Storybook Woods

So Remember The Book That Changed My Life

So remember the book that changed my life, Artisan Bread In 5 Minutes A Day, well it is soo true. Even a year an half or so later, I am still baking a loaf just about every day. The one down side, it is white bread. Before the 5 minute bread I was making only whole wheat bread, but I was not getting it done half the time. So I decided white bread everyday was better then no bread. But now Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francios have a new book. Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes A Day. I have been breathlessly waiting since they announced the book. I could not wait to get it into my hot little hands and I was not disappointed. It is easy to understand, well explained and full of yummy and inspiring recipes (as all cookbook should be, but sadly some are not).

It is still the same easy, quick technique just using whole grains. There are soo many I want to try but I will start with the flax rosemary baguette's or maybe the chocolate espresso whole wheat bread. Well I will figure it out. There is even a gluten free section. I encourage you to look into 5 minute bread, if you have not. Just think of the easy, yummy, healthy bread you can make and how much more money you will save. Then you can buy more chocolate !!!!  If you have the 5 minutes book, I am sure the healthy 5 minute book will inspire you even more. Thank you Jeff and Zoe xoxoxo

I Am Besotted

Okay I know I say I am besotted a lot, but this time it is true ;-)

I do know know where I heard about The No. 1 Ladies` Detective Agency series, but somehow I was lead to a youtube about it and was instantly besotted. Which surprised me, because I usually do not like books or movies set in hot places (yes, that is how much I hate the heat). But there was something in Jill Scott performance of Precious Ramotswe that just pulled me in. Well, I do not have HBO, so I had to wait. But last week at Costco I spotted the DVD and took a chance. I am soooo glad I did. I think I like No.1 because, in a way, Precious is the Miss Marple of Africa, well Botswana. It is set in modern times, but the is still a charm and a joy to it.

I was a bit leary being HBO, but there was nothing rude or objectionable (how refreshing). Although it deals with adult subjects, as most mysteries do. It is very funny. Grace Makutsi, had Auberne` and I rolling in laughter. The relationship between Precious and JLB is very touching. Also in the extras I learned a bit about the history of Botswana and found it very interseting. I rarely buy movies, especially site-unseen. But I am soo glad I did and encourage you to check out The No. 1 Ladies` Detective Agency.

PS, Netflix has the movie.

Chefs On The Farm

I got a very fascinating book from the library Chefs On The Farm by Shannon Borg and Lora Lea Misterly. It talks about the Quillisascut Farm School Of Domestic Arts, a working farm and dairy. The book describes each season and the work of the farm. I enjoy it and there were some inspiring recipes. There is also pantry recipes with each season. I looked around on-line a found these four recipes from the book.

Also a reminder Tasha Tudor day is Friday xoxoxo

 Cardamom–Apple Stuffed French Toast with Cider Syrup

Chicken Stew with Ricotta Chive Dumplings

Spelt Granola

Ricotta Gnocchi with Sibley Squash, Pears and Sage

The Country Diary Of An Edwardian Lady Collection

I will confess as a child and young adult, I was not into nature much. I was not  an outdoor kind of kid. I was sadly more of a mall kid {:-o    It was not till I was pregnant with Auberne` and started reading about homeschooling and Charlotte Mason did I get into to nature. I realized there was a whole beautiful and interesting world out there I had totally missed. One of the first books I heard about was "The Country Diary Of An Edwardian Lady" by Edith Holden. I was so drawn to the beauty of her diary. Of course being a good CM mom, I had my girls and I keeping a nature diary, her books were very inspiring.

Well a while ago at a thrift store I spotted this stacking tin with Edith's illustrations, I was over the moon. It now holds buttons and such. It is one more thing to add to my collection. One of my many collections. What is your favorite thing to collect ????

Compassion

Auberne` sent me this mini-movie (thank rosey posey)  and I was sooo blessed by it. I had to share it with all of you. You can actually see it better here. I had not heard of NOOMA before but I am finding them very inspiring. Please check them out, I hope you are blessed like me xoxo

Lovely Books

 

I have been meaning to share few books I have been enjoying lately. I will be honest, I tend to read older, happier book. I have had enough hardship in real life, I do not want to read about it. So these are happy, fluffy stories ;-)

I love Miss Read books. I am blessed my mother has all of them but my favorite is Miss. Clare Remembers. It is sort of a prequel to the Miss. Read books. I think because this book is set at an earlier time and sets the stage for the rest of the books, is why it is my favorite. I just love Miss. Clare too.

 "In the English village of Fairacre, the retired schoolteachers Dolly Clare and Emily Davis enjoyed a remarkable friendship, as this moving volume reveals. Childhood playmates in Beech Green, they would remain close throughout their long lives, eventually sharing a cottage in their retirement. They felt grief when a village family was lost on the Titanic. They each experienced young love and then heartbreak when the First World War interrupted both of their romances. The triumphs and tragedies of their days are depicted with all the humor, heartbreak, and human warmth for which Miss Read is known, providing a sensitive portrait of life in the country."

 

 

I am not sure were I got this book (I have a lot of them). It might be from my mother or a library book sale, but I really enjoyed it. The Gown Of Glory By Agnes Sligh Turnbull . It had a similar feel to it as Cranford does. Not that it is the same story, it is not. It is about the joys and struggles of a small Pennsylvania village. It just felt the same to me.

 "The setting is the village of Ladykirk, Pennsylvania in the early 1900s. The kind village pastor, David Lyall, his wife, Mary, and their three children, all three of whom are grown, unmarried and still living at home. A cozy, but showing it’s years church parsonage. This is a devoted family, who try to be there for each other and their village."

 

Winter Cottage by Carol Ryrie Brink is a children's book. But one of those children's book that really is for everyone. I realize all these books are about families. I guess I am attracted to books about families but it speaks to were I am now, were my happiness and struggles are.

  "A family that is down on its luck during the Depression appropriates a summer cottage in the Wisconsin woods, where they spend the winter and welcome all visitors, including a runaway youth and two strangers. How Pops and his two daughters cope with their misfortunes without losing heart is a very entertaining story."

 

Thank you  so much DeRavelled for my blog award and thinking I have a scrummy blog. I know I am suppose to award others but it is just to hard. So I do not do awards anymore. I think you are all scrummy xoxoxox

Very Surreal

 

So what is it like to walk into Joanne's and see an article about your blog ? Very surreal. I want to thank both Jenny Doh and Staci Domoski at Somerset Life, for their support. Because I really did not think I could write 650 words about my blog, really about anything (unless it is food  ;-) 

I also want to give a shout out to Dawn, Andrea, Karla, Corey, Sandra, Ulla and Nicol. You are all such amazing women who inspire and encourage me. Thank you !!!

What is really so special about all this to me, is I now have something tangible for my girls (and hopefully their children) to know how important they are to me and what an honor it has been to make a home for them xoxoxo

SweetPea

My Chloe has been needle-felting since she was 6. She really loves it and is really good at it. I am always looking for ways to inspire her, but I rarely see books on the subject that we both really love. So we were thrilled with Sweet Needle Felts by Jenny Docherty. It is full of really fun ideas that are not to too involved. I thought her directions were easy to understand, Chloe even learn a few new techniques. 

This is Sweetpea (Chloe's nickname) that Chloe made for me. Isn't she the sweetest. I just love her Chloe, well done xoxoxox

                              

Postmark LA

Oh I have the yummiest book to share with all of you. The other day I  received my copy of Postmark: LA by Teresa Mcfayden, Charlotte Lyons, Rebecca Sower, Pam Garrison, Carolyn Peeler and Amy Hanna. These are all amazedly, creative ladies, so it is no shock that their book is the same. There are so many wonderful and inspiring ideas. So much I am having a hard time choosing which project I want to do first (although I think I now know). What I loved most about this book was all the small details. They put a lot into this book, I can tell. It is the type of book that every time I look at it, I will see a new inspiration. I do not know about you, but that is what I look for in creative book. One that keeps giving and giving. You can see a preview of the book at Lulu (link above). Thank you so much ladies for all the inspiration xoxox

Food Cover

I love this, I mean, love. I bought the new Mary Jane Farmmagazine and was drooling over all the inspirations (I hate it and love it when there are so many ideas, I do not know which to pick first). Mary Jane has a wonderful article using old linens, which I have lots of. I saw this food cover and had to try it. It is just a wooden hoop and a round linen. The problem was (shockingly enough) I did not have a round piece. But I did have these two matching oval crochet dollies. I believe they were done by my great grandmother. So I just overlapped the two and added the wooden ring. To keep the two ends in the center, from falling in the food, I just tacked them down. I actually really did not sew them. I more just wound the thread around the lace and knot it off. So when I do not want to use them anymore, it will be easy to take them apart. I really want to make some more. I need a much bigger one for my pasta bowl.

I case you did not know Mary Janes Farm magazine has changed. She started off originally just making a catalog with a few articles. Well it grew and grew, till it was half catalog and half magazine. Well now it is a full fledge magazine and really very good. I was impressed and inspired. It comes out every three months. Check it out xoxoxo

A Goode Ladye's Press

I received the yummiest mail the other day. I subscribed to A Goode Ladye's Press and love it. It is a wonderful newspaper written but Katie Estvold at Home Keeping Heart's. As Katie says Goode Press is written in an 18th. century broadside (I had to look that up and see what that means. So I thought you might have to, too. See what you learn reading Goode Press) . Volume one comes with a Miss. Ginny paper doll and each issue has a goode thing for Ginny (plus other goode's). I have to say it was a very interesting read. I will never look at my hair produces the same ;-) I like that it was just tidbit of information that I really did not know. Aubern'e really loved it to. We have had several discussions about how life use to be. I think it is an awfully pretty way to learn history. Thank you Katie and well done. I am looking forward to the next issue.

Well I will (hopefully) be done painting today. It has been a long week (plus David is gone fishing for 5 days) I had to strip all the painting I did on the wood trim and sand it all. Sighhh, it is done. Thank goodness. Okay I will not whine anymore. I will try to put my house back in order (it is a wreak here) and then come and put my blog back in order. So hang in there with me. I hope things are calmer at your house and happy May day xoxoxox

This book Will Change Your Life

 

If you have made no-kneed bread, if you want to make artisans bread but do not know how, if you want lovely bread but do not want to work too hard at it and if you love the idea of having dough all ready, on-hand whenever you want, keep on reading !!!

 

Because of my champagne taste and beer budget, I make all my own bread. But I am already cooking so much I try to make it as easy as I can. I have been making the no-kneed bread for a while and love it. But there is still planning to it and there was the problem of not having bread when I wanted it. Then I read Artisan Breads In 5 Minutes A Day By Jeff Hertzberg. Now I tell you I really do not buy a lot of cookbooks. I read a lot of them but do not actually own a lot. This book is one I would love to buy for all my friends. It is sooo simple and the bread is amazing. It only takes five minutes to make the dough (no kneading), two hours to let it sit, refridge overnight and then you have enough dough for four loves of bread. You can keep the dough in the fridge for 5 days and pull of a ball of dough as needed. Rise, bake, cool and in 2 hours, wha-la bread.

Do not worry if you do not know much about making bread. In some ways you will do better then a long-time baker, because this method is almost counter-intuitive. The lovely thing is Jeff Hertzberg has several master recipes all based on the same method and then lots of version of those recipes. One of my friends was looking at the book and said she really liked how it was written. Very clear instructions and helpful information. You can read more at the Blog. I have made the Rye bred recipe and it is wonderful as you can see above !!!

PS. I realized that I did not mention, there is a few loaf recipes and those take more time to rise. About an hour and half. But most of the recipes do not.

Creole Thrift

Congratulations to Mrs. Cooper at Cooperswife for winning the Summer cookbook. I will e-mail you xoxo

This will be the last book give-away,  I wish I could do more but I can not afford the shipping ;-) This weeks book is "Creole Thrift" by Ange'le Parlange. and is a very interesting book. It is half decorating, half history. Ms. Parlange has developed a beautiful creole style and has some really wonderful and thrifty projects. But also she talk about her families plantation. Parlange Plantation is, if I am correct is the only Louisiana plantation still owned by the original family. Reading the history of the home and family was fascinating. I really was inspired by this book and hope you are to.

I want to thank all of you for coming to my blog and participating in my book give-away. You readers have been such a blessing to me and I only hope I can bless you to xoxoxo

Life:Beautiful

I love magazines. Especially magazines that motivate me to beautify my environment, like British Country Living, Romantic Home, Victoria, ect. I am always looking for interesting, inspiring magazines. I have found a new one (well new to me) Life:Beautiful. It is a Christian magazine and some of you dear readers may not be interested in it. I liked that not only is it pretty (that is number one to me) but there are inspiring ideas to do. They have these really wonderful paper birds to print up. Some unique ways to incorporate scripture in your home. At this point it is the most creative Christian magazine I have seen. I got my copy at Barnes and Noble. I hope you find it noteworthy too xoxoxo

Lazy Days of Summer

 

Hubby will be working on Saint Patrick's day, so we are celebrating today. It is funny, I never make the same meal. Even Christmas and Thanksgiving is always do something different. But Saint Patrick's day we always have the same menu.

Congratulations to Hunnybunny for winning Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone. I will e-mail you !!!!

This weeks book is The Lazy Days Of Summer Cookbook by Jane Watson Hopping. I know summer is not for a while but I thought who ever won could use a dose of summer dreaming. I really like Jane's books because they are more of a good read about how life use to be in the good-old-days, then a cookbook. Although it is an excellent cookbook but a wonderful read at the same time.  Here is a review and good luck xoxoxox

   "From Publishers Weekly
With another whimsical collection of poetry, prose and food, Pioneer Lady & Hopping ( The Country Mother's Cookbook ) again evokes a simple era when meals, family and farm life represent the American ideal--at least, in retrospect. While fishing holes and picnic spots and watermelons lying thick in the patch just waiting to be thumped are this volume's backdrop, Hopping's new collection strongly resembles her previous writings. From Effie's strawberry mousse and sweet-cherry crunch to sour-cream red June apple pie with butter-cinnamon topping, the recipes are simple and the dishes themselves very good. Yet the flavor of many depends mightily on the kind of just-picked-from-the-patch freshness nearly impossible to duplicate in the supermarket produce section. Still, the charm of the book hinges largely upon the richness of Hopping's words and her prolific, romantic recollections of the mothers who fortified their families--without guilt or trepidation--with endless batches of cookies, tea cakes, fruit pies and other sweets, the recipes for which are the fabric of her food writings.

Living Craft Magazine

 

It was all gray this morning, as you can see from my picture. I love getting up in the early morning, just as it is getting light, make a cup of tea and enjoy the views from my picture windows. The tide is in this morning and I could barely see the water. Leavers are everywhere. All my walkways are covered in red and yellow. We have a forty foot white birch that is raining us with golden leaves, it feels like it is snowing. I am busy baking today for a bake sale for my sister tomorrow. I love days like this.

I have a new magazine to tell you about, if you have not heard. Living Crafts,it is wonderful. Living Crafts is based on Waldorf principles (read below). I love their approach to hands-on crafts and using natural things. Although i still love my glitter ;-) While this magazine has handi-crafts for children, there was plenty for adults too. There is a knitted smock top I am dying to make, beeswax snails. edible dye painted plates. And you have to see the knitted farm. Oh my gosh there is no words to describe. Well I am going to have to adopt some baby so I can make these. It is very inspiring and there is a free crochet crown pattern. So please check it out.

About us : Living Crafts is a community of readers who value the work of their hands, use natural and organic materials, and live an authentically holistic lifestyle.

"Living Crafts provides craft enthusiasts with the information, ideas, and inspiration they need to support their desire for self-sufficiency, sustainability and a natural lifestyle. In each issue there are projects for the entire family, including fun crafts for parents and children to do together.

Our readers are people who consciously choose natural materials for their handwork projects because of aesthetics, quality, personal health and the environment. Living Crafts aims to inform and inspire readers to choose Mother Nature’s supplies whether they create their own or buy ready-made handwork.

Each issue focuses on a season of the year, bringing ideas and the how-to for projects that are in harmony with nature to create a seasonal rhythm at home. Editorial content includes projects making toys, apparel, home items, gifts, and seasonal crafts."

      

The Bunny Books: The Further Adventures of Miss Beatrix Potter

Please enjoy the guest post by Susan Wittig Albert

The Bunny Books: The Further Adventures of Miss. Beatrix Potter

and make sure you visit her blog tour. Each guest post has an interesting article by Susan and a give-away. Feel free to enter all give-aways and good luck. Thank you Susan xoxox

The Metcalf Family Album

 

I have been rereading a favorite book of mine. The Metcalfe Family Album by Sallyann J. Murphey. Even though it is all fictional, it reads just like the diary of a real family. Here is a review.

   "This magical collection of family memories, crafts and recipes, letters and mementos, tells the remarkable tale of six generations of women-and the ties that bind them. It is 1835 and Marianne Metcalfe, a daughter of the French nobility, has just wed Joshua, an American pioneer. Together they set off on their new life, headed for the wilds of Indiana. When they arrive, Marianne establishes not only a homestead, but a legacy even more priceless. Each year at Christmastime, she sits down to record in a beautiful journal her memories of the year, the cherished moments of a life. The tradition is embraced across the generations: first by Constance, who has lived through the Civil War; then Anna, born in Germany and whose life spans enormous social changes; Kathleen, with her Irish humor and verve; and Jessie, a war bride-until the album is passed down to the present day, when Jan, a modern mother of two, picks up her pen. In writing about her life, each woman also paints a fascinating portrait of her times. Yet however much things change, however different these women are, they are bound together by one thing: the love of home and family. With virtually every page adorned with nostalgic photographs, charming artwork, and other memorabilia, The Metcalfe Family Album is as engrossing to look at as it is to read. Drawing on a rich immigrant heritage, it is also an inspiration to keep our own family traditions alive. Here in this extraordinary book is history as it is lived by ordinary people-moving, warm and wise, and full of the unexpected."

                              

You can look inside the book here. There is also a wonderful children's book Emma's Christmas Album, which is the same family in the The Metcalfe Family Album. I can not read this book without crying and having read the Metcalfe Family History it made Emma's Christmas Album all that more special. Lastly you can make you own family album with a wonderful kitbased off The Metcalfe Family Album. Which would be really wonderful because one of the reasons I love this book is all the rich detail and images. If I ever do a cookbook, I would love it to be similar to this.It is very inspiring. 

The Bunny Books: The Further Adventures of Beatrix Potter

 

Do you remember I mentioned a surprise,

well I am quite excited on November 7th. best selling author Susan Wittig Albertwill be a guest post in celebration of the release of "The Tale Of The Hawthorn House". It is the fourth book in the series of Cottage Tales Of Beatrix Potter. Susan will be posting about the way the Peter Rabbit books evolved, from children's picture letters to a self-published book to a publishing phenomenon. Susan is quite an expert on Miss. Potter and I am very interested in reading her post and learning more. Susan will be doing a blog tour and a little bird has told me there will be a give away, a cool giveaway :-) You can find more info on the blog touron October 29.

I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of the book. I have already posted about how much I love this series, so it is no surprise I would love "The Tale Of Hawthorn House". I have to say I think it is my favorite. Although is a toss up between this one and the first, "The Tale Of Hill Top Farm". I think I love "The Tale Of Hill Top Farm" because it was the first book. You know kind of like a first love. But I have to say "The Tale Of Hawthorn House" held me in complete fascination throughout the whole book. I could not wait to see what happened to baby Flora. I really try to savor Susan's books and not gobble them up as I do with other mysteries. But is was quite hard for me to do that with this book.

Susan I so enjoyed "The Tale Of The Hawthorn House". I really think you outdid yourself this time. We are all looking forward to your blog tour. It will be quite a celebration. I only wish we could have it at my house and I could make you a cup of tea (oh and something yummy to eat) xoxoxoxo

PS. dear reader feel free to spread the world around, and as usual if you want to use the banner above (or smaller on the side) it is for all.

Storybook Travel

One of my favorite books is "How The Heather Looked by Joan Bodger. It is a lovely true story of a family in 1958 who traveled around England using their favorite childhood stories as their guide. I thought it was fascinating book not only because I would love to do what they did but also to read their experience as they get to meet Arthur Ransome and were shown Christopher Robin's garden by Mrs. Milne!  I found it a very interesting read.

excerpt:

In 1958 our family came into a modest windfall---enough to put into effect a long-cherished dream of spending a summer holiday in England. My husband and I are each half English, we had each spent time in England as children, and each of us---by circumstance, education, and inclination---was steeped in English history and literature.
    We cannot claim erudition for our children, but books, conversation, games, genes, and osmosis had made Anglophiles of them. Lucy, aged two and a half, knew her nursery rhymes, having learned them from Randolph Caldecott's "Picture Books" and Leslie Brooke's "Ring o' Roses", both illustrated with scenes from English country life. ... When she was very young indeed she had been introduced to A.A. Milne's Pooh and Piglet and Christopher Robin and she was quite well acquainted with the world of Beatrix Potter.
    ...Ian, almost nine,...preferred Stevenson's "Treasure Island", Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows", T.H. White's "The Sword in the Stone", and Tolkien's "The Hobbit". He also liked ballads and folklore, archaeology and history, and the verse and poetry of A.A. Milne, Robert Louis Stevenson, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Walter de la Mare. ...
    Almost since he was born we had told Ian that he would be able to see "all that" when he went to England. ...

But a new book along the same vein I have just discovered is Heidi's Alp by Christina Hardyment. Mrs. Hardyman takes her young children on a long trip through Europe in a yellow camper van to visit places associated with their most beloved children's books. Denmark for Hans Christian Anderson, Hamelin for the Pied Piper, the Harz Mountains for Witches and the Brothers Grimm, Italy for Pinocchio and Switzerland for Heidi.

I am enjoying this book to. I think travel brings things like history, art and literature to life in a very real way. Plus I will never get the chance to have Mrs. Milne show me Christopher Robin's garden, but it was a thrill to read. Can you imagine !!!!!!

Becoming Jane

I was able to get out and see Becoming Jane. Sighhh, I have struggled what to write about it. The best description for this movie is a really wonderful piece of chocolate with a fake filling. My complaint about this movie is basically the same one I had about the Miss. Potter movie. Too much romance and not enough of these wonderful ladies lives. I mean is all they have done and who they are just boiled down to a romantic story. And this case a story that we have not a clue even happened (from what little I know about Miss. Austin, she danced with this man 3 times) If this move had been pure fiction, I would have loved it and cried my eyes out. But instead the whole time I keep thinking, they do not know that happened. I refuse to give my heart to a movie that so embellishes the truth.

But I will say it is beautiful, very English and like a perfect bon-bon (except of the lacking imperfections I mentioned above). So I do think everyone should see it and enjoy what there is to enjoy. But I am hoping Hollywood will begin to think more of women and their accomplishment and realize they do not have to only give us frosting, fake frosting at that. We want cake. Pretty, yummy but real cake !!!!!!!

                                                            

Sweet Debi at Just As I Amawarded me the Nice Matters award.

"This award will be given to those that are just nice people , good blog friends and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others that are there to lend support or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world!"

 

Dear Lisa at Pink Paint and Rosesawarded me the Power of Schmooze award.

"The Power of Schmooze Award is for bloggers who effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don’t limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship."

Thank you Debi and Lisa, you are both such kind and thoughtful ladies. I really appreciate that you even thought of me, let alone thought I was deserving. I know I am suppose to award others, but I am too overloaded with life right now to try to pick someone. It is always soo hard, I love all of you and hate to try to narrow it down. So I think you are all schmooze and are very nice xoxoxoxo

Joie De Vivre

   

"When I am in Flaujac, it is usually summer and I try to eat breakfast on the stone porch outside our kitchen. As the roster crows from across the fields, I prepare a fragrant, crunchy baguette with butter from the local dairyman. I slather the baguette in jam made from last month's crop of strawberries. Some days I prefer to try some local honey, fresh from the honey comb and purchased last Saturday from my local farmers market, or le marche. In fact, when eating this breakfast, I know that everything is grown or made locally.

  From the porch, I can see across the nearby fields and smell the wildflowers that the bees visit for nectar. The honey that I am eating comes from those flowers and smells like those flowers. I can also see the fields of wheat being harvested by my neighboring farmer and I know that, eventually, this grain will become the bread that my family enjoys each morning."

Now doesn't that sound like how our breakfast should always be. This is from the Joie De Vivre by Robert Arbor. I love this book and reread it from time to time when I need inspiration on making the most of the life I have. It is much more then a cookbook or a book about the way the french live. It is a book about how to stop and smell the roses, how to make the most of what you have, about how to really be in the moment, all in a french way.

The reason I pulled out the book is I needed breakfast motivation. I love to eat breakfast but HATE to cook it. Breakfast is such an important meal and I tend to skip it. So I wanted some motivation and found it, in the idea of breakfast brushette. I love the idea of this and have been able to make it work for me, as you can see with my walnut bread, honey Greek yogurt, blueberry brushette and tea (I do not drink coffee, if I did, do you know how crazy and perfectionist about it I would become :)

So here is my plan because I do have my budget to consider. I am going to Costco and get the La Brea demie-baguettes. There is 6 of them and I will cut them in half and freeze them. So I will always have yummy bread on hand. Then I got a few bits and bobs. Some slice prosciutto, fresh fruit, cheese, ect. Below I listed a few sweet and savory idea. Some from Joie De Vivre and some of my own. But really the sky it the limit, here. I think being pre-pared it what is important. Making sure you have the bread and a few items and then let your creativity flow.

One last thing, make your breakfast a thing to remember, a special moment. Pick a lovely spot in your home, make sure it is picked up, pull out a special piece of china and tea cup. Use a pretty cloth napkin, maybe some lovely music in the background. These really are small things but it will start your day on the right foot and make you breakfast taste better. If you have children I think this sends two important messages. Eating is something to be savored and appreciated and so is momma. We do need to teach our children this !!!

                                                                                                                           

Breakfast Brushette

Sweet:

almond butter, peach slices drizzled with honey

ricotta, berries drizzled with honey

yogurt (the Greek honey yogurt is perfect for this) with fresh plum slices

butter sprinkled with coco-powder  and sugar

nuttella with sliced bananas

orange marmalade and a pice of bittersweet chocolate

Savory:

olive oil, mozzarella and salami

ham and swiss cheese

olive tapenade and goat cheese

sliced avocado and mushrooms

melon or fresh figs and prosciutto

scrambled eggs, tomatoes and pesto

gilled veggies and fontina cheese

                                           

The Mistress Of The Spices

 

I just watched the most fascinating movie called The Mistress Of The Spices

"Tilo, a beautiful but lonely “Spice Mistress,” one of a secret group of women trained in the healing powers of herbs and roots. From her fragrant spice shop in Oakland, California, broken hearts, strained relations and runs of bad luck can all be contained within the remedying powers of fenugreek, chilies and cinnamon. Tilo is bound, however, by the rules of her craft: she may only use her powers for others, can never leave the spice shop, and must never touch another’s skin.

A steady stream of customers populate the shop: the taxi driver Haroun, who has a dark cloud over his future; Geeta, a woman in love with a forbidden man; and the adolescent Jagjit, drifting from his family into a thug life. Tilo selflessly looks after all those who enter her doors, until one day, fate—and romance—intervenes, in the form of a handsome stranger (Dylan McDermott) who forces her to choose between her long-held vows and her own desires."

                                       

    

It was a captivating movie, that I could not wait to see how it ended. But also beautiful. I mean that spices shop, I want a shop like that. You know how in the movie "You Got Mail" and that amazing children's bookstore. I mean everyone wants a bookstore like that. That is how this movie is. I could watch it over and over just for the store !!!!

                               

A seed is sleepy

      

I found the most wonderful books (thank you Leslie) called "An Egg Is Quiet"and "A Seed Is Sleepy" by Dianna Hutts Aston. They are just beautiful and have inspired us to sketch away. I find beautiful picture books likes these can be a wonderful place to motive and give ideas for sketching and drawing. Especially books like these, that have the look that they have been sketched themselves. Even though I started doing these sketchbooks as a homeschool thing, (I try to lead by example in our school) it is now a passion I will be doing the rest of my life. There is something about stopping and really looking at an object. Taking the time to examine and think about it. It is very calming. I think it makes us slow down and appreciate the world around us, value the small things, stop and smell the roses.

Miss. Potter

   

I have had several e-mails asking me if I liked the Miss. Potter movie. Well yes and no. Let me say I thought the movie was like a perfect box of bon-bons. It was sweet and beautiful. Unbelibly beautiful !!!                     

I am so glad I bought it. I know when I am having a bad day this movie and a cup of lavender tea will cheer me up. I loved how they showed how Beatrix books were such a part of her and how important her imagination was to her.

What I did not like was there was not enough of what an amazing woman she is. Her life is much more then her books and her romance with Norman Warne. I felt the movie was a bit fluffy. Even though I normal love fluff, I am hoping someone still does a movie about what a truly amazing woman Beatrix Potter was. Also I felt they glossed over her relationship with her parent.

So I highly recommend the move but know it is a cotton candy version of her life. Which I like cotton candy, but would have liked it a bit more real. By the way we had a proper pot of tea and scones with the movie !!!

The Secret Life Of Mrs. Beeton

Thanks to Dawn, By Sun and CandlelightI found out that PBS Masterpiece theater is doing a movie about Mrs. Beetoncalled The Secret Life Of Mrs. BeetonIt looks like it is coming on Sunday. I quite excited about it.

Thank you Dawn !!!!!

The Making of a Marchioness

When I read

"WHEN Miss Fox-Seton descended from the twopenny bus as it drew up, she gathered her trim tailor-made skirt about her with neatness and decorum, being well used to getting in and out of twopenny buses and to making her way across muddy London streets."

at Amazon about The Making Of A Marchioness, it peeked my intrest. Plus it is by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I was wondering if anyone has read this? Did you enjoy it? If you have not read it, it is on-line. I love it when that happens !!!

Books To Share

 

Well I just randomly picked some books from my book case to share. The first book "On The Sunny Side" by Carl Larsson is a new book I just got and love it. I have most of his books but had not seen this one before. I really love it because I felt it gave the biggest insight into Carl Larsson and his life. Of course it is quiet beautiful.

   "This is the last in the series of books put out by Carl Larsson (1853-1919) about his family and his home. The children are not all that has grown since the appearance of the first book in the series. Some of them are no longer part of the household and the home itself has been steadily altered. And a new household in Falun has been added to accommodate schooling for the children in that larger town.

Ahh the Opheia books by Michele Durkon Clise. I have all of them and cherish them. I feel like Opheia is my other half. She lives well, gives well and thinks a tea party, chocolate and vintage lace is the answer to world peace !!

  "Opheia B. Clise is a lovable bear who runs a shop called the Bazaar des Bears on Paris's rue de Bac. This book is a lavishly illustrated journal she keeps for one adventure-filled year. Ophelia adores chocolate, antiques, lace, flowers and champagne. Most of all she adores her friends, a group of bears every bit as eccentric and appealing as Ophelia herself."

Aunt Martha's Corner Cupoard by Mary and Elizabeth Kirby. Is stories about Tea, Coffie, sugar, rice, ect. A charming way to learn history. My copy does not have a publishing date but it is old.

"Fathers Big Improvments" by Caroline Emerson. Father falls for every new item on the market. Mother can't stand it, the kids think it's hilarious. We enjoyed reading the funny happenings in the Mitchell family. 

The Magic Of Provenceby Yvone Lenard

This is an enchanting book, with tales of the duchess on the hilltop, the prince who came to call, the housekeeper who didn't clean, and the hollyhocks that bloom throughout the village. Each chapter concludes with a delectable recipe so the reader can share part of the experience of life in Provence.

Recipe:

Pruneaux au Rhum (Prunes in Rum: a variation on the Confiture de Vieux Garçon)

This version of the Confiture uses dried prunes, so you can make it any time of the year. The method is different here, because dried fruit must first be plumped in hot liquid, otherwise they'll harden and shrivel in alcohol.

Use large, pitted prunes. Place them in a bowl. Pour enough strong, hot, well-sweetened tea to cover. Let stand, covered, overnight, unrefrigerated.

By next day, most of the tea will have been absorbed. Pour out any leftover liquid. Place prunes in jar and pour enough dark rum to cover. Close with lid.

Your pruneaux will be ready to eat in three days. They will keep for months in a cool, dark place.

You can serve the pruneaux in brandy snifters, with coffee. You can also serve them with ice cream or in pastries.

Note: In the southwest of France, Armagnac is used, and Pruneaux a l'Armagnac are a specialty of the city of Agen.

Book Love

I usually do not see new books I want but lately I have been seeing a lot of new books I want. I am actually a bit embarrassed at the length of the list but here is books I have been coveting.

Sublime Stichingby Jenny Hart

I have some of Sublime Stich patterns and love them. So I can only magine I would love the book.

   The Enchanted Doll's Houseby Robyn Johnson

I will probably have to fight Chloe over this one (but I am bigger ;-P)

   Creole Thriftby Angele Parlange

I looked at this and the (new huge and next store to cost-plus) Barnes&Noble. It looked lik soo much fun. Like a party in a book.

   Pretty Little Thingsby Sally Jean Alexander

Well what can I say it is Sally Jean !!

   Falling Cloudberriesby Tessa Kiros

Thank youCherryfor posting about this.

    Beatrix Potter. A JournalBy Beatrix Potter

Thank You dear sweet Joanne for letting me know about this one !!!

   Words In A French Lifeby Kristin Espinasse

   New From Oldby Jayne Emerson

Also thank youDebbiefor the heads up about this book.

A literary meme

I have been taged by Miss. Eagle at The Trad Pad I have to confess I mostly read children’s books (I do not have a lot of patients for adult books) so my responses may not be very interesting or deep.

1. One book that changed your life

Well there is lot but for the moment I am reading Real Love For Real Life "the art and work of caring" by Andi Ashworth. I am loving this book because it is helping me think of care giving in a whole new light. When I heard the word caregiver I think of someone like a nurse. Well I am not good at being a nurse. It is much to practical for me. So I never thought of myself as a caregiver. But Andi talks about all the different and creative ways we caregiver. How to use the talents and interests you have to helps others. Basically do not beat yourself up because you are a certain type of person, but use who you are, the way you are to bless others.

 

2. One book you have read more than once.

Any Miss. Read book.

3. One book you'd want on a desert island.

My favorite book in whole world. "The House At The End Of The Lane" by Elizabeth Rush. It is about a doll (Miss Lucy), Mr. Bear, a giraffe (Bartholomew), Mr. Rabbit and Chester dog. They live in the most charming estate at the end of the lane. They have lots of tea parties, midnight concerts and general merriment. I so want to live with them.

4. One book that made you giddy?

Ohh I can not narrow this down. Any book that takes something, covers it in glitter, sets it in some scrumptious setting and shows me how to do it in my own home.



5. One book that you wish had been written

A homeschool book like the one I describe above. No schedules, list, curriculum. But fun hands on learning with amazing pictures. Basically if Victoria magazine were to do a homeschool book.

6. One book that wracked you with sobs?

Holly and Ivy

7. One book you wish had never been written

Most depressing adult fiction !!!

8. One book you're currently reading

"Stone Gable" by Brenda Knight Graham. Written in in 1978. It is a true story about 10 children who were homeschooled in forties. Their father is a retired artist because of poor eyesight. They live in this old amazing stone house. They do not called themselves homeschoolers, but that is what they did. It is very engaging and descriptive memoirs of their childhood. I am only 1/3 through it, so far nothing shocking or depressing. Hopefully I will still love the book when I am done.

9. One book you've been meaning to read.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin. I have never read any of Ms. Austin’s books. I will confess I am very intimated by them. Even though I love books, being a dyslexic I am terrified of them at the same time. If that makes sense???

Picture by Mary Cassatt

                              

   

Rosemary and Thyme

    

OHh I have another movie recommendation, which thrills me because I rarely find movies I like. I got it from Netflix. It is Rosemary and Thyme. It is about to women starting there own garden business and solve mysteries at the same time. It is a who-done-it set in England beautiful garden. It is amazingly beautiful, plus very funny. It reminds me of the tea mystery books I love to read. Except it is gardening. I have only watched the first 2 episodes but love it and nothing objectionable. Which is lovely.

               

"Meet Rosemary Boxer and Laura Thyme, two women who battled back from personal setbacks to make a fresh start in life by starting their own gardening business. However mystery is never far away and Rosemary & Laura’s inquisitive nature never let them rest until they have found the solution. Welcome to the world of Rosemary & Thyme. "

All Passions Spent

 

I am sooooo excited. One of my favorite movies is finally on DVD. It is a BBC version of Vita Sackville-West "All Passions Spent". Dame Wendy Hiller plays 85-year-old Lady Slane. It is set in post-Victorian England.  Lady Slane is a new widow trying to free herself from society’s expectations upon the death of her politically prominent husband. She purchases and renovates a cottage in the Hampstead countryside. Unfortunately to the shock of her children. It is about finding herself. That seasons in one life were you do not have husband or young children to please. But mostly what I love is her time in her new (old) cottage. It is very English and charming. Nothing objectionable at all. It is light but with a deep message at the same time.

By the way netflix has it.

A Childhood In Brittany

            

A good friend got this book at the local used book store A Childhood In Brittany by Anne Douglas Sedgwick. It looked really good, so I was thrilled to find it on-line. Now I have not read the whole book but bits and parts. I am enjoying it. Of course anything set in France over a hundred years ago, would thrill me. I love to read about how people lived, their customs, what they wore, how they thought, what they ate !! So check it out yourself and see what you think. Here is a small excerpt.

Quimper is an old town, and the hôtels of the noblesse, all situated in the same quarter and on a steep street, were of blackened, crumbling stone. From porte-cochères one entered the courtyards, and the gardens behind stretched far into the country.

In the courtyard of our hôtel was a stone staircase, with elaborate carvings, like those of the Breton churches, leading to the upper stories, but for use there were inner staircases. My mother's boudoir, the petit salon, the grand salon, the salle-à-manger, and the billiard-room were on the ground floor and gave out upon the garden.

The high walls that ran along the street and surrounded the garden were concealed by plantations of trees, so that one seemed to look out into the country. Flower beds were under the salon-windows, and there were long borders of wild strawberries that had been transplanted from the woods, as my mother was very fond of them. Fruit-trees grew against the walls, and beyond the groves and flower beds and winding gravel paths was an orchard, with apricot-, pear-, and apple-trees, and the clear little river Odel, with its washing-stones, where the laundry-maids beat the household linen in the cold, running water.

It was pleasant to hear the clap-clap-clap on a hot summer day. Is it known that the pretty pied water-wagtail is called la lavandière from its love of water and its manner of beating up and down its tail as our washerwomen wield their wooden beaters?

Beyond the river were the woods where I often rode with my father, and beyond the woods distant ranges of mountains. I looked out at all this from my nursery-windows, with their frame of climbing-roses and heliotrope. Near my window was a great lime-tree of the variety known as American. The vanilla-like scent of its flowers was almost overpowering, and all this fragrance gave my mother a headache, and she had to have her room moved away from the garden to another part of the house. How clearly I see this room of my mother's, with its high, canopied four-poster bed and the pale-gray paper on the walls covered with yellow fleurs-de-lis!

The wall-paper in my father's room was one of the prettiest I have ever seen, black, all bespangled with bright butterflies. Of the grand salon I remember most clearly the high marble mantelpiece, upheld by hounds sitting on their haunches. On this mantelpiece was a huge boule clock, two tall candelabra of Venetian glass, and two figures in vieux Saxe of a marquis and a marquise that filled us with delight. On each side of the fireplace were two Louis XV court chairs–chairs, that is, with only one arm, to admit of the display of the great hoop-skirts of the period. I remember, too, our special delight in the foot-stools, which were of mahogany, shaped rather like gondolas and cushioned in velvet; for we could sit inside them and make them rock up and down.