Content/Sidebar/Sidebar

Friday Favorites

Summer Dreaming ◊ dress1 ◊ Hello, Dahlias ◊ lace1

The perfect gift for that person in your life that is always freezing (um, that would be me…). Rick and I go for a morning walk every weekday at 6:30am and I am pulling this on more and more frequently.
I usually don't go into beauty products on the blog (surprising, considering the junkie that I am…) but I have to rave about this sunscreen. It doesn't leave that weird sticky feeling most facial sunscreens tend to do. And it works really well under makeup. It's ever so slightly tinted but not so much you really notice. I bought mine from Amazon
Well crap.
Gorgeous Instagram account: @theslowtraveler Those windows in her bedroom are bananas
Will anyone be watching Our Souls at Night with Jane Fonda and Robert Redford? Jane sure is busy with her Grace and Frankie series (which I LOVE) and now this

My goodness – what the heck is going on with this planet of ours? Earthquakes, hurricanes, lunacy all around? It is nuts. My heart absolutely goes out to everyone trying to dig out from under rubble and pick up the pieces.

It's at odds with what I feel is such a gentle time of year. The days are getting shorter, the light has a beautiful, soft golden quality to it and everyone's focus shifts to coming indoors and getting cozy. My Flickr mosaic above perfectly captures how I visualize the last days of Summer and the beginning of Fall.

Happy first day of Autumn my friends.

Buttermilk Pie

This pie is a guaranteed winner. With pie season coming up (Thanksgiving is really all about the pies, is it not?) I thought I would share my Buttermilk Pie that goes great with the standbys like pumpkin and pecan. I say "my" but this recipe is really a classic. It has a kind of vintage vibe to it – like something your Grandma would have baked. This pie works in any season, by the way, not just the Fall.

This pie won't win any beauty pageants but it makes up for it in taste. It develops this lovely sugary crust on the top and is a creamy custard on the inside.

I'm also going to share a tip with you that has saved me from pouring gallons of buttermilk down the drain over the years. You know when a recipe calls for 1/4 cup of buttermilk but the store only sells it in quarts? Drives me nuts. Dry buttermilk is what you want. It is sold in the baking aisle (look on the top or bottom shelf) or you can order it online. I store it in the fridge and it keeps for a really long time. You generally add with the dry ingredients and add the equivalent amount of water to the wet ingredients but for this pie you mix it together before hand and add it.

Buttermilk Pie

Preheat oven to 350° F

9" pie crust (recipe of your choice or pre-made – we aren't here to judge)
4 eggs
1/2 cup butter softened
1 1/3 cup buttermilk (or 5 1/4 Tbsp. Dry Buttermilk mixed with 1 1/3 cups water)
2 cups sugar
4 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg

Beat the eggs well, add butter, sugar and flour. Mix until smooth. Add the buttermilk, vanilla, nutmeg and lemon juice and mix well. Pour into the unbaked pie shell. Bake for 60 minutes (check at 50 minutes and every five minutes thereafter until a knife inserted comes out clean).

Let chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours before serving.

I hope you'll try it – if you do let me know what you think.

Friday Favorites

when I was 9 , ◊ pink roses ◊ You are a Prize ◊ Bokeh, Milk & Honey

We just had a weekend of 100 degree temperatures but that doesn't stop me from pretending it is Fall. I'm already putting out the mini pumpkins and have candles burning everywhere. I have a particular fondness for Rosy Ring Candles. First off they are just beautiful and last forever. And they all smell heavenly. They can be a bit pricy but I can assure they are worth every penny. The Pumpkin Farmhouse is the perfect scent to usher in Fall.
I love this lipstick stained mug. Available here.
These are the prettiest paper plates you will ever see. I used them for a baby shower for my daughter in law and they were the perfect touch for the afternoon tea theme. Everyone commented on them.
This is a few years old but I absolutely love this tiny apartment tour. It's like a little jewel box.

I, for one, am completely over the hot weather. It was a reasonable 80 around here today but I need it to come down another 15 degrees. I'm so ready to bust out the fall decor. I have a few pumpkin (faux and real) scattered about but I want that crisp air and scent of falling leaves in the air.

My mother in law is coming to visit this weekend an other than a lunch outing we'll keep it low key. I have a stack of decorating magazines and books I want to spend some time with.

I hope you have a splendid weekend!

Rosie and Grace

I thought I would introduce you to Grace and Rosie (L to R). Aren't they pretty? They are Ragdoll sisters that we rescued on New Year's Day on January 1st, 2016.

When we got them they were seven months old (best guesstimate from our vet) and very shy. The situation they were rescued from was a hoarder/breeder way up in the northern part of California where they (and all the other cats "rescued") were sent to a high kill DOG shelter (!). There is this fabulous organization called PureBred Plus that heard there were Ragdolls at this shelter so they rallied the troops and went up there and rescued any cats that hadn't already been euthanized.

We had just lost our Belle earlier in December. Rick and I have had a cat (or two) just about our entire lives together. There was such a void when Belle died and we didn't want too much time to pass before getting another cat. I liked the idea of getting a sibling pair.

Hey pretty girl.

You too, my shy one.

They were so shy when we first got them. I just hate to think of what trauma/situation they endured before they were rescued. We are a calm household and before long they were exploring and getting to know us. They are still shy around strangers, particularly women. They will warm up to you if you speak quietly. My more exuberant friends have never met them because as soon as they hear them – WOOOSH – out to the garage they run.

Grace (the darker one) is the shier, more reticent of the two. She is also more delicate boned than Rosie. Rosie is very sturdy and a bit less skittish. Ragdolls are generally large cats but they have seemed to have topped off at the nine or ten pound mark. Ragdolls can weigh in the twenties! They have the eponymous characteristic of being super floppy when you pick them up. It's the funniest thing.

They both have the most beautiful blue eyes. Grace's tips and tail are darker than Rosie's. I have had people accuse me of getting them because they match my decor. As if…

Okay maybe just a little.

As I mentioned we are a calm household which helps them feel more secure and less stressed. Something I swear by is Feliway by Ceva. It's a plug-in that release calming phermones into the air. Be sure you get the Ceva brand. There is another Feliway brand (Comfort Zone) that is not as effective. I order it from Amazon since I can't find the Ceva brand in any store. Grace had a bit of an issue where if the bed was left unmade she would hop up and pee on it! Talk about a commentary on my housekeeping skills. Sheesh. We put the plug-ins in our room and the guest room and haven't had a problem since.

Another item I HIGHLY recommend is the Chom Chom pet hair remover. Seriously THE best pet hair remover. It doesn't work so well on a person (like if you were trying to get pet hair off your wool pants) but it works fabulously on furniture and rugs.

One last recommendation – if you have a cat get the Litter Genie. We have three cat boxes, two in the garage and one in my office. The vet recommended for multi-cat homes get one more cat box than you have cats. The Litter Genie really does keep the cat waste smell in the Genie.

Before I sign off I wanted to post one last picture of our dear, sweet Belle. She was a cat with a big personality and we achingly miss her. I like to think her spirit still hangs around, bringing us spirit bats and snakes, like she want wont to do when she was alive (with the live versions). She was fierce hunter and loyal companion and we miss her terribly.

Friday Favorites

Buttons, ◊ cranberry, ◊ scritch, ◊ Letters

Lovely Etsy shop: Nicholas and Steele. Love the selection of marmalade jars
I've been wanting a good, meaty book to get into. Has anyone read The Weight of Ink?
I'm in love with this Instagram feed: Maison de Cinq. I can totally get behind white pumpkin for Autumnal decor
Fascinating look at Getting dressed in the 18th century. Plus you learn the origin of Lucy Locket Lost her Pocket and pinafore.

I wanted to say thank you to everyone that came over from my Nicole's blog (Sister's Choice Quilts). It was lovely to see so many visitors and such nice comments.

It has finally cooled down here this week and I've thoroughly enjoyed just sitting outside, enjoying the fountains and cooler breezes. It is supposed to warm up again this weekend but nothing like the blistering temperatures of last weekend. We are heading for the coast on Saturday, so hopefully we'll beat the heat anyway.

Have a fabulous weekend!

« Previous Page