Making a list....and deleting it twice!

I am not a big list maker, but since I have had an iPhone, the Notes app has become my best friend...gone are all the lists of groceries and to do's of holidays gone by...instead everything I need to do is hidden away and available at a touch of the screen...thank you Mr. Jobs...

Food takes top priority at my house, after decorating....first priority at my sister's house...before decorating! It is always a source of friendly discussion between the two of us!
Today, I did just that...made lists....gifts to buy, baking supplies to buy, stocking stuffers, etc. and I actually
managed to DELETE a few off the list...and it is only Dec. 3rd!

Last year was the first time I decided to make a trifle, not really Italian, but we do have husbands who are of English and Scottish descent....so I made a Black Forest Trifle last Christmas...you can see it pictured above...it was lovely, but not really a big seller...

What is requested, however, every year by our husbands, is mincemeat pie or tarts....you can see it below.  I bake it in a fluted flan pan, add more rum and brandy, a grated pear or two... since it is so rich, it makes a thin piece just perfect for a serving....again, not a big seller, except for two special men in the family!
 

I found these cute chocolate mice to embellish it with...
 

Another tradition on the " to do " list is egg nog which I make from scratch...I have made this every year since my sons were very young....with and without spirits....
I use Southern Comfort for my recipe...tastes like a milk shake!
 

I like to gift this to friends, and it makes a wonderful hostess gift...
 

My sister Micki makes most of our Christmas goodies, above are her beautifully wrapped Maria Bruno bars, loaded with candied fruit, spices, nuts and chocolate...the recipe is an old family recipe from our Mother.

She own's M.A.M. Gourmet and is in "production" everyday till Christmas!!!
 

Shortbread stars, dipped in white chocolate, are a favourite with our family, as well as her many clients...they just melt in your mouth!
 

Ricotta cookies, frosted with cream cheese frosting are one of my favourites!!!
 

Here is an assortment of treats for Christmas Eve at our house... along with the traditional Italian pizzelle, dusted with icing sugar, are the decadent butter tarts, my boy's favourites!!
As well as our husband's!
 

Here you can see that a few are missing from the front row!!!

This is prior to dessert being served!

 

 

Because there will be no decorations for me to consider this year....have I said that before? :(  I will have to do some baking I suppose...

Last year's family room window sill....
It is quite different now, it is boxed in with a new window and painted white.  We were able to retain the stone insert as it was, and the panelling is painted in Benjamin Moore, Fresh Cream..

Back to baking... :-\

 

I love that we mix up our traditions, both our husband's and our's, that is what creates such a rich tapestry for our children and families to embrace, cherish and remember from year to year.. Scottish shortbread, English trifle and mince pie, egg nog, Italian pizzelle and biscotti...

How fortunate we are....

I hope that your list is getting shorter, and the preparations for the month ahead coming to fruition....

Remember, to take time to reflect on the true meaning of this beautiful season....

N.xo

 

 

 

Cake Batter

Today I chose the colour for the paint of my interior walls, Benjamin Moore's Cake Batter. I decided I would just use one colour throughout the entire main floor, including
bedrooms, bath, main entrance hall and kitchen/living area. I am still feeling a little unsure about the whole thing!!

But the show must go on!!!
 

I thought I would do a post on the feeling I hope the colour will bring to my new interiors, through a series of photos taken of my home last Christmas...it will never be like this again..
Hopefully this will be a good thing!
 

The colour Cake Batter, besides having a yummy name, is a very soft, milky colour with a lot of depth....
 

Because we live in the woods, the shadows and ombre effects played by the light filtering through the trees and coming in the windows, the paint changed colours almost by the hour after we applied a sample colour on the wall...
 

The vintage crochet lace on ecru linen I used as a cuff for this stocking last year, is a most perfect colour!
I used this as some what of a colour board for making my decision....
 

 

These German Belsnickles are also a good source of inspiration for colour matching...
 

Snowy branches and creamy hydrangeas.....
 

This sweet, tiny miniature doll held by an old world Santa, is the perfect creamy mix of froth and lace...
like frothed milk on a cappucino...
 

 

The stone tiles in the bathrooms, garden room and front entrance have a touch of grey in them...
I am hoping my tarnished brass fixtures and gilt mirror and sconces will work well with the Cake Batter....
 

We are so behind schedule, but the walls are being painted, as is the trim and new banister and spindles...I will be so happy to share this transformation with you as soon
as the kitchen is installed...this is the third postponement....originally end of October, then mid November and now mid December, if the floors are installed next week....

All of the interior trim is Cloud White and walls Cake Batter by Benjamin Moore.

Have any of you, my readers, used Cake Batter in your new or renovation projects??
I would love to hear your opinions...

The above photo more luscious colour.....

crochet cotton, old pearls and unspun wool, you get the picture...

The miniatures are the exquisite work of Rose Dolhanyk, doll creator extrordinaire!

N.xo

The road to Bountiful.....

I am certain that many of you have experienced what I am about to tell you....the unexplained, immediate connection to another fellow blogger...a hidden friendship just waiting to be kindled, through heartfelt comments left time and again, late at night or early in the morning when we can steal a few moments for ourselves to read the precious blogs we follow... across the miles and sometimes oceans, the connections are made, by total strangers, brought together by common interests and sensibilities, through this amazing medium...

 Last week I visited one such friend, Jermaine, from the beautiful blog French Kissed, in California..

My husband and I were attending the Breeder's Cup (ahem!!) in Santa Anita, just outside Los Angeles, travelling from Ontario, Canada...and of course, sweet Jermaine, made the trek from Santa Barbara to meet me...this was our second visit in two years..
but for both of us, it was as if we had been friends forever...

Easy, effortless and fun!
 

The Santa Anita racetrack, the site of the Breeder's Cup and popular Breeder's Cup Classic which was running the next day, with a winner's purse of $5 million dollars!
 

I couldn't resist this little box planting of jockey and pony !
 

I left the itinerary up to Jermaine, who could navigate the LA freeways like a pro,
we decided to visit the beautiful shop, Bountiful in Venice, a treasure trove of vintage design inspiration. The brain child of Sue Balmforth, who did " shabby " before it became chic!
Decorator to the stars and event designer of one of the most beautiful Academy Awards, in my opinion, ever..

We could not take in the abundance of jewel like displays in every colour way...
From fabrics to chandeliers to French chairs to religious art...it was dizzying...
all stacked to ceiling height!!

The vintage fabrics beautifully sorted and displayed were my favorite things...

No detail was spared....

Petit point pillows and beautifully carved French armoires...

romantic oil paintings....

...carefully chosen and edited vignettes...

This cast iron embellished cross, was exquisite... 

Little treasures to remember our day together....
 

We both lost track of time, and I think we may have spent at least two hours or more in this lovely place !!!

If that was not beautiful enough, Jermaine treated me to a lovely lunch at the famous Ivy...
The roses took my breath away....

...and lunch was a delicious salad of lobster, avocado and papaya....

This gorgeous arrangement was gracing the ladies room!

To me,
the joys of blogging are infinite, the inspiration, the knowledge acquired from the talented and generous authors of the blogs we read, but never would I have imagined the friendships which this has afforded me, especially that of sweet Jermaine, who gives generously of her time and heart with every visit to California...I am hoping to repay that generosity this Spring when she comes to visit me...
 

As an aside...
.... a little peek at the etched peacock door installed as the entrance to my walk in closet/dressing room...I have had it for several years, hoping to use it at some point in the renovation.  The light from the window shows off its beauty during daylight...

I hope to post more pictures...it is progressing soooo slowly...
and we were told today, we will definitely not be back in for Christmas.

Patience!

N.xo

 

Idle Hours....

The start of the winter solstice seems to smack you in the face when you wake up one morning....yesterday we experienced a gorgeous Indian summer day and today I was pelted with rain and sudden gusts of cool wind and wet fall leaves....I love it, though....the fall colours here at the lane are beautiful, and create pause for what the winter months ahead will bring...many projects and simple pursuits to idle away the hours...

Needle arts have always been something that nurtured my nesting instinct...stitching, quilting, creating and general puttering during the winter, just seem to fit...last fall I took a stitching class given by Susan, the lovely and talented blog author of Ling Ling and Lulu, at the beautiful shop Stitch, just around the corner from my home...
She has created several of these lovely pear shaped pin keeps...

She encouraged us to make them very personal, by adding embellishments which would speak of the creator or the recipient they were intended for...
I made a little heart out of vintage velvet, for additional pins and added the tiny crown charm....

Here I found this little French pin and added the tiny heart charm....a future gift for a lover of all things French!

 

....another charm, personal to the giver and recipient....

I plan on attaching this pin keep to the clamp so it may be easier to use and always at hand, during sewing or stitching projects. It can be clamped to a sewing table or any small table by an arm chair or favorite spot for needleworking...

These two projects have been waiting in the wings to be finished, for sometime now....and I have stolen time from more pressing matters to indulge myself some quiet moments with a needle... 

It is always very satisfying and nurturing to see a simple creation from one's own hands...
 

At the same time, fall vegetables are at the ready to make wholesome and satisfying meals, roasted garlic and cauliflower soup...I neglected to take photos of the finished soup....my apologies...pureed into chunky goodness with the addition of organic chicken broth and a touch of cream...It was very good...and of course I sent containers off to both my sons to enjoy...always a Mom!!!
 

I quick glimpse of the new garden room off the opened up kitchen area....

Not sure if the ceiling will be white pine or not??

The floor will be a creamy white slate/stone, with radiant heat below...
 

Transitioning into winter is always a busy time, but this year even more so, with the renovation and all it entails...I still manage to find a few hours for my own pursuits...We are told we will be back in for Christmas!
It seems to be just around the corner!!

N.xo