coffee and cake

Or is it cake and coffee? Whatever, the pairing of the two on this afternoon topped off our meal quite nicely.

Rose made the almond- flavored cake with lemon icing, colored with bright pink or green.

Alan being home made the cake sweeter and the coffee smooth as polished alabaster.

Edamame

Boil in water, drain

Dip in salt

Pop into your mouth

Today I picked up my last CSA box of the season. Twenty weeks of driving to the farm, bringing the box home to discover what fresh organic goodness was contained within to nourish.

Several projects have been lying around my house all summer; depending on the room you entered or the basket you spotted, a project of some sort would be waiting for a free moment to be sewn or crocheted or smocked.
A crocheted afghan was completed and left at my Smockers Guild meeting this evening to be donated to Victory Junction. Very simple pattern adapted from this Mason Dixon book.

The colors were the organization's choice, I just went with the pattern mindlessly. It worked well for those nights we would sit on the couch and watch episodes of BBC's "Lark Rise to Candleford".

Hoping it will bring warmth of heart and body to a precious child.

a change

The rooms were switched yesterday.

 We waited until Witt showed up around lunchtime to raise a chandelier, and he obliged us with helping to move the furniture. My old dining room is now the new living room and the old living room has now become my new dining room.

First photo this afternoon, and what you see is pretty much what it is, no pre-straightening up in the least. Charlotte's piano books are scattered all around the floor from her earlier practice session.

We are nicknaming it the Great Hall, a throwback from our medieval history studies.

It echos. Hoping the rug, on order, will arrive this week and quiet us with its presence.

beauty in refraction

 
The art of learning in life's spontaneous moments, and seeing the beauty in refraction.

We are grooving in our new schedule, getting accustomed to all the schoolwork and extra curricula events that encompass our day. By this afternoon I was so tired by 4:30, I did the only thing I knew to do, or could do for that matter (besides cry)... I prayed.  The psalmist declares,"What is man that You are mindful of him?" Yet, He continually gives personal care to His own and what a manner of love is revealed even in our simple cried out prayers.

While I may get crinkled, or refracted, during periods of my day...He is always steadfast and absolute.

Switcheroo

The old dining room was painted this week. It will become the new living room.

I have been contemplating this switch for quite some time now. It just took convincing some that it was a tremendously smart move. More wonderful people will be able to fit around our dining table, and in this case, more is better.

This chandelier will have to go, but I plan to keep the medallion on the ceiling and add a formal light fixture more appropriate for a living room setting.

I will keep you posted on my progress.

time at home

Lunch outside.

sweet partings

Summer, you sang your last song,

 Labor Day is in our rearview window.

Yet we were able to officially close summer our own way, in style... at the lake...on a boat.  Delft blue skies with puffs of white clouds, lukewarm water to tube in, sunshine to lightly toast our bare arms and legs, and an affable breeze to blow our sun-kissed hair, picnic baskets and coolers filled with pimiento cheese for sandwiches or celery, pickles, watermelon, key lime pie, and brownies.

And pleasing to some taste buds, a cracker spread with basil pesto, cream cheese, goat cheese and garlic...yummy!

I measure my years by summers.


Good-bye sweet summer... until next year.

The less packed into my day, the better.

This is not a reality, however, I aspire to maintain the premise that it is. I find time to brew tea, even if it is cold brewed in only three to five minutes. Quite tasty, and gives me a pick me up so I am able to  keep going... since my days are packed.

Bread and Butter Pickles

Hello September.

Now that you have arrived, contentment reigns. It was only the getting over the steep hill that caused a slight stumble.

School and the various extra activities are crossing over into my days at full throttle.

But first things first, I must make pickles. Bread and butter are my "pickle ala resistance" this year!

I was inspired by a jar of such pickles that were offhandedly passed on to me a couple of weeks ago.

Bread and Butter Pickles

1 gallon cucumbers
2 large white onions
2 peppers, I used 1 red and  1orange
1/2 cup salt
5 cups sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon of tumeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1-1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon whole cloves
5 cups apple cider vinegar

Thinly slice cucumbers, onions and peppers. Place in crock with salt, cover with 1 quart of ice and let stand for 3 hours. For syrup, combine sugar, tumeric, cloves, celery seed, mustard seed and vinegar.  Mix and cook, stirring occasionally, to boiling, and then add cucumbers. Return to boiling temperature and ladle into sterilized jars. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes.

I took an old recipe and tweaked it to my taste.  Both ground and whole cloves were added for extra spice, and what's bread and butter pickles without mustard seeds floating around in the syrup I must ask?

Side note: Witt happened to be here as I was ladling them into the jars, he taste tested them and requested a jar. Need I say more?

miscellany

It's Friday. And my post is one full of a variety of things...

Liriope should never have abided taking on the name of monkey grass. While it might be somewhat bossy and overbearing at times, it does give spiky purple bubble blooms every August to snip and bring inside; I like to add pink zinnias and set them on the kitchen table.

 To my way of thinking lately, everyone should take their daughters along when they go shopping. Both girls insisted that this dress was beautiful. "Please Mama, buy it, you look soooo good in it!" With their insistence and the tempting sale price, I brought it home and wore it out on a date last night with my husband. His first remark, "You are wearing something very young looking." To which I replied," Of course I am, the girls helped me pick it out. Hopefully, people will not think you are out with your daughter." After we recovered from our laughing fit, we headed out the door. Other than the 60% off sale price, I believe the colors in the fabric of this dress are what pushed me over the edge. However, I am happy to report the first thing the lady at the restaurant said to me was, " I like your dress."

A new door was hung between my kitchen and dining room. This was an acquisition I have been desiring for quite some time. Now it is waiting for several coats of paint...Wonder who will  be the designated one to do that?

 Charlotte had a favorite friend spend the night and two pink duckies joined them in the bathtub. The more the merrier certainly rang true in this case.

These are only a sprinkling of the things which make me thankful to embrace family and home on this Friday.