Hearts...Valentines and a confession.

 ~ HEART ~

inside a horse barn near the village of Auvillar France

~ HEARTS ~ 

I've been on the hunt for a new make up bag for several months.

The cloth pouch with a zipper I was using for the past few years was not easy to use.

All the contents were jumbled together

 Plus I always seemed to need the item in the very bottom of the pouch!

I found this at Walmart

I was buying another item in the store and just happened upon it.

Can you see the HEARTS?

The top compartment has a place for brushes and pencils.

Top left, is a zippered are where I have some sharp scissors and tweezers. 

In the bottom on the right hand side ~

Andalou CC cream, Burt's Bees cream blush, Marcelle eye make up, 

mascara underneath and a magnifying mirror.

Much better for storage and travel.

I think I paid under $15 for the bag...well worth it.

~ HEART ~

Cracker 

Cafe Des Beaux Arts

Quai Malaquais

Paris France

Found a HEART shaped rock on the beach at Browning.

I was hunting for sea glass and this caught my eye.

While this doesn't really qualify as a HEART item, it lifts my HEART.

I use a basic everyday lotion from the drugstore,

 then decant it into a glass jar with a pump for ease of use.

Looking at a plastic bottle with a bunch of text all over it looks rather unsightly.

I prefer a simple sleek container that I can leave out on display.

I use lotion after my bath or shower and it helps to keep my skin soft and supple.

This shea butter lotion is a drugstore brand and has a light scent of orchid.

It is very reasonably priced and works well

the ingredients are recognizable and it is free of any nasty chemical additives.

I received pearls from my husband on a Valentines Day about 25 years ago.

Last summer I fell at the beach and sprained my wrist very badly.

 When I got home I noticed that my beloved pearl necklace was missing.

I was devastated...

as I was in terrible pain I had to dash off to the pharmacy

 to buy some Voltaren, Aleve and a wrist brace.

For the next few days I kept returning to the same beach to hunt for the pearls.

(perhaps they returned to the ocean with the tide)

I decided to replace the pearls and thought perhaps my husband would not notice.

I went to the jeweler who sold him the pearls way back in the day 

purchased this Akoya strand 

almost the same as the original strand...

(except for the price)

I have been wearing them almost daily, for the past few months.

Well dear reader, 

guess what?

He found out that they were not the original pearls, 

so I had to confess...

I don't expect that we will exchange Valentine's Day gifts this year...

but perhaps we will dine out close to Valentines and celebrate.

What do you have planned for your Valentine?

Something special from the HEART.

~ Happy Valentine's Day ~

Take care and thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Monday musings...

Last week we were at the cottage on Pender.

We enjoyed a sunny weekend then early in the week we awoke to ice and snow.

The snow didn't stick around very long and had melted by midday.

The chilly weather with the wind chill factor was too cold for us to walk.

(it registered as minus 15)

We made it home after a 4 hour wait at the ferry terminal.

The ferry broke down and was out of service!

The ferry was replaced with a smaller one that was also slower...

only 20 cars were able to board the 11:50 sailing...

fortunately we were one of those cars!

OOTD

Watching the kids swimming lessons at the Recreation Centre.

Pearls

Denim shirt

black pants

Chelsea Boots

I recently purchased a soft Tencel blue denim dress.

V Neck with button details down the front

short flirty capped sleeves

an asymmetrical scooped hem, 

shorter in front and longer in the back.

Will plan to wear it with some capri length tights and my pearls.

Made an easy and delicious French Onion Soup for lunch.

FRENCH ONION SOUP

Slice 4 large onions thinly.

Melt 3 tbsp. butter in a Dutch oven add onions

cook and stir for about 30 minutes until soft.

Add 8 cups of beef broth, boil, then simmer on low for 40 minutes.

Place 1/2 inch slices of French bread

topped with grated white cheese (I used white cheddar and parmesan reggiano)

in 425 degree oven for 5-8 minutes

until cheese melts.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the bread.

Let sit for a minute or two to allow the bread to absorb the broth.

Enjoy!

I went to Marshalls searching for  decorative salad dressing bottle with a spout...

I use a Bonne Maman jam jar for my vinaigrette but thought it might be nicer to have an interesting bottle that looks pretty.

No luck on the bottle 

BUT!

I found these charming tins with black polka dots for the laundry room!

Our decor downstairs is black and white and these just ticked all the boxes for storage.

Stain sticks, scrub brushes, wool dryer balls and specialty soaps are now discreetly hidden.

Am still on the decluttering band wagon!

Have tackled the linen closet, the kitchen drawers, dining room buffet and cupboards.

I have the hobby room cupboards

 and guest room closet with the out of season clothing to cull and sort.

There is rain forecast for most of the week so I will probably finish soon.

In the meantime 

while the laundry spins

I am using up leftovers and veggies and making soup.

How are things going with you?

Thank you for stopping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~