Happy Valentine's Day!

It's Valentine's Day
February 14th, 2011

It's a day for
Hearts
and
Flowers...
Hugs
and Kisses

Hearts of gold and sprinkled with diamonds

They dangle and jangle from my wrist

on a bracelet of hearts

a circle of

tokens

gifts of love

from my sweetheart

Mr. HB

Today might include a movie date...

Valentine's Day

is a sweet 

romantic comedy

 a feel good

light hearted

escape

as are these...

DVD's for TV 

or the laptop 

perfect for when we are away on the boat

or snug in a cabin by the ocean

away from it all

We'll be celebrating while holidaying 

in a rustic cabin by the sea

soon

and I can hardly wait!

On Valentine's Day

whatever you do 

however you celebrate

I hope that there is someone that you love

someone you can hug

or snuggle up with

someone who enjoys spending time in your company

someone to savour 

 everyday simple moments 

with....

if you do not tell them everyday

how much they mean to you

make a point of

reminding them today...

just how special they are!

Roses

 image from  2010

Our plans involve a stay at home evening here in The Humble Bungalow

I'll be preparing a home made dinner

serving it with some wine or bubbly

Bubbly

image from New Years 2011

lovely daughter will be here too

it's her laundry night 

and our routine is to

watch 

The Batchelor on TV

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hugs from the Hostess

XO

Rain rain go away....colour me orange.

It's raining 

it's pouring

coming down in buckets

the gutters are gurgling

the windows

splattered and smattered with rivulets of raindrops

it's chilly

and the wind has come up

 skies are grey

and

weeping 

I'm 

snug and warm

cocooning 

inside today = domestics 

later errands = actioned

boots, brolly, beret

and a raincoat

kept the Hostess

dry-ish

I dodged some puddles but the drops

coated my specs

there's nothing like trying to read labels 

through a rain-dotted lens

one's

perspective

is skewed

ducks must love it

starfish are at home in the wet

I refuse to feel sorry

 or entertain sad thoughts

they are party poopers

and who wants them to rain on a parade?

I will choose to dream in colour

day dream,

so I may remember

the colours

and vividly, if you please!

I rarely remember dreams

from slumber

I prefer to think that I must not dream

because if I do not remember 

and if I do in fact dream

why

 do I not remember?

la belette rouge

dreams vividly

go visit

she knows a lot about dreams 

 Poppy blooms are dreamy

there's a patch of my garden where they have gone wild...

and grow like weeds

a very good friend has asked me

to paint some for her hallway...

a

long time friend

I hope that she likes what 

flows 

from the brush and the brain...

I am gathering ideas and inspirations

researching

and given the fact that I love orange

 in nature...

I am well on my way...

take heart

harness some courage

and proceed....

Rothschild variety of Azalea

sweetly scented

perfuming the garden in the sunshine of summer

Abkhazi Gardens

a

romantic 

and special place

David Austin summer blooming rose

Abraham Darby

rubbing shoulders with Lady's Mantle

a marriage

in a vase

I highly approve!

heirloom tomatoes

sweet

orange goodness

that one can eat

Cheddar Cheese

sharp

a long time love affair

Mac n' Cheese = Comfort Supreme

Hermes

 in the signature luxe orange

Hermes scarf 

with a touch of orange

Oranges

sweet 

juicy

vitamin C

parcels of goodness

Collection d'orangerie...

Hermes

Ranunculas 

painted in 2009

by the Humble Bungalow Hostess

 now hanging

in a retail shop

not far from the Bungalow

a gift to a friend

It's a wet weekend

the forecast is for a week of wind and rain

don't be surprised 

if by the end of the week

that

I have dreamt in all the colours!

Sweet dreams to all....

Hugs 

from the Hostess

XO

Prints charming...an infusion of colour

Colours...
I am inviting colour to play a bigger role in my life...

It has been a major player in my diet
Bright Foods make up the bulk of what I choose to eat...

The J. Peterman catalogue arrived in the post

the cover shouted colour

and had me lusting after something bright.

Brights

are a smidgen left

of my comfort zone

After a heart to heart with my inner voice

(the conservative one)

I

decided 

why not?

What transpired was an expedition

and excursion

an exercise 

in

exploration

and 

dialogue 

with the assistance of the gorgeous gals at the makeup counter

and 

the savvy and svelte sales clerks at the shops

To get started

2 new eye shadows

a soft mauve-y pink

and a darker accent colour in a taupe- y brown

Dust the lid with the lighter shade using a sable brush

and in the outer 1/3 of the lid and a little above the natural crease

dust with the accent colour 

blend well to soften

it creates depth

and makes the eyes 

stand out

Pepper 

feline photographic assistant

very photogenic 

when she sits still long enough for me to capture her image.

Prints charming

wooed me

but I had to get beyond the colours and put this garment on

I have trouble finding dresses that suit my figure

separates are much friendlier.

OK

 the shape flatters

wrap tops are kind

and very forgiving

and I seek them out 

the fabric has body

 and substance

 woven

 more like a knit

and

skims the middle bits

with a dark navy lining

hooray

 no need for a slip

it has a full flirty girl skirt 

feminine and fun

I twirled in the fitting room

 I bought the dress

Amber

terra cotta

black

cream

and splodges of a tealy blue

Shiny black patent belt

came with the dress

I am thinking that I will go a thrifting for a brighter belt

maybe in the amber shade

I can see this with denim jacket and strappy sandals

or

a pashmina and kitten heels

I visualize this dress going for lunch

for dinner

to the theatre

and 

shopping

it's packable too

so 

I'll be taking it away with me!

Pepper on a break

New toothpaste from the Health Food Store

Green Beaver 

is a Canadian company

with an interesting selection of flavours

this one sounded worth trying

and I LOVE the colour!

 after all this colour chatter

a confession...

the conservative voice spoke loudly...

I ordered 2 WHITE Tees from the J. Peterman catalogue!

Colour and textures...let's talk tulips

Coach scarf
look at the watery silky swirls of pattern and the riotous use of colours

this scarf is very versatile
and can be worn folded and draped in a variety of ways

to show off different aspects of the pattern.
and expose and focus on different colours.

I wear this scarf when I need a spring tonic...

I seek a shot of colour every now and again

and I adore items with texture

texture and weave

fringe

satin 

silk

linen

cashmere

 flannel

quilting

former post on texture

Textures inside the Bungalow 

muted tones

a silver picture frame

 a woven lamp base

 organic browns in a pottery jug

no more humdrum shades

let's bring on the brights

Spring flowers...

such a delight

affordable

 bunches and punches of colour

tulips

in a simple vase

heavy frosted glass vase

(garage sale find)

The language of flowers...

floriography

  Red tulips symbolize love, 

purple... royalty 

yellow tulips... cheer 

White tulips....forgiveness.

varigated tulips...beautiful eyes

Tulips

enchanting beauty

 and 

simplicity of form

 flowers today 

flowers tomorrow

Visit a local flower market

browse

and

see if there are any blooms that beg to be bought

and brought 

home

If you are fortunate enough to have a flowering quince like Janet 

you can ignore all this tulip talk

go outside with your secateurs and snip snip snip...

almost any flowering tree branches can be cut and brought indoors to "force" blooms

happy foraging...

Hugs

from the Hostess

Kitchen prescription for a quickie company dinner...Cheat!

I hang up the telephone...company's coming and what will I serve?

Good friends, the kind who accept you as you are...
no worries if the house is a bit under dusted no matter....
they have come to see you!
They are the best kind of friends.
long time friends,
friends who have seen you in illness, in health...
friends that come to converse and share...

We are relaxed and at ease...

When time is of the essence...
I serve an easy peasy uncomplicated dinner...
one that is quick to assemble and allows me time to visit.

How to do this?
CHEAT!

I employ some speedy and convenient helpers
a jar of good quality sauce, Italian sausages,  a package of prewashed spinach, a package of grated mozzarella cheese, and sheets of fresh lasagne, garlic bread, and a bakery made pie.

Serve a plate of fresh veggies with dip and a glass of wine and casually sip while the dinner is in the oven cooking.

Tossed mixed greens salad with cherry tomatoes
Simple vinagrette made in jam jar...see post.
Spicy Italian Sausage Lasagne
Garlic bread
Lemon Meringue Pie


Spicy Italian sausages are sauteed with onions, mushrooms until cooked.

Add a quality jar of tomato based sauce and add spices.
(I use basil, worchestershire sauce, salt,  pepper, and oregano)
Simmer until mixture is hot.
Coat the bottom of the lasagne pan with sauce layer pasta sheet

top with spinach leaves add a bit of sauce...
another sheet of pasta... more sauce
pasta and last bit of sauce to completely cover sheet of lasagne
top with grated cheese...
cover with foil and put in fridge.

Remove and let sit 30 minutes then heat oven to 350 degrees and bake 45 minutes...
the garlic bread takes about 15 minutes so just before the lasagne is finished cooking pop the bread into the oven the remove the lasagne and uncover let it sit for 10 minutes and serve...how easy is that?

Meanwhile you've sipped a glass of wine, munched on some raw veggies and chatted and laughed and caught up on all their news and shared yours...showed photos of grandbaby Isla and with their help have set the table and now there's time to sip more wine and enjoy a simple repast.

After the dishes were cleared the cards came out
and the bridge score was, well...
let's just say that the men won!

Cheating a little bit in the kitchen when last minute plans are made, make for a calm Hostess!

What quickie meals do you make for company?
Do you ever use pre washed salad greens, spinach or grated cheeses for convenience?