Signs of Spring: Look for the Beauty of Every Day Life

I have pots of perennial plants on my deck and today I peeked out my family room window to assess the damage from last night's snow on the spring growth. Look what I saw! The Bleeding Heart has developed one perfect pink heart. Normally this plant grows a stalk with little hearts dangling off of it, and that is usually when the stalks are taller and the leaves are fuller. I don't remember it getting ahead of itself like this, but it is so sweet. Spring is coming. #finddelight #bleedingheart #containergarden
 

Hot Chocolate & Great Books

It’s been so very cold here in Seattle that this favorite photo I took in England came to mind.

We were in Stoke on Trent at the Emma Bridgewater factory in 2010 and these darling mugs made for drinking hot chocolate filled the table. I had to take a photo.

I shouldn’t want hot chocolate now, but there have been snow flurries and a dampness lately that simply calls for a warm drink. Downright weird this late in spring. At least I tell myself it’s weird until I remember Rosamunde Pilcher and her book Snow In April. I loved reading all of her novels years ago and I have been thinking about finding them on my kindle and working my way through her body of work all over again. Her most famous book is called The Shell Seekers and I’m sure I’ve read it 3 times. Her books are set in England after the war with sweeping vistas of the sea near Cornwall. The stories are about families, traditions and life moving on in a place that never seems to change. There are lots of old roses, tumblers of whiskey and deep conversations by the seashore. I think you’d love everything about these books. And that sometimes life feels weird and then it snows…in April. 

#books #snowinapril #emmabridgewater #coldspring

Delightful Jell-O Salad

Do you hear music too? And I don't mean because of Instagram reels. I mean because this Jell-O is so darn beautiful. I served this at our teeny-tiny Easter for 3, but you could wow a whole group if you wanted to. Every piece comes out this well, just take your time and serve it to your guests by serving it for them with a brownie spatula pan-to-plate. Have a delightful meal.

Delightful Jell-O Salad 

Boiling water

6 (4-serving size) boxes of different flavors of classic Jell-O

1 large carton of sour cream

Choose a glass rectangular pan, about 13 x 9 or slightly smaller. Spray with plain non-stick cooking spray. Stir 1 1/4 cups of boiling water into 1 package of Jell-O. Stir until dissolved. Pour 3/4 of that mixture into the pan. Place in the refrigerator. Leave the balance of the warm Jell-O on the counter to cool to room temperature. When the Jell-O in the pan has set, it is time to make the creamy layer. Mix 3 Tablespoons of room temperature sour cream into the remaining liquid Jell-O on the counter. Whisk gently until the sour cream is incorporated and there are no lumps. Having both ingredients at room temperature helps this. Slowly pour the creamy mixture onto the set Jell-O in the pan. Use the bowl of the spoon to slow down the stream of liquid, so that the pouring liquid doesn't dent the layer below. Tip the pan to coat the entire first layer in creamy Jell-O, if necessary. Repeat until all of your layers are built.

To serve, slice into squares with a knife and lift out with a small spatula, or use a scalloped cutter as I did, the results are so satisfying. Serve from the pan; it can only be moved once - pan to plate.

*Tips:

Be sure to let each layer set before proceeding to the next. I make a few layers each day and it seems easier.

Buy flavors that are different colors so that each layer looks distinct. You can find Vegan flavored gelatin choices in stores and online, but I used classic Jell-O.

#jello #rainbowsalad #colorfulfood #springmenu #prettyfood

Cherry Blossom Bonanza in Fall City

I am someone who points out pink blossoms. Do you know someone like that? Who names the tree and points to its fantastic display of color as they drive along. This year, Dan and I heard that Fall City was in full bloom and when we arrived we pulled over. This was something that was short-lived and needed to be enjoyed up close.

Fall City is a small town on the backroad route near our house. 

While we were there we perused an antique shop called The Vintage Flea and stopped in the library to look over their selection. Then we drove to North Bend, WA for a latte at Hutdotter Coffee. It was a glorious spring day and I pointed out cherries, magnolia and forsythia every chance I got.

#springblossoms #bloomingtrees #fallcitywa  

 

First Day of Spring: Embrace the Power of Primulas

This is the best photo I have taken all week. What I love about this display is that this QFC grocery store is so confident that their customers will swarm them for primulas, that they've put out the maximum number of plants possible. It's almost a dare...how many can you buy at once? They are bright, healthy and exactly what you want. It's Spring and this is a Moment of Delight!

#springflowers #primulas #colorfulflowers #yellowbluepink #grocerystore #finddelight #indoorplant #outdoorplant #springtime 
 

Take Me Out To The Ball Game: Thetas at the Mariners

I went to my first Major League baseball game this week! I know, I'm not sure how I missed this all American pastime but I did. My only explanation is that I spent my summers at a cottage on a lake, far out of reach of Tiger stadium. Anyhoo, when my sorority alumnae group planned a night at the ballpark, I couldn't wait to sign up. Twelve or so Thetas met for dinner and then walked  across the street to the game. Play ball! 

The T-Mobile stadium is open air and felt so grand when I walked in, that my oohing and ahhing caught the attention of the attendant and he sent us over to get my "first time at a Seattle Mariners' game" certificate. How could I not?

The stadium has a retractable roof, so the majority of the game was in the fresh air. I took this photo from open area on the 3rd deck. Hello Seattle! When it started to rain around 9 pm, the roof slowly and silently slide closed. That is a modern marvel!

When I was planning on what I would wear to the game (Mariners' colors are blue with a bit of green & the weather would be in the high 50's), I regretted not having any Mariners garb. I was driving when I remembered that I had my Dad's baseball charm. It was in his desk drawer my whole life and as a girl, I was most likely to wear a charm, so my mom said I could have it. It says "Champions 1951" and he would have been 18 years old that year. Was he on his high school baseball team? I need to ask his brother if he can remember a significant baseball event in Mount Clemens, Michigan in 1951.

I strung it on a chain and wore it to my first real baseball game, 68 years after "the championship." Isn't that wonderful? I think my dad would have thought this was great.

#seattlemariners #seattleblogger #baseballfan #sentimental #kappaalphatheta #thetakites 

The Mountain is Out

What a spectacular sight! A friend took me tooling around Puyallup, WA today and Mount Rainier was covered in snow and as clear as a bell! I still long to go to that National Park and see the wildflowers in the summer.

I Love Daffodils and Easter is Coming

And since you know me, you realize that these declarations will change week by week as the weather warms up. I love flowers sums things up better, but it is not how I feel today.

My head and heart need bright yellow and the daffodil delivers. I took this photo at Pike Place market on April 6, 2014. The grocery stores have already started selling bunches of daffodils and I am working on a triumphant centerpiece for my kitchen island for Easter week. 

So far I have some tulips and narcissus, but I'm planning on 2 crates (from #Michaels!) with lots of bulbs blooming through the moss. I love this time of year! 

*Note: See March 16 post for final product!

#easter #floweringbulbs #finddelight #makingahome #easterflowers #decorating

Salmon Skewers: Posh Picnic Fare

My mind is swimming with recipes that I want to try, experiences I want to have, things that I want to photograph. As a day or week develops, I try to think of a good fit for the circumstances to make the most out of life.

For example, we were expecting a beautiful day in the low 70's last week and we had been eating indoors at home a lot lately. I wanted to get us out into the fresh air and I wanted to eat outside. Grilling at home is fun, but if we went to a local park and used their grill, we could enjoy a few hours of cooking and relaxing.

I keep a stash of disposable grill toppers in my picnic supplies. Have you seen these? It lets you use a grill in a public park while giving you a clean surface to grill your food on. 

At home, I cut fresh salmon into equal-size square pieces (so that they would cook at the same rate) and placed them on Press n Seal cling wrap. I put another piece on top and sealed around each piece of fish so that it wouldn't dry out. That way I could bring everything to the park on ice and assemble the skewers on site.

I threaded pieces of lemon, cherry tomatoes and salmon onto cedar skewers that I had soaked in water (so that the wood doesn't catch on fire). On other skewers I threaded fresh mushrooms, zucchini ribbons (cut carefully on a mandolin at home and doused in olive oil) and cherry tomatoes. These vegetable skewers cook faster so I placed them on the grill after the fish had started to cook. I covered the cooking area with non-stick Reynolds Wrap foil to keep the heat in and speed up the cooking. When the fish was cooked, I basted it with a mixture of Dijon mustard and apricot jam. The flavor of the glaze combined with the grilled lemons made the salmon even more delicious.

I brought cooked asparagus from home and placed it in a foil packet on the grill to reheat. I also brought a cold salad of drained canned beets (cut in quarters) mixed with 2 cans of drained mandarin oranges, a splash of olive oil and a tablespoon of Dijon mustard. I transported the cold beet salad double-bagged in gallon Ziploc freezer bags in the cooler on ice. It was a great addition to our meal.

Yes, I brought along a set of melamine dishes, wooden silverware and paper napkins to make the meal look pretty and give us a stable surface to eat from. I always bring along a kitchen trash bag to transport the dirty dishes back home and it works out just fine.

We had such a nice time in the local park listening to the birds chirp and the children squeal from the nearby playground. It was a great start to a summer of fun.

#picnics #seattle #salmononthegrill #momentsofdelight

Spring Market at the Skagit Valley Fairgrounds

The Spring Market at the Skagit Valley Fairgrounds was exactly what I was hoping it would be: a kooky mix of vintage finds, garden art and upcycled items to buy and blend into your own décor. I had collected a handful of promotional fliers for upcoming antique shows at the Vintage Garden Market section within the Northwest Flower & Garden Show. Show exhibitors were promoting their upcoming events and I noticed that all of "the good ones" were going to be selling their wares at this Spring Market.

I invited a new friend of mine named Amy to come along on a day of gallivanting around the Skagit Valley. I told her that I'd pick her up at 10, we'd drive 1 1/2 hours up to the fairgrounds and spend as long as we wanted shopping the fair. It was a beautiful day and we had high hopes. This market was fun because almost every booth had flower arrangements for sale or moss covered baskets or little live plants in interesting pots. It made the rusty-dusty items seem bright and happy.

Our adventure paid off almost immediately! I collect Chelsea china and I am always on the hunt for dinner plates and unusual serving pieces - score! I bought these 3 open pedestal cups and one large dinner plate from the first booth I looked in! I tried to explain to Amy what a unique find this was and she was tickled that I found something right off the bat.

I noticed that many booths had botanical prints and some of the drawings had been glittered. They weren't necessarily old, but they were beautiful and interesting. I haven't glittered anything in a while and it made me want to get back into it.

Amy and I were both drawn to a booth full of vintage watch parts called Steam Punk Junq. I knew immediately that I'd like to buy a few sets of watch faces and make a necklace by combining them with vintage buttons. You can see how my first necklace (above) is taking shape.

We went to this show on April 1st and Easter was right around the corner. Many of the booths had vintage Easter cards and decorations. Amy found a set of Easter cookie cutters in their original box in this booth. So sweet!

We had a wonderful time and even managed to drive around and see the fields of yellow daffodils in bloom. It was a great day. Meet you there next year?

*NOTE: 2018 This event name and date seems to have changed. I'll confirm and post new info here.

#springmarket #girlfriend #shoppingday #skagitvalley

Seattle: University of Washington: Clouds of Cherry Blossoms

I love flowering trees and have been hearing about the cherry blossoms in the University of Washington's quad being in bloom from several sources lately. The sun was out and I decided to swing by campus and try to find delight.

I walked around campus until I found this spectacular grove of trees. I thought that the trees looked like a crowd of debutantes in white dresses with crinolines.

Every bud on every tree lining the large walkway was in full bloom. The area was cram-jam with admirers and it was remarkably quiet for the number of people on campus. The crowds' mood was a mix of happiness and reverence. These trees are 80 years old and the idea that people would come out to enjoy this flowering walkway was initiated long ago.

Bright green grass, peeks of blue sky and clouds of cherry blossoms. That's a weather report we deserve after a long wet winter.

Planting Bulbs That Are Already In Flower

I know, you read that blog title and asked yourself what could she mean?

Perhaps the photo above will convince you. Some of the grocery stores and large markets with garden centers are selling a variety of bulbs in bloom. I planted them in my new front yard and it looks like I have been living here for ages. 

I have seen flowering bulbs in pots for years but these items are different. The bulbs are often exposed, with just enough dirt above them to keep them in the pot, and the green stalk is at least 6 inches with blooms forming. The pots are disposable, so its not as if they are meant to be a gift for the indoors. These bulbs (often 2 pots with several bulbs each, for $5) are not yet blooming and MUST be for the outside, right?

I'm not sure how you would use them if you didn't plant them, so...I planted them! They look happy and make the front of our house look welcoming. Easter is coming and my little grape hyacinths and bright red tulips are trumpeting the season. 

I planted 3 sets of grape hyacinths, 5 sets of tulips, 2 sets of narcissus and 3 sets of miniature daffodils. I love it! The next time you are at a grocery store or garden center, look for flowering bulbs that are ready to plant. You won't regret it!

#springinseattle #springbulbs #floweringbulbs #gardenlover #seattleblogger

Tulips in the Valley: A Day Trip for Everyone

I want you to think of a day trip to see the tulips in the Skagit Valley as a perk. If you are within driving distance, you should see it.

It is a wonder of the world - one that happens once a year and gets everyone talking. How could you be within driving distance and not go? It's worth it for the Christmas card photo opportunities alone! In a nutshell, the day consists of driving on paved roads admiring the fields (see the yellow and red rows above) and stopping to take photographs - selfie sticks encouraged.

When you are ready to see the tulips up close and in arranged gardens, head to RoozenGaarde or Tulip Town. Before you leave home, be sure to visit the Skagit Tulip Festival website and print the bloom map so that you know which turns to take through the farmland.

After driving around the area, we parked at RoozenGaarde and had a picnic in our car before heading into the formal gardens. The area does have a snack bar, visitor tent with picnic tables (for shade, cover or warmth, depending on the weather) and porta-pottys. Their gift shop is wonderful and I know that you'll want a memento. Of course, they also have a tulip tent where the bulbs you have admired are available for order.

Could we have had a prettier day? Dan had a vacation day on Good Friday and there was sun in the forecast. Everybody get in the car! My mom has spent the winter out in Washington and she has been talking about seeing the tulip fields in bloom for months. I was so very happy that we had a beautiful day to show off our new part of the country. See my post featuring the daffodils here.

RooseGaarde has formal areas planted around their property (most labelled with the variety) and you can bring camping chairs or a picnic blanket to sit on the open lawn and just soak up the beauty of Spring.

There are beautiful plantings everywhere you look and as you can see, the bulbs are in full swing right now. This is a parrot tulip (below). I love the curled edges and touches of green on the apricot petals.

Grab some friends and insist on a road trip to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Washington. It will give you the Visual Vitamins TM that you need after a long rainy Winter. 

Forcing Branches: Improving February by Leaps and Bounds

Be still my heart! I was pushing my cart through the local QFC grocery store when I gasped and stopped. Then I said, "No way; no way, no way." This piqued Dan's interest. What on earth prompted this happy exclamation?

There were live flowering branches for sale! Grocery stores in Michigan don't sell live flowering branches ever, let alone in February. Okay, fine, if I went to a high-end organic store the likelihood of finding a treasure like this might go up, but I rarely do shop that way so I'm back to my original statement: never.

Yet here I was in a QFC (which is part of the Kroger Family of Grocery Stores) and I could buy and force my own forsythia or apple blossom branches! Did I mention that a large bundle was $5. I could hardly contain myself. I took this cart photo and texted my mom immediately. Look what I can have in this new wonderful part of the country!

I brought them home and had a large abstract swath of pink blossoms blooming on my kitchen ledge (lovely!) and tucked a few in my Valentine rose bouquet in the family room. All those years ago Martha talked about forcing branches and I was finally able to do it. Happy days are here again.

Am I going to make a scene about flowers and plants and life in the Pacific Northwest with its longer growing season until November? You bet.

Marsh Marigolds in the Leelanau Peninsula

If anything makes me live in the moment, it's Mother Nature.  When something starts to bloom, I have to act quickly or I'll miss my chance to delight you.  On this particular day, I was up north for Memorial Weekend with my husband.  We were on an afternoon drive, heading towards Northport, when it suddenly occurred to me that the marsh marigolds might be blooming.  I am only up north a handful of days in May and early June and I often miss this bright yellow beauties.  Looking for marsh marigolds is normally an expedition I take with my mom but since she wasn't up north that weekend, I had forgotten about them.  I said to Dan, "Good grief! What if they're blooming!"

My mom normally drives us to "the spot" that we've been photographing for years.  Dan had our Garmin (navigation system) turned on, so I told him to look for a river running close to the road.  Voila!  He saw water denoted on the map, pulled over and there they were.  Marsh marigold mania.  I told Dan that all I needed was a moose to walk out of the woods and I've have my shot.  Ha! No moose, but I think it is lovely just the same.

Thankfully it was a bright sunny day. It is gorgeous this time of year, get your camera and go outside.

Rhubarb Crisp with Orange Juice and Zest

It isn't Spring without rhubarb crisp.  I love the tart and tangy flavor tamed by a scoop of vanilla Edy's Slow Churned Yogurt Blend.  For years I have tweaked this Martha Stewart rhubarb crisp recipe.

These are the things I do differently:

• Bake in a buttered 13 x 9, not ramekins
• Use 1/4 cup of Splenda Brown Sugar, instead of 1/2 cup of regular brown sugar.  The Splenda version has a sweetness that compliments the rhubarb perfectly.  This is the only recipe I make with a Splenda product. 
• I use a touch of vanilla extract and skip the vanilla bean

   

Serve a generous portion in a bowl with a scoop of Edy's vanilla yogurt blend.  

Yum yum yum yum yum.

Blossom in A Pear Tree

So sweet!  I know that my blog can't consist solely of birds and blossoms, but since my philosophy is to find delight in the beauty of everyday moments, I must share these Springtime beauties with you.  A pear tree is only in bloom for a week or so (luckily I was at the cottage to capture it!) and I particularly like this photo with the blurred blossoms in the distance. I know that you can get this effect with certain lenses (or is it afterwards with Photoshop?) but I assure you that this was completely by accident.  It makes me love it all the more.

In honor of May

Why have I got the house looking so pretty?  It's in honor of the month of May, of course.  

The flowering trees are blooming in the neighborhood, my rose bushes have started to leaf out (the beauties on the kitchen table are from the grocery store) and these bright colors make the whole house look happy and welcoming.

The fabric (Patchwork by Vivian Gomez) I used on the table makes it look like I spent hours quilting complimentary pieces of fabric together, but is actually one printed piece! I bought a few yards and serged the edges to make an easy tablecloth.  The periwinkle blue polka dot place mats are plastic and help me to prolong the time that the tablecloth is clean and fresh.

If your kitchen table is a little dull after a long Winter, pull out some bright linens and see what a difference it can make.

White Chocolate Flowers

I am going to make these white chocolate flowers again and again.  They are beautiful, exciting (for me, anyway, I gave a "whoop" when they released perfectly from the mold) and add something special to Spring desserts.

You will need four items to make the beautiful flowers shown here.  Once you have purchased a mixed flowers chocolate mold (online or at a cake decorating supply store), you can head to the cake decorating section of a craft store like Michael's to find the rest.  You'll need white candy melts (or white chocolate chips), edible pearl dust in pastel shades and some food safe paint brushes. 

Assembling the items was the hard part! Now you simply follow the instructions of the candy discs to melt them in the microwave - I put a cup of them in a Ziploc bag and microwave at intervals of 10 seconds, kneading the bag in between.  Once the candy is smooth and pourable, snip a small corner of the bag off and pipe into the molds.  I use a flat plastic scraper to wipe off the excess chocolate and leave a smooth flat back to the candies.  Then holding the mold just above the counter top, gently tap-tap-tap the filled mold on the counter over and over again and watch the bubbles rise and break on the surface of the chocolate.  This removes the bubbles and helps the chocolate to flow into the intricate detail of the mold.  Keeping it flat, place mold in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to set the candy.  Then remove, place a cookie sheet  over the mold and flip it over so that the candy falls onto the cookie sheet.  If any of the pieces don't fall out, twist the mold slightly and they should release.

Dip a paint brush into the edible pearl dust and gently brush it over the white chocolate to add a lovely light color.  My favorite above is the lily of the valley - I painted green pearl dust on the leaves and left the white blossoms as pure white chocolate.

This is a whole new type of "edible" flower!  Enjoy!

*The inside of this cake is beautiful too!  Click to read about it here.