Colorful Kitchens Revisited and More

And #5 takes it! I think. My readers are a bit capricious with each doing her own thing. It was quite a ride through comments. ☺
Now I've been looking at each of those kitchens again and I think I've figured out what makes each one of them sing. It's not the paint, the appliances, the cabinetry or the apron sinks. What is it? The flowers! The fruit! The plants! We can do that. Surely. Oh, and one other little thing...they're all clean.
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Did you hear me screaming around 4 yesterday afternoon? Ai yi yi. I was playing kickball with the grands wearing inappropriate shoes (clogs) when I managed to slam my big toe into the tar driveway. I felt that I would faint it was that bad and then, fearing that I would scare the boys way too much, I just sucked it up and limped off the field whimpering slightly. Well, that was after the initial scream or two. I can't imagine how it is that I am the grandmother of two very active boys who really want zero to do with tea parties and crumpets. And, in their economy, nothing is better than a person who will play their games. This includes one decrepit grandmother, at least until someone better shows up. It may kill me! I'll show you a photo of the offending toe later on with a warning for the squeamish.
I was also screaming the day before yesterday. Did you hear that one? After a couple of hours of creating a tea towel tutorial (say that three times fast), I realized that I had done it incorrectly and it would all need to be taken apart. Stay tuned as I have no intention of allowing a tea towel to whip me.

Okay, here's the toe photo. If you are squeamy, look away now.

See that big toe? I can't set it all the way down on the ground, but it's so swollen that it lands there anyway...sort of...the indicator is that the second toe has disappeared since I am trying to keep the hurting bits in the air. See the color of that stone? Just about the shade that matches the toe. I promise not to mention it again.

I refuse to leave you with this image. I don't want to scar minds. I was out to take a photo of the neon azalea against the gray morning.

Rather a muddled mess, but I couldn't think about camera settings with this toe. Oops. Can't seem to get it off my mind.

Colorful Kitchens

 1. Buttery Yellow 

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 2. Colonial Red

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 3. Yellow Screen Door to the Pantry

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 4.Peachy 

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 5. White but Colorful

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6. Colorful and Playful and White Source Do you visit NanaDiana? She's on a blogging break. If she weren't, she might be doing this kind of a post. 
 I have done these sorts of posts a few times through the years. It usually happens when I begin to ponder painting those kitchen cabinets of  mine — I am not even going to pretend that I have any intention of painting them. Twenty years later they're still going strong looking shabby. Say, anything you've put off for twenty years?
 If you have an opinion about any of these kitchens, please feel free to share. Oh, and if you were to win one, which might you choose?

Personally, I think I could be very happy in a kitchen like this.↓
☺

~Source~

Just Past the Day of Days

Oh I knew that E.B. White would have already said it better than I ever could. 

There is another sort of day that needs celebrating in song — the day of days when spring at last holds up her face to be kissed, deliberate and unabashed. On that day no wind blows either in the hills or in the mind, no chill finds the bone. It is a day that can come only in a northern climate, where there had been a long background of frigidity, a long deficiency of sun. We've just been through this magical moment — which was more than a moment and was a whole morning...

from One Man's Meat

Yes, and the memory of it will have to get us through another while. (Say, if you've never read E.B. White, I can not recommend doing so highly enough.)  
I ran out last night to take a photo of the azaleas just blooming before the rain and wind beats them  into the ground.

Stellar photos they are not, but perhaps they'll provide enough memory to carry us into summer's blooms.

Happy memories to you!

A Quiet Lovely Day

Quiet, lovely days are just the way I best enjoy them where I can putter and play, eat chocolates, enjoy the flowers, and the beautiful, albeit tardy, greening.

~putter and play~

~raspberry, chocolate, shortbread square~

~?~

 ~dahlia~

 ~dahlia~wave petunia~?~

~yellow pansies and ?~

~the greening~

Saw both the kids...one on her way to work and the other fresh back from a day with the other side of the house. It was all good. Hope that yours was, too.
   Now to enjoy one more day of this idyllic weather before it returns to cold and rain for a week. One step forward, three steps back. So much of life is that way. I think I'll be playing and puttering more after today.

Happy Mother's Day

May God bless you richly this Mother's Day!  graphics thanks to Little Birdie Blessings

Good Morning

Ahhh...something a little more calm in the color department, an old cream bottle from my grandmother's stash. Sutton Farms dairy must have been in Penobscot County. The logo says this: Good Morning. We Are Bringing You Health. ☺ Mighty big claim. They'd not get away with that now!
A blessed weekend to you...

Colorful

*Red Blue Green Yellow* A delightful poem about color and life, if you have the time.

 ~Old Photo~

 ~Mother's Quilt Top~

All of Donna's challenges present one for me. This time was no different as there is nearly zero color out of doors —— certainly no riot of color in the garden. It's a bland, bland May. I was explaining this to Donna and she came up with suggestions. I remembered the quilt top folded in a bottom dresser drawer that my mother was making for herself from all the scraps that had gone into the quilts she had made for others. I've always thought of it as an intriguing combination of colors.

First I resize rarely using more than 700 width. If a photo nearly fills the page when opened, that is good enough for me; I am also frugal and don't wish to pay for storage space. 

Next I used the free program Photoscape to bump contrast and to sharpen. This time, I pushed the colors further with color enhance. Both photos were taken on the macro setting. I used a Nikon Coolpix P7100 on Auto Setting. 

Thanks for stopping by. I'm linking to *Donna's Personal Photo Challenge.* Thanks, Donna, for all the hard work of gathering information and sharing ideas and cheering us on!

They're Back

Just as I was settling down to a nice hour of game shows...Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy...you know that this week is the Champion of Champions week (I just made that name up...I have no idea what they're really calling it)...when I looked up through the transom window and nearly fell from my seat. Ackkk! They're back. Cue the da da da dum music.

~The Vultures Return~
 It might not have been so bad if I had not recently listened to a Bible teacher I respect discussing the fact that carrion eaters (to include eagles and condors by the way) are growing to large numbers. I'll leave you to figure out why that is disturbing. It is not my job to  connect the dots around here.

~How Many do You See?~

Anyway, let's just say this is a long way from The Robin's Return. My plans? I don't have any...yet. Do you know how to get vultures to move along?  

Hodge Podge

Desperate for a thought, I visted Debbie to get a spark of inspiration. Ahhh...it's Wednesday, after all, and this week is a "Mother May I?" of sorts.
1. Share something you appreciate (or something you appreciated as you were growing up) about your mother.
After living on this planet for the past three years without my mother, I have learned one thing: I did NOT appreciate her enough while I was growing up and I did NOT appreciate her enough as an adult. That said, she kept her family together through some very rough waters. And, from the time that she became a Christian when I was ten, she always pointed to Jesus as the answer.

2. A quote most commonly ascribed to Plato reads-"Necessity is the mother of invention." When did this last play out in your own experience?
Probably using the stash that I already have for some sewing projects. I'm no McGyver. 

 
3. Share one of the earliest memories you have from childhood.

The earliest memory (I was told it was when I was two) is of traveling across a large bridge while sipping chocolate milk. (Figures it would have food in it.) My earliest memory of my mother is of her kneeling and looking into my eyes and explaining most earnestly that a birthday gift I had been waiting for would certainly arrive soon. It was a set of dishes. Hmmm...I'm sensing a theme here.

4. When did you last 'hit the mother lode'? What was it?

Guess it was when I opened a box over the weekend and so many old photos, some I do not remember seeing before, were in there, including the ones I'm sharing today.

~my mother age 6~

~my parents, baby sister, and I~

5. What is/was your favorite dish mom made? Do you make that dish for your family/friends now that you're all grown up?

 She made so many wonderful meals and was known from here to there as an amazing cook. I especially loved her meatloaf, spaghetti and meatballs, bbq ribs, lasagna... Yes, I do try to re-create her meals, but so far have learned that she, and she alone, had the secret ingredient.
 

6. Mother May I? was at one time a popular children's game. It required no equipment or parts to play. What was your favorite childhood game to play where you could just turn up and play-no gear needed?

 I have been waiting for this question because I just taught this game to my grandsons last week. I didn't think that they would enjoy it at all since they balked with the "Mother" from the very start, but now they request a game nearly every day and have become quite creative with their requests and love to play the part of "Mother."
OOps! Overlooked answering the question. Focus, Vee! My favorite show up and play game was "Red Light." I think I'll teach them that one today.

7. Which TV mom (past or present) is your favorite, and why?
Gosh, this does date a gal. Well, I loved Father Knows Best best because of the kindly father that Robert Young played and Jane Wyatt was awfully nice, too. What's not to love? Gentle, kind, firm all rolled into one.


8.  Insert your own random thought here.
The forsythia are blooming, at least, on the lowest branches.
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Providing the link without participating. How rotten is that? 

HodgePodge Wednesday

Whatevers

 All those blogging experts tell us to name our posts appropriately. Impossible. I quit trying some time ago. Besides "Whatevers" sounds so much better than sewing room project, kitchen project or bedroom project. 

This tea towel was my Sewing Room Project above and below. I have tried so many methods touted as "easy" for mitered corners. This was not easy so I am not touting it. Looks okay, though.

~A Grandma's Attic Bedroom~

Sunday and yesterday, we worked on getting a new bed set up in the front room. The front room was formerly my living room before the addition was built, then became my grandmother's room. We set up a bedroom because we were given the infamous mattress. Yes, things really do eventually come full circle around here.

~Bob's Red Mill 10 Grain Muffins~ Made these muffins yesterday based on Kitty's recommendation...awful things. This morning? Much better. At first, I really thought that the 10 grain breakfast mix needed to return to the mill...a little too much texture for me. Amazing what a difference a day can make.
Off to do some more projects... 

Clafouti for a Light Lunch or Supper

Have you tried Clafouti (Clah-foo-tea accent on the tea) yet? I last posted about this unique recipe several years ago. Now I have some new blogging buddies so I thought I'd trot it out again.

Both John and I really enjoy this recipe and I hope that you'll try it, too. We eat it for a light meal. I adapted my recipe from King Arthur's flour.

 ~Peach Clafouti~

Clafouti Ingredients:

*2 cups fruit (I use whatever I have, even canned. It's not always 2 cups either. Berries are particularly nice.)

* 2 eggs

* ¾ cup milk

* ¼ teaspoon salt

* 2 tablespoons butter, melted

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* ½ cup granulated sugar

* ¾ cup unbleached flour

* a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg, if desired

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease  a 9-inch pie pan at least 1 ½ inches deep. Place the fruit in the pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, melted butter, vanilla, almond extract, and sugar. Whisk in the flour, stirring till most of the lumps are gone. Pour the batter over the fruit.

Bake the clafouti for 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove it from the oven, and serve it in wedges, warm or at room temperature. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or as is. 

Printable Recipe

Do you recognize this for the shameless ploy it is? I am so tired of having all Pinterest activity around here based on an embroidery collage done for Mosaic Monday several years ago. Perhaps this will get some action. LOL!

A cheery new week to you...

(formatting issues are what comes of committing the grievous error of typing a post elsewhere and pasting it here...sorry!)

Thy Will

 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Matthew 6:9–13

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Using Up the Leftovers

In this economy, using up the leftovers has become more important than ever before. Why just this week, we have eaten lasagna three nights. For some crazy reason, my freezer is a death row of leftovers. Once anything goes in, it rarely comes out. So it's just better to eat whatever it is all up in that four-day window allowed.
The first night, I served the lasagna, which happened to be a Marie Callender's on sale. It was more economical than fast food and it could be ready to go in a half hour or less. It was tasty enough for a prepackaged meal. The second night, I remembered *this recipe* on my Pinterest board. Oh yum. We loved it. The third night, I tossed in some leftover chicken and we enjoyed it all over again. 
Now I happened to be thinking of this as I wandered through my photo files last evening. I have certainly left a lot of photos behind. How to use them...how to use them...I know! A "lasagna" soup of sorts. 

Have a great weekend!

Mountain Climbing

Let's see. Do I have anything to say this morning? Hmmm...slept well, woke up stiff and I don't mean drunk. Decided to go out for a walk around the house to see what's been happening since I last checked three days ago. Nothing. I took fifteen photos and not one of them worth a fig. 
Before I forget the story, I should tell you what went on a week ago when my daughter rescued the boys and me from monotony by taking us out for lunch and mountain climbing.  It wasn't much of a mountain, which is the good news because somehow I got lost on top of it anyway.
When we arrived, the three of them hopped out of the vehicle and stood admiring the sheer rock wall. They would scramble up over that while I walked up the winding path. Fine. I slogged up, up, up until I reached the last step of ledge to the top. I was saying "hello, hello, hello" as I went because I don't know how to yodel. Well, as I took that last giant step up, there I was face to face with a couple of sunbathing college kids. When I later told this part of the story, my daughter covered her face with the acute embarrassment of it all. Ha! I still love to embarrass the kids.
Now I'm standing on ledge overlooking the twin cities and bikini clad bodies. Rather a fine view depending. When I could not see my three, I turned around to leave and that's when I had no idea where to go next. It looked as if that ledge was a table and every step off from it would cause me to tumble.

 
Thankfully, it was one time when I had my cell phone on me. I called my daughter. They were nearly back to the vehicle. In the end, my eight-year-old grandson came trudging up the winding path, found me a safe place to step  down, offered me his skinny little shoulder to steady myself, and I was rescued. My hero!
Later that evening while watching the evening news, John and I saw the helicopter rescue of a man and his five-year old from a mountain in Arizona. John said, "That could have been you, Hon." Hahahahahaha... Mercifully, it didn't come to that!

Every Step of the Way

So only love me and love me only And we will never walk with loneliness For just as sure as every April turns to May So will I love you every step of the way
Thank you for your kind words about "the look" around here. It is a nod to my mother's love of pink and since Mother's Day is May 11 (a week from this coming Sunday), and since it is still brown and wearying out of doors, I thought I'd have May and my small tribute to my mother here, at least for a bit. As one of my friends said, "It's not your usual color." No, no indeed, it is not.☺
The quote is from one of my mother's favorite "love songs" Every Step of the Way by Robert Allen. I can remember Eddy Arnold singing it. Mother advocated for its being sung at my aunt's wedding in 1965, but my aunt nixed it probably thinking it was too sentimental.
Remember Eddy Arnold? Oh my. I spent a pleasant couple of hours listening to a lot of his music on u-tube last night. Could not find Every Step of the Way, though, so I'll leave you with a very different one/s, you know, just in case you ever loved Eddy Arnold. I sure did!
Edited to Add: Oh how sweet! I finally found Every Step of the Way at Eddy Arnold dot com. One must first find Eddy Arnold's music, then click on "E" for Every Step of the Way. Sorry that there is no way to link directly.

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Enjoy this first day of May and stay safe out there!