Wait for it!,

Where have I been you ask! Gosh I didn't realize how long I was away. 

Thanks so much for asking.

We've had a very busy summer and I have lots to tell you about.

I don't have the time right now

But I will be back...

So wait for it!

 

 

Feeling like a Big Girl......

       

With tea in hand I welcome you all! I sure hope you'll sit for a while

and enjoy your time with me. 

I noticed that my last post earned me 59 readers and new "followers". 

I thank you!

Before I forget again I don't want to leave out the appliqué project I mentioned.

Thank you for bringing that to my attention.

These are the mug mats I was working on. I enjoyed making them and love the fabric I used for  the backing. I like it so much so that I made a few masks with it as well as other items.

I plan on making a few more mats.

I am on to making this little thread catcher using fabric scraps and a recycled plastic cup that the icing comes in Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. Yup! You got it! I don't throw too much away.

No judging!

Can you see the plastic cup? I plan on adding a little embroidery on it and it will have a lid on it. That's what the circles are.

The vase with flowers were from my other half and the bunnies I made a few years ago.

It was a wonderful Easter!

We finally able to visit with my kids and grand kids with lots and lots of hugs.  It was a full house but oh so enjoyable! On Sunday we got to see our daughter and her family. We met Ellie for the first time...my new grand dog is precious. I would have taken her home.

I felt like a " grown-up" venturing out on my own. So happy to have received our 2nd vaccine! 

 

What's in the oven you ask..

Well I decided to try my hand at whoopee pies. I'm not much of a fan as I think they are too dry.

But this recipe was pretty moist and I used a peanut butter filling. 

I must admit they were pretty tasty.

The next time I make these I will use a smaller scoop. 

Before I end this I just want to thank all of you for  spending your time with me...

I am so grateful for all of you.

A Bientot for now

But I will be back soon.

What is Bergamot a plant a tea or a bread?

Earl Grey Tea Cake

 Can you answer that question or are you confused?

Hello and welcome! I have my tea ready and will be enjoying some home made tea bread along with it.

So today I made Earl Grey Tea Cake Earl Grey Tea Cake with a honey citrus glaze. 

An herbal plant used in teas and flavorings. I have to admit I did some research. I'm sure many of you have enjoyed the tea..it's certainly one of my favorites. A citrus flavor of limes but I didn't know that the plant can be many flavors. Hum!

Intereating......anyhow I added more lime juice and grated limes. The glaze is very sweet and interesting.

Was I a fan? Not really. Not going to be making it again soon...it was bland for my liking but by all means if you're inclined to do some baking by all means do try it out and let me know what you think.

This weeks I made the onion bread recipe that Cathy gave me. Obviously I tweaked it up a bit. Omitted the poppy seeds and added garlic and rosemary.

It was a hit! (No picture maybe next time)

2nd vaccine done and we couldn't be happier. So looking forward to seeing my family and showering them with hugs...and my friends...yippee!

On a final note I have a few more watercolor flowers to add to the out going happy mail. Be sure to check your snail box.

Also decided to make a few appliqué mug mats. This is the first one and not sure what the next one will be. If you have any suggestions be sure to let me know.

A Bientot for now....looking forward to hearing from you. 

Thank you so much for sharing your time with me.

Donna

Recipies...Let's talk family favorites.

Hello! Welcome back...got your tea ready? I have mine and today it will be Earl Grey.... and did you know that there is a Tea Bread recipe that includes Earl Gray as an ingredient along with prunes....it sounds delicious eh? I may have to give it a try. This week a made Lemon bread with a lemon glaze....very tangy. I use lots of lemon and for the glaze I use fresh squeezed lemon juice with powdered sugar.

My intent was to make poppy seed bread but MR said he didn't like all those little black seeds in his bread. Well! By all means let's keep them out! Lol.

I believe the reason for his dislike of the seeds was due to the onion bread I had made earlier. Poppy seeds were also in it. It sure was good.

Are you thinking that's all I do is cook or bake? Gosh I'm thinking the same. I am easily influenced by my "chat" group and they have been doing the same.

Before I go on one of my Vt girls DY has captured this photo of her new friend while out on a walk. When she comes upon him he just stops in his tracks and stares while she talks to him!

I believe he thinks "what a Foxy Lady" but what is she doing?. She says he stays staring until he's tired of listening.  Now how beautiful is this animal.

So this friend is also  a wonderful rug hooker so I think she could hook this picture of him. Hum!? I Wonder if she's given him a name?  *Thank you for allowing me to use your photo.

Sprouts...let's get an update on how they are doing. 

From start to finish. On Friday I placed roughly a tsp of seeds in a jar. Rinsed and drained them. Here is what they looked like.

Those broccoli seeds are so tiny.

You can see how they have opened and the sprouting has begun.

It is amazing how quickly you can have fresh sprouts for your salad or my favorite on tuna salad on slices of artisan bread. Now I won't bore you with day by day progress i will skip to Sunday. 9 days and voila! We have sprouts.

If you have not tried this at home go ahead and give it a go! Any questions give me a shout!  *I was planning on sharing some with you JJM...but you were in and out to fast.

RECIPE.

Let me tell you about a family Favorite Recipe....Stuffed Steak.

The first time having this was at my Mother-in-law's..better known as Mémère Yvonne. Never had heard of it. Take a lg London broil steak with a pocket sliced into it and stuff it with ground pork along with onion and spices. I use pretty much the same method I would if making pork pies. (Another favorite) Secure it with string or nails....bakes for 2 to 3 hrs at 325*. Yummy! My husband's idea.

We have not had this in quite a while and I must say it was well worth the wait. Give it a try....

I regret to say I didn't get the chance to shoot it when it came out of the oven.

One last note...I have not completed Saundra's challenge but I hope to get it done today. Certainly not an easy one hence the name challenge. I know you're not surprised...I did say I would be pulling up the rear with this.

 Remember when i asked if you could guess who sent me the Rod Stewart song Have I told you lately? No one got it right...it was not my SIL but it was my Son. How thoughtful...love.

Gotta run and thank you again for being here.

Be sure to leave a comment then check your mail box for Happy Mail.

A Bientot....Donna

I could shout it from the rooftop!!

Let me open by saying I love this image and the quote. I found it to be so appropriate for you (s) and I. 

Happy Sunday  and again I welcome you to sit and sip for a bit...lol! I made a rhyme! 

I can't believe I was able to keep this from you all week but on Monday I received THE call. That's right Maine Health was calling to schedule our vaccine apt..she (a very nice lady) asked if we had a preference for the location and time. Option was Friday evening or the same day at 5:30! Well that was a no brainer! I was also able to schedule for both of us! I was so excited I could have kissed her! And I told her so....she started laughing and said that she is told that quite often throughout the day! One person offered "a big sloppy wet kiss"! Um that would be a NO!

Here it is....over and done till the 2nd dose of Pfizer. Damn I was so relieved...and feel like things are finally looking up. I guess there are  perks for being old! I. Think we are that much closer to having some what normal summer...fingers crossed.

I started some sprouts after a discussion with my hooker friends...doing broccoli sprouts and lentils.

above are the broccoli after 2 days.....they have started to sprout

these are the lentils and they have also begun to sprout. I should probably be able to enjoy some by next weekend....

I chose to join the challenge over at Saundra at Woodland Junction....the tulip called my name so I'm gathering up fabric and doing color planning. What the hay did I get myself into?....a mixture of textures but no wool....I should check if this challenge has a due date as I'm certain I will be last to complete. No pictures to share yet. I do enjoy seeing progress from the others. Very nice.

This is a short post...don't have much to share....I hope you enjoyed your tea with me. Keep an eye open for "happy~mail" ....no telling who will be the next to receive snailmail from me. Be sure to share a comment.

I thank you so much for being here with me....you are much appreciated! 

A Bientot! 

Donna

It's tea time again

Yes, it's that time again...so go ahead and make yourself a cup of tea. I'll wait for you and we'll share a few moments together.

Can you believe February is nearly over...gosh it seems like it just arrived. But on a positive note this means spring is just around the corner. I can't wait. I sure hope we can get together with family and friends...it's been way too long. I miss them. We are in the same boat...I know that in fact I thought about "Roomie" all day today because she and Dave had plans to see their daughter and grand daughter....oh gosh I sure hope they had a wonderful day...I am a bit envious.

Speaking of grands....I received a new picture of my grand "puppy ". Have I introduced you to Miss Ellie?

Oh yes I believe I did in a previous post...,,how flippin cute is she?! She's getting to be a big girl....going out alone without a leash...returns and waits at the door to come back in. What a good girl...hopefully I'll get to meet her soon. 

It's been bitter cold and snowy but we've had some beautiful sunsets.

I  never get tired of seeing them. Many of my friends post sun rises and they are stunning as well but I can't seem to get this butt out of bed to enjoy them.

My time is still being spent painting watercolors, doodling and cutting items to add to "happy mail". My anxiety level is not so high when working with this medium...very relaxing. Here is an example

A new project to try my hand at....crochet granny squares. I'm not much at crochet but recently as I scan my craft sites I've come across many with gorgeous colors and squares so I had to give it a shot. Here I go ....

this is what I accomplished in 1 weekend! 

Not very colorful but its just practice.

Here is what Jess did in the same amount of time.

I love all the colors. ! Some day!

Well I've come to the end of this post and I hope you've enjoyed our little chat. My tea is cold now so I will leave you with this. I hope you enjoy the remainder of this month and I thank you again for being here....

A Bientot!

February is here.........

Its time to sit relax and enjoy a cup of tea with me while I rant. 

Welcome, so happy you're back. What a weekend...should we talk about that Super Bowl?  Brady? Gronk? AB? I know some of you are not Brady fans...but be honest...what a guy! Even the so called professionals could not predict that outcome! 

Ok that's all I'll say about that. I should tell you about my baking experience...well not so much baking as frosting. I'm an ok baker...my daughter says "not so much" but I am an absolute klutz when it comes to frosting. Last week I made chocolate cupcakes and decided to try my hand at adding peanut butter frosting....so here is where it gets crazy. Kind of like a skit on SNL. So picture this..

1●  Frosting is all made and about to fill that little plastic bag. "Damned this looks intimidating" but "I can do this".

2● Spoon some frosting in the bag and realize i don't have the tip in. Trying to hold on to this very flimsy bag I start to remove it....oh no! Now I have frosting on my fingers and my spoon!

3● This bag sucks.....but I get the tip in.

4● Filled the bag right to the top  finally and then I find i did NOT leave room at the end to twist the bag.........

Should I go on or can you picture the rest? I had more frosting on me and everywhere else. It sure tasted good as I liked it off my fingers...after all can't have it go to waste!

So here are my cupcakes. 

I got them to look somewhat presentable but don't look too close. But all in all Roomie was right...peanut butter frosting on chocolate cake....yummy!

Speaking of my Roomie look what came in the mail....my Happy Mail

Now i can't remember the last time I received a Valentine card! How about you?

this also came in the mail along with my Happy Hooker necklace.  Gosh! I sure have some wonderful and caring friends. ❣ During these trying times I am so grateful to have you in my life...you know who you are.

Well thank you once again for sitting through this with me.....my 6th sense is kicking in so that'll be it for now. I hope you and yours are staying safe and healthy.

A Bientot for now....keep checking your snail box and remember I love hearing from you with your comments. 

👇 Below in the little box should say "comments" tap that and add a comment.

On the right 👉 you will find "followers" tap that and become one.

Donna.

Wait.....WAITING....and anticipate

Well here I am again. I hope you can sit with me a while so I can babble.

Before I go any further I must let you in on the surprise I received this morning when I checked my phone ...this was playing with a message.

 Rod Stewart- Have I told you lately that I love you. Oh my!  Imagine my joy. So throughout the day I went back and played it over and over. I hope I did this right when I added it here so you could listen to it as well.....enjoy!  Oh! You want to know who it came from? Well....I think I'll keep you guessing....you can let me know what your guess is. Hehehe.

Waiting! 

I don't know about you but it seems  that's what my life is about. Start off waiting for my first cup of coffee. Wait for the news hoping that there are no skyrocketing cases of the virus. That's not happening. So now we wait for news regarding the vaccine..... and wait till we can receive it. Its such a waiting game.

Oh wait! Today we were able to sign up for the vaccine....yippee! Of course here comes another waiting period but with positive outlook. We anxiously wait.

Actually at times there are exciting things to wait for. Like little Ellie sitting by the door waiting for her friends to come back in so they can hug and kiss 💋 her and cuddle with her. Well I am doing the same...waiting for when my Son and Daughter with grandkids can be with us so I can shower them with hugs. Its been so long since we've been together. I tell you this Covid shit is getting real old!  Oops, Excuse my French. Lol!

Being in the "Chat" room texting with my friends someone was baking bread.

You know how I am about that so I thumbed through recipes and came up with another recipe for  Anadama Bread..this one sounded wonderful.

 I knew we were having beans on Saturday so what's better  than Anadama bread to go along with. Waiting you ask?...yes waiting as the smell permeates through the house. Waiting till I can slice into it and slather it with butter or honey butter. Actually my newest taste pleaser is raw unfiltered honey. If you have not tried it nby all means do so.

Its a shame you can't  smell this.

As I come to the end of this post remember to check your snail mailbox for happy mail...no telling who may received one next. I was pleasantly surprised with a happy mail package from a very generous friend...some lovely watercolor cards. 

Beautiful and Thank You again Ms SB.

Now I bid you Adieu and hope your time with me was relaxing.

Looking forward to your comments....till the next time.

Donna

Secrets and Words

Sunday January 10th, 2021

SHhhhh! That's right....come on in and join me. I've got something to tell you.

As I begin this post I realize it's Happy Hour so go ahead and grab a drink and I'll join you. 

Let me start off by wishing you all Happy New Year! I am confident that  2021 will be a much better year. I am feeling positive about it. My SECRET?... When I woke on New Year's morning my attitude had changed drastically and I had a much better outlook and felt happy...why? I'm not sure I just know that I was much happier and it felt good for a change. I sympathize with those who suffer from depression...my heart goes out to them. Missing the people you love but can't spend time with is so difficult. I know you all understand and are going through the same...so with that said I hope you'll agree that this year things WILL be better and happier days are ahead.

About WORDS.....also on New Year's day my husband and I decided to have a game of scrabble. I think the last time we played was about 5 years ago when we lost power for about 4 days. We enjoyed it so much we play every afternoon and now it's become a fun competition. That's right I beat him by nearly 100 points ONCE and now we are tied...a fun way to spend time.

 Monday, January 11th. 

What's cooking?

Hot Honey Oatmeal bread.

After seeing what Acornhollow.blogspot.com was up to I had to take matters into my own hands. You know she is my inspiration. I found this recipe on pinterest. Happyhooligansblog.com and it turned out so good. A very easy recipe with the aid of my bread machine. There is nothing like the smell of fresh baked bread in your house. For sure ill be making this again.

Oh my what happiness and smiles. I received my very own Happy Mail this week. Roomie sent me a package with this enclosed and a lovely note.

An article on hand written notes or letters. Snail mail or Happy Mail. Some of you know or have received some from me and I hope it gave you as much joy as this did for me. When was the last time you wrote someone a note just to let them know how much they mean to you or that they are in your thoughts?

Kindness and thoughtfulness 

are what we could all use a little of right now.

Knitting..I finished up a couple more hats..the blue one for my son and the white for myself.

Now ill let you in on another little secret...I have a new "Grand dog"......I have not officially met her yet and oh gosh I can't wait. 

Is she not the picture of cuteness I ask. Oh my I want to nuzzle her nose. Hope to meet her soon.

Well my friends that's it for today...I hope I brought you a smile and a little inspiration. I know that someone out there would love to receive a little note from you. Add a little sticker or a cut out of flowers or a little tag...it will mean a lot.

I bid you A Bientot and thanks for joining me. 

Donna