Hostess Shopping habits...Friday post.

I try to shop locally as much as possible.
This is especially important when it comes to food.
If we want the farms to survive as acreages
and the local farmers to stay in business we need to give them our business.

I opt to shop in smaller stores where I know the owners...
the big box stores do not offer much in the way of service
and one generally does not engage in the same sort of conversation with the clerks while conducting business as these stores are usually noisy and crowded and the line ups long
which makes waiting to get through the till a rather tedious exercise.

Having said that, there are a few exceptions...

Like linens...
Our kitchen tea towels are all made of linen.
I love how soft the linen towels get after many washings.
After years of fighting with the iron I have come to terms with the job, and I love ironing...
standing back admiring the stack of freshly ironed tea towels each week on laundry day is a just reward!

I'm not sure why ironing was in the category of "domestic drudgery"...
it never occurred to me that all I needed to do was shift the way that I thought about the job in order to embrace and enjoy the process...
after all is said and done, it is repetitive and very meditative.
Calming...

Patricia Hines designed linen towels from Western Australia

found in a local second hand shop

as new ~ unused

$7.00 each

Each towel has a bit of red in the pattern which is why I bought the pair...

I have a red tea kettle and some other red accents in The Humble Bungalow Kitchen.

Coffee for my morning cafe creme comes from Italy

served in my favourite bowl

from

Emma Bridgewater Black Toast pottery from the UK

Since retiring I have been quite frugal...

especially with clothing.

I have kept a book where I record the clothes that I purchase and how much they cost.

It has been a great exercise and I plan to keep up the habit.

I love to shop vintage and peruse the charity shops.

 This is rather like a hobby as it can take up quite a bit of time.

If one is pressed for time this is not the best way to shop.

We have quite a few good consignment shops in town which are fun to browse.

One of my favourites is Good Things on Oak Bay Avenue.

I have consigned many household things with them...

recently we took some of Mom's items to them.

 I have purchased many more items from them that I could ever list!

(no book itemizing these purchases exists!)

Other shops are;

Value Village, Salvation Army, WIN thrift, St. Vincent de Paul, Super Chance and the James Bay Community Closet are located in town.

The Beacon Hospital Thrift Shop in Sidney is a 40 minute drive

but has a good selection of housewares, books, and clothing.

Like any second hand shop one needs to go with an open mind and look carefully at what is in the store.

Do you shop second hand?

Do you prefer to shop online or in person?

How was your Friday?

Mine was busy, but relaxed.

Yoga class, lunch out with a friend, and a wee bit of shopping

tried to go for a walk in the gale force winds

wrote this post while drinking a pot of tea

next up I will prepare a healthy dinner.

For those of you who may be curious about the lot next door...

and those who aren't please look away now.

This is the view from my kitchen window...

there is a huge pile of dirt waiting to be trucked away.

I wonder if we will have a weekend of peace and quiet.

Hope that you have some fun things planned for the weekend.

Hostess

XO

Ups and downs in The Humble Bungalow

Downstairs 

in The Humble Bungalow

in the laundry room is

where I spend a lot of my time.

Washing

hanging clothes to air dry

 heavy duty things go into the dryer

folding and ironing

all jobs that I do almost every day.

I run UP and DOWN the stairs many times in a day.

The bathroom downstairs is compact

 it has a shower, toilet and sink.

It is very handy when we work outside in the garden and need to come inside

even more convenient 

when we have house guests.

Did I mention that I run up and down the stairs many times a day?

It feels like I get a lot of exercise actioning the domestic chores but not enough to keep the pesky pounds at bay.

My new fitness regime with kettle bells is also done downstairs

in the laundry room as there is ample room to move about.

The space is bright and the cats like to sit and watch me go through my paces!

Today

I am wearing casual clothes.

OOTD

NYDJ boyfriend style jeans

Town Shoes quilted black leather flats

a simple short Joe Fresh charcoal grey T shirt

Upstairs and downstairs we have shelves for our fluffy white towels.

I am partial to white towels.

Are you?

Storage in The Humble Bungalow is abysmal 

it is minimal as our arts and crafts era home has very little space.

Our closet is tiny and so naturally my wardrobe is small.

That is actually a positive rather than a negative.

I do not like having too much stuff.

I like to see all my clothing choices which makes getting dressed so much easier.

BTW while we are on the topic of clothes...

you responses to the last post were interesting and informative.

I appreciate the time and energy that you put into your comments.

Upstairs 

the kitchen is the hub of our Humble Bungalow.

Besides doing the laundry I cook a lot.

I love to create healthy meals and enjoy experimenting with new recipes.

Simple Omelette

2 farm fresh eggs beaten with 2 tablespoons of milk

salt pepper

Melt a knob of butter in a flat crepe or omelette pan 

when bubbles form pour in the eggs.

Add toppings

herbs or arugula as I have used here.

When the edges are setting up 

run a spatula around the edges and gently coax one end

fold gently over

rolling as you go 

until you have a picture perfect omelette.

One of the "UPS" in this post is that I ate a sensible lunch.

Omelette served with a salad

a low Weight Watcher point count lunch.

A tasty pear sliced thinly and savoured with a cup of tea.

"Guilt free" eating and yet it is filling.

(protein is key to keep me feeling satisfied)

On the DOWNside...

Walking has been hit and miss with the recent inclement weather but we are expecting a warming trend so I will be lacing up my sneakers and pounding the pavement with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

Have you started with a 2017 health and wellness journey ?

Are you writing in your journal?

Are you feeling more energetic and enthusiastic?

Words can be so important when motivating and engaging in change.

The Nike slogan "Just Do It" comes to mind.

Another "DOWNfall"...

There was a small cello bag of chocolate bark coated in candy cane sprinkles 

a gift from Christmas 

hiding in the drawer that I "discovered" last Sunday while watching Victoria 

on PBS Masterpiece Theatre.

Dear reader, I am weak, I am human.

 I ate it.

The UPside of this is that there is no chocolate left in The Humble Bungalow!

So it is your turn...

have you been disciplined with your fitness and food regime?

Have you been tempted by treats ?

OR

were you clever and cleaned out your pantry of those naughty things

and

restocked it with only healthy foods?

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Cleaning obsession...

Oh my goodness...I am becoming a clean freak!

I gave these cloths to several of my friends in gift packs
and since hearing their raves reviews I purchased one for myself.
I am a wee bit obsessed and so impressed with this cloth that I have to share it...

BTW, in case you were wondering...
I am not affiliated with the company, nor am I receiving any remuneration from them.
The opinions here are all mine.

Made by a Canadian Company

This simple cloth is a game changer here in my kitchen.

I love how it works on the stainless steel appliances 

I don't know about you but our stainless appliances show every finger print

and this cloth works on windows...

I was total rubbish at window cleaning but now I am successful thanks to this cloth.

(Weird to be so excited about something so simple but it works so well.)

January is a month for purging...

I clean out drawers, closets, the fridge and pantry cupboards.

Make note of the "best before" and expiry dates on foods and medicines.

Toss out old condiments in the fridge and wipe the shelves.

I go through things in my closet 

recycle anything that may be pilled or looking shabby.

Make note of what I need to replace and lingerie is one thing I usually replace in January and lots are on sale.

Looking forward to seeing our hellebores bloom

Santa brought this magazine....

love looking at the beautiful pictures and reading the articles

dreaming and planning 

ahead

for the garden.

Gardeners love to peruse books for ideas and inspiration in the winter months.

I need to buy some cheerful forced Spring bulbs for the Humble Bungalow.

A colourful treat perks up our home on these grey days and lifts my spirits.

Hope your week is ticking along nicely.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Scarf pattern, salad recipe and a few other snippets...

We have more snow...
this is the view from The Humble Bungalow dining room.

It looks frosty and cold out there.

The red Adirondack chairs are wearing another layer of the white stuff.

This week I have been indoors staying warm and cozy.

 So knitting has occupied a lot of my time

 the newest project is a scarf with an unusual rib effect.

I found a similar one online and modified it.

I plan to knit it until it is about 36 inches long.

I think it will require 2 balls of Drops Andes wool and alpaca blend yarn.

I plan to give this scarf away and I like it so much that I may make another one.

Besides knitting I have been tidying and straightening things here in our bungalow...this is a "before tidying up picture!"

With a cup of tea and a break from my knitting 

I sat and perused some cookbooks 

and discovered a wonderful new coleslaw recipe.

Mandarin Orange Slaw

1 bag shredded coleslaw

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 cup drained mandarin orange slices

Dressing

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons of the mandarin juice

1/2 cup oil

Mix together and chill in the fridge before serving.

It was refreshing and a nice change from the classic coleslaw.

Chester looks so cozy on his fleece blanket.

Pepper is on her perch staring out the window watching the birds.

Well I must get some household chores done now...

Hope you have a lovely weekend.

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Friday Bits and Bobs...

How is your week going?

I drove darling daughter and her husband to the airport earlier this week.

They are off on their 5 week honeymoon to New Zealand and Australia.

Mr. HB and I have an app on our IPhones called Plane Finder.

We watched the route that their plane took for several hours 

before going to sleep.

 In the middle of the night I woke and checked again...

saw their plane over the South Pacific Ocean and went back to sleep.

When I woke up their plane was still a few hours away from the Auckland airport and I kept checking as I went about my morning routine.

Then when their plane safely landed I actually breathed a sigh of relief.

Now we await updates of their adventures.

There have been a few grey days this week and a smattering of rain.

Freighters laden with containers float by the seafront on their way to ports beyond our shores.

My walks have been sporadic...

There is a gentle rhythm when actioning the domestic jobs

here in The Humble Bungalow.

My energy is at its peak in the morning and so I try to accomplish as much as possible before noon.

I recently switched out the summer clothes for the Fall and Winter ones.

This is my core everyday wardrobe...

mostly black and greys with a smattering of blue.

3 pairs of jeans

2 pairs of black pants

 black skirt

 grey skirt

white shirt

cream top

black sweater

3 striped tops

grey top

3 black tops

2 blue tops 

2 pairs yoga pants

2 tees

I have a couple of puffy vests and a variety of walking coats and jackets.

Several dresses hang in the downstairs closet with a couple of dressy separates.

I bought a new pair of grey knit skinny pants.

They fit in well with the colour scheme of my core basics.

The fit and length are good and the weight of the fabric is heavy which I like so they do not cling!

I also bought a new walking coat which I will show you in a future post.

It is almost too quiet here this morning...

 it is almost sunrise while I sit to type this post

all I can hear are the birds singing outside our Humble Bungalow.

I must not complain as the house beside us is being demolished.

There will be a crew working with crow bars, hammers just after 8am

and the noise as they fill the container that they have dumped on the lawn 

is enough to make one leave home for a respite...

which I am planning to do!

Hope you have some quiet moments today where you can sit, relax and contemplate all the good things in life...perhaps count your blessings.

Take care and thank you for stopping by...

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Minding my own business...to a point!

Things have been quite busy today in and around The Humble Bungalow.
Sorting out some drawers that were too full, moving summer whites to the guest room closet for storage, wiping crumbs from the cutlery drawers in the kitchen.
Taking Mother to the flu shot clinic for our annual vaccines.

Mother has been under stress lately, which has necessitated that my sister and I offer her more support dealing with everyday events.
She has had some plumbing problems in her condo and now her fridge is on the fritz...phoning for plumbers and repair firms are the easy part. There are things that she needed to do to prepare for the tradesmen and she is a little overwhelmed by all the fuss. I totally understand and empathize but now I realize that we are on a very slippery slope...
I take over lunch, make tea and sit and knit while keeping her company.
We frequently work on the crossword puzzles...she starts them and when she gets stuck we finish them together!

Mother has been proactive about her financial affairs and is still able to go out and purchase food and her medications. She still drives a few blocks to the plaza and to the Avenue.

I am very sensitive not to "take over" things that she enjoys and looks forward to doing, there is a fine balance and I feel that I must respect her wishes as much as possible but I do not want to see her overwhelmed either...it is a challenge for me not to take charge!
One must be mindful and keep an watchful eye on the subtle clues and cues.

The weather here is overcast, cool, and rainy today...
perfect for spending time in the kitchen.

I find it so soothing cooking and baking...its not unlike a form of meditation.

Casual Week day dinner

~ On the Menu ~

'(recipes found online)

Chef Johns' BBQ ribs

Broccoli and Carrots

with

Scalloped potatoes

Nigella Lawsons' Chocolate Olive Oil Cake 

served with whipped cream.

Picked this book up from the local library 

ready to pop the kettle on and sit for a wee bit and escape...

to the 1930's in Provence with Ondine and Picasso.

Company should be here in a few hours but I have time to read a few chapters.

How is your week going?

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Thanksgiving...after the gathering.

Today is officially Thanksgiving Day in Canada.

Flowers from our son and DIL.

We had our family feast yesterday
I was busy in the kitchen for two days and had fun preparing the dishes...

a hodgepodge of chairs

a mix of napkins and glasses

Our fairy lights are turned on for special events here in The Humble Bungalow.

Lots of dishes to go with the prime rib of beef.

Carrots served with a mix of grated ginger, melted butter and parsley.

Balsamic glazed roasted Brussel Sprouts

(Barefoot Contessa Cookbook ~ Foolproof)

Tortellini with cheese sauce for the grand children and vegetarians.

Yorkshire pudding

(recipe from Joy of Cooking)

Scalloped Potatoes

Roast Prime rib of Beef

Gravy

Peas

Pumpkin Pie for dessert courtesy of Mother who baked them from scratch...

(she is 89 so I think that is quite impressive)

The window in my laundry room overlooks the back patio and garden.

Ironing done while gazing out the windows of the french door.

 Today I cleaned up the rest of the things, put away the good china, crystal and silverware. Washed and ironed the linens and went for a leisurely walk.

I will post pictures of the glorious walk in the autumn sunshine very soon but for now I am going to put my feet up, brew a pot of Lapsang Souchong Tea and browse through the newest UK Country Living magazine.

Hope that your week is off to a great start!

Thank you for stopping by...

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~