Hostess approved...

I am thrilled to bits when Mr. HB cooks a meal.
There is nothing that says love like having your sweetheart plan and prepare dinner...
it is tops in my world.

I highly approve of his skill on the grill.
You might be shocked and surprised to learn that I have never ever ignited our BBQ.
It's true...
The BBQ is exclusively "HIS"

On a recent sunny evening we shared this meal together.

These Reidel glasses have large bowls 

 so perfect for the red wine

which we opened ahead of time to allow it to breathe

Kenwood 

produces a bold and smooth Merlot

it has great "legs"

which you can see 

when you swirl the wine in the commodious bowls

on the menu

steaks wrapped in bacon

(Vegetarians look away!)

Steaks need mushrooms

like bread needs butter!

The Hostess loves...

when Mr. HB cooks

 he is King 

of the BBQ!

Grilled steak

 baked potato dotted with butter and sprinkled with parmesan cheese

asparagus

mushrooms

and 

dinner is served.

Cheers!

Thank you darling.

XO

Enjoy your weekend!

Soap Opera...a collection and a question...

I want to sing the praises of Soap...
lather up and get clean
a simple routine that we take for granted...

I am so grateful for indoor plumbing and hot water
my great grandmother had to haul and heat water so she could bathe by the stove
a porcelain jug and a basin filled with hot water were used...

Can you imagine what that would be like?

Just thinking about the work involved boggles the mind!

I love soaps...
and recently discovered this gem of a bar in a local Garden Shop.

Bliss

rapture

aromatherapy

are 

words that popped into my mind

when 

bar extraordinaire...

gave off wafting scents of lavender

almost too pretty to open 

I found myself sniffing the paper

 several times in anticipation

before the purchase

I happily extend my seal of approval 

if you have the opportunity to purchase a bar 

run don't walk

you'll be glad that you did.

Why not add some scent and sensibility to your daily round...

Triple milled

guarantees this bar is going to be around for a long time

provided you have a soap dish for it to rest in.

I am an avid collector

here's the cupboard where they lie in wait for their chance to serve!

Goats milk soap by Camus 

is the soap for every day use 

in The Humble Bungalow shower

I buy it in bulk from Costco

I live about a 45 minute drive from the local big box stores

so I do not go often

I did, however, go this week

oh and the line ups are long 

and people have their carts piled so high 

with all manner of merchandise...

my head spins at the thought!

I found some polished cotton Buffalo cargo pants in grey

and they fit perfectly!

my sister shared a tip with me when there are no change rooms...

take the waistband and wrap it around your neck and if it meets without being too tight

they will fit

I know it sounds odd

but so far it has worked for me!

Cargo's

great for casual outings 

grocery shopping 

to wear while doing heavy lifting required by the inventory in the library

and 

stacking hundreds of textbooks in the book room

My question is...

what do you put in the pockets of cargo pants?

there are pockets front, back, and center!

For now they will remain empty...

any thoughts?

Garden walkabout...iced tea and a weird dream!

As to my recent low...
the low that one experiences when spending a night tossing and turning.
I am happy to report that I had a better sleep  but it was broken
punctuated by periods of wake and absolutely crazy dreams!

I was in a store in a frenzy of handbag shopping...bags were whirling around in the air and I was frantically trying to catch them to take to the checkout!
I wonder what that means!

(Maybe there is a bag expedition in my immediate future!)

I had watched an episode of the Real House Wives of Beverly Hills. I had never seen the show before but was drawn in by the homes, their clothes and the appearance of chemically enhanced large lipped smiling faces. These are real women...it's a reality show but so far off of my radar!

The jury is out as to whether I would watch this again...

So back to my conservative world...
My camera and I walked about in The Humble Bungalow Garden....
it is a calm spot to just sit and be.

This is situated in the SE corner of the garden 

below the deck 

and has a massive honeysuckle growing above 

which acts as a natural canopy for shade.

It's a wonderful spot to sit and sip tea

Iced Tea 

is a great way to use up cold the from the pot

and it is so refreshing on a hot day

Put a few ice cubes into a tall glass 

add cold tea

1 tbsp. of lemon juice and 1 tbsp. of sugar

stir and sip

if you have a sprig of fresh mint handy

pop it on top!

SW back view of garden

looking East from the back of the garden

the fence is on the North side

Looking South

Garden shed at the back

situated NW

North patio

the wooly thyme has covered all the slate pavers

boggy garden North side of Bungalow

Boggy garden again

Alliums

the bees just love purple

they seem to congregate here

I will be planting more to encourage them to visit.

Looking at these images I have not captured many of the blooms

just the bones of the garden

bear with me there will be more as the season gets into full swing.

I am curious...

Do you remember your dreams?

Music for my mood...

I feel low today...
I slept fitfully and really it feels like not much more than a wink.

I have called in sick...

as I sit here in a stupor staring at my coffee
waiting for the caffeine to kick in
I am trying to shake this feeling that has settled in and permeated my usual cheerful disposition.

I so rarely have days like this it feels strange...

Abraham Darby cannot cheer me...

nor the lovely white Lilacs that so sweetly scent the bathroom

I am planning on a quiet day

and a nap is on the agenda

an

antidote

for

a sleep deprived Hostess.

I want to share a lovely, haunting, and soulful musical selection...
Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber....

Perhaps you will play it in the background while you do something else...
(for it is 10 minutes)

Do you feel the powerful emotions captured and released by the violins?
What do you do when you have a day of low energy or a night with little sleep?

Floral fever...weekend bliss!

When it comes to garden centers and all things floral I have a serious problem...
Trouble Not Spending Money!

I am frugal in many other areas...
but this area is a major weakness
it's really not a bad thing

I could be a compulsive gambler...
and have nothing to show for my money.

Flowers woo and charm me
and it's easy to see why...
when I look at these cheery blooms
I see Mother Nature smiling.

pretty and drought tolerant 

Osteospermums

White Begonias

white alyssum

 violet lobelia

osteospermums 

in yellow and fuchsia

 a planter of all white flowers

geraniums

silvery dusty miller

petunias and bacopa

all from the Garden Center.

I also attended a hardy plant sale

put on by a group of master gardener's.

It was a cash only sale 

and 

I went without checking the money that I had in my wallet

I'd forgotten that I had spent some already

so

what did I do?

I spent all of the cash on hand right down to a few red cents...

can you imagine just how annoying it was for the people in line up behind me?

Surprisingly they seemed to take it in their stride and made comments about how we gardener's are a frugal lot

and wasn't I clever to limit my spending

one $20 bill and the rest in...

loonies, toonies and small coins!

succulents

which I will plant together

Cerinthe 

major purpurascens

a lovely and interesting bloomer.

I have been planting and potting these up

my hands are filthy even with garden gloves

they have a few holes

(I'll be adding them to my list of things to buy)

but it has been a fabulous sunny weekend to play in the dirt!

Pictures will be shared in a future post

stay tuned...

It's time to make dinner 

and I am feeling fatigued

so

I am simply opening a jar 

Stonewall Kitchen's Traditional Marinara sauce and serving it with pasta.

I know to listen to my body

and it's OK not to make everything from scratch!

Next on the agenda...

my nails!

Hope that you had a fun weekend!