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 ~

DIY Christmas Wreath

While many of you in the states will be preparing for your Thanksgiving Feast...
here in Canada those of us who celebrate Christmas 
are looking ahead to the Festive season.

Our lovely DIL and I recently took a wreath making class
which was offered at the local garden centre.
I have never made a Christmas wreath, I usually make swags or buy a pre-made Christmas wreath.

I'm posting pictures of the evening.

You know what they say...
pictures are worth a thousand words.

You will need :

Wreath base, wire, secateurs, heavy string, moss, assorted boughs, pine cones.

I wore my garden gloves to keep the sap off my hands.

Hot coffee and apple cider were available to sip while we worked

as we were outside (BRRR!)

  we were dry as we were underneath a canopy.

Next year they assured us they would have heaters!

First you fill the wire base with moss

then cut all your boughs to a similar size and lay them on top

of the base at an angle overlapping them

wrapping each bough to anchor it to the base as you go.

Fill in any areas where the string shows with short pieces of greenery.

Wire the pine cones and attach them to the wreath secure the ends 

then cut off excess wire.

Natalie's wreath...I love the eucalyptus and the touches of gold.

You may add baubles, bows, ribbons, glitter accents 

anything that you like.

Finally

attach a zip strap at the top for hanging and enjoy your newly decorated festive wreath!

I am pleased with the results and will be able to make another one next year.

Hope you enjoyed this post.

 I'll be back with more on the continuing wardrobe edit soon.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Wardrobe edit: Scarves...those that made the cut

I've recently been editing and culling my wardrobe.

I like to do this regularly as it helps me refine my style, allows me to see what regularly gets worn, who are the key players and what features make them the workhorses in my closet.

My wardrobe is kept small...the closet is also small and I share it with my husband! One day we will redo it and install some features that will improve its storage capacity...in 1913 a "pedestrian bungalow owner" would not have had many clothes...daytime wear (house dresses) and Sunday best.

First on the chopping block are the scarves...

Too many scarves and they were spilling off the shelf in my bedside cabinet
not enough space so some had to go...
7 scarves were donated to the charity shop and two were consigned.

Silk Hermes collection
 (which I wear mostly in the Spring and Summer)

Three orange boxes

Small square purchased in Paris

Black and White silk from Vancouver Hermes store

The original from the San Francisco Hermes shop.

Long scarves

some worn in summer and some in the Fall and Winter

Large white scarf (shawl size) from the Monoprix 

 St Germain, Paris

Burberry print infinity scarf

(gift)

Two Linen scarves:

black and grey 

blue and white 

(purchased at the Pharmasave in Oak Bay)

Burberry cashmere

(gift from my husband)

I tend to wear the Burberry cashmere all through the Fall and Winter as it offers warmth and is so cozy and goes with my wine coloured puffer coat.

That's all the scarves and they neatly fit inside the cabinet now with some "breathing room!"

The new Bosch dishwasher arrived and was installed today...

looking forward to clean dishes and no more leaks!

I am taking a wreath making workshop this week with our lovely DIL

Hopefully my efforts will be worthy of a photo and if the wreath looks OK

 I will share it here in a future post.

Have you started decorating for Christmas?

For some strange reason this year I feel like putting up our decorations and tree already and it is not even December!

I recently read this book the subject matter was quite disturbing...

extremely well written but rather graphic

 a NY Times bestseller.

I'm reading a much lighter book right now...

(Chick Lit)

Set in London and the South of France...

love the style in which it is written

just the thing to put a smile on my face as I sit with my mug of tea on these rainy afternoons.

What is new with you and 

what are you reading?

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Fading beauty...and my personal thoughts on aging

This beautiful rose was once a stunning bloom

but she is fading in her beauty

but still worth a look...

This rose got me thinking about aging...

aging gracefully

naturally 

perhaps with some elegance.

How does one age well?

And I do not mean Botox or plastic surgery...

its not for me.

How do I

ease into my advancing senior years

with the face that I was born with 

embracing the lines and wrinkles 

that are the result of years of laughter?

There are certain things that we can all do to help us look more "radiant."

Ali McGraw looks the picture of health and she glows.

I was impressed by this article.

She is such a radiant beauty both inside and out...

a fabulous role model.

Thoughts that may help navigate the road ahead are basics like...

Exercise 

eating healthy 

getting a decent night's rest

alleviating as much stress as possible

experiencing joy and happiness whenever the opportunity arises

listening to our "hearts" 

expanding our horizons which may be travel or going to local cultural events

learning something new to keep us fresh

helping others

staying in touch with friends and family

finding and making time for creativity

"First impressions"

  tell those who meet us about ourselves 

(whether we like it or not) 

how we dress and what we say conveys a lot...

good manners and kindness

go a long way.

At 62 and not the freshest rose in the bouquet...

I try to focus on

wearing neat, comfortable and (hopefully) flattering outfits

paying attention to style

dressing in clothing that is honest and genuine 

a reflection of my personality...

some days it may be a classic LBD

or 

jeans and a Tee with a cashmere sweater and Chelsea boots

which just happens to be my "uniform."

I try always to look put together...

some days it is more difficult than others!

The word "Frumpy" scares me.

My Mother managed to look well dressed well into her 80's and I never thought that she looked frumpy or dowdy.

Skincare...

 has always been important to me.

People look at our faces when we meet and greet each other.

From the time that I went to The Hudson Bay's Saturday charm school 

where among other things

we were instructed on how to wash and care for our skin.

(in that era it was Yardley's oatmeal soap and Noxema or Nivea)

I have been preoccupied with taking care of my complexion.

Today

we have thousands of options...

and how does one choose?

I have been testing a new moisturizer.

It is super emollient, which my dry skin needs, but is not greasy.

The results are a dewy rosy glow which I quite like.

I think that my skin looks healthier...

but maybe I am just hopeful

seeking a fresher rose

one that is petal soft and blush pink!

Two rose scented hard working products from a previous delivery of

  My Stylish French Box

they are almost gone

 are truly quite amazing...

 I have been using them on my hands and feet with really great results.

I'll have to see if I can buy them online.

In the whole scheme of things our inner beauty traits 

are far more important 

than how we look on the outside...

Kindness

compassion

a giving nature...

They are the real super stars when we really think about it.

While I like to buy new things 

I plan to cultivate and focus on some inner improvements this month...

What are your thoughts on aging gracefully?

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Popping in to say Hello...and please enjoy the roses.

November Roses....

Sharing a few roses from The Humble Bungalow Garden...
It's been a crazy busy week with lots happening
unfortunately not all "good things."
We have had a death in my husband's family
a dear friend has been diagnosed with cancer has undergone major surgery.
I have been preoccupied with other "more pressing things" and I have not been able to find much time to sit at my computer.

I'll be brief with this post and share some pictures instead of a lot of text.

McCartney Rose

Jude the Obscure

Jude The Obscure

I picked one to cheer up the bathroom.

I grabbed my brush and acrylic paints the other evening when I was suffering a bout of sadness.

I was thinking of Mom and I played some of my favourite music and let the feelings flow through to the canvas...

I think Jude The Obscure is with me here!

Not a masterpiece 

I know, but "I own it"

 it felt good to push the paintbrush around on the canvas...

that's probably why they call it Art Therapy!

Cheap and cheerful chrysanthemums

in a simple terra cotta pop dress up our front porch.

Dressing up myself...

in a uniform of sorts 

for the recent chilly days.

A long sleeved top

skinny jeans rolled up

Chelsea boots

a puffy vest

my cashmere scarf

Vintage Coach Court bag...

Relaxing and reflecting in a quiet chair...

The Humble Bungalow Garden is getting a face lift in the back area...

this patio area will not be touched but we have big plans and the top stars will be:

 magnolia trees

ferns

camellias

hydrangeas

black mondo grass

and stay tuned for more.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

What a difference a day makes...

Sunny daze

last week

found us sitting outside on the deck 

at Quarter Deck Cottage...

before the rains came

followed quickly by an Arctic Front 

bringing with it some SNOW!

"Snow Day Soup" 

I added more water as some of it evaporated while it was simmering

probably about 2 cups

 you could use vegetable broth instead but I did not have any on hand.

My lunch

warmed me up.

After the soup making I decided to bake a chocolate banana cake and found a wonderful recipe in my newest cookbook Good Taste by author Jane Green.

The kitchen looked like a bomb had gone off after the busy day in the kitchen so I put the dishwasher on and popped the kettle on for tea...

time for a bit of a rest.

At least that's what I thought....

until my dishwasher started spewing copious amounts of water onto the floor!

Quickly grabbing towels and turning off the appliance I mopped up the mess

then laboriously emptied the water inside the dishwasher using a ladle and a bowl.

Still faced with all the dirty dishes 

 I proceeded to hand wash the entire load...

UGH!

By the time I had finished 

the tea was cold 

so I brewed another pot and started researching new dishwashers.

I've decide on a Bosch 800 series 

the quietest machine on the market and it has a great rating.

We ordered it and will have to wait about 10 days until it arrives and we will have it installed and the old one carted away...

it gave us at least 10 years of good service maybe 13 we cannot remember

I hope the new one will perform better and last longer.

Hope you are keeping cozy.

It's chilly here but the snow has melted

our furnace is on and working hard

I am wearing a down vest.

Single paned windows and minimal insulation does not keep us toasty warm

unless we dress in layers.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Goodbye October, Hello November

Hello November!

Our October passed in a heartbeat...

how is it possible that it can rush by so fast?

Time feels like it slows down when we are at the cottage.

Perhaps we are too busy at home?

A simple floral bouquet elevates our modest and humble IKEA tray.

It is a wee but blurry but the vintage enamel dish 

is where I put my rings 

when I wash dishes...

the silver star holding down the napkins was a birthday gift from a dear friend.

I found this interesting paperweight at the thrift shop.

I have no idea if it is new or from the mid century moderne era.

All the sides are different... 

Reminds me of the style of jewelry created by Robert Larin or Guy Vidal.

Anyone recognize the artist or the era?

Ferries ply the water out front of Quarter Deck Cottage on The Salish Sea.

The views have a hypnotic effect...

the waves lull one

the sun warms

the fresh salty air refreshes.

Two deer lie in the sunshine below the deck.

Its absolutely still

so quiet

that we can hear ourselves breathing!

The Lilias Spalding Heritage Park on South Pender Island

 we explored this area after walking up a rather steep hill.

The views to the valley below were quite spectacular.

I regret not taking a picture now.

Crockery and old bottles

Mossy rocks

Comfort Food for dinner.

Best of Bridge Family Meat Loaf 

mashed potatoes and a bean salad.

Those sleepy deer woke up and munched a bunch of foliage

 then the one with antlers starting pushing the other one around...

they sauntered off along the cliff.

I am wondering if one of them is responsible for eating all my lovely chrysanthemums that were on the front porch!

Have you got plans for the weekend?

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~