Birthday Bling a weekend review....

So it's been my birthday weekend.
I am now officially 57 years "young"
sounds much better than saying 57 years "old."

The vintage rhinestone necklace I ordered from Ruby Lane Antiques arrived
I wore it out to dinner...
Sparkles + Twinkles = Bling.

To start the weekend celebrations we dined out Friday at a fabulous French Bistro.
The memory of that tasty meal is still ever so clear in my mind....

French 75 for the Hostess and a martini for Mr. HB...
we started with French Onion Soup,
followed by steak, mushrooms and pommes frites for the main course,
Creme Brulee with two spoons for dessert.
Coffee for Mr. HB and I sipped wine and water as I planned to enjoy a sleep in and caffeine affects my slumber.

French Red Wine

Sterling our waiter, 

recommended a Cotes du Rhone variety.

Fountain 

flooded in a fuchsia light

I snapped this image on my IPhone as we waited for the cab to arrive.

( Faux Fuchsia might like this)

I sent her a copy

 I sent her the Pho Fuchsia eatery from Seattle a few years ago 

and she posted the image on her sidebar.

If you've never been a visitor to her blog you'll be impressed...

she's a busy mom and a lawyer with incredible taste in home decor, food and fashion.

When we got home Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were on Jimmy Fallon,
we watched our Boss work his magic. We are huge fans!

Saturday lunch with Mother...

I'd dare not show up wearing too much Bling...

I dressed sedately in a black knit skirt, boots, a cashmere sweater, Hermes scarf.

No reason to alarm her at her age.

Saturday evening and it's dinner with friends...
I wore the sparkly choker with
Gap wide legged jeans, black tank top, black long knit sweater and kitten heels.

Janet author of The Gardener's Cottage would have been glued to the TV as Jack White was on SNL.
How was it Janet?
We taped it and will watch it sometime this week.

If you haven't met Janet yet pop by for a visit and say Hi for me.
She embraces frugality and minimalism, gardens, practices Yoga and she's a drop dead gorgeous esthetician who looks far too young to be a grandmother!

Mr. HB designed the paper that he wrapped my gift in...

he's so clever!

Lovely delicate orchid blooms.

I am going to put my feet up and relax 

with In Style and a cup of tea...

It's been a busy weekend

filled with wonderful birthday celebrations

a I feel so Happy.

Thank you

from your 

Humble Hostess

XO

How are things going with you?

Tell me everything...

Say goodbye to that grumpy Hostess!

Gosh I feel like a new woman.
(Would that be something my husband might say?)

The skies were bright blue and there were puffy cotton white clouds as far as the eye could see.
The sun was shining and the birds were chirping, it was warmer and I felt a huge weight lifted off....
if only the scale would agree!

I bought flowers and went shopping and I didn't break the budget.
Exercising frugality has become a way of life.

Primulas are plentiful at this time of year

they are cheap and cheerful

"good for what ails you"

their sunny little faces remind me of pansies

the edges are delicate 

as if a water colour artist had painted them by hand...

the yellow variety have a scent

they are the only ones to have a fragrance

a trio for the front porch

can you see the sunshine in those wee flowers?

I can.

a rather nautical hooded top

with a blue tank underneath

(both pieces are from Joe and cost $22)

Joe Mimran of Pink Tartan designs this clothing line 

sold at Superstore 

the Weston family's retail giant.

a soft blush of pink

tank and sweater

both from Joe $26

I spent $5 on 5 primula plants

less than $50 for 4 pieces of clothing

and 

I'd have to say I feel like a new woman!

So say goodbye to that Grumpy Hostess and Hello to Happy!

I wonder what Mr. HB will say when he reads my blog opening sentence!

I'll be celebrating my birthday this weekend and dining with friends.

What will you be doing?

Snowdrops...

Here's the Humble Bungalow front porch

the chairs stay out all winter 

while their cream cushions hibernate inside.

I am so longing for a warm patch of sunny weather.

It snowed last weekend and has been chilly

I've needed to wear a 

down coat, boots and gloves.

I admit that I am feeling a wee bit tired and grumpy.

Mighty oaks line this byway...

walking in this neighbourhood of old homes and granite walls

one can glimpse lovely gardens carefully tended year round.

A carpet of snowdrops 'neath the oaks...

there was a garden maintenance company tending this garden.

one of my dreams

 is to have a bed this lush and full of snowdrops...

and while we're dreaming...

I wouldn't mind having a gardener

someone who could do the heavy work 

the serious digging.

Coincidentally 

this dreamy magazine was in the mailbox when I got home.

Beth Chatto came and spoke to our Horticultural Society many moons ago

she was an animated and educated woman whose passion for gardens was inspiring and contagious.

I really must go back to the Society as it was such a wonderful group of eccentrics

who shared knowledge and plant snips and enjoyed guest speakers from around the globe.

I held the job of membership chairperson

 which at the time had 1200 members

I was responsible for the collection of fees, typing up the addresses and mailing out the newsletter.

A group of 8-10 volunteers, all women,

 would meet here in The Humble Bungalow once a month 

we'd stuff 1200 envelopes, lick stamps 

and chatter at the dining table.

The kettle was on and tea was sipped...

"china service"

home baked goodies were consumed

and often toddlers would be rushing about.

I remember fondly the crumbs and chaos of toys 

and quiet after the ladies left...

then it was time to clean up and beetle off to deposit the letters in the post.

Good times!

Gardens Illustrated is a fabulous publication

I treat myself to an annual subscription

if you love to garden peruse one of these issues and you'll see why it's worth buying.

(and we gardeners are a very frugal lot)

Rare Irish snowdrops.

Wow this is a snowdrop!

"Hill Poe"

a late bloomer

discovered in 1911 in the garden at Riverton County, Tipperary.

While on my walk I passed by the flower shop and bought a bunch of flowers.

Parrot tulips

in

chartreuse and white.

Inspired by the snowdrops.

not quite open

I am dreaming of snowdrops

and Spring...

 I need to snap out of this cold weather funk.

Is it time to go out and buy something truly frivolous

or eat some quality chocolate?

What would you do?

Here comes Pepper

I think she's freaked out by the gale force winds that are pummeling the Bungalow

the 100 year old windows are rattling and the gusts are coming through the cracks!

I'd better go.

Tell me what's the weather like where you are?

Thanks for stopping by and spending some time with me here in The Humble Bungalow

I wouldn't be here if you didn't pop in now and again...

Hostess

XO

Chemise please!

The weather has been positively beastly and grey and dull and I needed to seek out some comfort and colour.

I've been very frugal lately because we have the renovation underway and there really isn't anything I "need"
well there is one thing!
So I popped on my grey and black feline printed scarf (the one from my tying tutorial) and my grey duffel coat, over top of black boots, skinny jeans, white tank and my black cashmere sweater...it's no wonder I crave colour!

I was on a mission as our stove top kettle finally packed it in after many years of fine service.

I traipsed all over looking for a new kettle that was to my liking. I wanted something simple and durable yet with a bit of style as it sits on the stove top all the time. I looked at Le Creuset's, Staubs, Copco's and some really disappointing flimsy stainless steel models before giving up and resigning myself to finding one another day.

In the meantime I found some new towels on sale Hammam white Turkish towels and they are every bit as nice as the Abyss towels we currently have in The Humble Bungalow which are over 5 years old and starting to look their age. White never stays pure white forever....

Hammam bath sheet and towel

I have on order the face cloths and another bath sheet.

I'll decide if they'll be upstairs or downstairs towels later.

Quality~comfort

soft~supple~cotton~sateen

(this company also made our Hutterite down duvet)

a chemise if you please!

I have had one of these in the past and they are a delight to wear in the warmer days of summer.

It feels like nothing on but there is a wisp of coverage for modesty's sake.

this style has a wee hint of lace

Pepper thinks I brought home a toy for her to play with!

what's inside?

I spy with my little eye...

a furry tail!

Boo!

Remember that Red Huck

The twigs that I thought would bloom...

well they have sprouted leaves not flowers :(

On my way home from town I stopped off at the local Market for some food.

I also picked up my husband's shirts at the cleaners

and popped my head in the Hardware store...

and found the kettle that I needed!

Stainless steel Paderno

guaranteed for 25 years...

my husband's comment was "that kettle will see us out!"

Embracing frugality I made Osso Bucco with beef shanks and the next day I transformed the leftovers into 

Scotch Broth Soup!

simmering and scenting the kitchen

I wish you could taste this bowl of soup.

You'll just have to trust me that it is in fact delicious!

Mr. HB and I watched The Help on the weekend and I loved it.

The book was a good read.

I'd recommend it

 I mentioned it to Mother and she read it in a couple of days!

I hope that your week is off to a great start!

Memories of days gone by...

Our darling daughter is an avid collector of mid century modern.
(our son and lovely DIL are keen collectors too.)

Teak, ceramics, glass, metal Jere wall art.
She has a great eye for detail and has scored many deals.
It's probably her art history background and all those years at university...
or possibly because I pushed the pram up Antique Row from the time she was a few months old and then later when she was older she'd accompany me to see what treasures we might find and bring home.

Both kids were accomplices on these forays/walks.
We'd have a poke around the shops before heading home to make dinner.

Those days we had very little discretionary income so I juggled the budget.
There were orthodontics, ballet and hockey classes for the children and I was a stay at home mom.
Mr. HB was busy getting his career off the ground and worked long hours and many weekends.
Money didn't grow on trees and living in an old house there were always repairs and maintenance to consider.

We never really did without.
Although there was that one summer I recall where we practically lived on zucchini as it was growing prolifically in The Humble Bungalow Garden. Zucchini chocolate cake, muffins, zucchini sticks with dip, zucchini in soup and casseroles...I am sure you get the picture!
Oh and I would be remiss if I didn't mention that we had to have powdered milk mixed with homogenized!
The kids will never let me forget that summer...

I think that was also the summer our Golden Retriever Rufus, swallowed the fish hook that had been baited with bacon... left on the back deck of Poppie's Gal...and a lead weight went down his throat which the vet said would be certain death if we did not operate.

Of course we opted for the surgery, we loved our dog so much, he was family after all.
The vet's bill was shockingly expensive and we had very little in our savings account.

I remember walking in the neighbourhood and looking down hoping to find coins on the ground.
It was one time I felt truly worried about money.

Somehow we managed...it must have been the zucchini and powdered milk!
We were happy in spite of our circumstances as children and dogs kept us busy and our world naturally revolved around their rhythms.

As time went on we got back on our feet and got really quite good at finding great loot at bargain basement prices.
Many times we'd bring home a piece of Mission or Arts and Crafts furniture that I would have paid for with the grocery money and I would then have to stretch the budget for the next week or so.
No zucchini this time around, it would be vegetarian based homemade soups, casseroles or pastas.

We'd be in cahoots together, giddy in fact, carrying the piece in question from the commodious old Volvo and re arranging the furniture swiftly so it looked like it had always been there...

When Mr. HB arrived home I'd greet him at the door with a kiss and a freshly made cocktail, take his briefcase, and the kids would be bringing up the rear bearing guilty smiles and hugs.

This scenario repeated itself many many times...
and Mr. HB came to recognize the signs.
He'd pause and say "OK What did you buy?"

Wonderful memories...

It's not surprising that both children are not fond of zucchini to this day.
I quite like it myself. I owe a lot to that hardy vegetable!

Darling daughter has an apartment decorated and full of mid century modern.
I posted about her "Mod Pod" awhile back and you can revisit here.
Our son and his lovely wife are raising our delightful granddaughter in a mid century modern home with all the bells and whistles. They are redecorating room by room and the results are stunning.

Rosenthal Thomas china, 

Orrefors crystal glasses

Tapio wirkkala votive holder

 a Hans Olsen teak table

darling daughter's apartment last weekend

as she hosted dinner for a friend.

I am thrilled that our children share the love of collecting

objects that speak to their tastes.

Mid century modern pieces are still available locally

although the prices have gone through the roof

as they have become all the rage.

Who knew what we grew up with as kids would become the next hot collectible?

"Everything old is new again"