Cocooning...keeping cozy during the raging storms.

Hellebore

The gale force winds have been fierce 

the ferries have been cancelled

 the stormy weather 

is rainy, grey and generally dismal.

These kinds of days are perfect for cocooning with a pot of tea 

curling up with a good book and my knitting.

The Boneyard shawl free from the Ravelry website.

Looks a wee bit like chainmail!

I am embarking on a new knitting project...

socks!

I am using a pattern from Ravelry called super simple socks

the DPN's are a wee bit hard to get used to using

so far have ripped the socks out 3 times!

I will definitely need to get some expert help if I am to be successful with this project!

A kind and thoughtful reader from Vancouver sent me these earrings 

 I think they go perfectly with my black and grey wardrobe!

Thank you Rosemarie!

 I sent you off a wee token of my appreciation...

hopefully it has already arrived on your doorstep.

 I managed to find some sunny patches in between the storms and have ventured out to seek out some of Nature's beauty.

Hope that your week has some bright spots in it and that you are healthy and able to avoid the colds and flu that have been making the rounds.

Remember to wash your hands!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Two Yummy recipes from The Humble Bungalow Hostess

 Good Morning from The Humble Bungalow!

I have a morning routine that I have pretty much kept constant since retiring.
Do you?

Morning coffee is sipped while browsing Instagram and my email.
Once dressed I pop a load of laundry in and tidy up the kitchen and have my breakfast...
if I am staying at home I'll open my Lap top and read some blogs or perhaps write a blog post...Chester has other ideas!

Chester sat on my laptop and conveyed that he had an ulterior motive...

how could I resist those eyes?

Positively beastly weather out there today

 gloomy grey and rainy 

a perfect day to stay in and bake while keeping warm inside the kitchen.

No, I am not drinking rum I am making my Mother's Rum Balls.

The Eiffel Tower souvenir comes in handy when I need a ring holder!

You can coat them with icing sugar, cocoa, or chocolate sprinkles.

I also made the dough for cranberry citrus shortbread cookies.

Recipe can be found here.

Lots of noise is coming from the job site next door as there is a backhoe levelling out the dirt around the two houses.

The windows are in and the crews are putting gypsum on the walls inside of the house right next to ours.

Can you see the raindrops on the kitchen window?

Its raining sideways!

My Mother would have said 

"It's raining cats and dogs!"

I plan to cozy up in the living room later with my knitting and a cup of tea.

I am still working on that lap blanket...

it is taking me a long time much longer than I would have predicted

as it is awkward juggling all the stitches on the circular needles

and the weight of the project is not comfortable to work on for too long.

This summer tote was a hostess gift from our DIL's mother.

Isn't it fabulous?

I love using it as a knitting bag too as it is commodious enough for the yarn as well as the lap blanket.

Time to close and put the kettle on...

Thank you so much for popping by The Humble Bungalow Blog today.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Rainy daze....at Quarter Deck Cottage

 The Salish Sea from Quarter Deck Cottage.

We see all kinds of boats and to get a closer look we brought our binoculars.

They come in very handy, plus we got to see the passing Orcas up close.

The small islands of North and South Pender have a few amenities.

Grocery store, library, several galleries, marinas, a pub, several restaurants and cafes, a pharmacy, book store, second hand shop and an antique store which has the most amazing artwork!

I found a small French satin glass dish made by the Verlys company.

The pine cones attracted me as soon as I set eyes on it...

It is so pretty that I do not plan to put anything in the dish I will leave it as it is.

The cones provide the "feet" for the dish.

I started this mystery book and am already halfway through it...

we can chalk that up to the wind and rainy weather here today.

It is very cozy and warm here at Quarter Deck Cottage.

We lit the gas fireplace and there is no need to go out and get soaking wet...

Mr. HB and I have waited for a break in the weather to get some fresh air but alas Mother Nature has other ideas!

Stay cozy!

Hostess

XO

Getting My Happy On

Oh my the overcast rainy days are getting tiresome...
almost everyone I encounter seems to be focusing on our wet Spring.
We are craving some sunshine and warmer weather
but until that happens, I believe in being proactive by making my own sunshine...

A pretty new brolly...

from France

a tasty latte sipped in a local cafe

Warm thoughts sunshine and yellow sunflowers...

a dear reader from Vancouver

sent me a card and a packet of seeds for sunflowers 

which we plan to plant 

in The Humble Bungalow Garden

that put a smile on my face!

Thank you R

you are a kind and thoughtful friend.

XO

With a passion for  French interiors and homes... 

 no plane ticket or holiday accommodations arranged

I'll be transported as I peruse these beautiful magazines.

The hunt for the illusive pink lipstick is over...

it is a bit darker pink than I thought would suit me but with help from the savvy gals at the pharmacy I bagged a winner!

L'Oreal Colour Riche #580 Peony Pink

It's frequently the little things that can help keep up our spirits.

a cheerful mug

(Emma Bridgewater)

a warm hug

a smile

perhaps an afternoon to relax and read

indulge in a pot of tea

nibble a square of good chocolate

maybe even have a nap

If things are not going your way

I do hope that they will get better...

This blend is divine...

what are your favourite teas?

Raindrops like wee diamonds sparkle on the stems of the snowdrops.

Your turn now to chime in and share with us 

what do you do to keep your spirits up?

The sun is out as I put the finishing touches on this post.

Wishing you a lovely week.

Endings and new beginnings....

When I left our Humble Bungalow for my walk it was pouring rain.

An umbrella and boots were required.

The rain stopped about halfway through my walk

Then the clouds parted and the sun shone.

 What a spectacular sight I spied at the end my walk!

This beautiful brooch was designed by Paris born jeweller Marcel Boucher.

Boucher worked for Cartier before being hired by the Mazer Brothers in the USA

He eventually opened his own company in 1937.

I am taking it with the others to a local consignment shop.

I rarely wear these anymore and think that someone else might enjoy them.

Why would I keep something so pretty hidden away in a drawer?

Many of my Brooches have been sold at The Vanity Fair Antique Mall

in the case that I shared with our darling daughter.

I have not been buying much and seem to have lost the desire to acquire

so I recently, I decided that it was time to call it a day.

It feels like the end of an era....

New beginnings...

Mr. HB has donned his chef hat and has been sharing some of the cooking here in The Humble Bungalow!

Mr. HB loves chow mien and found a recipe online that he wanted to try.

He brought our Le Creuset wok out from storage and he gave it a work out.

It was wonderful to have a night off from cooking and to be served such a  delicious meal prepared by my husband was such a treat.

You can find this recipe online here.

Hope your week is off to a great start...

thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Mom's Peanut Butter Cookies

Mother gave me a recipe for peanut butter cookies awhile ago,
I filed it in my recipe box for a rainy day.

That rainy day happened and it turned into 3 days of rain...

On those three days I tiptoed outside for the briefest of walks,
the rest of the days I read, did laundry, made soup, a tasty shepherds pie and when my eyes were fatigued from my reading
I found Mothers' speedy peanut butter cookie recipe in my recipe box.

When I read her recipe I was in doubt...
had she forgotten something?
Can one make cookies using only 3 ingredients?

So I thought hmm maybe I would try...
what have I got to lose?

Speedy Peanut Butter Cookies

2 cups light Peanut Butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs

Mix together, roll into balls, flatten with a fork on an un-greased sheet pan.
Bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
Transfer to a rack to cool

Using a scoop for cookie dough is quite possibly my favourite trick that Martha Stewart shared with her viewers from her TV show.

Cookie dough balls on an un-greased sheet pan.

Flatten with a fork.

After baking cookies place on a rack to cool.

Invite someone over to share

a pot of tea or a coffee 

maybe even a glass of milk with the grandchildren

put the cookies on a plate and see how long they last!

I should have never doubted MOM.

I have learned so much from her over the years.

She will always will be a special person in my life.

Thank you again for popping by my humble blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Flower Power

There is an amazing tonic to brighten up our gloomy rain days...
Today I am harnessing Flower Power!

a wee daisy does the trick

cheery daffodils

sweet scented clematis

a pure white camellia

I have been immersed in reading an inspiring book 

on the remaking of one of Britain's largest privately owned gardens.

It was a huge undertaking, which sounds quite daunting, the results are stunning.

Roy Strong was the garden writer for Country Life magazine for many years.

He has several other books most notably "A Country Life"

euphorbia

I love this chartreuse shade of the flowers

another beautiful euphorbia

a broody kind of day for walking

heavy cloud cover

no wind

more rain in the forecast

 the yellow lichen looks pretty today

I don't know if these flowers brightened your day but they are certainly helping me stay positive 

under this torrential down pour.

"There are always flowers for those who want to see them. "

~ Henri Matisse ~

"Be Well and Be Kind"

 ~ Hostess ~