HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - THIS AND THAT AND WHAT WE DID ON 8-15-25

A bit of a ramble today.

We left the house relatively early, for us (Friday 8/15/25). Getting out before noon is 'relatively early', and a little before 10.00 a.m. today, which was our aim. We were heading to Chateau de Chantilly, deciding to forego tomorrow’s weekly Saturday donut from the local supermarket and my coffee from the coffee shop next door, to go to what is now our favorite breakfast stop. It's not that far a drive away and we were there in 15 minutes. Traffic was light by that time, and we were lucky to find a parking spot in front. 

Not a weekly event but not that long ago either. We just felt like it today. Last time we said our visits would be once every month or so, but if wishes were horses as the old saying goes. We actually met a sweet little dog (on the 4th). I asked the two ladies at an outside table (restaurant next door) if I could take a photo of her. She finds her voice for dogs. They were only too happy to oblige and no one else was there. This little sweetie was sitting on a seat next to them but as I walked by, she surprised me by hopping up onto the tabletop, walking across for a bit of a fuss and immediately started nuzzling my hand. Say hello to Misha! I could have stayed with her for longer, but I quickly took my photo, thanked the ladies and moved on. When I looked back she was off the tabletop and once again had settled back into her chair.

Chateau de Chantilly isn't as fancy as its name implies, but it is what you might call a trendy place, more than any we normally go to. I love their high ceilings with the hanging lights. Very popular but midweek seems to be a good time to go, busy but we have always been lucky getting a table. Weekends is a different matter. The coffee is excellent. I ordered a vanilla latté, my usual go to. Below is a photo of Gregg waiting in line, which was quite long.  

Both coffee and croissant, and my dear other half's pastry, was a welcome treat. His looked on the plainer side but he said it tasted decadent, a word he doesn't use very often when describing desserts. It had cream cheese baked inside. Mine was a Dubai Chocolate/Nutella stuffed croissant, and it was excellent! I ordered this the last time.

Here's a closer look at my bakery treat. I think that coating is shredded coconut. It might have been something I would pass by without a second thought, but it was recommended to me by our son and daughter-in-law and I was curious as they never steer us wrong. All pastries are at this link.

The only photo I took when we were going back to our car was something Gregg pointed out. It was the restaurant next door on the other side. He said I should take a photo. I'm glad he did because all I could think of was getting back to the car and out of the heat. 

So that was the outing this morning. 

A few days ago, dear other half was sorting out the boxes in the garage, and came across an old navy teddy bear I painted in 1988 (I would always date them on the back, put my first name above the year, all in tiny letters, with a little red heart over the ‘i’ just like I do on my signatures for the blog). The bear is a reminder of the small cottage industry I used to have, which I kept going for 14 years. I had paper to draw ideas down, pencils, paint brushes, paints, a jigsaw to cut my designs out and a standalone sander, along with ear protectors and safety glasses. There were also squares of sandpaper that I used to finish. When everything was nice and smooth, it was time for the next step. This small business of mine would cause me to wake up in the middle of the night, with a design of an ornament in my head, to be drawn immediately before I forgot. 

Our garage turned into a workshop where I cut out the ornaments while everyone was at work, and quite often when neighbors came home from work, invariably someone would bring a bottle of wine over with a couple of glasses, plus camp chairs, and it was time to stop until husbands came home. That was my sign to stop, brush the sawdust off my clothes, sit down and join them. They were wonderful neighbors. 

We had all moved in at the same time and met while getting our gardens in order. (There was no landscaping done by the builders.) Sometimes husbands joined us, and the kids played in the cul-de-sac in front of us. We lived at the top of the cul-de-sac and it was a safe area for them to play, especially as we parents all had our eyes on them. The kids ranged from five to 10 years of age, and everyone took care of each other. If parents were late for any reason, they knew that we would all look out for their offspring until they were able to get home. All they had to do was knock on our door. It was a great neighborhood.

I have told this story on here before, but it’s been a while. I sold everything I made at Christmas craft shows, some of them on navy bases as you might guess from the teddy below. I got my ideas from everywhere, even from a person walking down the street. No, I didn't stalk them - big smile here - but occasionally an interesting person would walk by in an interesting outfit, and I took note, turned them into elves or fairies or Santa Clauses. I worked around the family’s hours, saw they were well taken care of and as soon as they left for work/school or wherever, I would do a few chores and start cutting out or painting. Usually I made several stacks of ornaments and turned them out on fold-up tables in the garage, painting each part until they dried and start on another part until they were finished. I also painted in the evenings when all was quiet, up until midnight sometimes. It was a fun time, and I wish I had taken count of the thousands of various shapes I made and painted over the years. I met all kinds of lovely people and enjoyed selling my ornaments to them.

With my navy ornaments wives would bring their husbands uniforms. First it was navy and, being a navy wife, I pretty much knew what they were all about. But then wives from the other services got word and could I do theirs? When I explained I really didn't know about those, wives offered to bring me their husband's uniforms. They explained about the ribbons and could I do them in order, even parachute insignia was fair game. It was all a wonderful challenge to do them. Gregg used to joke that I must have had a paintbrush with two hairs to do those. That first time when he came home, I remember how shocked he was to see half a dozen or so different service uniforms on hangers over every door. We still have a chuckle when we remember those days. I would copy them on my tracing notepad, take photos, cut the ornaments out and sand them (not always teddy bears but little toy soldiers for the most part). The doorbell rang a lot, and the uniforms kept being hung on the closet doors as the word was passed from one person to another. My ornaments were rudimentary, but people seemed to enjoy them and that was enough for me. 

And then as I got older my fingers gave out and they screamed very loudly that I needed to find something else to do. I was very sad but it was time to put all my things away as the warnings came from the doctors when they found out what I did. My neighbors still turned up at our garage where we would sit in a circle and chat for a while. We did that quite a lot during the week until Gregg left the navy, and we moved into the civilian world, all the way across country. 

As for my ornaments, I retired and Gregg was relieved. He never liked me using a jigsaw to cut these shapes out, always fearing for my fingers but I never cut things out unless I was totally alert. We gave the jigsaw and sander to our handyman soon after. 

I was very happy he found this navy teddy the other day. It was my only copy left of that design and a total surprise to have it back, and of course the memories started rolling. It will be joining the others on our Christmas Tree come December.

Anyhow, I think I have done enough blathering for today but I wanted to leave you this. I just found it on Pinterest and it tickled my funny bone.

Sorry, I can't come to work tomorrow.

 I've got to teach my facial expressions 

how to use their inside voice.

Thanks for looking and I hope 

your day is great.

My blog originally started out as a journal of photos and memories for our son. I forget now how I found out about blogging, but it seemed a great idea to use it for this. I didn’t know much about settings so was shocked when that first comment appeared. A new world opened up.  I keep a lot private, which will be for son’s eyes only (Gregg writes too about his side of the family.  We both said how wonderful it would have been if we knew more about our own parents, asked more questions, but this is something as young people that we didn’t think of.) My mother told me lots of stories about her life, and my father did too. I have passed these stories down to our son. I share memories and moments for him on here now, even the boring stuff. 

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - LEMON CAKE

No new recipes this week, so I found this one from my old blog. I also at the time forgot to take a photo so put together a watercolor to at least have something on here today. If you would like to see an actual photo you can go here where the original recipe is. This is a cake I got off the food network to make for company. It is a recipe from one of my favorite chefs, Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa.  The lemon cake was delicious, but I haven't made it since, and nowadays we are keeping desserts on the downlow, and only for special occasions. I intend to make it for the next birthday and decided to put it on here today for easy access. I am not a decorator but this is a very pretty cake with minimal effort, and a few candles makes it look even more festive.

Lemon Cake

Total time:  1 hour 30 minutes

Preparation time: 30 minuts

Cooking time: 1 hour

Yields 2 8" loaves

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2-1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided

4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided

3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the glaze:

2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

3-1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease and flour 2 (8-1/2 inch by 4-1/4 inch by 2-1/2 inch) loaf pans.  You may also line the bottom with parchment paper if desired.

Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, along with the lemon zest.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.  In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk and vanilla.  Add the flour and buttermilk and vanilla.  Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour.  

Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves.

When the cakes are done, allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Remove the cakes from the pans and place them on a rack set over a tray or a sheet pan.  Spoon the lemon syrup over them.

Allow the cakes to cool completely.

For the glaze, combine the confectioner's sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth.  Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

Thanks for looking, 

enjoy your day and Bon Appétit!

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - KEY LIME DESSERT WITH RASPBERRY SAUCE RECIPE

Key Lime Dessert with Raspberry Sauce Recipe

This is a recipe a friend gave me years ago and it is an excellent dessert. I have been looking through some of my old recipes to serve up for when our company arrives next month.

Filling

2 (3-oz.) pkg. lime flavor gelatin

2 cups boiling water

1 cup Key lime juice

2 (14-oz.) cans sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)

1 pint (2 cups) whipping cream

Crust

45 graham cracker squares

2 tablespoons Key lime juice

2 tablespoons water

Raspberry Sauce

1 (18-oz.) jar (1 1/2 cups) seedless raspberry jam

2 tablespoons water

Garnish, if desired

Fresh raspberries

Grated lime peel or fresh mint leaves

In very large bowl, combine gelatin and boiling water; stir 2 to 3 minutes or until dissolved. Add 1 cup lime juice and the sweetened condensed milk; beat with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Set aside.

In medium bowl, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into gelatin mixture just until combined.

Grease 13x9-inch pan. Arrange 5 cracker squares down length of greased pan; repeat forming 2 additional rows and using a total of 15 cracker squares to cover bottom of pan. Set aside.

In small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons lime juice and 2 tablespoons water. Brush juice mixture onto each cracker square in pan just until moistened. Carefully pour 3 1/3 cups filling over cracker crust; spread evenly. Repeat cracker and filling layers 2 times. Gently tap pan on hard surface and push down any crackers that are close to surface. Cover with foil; refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.

Meanwhile, in medium microwave-safe bowl, mix jam and 2 tablespoons water. Microwave on Medium for about 30 seconds or until jam is melted, stirring twice. Cover; refrigerate until serving time.

Cut dessert into squares. Spoon 1 tablespoon raspberry sauce onto each individual dessert plate. Place dessert squares on plates. Garnish with raspberries and lime peel. Store in refrigerator.

No more notes on this recipe. I just remember it being very good at the time and everyone enjoyed it. I served it up at a potluck and there were no slices left.

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE - SLOW-COOKER KALUA PORK

A menu today.

Slow-cooker Kalua Pork 

White Rice

Summer Garden Pasta Salad

I found this menu at The Magical Slow Cooker which you can find here.  Sarah is its host and she has some delicious recipes on her blog so I will be going back a lot.  

Slow Cooker Kalua Pig 

To find the actual page for this recipe you can click on this link.

3 lbs. pork butt roast

1/4 teaspoon ground pink Himalayan sea salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup water

2 teaspoons liquid Hickory Smoke

Sprinkle the roast with the salt and pepper.  In a large skillet set to medium-high heat, heat up the oil and sear the roast on all sides.  Add to a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.

Add the water and the liquid hickory smoke.

Cover and cook on low for 12 hours, without opening the lid during the cooking time.

Drain the juices from the slow cooker, reserving some if you want to serve the roast with them.

Shred the pork in the slow cooker with two forms, discarding fat.

Serve with rice and pasta salad.  Sarah also suggests using Sriracha hot sauce over the top.  

Summer Garden Pasta Salad - serves 6

You can find that actual recipe here at That's My Home.

1-1/2 cups mayonnaise

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped dill weed

1 cup diced celery

3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 cup sliced snow peas

1/2 cup diced red onion

1 (15-oz.) can whole kernel corn

1 pound box bow tie pasta, cooked according to package directions

In a small bowl whisk the mayonnaise, buttermilk, lemon juice and dill weed until smooth.  Set aside.  

Drain and rinse the cooked pasta in cold water, and drain again.

Add the pasta to a large bowl.

Add the chopped vegetables to the pasta bowl and pour over the dressing.

Stir until the dressing thoroughly coats the vegetables and pasta and serve.

What did we think of these two dishes?

They both complimented each other beautifully and tasted great.  

In the pasta salad I couldn't find any fresh dill at the supermarket so used 1 teaspoon of the dried.  

One of us wanted rice, one of us wanted pasta, so we compromised and made both. I followed the directions on the rice package and made two servings. 

I made the pork dish the day before the main meal, refrigerating and reheating. 

There were leftovers for the next day also.

ODDS AND BODS 10/16/24

I am starting off with a poem today, and you know how much I love my poems. Often they are oldies but goodies, and sometimes ones I have shared before.

 How about this then? Could you live here? Take a short holiday? It’s really cute!  I would probably want a small garden though.

May I a small house and

large garden have, and

a few friends and many 

books, both true, both wise,

and both delightful too.

~Abraham Cowley(1618-1667)~

I thought these pumpkins were beautiful.

One more!

As we are coming up to Halloween at the end of this month, the witches are getting ready to fly.  They are…

A thought for anyone who has ...

friends or relatives in a retirement home. You may have done this already, but I thought what a sweet idea.

Now for some food pictures. I am in awe of these cake decorating designers.

Back to reality!

I grew up with fluffy dumplings and those are what I prefer to make, but these sound good… 

and these.

Talking about this as I was the other day, here is a recipe. 

One last recipe.

And now fun with food. 

Onto other things. 

I found this photo on Pinterest, along with a link to the lantern below. How pretty is this picture? Those nests are amazingly tiny. The lanterns are on Amazon and not that I am touting the company, but I just love this lantern. The advertisement says Hummingbird Solar Lantern - Outdoor - Waterproof, etc., etc. Will I buy it? If it was sold locally in the bird shop I used to go to, probably. I enjoyed visiting this family-owned shop, used to go there quite a lot back in the day. Sadly they closed. 

This is interesting. Don't forget to enlarge for better reading or seeing any of my pictures in greater detail.

I once had a friend who was learning English and she told me it was very hard. Years ago I took a class with six months of Mandarin Chinese and thoroughly enjoyed it, but it was as my friend said of English, very hard. We had to leave the area before the course was over. I never did get back to it, much to my chagrin. Looking after a baby/toddler obviously took precedence and I gave him all my time. Being a navy wife also had its responsibilities and I wouldn't have either any other way. Learning a language is great mental gymnastics for anyone. Gregg is trying his hand at French. He is French on his Mother's side. I always liked the idea of learning Spanish but I can't roll my "r's". I try and pick up a few words here and there, and find it fun to learn, but my memory isn't very good. Still, I even enjoy my snail's pace and am hoping something will sink in.

Wise words!

Did you know…

Very naughty of me but this is a gotcha moment! The above story is false, darn it! A good tale though. Just goes to show however, that we can't believe everything we read. Check, check and fact check again! We need lots of patience to wade through all those pork pies! And here we go again, off on another tangent.

What do I mean by 'pork pies'? Well, funny you should ask. Yes, I know you didn't but...

Apart from the literal meaning of actual pies filled with pork, 'pork pies' is a Cockney rhyming slang for 'lies'. With rhyming slang the actual portion that rhymes is often dropped in order to further confuse the outsider, so it becomes 'porkies'. So, someone 'telling porkies' is a liar, liar, pants on fire sort of a person.  If you want to know about Cockney rhyming slang, you can go here. My Dad always told me, and this was as far back as I can remember, that a Cockney was born within the sound of Bow Bells, which you can read about here. 

Oh my goodness, you never know where these posts are going. I definitely miss my walks around the gardens and yet I am having fun with all these things that I find.

Wise words seen outside a local church.

“Tweet others as you 

would like to be tweeted.”

Now for more poetry.

Love to read my poems. An oldie but goodie. It’s a bit sad when I deep think it. I welcome all opinions on any of these poems I share, or anything else for that matter.

Profound!

Hmmm…who could this be? 

He agrees!

Have a great day everyone 

and thanks for once again sticking through to the end of this epilog. Certainly no worries if you didn't. I am falling asleep too.

ODDS AND BODS - 8/15/24

Thank you for all your comments after my knee sprain post yesterday. I cannot put into words how very much I appreciated them. Our blogging community is a very caring and loving family.  

 I started this one on Thursday, August 8th, 2024. We had a good soaking rain, and there was a tornado watch also, but it didn’t come about.  A few trees toppled in the area.

This is our forecast from Friday, August the 8th to Saturday the 17th, 2024.

Are you a…

Or a…

I am all of the above and

   I absolutely love…

More words but this time describing…

Another rabbit and still going through my rabbit phase. When was I ever out of it?  I had many of these as a child, lots of them all at once. They provided endless comfort and companionship, along with a much loved dog and cat, Skipper and Binky. The European Robin is a sweet addition. 

Let’s be rebels!

I found the following on line, a letter sent from a teacher to all her students parents, and would like to say “Yay”, and a big thank you to all the great teachers out there, past and present. I am applauding heartily.

Always knew it!  We are all connected. 

This is today’s dream cottage.

And yes, I can see this in there, definitely a comfy place to snuggle up with a good book and looking ahead, wrapped up in a favorite blanket and sipping a cup of tea, or coffee, or hot chocolate. I find myself looking to Fall weather after a hot and humid summer, another favorite time of the year for me.

And pardon me while I go make myself an open-faced sandwich far too pretty to eat. I will just stare at it for a while, and take photos and then lunch!

This looks delicious…

But just in case you want to go in a healthier direction. 

All for now and …

and