Living with Lavender

There's an insidious resident in our house which seems to dwell in our drawers and linen closets.  It's not an unwelcomed guest.  In fact, it was invited into our home with open heart, or at least, open nostrils.

Lavender is that scent that makes me feel good, and  allows me to breathe freely.  It's not the only scent that I love, mind you, but this one reminds me of my paternal grandmother's armoire, from which lavender scent wafted, and where she kept a tin of cookies for her grandchildren hidden away so she could dole out the treats in secret.

It was during Spring cleaning this year, when I noticed for the first time the degree to which our house guest had made itself at home.  Well, it might be easier to show you . . .

Lavender is known for its ability to induce sleep and improve its quality.  I thought this would be a nice addition to the Guest Room for our guests who find themselves away from the comforts of their usual surroundings.  The cover is made of a really soft velour and it feels wonderful on the skin.

Have you tried ECOS laundry detergent yet?  It's earth-friendly and cleans beautifully.  There are other fragrances available, and even one without any fragrance at all, but naturally, I was drawn to the lavender scent.

There's lavender-scented soap and lotion in the Powder Room, although this changes throughout the year.  However, it seemed like a perfect scent for Spring - and Williams-Sonoma was having a sale.

Our drawers are full of sachets!  The ones above are a collection of the heart-shaped pink and red ones that I've accumulated over the years.  I wrote about them here.  But there are more . . .

Well, see for yourself . . . I've purchased the sachets here and there, as much for the looks as the scent.  These sweet sachets are proof that little luxuries don't have to cost a fortune.

Just keep an eye out and you'll spot them where you least expect them.  The poupettes (little chicks) are adorable, aren't they?  They make me smile.

Lavender candles have also found a way into the linen closet.  The Dyptique candle is exquisite.  I'm saving it for a special occasion.  The other one is HomeGoods swag.  It smells wonderful.  It's nice having a little candle inventory.

How does the saying go, “In for a penny, in for a pound?”  Why not try lavender tea?  I fixed myself a pretty tea tray using the Nantucket teapot and teacup.  The basketweave pattern puts me in mind of a country setting with buzzing bees and lavender growing wild.

Bees love lavender in bloom, and they make a delicious honey by pollinating the lavender flowers.  It seemed right to bring them out to hover over the lavender-embroidered napkins.

The napkins were an Etsy find and I adore them!  They're begging for a tea party . . .

So I baked a new tea bread:  Downton Abbey Lavender Tea Bread.  Yes, I'm still pining for Downton . . .

It wasn't bad, but I've decided I prefer my lavender as a scent throughout the house, rather than in my food.  I couldn't separate the taste from the scent in my linen closet.  Here is the recipe, if you'd like to try it.  It was . . . unusual.

There are many other scents that I love, like the smell of fresh oranges . . . cinnamon in the kitchen . . . . a fragrant Christmas tree.  We'll talk more about those another day.

What about you?  What scents run through your house?  Do you like lavender?  Do you do Spring cleaning?  Are you pining for Downton Abbey?  Tell me anything at all.  I'd love to hear from you!

The Raven: A Non-Fiction Story

Once upon a time, there was a lady that owned a Toyota RAV4, which she named the Raven, that was getting a little long in the tooth - the car, of course, the lady was in her prime.  So, right after Christmas, she took it to the dealer for some thorough maintenance, and spent a bit of money bringing it up to scratch.  The Raven got new tires, new breaks, and a new water pump.  Fluids were replaced, rather like a shot of cortisone on a pair of aging knees.  The car was purring by the time it left the garage.  The lady was very happy.

Then, in early January, the Raven was rear-ended by a young couple, who sober and insured, make it very difficult for the lady to work up a real mad at the accident.  She was frustrated and inconvenienced, but since the couple's insurance paid for the damage, and the car was repaired quickly, the lady was happy once more.

Alas! This saga quickly turned out to be as long as Odysseus' return to Penelope.  That odious little light on the dashboard went on again a few days later!  Oh, that light!  The lady cannot abide that light!  And the timing!  What, with the event that this lady was in the middle of organizing for work, which was already causing so much added stress!  So, off to the dealer she went again and threw herself (and her wallet) at the mechanic's feet, who took mercy on her and only charged her half an arm (she got to keep both legs).

And the lady was happy . . . for exactly 20 minutes.  That's when she discovered that the button for the rear hatch wasn't working.  The button would unlock the hatch, but wouldn't raise it.

Now here was a conundrum:  To whom should she take the car?  Should she take it to the center that repaired the car after the collision, or should she take it to the dealer that she'd left not twenty minutes earlier?  Why, oh, why was she having to deal with these loathsome car problems, she asked no one in particular?  She took good care of her car!  She also didn't have time for this, especially IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER! (This lady does not function well in the middle of winter).

And this is when her very own epic hero, her husband, Lee, whose mother held him by the toes at birth and dipped him in Lake Michigan, giving him everlasting technical abilities, but causing his feet to grow very long, came to the rescue.  Without any prompting whatsoever, when he saw his lady in distress, did what any modern hero would do:  He consulted the Google Oracle.  It turns out that the car has a button, heretofore unbeknownst to anyone who has not read the Owner's Manual, hidden in the glove compartment that had somehow been pressed, deactivating the hatch feature.  That is one piece of literature that the lady had failed to read.

Fearlessly, disregarding all personal safety, our hero pressed the button wit his own bare finger.  He then sauntered back in from the garage with a John Wayne swagger, wearing his most endearing smile.  The lady had no choice but to succumb to his charms.  She gave him a kiss, and looked at him with eyes that promised Galician White Bean Soup, made from scratch.

As for the Raven, at 87,000 he continues to plod along, rather like Rocinante, Don Quixote's faithful steed.

St. Patrick's Day 2018

One of my favorite St. Patrick's Day dinners, which took place in 2016, and I never posted the table!

I love this flower combination for St. Patrick's Day:  Bells of Ireland, Daisies, Carnations, and Chrysanthemums.

 

I found these cabbage rose napkin rings and the brown gingham napkins at Pier 1.  Those napkin rings make me think of vegetable gardens, like Mr. McGregor's, of Peter Rabbit fame, which then, lead me to ponder that they might work beautifully in a Spring or Easter table!  I can already tell I will be enjoying these rings for many years to come, in a variety of settings.

All set for a corned beef and cabbage dinner - a traditional American way to celebrate St. Patrick's!  What do you cook for St. Patrick's Day?

"If you lived on cabbage, you would not be obliged to flatter the powerful."  To which the courtier replied, "If you flattered the powerful, you would not be obliged to live upon cabbage."  

—Diogenes, ancient Greek philosopher's advise to a young courtier

(But I do like cabbage!)

The perfect excuse to indulge in some Kerrygold Irish butter.  Everyone gets their own butter dish, to go with the Irish Soda Bread!  I'm so glad that sanity has returned and butter is once again back on our tables!

And here is the happy bunch, a gathering of English, German, Italian, Mexican and Cuban ancestry, to celebrate St. Pat's!  Erin go Bragh!

Dessert and Coffee with an Old Friend

Dessert and coffee with dear, old friends.  Anna and I have known each other since high school.  I danced at her 15th birthday cotillion, and was a bridesmaid at her wedding.  She was my matron of honor.

There's nothing like an old friend.  We can talk for hours, and the only thing that can stop us is the presence of our husbands, who may not care to hear about crinoline underskirts (which we wore for her cotillion) or the latest kitchen gadget.  Life can be so sweet.

*   *   *   *   *

Placemats and table runner:  Hemstitch Squares Cutwork Linen from Horchow

Dishes:  Lenox Federal Platinum

Goblets:  Chartres by Atlantis

Flatware:  Jefferson, by Reed and Barton

Cake Stand:  Vintage, given to me by my Aunt Olga

Christmas with the Angels

Here are my two Golden Angels, a Christmas present from my husband many, many years ago . . .

One holds a lyre . . . 

The second one holds a violin . . . 

Gold seems to be making a comeback after years left out in the wilderness, and it paired perfectly with the Spode Delamere Brown, which I had wanted to use for a Christmas table, instead of always relegating it to Fall tables (next, I'm going to try it on a Spring table).

A few things to notice about our table this year.  It is in fact, a new table.  After a lifetime of using inherited dining room sets, first, my parent's, later my mother-in-law's, I was ready to finally bring my own style to our dining room.  I will always treasure the memories we made on those tables, but it was time for a change.  When I saw that a local Amish furniture gallery was having a sale, I rushed over there and tortured that poor sales lady for days, until I got the design that I wanted.  

I'll write more about my table in the coming days, but I'll just say that the table had just been delivered a mere week earlier, and I had barely had time to play with it, so this was a very exciting day for me!

Even with the splash of Christmas red, the Delamere Brown always brings nature to mind.  These Leaf Christmas tree ornaments were a serendipitous find at Crate and Barrel.  Not only did it bring a touch of nature to the table, but they were gold besides - and everyone got to take one home!

Here is the Oak Leaf . . .  Do you notice the tiny acorn attached?

The Maple Leaf . . .

And the Birch Leaf.  I also brought out the Delamere Woodland flatware, stamped with forest creatures, like quail, ducks and deer . . . Here's a closeup of the forks.  I didn't take many pictures of the flatware this time because I've featured it in a few other posts.  Check out this post in which I used the flatware for the first time.

I walked by the floral department of my local grocery store and spotted these arrangements, which were made perfect after I added a few white roses.  White roses class up any act!

As for the napkins . . . Not only is it “C” for Christmas, but it's also the initial of our last name.  Aren't they beautiful?  I ordered them from Etsy.

The amber goblets are Mikasa French Countryside.  They have now discontinued this color.  I wish I had gotten more of them.

A tired little angel . . .  Sofia, my nephew's daughter . . .

Here is part of the Cheney-Grimón tribe . . .  My son, David was stationed at the time in South Korea, and couldn't be with us.

And one more picture of my family:  My son, John, nephew Kevin, brother Al, and nephew Colin.

And a cardinal in the Christmas tree!

A Patriotic Picnic: Cantigny Park

We recently discovered Cantigny Park, practically in our own backyard!  Where, oh where, have we been all these years!  It's located in Wheaton, Illinois and approximately 20 minutes from our house. 

Cantigny Park was the former home of Robert McCormick, who owned and ran the Chicago Tribune and made it into a formidable publication in the early part of the 20th century.  His biography is rather interesting and worthy of a read.  Upon his death in 1955 he bequeathed his estate to the McCormick Charitable Trust, now the McCormick Foundation, and at his request, the estate was opened to the public.

What a legacy!  The grounds are breathtakingly beautiful.

Filled with flowers, plants and trees of all sorts, the paths invite the visitor to walk and wander through its many gardens . . .

. . . and stop to admire the pools and statues that dot the landscape.

The marvelous Rose Garden contains more than 1,000 rose bushes, representing many, many varieties and classifications.  I could spend hours in this garden alone.  Now that we know this place is here, I must come back next year when the roses are at their peak.

This is the Chicago Peace Rose, described as a "glowing pink rose with a butter yellow heart."  This variety was hybridized in these very gardens.

Robert McCormick's second wife was very fond of oriental art, and brought back many curiosities from their many trips to Asia, especially China.  A pair of Foo Dog statues (also known as Imperial Guardian Lions) flank the front of the house.

   

The 500-acre property was originally called Red Oaks, but McCormick renamed it Cantigny, after the battle in France in which he saw action with the Army's 1st Battalion.

He also endowed the First Division Museum on the same premises, but it's currently closed for remodeling.  It contains all kinds of tanks from WWI, and from other wars that followed it.  It's now become a military museum.

Once the museum reopens, we'll have to go back.  Alas!  What sacrifice!

After wandering around all morning, and visiting his former home (no pictures allowed, unfortunately), it was time for lunch in one of their picnic groves.

And because military history enveloped us everywhere, it seemed logical to bring out the red, white and blue.

I prepared an easy and delicious picnic that could stay in the car for a few hours while we wandered around the park:  Sandwiches made with Egg and Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade on French Baguette. To drink we had lemonade.  We had also tucked a bottle of Sancerre in the picnic basket but it was so hot that we craved the lemonade above all else and never got around to opening the wine.

The sandwiches were messy and drippy, but utterly delicious.  The recipe was simplicity itself:  I sliced hard-boiled eggs, and added some Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade from a jar (that you should always keep in your pantry for emergencies, sometimes it's called Roasted Red Pepper Bruschetta).  A dash of salt and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes enhanced the flavor, but were not really needed, so feel free to skip these, if you'd rather.

The sandwich was hard to photograph because it wanted to fall apart; I need to work on my sandwich building skills.  My husband, reluctantly held out what was left of his so I could snap a photo.  I should've made a couple more!

Then, for dessert, we had freshly cubed peaches marinated in Grand Marnier, and served with Madeleines to help soak up the boozy juice.  Light and so perfectly suited for the season!  The peaches have been marvelous this year here in the Midwest!

I love museum gift shops.  They always carry such intriguing merchandise!  And books, of course, wonderful books.  I found this small collection of poems from World War I, the most famous of which is "In Flanders' Fields."  It is very poignant and reminds us of how truly tragic war can be.  

I wish I had been able to find red poppies instead of red carnations, to honor our fallen soldiers.  After WW I, poppies have been adopted as a symbol of remembrance.  But my local florists didn't have any.  It would have required a special order.  Why don't I ever see poppies at the florist or grocery store?  Note to self:  Plant some poppies in the garden this fall. 

This afternoon, I was once again reminded to be grateful for our country, with all its flaws.  And to live in the moment, and have many, many picnics!

This adorable dragonfly that I also found at the gift shop says it best:  Enjoy today!