august

Chocolate covered mint leaves

August 27, 2015

Last night after dinner while Hannah and I were sitting on the back porch chatting, she began picking and nibbling on mint leaves from a plant growing in a big terracotta pot. As I watched her, I remembered a fun idea I had read about and told her to pick a small bowl full of the largest mint leaves she could find. Looking a bit puzzled she followed orders while I poured chocolate chips into the double boiler to melt.

My chocolate loving girl’s eyes immediately lit up once she realized that we were making after dinner mints!

Chocolate Covered Mint Leaves

20-30 fresh peppermint leaves
a few handfuls of chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil

Wash and dry mint leaves. Heat up chocolate chips and coconut oil into a double boiler and stir until smooth. Turn off heat and with tongs or tweezers dip leaf into chocolate and lay on a sheet of wax paper. Freeze for a few hours. Store in an airtight container in fridge.

Pie on the Porch Party over at Terrain!

August 26, 2015

I’m super honored to be featured over at Terrain today where I talk about a hosting a Pie on the Porch party.

Click here to read all about it.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

August 23, 2015

A few years ago my aunt Patty brought this Humpty Dumpty pattern back from a trip to England in hopes that I could knit it for her grand-daughter. One of the B&Bs she stayed in on her trip was owned by a knitter and pattern designer.

When she first presented it to me I was rather intimidated since my typical projects include chunky cabled hats, socks and mittens. This pattern looked like a lot of work with lots of intricate detail, I had never knit anything like it. But I didn’t have the heart to say no and decided I was up for the challenge.

Well that pattern sat ignored month after month until it was announced that my aunt was due for her second grand-daughter. I had no choice but to bite the bullet! I hemmed and hauled my way through numerous craft circles agonizing over the pattern. I’d put it down for a month and then pick it up again until this last month when I was determined to finish it in time for the birth of my cousin’s second baby.

My “just a little bit” goal paid off and I have to admit that I am pretty darn proud of myself for not giving up on Humpty Dumpty. He was completed this past Friday and given to baby Marion, named after my Pop’s mother.

The funny thing is we all think Humpty looks a bit like Pop:)

A few snippets

August 17, 2015

1. Most of my houseplants have taken a summer holiday out on the back porch and patio. They are all so happy and content out there that I didn’t have the heart to bring one back in for an empty spot on the credenza that was calling for some green. Out on an adventure with my mama yesterday, I picked up a trailing ivy which fits perfectly there. There’s always room for one more plant.

2.While walking down an alley on my morning walk with Harry yesterday I stumbled across a patch of sunflowers. There was a pair of scissors hanging on a cyclone fence with a little sign that read “Please cut me!” So that’s just what I did.

3. A deck of cards lives on the dining room table these days for impromptu games of Flip(also known as Golf) and Trash. I may be a little addicted.

4.On the same morning walk with Harry, I spotted a hedge of hydrangea in full bloom along the play ground. There were no scissors hanging nor a sign inviting to pick. I did anyway.

5.During these dog days of summer, the pantry is well stocked with bottles of tonic and seltzer.

6. I found that antique hanging soap dish last week at a fair. I have always wanted one but I’ll have to wait for the cool days of autumn for a hot soak. Nothing but cold showers these days.

Window boxes

August 14, 2015

When Chris and I were first looking at houses to buy before we got married there were a few “must haves” in my mind when considering what was important to me in a home. The house needed to have a fireplace. It needed to have a decent size kitchen (large enough for a sitting area). And a backyard of some sort was also very high on the list too. Original woodwork, radiant heat and a corner property in the heart of town were all bonuses when we found our house.

As we settled in my “must have list” began to grow with built ins, a claw foot tub, wainscoting, cedar shakes, a chicken coop, an edible garden and a place to hang window boxes to name a few. Lucky for me my Pop was kind enough to grant many of those wishes including the boxes that live under my kitchen and dining room windows. Maybe it was all of the Beatrix Potter and Eloise Wilkins books from my childhood but I always envisioned my house having window boxes overflowing with geraniums and begonias.

Since my boxes live in very shady conditions I am limited to shade loving plants. This year I planted a variety of begonias along with Tradescantia pallida ‘Purpurea’ and Helichrysum petiolare. I love the ever blooming nature of the begonia mixed in with the deep purple Tradescantia and the grey, trailing Helichrysum. I used straight compost to keep the plants well fed and lush until frost.

Relying on annuals each year for planters, pots and window boxes can be costly. Both begonia and Tradescantia are easy to root in water and I have already begun to start new plants to winter over and supplement into next year’s boxes.

I love how the boxes transform both the outside and inside of my home. They cast beautiful little shadows on my walls indoors and their colorful scenes are so soothing as I wash dishes and sit down to a meal.

A visit with Nan

August 10, 2015

A few weeks back I had the pleasure of spending the day with Nan.
We spent time in the kitchen baking, ate lunch and drank several cups of tea together.

Visits are so different without Pop but it felt like he was with us all day long.
It’s comforting to Nan that his beautiful carpentry work is throughout my entire home.
We travel from room to room and reminisce as she strokes the many built-ins and woodwork that his hands once touched.

Another year at the lake

August 3, 2015

We had another blissful get away to the lake this summer.

The perfect reprieve from the hot and sticky week we had back home.

The weather was glorious and although it is so very hard to leave we all feel rested and renewed.

A backyard restaurant

August 27, 2014

We have been having such a fun summer full of new experiences along with tradition. We are slowly but surely crossing things off of our summer manifesto and since we still have a few weeks left I am more than confident that we can fully complete it. It’s a simple and achievable list just as manifestos should be.

One of the things on our list was something that Hannah and Norah have been dreaming of doing for over a year now and it was so fun to watch it all evolve and come to fruition this past Sunday.
They have always wanted to create a real live restaurant at our home so on Sunday family and friends came out to 121 Cafe, a backyard restaurant offering homegrown and seasonal foods.

The menu featured pasta dishes made with homemade pesto and tomato sauce, farm fresh salads, breads dipped in herb infused olive oil, peach blackberry crumble, mint iced tea and lemonade. We used as many ingredients as possible from our own backyard as well as our local farm. They worked all week preparing, cooking and gathering.
There were 2 seatings, one at 5pm and one at 7pm where the girls worked as both hostess and waitress for 26 people total. We set a table on the back porch, one on the patio and 2 out on the street for a true alfresco experience.They made their own menus, check slips and even doodle pages for kids to draw on.

Many times throughout the night they kept running in to the kitchen thanking us for helping to make it all happen. We all had a blast and fell into bed that night marveling at and appreciating the many chefs, cooks, waitresses and restaurant owners out there. We definitely got a small dose of how much work is involved!

At the end of the night the girls were thrilled to find that their own hard work had paid off making a profit of $200, half of which will be donated to our local fire company.

Just the two of us

August 16, 2014

It had been almost 13 years since Chris and I have had a little getaway together just the two of us. That was until last weekend when we headed down to the shore room.

As much as we love being together as a family of four it was so lovely to be alone for a few days. We didn’t do much out of the ordinary than what we usually do down at the point. Although while out and about on our bikes we did stumble upon a new vineyard and Chris convinced me into an afternoon tasting smack in the middle of the day. I love totally unplanned adventures.

I think we must have said to ourselves at least 10 times throughout the weekend “and why don’t we do this more often?”

We already have a getaway planned for the fall.

A Get-away Cottage

August 26, 2013

these were the last two photos i took before we headed home yesterday.
it was a blissful week with absolutely perfect weather!

we spent the week with my parents, my sister and nephew. (the first photo is of the grandkiddoes and their grandfather, Bop.) our good friends have a house across the lake from the one we rent which makes for great fun paddling back and forth for play, dinner and drinks and late night card games and bonfires.

days were spent swimming, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, reading, knitting, crafting, going on walks, picnicing in the cemetery, foraging for wild flowers, apples and berries, playing board games and cards and dreaming of our own lake house one day.

we ventured off mid week to the town of Honesdale for some antiquing and a library book sale.
we stopped for lunch at a little art gallery/cafe to find the atmosphere homey and quirky and the food delicious.
we all shared 6 pieces of dessert…. 2 slices of peach crisp ,2 slices of upside down apple crumble and 2 slices of pink lady cake (all made with locally handpicked fruits). we drank 2 pots of teas and then headed back to the lake for a swim and a nap.

it’s a magical place. i felt it the first time i laid eyes on it 6 years ago.
it is one of the the only places i dread leaving. being a homebody that says a lot.

we have been trying to buy a particular piece of land on the lake with a little cottage for a year now.
we have hit a few bumps along the way but we still have hope and keep dreaming and drawing up plans of making it our own.

living in a small home with a small property right in the center of town is perfect for us.
but having a getaway cottage less than 3 hours away surrounded by farmland, a 60 acre lake and woodlands full of mountain laurels and pine. with beavers, and wide mouth bass below and great blue herons and bald eagles above. with enough land for fruit trees and brambles, beehives and a cob oven. where it’s at least 10 degrees cooler and you need a quilt at night even in july. where the night sky is dripping with stars you didn’t even know existed. where you can sled and skate and cross country ski and fish through the ice to the water you were diving in to just a few months ago. this place, this cottage on the lake… well that would be a dream.

a dream that i know one day we will make come true.

what dreams have you made come true? being inspired by the dreams of others will help keep me motivated!

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