A Rainy Monday afternoon post ~ random thoughts.

L'Occitane Almond Milk Cream smells delicious and is so full of moisturizing properties...
I highly recommend it as it delivers on it's promise to soothe and hydrate dry skin.
The L'Occitane Shea Butter is fabulous too, especially the hand and foot creams.
Have you ever tried their range of products?
They have a fabulous website and now there is a shop located downtown in our city.
It's a sensory treat to walk in and sample their wares and the knowledgeable staff are ready to assist.

It comes in a convenient size and lasts quite a long time.

A little goes a long way.

The jar is quite attractive so there's no need to hide it away.

I keep it on my bedside table to remind me to use it.

Organic Angelica Water and Essential Oil

Eye Roll On

(Patent Pending)

Suitable for sensitive eyes.

For the delicate skin around the eyes.

~ ~ ~ 

On the box it states that with use it will 

~ reduce the appearance of fine lines by 18% ~

~ reduce puffiness by 11% ~

~ reduce dark circles by 12% ~

I'm hoping that this will perform as well as the box suggests.

The skin around my eyes is starting to look more crepe-y

and I have some puffiness when I wake up in the morning.

~ ~ ~ 

I've got lots of random thoughts and a rather disjointed blog post today...

perhaps it's because I had a super busy weekend of preparing and hosting the baby shower.

Which I will post about on another day...

Foliage is standing in for flowers today.

I may not have mentioned this but Chester thinks flowers are to play with and will not leave them alone.

So far every arrangement has been "de-arranged."

Here he is helping me do the laundry, ready to pounce.

If he's not in the laundry basket 

he's on top of the clothes.

I think he's more like a dog than a cat as he follows me everywhere

and Pepper is never far behind!

~ ~ ~ 

New book

some easy reading

The book is rather like a clutch purse.

I do enjoy Candace Bushnell's style.

I loved "One Fifth Avenue" and "Four Blondes."

Last year I read the "Carrie Diaries"...

these books are what I consider to be  "mental snack food"

a light entertaining read

nothing that requires too much energy...

pure entertainment.

It's what I need and crave after a busy day at work.

(and a freshly brewed pot of tea.)

I've got my tea, the cat is on my lap

I  can hear the rain coursing through the down spouts.

It's a wet day today...

It's warm and dry in my wee Humble Bungalow

I am feeling grateful for a roof over my head and food in the fridge.

~ ~ ~ 

Our local community food banks are having difficult keeping their shelves stocked.

At school we are having a food drive.

It was suggested that each student donate one can of food 

with over 500 students enrolled in our school that would be a substantial boost to help.

I think many families will bring more than one can...

it's the least we can do.

Hope you are snug safe and warm.

~ ~ ~ 

Hostess

50 Shades of Grey....

The book 50 Shades of Grey has caused quite a stir!
In recent conversations it seems to divide many readers who have read it.

I must confess that I have not read it and will probably not read it.
Have you read it?
What are your opinions on the book?

I have been greying things up quite a bit in the past year or so...
perhaps it's the cat and the kitten that have influenced my passion for grey.

Saks Fifth Avenue

sweater

thrifted when I went shopping with Sheila from the fashion blog Ephemera

long vest by Orange

purchased at Christmas time when I was shopping for others!

basic tank by Bobi

a reliable sturdy layering piece

purchased in the summertime 

on the Avenue after lunching with Mother and my sister.

Faux Fur by Gelco

a fall in~VEST~ment piece

I wear this every week at least once

it's fabulous and cozy.

The new kid on the block

a soft grey cashmere from Lands End

It's what I am wearing today.

I suppose my version would read

5 Shades of Grey!

Have you got an exciting weekend planned?

I am hosting a baby shower for a co worker who is on maternity leave

have a bunch of ladies coming over to our Humble Bungalow for food and fun

and we'll all get to meet the new baby!

I'm enlisting the help of lovely daughter who is going to help me decorate for the shower.

She's got some clever ideas as she's been helping a friend this summer who runs a wedding planning service

and can make me a banner and add a dash of fun.

Enjoy your Friday!

Pins, pans and perfume....

Life around here is nothing too out of the ordinary.
It's ticking along with a more regular rhythm
we are not complacent
just catching our breath
after some recent family medical issues which finds us breathing deeper with our pulses are slowing down.

The Fall weather has arrived with a vengeance
bringing with it gusty gale force winds and the trees are shedding their leaves swiftly.
The old furnace is rumbling as it chugs out warm blasts of air.

Sunday dinners will mostly be roasted and they will certainly be comfort food,
in the sublime form of prime rib of beef, free range organic chickens and the occasional ham.
(vegetarians and vegans look away)

Turkey is reserved for Thanksgiving and Christmas and I do love a great roasting pan.
Luckily / fortunately for me Mr. HB believes in good tools...
so it was last Sunday that found me unwrapping a vast box bearing...

a sturdy roasting pan

"All Clad"

stainless that will accommodate a turkey, chicken, rib roast or a large lasagna

this will be in use on a regular basis in The Humble Bungalow Kitchen.

Thanks Honey!

I have been wearing my vintage pins lately...

if nothing else they start a conversation...

Baroque pearl

marquisites

circa 1920

a gift from lovely daughter

I LOVE this one

it's simple and sparkly

and goes with most everything I own.

Gilmour tunic top

Lands End leggings

Hush Puppies leather boots

"Orange" vest

OOTD

please accept my apologies as

I look tired

I have been busy de-cluttering the downstairs 

as well as being a social butterfly...

I know I have been burning the candle at both ends

( I have made a reservation at the spa...)

a new discovery...

"Passionate Night"

pillow spray

I have never heard of this before and I love this scent.

It is available in a candle or this spray

sadly no perfume...

if it were I'd be buying up a few bottles as the scent is lovely

and I did slumber deep with this scent wafting up from my pillow.

I cheated and spritzed some on my vest this morning so I could enjoy the subtle scent throughout my day.

It's subtle, kind of musky with notes from the Orient.

What perfume do you wear?

Have you worn this for a long time or is it new for you?

Do you like to keep your scent a secret?

~ ~ ~ 

Hostess

The cats are ruling the roost...

Chester our youngest cat has taken to climbing in a big way.
He has been leaping up on top of our kitchen cabinets and walking along the plate rails.

We have taken to clapping loudly to discourage this behaviour when we are home but when we are away he'll be free to climb to his heart's content.

Before 

Rescued in the nick of time...

After!

`

I've got to find a new place for these jars, somewhere safe.

I think I'll display them in my glass fronted cupboards in The Humble Bungalow Kitchen.

I blame it on the birds...

they are flitting about flying and chirping outside these windows.

Chester can see them and being a hunter he'd love to catch them.

He's up on the ledges swatting at the glass, mewing and chirruping.

I know our lives have been enriched by this little fellow

so I am happy to store a few breakables away until this phase passes...

if it ever does!

Pepper and Chester are racing about The Humble Bungalow right now.

It's a game they love to play and good exercise.

I wait until they're tired out before straightening the area rugs that have flown in their wake.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

I'm going to embrace random acts of kindness as my focus this week 

I'll see what things I can do to make a difference

or just make someone smile

(perhaps you'll join me)

Have a wonderful week!

And the beet goes on...

Beets are best served fresh and we have enjoyed our garden's bounty this summer.
Sweet and delicious served simply with butter, a grind of pepper and a few crystals of sea salt.

With the weather finally slinking into fall
the fog, the damp and the rain...
It seemed like a good time to pull out the rest of our beets and do something with them.

red beets

yellow beets

Pickled beets

a real treat

which we'll enjoy over the winter.

Do you remember Sonny and Cher?

The beat goes on.

They look so young and in love in this video clip.

Can you see the massive spider's web that has been woven outside our living room window?

It's so intricate.

No sign of the spider though...

I've noticed many webs strung and woven in the garden recently.

Which makes me wonder where these spiders have been all summer long.

When I looked at this web I thought I'd recently seen this design up close.

Then I remembered that I have a pottery bowl by potter Terry Ryals.

celadon green

look closer

The pattern looks rather weblike

perhaps he was inspired by a spider's handiwork.

I don't know how he has achieved this effect

perhaps it's in the firing or a very specific kind of glaze.

All I know is that I do like the finished product.

You can find his works locally in galleries and on Salt Spring Island.

I love to browse galleries for unique gifts for friends and family.

And on a rare occasion I find a treasure that comes home with me!

~ ~ ~

Hope you are having fun and enjoying your day.