Harrods soap, an eggnog loaf, and roast beef Sunday dinner.

When I think of Harrods I think of quality.
My English friends who have lived and shopped in London feel that it is up there with the best merchants.
I am disappointed in their soap...
is it the soap or is it the way that I am using it?

Calling all experts...

here's the soap

looks nice 

smells lovely

all wrapped up in a pretty package 

and now look...

personally I think this is hideous looking soap and I am going to chuck it in the garbage

it sits in an english china soap dish with raised ridges to give it a chance to dry between uses

Is it the soap or is it the dish?

What is the problem here?

Please let me know if you have the answer as this is really bugging me.

There are very few pet peeves of mine but this is up there with rudeness 

and those annoying sticky price stickers that will not come off of glasses and other things that one buys.

I dislike wasting food and those items that don't get used up before their expiration dates.

Which brings me to the eggnog that is about to get tossed...

Did you know that you could use eggnog for something other than sipping?
I have sampled French Toast made with eggnog and it's delicious.
So in the spirit of thrift. waste not want not...

I went online and found an eggnog loaf recipe which I made this afternoon...

It went together very quickly and baked in the oven for 50 minutes.

I will wrap these up and store them in the freezer

later when I am busy 

I'll have something tasty to share with friends and family.

 The Humble Bungalow is a busy place these days.

More workers on the scene, dust seeping upstairs.

More next week and the reno is coming along nicely.

I'll be taking photos one day soon.

Exciting times!

I am cooking a roast beef and yorkshire pudding with veggies tonight.

Mr. HB's sister and Mother will joining us for dinner.

SIL lives near the Alberta border and is in town for a reunion.

Must get busy and get cooking...

I'll be wearing an apron so there will be no OOTD images today!

Have a great day.

Lights and natural touches...

Lighting up the Bungalow...
Mr. HB has been busy stringing the white Christmas lights.

He has been up on ladders to add some twinkle and sparkles to The Humble Bungalow.
I like the dark wood details much more at night when it takes on a warm glow.

Daytime it can be dark inside and I find myself turning on lots of lights.

Living room

(I did not use the flash as it looks far too harsh)

view from the kitchen butler's pantry door 

looking east into the dining room

mantle above the fireplace

sporting the resident 

Ojibwa tamarack duck decoys

Mom and babe...

Salal

a native plant,

simple and natural 

in a mercury green glass vase

a gift last year from a friend

The Paper Whites are growing taller

I hope they bloom for Christmas!

Dining room plate rail lit with white

 subtle and just enough to add warmth to the dark fir.

Simmering on the stove is a tomato sauce 

made with whole tomatoes,onions, garlic, basil and red pepper flakes

a healthy glug of Worchestershire sauce

salt and pepper...

I'll boil up some pasta and dinner is done.

Quick and easy are the meals these days as there are lots of things to do to get ready for the holidays.

Most of the gift shopping has been done.

There will be some more baking as I give homemade goodies away.

My uncle, who lives alone always gets an assortment of treats.

I take some to work and share them with the staff.

Then there is the fellow who hauls away our garden refuse to the compost centre

 and various others who provide us with service over the course of the year that I try to remember at Christmas.

The Food Drive is in full swing at school and the truck will be overflowing with food for the needy.

The sock drive is at 500 pairs with our goal for 1,000.

Street people need to keep their feet warm and dry.

The Hampers are getting filled with toys for the families at the school who are experiencing hard times.

With generous hearts 

this spirit of giving could happen all the time.

I'm thinking of dedicated tireless volunteers

 whose helping hands and hearts of gold

make such an enormous contribution to our communities everywhere.

I am in awe of you all!

There's lots to do this weekend and I may not get to it all...

what's on your agenda for the weekend?

Have some fun!

OOTD and Gingerbread in the afternoon...

It's tea time in The Humble Bungalow.
Mother and my sister popped by for a visit...
I put the silver service into action and took out some pretty china teacups.

 I made gingerbread for tea this afternoon.

I made the recipe in a pie plate so that I could serve small wedges of this delicious treat.

You can serve this with a dollop of whipped cream or a good Greek yogurt if you so desire.

Gingerbread Squares

1/2 c. unsalted butter
3/4 c. sugar
1 large egg
1/4 c.molasses
1 1/2 tbsp. coffee
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 c. golden raisins
1/2 c. dried apricots chopped
1/4 c. chopped candied ginger
2 tbsp. icing sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Butter an 9X9 pan. (or 9 inch diameter pie plate)
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
Beat in egg, molasses and coffee until well blended.

Mix or sift dry ingredients together, then stir in wet batter. Mix in fruit. It will be sticky. Press into pan.

Bake 20 -30 minutes until the top starts to crackle.
Sprinkle with icing sugar and slice when cool.

I got some great prep bowls last year from Santa......

they are so handy when you are baking up a storm in the kitchen.
They seem to reduce the mess on the counter and leave little room for forgetting to add all the ingredients.

measuring is easy peasy.....

At tea today we caught up on all the things that my sister was doing in Rancho Mirage,
it is a tony neighbour to Palm Springs.
She shopped El Paseo, rode horses in the desert, walked her dog and swam...
all while her significant other played golf.

They have a townhouse in a gated community and have bought several acres outside of town with thoughts of building a great southern retreat.
I think that they have what it takes to make the classic Canadian Snowbirds.

Meanwhile I have had a house full of electricians and the lower level is in controlled chaos!
Things are progressing at a healthy pace and the reno is in full swing.
The downstairs is not Pepper friendly so we have been keeping her upstairs and safe while the work crews are here.

I am slightly under the weather with lower back pain....
not to complain too bitterly but it is not my favourite way to live.

I have no idea what I have done either, I woke up this way.

I am calling out for the big guns in pain relief
Epsom salts, Voltaren
and ALEVE!

To give me a boost of energy I am colour blocking.
I am wearing a red tunic top with my charcoal wooly tights and my boots.

Style and Co. red tunic

which is above my knees

by about 3 inches!

I might be pushing the best before age limit here with this top...

what say the fashion police?

Hermes scarf and lovely DIL

Hermes update;

Last weeks post on how and what to do with one of my lesser worn Hermes scarves caused quite a stir.
So after comments and consideration
a quick email
and the Hermes scarf has a new owner...

Natalie,
daughter in law,
a fabulous fashion blogger
(I Heart This Blog.com)

Go here to see her wearing it.
I think she looks amazing...

I am happy that things turned out this way...

The Humble Bungalow Blog is nothing that exciting without followers.
Please know how much your comments mean to me...
when you take a moment to leave a comment
know that I read each and every one and that they mean a lot to me.

Two years of blogging and I'm still tapping on the keyboard.
Things have changed a bit over these past two years.
I have noticed that some bloggers have given up, others have changed their focus, some have stopped posting as often, others have huge numbers of followers and have gone on to commercialize their space.

It is difficult to know what direction a blog should take after rambling on for so long and after so many diverse posts. I am wondering if there should be a renovation....

While I muddle and wade through these thoughts I hope you'll tag along with me on this journey.

Hope that your week is off to a great start.

Muddy boots...

I have muddy boots!
They are not the luxe leather variety that are fashionable, they are utilitarian boots that are made for grime and puddles.

If you have been following along here for awhile

you might remember when I purchased these...

I had been lusting after Hunter boots

 and tried some on 

only to discover that my legs were too short 

and that the top of the boot went well above my knees.

These boots are perfect for me but I do love how the Hunter boots look.

You'd be surprised to see how many of our students at school are wearing them.

There's an adorable young fellow who wears a kilt with his!

Cozy with wooly liners and great for the muddy playground.

Our local "village street" has a new shop which sells rain gear for women and children.

In the Pacific Northwest rain is a given.

So you must be prepared and suitably attired.

Curious about this shop I popped in and checked out their stock...

very chic, stylish, and very pricey

oh and

welcoming staff who were eager to assist.

If Miss Isla were a size 4, I could buy her a pair for $55.

Were she to want some, they come in many cheery colours

I particularly like red and yellow.

I can see her splashing about in puddles

her feet dry and warm...

what a picture of loveliness!

Our children wore Mothercare boots in cheery red

with their "muddy buddy" zip up gear.

Rain did not keep us indoors.

I am a proponent of seeking fresh air in all kinds of weather.

I used to put my children outside in the garden to nap in the pram when they were babies.

Mothercare was available here by catalog only and it was my "go to shop" when they were young.

(Before they decided what styles they would insist on wearing!)

Osh Gosh B'Gosh 

from Wisconsin was another place that I ordered regularly from...

denim overalls and pink jeans

worn with white tees underneath

gosh they were cute

and they never wore out

I passed them on to several friends and they may still be in service

 who knows!

My Mother and Gran, my husband's mother

saw to it that they were dressed up in fancy clothes

smocked dresses with white tights and leather Mary Janes

navy jackets grey flannels shirts and bow ties...

Social outings with the family required more than casual attire

but I digress...

Simple boots

by Sperry

the company that has been making deck shoes for boaters for years...

Mr. HB checking his email

 aft deck

summertime.

(I have lost count of how many Sperry shoes he has owned over the last 30 years)

if Sperry can help us keep our feet firmly planted on the mahogany decks 

they can certainly be trusted to keep our feet dry in the rain.

Now I think I'll go outside and splash in a puddle....