A Friday Flower, Soup & Mum ♥

Yesterday was a challenging day, to say the least... I'm not going to go into the gory details... all I will say is that it involved birds in the bathroom, lots of feathers, other unmentionables... and poop... lots of it...
Anyhoo, my intention was to take a picture of the mums in my garden for today's Friday Flower (that'd be the flower and not actual human mums) ... to say I am overrun with these flowers is an understatement... I dig them up, move them around the garden, and they survive it all... their resilience is like that of a weed... Anyways, my plan was scuppered by the fact that the northeast is being battered by wind and rain today...

Looking out at the dreary weather, my mind turned to fall once more... that loveliness of feeling warm and cozy inside, locked away from the elements... when I think cozy, I think food... when I think warm cozy food, I think soup!! And so, I figured I would also share a soup recipe with you, as well as the usual Friday Flower... a two-for-the-price-of-one deal!

My family loves beans in any shape or form, so I always have a cupboard full... my mum always says, 'if you have an onion, celery, and carrots in, you can always whip up a soup"... check, check check... all in, so I got cooking and made a chickpea and bacon soup...

Then, all I had to do was nip to the supermarket to pick up a bunch of flowers... in doing so, I found that, even though it looked like a chilly autumn day, in fact it was muggy... warm... humid ... and hardly soup weather... but we ate it anyway, and it was delicious... I've popped the recipe at the end of the blog, if you're so inclined!

Anyways, back to the Friday Flower... It's a mum... given this, I dedicate it to my Mum... (though being technologically challenged, I doubt she'll get to read this any time soon)... In fact, I dedicate this Friday Flower to all Mums, for all the challenges we overcome every day!

I'll be linking with the lovely Melissa... I'm sure you've all read her blog... if not, you're missing out!
Have a great weekend and I'll catch you next week!
Lx

If you want to join in with Friday Flower, just use the linky widget below to link to your post.

Chickpea & Bacon Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 sticks of celery diced

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

4 teaspoons of chopped rosemary

2 chicken stock cubes, made up to 2 ½ cups of stock

3 cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4 rashers of bacon snipped into small pieces

100 ml of light cream (optional)

Method

1.   In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat and add the bacon pieces. Fry the bacon until crispy and then, using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a side plate (I pop it on top of a paper towel). Leave the pan on the heat.

2.   Add the onion and carrots to the pan and cook for 4 minutes. Then add the celery and cook for a further 4 minutes.

3.   Crush the two cloves of garlic and add to the pan, with the rosemary. Cook for a further 2 minutes.

4.   Add two-thirds of the chickpeas, all of the stock and plenty of seasoning. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer briskly for 8 minutes or until carrots have softened…

5.   Blend the soup until smooth, and then stir in the rest of the chickpeas and the cream. Season to taste and warm through for 1-2 minutes.

6.   Ladle the soup into warm bowls and top with the reserved bacon bits. Serve with some nice crusty bread…

If you want to try something a little different, substitute the bacon for chorizo sausage!

A broken promise & some Fall decorating

Once upon a time, the hubby worked for a client whose house he would visit once a week... when he had been to this particular house, he would tell me about his day and preface the conversation with, "Laura, you would love this house"... You see, the hubby knows I am a house voyeur... I take him on new routes when I come across houses that I have fallen in love with... he doesn't mind... he just gets me...

Anyhoo, one of his pet peeves about this particular house was that the decor was changed with each season and holiday.... He declared the housewife a 'pyscho' and made me promise never to do the same... ever...
Well, I broke that promise... I did keep it for a couple of years, and then the kiddies came along... I became a housewife (is this noun even used anymore?), I spent more time at home, and, more to the point, I spent more time mopsing around Target.... my head was turned by the seasonal displays... and none turned my head more than Fall...

Fall (or Autumn, as I knew it pre-America) was a season that slid by unnoticed in the UK... gobbled up by Christmas. And, to be honest, the only memory I have of  Fall is decorating  mushroom baskets with colourful crepe paper and filling them with fruit, veg, and canned goods. These baskets were then passed out to the elderly as part of the Harvest Festival... I'm writing this with a smile on my face, as I remember picking out the pretty papers and proudly taking my basket to school... I wonder if they do this anymore? Or, has health and safety deemed it a hazard??

Anyways, we definitely didn't decorate our house (in fact, that was only saved for Christmas)... and so, I embrace this new found appreciation of Autumn...

I love decorating the house up with rich colours, distracting us from the gloomy days and nights that are creeping up on us. I also look at it as an opportunity to teach the little ones about the changes in seasons... My eldest and I had great fun today picking out the decorations for the cloche, and I'm sure she'll have as much fun picking out the decorations for it at Christmas time...

So, yeah, I broke a promise... the hubby can now add me to the 'Psycho Mum' category... I wear my badge proudly!

Happy Humpday everyone!
Lx
P.S I'll be linking my page to Julia today... I follow her blog every day, so I can get my fix of house love...
P.P.S If you're really interested in seeing my new haircut, check it out below... it was taken last thing at night (by my own steady hand)... feeling very foolish... devoid of any make-up and my p-jams on... jeez... never thought I'd have the courage to do that...

A weekend of baking, shopping and wine...

Okay... I'm not going to lie... I had a couple of glasses of wine prior to writing this... You see, I've spent the afternoon at my neighbours' little girl's Christening... It was quite a production getting me there, and so, once finally sitting down, I decided to kick back and enjoy...

This weekend went by in quite a whirlwind... I'd offered to bake cupcakes and cookies... and, just for the hell of it, I threw in a trifle as well... As per usual, I under-estimated the effort involved and decided to squeeze in said baking amongst outfit-shopping and polishing myself up...

First on the list was to get the girlies' sorted with appropriate attire. In the past, I've sprung for fancy outfits for such occasions, only to find them gathering cobwebs in the closet, never to be worn again... so, this time, I was prudent and brought some funky dresses from Target that will look awesome with their Converse... Then, it was my turn... and let me tell you, I'm in a sorry state of affairs... from my head down to my toes...

So, the hubby treated me to a shopping spree at Anthro (this event is as rare as an albino tiger)... with my frugal head on, I picked up a gorgeous red and black rose shirt-dress on sale (very 50's housewife)... I then had to tackle the old physical appearance... so, I had all my hair chopped into a short bob and coloured... When I heard the buzz of the razor (just on the neck), I panicked... I've not had short hair since Australia... but, I think I like it...

Once I'd sorted the family out for clothes, I donned the apron and got cracking on the  cakes... Oh, and flag making....
It all went down a storm... I have to say, it's very gratifying seeing people enjoying the fruits of your labour... I almost asked someone for some critical feedback, but the hubby reigned me in!
Anyhoo... the kids have run themselves ragged and, so, I'm hoping they will give me a good night's rest... and some much needed beauty sleep...
Wishing you all a happy start to the week!
Lx

A Friday Flower: Here's to good friends...

Last week, I babysat for a very good friend while she went out for her 15th Wedding Anniversary... I have to say, it was no hardship on my part, as I was leaving the hubby with my two screaming toddlers while I watched her older (and much calmer) children... It was a bit like a 'bus man's holiday'...

It gave me an insight into what's ahead of me... a time when children do craft projects that don't require a 3-hour clean up, where they sit and watch 'your' TV shows, with you, and go to bed without kicking and screaming... it was bliss... I know... don't wish these years away... but I sure won't miss the 'witching hours' at the end of the night...

On her return, my dear friend presented me with this lovely bunch of stocks... ahhh, she knows me well... I love these flowers and, to me, they are quintessentially 'English'... I feel that every shot of an idyllic country cottage includes a pitcher with stocks spilling over, or some strategically placed by a farmhouse sink, waiting to be popped into an old jug... and don't even get me started on the smell... heavenly...

Anyhoo, I've sat on these pictures all week, waiting to share them with you... I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

And so, my Friday flower is dedicated to friends... old, new, and yet to meet... they really make my world a much nicer and happier place...

Speaking of friends, I'll be linking up for a Friday Flower with Melissa ... Nip over and see her, too, and you will meet one of my newfound blog friends!
Happy weekend everyone!
Lx

If you want to join in with Friday Flower, just use the linky widget below to link to your post.

Appreciating what is on your doorstep...

Life's pretty hectic for me at the moment. What, with having the builders in, two kiddies running around, baking for a neighbour's baby christening, and the usual day-to-day chores, I'm pretty stretched ... However, I did manage to squeeze in a family bike ride the other day... there are always a few more hours in the day, right?

We have a bike path that runs past the end of our road and it hugs the coastline... something we had overlooked, until we got the dog and needed a place to walk her... With this in mind, the hubby then surprised me one day and picked up a nice little beach cruiser (for me) and a green trailer for the girls (they call it 'Chick', as in Chick Hicks from the movie Cars)... with us fitted out with new biking gear, that left the hubby without one... so, he rides his Mum's purple ladies mountain bike... he didn't want to commit to a new bike until we proved that it wasn't a passing fad...  Hey, if he's happy to ride a chick bike, then so be it... I guess you'd call that, 'being comfortable with your masculinity...'

Anyhoo, we set off early Saturday morning for a our ride... I decided I wanted to take a camera with me... with nowhere to stow said camera, the hubby had the bright idea of taking the basket off my little girls bike and attaching it to mine... well, if he can ride his Mum's purple bike, then I can deal with a kiddie basket!

As we're riding leisurely along the bike path, we're being zipped past by sleek cyclists in up-to-date techno-lightweight-breathable-all singing- all dancing biking gear and all I could think was... 'What must they think of our mismatched clan?'
But, who cares? Because, we had a blast... I squeezed in a spot of thrifting at a church thrift store (that basket sure limited my buying power)...we took in the views of NYC over the water...

...watching reeds, as tall as houses, swaying in the fall breeze...

... breathing in the salty air... and just enjoying something that's on our doorstep and free... (that was the best part of the day)!
I'm busy on a little project at the moment (I hope to share it with you at some point), but I'll be checking in at the back end of the week. Happy humpday!
Lx

Fall ♥

It's Fall... I know this because my girls' t-shirts are showing the stains of multiple juice pops, eaten on hot summer days, and 'Tide Stain Release' is just not going to cut it on these babies anymore! It's time to kiss goodbye to the pretty pastels of summer and move on to the rich colours of fall...  Is it just me, or does anyone else feel their heart strings tugged when they pack their kids' clothes away at the end of a season? I find it's like packing away that season of their lives... I know I'll be dragging my 'threads' out for years to come (I'm thrifty), but there's such a sense of finality when I pack away their wardrobe... Anyhoo.... on a lighter note...

I love the rich warm colours that fall brings with it...

I love pumpkins, both for decorating and eating... strange really, given that I had never eaten one prior to my move to  America...

I love the fact that I can hide my toes in my Converse and not have to worry about when I'll get a chance to fit in that much needed pedi...

... or that I can pull all my cozy sweaters out of the closet and bundle myself up once again...

I swear I have cooler sweaters, but I love to rock the granny look!

...and being snuggled indoors, with my favourite armchair fitting the season ...


I know... I brought it during my 'red' season & just can't bare to get rid of it... anyhoo the dog likes it!

I love the fact that a hot cup of tea, becomes the right choice of drink...

... and the damp smell of leaves in the air (sorry I couldn't capture that one)... and, to anyone in the UK, enjoy the smell of bonfires and the morning cobwebs (just two of the things that I miss from Blighty)... There are so many things that I love about Fall... What about you?
Lx

A cup of tea & a fig & pistachio scone

It's practically Monday. I've had a busy weekend catching up on some needed chores... mainly laundry... yuck... I loathe this job... I wish I could just pop the kids in those paper suits that forensics wear... that way, I could just throw them in the bin *garbage* at the end of the day (that would be the suit, not the kids), and it would come with the added bonus of providing doodle paper for the kiddies when sitting at restaurants!

Anyhoo, amidst my laundry-filled weekend, I did attempt to make some scones... Now, I have to admit, scones have never been my forte... so I was a little hesitant, but figured, "how hard could they be?" (Obviously, I'm riding the high of my past few weeks in the kitchen)...
I have my mum's old recipe book here... complete with the grease-stained, crumb-marked pages of recipes I helped bake with her as a kid... I always smile as I open this book, as I am instantly transported back to our little kitchen, with the mustard cabinets and blue tiles...ahh, don't you just love the 70's?
My mum whips up a batch of these scones while waiting for something to cook on the stove top.. she makes it look that easy..

So, I followed the recipe to the letter... except for the addition of dried figs and pistachios...

She always tells me to use 'best butter' (which I did)... she tells me to make sure the butter is nice and cold (it was)...

Sift the flour from a height (I did)... Don't over work the mixture; better to have the pastry too soft than too dry (I could practically see the air in the mixture)... she told me if using pastry cutters, don't twist them; pull them up (I did).... get them into the oven as quickly as possible (fast as lightening)... make sure the oven has been preheated for a while (it was lovely and toasty)... I did all of this, but they still didn't rise like my Mum's.. I thought that now that I am a Mum, I had secret Mummy powers... Powers that lead you to ace all baking... apparently not...

Anyhoo, I still thought I'd show you my scones... I'm prepared to share the good, the bad, and the ugly here...

I have to say, though, that they didn't taste too shabby... not dry or flaky... just a little flatter than they should be...

I'm going to keep having a bash at these until I make the perfect scone... I'm on a mission now! Once I've cracked it, I'll share the secret with you or, even better, you could let me in on your secret to baking perfect scones! I popped the recipe at the end of the blog... let me know if you have more luck... I think I'm going to check back with my Mum...

Happy Monday all!
Lx

Ingredients

10 ½ oz self raising flour


2 ¾ oz butter


1 ¾ oz caster sugar


 5 fl oz milk

1 ¾ oz chopped dried figs

1 ¾ oz chopped unsalted pistachios

Method

1.       Preheat the oven to 400°F. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl… as my Mum say’s ‘Do it from a height, to get air into the mixture’...

2.       Cut the cold butter into small squares and add it to the flour. Mix the butter into the flour until all the pieces are coated, then rub the butter in, using your fingertips, until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. While doing this lift the mixture, so as to incorporate as much air into the mixture as possible.

3.       Stir in the sugar, dried figs and pistachios. Pour in the milk and mix with a round-bladed knife to make a soft dough. When the mixture forms a rough ball, put on a lightly floured work surface.

4.       Knead the dough briefly to smooth out the cracks… don’t overwork the dough or your scones will not rise so well… (I swear I did this)… Press or roll out to ¾ inch thickness and cut into rounds with a 2½ inch pastry cutter. Gather up the scraps of dough, knead briefly, roll out again and cut out some more scones.

5.       Place on a baking sheet, with a little room between them. Brush with a little milk and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake until they have risen and are a golden brown, around 10-12 minutes. Pop on a cooling rack and leave to cool.  I like to eat them while they are still a little warm, split and spread with a little butter and jam…

Ok… mine didn’t rise too well, but they sure tasted good!

A Friday Flower & Some Repurposed Oil Bottles

Friday... I still get that Friday feeling, even though the day job just runs into the weekend and right back out the other side... Perhaps it's because the hubby is around to share the load... or because it became ingrained into me... there was nothing like switching off that PC on a Friday afternoon and leaving the pile of reports on my desk... Ironic that now the weekend means that I have a chance sit on the laptop, catching up on events in Blogland.... Speaking of  Blogland, I would like to thank Brenda for so very kindly mentioning me in her wonderful blog... I really can't thank her enough... and so, my Friday Flower is dedicated to Brenda this week...

I was feeling a purple flower today, although my daughter declared these too purple... I hope you like them... they got a little crumpled too, as my youngest got a hold of them in the store, while I was  busy looking for a lost toy (yes, there were lots of tears... because of the lost toy.. not the flowers)...
It did mean that after she had 'dead headed' them for me, there were fewer to work with...

I used the oil and vinegar bottles that I picked up at the sidewalk sale the other week... at last, I now have a use for them... If I had a decent size windowsill, I would have popped them on that... I never thought that a windowsill would be an advantage to living in a brick house; but once you don't have them you sure miss them...

Anyhoo,  here they are in my tiny bathroom... A little bit of 'pretty' in this space... and boy does it need it!

If you want to join in with this week's Friday Flower, there's a Linky Widget at the bottom of the post. I'd love to see your flowers and, as my friend always says, 'there's no such thing as a bad flower'... so, let's share the love!

I'm also linking up with the lovely Melissa. She posts the most amazing pictures... so much so,  that she makes me homesick for Blighty...

Have a great weekend everyone... and take care!
Lx

Want to join in with a Friday Flower? Post a link to your page here...

Building the foundations of a happy home

When we bought our house a couple of years ago, it wasn't love at first sight... not on my part anyway. But the hubby was hooked... He obviously saw something in this old place... his actual words were that 'it needed the love putting back in it and we were the family that was going to do exactly that'... I think I retorted that 'it needed a lot of money put into it, not love'... Always, the cynic...

However, after moving in, this place did strange things to me... it bewitched me... I started to look past the sinking roof, leaky basement, small rooms (I could go on, but I think that you're getting the picture), and I started imagining (with a whole lot of cash) what this place could be...

I resigned myself to the fact that this was our home... I guess that's the wrong word... I didn't resign myself, I wanted this place to be our home... even with all it's faults (and let me tell you there are many).

I now lie awake at night imagining this home as a finished product... a white, wooden staircase, with a jute rug running down the center, beadboard ceilings in the bedrooms, dormer windows with window seats in the girls' room, a dining room, a beautiful, white subway tiled bathroom, an English cottage garden, and a fireplace to sit beside with a cup of tea... I dream of the day our little cottage is finished, but then I hear that a house is never finished...

Why am I telling you this? Well, September the 15th was a pretty momentous day for our family... this was the day that our first major project was started. The foundation of the house is being fixed, and hopefully our flooding problem resolved... and, ultimately, we'll be able to open this place up... I love saying that phrase... I imagine our house being pealed back like a can of pilchards... Anyhoo,  it may not be at the frills and bows 'pretty' stage that everyone likes to look at, but it is the start of us making this place into our dream home!
Lx

Oh... I forgot to mention, I'll be posting a Friday Flower again this week. If you want to join in, there will be a linky widget at the bottom of Fridays posting... I'd love you to join in!
xoxo

A cork love story...

When I first met the hubby he was fresh out of University (I don't think I've mentioned, that he's my toyboy)... He had hardly put aside his college 'drinking game' days, whereas I on the other hand, had forgotten about them, moved onto hard liquor, before finally settling on wine, as my preferred alcoholic beverage..

I remember the first bottle of wine we shared.. judging by the way he swigged down his first glass in two seconds flat, I could tell that the young guy sat next to me, was more suited to a bottle of Corona... but it didn't matter because I could tell that this was going to be the start of something magical... Forget  the fact that I was pushing 30, he American and me English, with a house and a career under my belt.. Something told me that this was going to be different... and he must have thought so too, as he took the cork, and scribbled the date and our names on it (or was this something he did with all girls)?

Anyhoo, along our travels we collected many more corks... the saddest being from our last night shared together in Australia... not knowing if that would be the last time I would see him... But evidently, we did see each other again, and many more bottles of wine have been drunk (some good and some bad). Those for momentous occasions have been inscribed with the date and a little message... birthdays... weddings... Thanksgiving, Christmases and so on... There's a whole story on these corks... I felt it was a story that deserved to be shown...

As you walk into my house, you will see this collectors frame full of corks... corks telling a beautiful love story... the story of the hubby and I...
We've filled this frame up... but I'm hoping we'll just keep on adding... speaking of which, I'll open a bottle of red tonight... I'll think of an occasion to toast later...
Lx