Tuesdays Gone with the wind

I have been in quite an uninspired place the past few days. Life away from the computer has been fine and dandy but I could not bring myself to put finger to keyboard. I just don't have much to say. I have spent a lot of time looking at other blogs and admiring the creativity and the unadulterated pretty of it all. Me, not so much! Today I was inspired by the whole beauty of it all. I went for a little bike ride, felt the breeze and just enjoyed the whole majesty that is the Pacific Northwest. The air is just so clean here. Then I came home and spent some time looking at other blogs. There is a list to the left of this post of places I love to go online. These are blogs that i think exemplify all that is good in a blog. They provide me with signposts to places I may be too lazy to find on my own. Decor 8 was my blog of choice today and I loved the whole piece on Anthropologie and how they have commissioned the artist Nathalie Lete. So much pretty just sitting right there at Anthropologie. I receive the catalog and I do go to the store whenever I venture across the Puget Sound to Seattle, but I feel quite sure without the aid of a blog, I may have missed this completely. So thank you to all those that blog and do all the hard work for me. Thank you for letting me just sit back, relax, drink coffee and simply live through your endeavors. Merci



Photo via decor 8

What to Bake? What to Bake?!

Tomorrow is Sunday and I feel a bake fest coming on again. The husband has requested strawberry cupcakes again so that is always fun but I feel the need for something a little more adventurous too! I feel a perusal of Baking by Dorie Greenspan coming on - she never steers me wrong. Perhaps a plate of the World Peace Cookies - sweet and salty makes me happy. Oh perhaps Parisian Macarons - so light and delicate and beautiful. Oh we shall see where my mood takes me!

Pottery Barn Kids

I love receiving this catalog. So many wonderful ideas and images that make playing with my children's rooms so much fun. I absolutely want to live in this house though - it makes me do a double sigh. And that shell house must be made this summer. I can feel a project coming on!

For Grandma Becky

I finally got to spend time talking with my favorite talking on phone person today. In honor of that privilege, here are some photos for her. The parasol one is a request, the middle one is of the flowers I spoke of and the third was taken outside after I hung up. May her TN pain go away so I get to speak to her on a more frequent basis - see it is not about her pain, it is always all about me!!

 

 

 

Oh Sigh!

toast | home



Just have this sent to me and all will be well! I just love the way this looks. Sometimes I forget I am British but good old catalogues (yes that is how we spell it in Britain) like this, remind me that is still okay to be British!

Tree Houses

I love tree houses. I had a huge one in my garden growing up and I love them. They are all that is great in the world. They invoke childhood memories for me and make me smile. So I was delighted to see this sales flyer yesterday at the local Macy's. It made me smile wide and set me off on a whole story in my mind. I started to imagine the house behind that door! I want to live there!!!

 

Earth Day

Yesterday was Earth Day, a day to reflect on all that we consume and to ensure guilt ensues. I have noticed that the only people who really pay any attention to Earth Day are those who are already aware of the problems with our planet. They already reduce, reuse and recycle. I wonder if it is really making any difference. I hope so! I try very hard to do my part but I know I am sorely lacking. I take my tote bag to the store but sometimes forget to actually take it from the car into the store. I recycle like a fool but I know my paper towel use could be lessened - if I could just remember to use the dishcloths. I never use paper plates or cups or any other kind of disposable food product. I hate Starbucks so there are no worries about carrying one of their cups. I take my own coffee from home everywhere in a travel cup that I have had longer than I may care to admit. So I do try but I know it is not enough.

Yesterday I took my son into Macy's and we were greeted by a smiling woman who offered both my son and myself a tree! Not an actual full grown tree but the beginnings of one that I can plant somewhere and make myself feel better. Then my son was given an activity book that was full of ideas and tips to lead a greener life. I thought to myself "Wow, what a lovely thing for Macy's to do'. However, when I made my purchase, they insisted I carry out said purchase in one of their plastic bags. I told them I had a tote but they were adamant that I needed to carry it out in one of their bags. They had not taken stock of their canvas totes yet so I was unable to plunk down the $4 required for the privilege carrying a more permanent advertisement for them! One step forward, so many steps back!

So back to Earth day! I wonder how effective it can be when it is reaching the same people every year - The people who already do their share. How do we get the loafers on board? How do we get the disposable lifestyle people to take a look at what they do. I guess it requires more than a day a year. It seems impossible to me. I see litter on the sides of the freeway and wonder how it got there. Do people really toss their used junk food wrappers and bottles and cans out of their moving vehicles. It is beyond incomprehensible to me that anyone would do that. Strange beyond belief.

But I have preached enough. I need to go bake - it soothes me! Chocolate Orange cookies for everyone.

My New Lens!

I finally got around to getting a new lens for my camera. It had been on my mind for a long time but procrastination is one of my downfalls! So I finally have my new lens and I managed to try it out really quickly this evening. My first subjects? The Ranunculus that are blooming outside my front door. Oh so pretty!

Sunday afternoon Baking

I love Sunday afternoons. They are just perfect dog dangling hours where nothing is expected of you until it is time to conjure up dinner. I usually spend the afternoon giving one room a real thorough cleaning while the kids do their best to destroy any of the other rooms. Then I get my apron on and hit the baking! I usually have an idea of what I am going to bake in advance, but sometimes I will just pick up a book and leaf through it until inspiration hits. Of late, cupcakes seem to be my thing. I like using them to practice my decorating - I need the practice believe me! Today we have Lemon Cheesecake cupcakes on the menu.

I have a very bad Barnes & Noble habit which is not helped by my son loving that store too. He begs to go there which I would like to believe is because I have fostered a love of reading in him. Of course, the reality is that they have a large Thomas train table there and he can spend the better part of an hour having a gay old time. I just get my fill of British magazines and watch him from the comfort of a chair! Anyway, I always end up purchasing him at least one book and I have to pass the bargain books to get to the checkout. Usually there is a pretty picture of a baked good that lures me into the sucker purchase. Most of these purchases bear not much in the way of good recipes, but my last purchase promises perhaps a little more. I was taken by the pretty cupcake festooned in its fancy floral decorations. Inside more pretty things were to follow and I decided that the lemon cheesecake cupcakes deserved first shot. I love lemon, husband loves lemon and we all love cheesecake. So here we go!! I made them in the jumbo or Texas size pan so it produces only 6. They were a little floppy when I tried to take them out of the pan but that was mainly because I could not wait the two hours that I was told to wait. Besides having a little sway to their sides, they tasted divine. Make again worthy for sure!!

While I was waiting for the cheesecakes to bake, I picked up a Martha recipe that had been sitting on top of my fridge. I guess I printed it out last week. So as it required no more than a little chocolate chopping and some microwave melting, I made my husband some peanut butter cups - his favorite. I cannot vouch for their taste as they are not something I would eat - not a combo I get on board with! Eric gave them a resounding thumbs up though so there you go.

So a productive Sunday afternoon for me and also a relaxing one. There is just something so calming about baking and cleaning and seeing the house shine that makes me happy. I guess I am really a frustrated 1950's housewife - and that is okay!!

Well so Much for that!!!

A week has passed since I made my steadfast resolution to blog often! It has been a rather painful week though so that will have be my excuse. I have felt rather like hammered dog poop all week and today only feel a little less like taking myself out back and hitting myself upside the head! All week though, I have been in the mood to make my world prettier but one glance in the mirror has revealed it really does start at home. So with saggy eyes, tired skin and a feeling of almost can do, I resolve to make this the week I blog in earnest. I am off now to plant my hanging baskets - it is snowing here so the garage will be as far outside as I can get! Then a jaunt to the kitchen for the weekly vegetable sauce making marathon for my daughter. Followed by lemon cupcake cheesecakes (or some such endeavor). Have fun and here is a photo of last weeks Strawberry Cupcakes - yum!

Again with the Blog!

If at first you don't succeed, try and blog again. I have failed miserably in my prior attempts to do this blog thing - I find excuses to not sit and direct my attention to something! But this time I swear it will be different. This time, I will be consistent and this time, I will be diligent and this time, I will be.... oh who am I kidding, this time I can only promise that i will try!

I have spent a lot of time of late enjoying the fruits of others labors. I have found some beautiful places to go online and lose myself. There are so many beautiful blogs out there and I have barely scratched the surface. Most of the blogs I have listed are places I visit most every day and I find myself getting quite miffed if they have the audacity to take a day away from their computer.

So I decided that I will try another blog. See how far I can take it! See how long I last before I get distracted by something shiny!

Please to Enjoy!!!!