Mirror, mirror, on the wall....

The mirror does not lie...

it reflects
with startling accuracy

and if I catch a glimpse of myself
I quickly look away!

I do not like to look of the stranger staring back at me.

I never have been comfortable having pictures taken either...

(I have posted a few carefully edited here on the blog,
which took courage and encouragement )

I am generally happy, have an amazing family, wonderful friends,  a roof over my head, a great job that I love and so far, few aches and pains.
Life is good.
(pinch me)

Grateful for so many wonderful and simple things...
I take nothing for granted.
(cancer has touched our lives too many times)

So why am I entertaining
or relating these thoughts?

Musings...
not of a new bag or a pair of shoes...
stuff that is well, for want of a word, more real.

I am curious how you are transitioning into the body of an older woman.

Is what's inside in sync with what is outside?

Am I alone with this thought?

I do feel "young" for my 56 years.

I spend hours in solitude, weeding the garden and listening quietly to thoughts as they bubble up and surface.

I feel that I might be clinging to an ideal of youth that is long passed it's best before date!

We all know a wise woman who is comfortable in her own skin....therein lies our hope.

She's the woman that we study from across the room. 

Observing her classic outfit and simple, yet elegant, jewels.

As she converses she smiles broadly showing off her laugh lines,  as if they were her newest and chicest accessory!

There's a twinkle in her eyes...they sparkle across the room.

She is not sleep walking through life, she is energetic and vital...she has energy.

She's the gal whose been to the latest Gallery exhibit, is currently reading a best seller, and has just been on, or is planning a fabulous trip. 

She could be an active board member or a volunteer, she may play bridge or be a weekly lawn bowler.
She has dates and events scribed on her social calendar.

Balance is key,
she is wise enough to know when to take a nap or a weekend off.

If there was an image for the definition of wisdom and grace it would look just like her.

There is an art to aging gracefully...I would love to know the secret.

a few things come to mind...

Embracing Joy whole heartedly will help transition the obvious physical changes.

While lowering expectations might be a quick way out I will not give over to polyester pull on pants and will continue to dress with an eye for what is current, comfortable and not clingy!

Acceptance and knowing limits.

Make an art of everyday domestics they are comfortable rituals.

Rest, hydrate, relax...

Yoga.

Movement is a Must! "Use it or Lose it"keeping those muscles elastic and strong and ward off osteoporosis.

Trying something new to stimulate the grey cells which goes a long way to revving up enthusiasm.
Reinvent yourself!

Shake up what might be routine and add some spice to life...bring on the cajun, and pepper!

Seek out beauty in all things....

Take yourself less seriously and laugh more often, even if you laugh at yourself. 

Self deprecating humour has it's value!

NOW...
turn that mirror around

and
FOCUS ON OTHERS!

Let your years shine bright and radiate...

wisdom does come with age!
Enjoy the person that you aspire to be...
fake it until you make it and the rest, my dear, is history!

A perfectly decent dress for a sunny day of errands

pale bare legs

and 

painted toes 

in pretty sandals.

I am simply putting one foot in front of the other and going about the rounds.

Greeting those that I meet

with a smile

not judging

and

taking time to chat with those that I encounter

when doing business

and 

helping when opportunities present themselves.

Heart felt thanks...

in gratitude

I am your Humble Hostess

Mary Engelbreit

said it best.

"Bloom Where You are Planted"

P.S. Do not forget my giveaway

I posted it yesterday

good luck!

Giveaway! Vintage French Recipe Cards, a book, and beads.

I am cleaning, sorting and donating clothes that I no longer love to charity.

Simplifying my choices and streamlining my closet.

The washing machine is going full tilt and the sun is pouring in through the window

the birds are singing and the roses are radiating their loveliness...

Gratitude and Joy are evident in this simple routine.

So I thought why not host a giveaway!
I am in the mood for fun.

You might win these circa 1969 Vintage French Recipe Cards...

Cook like a French Mademoiselle

The recipes are French but do not worry if you cannot read French

as they are written in English!

While you are cooking French cuisine

you can read all about French Chic mademoiselles in

"All you need to be Impossibly French" 

and I'll toss in these beads...

The giveaway is very simple

Leave a comment telling me what topics that you enjoy most here on

The Humble Bungalow Blog 

become a follower or remind me that you are following...

If you post a link to The Hostess of the Humble Bungalow on your blog 

I will be so grateful that you will have 2 chances to win!

Please let me know when you comment.

Good Luck!

Thank you for stopping by!

Please check back next Monday July 11th when I make the draw.

Bread pudding!

What do you do with leftover bread?
Make croutons, slice and grind into crumbs or feed it to the birds?

I had half a loaf of brioche which was quickly on it's way to stale.

So I decided to try my hand at making a bread pudding.
I went through a few of my favourite recipe books and was surprised to see not even one listed in the index.
Bread pudding sounds like comfort food to me and is the kind of thing my Grandmother would make.
She was very thrifty and did not waste wantonly.

So I did what any modern cook would do I "googled" bread pudding.
here's the recipe I chose to use.

It went together in a jiffy and I had all the ingredients on hand.

it made enough to feed a crowd!

I would suggest serving it with 

some Greek yogurt, 

whipped cream or

 a scoop of French Vanilla ice cream

and now...

invite the neighbours over for a cup of tea 

and enjoy some friendly chit chat.

Happy 4th of July 

to our American neighbours!

Poppies, foxgloves...and a book of fairies.

Poppies...

I planted one poppy plant a few years ago

and now I have a family of poppies.

They are crowded together and fighting for space.

I have pulled out the volunteers that are encroaching on 

or 

invading on the territory of plants

that are in the vicinity.

While they are blooming they are beautiful and make quite a nice display.

after the blooms fade and the petals drop 

the greenery turns a sad shade of brown

and I yank them out

still 

year after year 

they come back and announce their resilience

Mother Nature has her own ideas about what grows and where

and I have learned not to fight with her!

Foxgloves are another example of volunteers

they come back yearly with vigor

and the fact that they are considered to be biennials

this is somewhat amusing!

They stand tall like decorated soldiers for several months

until they flop over and decay

rather than see their wilted stems slumbering on the soil

I shake the seeds out of the pods and scatter them

wherever I want a new forest of foxgloves.

Have you seen an flower fairies in your garden?

when I was young I had a book about flower fairies...

illustrated in colour by Cicely Mary Barker

of fairies wearing flowers!

the book was one of my favourites 

the spine shows it's age

well loved

Meet the Poppy Fairy

It was a gift from my grandmother

a woman of great importance in my life

 a wonderful role model

a woman of high moral standards

whose life was rich and full

she had her share of sadness 

she was a busy gal on the domestic scene

bread making

jams

preserving

cooking

dish washing

laundry

ironing

sweeping

marketing

parenting

and 

when I stayed with her she wrapped an apron around me 

and I "helped" with her daily chores

she made me feel very grown up

and never minded about any mess that I made!

I have so many sweet memories of my grandmother that I hold close to my heart.

I miss her and think of her often.

There is a foxglove fairy too but she is not in my book...

the website for the Fairies

Fairies and Grannies added much richness to my childhood

what or whom do you remember that made an impact on shaping the person that you are today?

Parades...and Pike Place...

Do you love parades?
We have a few  parades where we live, one is large, the others are small.
Our family attended parades every year when I was young and then we took our children.
Since our offspring have grown and flown the nest we do not attend....

We found ourselves in the middle of a parade in Seattle.

we could watch from our hotel window

which we did for awhile

we were hoping to go to Pike Place Market for another visit

(where there's a will there's a way)

we did manage to cross the parade route 

through the barricades

running quickly across the street 

dodging floats and marching bands

Seafood stall

I didn't know that halibut had cheeks! 

the seafood looks delicious...

flower bouquets 

are plentiful

and their prices are so reasonable

Customs does not allow these to cross the border

so I lingered a little longer and took photos of my favourites.

"stuck on you!"

many people gathered...

cameras flashed

people chewed big wads of gum and then...

you might find this hard to believe but they stuck it on the brick wall!

The Gum Wall

 is very popular

and has made the "to do list" on some travel advisor sites!

as the light grows dim

we dine...

We are at Cutter's 

which is a large restaurant with a fabulous view of Seattle's waterfront

Mr. HB has crab

The Hostess has salmon

and

after some more walking...

this wee balloon flower lay abandoned on the street until I rescued it 

and gave it to the next child we saw

she was thrilled!

weary by all the fresh air and walking 

we leisurely strolled back to our Hotel 

for a night of restful slumber.

I do love weekends away.