighbor's home and ours...eats   so many of my things in the garden...he is getting less cute by the minute....mabe not...there you have it:)
It's a bittersweet love affair for me.