February~

A card for a friend..sort of..I switched it up for her..:)

Painting along with Chris Petri on You Tube..go see..he is great and relaxing and fun .

Found this cute cute book..  100 blank pages..imagine ..later in life..he loves to draw!

They only had Lucas and Noah..and Lucas hasn't drawn in a while  he will be 15..things change..

I snuck this..above.. on the back page inside..he painted this of me when he was perhaps 6.
Who knows though..if it will get filled;)

I was searching for the above here..saw them in my fave librairies in Provence..can you believe I can't find any here?
Even in the US have not found..2 hard cardboards..elastics..they open like a portfolio to draw etc..
Cartons de Dessins.
I tried making some..not so good..;)


It's pretty snowy here..yesterday AM I needed to see the lake..

That's an ice fishing shack above..this is what I call needing to be alone.
Because we have a whole enclave up shore road..

I was gently happy to see the heart..

gently happy  kind of a a word right?

Unrelated to the heart my phone pics are so oversharpened SOOC..not sure what to do..there is no setting to adjust sharpness..I want normal..you can see above I tried to blur..badly..any ideas?

I was alone..  2 people walking far away on the ice with 2 dogs..and me..on the banks..
Isn't it beautiful?

In the kitchen..

This apple crisp though is delicious..Just different enough to have and to hold forever:)I added two apples and cardamom and nutmeg.If you need help tell me:)
The trick w/ this crisp..you make the crumble..refrigerate..
you make a creamy blend of the filling ings and then add the thinly sliced apples..so it's a creamier apple crisp and it's..le bomb:)

February 14th~
For some it's a birthday..others a romantic holiday..and others a commercial holiday.
When the girls lived with us I always had a special little something for them..I know I was giving into it..
Mylène's first V day I made us matching long red skirts w/ heart pockets..she was born in August so not even walking..
I was playing as I said:)
I made heart cakes and brownies forever and I guess Jacques and I gave into it all with cards for a good 10 yrs..
But we long ago made a pact..
no cards no nothing..


LOL I read on Facebook..a man saying when you make that pact w/ your wife..it's so stressful!
Because it's a trap.
I love humor.
If someone makes me laugh..I like them a bit more.

I might even love them a bit more.

Anyway I made a little card for someone special..a bit different than the one above..but extremely similar..
And another for a friend..
I have lots of bdays in Feb.
I made the boys..a heart cookie..with smarties etc..it was a Diane Morissey idea..I have made those giant cookies before..but had never embedded dove or other chocolates after baking..quite cute..:)

I used this recipe..

Original Toll House Pan Cookie..

February..the most special bday..

Our little one is 43!

On the left above..on the right below.. oh my G those old terrible slides..

Loves of my life~Some of them ..because more came along right?
In the form of little boys:)

Did I tell you I made a tape for their Walkmans? It had Carly Simon's  "You are the Love of My Life" on it..it was a tape I made with songs telling them how much I loved them..because Lord knows I cannot sing..nor dance.
Well..they recorded OVER them..bahahaha.
Teens are a treat..lol.

Notice..the RADIO below..and I swear I did not match the girls bathing suits to the chairs;) But notice his summer pathways in '77:) 

I made their clothes..
Obviously;)Pinafores and gingham..♥

The first house he built for them:)♥I'll have to find the subsequent ones:) One had a dutch door:)

And this is  now~

I took this pic of her w/ my phone Saturday as we headed out to Michael's etc..I told her to make that face:) You're only young once and all the sunglasses ads I see on IG the girls do this..
Still playing with her after 43 yrs:)♥
She's a ray of sunshine.
Listen to the song;)

I still feel the same way~

But different.

Whatever you get up to from here on end in February..I hope it sees you content and healthy~♥

~Winterlude~

As you know it's still winter in QC~ Until May..just kidding..
So I am still experimenting w/ snowmen and winter things.
I am lucky enough to have a room for crafts..w/ windows..
Never unpleasant to be there..not pretty by any means..but room..and light..and ..well..I love it.
I am one of these people that loves to learn things ..
so a lot of my learning gets done in that room ..or in the kitchen..:)
I made a couple of snowpeople for here for next Chrsitmas..it's not something you start making right before Christmas;)
I'll have a little vignette somewhere I guess..
They are fun to make..I start w/ styrofoam balls..cover in clay..let dry..and then the fun begins.




I am a muffin lover..a good muffin..bran..oatmeal..all kinds..I love them.
A treat w/ a coffee..
This week I made these.. halved the recipe:)
They rose to the occasion which pleased me..and others.
I'm known to eat half a muffin too:)

I am hoping to start wokking again..
I did years ago and my wok..looked so old(Should have kept it  it IS the wok I need)..that I bought a big red cast iron one..
Who was I kidding? You would need to be a weightlifter.
I gave it to Fred..and my wokking ended.

Come Christmas 2019 and  a thoughtful gift arrived from a Grace Young Afficionado..my friend Linda at How To Cook a Wolf and at on IG..
Her meals are inspiring and most are from this book and Grace Young.
Linda wanted to share her passion with me..and I find that so darn thoughtful.

You can get fab woks in SanFrancisco..etc..
Here in Canada..I was not lucky and let's face it ordering from the US to Canada doubles the price..at least..because of exchange rate..shipping..and then customs and duties..

So I came across a small version..and it's not the right kind..but I'll get back into it gently..
Everything looks so good..
But on second thought and more reading the wok's going back..non stick is a nono..


It would work in this kitchen perhaps:)Circa 1975-76.

Don't you love it..?I do..this was our little girls kitchen in the playroom J built for them..in our first home after we left my parents home..you can see the steps coming down..from our kitchen..
The raised platform so that the appliances were more at their level..THEY WERE SO CUTE cooking and baking:)
Faux paneling..gotta love it..faux window..real home made curtains..
M was 3 C was 1 by the time this was done..and I was 24.
Continuing on the Holly Hobbie theme of course:);)
I want them back....


Also I just wanted to tell you again how much I appreciate the magazine Daphne's Diary.
It's not for everyone..but I know many of you love it also..
It's not like a beautiful Country Living UK..

More like a jazzed up Home Companion..bigger better ..if that's possible.
It's a treat..
I crocheted the macarons after being inspired by this months mag♥
But in effect I needed additional help and resorted to a You Tube Video:)

I am so visual..I need someone showing me ..how..not just writing it out:)

Have a good week~

~Memories~

It's been really cccold here..as in 0 F..yes..you read correctly..
so I stitched and finished Noah's blanket:)

All 4 boys are taken care of now:)
This latest one has an additional token of my love..the handmade button..Linda showed us her works of heart and they had the buttons..
I just had to copy and paste.♥
She is a wonderful wonderful girl that Linda..


Will wait before I start another for us..as sitting so long makes me feel off ..more than usual;)

I baked Marie's banana bread..she is focusing on small batch baking and cooking and I am loving it..

It's perfect for empty nesters..you can find her recipe here..


I have been taking trips down memory lane..in my craft room..one drawer is filled w/ carousels..that have slides..we never look at them..they are 45 yrs old..plus..I had read about an app..that didn't work for me..so I tried putting slides on my light source and taking pics with my phone..
well I am discarding the slides and just keeping faved pics:)
My girls have liked getting daily pics..they are all bad..lol..dak or light..many my head is cut off..
J was the photo taker..w/ a Minolta non DSLR..an we would just get slides done..

Mistake..IMHO.

I am putting some here..imagine these are the good ones..;)Honestly these pics should not be here:) LOL but ..

Mylène with all her newborn hair and Jacques with all his hair:)♥
Notice the orange and gold wallpaper..the dried floral arrangements I made..LOL..we had a carpet in the kitchen that almost matched..I was 21 guys..love the spice rack..and hanging lamp..eventually I had lamps I wove wool around:)

Building our home..in '76..

I loved this dress I embroidered for M:)..the hair again:)  she was maybe 3.

This little girl was the easiest baby ..woke up happy and smiling and fell asleep on demand..or not:)
Unlike her sister above who felt sleep time was a waste of time:) LOL still the same;)
Jacques made their jungle gym and swings..and every home we lived in..they had a big dollhouse out back♥
And played hours on end in them.

Priscillas everywhere in the next house lol and more gingham..and more hair. I adored..adored adored being a mom.

My decorating style..at 24..revolved around wallpaper everywhere..Holly Hobbie and curtains and frills everywhere..I was so excited to make everything;) Not well..at all... but I tried..Bouclair had a dollar stage and you could buy wide fabric for $1.00 a yard..sometimes my girls clothes matched our curtains.I stitched almost everything that hung on the walls..see Holly Hobbie? LOL..and the ceiling was yellow gingham.
I made a canopy over our bed..:)
I love how I served the cake IN the springform pan;)and how elegantly I set the table..Mylène's poor godmother is wearing a lampshade;)

I want to be that girl again. The best years of my life I think..Happy and carefree with two living dolls to play with..I remember that top..stretchy eyelet ended above my belly button..I was brave..and I made that peasant skirt.I was all about long and hippie after my hot pants stage in my late teens;)

Or this one:) I have no idea whose dog that is but clearly it made me happy.

All these pics are awful but they had not been seen in yrs..shortly after this phase of J and slides..I started clicking w/ an instamatic and we have albums full..of much better pics..but nothing like the moms of today can do..
or even the pics I took much later on of my Littles..
Mais c'est la vie..technology moved along..making these imperfect shots..simply fond memories..
Cherished memories.:)
And I am doing more of the same this week..
Raider of the lost Ark:)
I'll probably have enough pics for another post at one point:)

Since most of my pics are gone..I'm starting new memories to come and visit..
Take care~


I have a funny little footnote..this afternoon..Wednesday..Oli,10, came over..

I said we will see you  on the 21rst of February for a special event..not only his mom's bday but she will be in Nashville..Right away he said..10 days after Super Bowl.
RIGHT AWAY.
No counting..nothing..then he said do you know how many chicken wings are eaten on Super Bowl?
He knew..
I Googled when he left.
Fottball fan much?:)

~Moving right along~Things I made~

Starting off the the baking yr with BONNE MAMAN jam ..and Stems and Forks biscuits..:)not sure the recipe is online I found it in her stories on IG..if you don't know Betty go see..her photography is sublime..and she is such a creative person in all aspects.
Sheer sheer beauty.Hard worker..mother..daughter etc..she is the one that is photographing Just Crumbs new cookbook.
It will be a stellar collab.

Also I am always touting pretty molds and cookie cutters..
Nordic Ware is one of my fave lines..
I wanted to tell you that Wilton Cake Release..worked very well for this cake:)
Make sure you always wash your new pan carefully as per instructions.
Personally I have found that flouring makes a mess of things.
For this mold WCR worked best..every nook and cranny w/ a brush..
I will try other recipes as this was not the best although J liked it and ate it.I must say I have made this cake before..for the honeycomb cake itself and it was so good..I may have done something wrong..cornmeal not fine enough this time..

That guy makes a dessert last forever..just a bit every night weighs in the 150's fit as fit can be.. 1 hr treadmill every day for 20 yrs no fail plus a walk outside on top of maintaining everything here..snow..etc..78.
Please let me be like that at 78:)

I made lovely and delicious cream puffs w/ a chocolate craquelin topping and hazelnut whipped cream filling..pastry shop worthy~
You can find the recipe here at Cloudy Kitchen.
I made half and it made almost 30:)


I made this..King Arthur Flour recipe of the year..it was good but soo much bread compared to the topping..looked great..

I don't take dinner pics because it's pitch black when we eat here and we eat at 5.45..lol. EVERY NIGHT.

And I made this and we loved it..I have since bought Chipotle Chili Pepper Powder and will top w/ that next time..I halved..and it made 2 dinner sized ind portions.Seasons and Suppers this is not the first recipe of hers that I have made..and they have always been good!

The following is a public service announcement~

A footnote and warning re an antibiotic~
In Oct I developed a small infection..I didn't even know I had.
I was prescribed an antibiotic because I was going away..in case it reared it's ugly head.
It only became uncomfortable mid way and not so much that I felt I should take an antibiotic...while away.

I did take it on Dec 4th..for 7 days..and felt nauseous..after a few days..but thought so be it..it will go away..
Well it didn't..and I started having pains around my chest..
Dec 22nd I started itching..this is weeks after the cessation of the antibiotic..Christmas eve..out at our daughter's  I just felt worse and worse and itchier and itchier..
I cam home to a back full of hive like small pimples on my chest ,back and arms..
They eventually turned red with itching like poison ivy..and still so nauseous..
Up my neck..and head itch.
Had to see a DR between Xmas and NY..medicine..

still not gone Jan 6th..back to the Dr.on the 8th..
It is (still) and was an delayed allergic reaction to this particular antibiotic.
I had never heard of this..
As of Jan 15th more than 1 month after cessation..symptoms are still there..the rash is far less but all tiny red scabs..
The antibiotic is Clindamycin..and I will NEVER take it again

Just a word of warning..reactions can happen after ..and they last such a long time..flu like symptoms with a never ending itchy rash.
Quite poisonous.Apparently my stomach and skin are angry at me.

So get over it ok:)If you know me you know I don't use this platform for health issues..
but in Googling this antibiotic..I was surprised to see how bad it can be.
Don't want it happening to you.

I would rather share the pretty life~:)♥

Watched a cute Diane Keaton movie on Netflix..Hampstead..love her.

Fleabag just about wins everything everywhere..told ya:)

Started The Outsider on HBO..I love Jason Bateman's work and Ben Mendelsohn is one of my fave actors..win win.
A Steven King collab.
So far..GREAT.

Take care~


Footnote~

Please read this..

I follow Bryarton Farm on IG..  you simply have to Google to find her.
She is absolutely beautiful.
She was born w/ a cleft palate..
She recently posted on her stories.. how to apply make up for a cleft palate..
She also gave everyone a shout out about a despicable woman Wendy Williams..who publicly mocked J Phoenix because of his cleft palate.
I have never seen an uglier segment of a person.
This is what bullying is..
I can't stand to look ate her..
And I am so happy that Adam Bighill is talking about this.
Shame on her..makes me sad.

~Bonne Maman~♥

A new decade..a new year..
I hope it's good..and maybe even better for many.
Definitely not worse~♥

I want nothing but the best for all of you.

I am thinking of a few of you in particular..

I never make resolutions.
I just hope.

I never set goals..never have..at work people used to say to me..at what point do you set your goals?

I honestly never did.

I did get super excited when things went so well I couldn't believe it:)

But I was NEVER one for award ceremonies ..or parties..and I am not married to someone who applauds lol..so it was kind of always ..still to make my mom proud even though she wasn't here.

One day my aged aunt Elise wrote me a card and said:"I saw your photo in the paper..your mom would have been so proud".
That was it.
That made that year so worth it.1992.

I was on stage shaking inside  actually that year.. I hate being in front of a lot of people..and I really did think..Is this all there is?

Anyway..it's been ages..and I am so grateful to all the wonderful people I met..along the way..very very few were not that nice LOL and I passed them to others.;)

One of the first interviews for a listing I went to..I was 28 I think..the man was so mean..so mean..I said :"If you think you're going to make me cry..you're wrong."
Got in my car and bawled.

He is long gone he was 70 maybe back then or maybe he looked 70 to me and was 40 as I was..only 28:)
He called ME..why was he grilling me?

Mr.F.

I'll never forget his name.

Did that job for almost 30 yrs.. and I did love it.
Which brings me to some kind of wonderful.

And it really only hit me as being freaking wonderful when I actually noticed what the jar said ..and thought:"Oh my God ..is my mom seeing this?"
My mom the fabulous artist.
The fabulous person.

So here's the story..you may remember I designed a little watercolor for Bonne Maman after a lovely woman approached me through IG.

And asked if I would paint something..so I did.

Without the Bonne Maman written..just the little artwork.
She was so nice..she liked it♥
So I gave them the art..,that was my idea..they had fully wanted to remunerate me..but I had a job for 30 yrs..I just want to play now.. and so  they sent me sweet Bonne Maman offerings..
She approached me to try my hand at something else but for reasons that are personal..I had to say no.

When Bonne Maman has gatherings..sometimes I see the menu is in the middle of my art..so darn cute to me..
Then at Christmas..I sent my favorite person at Bonne Maman a card (she keeps them:) )

She asked if they could use the art..no lights.. for tags..  they are starting up an E~commerce site.. and would use them as such .I said of course.
And again I was offered remuneration and said no..

I said:" When there are cute things..maybe think of me :) And Jacques said..:"Oh tell her I love their caramel:):)"~

I did say that I had noticed that at all their parties..or some..guests received a jar of jam with their name on it.
Monograms were my fave things in the 70's!

I had a red V neck sweater w/ a white M to go with my kilt at Christmas..in the 70's;)

anything with words..names..initials..I am in;)

So..I mentioned if ever you are printing up jars w/ names again..I kind of would love that:)

I received cute things and jars of jam..as a thank you..and later as I put them away..
I noticed that one of the jars had my name.
And look what she had inscribed.
Well.
..
I just thought:"Oh my God mom I hope you  can see this".

I am a kid playing w/ paints..she went to L'Ecole Des Beaux Arts in Montreal.That was to be her future..

Then she met my jet setting dad..lol..and that was the end of that.
Anyway..

I am making this my first post of 2020.

That successful ,talented,lovely woman at Bonne Maman..lit up my life this past year.

And I am so grateful.

I am not eating that jam:)

I have loved BM since the first day I saw their jars.

I have been to France 4 times since 2009 and scope out the BM in the grocery stores:)

I love their products..even the empty jars..and I have a super sweet collection of things that will be in their E~COMMERCE site soon.

Oh..and we had snow;)

I think he needs a jar of Bonne Maman:)

It is still so hard to search past posts and find all my photos missing..back it up everyone ..back it up.

And I am disappointed that one cannot comment on blogs w/ mini Ipads..All Blogger related.

I can't on my own blog ..to reply..and I cannot on others to comment.
Is this getting towards the end of Blogger as we know it?
I've tried it all..different browser..clearing cookies and cache..the whole nine yards.
To no avail.
Anyone have solutions?
Thank you and I hope people light up your lives in some ways in 2020.