Friday, September 20, 2019

Sunshine is all around me! Yet here are moody shots;)

Food for thought~


When I saw Linda's IG post about this Apple Fritter Bread on IG..I knew I had to..make it:)So I went to where she sent me:) Here.



When I saw Suzie's IG post ..I knew I had to go to her blog and get the recipe!

Being INSPIRED..
my fave learning curve♥

And these were delicious too!

From Diane Morrisey on IG again.
This flat bread from Adonis..toasted w/ roasted tomatoes..garlic ..honey..and a baked goat cheese round..I love Nonna's balsamic Glaze Drizzle to bits.



Below..my new FAVE date squares..for now;)
I have been making date squares for 45 yrs..so many versions..
this one w/ coconut..in the crumble..and butter in the filling..caught my eye.
You can find the recipe ..here..

Below..
This chintz loving light loving yellow loving girl has a hidden secret:)
We have a Game..of Thrones..ish dining room.
perfect for darker moody looks..lol
Lots of windows..gratefully..


Chair backs and drawer pulls..that green paint..my mom was an artist..is it hers?







I am so INSPIRED lol by all the dark and moody shots on IG..

So the only area that can be dark and moody here ..really..is our dining room.

It has followed me ..all the days of my life..

It followed my dad..all the days of his life..

His dad..would be maybe 130 yrs old?

As my dad would be..107..so his dad would be more.

I never met him..my grandfather..

But I do know he was well known..well loved..accomplished.
A judge.

The dining room set we have had for 46 yrs..belonged to my mom and dad..

He had inherited it from his dad..the judge..

M.Le Juge ..used this table..chairs..buffet and an ornate beveled glass curio/china cabinet for his..chambers.
16 chairs ..many panels.

I use 4 chairs and keep 2 to the side..

One of my daughters ..may use many panels and make way better use of it.
But everywhere we moved to....
I made sure the table ..in it's square form..no leaves....sat 4..fit.
Mahogany..Jacobean..
It won't matter once I am gone..I won't know..but I would hope it stays in the family.

Lucas loved hiding under  all the beautiful ornate legs..he loved jumping on our bed and furniture too..LOL and we laughed..

Only Oli..has been a bit like Lucas and jumped on sofas:)

When our whole family is here..it is not at it's best this dining room style wise;)

Cramped..mismatched chairs..

But..
I have my favorite people in the world around me♥

It looks fab..in it's present state..antique wise..I could get a toothbrush in all those nooks and crannies..but no..

Family wise..tablesetting..it's more a cartoon..and I need to laugh.Less now w/out high chairs and I MISS those days..

Like I will miss these.







It all ends in a few days but we are in forr a last hurrah summer weekend..This weather has been nothing short of stellar with crisp mornings and evenings and blue skies..with still lots of blooms around.
Russian Sage..zinnias..hydrangeas..roses..not many but still some roses..and sedum.
Have a nice weekend~



32 comments:

  1. All of those recipes sound wonderful! Have a great weekend!

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  2. Wonderful!!! Delicious food, amazing pictures.
    Have a great last summer weekend.

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  3. Dearest Monique,
    You are a sweet lady for hanging on to those family heirloom pieces of furniture.
    No doubt a lot of love was shared around the table over the age and still some more years!
    You make fabulous 'still life' style photos that already tell a full story, like a picture is worth a thousand words - all about your mood.
    Yes, the season will darken soon and the mood has to shift from sunny and colorful into cozy and darker indoors. But you are a master in creating soul food for all your loved ones!
    LOVE those dark, perfectly round tomatoes.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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    1. I have seen this style of furniture appear in old movies etc..it warms my heart.
      I could never part with it and have felt honoured to have it..
      The workmanship is unparalleled..
      I love learning new things and must say Instagram is an inspiration..have you tried?👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

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    2. Instagram I got dearest Monique but right now other priorities. Digitalizing all our home videos and Pieter is SO HAPPY watching them on his new iPad Pro 12.9 so it pays off. Also need to write and publish his updated version on his 1978 scientific book for which I get still requests. Doing an iBook will be possible but lots of work as it is over 500 pages and so many photos. But I've completed more mega tasks before. Just praying hard that Pieter may live to see it all in person... You are SO right about the workmanship of old things! 💞

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    3. My friend Nancy just bought The Ipad Pro 13..learning cuve:) They are the talk of the town for illustrators also..w/ Procreate etc..
      Good for you and doing it all!!Bon Courage!
      You are such a perfect match you two:)

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  4. I was going to ask how you got those fabulous moody photos at the top of your post and what special equipment you used. But you just used your dining room! They're wonderful!

    I just love your beautiful dining room furniture and more than that, love the story and history behind it. I love having things that were part of the family and that move from generation to generation. I hope it stays with your family too.

    Everything looks beautiful, delicious and so pretty. Yummy tomatoes! Oh, how I will miss this season when it ends. Fall has its beauty (and I suppose winter does too, if only it weren't so darned long and cold!). But there's something about this transitional season that really touches my soul. As always, a post filled with perfect details!

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    1. Me too!
      And I do adore 4 seasons..just 45 days less of winter would be perfect🙏🏻This dining room set is so meaningful to me☺️☺️☺️

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  5. I loved reading about the dining room set. Such rich history. That last picture with garden flowers: Spectacular!

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    1. You must be having Indian a Summer too!Oh I just love this set A☺️☺️☺️💕

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  6. I read this as I have my morning coffee and the perfect little crustless egg quiche that M prepared. Your various images are stellar, but honestly the way you tell a story is so wonderful. I've never heard your voice, but I hear a voice when I read your words. Someday we'll meet in person, share a conversation over a cup of tea, and the real voice will be there!
    You know I grew up with just such a table. Well, it is different in style, but heavy square oak table that had been passed down from my grandparents. We played under that table. Yes, we did. It was a castle, a fort, a faraway retreat. My sister has it in her home now., and the legacy continues as her grands play under this heavy oak piece., and family gathers at holidays and other times to sit at this more than a century old friend. Oh, what stories it could tell! I want to make the apple fritter. Happy weekend, Monique. Enjoy this last few days of summer.

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    1. I love that we share playing under the table stories☺️☺️I have a feeling it may stay in the family with fingers crossed.I feel likeI know your dear sister☺️☺️Your M is treasure!!

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  7. What beautiful 'moody' photos but what I really love is the room in which you created them and the history behind it! So interesting! My mother would have been 104 this year and I know you were the baby of the family as was I :) Has the little bit of green paint been there as long as you can remember? I would be fun to know how it got there ;) I've already saved the recipe for the date bars and I can't wait to try them! I love dates and coconut so I think they have to be wonderful. The one good thing about fall is all the wonderful food! We've had very summery weather this past week but I know how rapidly things change after fall begins :( Our grass is still beautifully green though! Unusual for this time of year but what a rainy summery it's been.

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    1. This is the best summer weather we have had!I just gathered seeds and tomatoes and the sun was pelting my head.That extremeIndianSummer heat.
      My mom would be 100.
      Yes thesoups andstews And such💙💙I never noticed the paint.But I never painted in the dining room to my knowledge.Iam romanticising that my mom did💕and it’s hers..
      My brother engraved something on the table 😮in his youth..he is 72..funny about engraving..Caroline did a sofa we have in the basement here😂😂Artists..lol.. I could say was wait till your father gets home..that was my line😂😂It’s the coconut ,Pea... that made me Pin it☺️☺️

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  8. Wonderful food, a feast for the eyes. Your photos are always amazing! Very ornate dining room furniture with lots of memories. I would enjoy seeing more.

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    1. Thank you!!!Sometimes recipes are perfect..these were!I thank the authors!Our set would look so good in a huge room...but we hardly ever entertained large groups..so we always kept the size comfy to just sit 6..we are 12 now..in our family and pretty big people ...so you can imagine that ..it is tight:)One day maybe it will be in a large room..we never thought ahead as in grandchildren..my favorite guests☺️☺️☺️

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  9. I didn't know...or imagine you in a 'Game of thrones' setting...
    I think of pink roses as your perfct environment.
    Now I must re-think you in velvet trains, tapestry patterns and a tiara swanning around the house with a French whip. Ha!

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    1. You would love my grandfathers pic in his robe in this room:)2 of their ornate oils..it feels otherwordly and so rich in history.
      ♥:)

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  10. I love all the recipes you have tried and have bookmarked them to try myself. Probably won't end up looking as good as yours do. I love the background to your dining room furniture. It almost sinister looking as you say "Game of Thronish!" But what character! I hope that one of your girls does take it on and that it continues to be handed down through the generations! Nothing I have now will be handed down as I lost all my heirlooms years ago. My rings perhaps. I have been sad this week because of my youngest son. Couldn't say anything on the blog as he might read. He and his wife are expecting their first child. My middle son told me. I am not supposed to know for some reason he doesn't want me to know. As you can imagine it feels not so very nice. But it is what it is. I make the best and look forward to seeing two of my other babies, soon I hope! Happy weekend. Autumn tomorrow. Summer went far too quickly. xoxo PS - Your tomatoes! BEAUTIFUL! and I am betting so delicious! ♥♥♥

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    1. I noticed an even deeper regeret.Now I see.:(
      What utter nonsense to not want you to know.I believe you.
      For so long you have had this heartache over 2 of your children..and I just can't believe it.
      I know life isn't la vie en rose with families always.
      But this in my opinion is mental cruelty.You love your children..you've had a rough going with their father..it's not your fault what happened.
      I continue to hope things will come around.
      I would be hard pressed to not open my mouth and be blunt with your daughter and son.
      All of us who miss our parents..would do anything to have them back.
      They may one day be riddled with regrets.
      It is very GOT yet very DA:) Let's think of it that way;)

      I recently saw a post or a movie or whatever that had this very ornate lion theme..which show?
      BTW enjoying Unbelievable.Unbelievable those 2 jerk policemen w/ Marie..that poor Marie.
      Love The female detectives..and the wonderful "Nerd"(I love nerds)..who discovers the tool to find the car..and has the registration and name ..Smarty Pants can rule.
      Hope I took your mind off my children rant for one nanosecond.

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  11. Game O' thrones Dream:) And watercolor ..and Balsamic syrup (I'll take Maple)..:) FUN.

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  12. Una buona serata e felice inizio settimana

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  13. Beautuful flowers delicious food..What Will we need more...happy week Monique...love Ria 🧡🍁🍀

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  14. The many moods and colors of La Table de Nana!! It's all delicious!

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  15. Monique, I love your dark, moody shots. And those tomatoes - yum! :)

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    1. Thank you!! It's gloomy here in our little town today and leaves are starting to turn..It will be cooler too the next few days..we've really had a great end of summer ..xxxxBelieve it or not I was just thinking of you.

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