What? July 1rst?Tomorrow?

This cake scored a 10 w/ J..it's from here..
and it is a 10..the caramelized almonds on top make it..she initially made it w/out cherries I think..then added..
I think it's the best cake I make.:) LOL.

A new cookbook for me..

For a long time..I have followed @justcrumbs on IG..Suzie Durigon..
I watched her journey..long and arduous in creating her cookbook.
Betty @stemsandforks an amazing photographer joined the project to become it's photographer.
I knew this book would be a winner with these two;)
I was right.
Eye candy plus great recipes..
A cookbook needs great pics for me;)
And great recipes.
A match made in heaven.

I gave the blueberry breakfast cake to my family one early morning..left it there..I had a bite to taste..it's cake..muffin..scone;)

one of my grandsons sent me a pic of him eating it saying how good it was♥

I just love the 4 boys..all different all so original and sweet with us.
I also made her butter tarts Sunday..and J gave them a 10.
Funny my mom made her pie dough w/ Crisco or Tenderflake..
I made Suzie's because I wanted the full on Just Crumbs Butter Tart experience..
When J tasted it he said..mmm..butter ? No..
all shortening.
EASY as pie to make by hand.
Flaky..
And NO SOGGY BOTTOM.
Delish tarts.
I honestly make all butter..half butter..and storebought:)

Our weather has not been super for the gardens..I don't now why but Feverfew is absolutely thriving in big big bouquets here and there..when they leave..whoa..the gardens will be sad and me too.

I read that Broadway is closed until at least Jan 3rd 2021..
Jacques at one point questioned if Christmas gatherings would happen:(
Summer you can be outside 6 feet apart.
Winter in QC?
Not so much.I won't dwell on that..
But ordered cotton yarn for farmhouse dishcloths..
Need to stay focused on creativity not negativity.

Social distancing..no mask required~

Tomorrow is July 1rst.

Canada Day..♥

Take care everyone..

~Blue skies and pretty blooms..watercolors and pasta~

What's Blooming Now..♥ 

Time to harvest the garlic scapes..June 16th~

She was beautiful this year..but..the chafers have arrived.

All kinds...

below..

And still all kinds below..

Had fun painting Noah's home:)

This is something I love to eat during heat waves..or anytime in summer..I've mentioned this one million times lol..

It's so easy..

In a bowl..

Cut some great little cherry tomatoes up..
add garlic that you have chopped too
add parsley..
Olive oil
salt and pepper
kalamata sliced olives
herbs that you love..i.e..basil..rosemary..chili pepper flakes..oregano..
capers f you like them..
Mix all this up in a bowl..
cover and sit in the sunshine all day long.
Cook your pasta of choice and spoon this delicious sun cooked pasta sauce on your pasta.
Sprinkle w/ Parm petals and extra basil..
You can top w/ garlic bread crumbs too;)

It really is absolutely delicious.

Our 19 yr old dishwasher..ended it's cycle...
It was great.
anyway we hand washed for 1 month and I am fine with that but we both knew we should get a new one..so we did..and Jacques the engineer installed it..no small feat as a box had to be installed..an electrical box..Bosch..the new ones need it..so he did that..

It's a long job..

Before he started..I had to empty part of a cupboard to the right..
The silicone part lol..
I know..no wonder the bunny looks down.

These have all been tidily relocated to my craft room..They were organized in the cupboard but when I emptied I threw caution to le wind.

Imagine..this is just the silicone.
I am a baker.
No question.
Some are gifts..some were such bargains.. some were recommended..
2 of my favorites you can't even see..buried..

I told my girls..they are aware..of their new resting place..

I got laughing emojis when I showed them this.;)

Imagine..the spring form pans..Nordic Ware..ceramic ware..you cannot be married 46 yrs and not accumulate baking things if you are a baker.
Or flowers if you are a gardener.
Or paints and paper if you like to paint.



Ending my post on a very pretty note..
Paris Breakfast Letters From Paris..Marie-Antoinette♥
On the right of her blog..in her Etsy shop:)
I mean..look...

A dose of the pretty rule in your mailbox.

~June 11~Gardens and Pizzelles and aquarelle.

These above are in a front bed..

We are getting old..our wood adirondack chairs rotted..I replaced them begrudgingly with plastic..moving them for lawn mowing ..much easier.

I still remember when we laid earth everywhere here and seeded for the grass that is mostly weeds after 20 yrs.
Our children and son-in-law helped every step of the way..even the flagstone walkways everywhere..
I need to divide those front hostas..they took off..
That..my friends is an awful backbreaking job.

A new addition..I adopted 3 String Of Pearls..this one is slightly different than the other two:)

I love the way they grow..love the look..succulents you need hardly water them at all!

Many many many moons ago I made pizzelles with a friend..I loved it..for yrs I have had a pizzelle maker in my cart and I bit the bullet recently..

So glad I did:)

The gardens are awakening..they catch up here and hurry on..until they are gone..
I am enjoying the warmth on my face on certain days.
I love The spirea by the fairy pond..they live there..

and every yr..irises shock me into believing I can grow them:)
I adore Van Goghs'..:)
On most days I am very dirty in the garden..upkeep days..but some days I just walk around and take pics..
I love photography and flowers fit in perfectly!

I used the watercolor book in the first pic that I bought in Provence..to paint Nana's Garden..
It's a funny texture..more a stripe texture..but still it's PROVENCE to me.
My fave green is beyond the fence..DS Cascade Green..

I used to make garden notes..and wow somehow I stopped..

so before I forget..

Garden Notes for next year..2021

*Make sure you have starting soil for tomato seeds..and fresh pots.
*Flower seeds start way better direct outside...less waste..
case in point parsley ..basil..4 o'clocks.
*Root cuttings for basil  are better for me.
*Rosemary ...roots!
*Bungee cord your Korean lilacs at front of house.
*Great idea pruning roses and creating an obstacle course by the tomatoes and lettuce..who would want to walk on thorns?
*I am told Iris grow well in mulch!
*Buy lots of earth and mulch.
*Add a spirea to left of pond.

For now this is my list;)

Blooming now ..June 11th

*Iris
*Spirea
*Tree peony and fried egg peony :)
*Catmint
*Korean Lilacs
*Some Geranium rozannes
*Weigela
*Bleeding Hearts
*Hellebores
*Vinca
*Yellow rose of Texas
*Still FMNs

I guess that's it for this almost mid-June update..

The wind is howling..good thing I have two bricks on my chairs;)
We are still staying put.

Covid cases are not encouraging..

A doctor fro Notre Dame was on the news.."PLEASE MAKE MASKS OBLIGTORY".
This is not over.:(

Take care.

~June~Is tomorrow.

Some days were actually heavenly~

Hollyhocks sous cloche...trying to encourage growth.

We did our first online curbside order and it went well.. so well we did it again.. again..wrong order  the first time..lol..  but we were still there and the young man was so apologetic and handsome..honest mistake..2 Moniques;)

Strawberries were in the pick so I made a custard Creme pat /strawberry/Dorie Greenspan sweet shortbread crust tart.J's and mine lol..it's a small tart and mine is smaller.

Very good..Coming clean here.. the creme pat is pre-made.and bought.The rest home sweet home..my glaze is Bonne Maman strawberry jam melted.I am not fond of glazes in pouches.

And The View From Great Island's Strawberry Buttermilk cake is always a winner!Thanks Sue!
I made my fave treat when we can get lobster..lobster rolls..
and LCBO's sushi pizza made me want to make that too..
Both were really good.


Garden wise..I am not gung ho..I am grasping at straws ..and watching seeds grow and not grow.
My standard Korean Lilac died..it was to me the focal point of my front garden:(

We had a bad heat wave ..humid..it's too dry..things are dying.


I have put hostas in usual annual pots..

Time will tell if I get to a nursery.
My nice neighbour picked me up two ferns for the front porch..


Still not excited about everybody coming out now..
and so many no masks..
Oh well I am no authority by far.

Our Serviceberry bloomed beautifully..and then ..2 days later  ..gone!

All the blooming trees could not stand the heat.
Shortest bloom time ever..
May is not made for 100F temps.

I took advantage a of a favorite tea company's free ship;)

And enjoyed every minute of Chris Petri's latest youtube tutorial~strike that..before last.

My posts used to be cohesive and coordinated and then I lost everything and post less..
So nothing is coordinated..I just post here and there with ideas..
No theme..just sharing what works etc..

Mostly Instagram posts..that I place here in more detail.

It's just such a different time..the blog gone missing..

Covid..

And now all this turmoil  since I started this whole post..That just saddens me inside out.




But ..here I am.

Mid May~Meh~

May's been Meh..but yesterday the sun shone and today it's brilliant and more to come apparently..
I see trees of green..(a bit..)

We're still in this mess..have to focus focus focus elsewhere.

I've been painting and caring for seeds and tubers and tomato seedlings..June 1 I'll plant my tomatoes..I won't rush it this year.

I had pulled out sooo many things..wanting to make way for younger and fresher but that will not happen this year.

The BM painting was inspired by tarts I made ..from none other than the illustrious Marie at The English kitchen:)Thank you!
And you all know I love Bonne Maman:)

I have been painting..here and there and yonder..I do love it..made the little Bonne Maman sheet..looks blurry here for some reason...
and the card..it shouldn't be a card..

For my painterly friends..in your journal on one page..paint..I painted myself waking into a dream.
Then you cut out the door..not all the way..so that what you paint on the next page is partially seen from the door..open the page, and it's all there.

I learned this from.S Dion Baker ..on instagram.

I was spoiled with beautiful flowers ..♥

Both girls gave me bouquets..Jacques' always said:"You're not my mother" ;)
And he's right.
I hope all 4 boys think of their moms later in life..♥
I've only spotted muscari and FMNs here..
Slow start..
Still......
Take care..