A New Look for Hyacinths

Notice something new at

Hyacinths for the Soul?

That gorgeous new header above was a gift from Vicki @ Curly Willow DYI. A few weeks back, The Tablescaper was sporting a new header made by Vicki, a talented graphic designer who had offered to create new headers for a few of The Tablescaper's followers. I was one of the lucky ones selected.

Vicki contacted me with a few questions. Then she visited my blog to look around, and after a few more exchanges my header went from boring . . .

To this gorgeous new look.

It is the essence of Hyacinths for the Soul.

http://curlywillowdiy.blogspot.com/

Vicki and her long time friend, Barb, share their adventures of decorating, antiquing, and traveling at their blog Curly Willow DIY. I hope you'll stop by to visit this delightful blog. You can click here to see more new headers that Vicki created around Blogville and arrange to have a new header designed for your blog.

http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

The Tablescaper is known for her gorgeous tablescapes. You can visit her here. Each Sunday she hosts a delightful meme, Seasonal Sundays, to which I'll be linking this post. After all, hyacinths are in season, and saying "Thank You" is appropriate any season of the year.

A big THANK YOU,

to both Vicki and The Tablescaper.

Also linking to:

A Few of My Favorite Things @

Bargain Hunting & Shopping w/ Laurie

Metamorphosis Monday @ BNOTP

Masterpiece Monday @ Boogieboard Cottage

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

A Touch of Pink

A Touch of Pink for My Birthday

Most days in January are cold and colorless, but this year we were treated to a bounty of gorgeous pink camellias in a friend's garden.

Perfectly Timed to Set the Theme for My Birthday Dinner

Pink Paired With My Favorite Courtly Check

More Fresh Flowers For The Table

Compliment the Pink of the Evening

Crisp White Linen

Layers of Shiny Black, Courtly Check, 
and a Ruffled Woven Mat

Antique Ivory Salt and Pepper

Tasty Daube a la Provençal Made with Lamb

You'll find the recipe here at Dean and Deluca.

Fresh Spinach with Citrus, Beets, Red Onions, and Olives

Tri-colored Roasted New Potatoes

Pink, Purple, and Cream

A Tower of Corn Muffins

Made For a Perfect Winter Birthday Dinner

When Shared With Good Friends

I Was Tickled Pink

Click the links below to join in the following weekly parties:

Tablescape Thursday @ BNOTP

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Friday Favorites @ Whistlestop Cafe

Foodie Friday @ Designs By Gollum

Fresh Cut Friday @ Rose Vignettes

Tickled Pink @ 504 Main

Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound

Fluttering in the Breeze

A host of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

William Wordsworth

Warm days have enticed me out into the garden.

There is much work to be done after Old Man Winters visit.

What joy it is to see a bit of color popping up here and there.

My garden may not be a masterpiece, but it does feed my soul.

How appropriate that today's page on my

Mary Engelbreit desk calendar features daffodils.

Click the links below to see what others

are sharing for these weekly memes.

Cherry Chick for M. E. Mondays

Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday

Little Red House for Mosaic Monday

A Woman of Notes for Slow Simple Pleasures

Cherry ~ Cherry Pie

~ Presidents' Day ~

Monday, February 21, 2011

Mondays are also the day to celebrate

the art of Mary Engelbreit over at The Cherry Chick.

With both in mind,

I've set the table with what else but ~

CHERRIES, of course!

Vintage linens, black and white checks, tartan plaid,

and Mary Engelbreit's own cherry inspired dishes.

Definitely a Mary Engelbreit sort of table!

A vintage cloth 
with sassy lacy details . . .

Holds its own below black ruffled

placemats and a bold tartan plaid charger.

Dinner Plate

Salad Plate

Soup or Cereal Bowl

All layered to give the classic 
Mary Engelbreit look.

Add a bit of vintage 
mother of pearl flatware . . .

And a spoon with 
ginkgo leaf detail . . .

A bit more touch of 
tartan plaid for good measure . . .

And a bit more black and white
in my favorite Courtly Check.

The special touch 
of a vintage toast rack . . .

Paired with the acorn leaf details of my

favorite butter knife finish off the setting.

As you munch on a bite of bread and butter before

lunch, lean in closely, I've a little secret to share.

All the dishes on this table were "thrifty" finds!

"Goodwill Hunting" @ 99¢ a piece.

Oh, is that bowl still empty?

How about a cherry pie . . .

To finish out the layers for this

Very Cherry Day!

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.