What a Giveaway...

I've never linked to anyone else's blog before, so I hope I do it right.  Keswick and Country is hosting a Fab-U-Lous giveway for Dreamy Whites' new store!  Click here to see the goods, and enter!

Auntie's Chair

Aunt Alma was something else. She used a cigarette holder, and poured her bourbon from a lead crystal decanter. She wore the best clothes, bought frozen meals when they were the height of fashion, and played a mean hand of Canasta. She was my mum's great aunt and she taught her, along with my aunts, how to win at cards by any means necessary...  I never got to meet Auntie, as everyone called her, but oh! the stories I've heard!

The one legacy of Auntie that's mine, is this chair. A few years ago, my parents had a devastating fire that destroyed many family heirlooms, but Auntie's chair survived. My mum knew how much the chair meant to me, so after it was cleaned, she gave it to me. It's just so fabulous, from the sweet little curvy legs to the wide and inviting proportions of the back.

Only thing is, the upholstery fabric is dated and worn. So... I've decided to be brave, and to make a slipcover for it. Eeks! Now, I've never been a big fan of sewing (though I have always made the little princess's Halloween costumes). In fact, measuring, pinning, etc., etc... makes me all kinds of anxious. So, it will be an arduous process, probably requiring many redo's, and all kinds of unladylike language.

Fortunately, the fabric choice was easy- I'll be buying lots of drop cloths from my local money pit home improvement store. I actually had the idea while I was painting my living room a few weeks ago (I know, where are those pictures, right??), and I recently read a post about using them as fabric for custom cushions and slipcovers. So much for being original, but hey, it does mean that I'm not the only one completely textile obsessed!

Sooo, anyone out there got any great tips or secrets that I should know before I start? Any books or online resources I should not live another day without? C'mon, spill. And I promise to post pictures of the mayhem as it ensues...  Wish me luck, Auntie.

Happy Birthday to Me...

I have declared this week, my birth-week, which means some sort of to-do every day! Lots of happy little outings to antiques stores, lots of wine and cocktails, and lots of smiles. Today, being my actual birthday, was a fabulous day of window shopping, dining out, and acquiring a new toy! I had lunch at my favorite local Italian restaurant (caprese salad, white pizza, peach sorbet served in a whole frozen peach!), and Prince Charming and I had dinner at my favorite local Irish pub. I had steak, which is not my first choice in a pub, but they weren't serving shepherd's pie (which is definitely my first choice)...

And I got an MP3 player!!! I've been using the little princess' for a while now, but now I have my own, so we don't have to share. I've already loaded about 10 billion songs, and can't wait to get more.

Tomorrow the Queen Mum and I are having lunch, the next day my dear friend Princess Jean is taking me out to dinner, and after that who knows? Perhaps a trip to the bay to eat oysters with a dear friend? An altogether fabulous time, plus some cottage renovation/ redecorating (I'll fill you in when the furniture's back where it belongs)...

A Cottage By The Sea...

No, I'm not moving, although I would if I could. So, I've decided to bring the "sea" to me. I'm redecorating my little cottage to evoke the feeling of beach living at its best. Lots of pillows, flowers, white furniture and seashells! Of course, it has to be beautiful, but not fussy. Tasteful, but whimsical. So, what's the number one thing that makes a beach cottage an oasis? Let me know what you think, and I'll TRY to keep you updated on the changes around here...

I know, I know...

You were so worried about me, you could hardly sleep at night. Where is she? No posts, not even a call from the authorities! What could have happened? Well, the truth is, I've had a couple of wild adventures (more on that another time), but mostly I've just been outside, sprucing up the cottage. The weeds were thriving, until I put an abrupt stop to that! Lots of lovely things starting to pop up, and thanks to the unseasonably hot weather, everything is about 3 weeks ahead of schedule (including some ridiculous pollen). That means I have GOT to get those vegetable plants in the ground! But, but, but... I don't have any tilled space in the back yard- should I just make a kitchen garden in the front???? Hmm.

Good Friday

It's Good Friday. The day we commemorate our Lord's passion and death. A sad, sorrowful day.

A Foundling...

With Easter right around the corner, what should I find, but a little bunny? A sad, poorly dressed bunny without a home...

 
This is a handmade primitive bunny, in need of a new wardrobe.  She has a signature on her foot, so I know someone loved her.  She wouldn't take a picture in her orphan rags, she preferred her birthday suit!  I'll post some pictures of her new look, when I get it done (hopefully in time for Easter!)...

 

An Irish Blessing...

My beautiful little princess turns 11 years old today. A Happy and Blessed birthday, peanut!

 

The Princess and the....

Lentil.  As in, the best lentil soup ever!  Since it is Lent, I have been trying to think of some inventive, meat free meals.  Okay, so perhaps lentil soup isn't inventive, but it sure is delicious!  And that's important, even during Lent.  I usually use beef broth or stock for this soup, although I suppose it would be almost as delicious with a vegetable stock.  I'm making this for dinner Friday, and serving it with grilled french bread and a caesar salad.

If you have any royally delicious vegetarian dishes to share, please do!


HRH's Lentil Soup

1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 large Shallot or 1 small onion, diced
2 Carrots, cut into thin rounds
1 Celery Rib, sliced thin
1 or 2 Garlic clove(s), smashed with the side of your knife
1 tsp Dry Thyme
5-6 Cups Broth or Stock, depending on thickness desired
1 1/2 Cups Green or Brown Lentils (if you use red, they will turn to mush)
Bay Leaf
1 1/2- 2 tsp of Salt
Fresh Baby Spinach (3 or 4 handfuls)

Heat the butter and oil in your soup pot over medium-low to medium heat.  Add Shallot, Carrots, and Celery- saute, stirring occasionally, until the shallot is soft, and the vegetables are fragrant.  Add garlic cloves and thyme, turn heat up to medium-high and cook for 2 or 3 more minutes, stirring often.  Next, add broth.  Add lentils, and stir to make sure they haven't all sunk to the bottom.  Add bay leaf and salt, and bring pot to a boil  Then, turn heat down to medium-low, and simmer until lentils are soft, about 20-30 minutes.  Just before serving, stir in the spinach.  It will immediately wilt down to nothing!  Serve piping hot with french bread, or grilled cheese.

 

The Plague

Alright, it's not epidemic yet, but I've gotten my second cold in two weeks!  I woke up this morning feeling that if I could just have 12 more hours of sleep, I'd be fine.  Not great, but at least alive.  Alas, I had to get the little PIT to school early for a study session.  So, out of bed I jumped (crawled) and into her room I glided (stumbled) and sang (croaked) out, "time to get up".  That last part nearly killed me, especially as she was in no mood to comply.  It took about five 500 tries to get her upright, and then we could move smoothly through the rest of the morning... Sort of.  I did get her to school in time to study with her teacher, and I managed to get through the day without sneezing or hacking on anyone.  Quite magnanimous of me, I think.