Pizza! Pizza!

The perfect Friday night dinner if you’re not heading out for nachos and margaritas is homemade pizza.

Now don’t get your Ina antennae up – this isn’t fancy schmancy pizza. It is grocery store ingredients and quick and easy pizza. And darn it, it’s good!

Antennae is plural, right?

Homemade Pizza

Shopping List

Pillsbury pizza crust (in a can like biscuits)

1 jar chunky Ragu spaghetti sauce

1/2 roll sausage – Jimmy Dean, hot

pepperoni slices from the sausage department – Hormel is just fine

1/2 green bell pepper

1/2 sweet yellow onion

1 small can sliced mushrooms

1 small can sliced black olives

8 oz. pkg shredded Mozzarella cheese

That’s it! If you are making just one, that’s all you need. If you plan to make two, you still have all you need except for the dough. You’ll need another can of that. Use the whole onion and green pepper, all of the sausage, pepperonis, and cheese. You will have plenty of mushrooms and sliced olives, too.

Now, don’t be turning your nose up at the Ragu and canned veggies. Or the roll of crust. We’ve made pizza for years with all brands of fixins, and this makes the best.

Now Just Follow the Directions

Step 1 – Preheat your oven and prepare the pan. The can of dough tells you what to do.

Things to note: I use a cookie sheet for my pizza, small for one, large for two. I line it with foil and spray the foil with Pam.

Step 2 – Brown half of the roll of breakfast sausage slowly over medium to low heat. Break it up so that the sausage cooks in small chunks. Let it cook while you do steps 3 and 4. Note: for a double pizza, use the entire roll of sausage. When it is finally all cooked through – no pink sausage middles! – move your meat onto a paper towel to drain off the grease.

Step 3 – Open the dough and press it into the small cookie sheet. If you are making a double, just press both rolls side by side. Put the pan in your hot oven and bake the crust for 8 minutes.

Remove from oven.

Step 4 – Chop the onion and green pepper. Remember that if you are making just one pizza, use just half the onion and green pepper. For a double, use it all. And don’t make the pieces too large. I like my onions and peppers small.

Step 5 – Now the fun starts! Use your artistic talents for the rest of the construction of your pizza. Open that jar of Ragu and spread a generous amount over the baked crust. Smooth it all the way to the edge, leaving just room for your fingers to be able to hold the crust without getting saucy.

Step 6 – Open the pouch of pepperonis and layer those on the sauce layer as close together as you like. Press them gently into the sauce. Sprinkle the cooked sausage over the pepperoni layer. Then add your diced onions and green pepper.

Step 6 – Open the cans of sliced black olives and sliced mushrooms. Drain them. Now add a layer of each of those. Note: If the hubs comes back from the store with diced olives instead of sliced, that will work, too. Just sprinkle the little clumps all over the meat layer. Sliced are cuter, but the taste won’t change.

Step 7 – Sprinkle on the shredded Mozzarella. You want enough, but not a solid sheet of cheese. Appearance matters here, too!

Step 8 – Bake the pizza for another 10 minutes. You want your crust to brown so it is not soggy on the bottom. Remove from the oven and let the pizza stand for about five minutes so it can be cut into nice large squares. At this point, I lift the pizza by holding the edges of the foil up from the pan and then slide the whole pizza off the foil and back onto the pan. It is much easier to cut that way.

One small pizza is enough for two people to have two meals. We only make the large if the kids are coming for dinner. And when we do that, one half is supreme and the other half is just pepperoni and cheese. Our little boys don’t want the veggies on their pepperoni. And they will finish their entire half. We always have supreme leftovers. And boy is it good the next day!

Now one last word about using the pre-packaged ingredients from the grocery store. Yes, you can make your own sauce and slice fresh mushrooms. You can also make your own crust. And I’m sure it would be yummy. But homemade pizza is such a step up from delivery – it is a real treat. Just the way it is – no fancy-from-scratch ingredients necessary. Try it before you go to all that extra trouble. A glass of wine, a little salad and Home Made Pizza – guaranteed to make your Friday night fun!

Unless the littles are coming, then it is Root Beer Floats instead of the vino. You remember A & W Root Beer Floats, right?!?

Enjoy!👩‍🍳

Living Life Simply: A Sweet Treat

I am sharing a special recipe today for those who love to bake. Or eat. Or eat sweets. It’s a good one.

These bars are as pretty as they are delicious. And they appear to the company to have taken a great deal of work. You have company coming, right? No? It’s just you and the hubs? Well, of course! Even more special.

So this is Chess Cake. Neiman-Marcus Bars. Better Than S-E-X Bars. It is buttery and gooey and so, so sweet. Better yet, it is incredibly easy to whip up. All the more reason to keep the ingredients in the pantry for when friends call to say We thought we might drop by if y’all would like a little visit. People do still do that, don’t they? And you say We were just going to call you! Come on!

Isn’t it pretty? They taste as good as they look!

Chess Cake

Ingredients

1 yellow cake mix, any brand will do

1 box powdered sugar

1 block cream cheese

3 large or extra large eggs

1 stick butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a cake pan with Pam. In a large mixing bowl, preferably a blue one, combine your cake mix, butter, and 1 egg. Beat it until you have a nice smooth, thick dough. Spray your hands with Pam and gather up that dough. Spread it into the cake pan and push it to the edges and into the corners. Flatten it as best you can, but as long as the pan is covered with a nice layer of that smooth dough, you’re good.

Now for the gooey part. In the same bowl, combine the box of powdered sugar, two eggs, the vanilla, and 3/4 of the softened block of cream cheese. Beat it all until it is well-mixed and fluffy. Pour that delicious mixture over the cake layer in the pan. Note: Save some of your powdered sugar for dusting the finished bars. Just enough to sift over the top. Your Chess Cake won’t miss it.

All of that gets baked for 45 minutes until the top of the crust is a light golden color. As soon as possible, dust the top with some of your powdered sugar. The powdered sugar stays put better when it is added to a warm cake.

Baked goods just look prettier with some powdered sugar dusted over the top, don’t you think? Now let them cool before you try to cut them. Squares are the prettiest, but bars would be just fine if you are stretching the batch to feed more people.

These really are heavenly. A tall class of iced tea and one of these lovely bars on a pretty plate is all your company will need. On social media there would be a domed cake plate of these sitting on the counter beside a stack of vintage dessert plates – oh! use your silver dessert forks if you have any of those in the cupboard. And some happy napkins to tuck underneath the plates.

And now a simple little dessert has become a moment. Living life simply.

Musings

You know, we can make life as special as we have time for. If I’m enjoying a good book on a summer afternoon, and I decide to have a square of chess cake and a pretty glass of tea, I’m going to pull out the china and a happy napkin. Even if no one is there but me.

Maybe I’m going to lay a doily on the cake plate before I arrange the cake squares or cookies or brownies. Even if no one is there but me.

I’m going to buy paper napkins at Tom Thumb – they have racks of Caspari – or pick up a package at HomeGoods. There’s a drawer in my kitchen just for those. Hydrangeas or puppies waving flags and shooting fireworks or pumpkins or vintage Santas.

I’m going to buy cloth napkins at estate sales and resale shops. I wash them, iron them, and fold them so they are ready to pull out at a moment’s notice. They last forever and add a special touch, even for no one but me!

Do you see the current running here? Life is too short to wait for a special occasion when we can make any occasion special. Napkins look cute piled in a basket. Plates don’t have to match. A crock or mason jar looks special when it is filled with silver. No one ever felt special eating with a plastic fork. And walking into a house that smells of freshly baked Chess Cake makes a drop in visit absolutely extra special.

Screenshot to save or print

“It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.”

~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

More Summer Reading

Wow, June flew by, didn’t it? But so much was happening! And yet I devoted several days for reading some good and not so good books. Let’s just talk about those. In a recent post, I talked about using PicCollage to catalog my books just for fun. You can read about that here. And you might enjoy building one of your own! I don’t know why I do these – just because they are fun? And I love book covers? And books? And playing with books?

Take a look, and then I will review them in the order that I loved them – or didn’t. You can count on one hand the books I don’t finish, but there are plenty that I don’t like. I know I could stop…and I should. But for some reason, unless a book just has no redeeming qualities, I just keep going like something wonderful is waiting for me if I just keep turning the pages.

The Favorites

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett. I’ve already reviewed this book, so I won’t do it again. It is here. But know that I loved this book. It is set in the South. You will laugh. You will dislike people. UPDATE! I have not reviewed this book, and it is my summer favorite. A group of women bonds to survive the Great Depression. That sounds noble, doesn’t it? Wait until you see how they do it. Now, be forewarned. If you can enjoy the stories of less than perfect people, you will be able to enjoy this story. These characters are not your neighbors-next-door I hope. But they are problem solvers! Stockett has another blockbuster. Remember The Help? This is as good.

The Martha‘s Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly. This was a fun, fun beach book. If you are on a chaise lounge under a floppy hat and with some sweet tea on the table beside you, this is the book. The title and the cover were hooks for me. After the beloved brother goes off to fight the Germans, it is largely an all-girl cast. I found them all lovable if somewhat far-fetched. I know that I tend to romanticize the home front during WWII, but there is more than one mystery to solve, lots of book talk, a couple of nice, clean romances, and Grandma’s beach house on MV. A summer favorite for me. Except Kelly kept spelling chaise lounge chaise longue. It wasn’t a typo either; it was done more than once and confused me greatly. Turns out it is French. Mais oui.

The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny. This is a series book set in Quebec and I read it out of order. Don’t be me. This is book three, and if you read it between books one and two, you will be confused. And yet I loved this book enough that it is definitely on My Favorites List. Inspector Gamache is tracking down a murderer again after learning that a terribly unloved resident of dreamy Three Pines has been electrocuted in the snow. That is all I will say. No spoilers. But it is just a good book with Penny’s witty writing. She just drops in one-liners that make me happy. Sometimes a smile; sometimes a chortle. But remember: 1-2-3. Keep them in order.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. I kept hearing about this book everywhere! And yet there are no major world events happening. No mysteries to solve. Well, just one tiny one. Although she also holds a deep secret. But the main character is geriatric and corresponds with her world by writing. Phone calls and text messages just aren’t her thing. And she is darling. And funny and sweet and sad and kind and I hope this book is made into a movie and Meryl Streep plays the leading lady. It is a good, good book.

The Nowhere Near Favorites

I just realized that every one of these Not Favorites are by favorite authors of mine. I feel a little like a traitor except they let me down. So, so down.

Stars Over Sunset Boulevard by Susan Meissner. I did not care for the characters. Or the plot. The only remotely fun part of this book is the tie-in to Gone With the Wind. The characters are working on the set of the movie and there is a mystery about Scarlett’s green velvet hat that Mammy made from the curtains at Tara before Scarlett heads of to visit Rhett in the Yankee jail. Remember the gold fringe? But the book runs out of steam and the hat just fizzles. And if you are looking for romance, the entanglements in this book are horrid. So, no. Find something else to read.

All the Single Ladies by Dorothea Benton Frank was a d-u-d. And I love DBF! I actually had to check my GoodReads page to even remember what this book was about. It’s kind of The Golden Girls without the fun dialogue. Or Betty White. I kept waiting for some action. Nope. I kept waiting for a character that I would love or could – at least – root for. Nope. I kept waiting for one of the guys to turn out to be shady. Nope. Should you read this book? Golly, nope.

Strange Fits of Passion by Anita Shreve. I can’t believe Anita Shreve could write a book that I would not love. But this is about spousal abuse and it hurts to read it. It is suspenseful, but no. No.

The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan. A real disappointment because all the elements are here. This is definitely a book that I thought was going to get good if I kept reading. Jennifer Ryan writes about World War II on the home front in England, and she does it so well. But something about this one was lacking her usual charm. Instead, look for her The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle or The Kitchen Front.

And finally, Beach House Rules by Kristy Woodson Harvey. I love this author. Her Peachtree Bluff series is so lovable and entertaining and romantic. This book puts a group of women together in a house meant to be their safe haven. And the relationships between the characters were engaging. The mystery was pretty good as well. But the wrap up at the end was a disappointment for me. See, there is a young love story and I loved where it was going until I didn’t. And it fell into the genre of YA fiction at that point. But the good news is that in July, I read another Woodson Harvey book and it is soooo good. Something to look forward to!

And that’s it folks! Wow, that’s nine books! To be fair, I started The Calamity Club at the end of May. And I was beachside for a week, so some reading happened there. But I am totally hooked and looking always for the Next Great Read of the Summer. So the July installment is not to be missed.

Which reminds me. Do you belong to little online reading groups? Fans of Historical Fiction. The Book Club Girls. You know, where people talk about good books and you get more titles for your TBR stack than you can even begin to finish.

And what about the Free Little Libraries near you? Do you participate? We will talk more about those, you can bet! Happy reading!

Have You Met Libby?

If you are a reader, you already know or need to know about some special additions to your reading life.

Libby

The first is Libby, a library angel of a source for books. It’s a free app that gives you access to any library collection for which you hold a library card. Now, I don’t read on my phone because it hurts my eyes, but I love reading on my iPad. And Libby works on all our devices.

Don’t get me wrong, I love physical books. I read them and stack them and fill baskets with them. I think of books as art, and I want to be surrounded by them. And bookstores are glorious! As are used book sales and the book portion of my favorite resale shop. But sometimes, there’s Libby.

Here’s what you do. Download the free app from the App Store. Follow the directions to add your library card. And you’re in! You can browse the books in your library’s card catalog by author, title, or subject matter.

This is what you find when you open Libby.

I have checked out digital copies and audio books. They load immediately. I just select Read in Libby and I can start reading my book. In my jammies. In the hours when the library is closed. In the hours when I must have the next book. It is so convenient that you might get spoiled. Or forget to get dressed.

You can read the summary or read a sample from the beginning of the book.

When you finish, simply Manage Your Loan and return it. If you keep it for the full three week period, Libby will renew it for you if you ask, or turn it in for you if you forget. Libby will also put you on a waiting list and let you know how long the wait will be if someone beats you to it. Then when the book gets turned in, it’s yours!

See the Reading Journey? That’s me! And it is available to borrow! Someone needs to jump on that. It is sooo good…

And it is all free. I heard about The Calamity Club, thought I might as well check Libby even though I expected a long waiting list, and there it sat! No waiting for Kathryn Stockett’s new blockbuster! Whoever dreamed up Libby is a superstar!

GoodReads

See the three shelves?

About ten years ago, I started using GoodReads to keep track of what I was reading. I wanted to share my books with my students and generate enthusiasm for reading in my classroom. We called that an umbrella of reading. ☂️ And I was reading YA fiction so I could talk books with my kiddos. I showed them how to build their own shelves and how to write short book reviews. It was more fun than a reading log, and less of a temptation to fudge.

See the menu across the bottom of the page? My Books is where you find all the books you’ve read or want to read.

Boy, I’m glad I did. Because I still use it today! And now I need it to find a book whose title I can’t remember. Or just to see if I’ve already read that one – it is very easy to mix up summer beach reads or WWII titles. GoodReads keeps them straight for me!

I write a little review, add the date I finished, a plop it on my READ shelf. I also have a shelf of Want to Read. And I often open GoodReads to find books that sound like me when I’m looking for a new book. You can see how Libby and GoodReads work together, can’t you?

I do like Marie Benedict!

This just popped up as a recommended title – what’s trending. It sounds good, and I found it in one of my Libby libraries. Sounds like a plan.

One of my favorite features is that GoodReads connects friends. There is a small group of my friends who share what they are reading and our ratings. I get ideas from them, and they see what I’m reading and loving. Or not. So you can have your own little book club! I also like to see what others think of the books to help me decide if I want to read them, too.

PicCollage

And sometimes – just for fun – I do these to share in my book groups on Facebook. Truly frivolous and totally unnecessary.

These are done in PicCollage. I select a random freestyle grid, a background, and a font. Then I add my book covers.

There are certainly other ways to do what I do with Goodreads and PicCollage – book journals and reading lists. I like being just a little connected to the reading universe. And both apps satisfy my urge to be creative.

All three free and safe apps add depth to my interaction with books and reading. They make finding good books easy to do and remembering or revisiting my old book friends. They might do the same for you!📚

P.S. I just added Strange Fits of Passion to my Goodreads shelf and discovered I had finished it in 2021. Geez. But I swear I did not remember that book! The worst part is I gave it only two stars when I read it five years ago, so I reread a crummy book!

A Bucket List for June

Happy June, friends! If you are receiving this post as a subscription, always click on Read On Blog for the best view. I hope you enjoy my first musings of the summer!

Social media has been awash lately with cute bucket list artwork that is fresh and light and charming. Each month there is a new one even cuter than the last.

Screenshot

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Summer is @brookeswenson. March and May are by @ambertextiles. I like to screenshot them and use them for wallpaper on my iPad. And then I thought there’s stuff on there that I’m doing! Which of course led to making my own bucket list. Which I thought I really should share with you!

Now, if you notice, these really are not bucket lists in the traditional sense. They are more To Do Lists. Things to do in June. But that makes it sound like chores instead of adventures. And these are things to treasure in June. A Treasure List sounds fun, doesn’t it?

Honestly, at my age, I just want to remember what I want to do tomorrow!

These lists suggest going berry picking or sending postcards or tying on a pair of cute pink high tops for a trek through some botanical gardens or scouring antique malls for transferware pitchers.

Add a wicker basket and some bluebonnets or wisteria, and I start conjuring up the freedom of piddling through the sweetest part of the summer – June. Before it gets unbearably hot and forces us back into the air conditioning, what do I want to do today?

So let’s build a list of things to fill our easy days of summer.

My Adventures for June

First Up,The Puzzle

As you can see, I’ve started on working on my list. I love the laziness of a jigsaw puzzle. Staying up so late that my eyes get blurry, not worried about an alarm clock, and then waking up in the morning knowing that there is a puzzle waiting for me. My first one I intended for July 4th, but it was just too cute not to start early. Every part of it made me smile.

Pretty cute, right?

The only issue was that it is only 500 pieces, and that made it too easy. So I do have a back up. But this one is Michael Storrings, and his art is just too cute. Look closely: Uncle Sam, Lady Liberty, a pair of patriotic drummers, children waving flags, bunting hanging from windows, and a birthday cake. Just look at those fireworks! Happy birthday, America!

You Knew There Would Be Books

These are the first three so far, and we have to talk about these!

Meh

Oh, yes!

Meh 2.0

If you read only one book this summer, let it be The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett. She wrote The Help – what, fifteen years ago? And then nothing until now. I enjoyed, enjoyed, enjoyed it. The story is both excruciating and funny. I laughed and should have cried. I truly wanted to hurt one horrible person. Actually, two horrible people. But I can’t say more or I would be saying too much. There are prostitutes and an orphanage and prohibition. And the South. And scoundrels. It will definitely keep you engaged. It is brand new and has the most gorgeous cover if you want to lay it on your coffee table. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stars over Sunset Boulevard by Susan Meissner is not as current or as good. It is set in present day and the 1930s. There is no war or smallpox epidemics. Just Gone With the Wind and a very famous hat. The setting is on the MGM sound stages during the Golden Age of Hollywood. And it revolves around the background workers who manage the details while the stars are making magic on the screens. There is GWTH trivia told in the stories and Scarlett’s green hat – the one made famous by Mamie and the green velvet drapes of Tara. It is only okay. One of the main characters is pretty unlikable and hugely dishonest. So I gave it only ⭐️⭐️⭐️.

Kristy Woodson Harvey is one of my favorite summer authors. Her Peachtree Bluff series is definitely a favorite. So I thought Beach House Rules would kick off my summer nicely. Well, no. The premise was weak and the ending was a disappointment. There is a sweet teenage romantic almost-triangle, and the hunky high school athlete for once was a good guy rather than the stereotypical bully, but she ruined that with her ‘surprise’ ending. The one we can see coming from a mile away. This one also earned only ⭐️⭐️⭐️.

I am still looking for the fun beach read, and when I find it, I will pass it on. Summer reading is definitely ongoing.

Peaches! Delivering Joy

Summer is so much peach season. And I found two sources that are on my bucket list now.

I have ordered a box of peaches from The Peach Truck – one of my favorite people assures me they are delicious. I also have a trip to the peach orchard on my list, but they are Texas peaches which apparently get ripe later than Georgia peaches. These guys take orders and drive those peaches all over the place. Those sweet peaches travel across the Southern USA until they get to my corner of the world. I am picturing Ina Garten and Fannie Flagg bringing me my peaches.

I still want to go to the orchard where they also have fields of blackberries growing. Do not be deceived, though. I am not planning to pick these peaches/blackberries. They certainly can be – by someone not afraid of snakes or passing out in the berry patch. I plan to enjoy the viewing of the orchard and berry patch, then we will load some little crates or baskets into the car. Oh! Maybe I will take my little market basket from the thrift store! My husband will be so thrilled to see my baskets in action. He does not believe they have any purpose at all. I should tie a blue and white scarf around the handle and wear pink high tops.

Anyway, I bet you can find a little farm stand or peach orchard nearby. Seriously, a peach orchard! We are going to have a Peach-Off to see whose peaches are the sweetest. Stay tuned for our not in the least bit scientific outcome.

America 250 Reading Challenge

I found this fun social media reading challenge, and to celebrate the Big 2-5-0 I decided to build my own. I used PicCollage, but I bet Canva would be just as good. I like PicCollage’s prebuilt grids and assorted backgrounds. I don’t like that they charge for their clip art, so I found flags and bunting on the internet. Free!

Building it was easy; selecting titles was not. I loved every book on here except I don’t really remember Summer of ‘69. I was desperate for a Vietnam Era book. I know I’ve read some and forgotten them. For everyone else in the universe is Kristen Hannah’s The Women.

The book covers came from GoodReads. I just screenshot the cover, cropped it, and saved it in my photos. When I clicked a box in the grid, I uploaded the saved screenshot as an image.

How’s that for easy summer piddling? Post it on your favorite book lovers site. You will get all kinds of opinions! You are lacking indigenous people. Or You lean heavily on female authors. Wanna know what I think? Native Americans show up in three of my choices. And I happen to like female authors. And I wasn’t making any political statements – I just like to read!

Up Next

I snagged this little gem of a cookbook while I was thrifting and in it, Julia shares her secrets for all sorts of baked joy. I do love a good croissant, and she does tell us exactly how to make them our own. That is my next bucket list project. We are going to master Julia Child’s croissants. Oh, yes we are!

Did you know sour dough starter is just flour and water in a big glass jar? I think I better do some sour dough bread, too.
I bet Julia talks about it in her book…

And while I am cooking, I am also going to make a key lime pie for the first time in my life. Adventure awaits. I even read somewhere that you don’t necessarily need key limes – any old limes will do. I don’t know if I will take that chance. Stay tuned for those.

And did I mention that Gone With the Wind will be in theatres in October? I know that doesn’t belong in June, but we can plan ahead!

Summertime, and the livin’ is easy. Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high. Oh, your daddy’s rich and your mama’s good-lookin’. So hush, little baby, don’t you cry.”

In the Garden with Bulbs

What bulbs do you plant in your pots? A friend asked this not long ago, and while I was giving it some thought, something magical happened.

This silly amaryllis happened. It had come from Trader Joe’s two Christmases ago. And it bloomed and was just lovely. So my gardening guru told me how to force it for a new Christmas bloom. Only, one of us was wrong,

Either her directions are wrong or I’m not good at following directions. You can decide silently who might have missed a step. But I’m telling you, I’ve read those directions over and over and over.

After Christmas, I peeled off TJ’s wax and planted the bulbs in a lovely pot. She never said “lovely”, but it needed to be blue and white. I made sure plenty of bulb was showing above the soil line. A third? Two-thirds? Something like that.

And I watered and put her in a sunny window. She was a happy camper until night time temperatures reached 60 degrees. Then outside she went. That amaryllis grew and grew all summer.

In the flowerbed

Then things took a dark turn. I brought her in, stopped watering, and placed the pot in a dark corner. And it hurt. Mucho. But Guru said do it, so I did. I ignored the pot except to check for the browning of the leaves that she promised would happen. That took forever. In retrospect, I believe my corner was not dark enough.

But I did continue the steps. Cut off the shriveled leaves. Ignore it until October. Put it back in the sun. Wait for new growth before watering. And the new leaves did grow, but not for Christmas.

Then one day I looked, and darned if there weren’t buds on stalks coming up from one of my bulbs!

In March! And then in April, Easter had come and gone, and I had a blooming amaryllis! Well, I gathered up my Class of 2025 amaryllis bulbs, put them in another cute blue and white pot, and set them in a sunny window where they could watch their predecessors bloom. I wanted them to see what is expected of them first hand!

This was Christmas.

Pot from HomeGoods

I’m not playing games with the new group. I’m not forcing them to do anything they don’t want to do. They can just bloom whenever they please. TJ’s will have new ones in wax next December for $6 Christmas blooms! These guys are going to be my spring bloomers!

Paper Whites

These goofy little bulbs are paper whites . They grow in gravel and water and bloom at Christmas if you plan ahead. Don’t go looking for them Thanksgiving night and expect to find them at Home Depot. But instead hit the garden center, bag up 20 or 30 for $1.50 a bulb. No, just get twenty, and plan to give some away. I had them everywhere!

I thrifted containers, sent the hubs out for gravel, mistake, and potted them up. Just fill the bowls, cups, mixing bowls, and soup tureens with gravel. Nestle the bulbs into the rocks, and pour in enough water to just reach the bottoms of the bulbs. The roots will go in search of the water, and they’re on their way. They were around for Christmas and January. Darling little guys.

These were post-Christmas

How do I not have a picture of them blooming? I know I do…yes!

One tip I have heard but haven’t tried is just when the stalks are starting to grow, we should add vodka water to stunt their growth. Mine were 2-3 ft tall! I am truly adding the vodka next Christmas.

How – To

Recipe: 1 part alcohol to 7 parts water. And the booze needs to be 40%, so vodka or gin. Begin this vodka-water regimen when sprouts are 1” to 2” tall. We only water when we need the roots to be wet. I just stick my finger down in the gravel. If it doesn’t hit water, I pour a little into the pebbles. And if they get leggy, I tie a cute ribbon around them so they won’t tump over.

I just wrote that like I know what 40% alcohol actually is. I don’t. And I knew what vodka was, but didn’t want to walk into a liquor store to buy vodka. Thus my paper whites were so tall they were falling over. Next year I will be BOLD. I will send my husband out for vodka.

Muscari, aka Grape Hyacinth

These little darlin’s are muscari – grape hyacinths. And I am smitten. I bought the first of my muscari pre-planted at Trader Joe’s. They were a bit of a disappointment because I bought them late in the season. But when they were post-bloom, I let the greenery die back. and plucked out the tiny bulbs.

I stored the bulbs in a paper sack, stapled shut, in a dark closet. For my September birthday, I was gifted a bag of the bulbs by my plant-loving daughter in law. Now, this became serious business. I bagged all those bulbs, stapled them shut, and put them in the bottom of a garage fridge, in the vegetable drawer, and forgot them until after Christmas. As I was cleaning up paper whites, I planted muscari. It looked like this.

I had LOTS of bulbs.

I filled old mixing bowls, stoneware mugs, a blue and white foot bath and flower pots with potting soil, snuggled in the tiny bulbs, and covered them with a thin layer of the soil.

I watered them and found room on a sunny balcony. Keep them moist if you plan to do this. They grow very quickly and bud almost immediately. And then they bloom! Fill the house with them!

Aren’t they just the sweetest little flowers? They go through different stages and each stage is lovely. They eventually need to be dealt with, though. And that’s the part I least like. So now – mid May – I am still waiting and watering until the green turns to brown. At that point, the bulbs will be back in sealed paper bags and the dark closet until fall, when they will go back into cold storage.

More Spring Bloomers

These were actually the first and easiest bulbs I planted, and I still do them, but I look at them as cheater bulbs. Before Valentine’s Day, we can find these pretty spring bulbs all potted up for us at Trader Joe’s.

When I get the itch for spring flowers and nothing is blooming – between the paper whites and the grand re-blooming amaryllis – I start cruising past Trader Joe’s. Out front on racks they have a spread of spring bloomers already potted up!

I bring them home and repot them in cute, thrifted spring pots and watch them bloom! I wrote about them here in Spring in January, so check out what I did with grocery store hyacinths, crocus 💜, and mini daffodils – perhaps the happiest flowers known to man.

These were my first foray into bulbs and made me want to learn. So go read about bunny pots and purple hyacinths and how we can brighten our pre-spring homes. You, too, will be hooked!

And so, dear friend, those are the bulbs I grow in pots.

I also have two large pots of iris growing on the deck in my back yard, but there’s no trick to those. We just went to a plant sale held by the Master Gardeners and bought all their blue irises. Buried them in pots of dirt, and let the rain and sun take care of them.

I do dream of banks of potted tulips, but I’m not there yet.

These aren’t mine, but I sure wish they were! Some day.

If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft, and from thy slender store two loaves alone to thee are left,
sell one, and with the dole
buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.”
– Saadi Shirazi

And We’re Wrapping!

Want to make the perfect bow that is so, so, so, so easy? In my humble opinion, this is the perfect bow. Big and fluffy and happy. And isn’t that what we want from our bows? Don’t we want our loved ones to think we care enough to make the wrap as wonderful as the contents of the box?

It starts with buying the right ribbon. And this is what I use. It’s called satin ribbon, but it has a very papery feel. It is not the soft satin ribbon from the fabric department. It is more crisp than that.

My favorite is from The Container Store because it comes on 100 yard spools for about $15 and lasts for a couple of years. I checked to see if they still sell it, and they do! The problem you will have is that they aren’t shipping it. You have to put on your mask and go to the store. And that means living in the city. Or driving to the city. I’ve shopped at the ones in Dallas and Little Rock. Click here to find a store near you. But this is what you want.

But don’t despair if that’s too far! Hobby Lobby has it, too. Not bulk, but the satin. You will just have to hunt for it. Don’t go to the the Christmas ribbon, head to bridal. Of course they will have only white. That’s good! But then wander around that area. Sometimes they will have leftovers from Homecoming, and if you have an area high school whose school colors are red or green, you will find it there. Keep looking! You can even use the 5/8” or 1” papery ribbon that has been around forever. You will just get to add more loops. And while you are searching, go in the fabric department and grab some red grosgrain about two inches wide. It makes sweet, much simpler bows that will mix in well under the Christmas tree.

I spent many years using wired ribbon. And I still will put it on a wreath, especially if it is going to hang outdoors. But I have decided it just looks artificial on a gift. Like…not how a bow should look. Ribbon should just fluff up and curl naturally. I know…eye rolls.

So this is where I tell you not to be like me. Mainly because I just got back from – you guessed it – The Container Store. When I pulled out all of this…

See that roll of Spritz? That means I bought some at Target, too. My daughter finds the cutest ribbon at Target!

I discovered that my two-year supply of red ribbon had come sadly to an end. The good news is that yes! they did still have my ribbon. The bad news is that I got sucked into buying a roll of wrapping paper that was too cute to leave behind.

While I’m showing you my mess, look at the little Dollar Tree mail boxes! I think they are darling. I’m going to stuff them with tissue and tuck in a gift card. Won’t they look so cute tied up with some one-inch grosgrain ribbon? A dollar each, if you hurry. Their supply is going fast. But they also had some precious cardboard gift boxes that looked like little houses. I should have snagged some of those, too…

Step 2: Boxes! I did count boxes before today. Everything has a box. It either came boxed or I asked. And I had some left from last year that I bought at Target. They sell the good ones that department stores used to give us. You know, back when we walked into a department store instead of shopping online? And they gave tissue paper? And it was all free? I also picked up a jumbo pack of white tissue paper to line my boxes. It’s just so much nicer than plopping a sweater into an empty cardboard box.

Step 3: Wrapping paper. I bought just one roll this year because I picked some up after Christmas last year and have so much left from previous years that I have more paper than storage. Best place ever to get paper? Hallmark is my favorite, but Hobby Lobby is always good, too. Sometimes theirs begin to look just like what they sold last year, but they have a good selection this year. I had to make myself not buy a roll yesterday. I seem to be stuck on plaids this year, and it abounds – the Ralph Lauren trend, et al. Marshall’s, HomeGoods, and even the grocery store have good stuff. My favorite ever was from Hallmark and came from one of their movies, Christmas in Evergreen. They also sold a red toile that year that was perfectly old fashioned, too. I did all my gifts in those two papers. It was so pretty. I am still looking for replacements to replicate those two. They are exactly how I want my tree to look every year.

It is so old-fashioned looking. It takes me back to a much sweeter time. And with one of our happy red bows, it makes a fun gift to receive! Those snowmen…

Step 4: So, let’s make a bow! My mother was the only person I ever knew who made these bows. I seriously thought she invented them. Now I find out they’re called Pom-Pom bows! And there’s a pretty good video on The Container Store’s website. But I’m going to show you right now the method my mother taught me as a young whippersnapper.

For a medium size bow, cut a strip of ribbon about 2 yards long and a second piece about 12 inches long. Take this shorter piece and fold it in half lengthwise. See figure 4, below. Now just leave that alone until step 4 and go back to your 2’ piece. Roll the ribbon into a circle the size that will fit your gift and keep adding layers until you hit an odd number you like. I usually aim for five. A good rule of thumb is wider ribbon needs fewer loops. One inch ribbon could have at least seven. Seven loops of 2”-3” will make a very tight bow. Three would look kind of empty. Five is good. See figure 1.

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

Fig. 5

Fig. 6

Hold your circle in one hand, fig. 2, pinching it together in the center. Now fold it in half with the loops touching. Snip a triangle from each side of your center, fig. 3.

Take your other piece – the 12” one – and use it to tie tightly around the notched center of your bow. Loop it around and tie a very tight knot. Pull harder! Make that knot tight! You have just eliminated the need for any wire. Now fluff out the loops, one at a time. Start at the top layer, pull loop #1 out to the right, and give it a twist. Take loop #2, pull it to the left, and give it a twist. Now loop number #3 – pull it to the right, and give it a twist. Continue doing this until all of your loops are out. Now do the other side of the bow. Twist those loops around as much as you like. You’re not going to hurt them unless you didn’t tie your knot in the middle tight, tight, tight.

Isn’t she a beaut? I tie one piece of ribbon around my package, and then I use the tails of the bow ribbon to tie it to the package ribbon. Finally I tie a tag into the bow. This is a very important step! That curly ribbon makes all the difference.

This stuff.

Just thread it through the hole and slide the ribbon behind your package bow. Tie a tight-ish knot, clip the ends so they still show and curl naturally, and twist the tag until it looks cute in the bow. Eureka! It’s adorable! You’re a pro!

Ta-da! I am proud to announce that I wrapped everything! Well, until UPS drops off our last two gifts. But hip, hip, hooray!

And this is what the mailboxes look like. I like them! But don’t you think simpler is better? I tried one of our Pom-Pom bows, but I think it looks kind of silly. I seriously can’t see the little mailbox! The snowman is pretty cute…um, penguin?….but I’m not thrilled with the striped ribbon on the North Pole one. Oh! what if we used white grosgrain and tied on a gold bell? You know – like the Polar Express! Now imagine it filled with homemade cookies for a neighbor or a mini-loaf of pumpkin bread.

This is my favorite. Simple.

Oh, this is what I watched while I wrapped!

Meet Me in St. Louis with Judy Garland and Margaret O’Brien

I really love old movies – and musicals. This one is set at the turn of the century as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition was being built in 1904. And three very famous songs – Meet Me in St. Louis, Clang, Clang, Clang Went the Trolley, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – all came from this classic film.

And the costumes! Lucille Bremer as Judy Garland’s older sister, Rose, wore such beautiful gowns, but Mary Astor’s dress for the World’s Fair was just incredible. And little Margaret O’Brien! Her clothes were so sweet.

For her role as Tootie, Margaret won an Academy Award given only to child actors. She was a mess. My favorite line was when she found out the family was moving to New York. She hoped she could find all of her dolls that were buried in the graveyard. Look at the one she is holding! Oh, and she was the cutest little trick-or-treater. While this is not an actual Christmas movie, like Mrs. Miniver, it suits the holidays.

So we are still on schedule! Next we bake, and I will share with you my secret Christmas sugar cookie recipe.

Don’t get your hopes up…they won’t look like these…but they will be pretty and we will have fun!

Good Morning to You! And a Book…

Oh, I love a quiet, quiet morning. The only one up, no television news blaring – just a candle, hot tea/cocoa/coffee, and a book full of gorgeousness. This particular gorgeousness is A Year at Clove Brook Farm by Christopher Spitzmiller.

Okay, chuckle with me at the subtitle. Gardening, Tending Flocks, Keeping Bees, Collecting Antiques, and Entertaining Friends. If you enjoy a wager, you can easily make one on my not tending any flocks or keeping any bees, but doesn’t it sound charming? I mean a flock of what? And bees? Do you suppose it involves one of those hazmat-looking Ghostbuster type outfits? So many questions.

And can you think of bee-keeping without thinking of this little cloud? I certainly cannot.

This isn’t Clove Brook Farm;
it’s the 100-Acre Wood. 🧸

To be perfectly honest, it’s hot-as-can-be July, and the high in both Dallas and Hot Springs is 95 degrees. There’s not going to be hot anything in my mug. I’m going to need something tall and icy. But back to Mr. Spitzmiller.

This book is chock full of beautiful photography and wonderful narrative about life at Clove Brook. If anything could inspire flock-keeping, this book would. My absolutely favorite is the use of live birds in a sweet cage as table decor during a dinner party. I hope he was serving beef.

Recipes, how-tos, tabletops, antiques. This is a book for savoring. I’m even turning the pages slowly, like I’m in a YouTube video. Turn, smooth, press, sigh.

Some Coffee Cake?

So I was thinking that a coffee cake sure would smell good/taste good right about now, so I will share with you my secret coffee cake recipe. Krusteaz. In a box. It makes the softest, most tender cake and is full of brown sugar and cinnamon. It takes five minutes to mix up, one egg, and a little bit of oil.

In 40 minutes, it is done. Just let it cool for five minutes and serve it warm. I promise this cake melts in your mouth. Leftovers can be heated the next day for 33 seconds in the microwave, and it’s like you just baked it!

Another of my baking secrets is everything tastes better if you bake it in a pretty Spode dish. Or any pretty dish. This one is Blue Italian. I don’t know why I feel like Martha Stewart when I pull her out of the oven.

She’s a doll.

Half the batter is the first layer, then top with streusel.

Repeat…

Bake 40 minutes, cool for 5.

The cake is soft and not too sweet.
The strudel layers are gooey and sugary. Now you may need some coffee.

And the smell is heavenly. This definitely qualifies as a Simply Summer recipe. It is a recipe, right? It is if you throw the box away before anyone joins you in the kitchen.

Puttering

Yes, puttering is a word. It is especially nice when done in the summertime.

Source: Melissa @HomebodyGatheringPlace.com

This morning I puttered. It didn’t last too long, but I promise it is good for a happy outlook. I think I should putter out to feed the plants. Then putter through HomeGoods. Then putter around the resale shop.

Now I Wonder

Does everything have to be from scratch? Do you use boxed mixes? Are any of your favorite creations based on a mix? Mine sure are…🦋

“Christopher – ow! – Robin,” called out the cloud.”

The “ber” Months

Today I have diagnosed myself with a brain infirmity – something along the lines of ADHD. I just don’t seem to be able to stay focused. I started my morning scrolling through IG and landed on “October in New York” and got drawn into the images of pumpkins on the steps of brownstones and The Corner Bookstore with fall leaves all around. Above the sign was a landing with a row of planter boxes filled with geraniums. Oh, heck, I’ll show you a picture.

Source: ethanbarber.co

The Shop Around the Corner, right? #iykyk. While I started dreaming of all things fall, I remembered a bag of vintage noisemakers that I had purchased ages ago with plans to make a Halloween wreath. Off I went to find those. WhiIe rummaging through the closet, I remembered the blue ribbon I bought last week because I wanted to use it on a Christmas ornament. And not just any Christmas ornament.

This one.

Waterford crystal, see the etching on the bottom?

It was Christmas in July at my favorite little resale shop, and I needed a Willow Tree angel for my creche because I broke the first one. Surely someone is donating one. Well, they were not. But tucked into a corner of a shelf where someone probably hid it while running to the car for her purse was a little red box which I recognized as Waterford crystal packaging.

Inside was this beauty. She’s heavy. She’s cut crystal. And she’s etched. Neophytes, that’s how you know if she’s the real deal. $15 with 30% off – she went home with me. I had passed on a gorgeous tree topper, again in the signature box , a couple of years ago. Talk about kicking myself. I was not going to make that mistake again.

I have since, sadly, learned that those toppers don’t require a Christmas tree. My sister-in-law displays her collection in her dining room, and John on my garden lady Linda Vater’s YouTube channel has a basketful near his tree. Moral of this story: always buy the Waterford tree toppers, especially if they are only fifteen dollars.

But I digress. My ribbon. I bought several different blues, 3/8″ wide. One is a soft blue velvet, one is blue and white toile grosgrain, and one is Wedgwood blue satin. And I needed my good scissors to cut the ribbon, so I went into the living room to grab those. While I was there, I stopped to fold sheets from the dryer and put a new load in both the washing machine and dryer. Can you believe the scissors were right where I needed them to be? Right near the bed where I started – not in the living room at all. Do you see the pattern forming here?

Back to the ribbon. Each one auditioned. The toile seems a little too busy and maybe casual.

So pretty. I might just change my mind.

The velvet was pretty.

But look at the Wedgwood satin! It is a nice thick satin, and that blue just is gorgeous with the crystal, don’t you think? I have a winner.

It photographed teal, but it is actually a classic Wedgwood blue.

Unless I decide to use red velvet, satin, or toile. That could also happen. But not today.

See what I mean about that infirmity?

Anyway, six weeks from Monday, the first ‘ber’ month arrives – September! I do love the ‘ber’ months, don’t you? Back-to-school, saddle shoes, and plaids. Apples. Big Chief tablets. A hint at cooler weather that is truly just around the corner.

Then pumpkins, falling leaves, candles in the windows. A stuffed turkey, pecan and chocolate pie, turkey plates, family. Finally my pretty new ornament will hang from her blue satin ribbon on my vintage tree.

I cherish it all. The shopping and wrapping and pumpkin carving and crunching through the leaves. I think if I had a shop, I would name it Plaid and Saddle Shoes. Saddle Shoes and Plaid? I would go into a shop named Saddle Shoes and Plaid.

Which reminds me, I saw some brocade-looking dish towels at my little shop, and they were brown and orange and maybe dark green and burgundy. Wouldn’t they make some wonderful little stuffed pumpkins? I bought velvet ones last year. That brocade-looking stuff would look quite lovely tucked onto the mantel with my velvet ones.

I think I will go buy those! I can make them! Yes, I can! In honor of the coming of the ‘ber’ months. How will you celebrate?

These cuties are from Hobby Lobby, and on sale now!

Gosh, is it really only July? I might be a little ahead of myself.

But while I’m out and about, I’m going to pick up some of these! I may not wear them, but I’m going to starch and iron them to look this festive and hang them in my kitchen. I might even add a sunflower to the pocket.

Just to be ready…🍁

Update: I did indeed buy the aprons. If you go, do not be put off by the jumble in which they are hanging. These are cute aprons. I ironed mine and hung them on a cabinet door- love! They fluff perfectly, are as well made as my Williams-Sonomas, and were only $14 each. Unfortunately, they did not have my favorite, the first one with the checks at the hem, so I got the crazy pumpkin lady – self confessed – and the fall plaid. I’m going back in hopes they get in my favorite, but if not, these two remind me that before too long, the ‘ber’ months will be here.🌻

When I take these home, they will hang on my pantry door. But for now, they’re looking pretty cute on the green.

Wrapping a Gift

Fair warning! I’ve been immersed lately in Nora Murphy of NM Country Home. And she goes above and beyond on everything. So this gift wrapping session might do that as well, but I love a pretty package.

Our Gift Needs a Theme

The young woman receiving this gift loves gardening. She grows fruit trees, tomatoes, and peppers as well as plants and flowers – roses, ferns, spider plants, aloe vera. So I thought she might enjoy a garden journal. And those marketing pros know how to reel me in. Non-breakable? Check. Floral? Check. We have a theme.

A bookmark for a reader!

The journaling set I should have photographed

Snuggled in a quilted tote

Sunflower seeds for her garden, not for snacking…

And then they had wrapping paper…flowers by the sheet! So of course the sunflowers. But also this pretty stuff.

This one turned out to be the winner.

Because I couldn’t choose, I took one of each. I really wanted to use the sunflowers because of the link to Van Gogh’s scatter garden, but it was just a smidgen too small for my box. So, Plan B.

I used the sunflowers to wrap the journal, lined the box with flower-colored tissue, and dug through my ribbon for yellow or orange grosgrain ribbon (pronounced GROW-grain). Why grosgrain? Well, because I was mailing this package and grosgrain doesn’t mash. Wired ribbon does. Paper ribbon does. Grosgrain would need no fluffing. It also makes soft, simple bows. They don’t look so fussy.

Tissue paper to line the box

Ribbon from my stash

Sticky notes to match

Turned out I didn’t have enough solid orange or yellow to go around the package, and the mossy green was perfect.

A birthday card in sunny yellow and flowery sticky notes. I wanted to include a little spending money for the garden center since I couldn’t mail a plant, so I tucked that in with “Plant $$$” on the tiny sticky notes. See the little flowers? 🪻🌷

I did splurge on the paper, but I didn’t have to buy ribbon. So that’s how I justified it in my mind. Plus, the made this such a fun little project. If she is very careful opening the package – and I know she will be – that ‘paper’ is a poster that could be framed. Wait! There’s an IG image that just came to mind. Look…

It would look kind of like this @vibekedesign – hanging over a painted plant table. Here it is…on Amazon! I would get mine at Barnes and Noble or The Paper Source, though. They are so much more fun than Amazon. Just sayin’.

It is printed on Italian archival paper as gift wrap or poster! There you go.

And About That Ribbon

Cute thrifted picnic hamper converted to ribbon storage

A portion of my blues

I keep little hampers of ribbon and replenish them when I find cute additions. I especially like buying it off-season so that it’s only $1-2 per roll. Every now and then I check the ribbon at Walmart or Hobby Lobby for stuff I know I will use – blue & white stripes, checks, or polka dots. Lots of solids in happy birthday or Christmas colors – the crayon yellow and orange, but turquoise and lime green, too. Pink and white, baby blue and white, solid white.

Tip of the Day:

Go to the fabric department! They have velvet, satin, tulle, grosgrain, patterns, woven checks, plaids, stripes, and polka dots. Some is frayed or textured like burlap. And the variety of widths is almost endless. So I buy 3/8”, 7/8”, 2”, 3”, and 4”. And try to find 5 yard rolls instead of 9 feet rolls. Do the math!

So why stock up?

The right ribbon is hard to find. Hallmark – if you can find one – doesn’t always have grosgrain or wider ribbon. Target has good stuff in the gift wrap department, but it gets picked over. Often. HomeGoods has great ribbon sporadically, so snag it when you spot it because it won’t be there when you go back.

Buy red, green, white, and Christmas plaids when no one else is thinking about it in the spring or summer. Then go for birthday ribbon when everyone else is Christmas wrapping. Mum season – as in homecoming mums – is a good time for solid paper “satin” ribbon. It makes good Pom Pom bows on Christmas gifts, children’s birthday gifts, and baby gifts.

Price wise, shop Walmart unless you’re boycotting or Hobby Lobby on 40% off week unless you’re boycotting. Target is mid-range, but you might be boycotting. I’ve never seen ribbon at any of the dollar stores except for the paper kind and it’s only 1/2” wide and kind of boring. But at least no one boycotts Dollar General…And the Paper Source has some pretty, pretty ribbon, but it’s $9/roll. Hmmmm.

You might be wondering about wired ribbon. I’ve kind of gotten away from wired ribbon. It still works tucked into Christmas trees, but not tied on a branch. It’s just so obviously wired. I sometime use it on a wreath, but often a wide grosgrain is my choice. It seems funny to say the wired looks fake, but I guess that’s kind of the problem. Meh.

And that’s a wrap! I sure hope my recipient enjoys her gift as much as I did putting it all together. Pretty summery papers and simple, natural bows. I would say that counts for a Simply Summer post. 🌻