books



It was love at first sight. Something was dragging me to this section of the bookshop that I don't usually pay much attention to. "Vintage Flowers...", enough said, the book had me at "hello." I envisioned romantic floral arrangements of wildflowers and pink roses captured in dreamy nostalgic images... What can be more appealing to a flower and vintage style lover like me? Diving into the book, turning page after page, I was slowly melting...
The author, florist Vic Brotherson, is the owner of one of London's best flower shops, Scarlet & Violet. "I studied Fine Art," she shared at the beginning of the book, "and knowing that I could never make a living out of painting alone, floristry seemed like the perfect job, it felt familiar. Now after 20 years of hard graft, I have started to appreciate all I have gained  along the way and this book is the result of that." There is no surprise that Vic creates exquisite, romantic and artistic flower designs complimented by a variety of vintage colourful containers from jugs, buckets, glass bottles and hand-painted vases to urns, pans, and pots with cracked patina. She knows how to "paint" with flowers and her whimsical, easy (simple in a way) natural displays are a real feast for the eyes and soul. The writing is friendly and I truly enjoyed her nostalgic references to past times and her childhood. "Nowadays', she is convinced, "we have access to a much wider variety of flowers than our predecessors, and yet back then there was a far greater understanding and appreciation of flowers, probably because many of the blooms used would have been grown in the garden of the arranges..."
"Vintage Flowers" is not exactly a coffee table book as it might appear. The author shares original ideas, experiences, tips and instructions, such as, how to make a corsage, how to buy and prepare fresh flowers, how to choose the perfect vase, how to make a wreath, garland, and hand-tied bunch, how to use floral foam and chicken wire...
Feeling utterly inspired by the book and especially by the enchanting luscious photography of Catherine Cratwicke, I have been practicing my flower design skills and flower choices, filling my vintage pitchers and vases with forgotten roses, hydrangeas, and foliage from the woods. 

And, as Christmas is around the corner (I can't believe how fast the year comes to its end), put Vic Brotherson's book on your Christmas list for aesthetic pleasure and year-round inspiration.



(I wasn’t paid to write this review, and all opinions above are totally my own)




"Christmas is a time that demands all of those who celebrate it to become involved in some sort of decoration-from a tree to a table center. Every family has its own tradition: my mum has an amazing collection of choir singers, doves and glittery fruit that have become a family joke. It is no surprise that this has made me go the opposite way, looking to the things that are available to us naturally and evoke a real sense of the season, making and using decorations that will sit happily in the home without taking over. The making of your own decorations is something that I encourage, even if it just involves popping holly berries behind a few pictures and laying some pine on the table."
      
                                                                                                                                                    ~Vic Brotherson, "Holly & Ivy" chapter 

It has been such a busy month and I am truly sorry for not being able to read and write comments on my favourite blogs.  I promise I will soon find time for that. I hope life is treating you well.





  • November 19, 2013

Vintage Feelings



It was love at first sight. Something was dragging me to this section of the bookshop that I don't usually pay much attention to. "Vintage Flowers...", enough said, the book had me at "hello." I envisioned romantic floral arrangements of wildflowers and pink roses captured in dreamy nostalgic images... What can be more appealing to a flower and vintage style lover like me? Diving into the book, turning page after page, I was slowly melting...
The author, florist Vic Brotherson, is the owner of one of London's best flower shops, Scarlet & Violet. "I studied Fine Art," she shared at the beginning of the book, "and knowing that I could never make a living out of painting alone, floristry seemed like the perfect job, it felt familiar. Now after 20 years of hard graft, I have started to appreciate all I have gained  along the way and this book is the result of that." There is no surprise that Vic creates exquisite, romantic and artistic flower designs complimented by a variety of vintage colourful containers from jugs, buckets, glass bottles and hand-painted vases to urns, pans, and pots with cracked patina. She knows how to "paint" with flowers and her whimsical, easy (simple in a way) natural displays are a real feast for the eyes and soul. The writing is friendly and I truly enjoyed her nostalgic references to past times and her childhood. "Nowadays', she is convinced, "we have access to a much wider variety of flowers than our predecessors, and yet back then there was a far greater understanding and appreciation of flowers, probably because many of the blooms used would have been grown in the garden of the arranges..."
"Vintage Flowers" is not exactly a coffee table book as it might appear. The author shares original ideas, experiences, tips and instructions, such as, how to make a corsage, how to buy and prepare fresh flowers, how to choose the perfect vase, how to make a wreath, garland, and hand-tied bunch, how to use floral foam and chicken wire...
Feeling utterly inspired by the book and especially by the enchanting luscious photography of Catherine Cratwicke, I have been practicing my flower design skills and flower choices, filling my vintage pitchers and vases with forgotten roses, hydrangeas, and foliage from the woods. 

And, as Christmas is around the corner (I can't believe how fast the year comes to its end), put Vic Brotherson's book on your Christmas list for aesthetic pleasure and year-round inspiration.



(I wasn’t paid to write this review, and all opinions above are totally my own)




"Christmas is a time that demands all of those who celebrate it to become involved in some sort of decoration-from a tree to a table center. Every family has its own tradition: my mum has an amazing collection of choir singers, doves and glittery fruit that have become a family joke. It is no surprise that this has made me go the opposite way, looking to the things that are available to us naturally and evoke a real sense of the season, making and using decorations that will sit happily in the home without taking over. The making of your own decorations is something that I encourage, even if it just involves popping holly berries behind a few pictures and laying some pine on the table."
      
                                                                                                                                                    ~Vic Brotherson, "Holly & Ivy" chapter 

It has been such a busy month and I am truly sorry for not being able to read and write comments on my favourite blogs.  I promise I will soon find time for that. I hope life is treating you well.





Read more »


Each day brings new and old joys. Some of these joys pass unnoticed since a lot of them arrive without fanfares and trumpets, yet, speak in very tiny soft whispers which are hard to hear, but somehow make you feel good when you do. The only way we do not overlook these simple unexpected joys is when we live in the moment when we pay attention to our senses - what we see, what we hear, smell and touch...
These summer days, when I leave home and pass by a row of tall orange blooming daylilies, a light murmur, like the noise of silky cloth, makes me turn my head for a moment and hear the whisper "We are daylilies and our name means "Hemera" – day and "Kalos"- beautiful. Your day is going to be beautiful as is ours!" Then, I pass by the neighbor's house and a soft sound coming from the daylily patch at the front makes me turn my head again and hear another whisper "Pick us up as we will last for only one day and tomorrow other ones will bloom on our stem... Pick us up and we can add a salad, and biscuits, and quiche to your kitchen table ...."
I have to admit, I have always neglected these cheerful flowers. I haven't had a good enough reason for that, perhaps, I don't like orange and yellow colors so much. However, since I read the beautiful Miche Bacher's book  "Cooking with Flowers" and became inspired to eat previously ignored plants, I've started to pay close attention to the abundance of nature's gifts. The more I see, the more inspired I get. The summer gardens and fields are full of edible flowers, from elderflowers and dianthus to roses, hibiscus, and daylilies...
Daylilies are beautiful, easy to harvest flowers and have several different tasty edible parts. The unopened flower buds can be fried, steamed, or boiled. The crisp and sweet flowers that taste even better than lettuce are perfect for salads. If you are trying them for the first time, start with a nibble since some people may have an allergic reaction. Also, do not confuse daylilies with true lilies, or Lilium, which are not edible. 
I am not really much of a forager (I dislike labels),  but this sunny summer morning, I picked a bunch of warm, sun-kissed, new daylily blossoms, washed them gently, plucked the petals of some and couldn't resist making a salad with them. The rest of the flowers I put in a vase and they created a wonderful arrangement in the living room.
This sunny morning, I chose to listen to the day's tiny whispers and find joy in what surrounds me.

Can you hear what is whispering to you these midsummer days?  






Daylily Petal Salad 
adapted from Cooking with Flowers 
Ingredients:

3 cups arugula
1 cup peas (fresh or sweet peas in a can)
1 avocado, pitted and sliced
petals of 4 daylilies (washed and dried)
1/3 cup aged Gouda, shaved
extra-virgin olive oil
freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt
black pepper


Directions:

Place arugula in a serving bowl. Add avocado, peas, daylilies petals, and Gouda over top. Sprinkle with olive oil and lemon juice. Gently toss. Top with salt and pepper.








Thank you!
Enjoy the bounty that summer brings!




Sharing with Our Sunday Best


Whispering Daylilies



Each day brings new and old joys. Some of these joys pass unnoticed since a lot of them arrive without fanfares and trumpets, yet, speak in very tiny soft whispers which are hard to hear, but somehow make you feel good when you do. The only way we do not overlook these simple unexpected joys is when we live in the moment when we pay attention to our senses - what we see, what we hear, smell and touch...
These summer days, when I leave home and pass by a row of tall orange blooming daylilies, a light murmur, like the noise of silky cloth, makes me turn my head for a moment and hear the whisper "We are daylilies and our name means "Hemera" – day and "Kalos"- beautiful. Your day is going to be beautiful as is ours!" Then, I pass by the neighbor's house and a soft sound coming from the daylily patch at the front makes me turn my head again and hear another whisper "Pick us up as we will last for only one day and tomorrow other ones will bloom on our stem... Pick us up and we can add a salad, and biscuits, and quiche to your kitchen table ...."
I have to admit, I have always neglected these cheerful flowers. I haven't had a good enough reason for that, perhaps, I don't like orange and yellow colors so much. However, since I read the beautiful Miche Bacher's book  "Cooking with Flowers" and became inspired to eat previously ignored plants, I've started to pay close attention to the abundance of nature's gifts. The more I see, the more inspired I get. The summer gardens and fields are full of edible flowers, from elderflowers and dianthus to roses, hibiscus, and daylilies...
Daylilies are beautiful, easy to harvest flowers and have several different tasty edible parts. The unopened flower buds can be fried, steamed, or boiled. The crisp and sweet flowers that taste even better than lettuce are perfect for salads. If you are trying them for the first time, start with a nibble since some people may have an allergic reaction. Also, do not confuse daylilies with true lilies, or Lilium, which are not edible. 
I am not really much of a forager (I dislike labels),  but this sunny summer morning, I picked a bunch of warm, sun-kissed, new daylily blossoms, washed them gently, plucked the petals of some and couldn't resist making a salad with them. The rest of the flowers I put in a vase and they created a wonderful arrangement in the living room.
This sunny morning, I chose to listen to the day's tiny whispers and find joy in what surrounds me.

Can you hear what is whispering to you these midsummer days?  






Daylily Petal Salad 
adapted from Cooking with Flowers 
Ingredients:

3 cups arugula
1 cup peas (fresh or sweet peas in a can)
1 avocado, pitted and sliced
petals of 4 daylilies (washed and dried)
1/3 cup aged Gouda, shaved
extra-virgin olive oil
freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt
black pepper


Directions:

Place arugula in a serving bowl. Add avocado, peas, daylilies petals, and Gouda over top. Sprinkle with olive oil and lemon juice. Gently toss. Top with salt and pepper.








Thank you!
Enjoy the bounty that summer brings!




Sharing with Our Sunday Best


Read more »


Life is full of challenges, twists, and turns, and sometimes it is easy to forget about all the simple joys that make it beautiful and sweet. Then, nature comes to help...
Spring is so inspiring, so welcoming, so delightful... It never ceases to amaze me how almost imperceptibly the pink shades of cherry and apple blossoms are being replaced by the pretty purple-violet color of the lilac trees. It's like nature reminds us that there is always beauty and "good" if we choose to see it. Lilacs give softness to the world and to life. I love it, not only for its enchanting fragrance but mostly because of its delicacy and humbleness.
The story, according to Greek mythology, begins with a stunning nymph named Syringa (lilac's botanical name) who caught the eye of Pan, the god of fields and forests. Captivated by her beauty, Pan chased Syringa through the forest until she became exhausted. To escape Pan, the nymph turned herself into a fragrant flowering bush - the flower we today refer to as lilac.
I won't mention my childhood memories and that lilac is my mom favorite flower because, at the moment, I am fascinated by the fact that lilacs are not only delightful and aromatic, they are edible as well. In her beautiful and inviting book "Cooking with Flowers" Miche Bacher uncovers the wonderful world of edible common flowers as she offers easy and accessible recipes. It is true. There are lots of flowers we can eat - dandelions, pansies, and violas, roses, sunflowers, tulips, geraniums, daylilies - we just need to take a little time to learn about them and then, we will be surprised that they are all around us, practically during every season. (Be aware, not all flowers are edible, and some are poisonous.)
I am obsessed! The idea that I can cook with lilacs is totally inspiring to me. Knowing that lilacs do not last long, I took advantage of the blooming yard-grown unsprayed shrubs in the garden and using the classic vanilla cream recipe from my mom's journal, I made lilac-infused cream. I used lilac sugar, which is really simple to make, and for the milk, I put milk and lilac petals in a jar and refrigerated overnight.
Lilacs make a great sorbet, jam, jelly, muffins, syrup, candied lilacs... Cleaning and harvesting the tiny blossoms is time-consuming, but also enjoyable. The fresh, sweet and slightly bitter taste of the flower creates a very intriguing, beautiful and pleasant dish on every table.
They say you are what you eat, right? So, why not, be ... a lilac ... for a while?!





Lilac-Scented Sugar


Clean, dry lilac petals
Granulated sugar, as much as you wish to make
A Jar

Make layers with lilac flowers and sugar in the jar. Put on the lid, shake the jar, and place it on a shelf in a cool, dark place. Shake it every now and then over the next days. The sugar will be ready to use in 1-2 weeks. Perfect for baking, in a cup of tea or coffee, or simply as a gift.




Thank you!


Sharing with 
Stone Gable/ Be Inspired/ Home Sweet Home/ Seasonal Sundays



For the Love of Lilacs


Life is full of challenges, twists, and turns, and sometimes it is easy to forget about all the simple joys that make it beautiful and sweet. Then, nature comes to help...
Spring is so inspiring, so welcoming, so delightful... It never ceases to amaze me how almost imperceptibly the pink shades of cherry and apple blossoms are being replaced by the pretty purple-violet color of the lilac trees. It's like nature reminds us that there is always beauty and "good" if we choose to see it. Lilacs give softness to the world and to life. I love it, not only for its enchanting fragrance but mostly because of its delicacy and humbleness.
The story, according to Greek mythology, begins with a stunning nymph named Syringa (lilac's botanical name) who caught the eye of Pan, the god of fields and forests. Captivated by her beauty, Pan chased Syringa through the forest until she became exhausted. To escape Pan, the nymph turned herself into a fragrant flowering bush - the flower we today refer to as lilac.
I won't mention my childhood memories and that lilac is my mom favorite flower because, at the moment, I am fascinated by the fact that lilacs are not only delightful and aromatic, they are edible as well. In her beautiful and inviting book "Cooking with Flowers" Miche Bacher uncovers the wonderful world of edible common flowers as she offers easy and accessible recipes. It is true. There are lots of flowers we can eat - dandelions, pansies, and violas, roses, sunflowers, tulips, geraniums, daylilies - we just need to take a little time to learn about them and then, we will be surprised that they are all around us, practically during every season. (Be aware, not all flowers are edible, and some are poisonous.)
I am obsessed! The idea that I can cook with lilacs is totally inspiring to me. Knowing that lilacs do not last long, I took advantage of the blooming yard-grown unsprayed shrubs in the garden and using the classic vanilla cream recipe from my mom's journal, I made lilac-infused cream. I used lilac sugar, which is really simple to make, and for the milk, I put milk and lilac petals in a jar and refrigerated overnight.
Lilacs make a great sorbet, jam, jelly, muffins, syrup, candied lilacs... Cleaning and harvesting the tiny blossoms is time-consuming, but also enjoyable. The fresh, sweet and slightly bitter taste of the flower creates a very intriguing, beautiful and pleasant dish on every table.
They say you are what you eat, right? So, why not, be ... a lilac ... for a while?!





Lilac-Scented Sugar


Clean, dry lilac petals
Granulated sugar, as much as you wish to make
A Jar

Make layers with lilac flowers and sugar in the jar. Put on the lid, shake the jar, and place it on a shelf in a cool, dark place. Shake it every now and then over the next days. The sugar will be ready to use in 1-2 weeks. Perfect for baking, in a cup of tea or coffee, or simply as a gift.




Thank you!


Sharing with 
Stone Gable/ Be Inspired/ Home Sweet Home/ Seasonal Sundays



Read more »




The sun was mischievously staring through the window fooling around that the cold too had its day off... Only after a morning walk with the dog one can become fully aware of the chill winter coldness ruling outside. 
No plans for the weekend!
Not so long ago, I would be frustrated by the absence of a vision for the end of the week - exhibitions, friends gatherings, events, private lessons, antiquing, community courses, movies, sports, short trips - I usually have had the list ready since Monday... But not anymore. I have been learning to allow myself to be bored; something that my man had acquired long ago and my son is on his way to enjoy occasional boredom. Yes, boredom! I think I was first exposed to the "art of relaxing" not as hours of laziness, but rather as hours of just being, not doing while I was reading Richard Carlson's books. He explains that if you allow yourself to be bored, even for an hour, or less and don't fight it, the feeling of boredom will be replaced with a feeling of peace. It works!
So, the three members of our family decided unanimously that this weekend we will stay home, read, play games, drink coffee, cook, drink tea, bake, drink cocoa, bake, and bake again... Sounded like the best plan ever (if it was a plan at all) even to my teenage son.
Somehow along the way, for us as a family and for every one of us as an individual, it became almost impossible to sit still and do nothing, much less truly relax – even on the weekends. I often feel guilty when I find myself doing nothing. While sitting on the sofa or simply wandering through the clouds, my busy mind would not forget to remind me that there are millions of things waiting to be done. Overwhelmed by the pressure of performing and doing something important every second, we easily overlook the wonder of life, the beauty of the present moment, the simple pleasure of the ordinary activity. 
The extremely cold weather this winter helps us to replace busyness, plans, and getaways with home, cuddling, warmth, togetherness, and peace. On days like these, an aching urge makes me want to bake. While my boys were playing chess and the dog was snoring in their feet, I tried the simplest and quickest tortelli-cookies that I have ever made (the recipe and photos you can find here). Then, on Sunday, I woke up with happy thoughts about the winters in my childhood. Images of sliding on the hill, drying soaked mittens on the fire, my mom baking her ultimate winter tea cake made me call her and talk for hours. I wrote down the recipe and put my fancy apron once again. This time I baked this easy apricot cake and made fruit tea. During summer, my grandma with the help of my mom would gather fruits from the garden, or the farmer's market, or the neighbor's trees and will make compote (French for "mixture", it is a recipe consisting of whole or pieces of fruit that have been stewed in a sugar syrup and other flavorings). Then in winter, we would have compote as a dessert at the end of the dinner, or for breakfast with yogurt, and mom would bake with it, and dad will drink the fruit juice with delight... I cannot make the compote, but when a couple of days ago, on the store shelf I saw a jar of apricots, I knew immediately, one day I will bake my mom's winter apricot upside-down cake.
The tea cake turned out really great, moist and light. The cheerful orange-ish color of the sun-like dessert, compensated for the grayness and gloominess outside.
On this "empty, bored" weekend, while I was not baking in the kitchen, I was quietly reading Katrina Kenison's book "Magical Journey" snuggling up in a cozy wool blanket. If you haven't read it yet, please, put it on your list. This is a beautifully and eloquently written memoir about soul-searching, self-acceptance, and personal growth. I relate to her story and experience. The voyage she illustrates in the book is LIFE itself, filled with searching, loss, suffering, love, healing, vulnerability, forgiveness and divine awakening. If you see my copy, it is full of underlined thoughts, passages, exclamation marks, words, because her heartwarming insight into life has come to me in the absolute right personal moment and has touched me in a really profound and emotional way. Once again, the author proved that the only journey we, humans, have is the journey within and
it is a magical journey, indeed. 

"Recognizing that life is a moment-to-moment gift meant acknowledging not only friend's mortality but my own as well. The realization that in fact, we all dying, all the time, to something, nearly broke my heart, but it also opened it, helped me begin to recognize the fleeting beauty of all of life. We mourn summer's passing, but winter comes nonetheless, revealing a different landscape altogether, equally lovely in its own way. The sweetest day draws to close, night settles in, and we turn our bodies to one another for comfort..."      











                                                                    Mom's Winter Apricot Upside-Down Tea Cake 


Ingredients:

1 cup of sugar
1 cup plain flour
4 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 jar of apricot compote
vanilla
icing sugar (optional)


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a circular springform cake tin. Arrange the apricot halves from the compote, cut side down in the tin.
Stir together eggs and sugar into a bowl until pale and fluffy. Add flour and vanilla and stir until mixture is creamy and double in volume. Gently spoon batter over apricots and spread evenly. Bake cake until golden brown or a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Invert a large plate over the top of the tin and quickly turn it out. While still warm, moisten the cake with cold apricot syrup. Drizzle with icing sugar if you wish. Serve cold or slightly warm.



Hope your days are happy!







Sharing with Savvy Southern Style, HOME, What's It Wed, Home Sweet Home, Be Inspired



A Winter Weekend of Simple Pleasures




The sun was mischievously staring through the window fooling around that the cold too had its day off... Only after a morning walk with the dog one can become fully aware of the chill winter coldness ruling outside. 
No plans for the weekend!
Not so long ago, I would be frustrated by the absence of a vision for the end of the week - exhibitions, friends gatherings, events, private lessons, antiquing, community courses, movies, sports, short trips - I usually have had the list ready since Monday... But not anymore. I have been learning to allow myself to be bored; something that my man had acquired long ago and my son is on his way to enjoy occasional boredom. Yes, boredom! I think I was first exposed to the "art of relaxing" not as hours of laziness, but rather as hours of just being, not doing while I was reading Richard Carlson's books. He explains that if you allow yourself to be bored, even for an hour, or less and don't fight it, the feeling of boredom will be replaced with a feeling of peace. It works!
So, the three members of our family decided unanimously that this weekend we will stay home, read, play games, drink coffee, cook, drink tea, bake, drink cocoa, bake, and bake again... Sounded like the best plan ever (if it was a plan at all) even to my teenage son.
Somehow along the way, for us as a family and for every one of us as an individual, it became almost impossible to sit still and do nothing, much less truly relax – even on the weekends. I often feel guilty when I find myself doing nothing. While sitting on the sofa or simply wandering through the clouds, my busy mind would not forget to remind me that there are millions of things waiting to be done. Overwhelmed by the pressure of performing and doing something important every second, we easily overlook the wonder of life, the beauty of the present moment, the simple pleasure of the ordinary activity. 
The extremely cold weather this winter helps us to replace busyness, plans, and getaways with home, cuddling, warmth, togetherness, and peace. On days like these, an aching urge makes me want to bake. While my boys were playing chess and the dog was snoring in their feet, I tried the simplest and quickest tortelli-cookies that I have ever made (the recipe and photos you can find here). Then, on Sunday, I woke up with happy thoughts about the winters in my childhood. Images of sliding on the hill, drying soaked mittens on the fire, my mom baking her ultimate winter tea cake made me call her and talk for hours. I wrote down the recipe and put my fancy apron once again. This time I baked this easy apricot cake and made fruit tea. During summer, my grandma with the help of my mom would gather fruits from the garden, or the farmer's market, or the neighbor's trees and will make compote (French for "mixture", it is a recipe consisting of whole or pieces of fruit that have been stewed in a sugar syrup and other flavorings). Then in winter, we would have compote as a dessert at the end of the dinner, or for breakfast with yogurt, and mom would bake with it, and dad will drink the fruit juice with delight... I cannot make the compote, but when a couple of days ago, on the store shelf I saw a jar of apricots, I knew immediately, one day I will bake my mom's winter apricot upside-down cake.
The tea cake turned out really great, moist and light. The cheerful orange-ish color of the sun-like dessert, compensated for the grayness and gloominess outside.
On this "empty, bored" weekend, while I was not baking in the kitchen, I was quietly reading Katrina Kenison's book "Magical Journey" snuggling up in a cozy wool blanket. If you haven't read it yet, please, put it on your list. This is a beautifully and eloquently written memoir about soul-searching, self-acceptance, and personal growth. I relate to her story and experience. The voyage she illustrates in the book is LIFE itself, filled with searching, loss, suffering, love, healing, vulnerability, forgiveness and divine awakening. If you see my copy, it is full of underlined thoughts, passages, exclamation marks, words, because her heartwarming insight into life has come to me in the absolute right personal moment and has touched me in a really profound and emotional way. Once again, the author proved that the only journey we, humans, have is the journey within and
it is a magical journey, indeed. 

"Recognizing that life is a moment-to-moment gift meant acknowledging not only friend's mortality but my own as well. The realization that in fact, we all dying, all the time, to something, nearly broke my heart, but it also opened it, helped me begin to recognize the fleeting beauty of all of life. We mourn summer's passing, but winter comes nonetheless, revealing a different landscape altogether, equally lovely in its own way. The sweetest day draws to close, night settles in, and we turn our bodies to one another for comfort..."      











                                                                    Mom's Winter Apricot Upside-Down Tea Cake 


Ingredients:

1 cup of sugar
1 cup plain flour
4 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 jar of apricot compote
vanilla
icing sugar (optional)


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a circular springform cake tin. Arrange the apricot halves from the compote, cut side down in the tin.
Stir together eggs and sugar into a bowl until pale and fluffy. Add flour and vanilla and stir until mixture is creamy and double in volume. Gently spoon batter over apricots and spread evenly. Bake cake until golden brown or a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Invert a large plate over the top of the tin and quickly turn it out. While still warm, moisten the cake with cold apricot syrup. Drizzle with icing sugar if you wish. Serve cold or slightly warm.



Hope your days are happy!







Sharing with Savvy Southern Style, HOME, What's It Wed, Home Sweet Home, Be Inspired



Read more »
  





There is just something remarkable about homemade Christmas cookies. They are no ordinary cookies; they can be only found the days before Christmas and on Christmas Day. Baked together by the whole family, they make your granny's recipe come to life. No matter how perfect we make chocolate chips or maple cookies during the year, they never quite possess the magic of these special holidays treats. They are even more significant if they are snowball cookies made especially to conquer a yearning for a white Christmas. Oh! No sign of snow in our hemisphere ...
But our house is transformed into the Land of Sweets where powdered sugar is falling instead of snowflakes and the Sugar Plum Fairy invites us to dance to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" just like the ones we used to know... We are a little sad because of the missing snow (my son: "Green Christmas sucks"), yet HAPPY. Our hearts are open to receive the abundance of love and grace at this time of year.
From our content hearts to yours, we are wishing you beautiful moments and happy memories of love, joy, laughter and lots of cookies this Christmas.
And You, my friend, wherever you are, if you feel alone for some reason this holiday season wanting not to be, please, know that my little family is thinking of you!

Help yourself with some snowball cookies! 
    








                                                   Snowball Christmas Cookies
                                                                                      ( about dozen and a half )


1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

 1/4 cup powdered sugar

 1 cup all-purpose flour

 1 cup pecans (nuts), chopped fine

 1 teaspoon vanilla 

 Powdered sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 300F. Beat softened butter, 1/4 cup sugar, and vanilla together. Stir in flour and pecans. Roll dough into one-inch balls. Place dough balls on a non-greasy cookie sheet and bake for 9 to 10 minutes until set but not brown. While snowballs are still warm, roll in confectioners sugar. Cool completely and roll in powdered sugar again until coated white. 



Could anything be better than baking these cute little snowball cookies with your kids and then reading Christmas stories aloud by the Christmas tree while waiting for the Christmas miracle to happen!? Over the years we have collected wonderful editions of some of the most inspirational Christmas reads. The illustrations of these books are amazing and they also make great Christmas gifts. I would like to share a list of my 11 favorite Yuletide books. Every holiday season these stories warm our hearts and remind us of the true Christmas spirit.












It has truly been a joy connecting with each and every one of you this blogging year. Thank you for your heartwarming words and support.




 I am sharing the recipe with 
StoneGable
Savvy Southern Style




  • December 23, 2012

From Our Hearts to Yours
  





There is just something remarkable about homemade Christmas cookies. They are no ordinary cookies; they can be only found the days before Christmas and on Christmas Day. Baked together by the whole family, they make your granny's recipe come to life. No matter how perfect we make chocolate chips or maple cookies during the year, they never quite possess the magic of these special holidays treats. They are even more significant if they are snowball cookies made especially to conquer a yearning for a white Christmas. Oh! No sign of snow in our hemisphere ...
But our house is transformed into the Land of Sweets where powdered sugar is falling instead of snowflakes and the Sugar Plum Fairy invites us to dance to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" just like the ones we used to know... We are a little sad because of the missing snow (my son: "Green Christmas sucks"), yet HAPPY. Our hearts are open to receive the abundance of love and grace at this time of year.
From our content hearts to yours, we are wishing you beautiful moments and happy memories of love, joy, laughter and lots of cookies this Christmas.
And You, my friend, wherever you are, if you feel alone for some reason this holiday season wanting not to be, please, know that my little family is thinking of you!

Help yourself with some snowball cookies! 
    








                                                   Snowball Christmas Cookies
                                                                                      ( about dozen and a half )


1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

 1/4 cup powdered sugar

 1 cup all-purpose flour

 1 cup pecans (nuts), chopped fine

 1 teaspoon vanilla 

 Powdered sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 300F. Beat softened butter, 1/4 cup sugar, and vanilla together. Stir in flour and pecans. Roll dough into one-inch balls. Place dough balls on a non-greasy cookie sheet and bake for 9 to 10 minutes until set but not brown. While snowballs are still warm, roll in confectioners sugar. Cool completely and roll in powdered sugar again until coated white. 



Could anything be better than baking these cute little snowball cookies with your kids and then reading Christmas stories aloud by the Christmas tree while waiting for the Christmas miracle to happen!? Over the years we have collected wonderful editions of some of the most inspirational Christmas reads. The illustrations of these books are amazing and they also make great Christmas gifts. I would like to share a list of my 11 favorite Yuletide books. Every holiday season these stories warm our hearts and remind us of the true Christmas spirit.












It has truly been a joy connecting with each and every one of you this blogging year. Thank you for your heartwarming words and support.




 I am sharing the recipe with 
StoneGable
Savvy Southern Style




Read more »
    







                     " A room without books is like a body without a soul " 

Cicero said it centuries ago.
I love this quote perhaps because of my deep love of reading. I can't imagine the world without books. In my childhood, no matter the occasion, a book was a constant present from my mom and dad always accompanied with a written message about ''being a window to the world." I especially adore old books, old falling apart books... Something about the feeling of faded pages makes me more connected to the earlier times, to the Universe, and such a mystical allure makes me wonder of my existence today.








Last week, while leaving a client's residence, from the corner of his eye my husband saw something ditched in the lobby. He left, but an inner voice forced him to come back. When he saw what he had just found, my husband was sure I would be extremely happy to have these treasures. Yup, he knows me very well!
He brought home a pile of old classical literary work. 
Books for which I would rummage through big boxes at antique auctions and garage sales, I would browse shelves at thrift stores  FOR HOURS...

I was thrilled!
I still am.













The books are issued at the beginning of the twentieth century, 1905, 1906 in London by different publishers. Among the titles are Alexandre Dumas' Twenty Years After, W. M. Thackeray The Newcomes, Christmas Books and Bleak House by Charles Dickens, The Golden Treasury with all the work of Thomas Moor, Lord Byron...











Flipping these thin delicate pages, I was bombarded with thoughts and emotions.
First, I thought who can abandon a treasure like this, but then again how otherwise I would find it.

Leather covered Classical  Literature! 






In fact, my big joy was the 1906 edition of ''The Works Of William Shakespeare" .










 





I started to read, but my mind blustered with thoughts and questions. Who did this book belong to? What kind of person was the owner? Was it a gift... for a loved one??? 
Between the pages, there were cut pieces from newspapers with literature reviews. He or she must have been really into poetry (as I am).
My imagination kindled. I created stories larger and grande in the theme of love and romance...



















and then
something special to me happened, believe it or not.

When I reached the page of Romeo and Juliet, there was a small calendar of the year 1963. 
BUT wait, it wasn't some pocket month calendar – it was a Canadian Cancer Society calendar of the year 1963 with month April highlighted in red color as CAMPAIGN MONTH.


What is so special you may ask.










Remember my previous post about the Daffodil Month April of the Canadian Cancer Society, about my passionate support of such a worthy cause, about my faith that cancer could be cured, my hope that no love will be touched by the disease... 
......................................




   



I am not exactly sure what to make of this story as I haven't quite interpreted it yet.











But I know the books are at the right safe place in the hands of the right person,
aren't they ?!!  ( as it's meant to be )












 I also know ''as I started looking,  I found more and more''...







   
Dear Friend,
Thank you for your visit and kind comments. They mean a lot to me.



Old Books & a story
    







                     " A room without books is like a body without a soul " 

Cicero said it centuries ago.
I love this quote perhaps because of my deep love of reading. I can't imagine the world without books. In my childhood, no matter the occasion, a book was a constant present from my mom and dad always accompanied with a written message about ''being a window to the world." I especially adore old books, old falling apart books... Something about the feeling of faded pages makes me more connected to the earlier times, to the Universe, and such a mystical allure makes me wonder of my existence today.








Last week, while leaving a client's residence, from the corner of his eye my husband saw something ditched in the lobby. He left, but an inner voice forced him to come back. When he saw what he had just found, my husband was sure I would be extremely happy to have these treasures. Yup, he knows me very well!
He brought home a pile of old classical literary work. 
Books for which I would rummage through big boxes at antique auctions and garage sales, I would browse shelves at thrift stores  FOR HOURS...

I was thrilled!
I still am.













The books are issued at the beginning of the twentieth century, 1905, 1906 in London by different publishers. Among the titles are Alexandre Dumas' Twenty Years After, W. M. Thackeray The Newcomes, Christmas Books and Bleak House by Charles Dickens, The Golden Treasury with all the work of Thomas Moor, Lord Byron...











Flipping these thin delicate pages, I was bombarded with thoughts and emotions.
First, I thought who can abandon a treasure like this, but then again how otherwise I would find it.

Leather covered Classical  Literature! 






In fact, my big joy was the 1906 edition of ''The Works Of William Shakespeare" .










 





I started to read, but my mind blustered with thoughts and questions. Who did this book belong to? What kind of person was the owner? Was it a gift... for a loved one??? 
Between the pages, there were cut pieces from newspapers with literature reviews. He or she must have been really into poetry (as I am).
My imagination kindled. I created stories larger and grande in the theme of love and romance...



















and then
something special to me happened, believe it or not.

When I reached the page of Romeo and Juliet, there was a small calendar of the year 1963. 
BUT wait, it wasn't some pocket month calendar – it was a Canadian Cancer Society calendar of the year 1963 with month April highlighted in red color as CAMPAIGN MONTH.


What is so special you may ask.










Remember my previous post about the Daffodil Month April of the Canadian Cancer Society, about my passionate support of such a worthy cause, about my faith that cancer could be cured, my hope that no love will be touched by the disease... 
......................................




   



I am not exactly sure what to make of this story as I haven't quite interpreted it yet.











But I know the books are at the right safe place in the hands of the right person,
aren't they ?!!  ( as it's meant to be )












 I also know ''as I started looking,  I found more and more''...







   
Dear Friend,
Thank you for your visit and kind comments. They mean a lot to me.



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