My dear friend Loretta was popping over for afternoon tea. So, yesterday morning I was throwing tossing together a few ingredients for that favorite little fast French cake, Gateau de Mamy. Two apples, two fresh eggs, the best butter, flour, sugar baking powder....and the always special two tablespoons of ground almonds. European baking uses lots of ground almonds, that's why their pastries are so yummy and, no kidding, perhaps the nuts make them healthier!
While the baking was going on, warming up
the kitchen and smelling homey and delicious, I was looking
about the room.
Do you do that? Let your eyes do a panoramic roll around and think about things such as, 'I wish I could afford new cabinets', or, 'just a couple of lower cabinet pull-out shelves would be great so I don't have to get down on my knobbly knees to find the casseroles and less used items lurking in the depths'.
How about, 'heck, I really need to get up on a chair and dust off those Ball jars sitting on the hutch'.
So I did.......it was an affordable option after all!!
While up there I happened to spy these out in the back garden.......more daffodils blowing in the cold breeze. I dashed and cut them, added the last of the almost 3-week old Trader Joe's white mums - still looking pretty good - and voila, a new vase jar of country-looking flowers to enjoy.
I can survive without new cabinets, current ones are working just fine and 'fit' with the cottagey look of this small house...............but those pull out shelves are a definite 'maybe' in the coming months.
Do you plan to buy colorful flowers to cheer up your home for the weekend........or are you lucky enough to have a few early blooms in your garden?
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What a great way to spruce up! I wish I had daffodils to pick (it'll be awhile). Your green jars are lovely with the flowers. This was a calming and cheery post. I wish I was coming over for tea!
ReplyDeleteKerrygold butter! I use that for baking too - your friend is very lucky :o)
ReplyDeleteLove the Ball jars Mary, and the daffs look so lovely in them. I'm yet to treat myself to a few bunches, I do so love them. I cannot however bring myself to cut them from the garden - I enjoy them even longer in the borders.
Mmm - pull out cabinets, only yesterday I was wishing my larder cupboard had them, why is is whatever I need is at the back!
Have a great weekend
Rose H
x
I love the thought of that wonderful cake...and I enjoyed seeing your solution to the problem of the canning jars. The bouquet is just wonderful! Very very pretty! And, you don't mention them, but I love the platters behind those jars!
ReplyDeletea pretty and easy way to spruce up a room. No flowers blooming around here right now. I'm eagerly waiting for spring to come though.
ReplyDeleteFortunately, I have some flowers blooming right now. Actually, I just cut some and brought them in. I dream of redoing my kitchen just like you do. And then I dust or straighten instead. It is much more affordable! Carla
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a cake and your flowers , it warms me up
ReplyDeletedaffodils and ball jars make a such a pretty picture. Spring is on the way.
ReplyDeleteI want to be a guest at your home and have that lovely apple dish!
ReplyDeleteYour jars and daffodils are pretty Mary.
I bought some potted primroses this past week and they will do me until they need to be replaced. But I love fresh flowers....
Hugs,
Penny
Some yellow crocus sit in my front yard, but afraid to show their pretty faces, they say it is too cold. Your flowers are just gorgeous! I do the same thing when company is coming. Oh how I wish I had a couple pull out shelves. I keep complaining to my husband, but he isn't listening. So I just throw things in and shut the door quickly.
ReplyDeleteNo daffodils blooming for me yet, but I've brought in some lovely tulips from the grocery. ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou are such a wonderful inspiration for me..
ReplyDeleteThank you ...
I plan on just doing that Mary! I have about 15-18 knitting ladies coming over on Sunday and fresh flowers are in order!! My oldest daughter is making a special cake. I'll have to tell her about the almond flour-makes sense to me that their cakes taste better using that lovely flour! Have a wonderful weekend!
ReplyDeleteI love your country bouquet. It's so bright and sunny looking and I can't imagine finding daffodils under the snow here for a while. I still have the alsteromeria bouquet that I bought at the grocers over 2 weeks ago. I need some live colour right now. More snow on the way tomorrow for us. Have a lovely weekend. Pamela
ReplyDeleteMmm, the cake sounds delicious. I look around my house at times in the same way you do yours. It was an inspired thought to put the daffodils in the blue mason jar. So fresh! No outside flowers here yet (other than snowdrops.)
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of spring flowers blooming right now, and brought in about a dozen of them. Even if I can't really do anything they definitely spruce the place up! I even have some on my bedroom dresser to look at when I open my eyes in the morning. A lovely bit of sunshine! The cake sounds so yummy, I'll have to look that one up, and yes, there is always something to do around here. Right now Lori is getting a new master bath area in her place up the hill. As I told hubby there is always something to be fixed around here!
ReplyDeleteTake Care,
Ulrike
Nice post. I love the thought of that wonderful cake...and I enjoyed seeing your solution to the problem of the canning jars.
ReplyDelete