HYACINTHS FOR THE SOUL

Sunday, May 10, 2020

Mother's Day 2020

Mother's Day

Mother's Day 2020

I set a table in tribute to my mother.

My sweet mom lived a long full life,

and as an avid gardener, most of her days

involved working in her garden.

She, herself, was raised by an avid gardener!

One of my fondest memories of my grandmother

is being hand-in-hand with her, among garden flowers,

snipping my favorite sweet peas to make a petite bouquet.

Are you familiar with these old fashioned blooms?

In Victorian Times, when flowers were used as a language

of sorts, the sweet pea bloom meant "lasting pleasure".

For me, gardens create lasting pleasure.

They provide a sense of being one with nature, time spent

digging in dirt, observing the miracle of things sprouting,

blooming, and then fading as the cycle is completed, while

something new opens to take its turn on the garden stage.

I don't have a good sunny spot for sweet peas, so you can imagine

my delight when our local Grassdale Flower Farm delivered

sweet pea bouquets for curbside pickup at a nearby flower market.

These hand painted floral plates were a street market find in Italy, and though the simple stylized blooms are not sweet peas, the colors are a perfect fit for the bouquet from Grassdale.

I carried home two salad plates and two dinner plates for a table of two with these rather flat plates and a gently scalloped border.

Not heavy like most ceramics, they made a perfect trip souvenir.

I paried them with Ambiance Vintage Garden

chargers and Hester and Cook's gorgeous Woodland Nest placemats, the whimsical art work of Vicki Sawyer.

A small Nature Table bee plate from Anthropologie was added
as a green accent between layers, along with a linen napkin, the handwork of my husband's grandmother in the early 1900s.

The Napoleon Bee flatware is by Wallace.

I think it makes a lovely statement to all gardeners!

With a garden full of birds this time of year,
an added treat should any want to fly in and join us.

So there you have it, a tribute

to my mom, the gardener!

Thank you for joining me today.

I hope you'll leave me a comment and tell me

a little something about your mom.

Happy Mother's Day ~ 2020

Joining

Love Your Creativity @ Life and Linda You're the Star @ Electric Red Barn

Happiness is Homemade @ Bluesky at Home Inspire Me Monday @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia Make It Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House Celebrate Your Story @ Celebrate and Decorate Keep in Touch @ Let's Add Sprinkles Tuesday Turnaround @ Bluesky Kitchen
Over the Moon @ Marilyn's Treats Party in Your PJs @ Apple Street Cottage

All About Home @ Common Ground Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop @ Electric Red Barn
Share Your Style @ French Ethereal Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Thursday Favorite Things @ Katherine's Corner Home and Garden Thursday @ Delightsome Life

Monday, April 20, 2020

Blackberry Cobbler ~ 2020 Quarantine

Blackberry Cobbler

In the midst of 2020 Quarantine life,

I find myself in the kitchen baking most days.

We are in the routine of shopping frequently as my foodie Chef

considers trips to the grocery entertainment.

Now with online shopping for curbside or delivery, we find we

often end up with extra amounts of food on hand, thus the baking!

I recently made Ree Drummond's Blackberry Cobbler

with an abundance of blackberries we had from

curbside grocery orders.

The recipe made enough to fill a loaf pan and individual ramekins.

We like mostly berries, so I filled the pans with a

small amount of batter, and then added lots of berries.

Blackberry Cobbler recipe found here.

Spring here in Austin, is one of the most
pleasant times of the year.
My morning begins with hot tea or
coffee and a bite to eat.

I fix a tray and take it out to the terrace

where I can enjoy the spring greens of the garden

and the sound of birds singing to each other.

At times I like a hint of brown sugar to sweeten my tea,

and I add a touch of fresh cream to the cobbler.

I've made plenty and would

love to have you join me.

I'm happy to share!

By the way, The Chef seems to like that his wife has returned to baking.
Stay safe and stay healthy, and do a little baking!

Joining

Love Your Creativity @ Life and Linda You're the Star @ Electric Red Barn

Monday, April 6, 2020

National Tartan Day

Tartan Tea Party

Celebrating

~ National Tartan Day ~ April 6 ~

Bluebonnet Tartan

Like others across the globe, many Texans will no doubt celebrate National Tartan Day on April 6, 2020. The official State Tartan, Texas Bluebonnet Tartan, was designed by June Prescott McRoberts in 1986 and adopted by the state of Texas in 1989. You can read more details about the Texas Bluebonnet Tartan here.

My Grandparents

My grandfather, born in Helmsley, England, came to this country as a young man of 28 in 1884. He lived to be 78, but died before I was born. I've not traced our family history, but I suspect that there is Scottish ancestry in some branch of our family tree. Regardless, I've long been mad about tartan. It's not just for Christmas, you know! So join me as I honor all Americans of Scottish descent and celebrate Tartan Day.

I have a fresh pot of a special blend
of Scottish tea steeping.

And I've pulled out one of my favorite little treasures from MacKenzie-Childs in the Maclachlan pattern and filled it with Scottish shortbread from Campbells.

The lid of this sweet box features a thistle, which like tartan, is one of the most recognizable symbols of Scotland. The thistle can be found in the Royal Arms of Scotland.

Campbells is internationally famous and according to the Campbells' website, is Scotland's oldest bakery. You can visit their site here.

We have a selection of shortbread
from Campbells' Gold Kilt tin.

I've gathered some of my
tartan pieces to celebrate the day.

Tartan paper maché
balls gathered in a footed dish.

An empty Walkers' tartan tin filled with spring flowers. Walkers is another company known for Scottish Shortbread. You can find them here.

This vertical tin is perfect as a vase, and it

features a charming little Scottish lass with her dog.

Entitled "Which Hand Will You Take?",

this tin was filled with chocolate chip shortbread.

Fortunately, I don't need reading glasses, but I couldn't resist this pair of vintage specks in their own tartanware case.

The case is in the McDuff pattern. TARTANWARE by Princess Ira Von Furstenberg is a great little book full of photographs of tartan covered objects that were produced as souvenirs from Scotland in the early to mid 19th century. Many of the objects are from the Princess' personal collection. Published in 1996, this book is now difficult to find.

You might want to settle in with a cup of tea, a few shortbread cookies, and enjoy my copy.

You can see the Gold Kilt
tin here on the tray.

The kilt is the distinctive traditional dress of the highland Scottish male. As this attire does not have the convenience of pockets, a sporran, (leather pouch) is worn to carry valuables.

Thank you for joining me today to celebrate Tartan Day, 2020.
I first shared this post in 2011.

Joining

Love Your Creativity @ Life and Linda You're the Star @ Electric Red Barn

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Tales of the Traveling Tote # 22

Tales of the Traveling Tote

Rabbit, Rabbit! Welcome to Tales of the Traveling Tote #22

I'm dedicating this edition to Poppy, my new MKC tote, You can read all about this special bag here. Poppy has been out and about, getting to know Austin the past 3 months.

January is my birth month

and this cutie's too.

We celebrated together at Hayley's Cakes and Cookies.

Januuary was filled with celebration lunches with friends, and Poppy joined in on every occasion. I was excited to introduce this new girl to my precious friend, Pamela, who is also an enthusiastic collector of MacKenzie-Childs.

Image from Peached Tortilla

January 25 was the start of the Lunar New Year,

so First Sundays at The Peached Tortilla

celebrated with a Lunar New Year Megashake.

Of course I had to take Poppy!

We've been visiting favorite plant centers to see what

might be available as we plan a new courtyard
that is part of our remodel project.

Miss Poppy selected a few new pots.

Miss Poppy and I visited Gerogetown to share the day with my sister, and took her to our favorite lunch spot, Sweet Lemon!

After lunch we popped into a few new shops.
This clever heart decorated cacti caught our attention.

The shop is The World Headquarters of the Texas travel TV show,
THE DAYTRIPPER, with host Chet Garnet.

Inside we found a variety of Texas themed merchandise and handmade products made here in Texas.

"Texas is BIG! And exploring it ain't no small vacation - it's a lifetime endeavor. But that's exactly why we're here. From the well-known landmarks to the completely obscure dives and hideaways, we explore every corner of the Lone Star State. Hopefuly , inspiring you to head out on your own Texas-sized adventures."

The Texas Daytripper

Look at these cute pillows created by the
young woman who owns this shop.

Gatherings, my favorite Georgetown antique shop,

is always packed to the brim with antique and vintage pieces from the past, styled in the most amazing, eye catching vignettes.

Back in Austin, I confess, Miss Poppy is well
known at my local Starbucks.

And all my go to bakeries in town.

I enjoyed a fun evening out with girlfriends for dinner and the
Broadway Austin production of HELLO DOLLY.
My Courtly Check wallet is a perfect fit in my newly gifted
clear bag, required for such events.