Traditions and Celebrations

Making pretty with what you have

May 27, 2014

We hosted a little birthday celebration for my mom yesterday.
As we were driving back from the beach in the morning my mind began to wander as to what needed to be done once I got home to prepare for the party. Bake a strawberry rhubarb cobbler, clean the bathroom, marinate the chicken and asparagus for the grill, make a few flower arrangements…..

I wanted to be able to entertain mostly outdoors since it was going to be a warm evening but I began to get into a funk as I thought about our back porch which is looking a bit run down (plans to rebuild it next month!) and the fact that we needed new outdoor furniture and that I wished there was some money in the budget for some new plants and …… you get the point.
I stopped myself and said “Amy you can do this. You can get creative and make a beautiful outdoor experience with what you have. I know you can!”

After the car was unpacked and a visit to the market I got to work.
I swept the patio and porch clean (what a difference a clean swept space makes!) and unearthed the patio umbrella from the garage. I brought out a woven rug and laid it out on the porch. To serve hors d’oeuvres, I set up my antique ironing board with a pretty cloth napkin and glass jars filled with stems of Solomons Seal and Honeysuckle. I placed a piece of large flagstone on top of a clay crock and one on top of the stand that holds our fire pit to make little tables to set food and drinks on. I used a basket tray to place on top of one the tables for a homey feel and set out a bouquet of flowers and a votive. Instead of buying flowers, I made arrangements from my own garden of Lambs Ear, Catmint, Hosta leaves, Enonymous and Comfrey. I got out the birthday flags and stuck them in arrangements and planters and set out a chalkboard wishing my mom a Happy Birthday when she arrived.

When I was finished I stepped back and fell in love with the cozy outdoor party space made entirely with things found around my home and garden. Later that night as I was blowing out candles and cleaning glasses off of my makeshift tables I realized I hadn’t noticed all night how run down the porch was. I sort of like it now.

Easter weekend

April 22, 2014

We had a lovely Easter holiday full of tradition, family and friends.
The weather was glorious this weekend allowing us to grill dinner for the first time this season on Saturday night and eat by an Easter eve bonfire.
Our bunny hutch has been empty for too long so on Easter morning we surprised the girls with Norwegian dwarf rabbits.Harry has two new friends, Tilly and Lucy.
There was an egg hunt and our annual cascarones
After breakfast we went for a hike in the woods to find trout lilies in bloom everywhere! They only bloom every seven years so it was a beautiful site.
We ended the night with a lamb dinner at Aunt Patty’s.

We have hard boiled eggs coming out of our ears and lots of chocolate and jelly beans to nibble on.
Our cherry trees are about to burst and soon we will have pink snow!

P.s. A new season has begun over at Tend! I write on Fridays.

Cookie Cutters

April 14, 2014

Ever since I can remember I have always loved to bake.
My mother was ever so patient with me in the kitchen whenever I would help make cookies, scones and pies alongside her.
I still have the glued together pie plate I broke when I was about five years old due to my over zealousness and excitement to assist her.

As I got older I loved to sift through my mother’s Martha Stewart collection of magazines and dogear all sorts of cookie recipes. Even though I still lived at home I began to collect my very own baking accoutrements in my teens. One of the first things I acquired was a set of vintage cookie cutters and began to master the art of a rolled out sugar cookie. Soon I was collecting cookie cutters of all shapes and sizes for every holiday and special event. I made cookies for Christmas, Valentines day, Easter, Halloween, birthday parties, showers and weddings. I even made heart shaped cookies sandwiched together with strawberry jam for my own wedding.

When Hannah was born I couldn’t wait until she was old enough to help roll out dough and cut out cookies alongside me. By that time I had quite the collection of cutters for her to choose from. She loved to see how many shapes she could fit onto one piece of rolled out dough.

I recently culled through my cookie cutter collection which had grown into two huge baskets. I passed some along and kept my absolute favorites. As I sifted through them I thought about what each one was used for. A saw and hammer I had bought to make for my Pop’s birthday one year. An umbrella and stork for all of the baby showers. A guitar and musical note for Chris when he first started playing and an antique chicken cutter when we first got our hens.

Although I may not make as many cut out cookies throughout the year as I did in my younger days, not a Christmas or Easter goes by without them. This weekend I saw my Aunt Patty, who hosts Easter dinner every year. She asked “you’ll bring the cookies right?”
Of course I will!

In Honor of St. Patrick

March 17, 2014

We love tradition in my family.
I appreciate our rituals that revolve around the seasons and holidays. But I mostly enjoy how they bring us all together.
On Saturday, my mother had us over for her annual St Patty’s day/Spring Equinox celebration.
It was a chilly, sunny day. We walked in to a warm and cozy house with Irish ballads playing and signs of spring tucked here and there.
There was salmon, brown bread, deviled eggs, potatoes and soda bread.
My grandmother told stories of her days living in Donegal, Ireland and my mother pulled out her tea cozies for us all to wear in honor of St. Patrick.

Inviting Spring Indoors

March 10, 2014

This has been such a fun winter full of snow, sledding, skiing, ice skating and snowmen.
But I won’t lie, I’ve got Spring fever!

Yesterday I was so tempted to put the snow boots and gear away up in the attic but then reminded myself that it’s not quite Spring yet.

Rather than let myself get in to a funk, I have a few tricks up my sleeve to get me through the
end- of- winter blues.

A few weeks ago I bought a few Oxalis plants to brighten things up a bit and began to force some branches.

Forcing is an easy way to invite Spring indoors. A gentle nudge to a blooming tree or shrub can perform quite an amazing display and act as a reminder that soon the warmer weather will arrive. Even before they leaf out and bloom, branches are beautiful on their own, like a sculpture giving height, texture and definition to any room.

Any woody, deciduous shrub or tree that flowers in the early spring is perfect for forcing. Forsythia, flowering quince, cherry, plum, pear, crabapple, dogwood, spirea, witch hazel, magnolia and pussy willow are successful indoor bloomers. Wait until after the flower buds swell in late winter to begin the process.

I bet there are many candidates right in your own backyard. If not ask a friend or neighbor for a clipping. The forsythia pictured above is from my mother’s garden and the fallen dogwood branch I found on my morning walk.

Forcing branches

::Pick a day to cut branches when the temperature is above freezing. A rule of thumb for cutting is mid-January for forsythia, pussy willow and witch hazel. Mid-March for trees like crabapple, cherry, pear and dogwood.

::With pruning shears cut branches that have numerous flower buds.

::After you bring the branches inside, split open the bottom of stems with sharp scissors about 1 inch or if it is too woody of a stem, gently mash the ends with a hammer.
This will help the branches absorb water.

::Make a simple preservative of 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of plain household bleach and 2 teaspoons of lemon or lime juice and a quart of warm water.

::Fill vase with solution and add branches.

::Place in a cool location away from direct sunlight. Remember they need springtime (not summer) conditions to bloom.

::Change water and preservative once a week.

::Forsythia and pussy willow generally take only one to three weeks to force.
Flowering fruits like crabapple and cherry can take up to four weeks.

::Be patient. Sometimes buds can be stubborn and take longer to open and occasionally some buds may not bloom at all. But you can almost be certain you’ll be rewarded with bright green foliage.

::If timed right you can have different blooms adorning your home for many weeks.

::Add store bought spring blooms like tulips and ranunculus for an extra punch.

::Experiment and have fun!

a Dance Party

February 22, 2014

Hannah is now officially 12 year years old. It’s hard to believe that this is her last year before entering teen-hood. It has been such a joy watching her grow into the wise, strong, confident individual that she is. And it makes this mama happy that she still asks for parties at home.

Last night she had a bunch of friends over for a dance party.
This was one of the easiest and most simple parties we have thrown. Some pizza, root beer floats, mustache straws, silver balloons, and a good dance mix was all that was required. At this age they fill in the gaps and keep themselves engaged.

A few times during the night I couldn’t help but to reminisce about past parties, ones with themes and games. I would peek in and get a little emotional about how fast time is moving and that next year I will have a teenager. I tried to think back to my own 12th birthday party. I think it was a sleepover where we watched horror films and played “Light as a feather, stiff as a board” and broke out the Ouiga board.

There are still a few stragglers here from last night. Breakfast dishes have been cleaned up and I have some left over pizza heating up. I hear a game of monopoly in the other room. The balloons are still hovering above and all is calm.

Let’s start with cake…

February 17, 2014

We usually drag birthdays out as long as possible around here. The day you were born is an important day to celebrate so why not do it over several days or even a week!

Although Hannah doesn’t turn 12 until Tuesday, we began the festivities with a birthday cake with friends last night. I made this cake and it was to die for!
I am usually a chocolate cake with buttercream or cream cheese icing kind of gal but this cake spoke to me when I read the icing was made with sour cream and bittersweet chocolate.
The tangy to sweet ratio was perfect! Warning: make enough icing to ice your cake and eat it too. It was hard to stop tasting!

When I came home from the store to unpack the cake ingredients I was disappointed to find that I had overlooked the bittersweet chocolate I had bought contained almonds. Chris was nice enough to run back out for me. He couldn’t find plain bittersweet but did come home with both dark chocolate and milk chocolate. He thought combined it would do the job. And he was right. It was perfect.

And there is still cake left over. Cake counts as breakfast right?

Out and about

February 16, 2014

with all of the snow we have been getting, our days have been spent hunkered at home cozy and warm. i do make it a point to get outside every day but there is nothing like getting out and about and breaking the regular routine to cure that touch of cabin fever.
yesterday’s adventure couldn’t have come at a better time.

my mom treated my sis and i to lunch at one of our favorite places to celebrate our birthdays.
carving out a whole day together with two of of my favorite people was such a treat.
we lingered as long as we could eating, sipping and chatting before we headed out to do a little antique-ing.

since the three of us have pretty much the same tastes and style it’s always fun to peruse our favorite spots together, my favorite being a 3 story barn filled to the brim with beautiful old things.

as always, thanks mama for the perfect day! xo

Happy Valentines Day

February 15, 2014

i love valentines day.
a low stress holiday spent with the ones you love. a day to indulge just a bit.

we made some of our favorite treats today to celebrate.
a dutch baby for breakfast.
soft pretzels for lunch.
and clementines and strawberries dipped in chocolate fondue for an after dinner dessert.

my heart (and belly) is happy and full.
i think tomorrow we will start the day with a green smoothie.

Tuesday Nights with Izzy

February 12, 2014

i look forward to tuesday evenings with my sister elizabeth (or izzy as my girls call her).
being my only sibling i feel so lucky that she only lives 5 minutes away.
over the last year we have enjoyed dinner together almost every week.
it usually falls on a tuesday night and we alternate hosting each week.
there are no specific rules. no pressure, no stress.
sometimes we eat pancakes for dinner. and sometimes there is a roast chicken and scalloped potatoes.
the kids play while we cook and chat.
and the night is never complete without lots of giggling. usually resulting in me getting the hiccups.
some things never change.

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