Books and Bricks...

I'm passionate about cooking and naturally great cookbooks help to keep me inspired and challenged in the Humble Bungalow kitchen.
Often I am fortunate enough to receive them as gifts...
this Christmas I was given one of the new Barefoot Contessa cookbooks and have been reading, browsing and planning what I'll cook first. Ina has such a wonderful assortment of basic staple recipes and none of them look too challenging, nor do they require exotic spices or ingredients that might make preparations a bit daunting.

She's really quite pretty

I'd love to be able to watch her cooking shows again

but they are not available on our current channels

and we have many!

Do you read the smitten kitchen blog?

Well Deb has a cookbook!

This is a vast volume with an wide array of interesting and tempting recipes

I cannot decide what I'll make 

but I'm thinking I should invite my son, DIL and Isla to dine with us 

when I do decide as they gave me this gift.

Merci!

I found this cookbook while browsing the aisles at Home Sense.

Williams Sonoma Weeknight Fresh and Fast 

which is often what I need on a busy weeknight after work.

Fresh, healthy and tasty meals that don't take hours to put together.

Williams Sonoma has not set up shop in our town

so 

whenever we go anywhere that has one 

Mr. HB knows he'll be exploring their wares with me

and it's difficult harnessing my desire to buy when surrounded with so many great tools.

This book has been out for quite sometime and I was eyeing it at the local book seller 

but I resisted until it went on sale at a price that I could not resist.

Bunny's writing is easy ~ yet pleasant

the pictures are lovely

and the pages are full of great ideas 

 suggestions on what supplies are necessary for entertaining

and home keeping basics that one might need to have on hand.

I'm in my element reading her thoughts.

One of my prized "possessions" is a Sidney Island brick

mostly prized as there are very few whole ones left plus it was discovered on one of my most memorable dates!

Mr. HB and I found it on the beach at Sidney Spit when we were teenagers.

He used to take me over there in his speed boat and we'd hold hands and walk along the sand barefoot.

I'd hazard a guess that we found it about 45 years ago...

There was a brick factory over there for awhile in the early 1900's.

The Empress Hotel was built with these bricks.

Many broken bricks still litter the high tide mark near the public campsites.

There is a bomb shelter there too which is narrow dark and I used to be brave and run through it until I spied several spider webs blocking the entrance.

It's rather silly being afraid of something like spiders but I will avoid them at any cost.

The Marine park is one of my favourite spots to cruise to 

and spend the day beach combing

then if the winds are light stay the night.

The sunsets are beautiful and in the summertime you can glimpse the highest fireworks at Butchart Gardens.

~ ~ ~

Besides books and bricks...

I've been using the IPAD mini quite a bit and was rather concerned that it did not get scratched or walked on by the cats so I found a simple sleeve which also works as a stand made by Hipstreet.

my manicure is holding up rather well

I dressed it with a top coat of fresh colour and am thinking 

 maybe I could try to emulate Faux Fuchsia 

she has the prettiest nails on the blogosphere

and her blog has a bit of something for everyone...

flowers, friends, food, fashion and family.

Recipes are easy to find online but one never knows how good the recipes are...

I learned this the hard way when I made Boston Baked Beans

that bombed!

Speaking of bricks we had to have our 100 year old chimney rebuilt as the mortar was crumbling

a stainless steel liner was inserted down the chimney to prevent us from getting carbon monoxide poisoning

we have purchased a simple CO2 detector and had no knowledge that this might pose a risk to our health so mention this to heritage home owners just in case you had not heard...

Take care

Hope that your New Year is off to a great start.

If you haven't already heard Downton Abbey starts tomorrow!

Mr. HB and I watched season 3 online thanks to our clever son who showed us how to download it.

Not going to spoil any of the story line...

I'm just saying it's a season not to be missed.

Hostess

A New Year and a fresh start...

I am not given to make New Years resolutions
but do try to visualize the beginning of the year with fresh eyes and optimism.
Anything is possible!

Life will unfold as it will, as it usually does.
One can never predict what might be, where one may go, what challenges we might face.
We can only control how we react...

Embracing and holding close ~ family and friends.
Good friends are gifts and ones worth tending...
family members need unconditional love and support
(must keep in check my tendency to smother!)

Remember to keep my spirits up and to keep moving, however slow or fast.
Feeding my soul as well as my body.

Finding a time for quiet reflection
an outlet for stress
something of beauty to behold
something meaningful to do
and someone to love.

waterfront walks

go a long way to keeping me focused and fit

living in a neighbourhood

belonging to a group

doing something for others

home keeping

gardening

cocooning in a cozy space

finding joy in the everyday routines

~ it's the little things ~

flowers

accents from nature

whimsy

a juxtaposition 

the unexpected that catch my eye

and hold me close like a whisper

~ ~ ~

pushing the envelope

stretching

taking life less seriously

not conforming

reinventing

taking risks

dressing up for the day 

when staying at home doing domestics

and no one sees me but the cats!

indulging in a little luxury

a scented soap

a hot bath

emollient creams

cashmere sweaters and socks

a soft scarf

designer fragrance

exploring a new shop

tickling ones taste buds

(salad dressing never tasted so good!)

~Adopting an attitude of gratitude~

"it's not the grandeur

it's the simple

that keep me grounded"

Hostess

I'm looking ahead to the New Year

with a spring in my step and hope in my heart.

Your thoughts are most welcome

I hope you'll share some of them with me.

~ ~ ~

"I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. 

I do not judge the universe."

Dalai Lama 

OOTD New Years Eve...

For those of you who like to see OOTD posts
I apologize because I have been remiss.
Perhaps because my mirror has been out of commission due to construction below decks.
Rather more likely that I have ballooned in girth and am feeling more than a tad bit stodgy!

Personal feelings aside I'll share with you...

Club Monaco earrings

Chanel Rouge Allure 

#517 Triomphal

 OPI 

Peru~B~Ruby

vintage 

eel skin bag

dress by Nygaard

in it's 4th or 5th season of wear

we enjoyed a lovely evening

a martini before dinner

then off to a seafood restaurant for some delicious fare

a glass of Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc from NZ

~ ~ ~

Oysters Rockefeller to start

crab stuffed Sooke trout with potatoes dauphinoise

beets with kale

followed by decaf coffee

Mr.HB had Oysters Rockefeller

followed by a large lobster thermidor 

~ ~ ~

home before midnight

New Years Resolutions are very much on my mind

 organizing the Bungalow linens

walking more

reducing stress

are 

very much on my radar

~ ~ ~

How about you dear reader

have you made any resolutions?

It's going to be a quiet New Years day here in The Humble Bungalow

 Mr.HB and I have come down with colds...

I wonder how long this nail varnish will last...

I rarely paint my nails as my hands take such a beating in the garden and doing dishes.

The Glove can only do so much!

"Every man should be born again on the first day of January.  

Start with a fresh page.  

Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, 

or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past."

~  

~Henry Ward Beecher~

THe Humble Bungalow makeover...

It's been about a year since we embarked on a major restoration and renovation
of the lower level of The Humble Bungalow.
It's been a labour of love and a long and arduous undertaking.
Time, energy, sub-trades and money...not necessarily in that order.

Mr. HB has the design sense and vision, I had a desire for a more finished space, something that was not a basement as such. A bright light place where I could be comfortable while accomplishing domestic chores like washing and ironing.

There are two other rooms already finished that are functioning as a guest room and a hobby room. (where I dabble in paints)

Please understand that we have not put all the finishing touches on the space just yet.
There will be some more "decorating" or "feathering the nest"items as we find things and are in no rush.
At the moment I am considering painting a few more rose paintings and hanging them
above the washer and dryer.

back entrance

laundry area

washer and dryer set

I am contemplating a shelf or future paintings

for the wall above the LG workhorses.

view at bottom of the stairs

in laundry area

zinc bucket for flowers cut from the garden

basket for leafy greens

colander for rinsing beets and potatoes from the veggie patch

bowl for rinsed produce

all handy waiting for next summer's bounty

hallway to guest room at the end

hobby room on the left at the end

storage area on the right at the end

bathroom on the right

storage area

awaiting organization

I am so delighted with the full length mirror

bathroom

bathroom 

Theme:

black and white

keeping things simple and understated

employing the rough edges

the imperfect 

and 

not trying to be anything but honest.

I hope you've enjoyed our wee tour...

this small home shelters and helps to keep us happy and cozy.

Have a great New Year!

Hugs from The Hostess

XO

OOTD...dressing up for domestics!

This Christmas I received a fabulous JCrew necklace from my son and his lovely wife...
thank you my sweets.

You might remember that when I went shopping to the mall before Christmas I found a GAP tee top that was sprinkled with sequins. My DIL encouraged me to splurge and buy it, she also suggested that I could wear it watching TV. I wore it Christmas Eve to an open house where I was with close friends and family.

It's a whimsical foray into FUN.
One that pushes that proverbial fashion envelope a bit when one takes into account my age.
I never want to look dowdy or frumpy, it's a bit of a concern and one that I hope I'll always have the good sense to "know" what is too "Mummsie."

On the opposite side of the scale...
I hope that I do not look like I am dressing "too young."
I wonder what The Fashion Police would have to say on this number.
They may chime in and report if they are not on holidays...

 JCrew and GAP paired together to make my domestic duties more of an event.

worn with basic LuLuLemon black yoga pants

they go with the graphite grey LG machines

my feet are cold though 

as the in floor heat needs to have the electrician install the thermostat

soon I'll have warm toes!

I'll check in with you later as I am working on a renovation post.

All is not yet complete but we are nearly finished.

It's been a long haul and we have worked very hard.

It's such a wonderful space now.

I am like a dizzy little school girl

wanting to do laundry at every opportunity

I washed and ironed my husbands work shirts!

( we've been sending them out for ages )

Are you keeping well?

There are some nasty bugs out there and many family and friends are bed ridden.

Take care.

What fashion styles give you energy?

The kind of energy that one needs to perk you up when "down in the dumps"

 sick or tired.

I'd love to know.

~ ~ ~

Hostess