on a sunday morning

today I grabbed my camera to capture a moment in time

crepes on a plate

the flowers on that table

and the petals that had fallen

wishing you a day with special moments

morning bicycle

... strawberry flowers ...

home to faerie kings

and ladybird beetles

what's blooming?

friends are flowers in the garden of life

and you won't need a green thumb either

:)

or if you talk like Yoda:

thank you dear friends for all your kind words and comments

it's your kindness that waters this garden

:)

drifting petals

it's petal season

and they drift like snow in the cracks of the sidewalk

 I'll be drifting in blogland this week 

- in and out -

the kids aren't in school

the garden is calling

family plans are hatching

we are all like petals floating through the air

*

... tea is about the only dependable routine ...

I will see you on tuesday - ok?

life's remembrances

ten years ago - not today - but yesterdaywe received the gift of hilary


her presence was a comfort to me in those daysand in the anxiety I felt about our "new" world


it is a new world in many ways... not in the evil acts of men ...but in the birth and hope of life


blessings on your day as you remember many thingsand hope even more

simple goodness

here is our first humble potato from the garden



cut up and cooked in butter - that's all


when my grandmother was a young mom in WW2 Francea neighbor brought her a potato from their gardenshe sat on the stoop and wept as she ate that potato rawshe wept for her hungry children inside her houseshe wept for herselfand she wept for the baby growing inside her

christmas ornaments

... aren't just for christmas trees



hang them in your garden for a little bit of bling under a shady tree

DIY room fragrance

one of my favorite things about summer is being able to open up the windowsfresh air is the number one cure for house-atosisbut this little recipe runs a close second:)


you will need: rubbing alcohol, essential oil, and a small spray bottle or misterI like to use lemon and lavender - about ten drops each - in this 1 oz. mister


this glass mister is actually from an old sample of l'occitane perfume

(just a word of caution, do not use this on your skin ... it gave me a rash when I did)

"save the livah"

remember Dan Ackroyd's Julia Child impersonation?"save the livah!"



with this year's lavender harvest, I've saved the leavesthey have even more fragrance than the flower budsand are perfect for sachets


the sachets can go in the clothes drier, or in a drawerI made them with an old t-shirtpretty simple

piffle's recipe

piffle is my great aunt eleanor, from whom all the vaudeville days memorabilia came from(see THIS post)


included in all of the valentines and fan mail, was a little recipe bookI made the bread puddingand my family loved it


we had it for breakfastthe only thing I changed was using a sliced baguette instead of 5 slices of bread

DIY laundry soap

believe it or not this is very simplesimple ingredientssimple savingssimple processI just love to beat the system of consumerism and packaging



Laundry Soap Recipe



1 cup washing soda1 cup borax1 bar fels naptha soap (or 2 bars of ivory soap)



finely grate bar soap by hand or with your cuisinartcombine all ingredientsuse 2 tablespoons per wash load



it is about 5 cents per load, compared to 25 cents or more for store bought detergent

mend a tear

perfectly good jeans

which had a tiny tear

and now they sport

a perfectly good patch

not simple

or easy

but it really brought a grin to a certain 8 year old

easy recipe

fruit pizza

1 box yellow cake mix2 eggs1/2 c oilmix together and press into a jelly roll panbake at 350 for 15 minutes

1 pkge cream cheese1/2 c powdered sugarmix with a mixer and spread over cooled crust

add sliced fruit

if you have an aversion to cake mix, use a shortbread recipe .... But then it's not easy is it?

simple sunday

Hallelujah Cake

(recipe from Elizabeth)