I am on overdrive~

You know..from the time the crabapples came to bloom..to today..it's really been  less than 2 weeks?

10 days?

It seems like soooo long ago because everything happens at once here now..

I have seen the lilacs come..and almost go..the LOTV almost come and go..

Why so fast?  Relax..take your time these blooms of mine..

I am finding that I have a revived thrive:)  If that is a word for our gardens..

do I see the end coming sooner than later for me because of our ages?

Health?

I don't know.

But I am primping more..than the last 6 yrs.

I have always loved making small bouquets..this yr is no exception..~

With each early bouquet..even if I do not remember my mom as a gardener..it's her everywhere I look♥

Have I told you that I love my chickens?
My 2 girls?
Bécassine and Caramelle?
They follow me in the gardens and I LOVE that..
I pick them up..they hunker down as Alain said so well..and I bring them back in their pretty coop..
And one day I just CALLED them in..

but today?

Oh lala..they meandered into a bed and DUG..I do like that action of theirs..but not when they dig up..my DAHLIA tubers..oh no girls..!!
They got picked up and brought in for time outs LOL:)

I have an easy cake recipe for you at the end..that uses the same weight in EGGS..don't tell the girls  ;)as the other ings..

good! and plain and simple and fun to dress up w/ home made rhubarb jam etc..

OK..now..do you see the yarn? And the hooks?
IHAVETOLEARNNOW.
Susan and Linda.. and Diane at the beach..and Mary Pat at the beach..they make these FANTASTIC dishcloths..

I have to..
So you see the stuff?
Now what lol..

And the shoes..

my fake Toms..

I went to Michaels twice this week..

NOT a good idea;)

On one visit..I spotted $7.00 white canvas shoes..and I had a coupon..

I cannot leave anything alone;)

Now for some reason I want more blank shoes.:)

And for the recipe..of the cake..:)

It is so easy..all ings are weighed..according to the weight of the eggs!

Weigh the eggs..4

add the same amount of sugar and butter that has been melted and cooled..and flour and the sachet of 11 g of LEVURE CHIMIQUE..which he says is facultatif..optional.

I had such envelopes..from here..

it means baking powder..and I wonder..

look here...

anyway it worked here..


So what do  my expert bakers think?


OMG Max turns ten in the next  imminent time..

How on earth did that happen?

Have a great weekend..

Rain in the forecast here..



P.S.  Did you watch the Finale of CTM?
Tears.

My next shoes will be macarons;)

Adrenaline overload~May~LOOONG.

Years and years ago..more precisely... here ...I mentioned a childhood friend of mine..I have mentioned her a couple of times..

I have not seen her in over 52 yrs (to our recollection..moi et Jacques..) and have not kept in touch..I was 10-11..

Out of the blue I received an email from the Netherlands  a few weeks ago..from a "Gwen"...
..her husband had read  a blog..  mentioning a Dutch childhood friend etc..and he wondered if it was me..and it was:)

so all these yrs later..we have exchanged a few emails and have caught up on things..

How about that?
My husband was astounded:)
Finds it cute cute cute:)
me too:)

My favorite place is back in action..OUR BROCANTE..

I had a specific thing in mind..knowing it is early and we have had a ROTTEN May..  I had to think of regulars..
this earlier Spring..  the spoon ring I have worn for over 45 yrs..snapped in two..worn to the bone..my baby spoon:( I never take my rings off..I do everything w/ them..when off..it's not me..  for yrs and yrs we have  had a spoon..artisan..at the brocante and I have always admired everything..but my first  love..is the spoon ring..and I had one..
I knew that that was my mission saturday.
Boom..Sat. morning..LAST..Sat morning..a spoon ring was back on my right ring finger♥ 

So many things to admire at our brocante..

even though flooding was happening across the street ..water side..in areas..this place was glowing..w/ sun and happy vendors..

I caught the eye..of the mink /vintage seller..


I asked her if I could take a pic..I told her if she said no I would understand because I hate having my pic taken.. Love what my small directional arrow in my watercolor says..:

Le jardinage est une méditation   à ciel ouvert~
Gardening is open air meditation~

it continues as follows....

un secret révélé  à qui le mérite~

a secret disclosed to one deserving of it~

~Ghyslaine Schoeller

This week..Jacques and I had Littles duty..Caroline and Frédérick were ..are..off on a cruise..10 days..

we got Sunday aft until Friday aft..

Some of the LOOP friends dropped by while we were there..

Katie..the only girl..brought her Instax over one day..and I succumbed.
I am certain her CHARM had a lot to do with it..:)

we have a short getaway in mind..and I thought that I would like to add a few Polaroids to my journal..

I loved my Polaroid in the 70's..see our eldest above on a swing set Jacques built her♥

The week was dotted w/ muffins and cookies and fruits and busy..

and our first dinners outside..

and my gardening outside..the fairies are happy..

the weather has been Wizard of Oz ish..w/ winds to blow a home away and witches appearing..w/ yellow brick roads..and Toto..:)

I have lots of Little pics..but lots of the Littles are not mine so I won't post..

home now..

brocante tomorrow..

it has already been 1 week..

My special treat..just for me ..in the mail..

was Carol's ..MY Paris Mail~
Floral Paris Boutiques..

is that my cup of tea or what?

A beautiful Thé Marie-Antoinette  business card ..and a few others..were in the special Air Mail♥

I am not sleeping..thinking about the gardens and planting..and waterings and seedlings..my STUPD tomato plants I NURTURED..are dying because their STUPID over nurturing care giver burned their roots w/ Monty's Joy Juice..SOB..

That's another story~


Have a great week,!!


Oh..and a dear friend/enabler..received a Sennelier order for me and then sent it to me♥

The first thing I did was a color code card w/ examples:)

Thank you dear enabler♥~
xoxox

This and That~

Most of you know I love  the Sketchbook Wandering Blog and it's author..the wonderfully creative  Rita..
She recently made some mini   watercolor books and I followed her lead..I have made 2 and while they can't compare to Rita's I am getting the hang of the ones made with glue..I glued my fabric and my cardboard..
A few years ago I made some journals for watercolors but I wasn't excited about them after all..these I am..after all..:) what cute gifts for friends too:) 

Thank you thank you Rita for the inspiration..that post just called my name right away.

We are babysitiing 3 of the littles in the upcoming week....I baked these muffins and they are good..

Good enough to be in the keeper binders..
honestly I have drawers..full of keeper binders.

You can find the excellent recipe here..they really are that good..made them for the babysitting week.. but...

.. Jacques and I shared one w/ coffee to taste test:)  I did make a small difference in the topping..I added more flour no oats..wasn't sure about the oats w/ the boys..sometimes one weetinylittledifferentthing is enough for them  to say..no thank you nana:)

I had a little pre-mother's day weekend w/ my girls in Plattsburgh NY..Cross-border shopping..so excied I found a bean bag chair for Lucas' upcoming graduation..a chair to sit comfy and read in his room..you should have seen the car;)

We ate at The Brewery and enjoyed our meal.. an app..a huge plate of home made pasta and then we shared the adult sized skillet of the cookie skillet above..it was huge..all 3 of us ate some..and yes Miss I Don't Eat Sweets indulged.
When I came home I knew I wanted o recreate for the boys..smaller scale..and there you have it..Skillet Cookie for 2..(actually 4)..courtsey of My Evil Twin's Kitchen..thanks again Sonia!


Those spinners are the rage here.


My seedlings are so ready to go out..but the weather is actually frightful this May..the flooding has continued..the weather grey drizzly and chilly..apparently a lot of rain coming Sunday and Monday:(
My calendulas..some have buds and my tomato plants..most look like Pippi Longstocking.All leg.

Been in an Italian mode for eating these cold days....pasta..pizza..the usual..a new pizza though from this book..   Dennis The Prescott..available everywhere!He's an IGmer I follow..gorgeous gorgeous pics..happy for his success as a cookbook author.It was really good♥
There has been a lighter meal in between the pastas..I assure you.

That dear Marie..the cookbook author.. :)/artist../mom/nana/spouse/sister..etc..  she inspired me also w/ her darling mini Victoria Sponge cakes..


I am a copycat..you all know that..

thank you to everyone I learn from..♥

Thanks to my girls who are great ..loving moms..
Thanks to my mom♥for just about everything ..plus everything.

And Thank You  LINDA!

Isn't it funny and nice and lovely when you find a blog..you love?
I love recipes..and art and photography and family.. and gardens .. and ..well.. day to day life..
..with anecdotes and stories..and PICTURES..I love words too:)
and sometimes Littles mixed into the recipe..

Linda..hit a spot..s..lol..w/ her gardens and girls..(real life..not chickens)  and Miss Vivian..and Florida..and food..etc..
..stitching.
Look how beautiful and precise..♥There is another one hiding underneath:) She will make a future appearance.

Actually almost edible:)♥

My friend Susan is so agile in stitching too:)

what is wrong w/ my mind and fingers?..I AM GOING TO LEARN TO MAKE THESE.One day:)


Have a peek and see how all this happened....sweet really:)

Have a lovely weekend..and to all Mamas..Happy Mother's Day~

40 days and 40 nights?

I'll start with the cake..

I made this..and it's just ok...maybe because mine took so much longer to bake..so much so that we left and I left the cake in the turned off oven..so I am not blaming the beautiful blog or recipe..some days are bloopers.

I don't know about your part of the world..but April was pretty awful here weather wise..and May is the wettest I can remember..apparently the last time flood waters were so high here..was 1974.

Max was here for a visit yesterday..and I said..":Do you feel like going to the park and I'll take pictures of you?"..~"Sure"..but with that sure I want to be nice to you nana sure..

Hmm..lightbulb moment.."How about I pack up one of my fave cameras..extra batteries..for you..and I do the same for me and we BOTH go out taking pics..?"

~"Sure"..a much better sure but not SURE!:)

So we packed up our camreas and set off for the park..Firetruck and road block and a darling fireman in those plastic fishing pants..so we could not drive down the road and a truck was there with sandbags..I motioned to the fireman..and he said no..

well he meant the car..so I asked Max if I should go ask him if we could walk down..oh the look of slight mortification..lol

so we left and went to another park..and I told him..a swing can be a great pic..a sign..a child piggy back on her dad..he really got into it..we wentured down ..and upon us was the yacht club:(

We met someone I knew yrs ago..I introduced Max to Greg..and told him we were out shooting ..he said you will have lots to shoot down there..well Max and I and our trusty cameras..didn't stop..

a house next to the yacht club..the basement is flooded and we are expecting 10 more days of rain..

Max saw first hand how water can devastate everything..

I loved my time alone with Max..I don't think either of us will forget yesterday..he is young a lot will blend into his background at one point..but my background is yesterday for now..

Coming home..he said.."this turned out to be a lot more interesting than I expected Nana"~

You can see his handiwork above..I told him his pics were so good he needed a copyright.

I am having a series of ap 30 of his photos printed for him to keep..they won't be ready fast enough for us LOL:)

For me too the experience was wonderful....the quiet joy of doing something I love with someone I adore..and sharing..a powerful event.

People are gearing for the worst..certain parts of our principal road by the water..are almost  at the water..adjoining towns on the water..flooded streets like our yach club and homes..

I did tell Max to always find interest in even the simplest of things..objects..because going out shooting is not always like this..

I've always wanted my blog to be about Flowers and food and gardening ,photography and family..

unfortunately this falls into sad photography:(

I sure hope it's NOT 40 days and 40 nights.

Ending on a higher sharper note;)

See that gadget..up there,w/ the knife?

I've had it for over 2 yrs..a Winner's purchase..

I hate dull knives..

the moment I sharpened my first knife w/ this..I thought..:"WOW"..

And now Canadian Living says the same thing.

Worth Every Penny.

It even sharpens those Tomodachi Cheapo Costco knives.

Have a nice weekend.