"Minou, Minou, Minou"

"Minou, Minou, Minou"

Calling all French kitties

and other felines of Blogland.

To celebrate this big boy!

Baby Kitty

@ Confessions of a Plate Addict

is 8 years old today.

Those of us who follow along at Confessions of a Plate Addict know of Debbie's famous staff and her love of all things French. The days of actual pets living here at HFTS were long ago, but we do love a party and wanted to join in the fun.

The Plate Addict Staff is here and ready to party!

So put on your party hat and join the fun.

Our purrrr-fectly paired aristocats are here.

Lilike, the sweet Hungarian mama cat

and her little Duci are eager to join in the fun.

Our hostess today is mademoiselle Gabrielle, le chat.

She is the essence of French country style.

You can read more about Gabrielle and her French friends here.

Gabrielle has brewed cat nip tea

and filled the party bowls with crunchy treats.

This handsome Frenchy is Monsieur Alexandre.

Mademoiselle Angelique, le chat du jardin,

has a fresh bouquet for Baby Kitty.

Bijou has filled her baskets

with Baby Kitty's favorite crunchy, kitty treats.

Sadly this dearest of kitties arrivied en détresse.

In a rush to join the group

~ catastrophe! ~

Her pretty little head crashed to the floor.

How's that for a "blogging blooper", Susan?

Her wobbly head was an accident waiting to happen!

I think she looks like a piece of MacKenzie-Childs,

but actually she's just a copycat

and was a thrifty Goodwill find.

Not that her pedigree makes us

any less sad about this unfortunate accident.

Angelique and Alexandre quickly rushed to her

aide and put the pieces back together again.

Just like Humpty Dumpty!

So the paw-ty could go on as planned!

Tuna cake for the Birthday Boy.

Solid Light Tuna

Only the best for you, Baby Kitty!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY,

BABY KITTY!

It's time for a Kitty Cat Linky Party!

Click here to join

Confessions of a Plate Addict

for the big party.

Also joining

Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound

French Toast ~ A Favorite

Sharing my favorite breakfast food today.

I fixed a special tray just for you.

F is for my Favorite

~ French Toast ~

It's certainly no secret among my friends that one of my favorite foods is French Toast. If it's on a menu, that's usually what I order when we go out to eat breakfast.

But you can see this isn't exactly what

comes to mind when one says, "French Toast!"

No, indeed!

Since you've stopped by for a visit I've pulled out some essential ingredients to make us a little treat this morning. Most any bread works for this dish, but I like to use challah bread in thick slices so it's nice and fluffy.

While you're here you may stay in our "French" guest room. I'll just bring up a breakfast tray with a pot of rich fresh ground coffee and a glass of chilled orange juice.

Just for you, I've used French linens. The napkin ring is also French.

F. L. G.

I have a group of French napkin rings that I've found when exploring weekend brocante markets in France. I like to think about who might have owned these little rings of silver and have a bit of fun imagining whose monogram is delicately engraved upon them. This one I think must have once belonged to Françoise Louise Gauthier.

I like to top French toast with a bit of

mascarpone cheese and fresh berries.

But I also like to eat my French Toast with lots

of confectioners sugar and a little maple syrup.

What do you like on your French Toast?

French Toast is a rich, sweet dish,

so I like to add a side of sausage with mine.

Americans eat French Toast for breakfast,

but the French like to offer it as a dessert.

They refer to it as pain perdu, or "lost bread".

I tucked in the new issue of Phyllis Hoffman's Celebrate Spring for a little reading pleasure.

Enough of my talking, you must be ready to eat.

Settle in and enjoy your own plate of French Toast.

Bon appétit!

There on the bed resting on the pillows are Brigitte, Gabrielle le chat, and Zoé le lapin. You can read about them here.

Linking to:

Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound

A Few of My Favorite Things @ Bargain Hunting & Chatting With Laurie since French Toast is my favorite breakfast food.

Sunday Favorites @ Happy to Design, where Cherry invites us to share a previous post.

Seasonal Sunday @ The Tablescaper because I love French Toast on Sundays any Season of the Year.

Brigitte Comes To Life

When I first saw Linda Ragno's Garden Ladies by Cooper Oaks Design, I was totally charmed. I just had to stitch this lovely flower lady with her basket of lavender. French Country style simply makes me happy. (Click here to read more about this artist and to view a catalog of her designs. Her work is available here at the Needleworks.)

Wall of Needlepoint Canvases @ Needleworks

Stitching is a favorite pass time and yet another passion in my life. I'm one of those travelers who pulls out the yellow pages when I arrive somewhere and check out the needlepoint shops in town. Anyone else out there do this?

I named her Brigitte, and here she is after I stitched the canvas. Every stitch brought sunshine to my days as my sweet Brigitte came to life!

With Brigitte stitched, I shopped my fabric stash and pulled out some of my favorite Souleiado fabrics from Pierre Deux. With only a small remnant of the blue, a patchwork idea quickly began to evolve.

I worked up a plan,

gathered everything together,

and took it all to my friend who is a master finisher.

Voilà, Brigitte completely finished!

With this sweet face and French fabrics,

I decided she must share the upstairs guest room . . .

with another young French lady

who loves to pick flowers from the garden.

Sophie is a handmade limited edition doll from the Fritzi-Contini Collection. She has always been content to while away the days in her antique Thonet rocker, but I thought she might like to join Brigitte on the wicker settee and visit about gardening.

These two were getting along splendidly,

when all of a sudden 
mademoiselles Gabrielle le chat

and Zoé le lapin called 
out from across the room.

They begged and pleaded and insisted that Brigitte join them in their comfy spot atop the quilt on the bed. The work of Ilonka, a California artist, these two captured my heart back in the 1980s. They always seem to get their way with me, so Brigitte happily snuggled in between these two charmers.

But look who is patiently waiting in my needlepoint basket. She hopes to be stitched up this winter and join the other girls in the French guest room. Until then she seems happy to have two little Russian girls to keep her company. I just hope she doesn't let that rooster crow when the sun comes up.

I originally posted about Brigitte here, but reworked this post to share for Kim's Before and After Party this week. Click here to join Kim and see her latest paint transformation. You'll also find a list of others who have a Before and After to share.

Also linking to

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

F is for French Toast

F is for

French Toast

It's certainly no secret among my friends that one of my favorite foods is French toast. If it's on a menu, that's usually what I order when we go out to eat breakfast. So this was one of my Christmas presents this year.

But you can see this isn't exactly what comes to mind when one says, "French Toast!"

No, indeed! So since you've come for a visit I've pulled out some essential ingredients to make us a little treat this morning. Most any bread works for this dish, but I like to use challah bread in thick slices so it's nice and fluffy.

While you're here you may stay in our "French" guest room. I'll just bring up a breakfast tray with a pot of rich fresh ground coffee and a glass of chilled orange juice.

Just for you, I've used French linens. The napkin ring is also French.

F. L. G.

I have a group of French napkin rings that I've found when exploring weekend brocante markets in France. I like to think about who might have owned these little rings of silver and have a bit of fun imagining whose monogram is delicately engraved upon them. This one I think must have once belonged to Françoise Louise Gauthier.

I like to top French toast with a bit of mascarpone cheese and fresh berries.

But I also like to eat my French Toast with lots of confectioners sugar and a little maple syrup. What do you like on your French Toast?

French toast is a rich, sweet dish, so I like to add a side of sausage with mine.

Americans eat French toast for breakfast, but the French like to offer it as a dessert. They refer to it as pain perdu, or "lost bread".

I tucked in the new issue of Phyllis Hoffman's Celebrate Spring for a little reading pleasure.

Enough of my talking, you must be ready to eat. Settle in and enjoy your own plate of French toast. Bon appétit!

There on the bed resting on the pillows are Brigitte, Gabrielle le chat, and Zoé le lapin. You can read about them here.

Please take your time and enjoy your visit. Then click here to check in with Mrs. Matlock and the other Letter F lessons. I'm also linking this to Tablescape Thursday @ Susan's Between Naps on the Porch.