The Merry Widow in Shanghai

The former residence of Maurice Frederic Armand in Shanghai. He died suspiciously, something about the opium trade. His wife inherited a great fortune and was called "The merry widow". via

A Peek into My Kitchen

The house was dark last night when I remembered Tabitha was still outside. When I clicked on the kitchen light I decided to take a photo. I love the way it turned out. Good night. See you in the morning. xo

Antique Metal Leaves from Germany

I saw these on John Derian's Instagram. What a wonderful find. Don't they look real? Not sure what I would do with them but I would love to own them! Available in his shop.

Front Yard Mowed Today

My walk behind power mower started on the second pull after being in the garage all winter. I was so happy. I trimmed along the brick wall after I took this photo so I am officially finished front and back. Today was a beautiful cool sunny day, perfect for working outside and drying laundry there too. I am looking forward to tucking in early to watch some recorded TV shows. xo

Cottage Rose Garden

Planted with Eden Roses. Aren't they pretty? They are supposed to be easy to grow too! This variety was voted the world's best rose in 2006. How does your garden grow? via

My Front Yard is Overgrown

And Miss Tabitha is the Queen of the Jungle. She loves it just the way it is but I think I'll try to tackle it in the next couple of days. It has been very cool and perfect for doing hard work outside. Hope you had a nice weekend. I'm off to watch Call The Midwife. Love that show. xo

Watch the seasons change

OK. I am really into spring going into summer now that I have finally finished the entire back of my property including cleaning up all the debris from fall and winter. It looks fabulous too. Winter is now just a faint memory! I can't believe next weekend will commemorate Memorial Day. Where did May go? via

I got up way too early this morning when the sun was shining on the tree tops. This is the view from my bathroom window. Enjoy what's left of the weekend. xo

Pink Dogwood Blossoms

I took this photo on Thursday while on a real estate appointment in a customer's front yard. Don't you adore pink dogwood trees. It's cool and sunny after a day of rain yesterday. I have SO much to do outside. Have a great weekend. xo

First Mowing at My Cottage

I mowed yesterday and the day before to beat the storms today. I still have to deal with the bare spots where three trees came down. The stumps have been ground down, thankfully. The bare spot closest to the house is where there was an underground hornets nest. I think I'll get some pieces of sod instead of planting grass seed. We'll see.

Just in the nick of time too! It rained all day. Have a great weekend.

Girl Feeding Chickens

Another image to celebrate Children's Book Week. via

Globes and Libraries = Perfect Together

I am a terrible map reader and am so thankful for the GPS turn by turn voice directions on my phone. For some reason I've always loved globes and old maps. They look so nice in a library. via

Dame Trot and Her Cat by Anonymous

Dame Trot and Her Cat: Read the entire ebook and all the delightful rhymes digitized by Project Gutenberg HERE.

Wonderful Small Kitchen

Don't you love it? I think it's in Sweden. View the other rooms here.

Yet Another Green Barn/Garage with Loft

Very easy on the eyes from the dining balcony.

Fabulous loft above.

Views of the sheep farm in the distance.

Storybook Cottage

I love the stonework around the windows and at the corners.

Realtor Open House with Chickens

I went to a great realtor open house today and they had a chicken coop. I took a short video that I put on Instagram. You can watch it here. The humans' house was fabulous too. xo

Best Laundry Room (Closet)

Isn't this great? I love the old office door on the barn door track so much in this setting. There are so many clever people out there, aren't there? via

My Wisteria

My wisteria is blooming and it smells heavenly.

I trimmed it back rather severely in the fall as I always do and that never seems to bother the next year's flowers. The daffodils are finally finished and I miss them.

Happy Mother's Day

Nobody loves you like your Mother!

Miss you.

xo

Great Vegetable Protein Chart

Good to know. I think I'll start adding green peas to my homemade hummus to increase the protein content. via Enjoy your Saturday night and the rest of the weekend. xo

Scallion Pancakes from Trader Joe's

These are really and truly the best things I have ever tasted. There are 4 in a package for $3.99(?). The scallion pancakes are flash frozen so they don't stick together. I cook them one at a time in a small iron skillet with a very small amount of Avocado Oil in the bottom of the pan. I buy the organic oil at Costco because it is safe at high heat temperatures up to 500°. I don't make a dipping sauce, but I spread a little Bragg's Liquid Aminos on top. It is a natural soy sauce alternative with no wheat. I use it as an all purpose seasoning on almost everything and it really pumps up the flavor. It has 16 amino acids too. I wish I had the spray bottle, beause that would be perfect. Okay now, getting back to the pancakes. I keep flipping them until they are nice and crispy and when they are ready I fold two of those select-a-size paper towels in half and sandwich my pancake inside and put something heavy on top to squeeze out the excess oil.

I recently went to an Asian Fusion Restaurant in town with a friend and we ordered a variety of delicious items to share. When she invited me, she mentioned scallion pancakes and I was anxious to try them. WELL, was I ever disappointed. At $5.00 each, they didn't even come close to Trader Joe's. They aren't paying me to advertise them either. 

I found a recipe for making them at home on Pinterest that I want to try very soon. I will use the vegetables listed on the Trader Joe's wrapper instead of the ones listed in this recipe.

Have a great weekend. I hope I didn't bore you this morning. xo

Apple Slices

Don't you love the perfect stars inside an apple? I don't often slice them this way but today I did.

My pan was still hot after I cooked a scallion pancake from Trader Joe's, so I threw in some apple slices for a quick, hot, top-of-the-stove "baked" apple. It was sooooo good! Have a good evening and a great weekend. xo

New Discovery at My Cottage

I am so happy to get reacquainted with this large wooden charger.

It's perfect in the center of my large farm table in my kitchen. It has been on top of the downstairs refrigerator since 2004 when I moved in. I cleaned out that fridge a couple of weeks ago and washed it down inside and out. Now the charger has a place of honor again instead of being stashed in an unseen place. I've been doing all sorts of rearranging lately and it's nice to see my things with new eyes. I had one of these ripe bananas in a smoothie this morning with soy milk, chia seeds, a blob of peanut butter, and a few ice cubes. It was delicious. my iphone photo

The Woods are Green Again

The amazing skunk cabbage is getting huge and is on its way to covering the entire floor of the wetlands in my woods. I love it. It's almost time for me to jump in bed to watch TV. Have a great evening. xo