Showing posts with label mid-century modern. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mid-century modern. Show all posts

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Bits and Bobs today on the Blog...


A small bronze Eiffel Tower sits on the shelf above our Shaw farmhouse sink.
I look up when I wash and scrub dishes and pots and I ponder my trip to Paris
and the south of France
it feels like yesterday in so many ways...

I recently received a lovely diamond eternity band from my husband and I do not want it to get caked with soap so I took it off while doing dishes and popped it atop the bronze Eiffel Tower.
(thank you darling!)

We keep our humble bungalow decor in the arts and crafts style...
not very many "modern accents" dip their toes in our heritage listed home.
That might surprise many of you but we try to be purists.


Cookbooks take up an entire shelf in our kitchen.
I will put Ina Gartens' newest cookbook Cooking for Jeffrey
on my Christmas Wish List.


The kitchen table is a quarter sawn oak mission arts and crafts trestle table
distressed by over 100 years of wear.

This is
where I sit and blog...
a Diptyque candle
adds to the ambiance.
(Mr. HB is watching the hockey game)

I enjoy cooking and feel very content in the kitchen.


I made a delicious Caesar Salad tonight...
if you want a seriously garlicky dressing this is the one for you!

I have several Caesar salad recipes and have shared them over the years.
If you want to see any of the recipes on my blog just scroll down on the right of my sidebar until you find the labels and click on the title recipes...

Caesar Salad Dressing
Place all the following ingredients in a blender
1 egg
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
 1/4 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
blend
then with the machine running add slowly
 in a continuous stream
3/4 cup good quality olive oil

arrange washed and dried romaine lettuce on a tray 
(or in a deep bowl)
sprinkle 
bacon or anchovies over top
add
croutons 
(if desired)



I like to plan dinner early in the day so that I can walk to the market and buy what I need.
Pacing myself is much easier now in retirement than when I was working.
Its one of the best perks of retirement.
Time to accomplish things at a slower pace.

I write what we eat for dinner in my day timer so that I can easily see what I have made and I try to rotate the menu so that we get a variety.
Browsing in my cookbooks 
helps to inspire me to be creative and try something new and different.
Increasing my repertoire is always an adventure and not every new recipe is a winner... but I never give up on trying to find new and tasty dishes.

Mr. HB is planning to try a new recipe this weekend.
He seems to be enthused about cooking after his successful Saturday fare last weekend.
I feel so fortunate that he is getting his "chef hat" on.


Finnish mid century "FINEL" mushroom bowl
one of the few "interlopers" in our humble bungalow.

Have you got some fun planned for your weekend ?

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~


Friday, April 15, 2016

Ellie in Paris and a few Vancouver tidbits...

Do you read Ellie O'Connell's blog Have Some Decorum?
She is an amazing woman who lives in Paris and writes a blog.
Witty, talented, creative, funny and her strength will surprise you as she bravely faces ALS head on.
Be warned that she does not mince words.

She has been living with and battling ALS for several years...it is a terribly debilitating disease and Ellie has enlightened and educated readers about the various challenges that she faces with this condition.

Quite recently her health has deteriorated...and the lovely and gracious Vintage Contessa who met Ellie when she visited Paris, has posted a couple of items for sale to help Ellie...
one of which is a Chanel handbag.

If you prefer to donate on a Go Fund Me Page her friend BFF Yolanda, wife of David Foster and one of the Real House Wives Of Beverly Hills has set one up here.

Ellie needs your support...and prayers.


On our recent trip to Vancouver we explored some new venues...
I though you might like to see a few snapshots.


Pottery Barn Kids window display had ballerinas and a tea party theme.


We always try to walk and browse the shops on South Granville.
Meinhardts, West Elm, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Williams Sonoma, Indigo,
Diane's Lingerie, Lords Shoes, Ming Woo Kitchen Shop, Anthropologie and many more...


Emma Bridgewater HUGE teapot for sale at the consignment shop Turnabout Home.


You would need to use your muscles to pour tea from this pot!

After perusing South Granville we walked towards Granville Island 
on our way we popped into a few shops


Granville Island Florists


Heather Ross is a Vancouver based artist and she has just released a new book
Natural Eclectic."
Her studio is a mix of her paintings and natural and vintage finds.
It is small but well worth a visit.


The Imported linen towels were very tempting...


Fullhouse is a large home decor warehouse that features mid century modern 
mixed with a few choice new items. 
I love this vintage Dansk ice bucket that they have used as a planter.


Kay Bojesen monkey 
larger than any of the other monkeys I have seen by Bojesen.




We walked through Granville Island and the market.


Ate a tasty lunch at SandBar restaurant before hopping on a little ferry to cross False Creek to Yaletown and walked back to our hotel.


We had a fun filled weekend with good friends, lots of walking and a wee bit of shopping.
The weather was fabulous and the views spectacular.

We are back into our usual routines...
with a lovely weekend away still fresh in our mind
which reminds us of why it is so important to take time off and get away
time to relax and to recharge our batteries 
explore something new and different
and enjoy the scenery

if you cannot travel far
go to a local event or peruse a new shop
visit an exhibition
walk in a different area of town
buy local produce from a farm market stand
have a coffee somewhere new
try something new
be bold
stretch yourself
try being a tourist in your own home town
Have Fun.
Carpe Diem

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~