Country Store

Today for Outdoor Wednesday I'm showing a small lil' country flower and  garden store....... it is located in Kleinberg a small town outside of Toronto in Ontario. It's really in a big bustling city surrounding it  but this place has kept it's charm. It was a gorgeous spring weekend so we went for a stroll through the town. 

 In them old days they use to tie horses to this throughout the town. 

 Succulents.....I love these lil' plants.

 The front of the store.....

 The store's 'pussy cat'.

 I bought some herbs while I was there......I love to grow my own herbs. That is if "Alvin" the Chipmunk doesn't nibble on them. :-(

 Crab- Apple tree with it's spring blossoms......I have a few large old trees in my yard...This year I just might make some crab apple jam.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit............for some great 'outdoors'.
 http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/ 

Christening Cakes

Christening Cake

Today I'm showing the "BLUE" on the Christening Cakes.....that I was at the celebration lately for two twins.


Linking to;
 Happy Blue Monday.

Thanks for stopping by!!!!

The Rose that travels.....

The Rose that traveled......

This looks like a lonely Rose.......but I'll tell you it is over 60 years old. My Grandfather use to have a farm in Beamsville Ontario in the Niagara region a very long time ago. As a matter of fact this Rose was growing there and they had a whole lot of them lining the driveway. What I mean is that when they moved a couple of years later in the early 1950's this Rose came with them to a new home in the city (Toronto). Then as the years went by and my parents bought and moved around with different homes this Rose came with them.......

Once when my parents sold their home and had to stay in a rental for a few months till the new home was ready ......they couldn't take the Rose with them. So a family friend offered to plant it in their backyard...so it stayed there for 2 years.

After the 2 years my Mom took the Rose back......and it stayed for 30 years in this house. When it was sold I dug this Rose out and have had it since. 

As you can see my husband cut it down..... this year we put in lots of inter-locking and the Rose lost it's space. Now we have found a new home for it.

I hope when my daughter has her first home she will take this Rose and plant it in her garden........silly as it sounds but this Rose brings back memories about my family and some of the homes we have lived in.

It grows beautiful dark jewel like pink colour Roses......I'm not sure the name of the Rose.....but this year I will try and identify it.

You are probably wondering what those lil' pink petals are all around the Rose, well they are from the Crab Apple trees that we have in the back......it was quite windy today so our whole backyard is showered with these pink blossom petals.

Thanks for visiting and enjoy your day!!!!!!

Raspberry Streusel Bars

RASPBERRY STREUSEL BARS

I love any kind of bar...especially with raspberries. Everytime I make this "raspberry bar" it disappears almost the same day...so mouth-watering.

I got this recipe from a fellow foodie...Paulette from a Foodie Board that I belong to.

today I'm linking to "FOODIE FRIDAY" at

/http://www.designsbygollum.blogspot.ca/

.

RASPBERRY STREUSEL BARS

1 cup (2 sticks), softened

1 egg

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

3/4 pecans, chopped (less if using only for topping)

9 oz. seedless raspberry preserves

Combine butter and sugar in large bowl.

Add egg and flour......Mix until crumbly.

If putting pecans into dough, add now.......reserve 1 cup of mixture for topping.

Press remaining mixture into bottom of 9 x 13 greased pan.

Spread the preserves to 1/2 of edge.

Crumble reserved mixture over top.

Bake 25-30 minutes...or till lightly browned.

Cool and cut into bars and sprinkle confectioner's sugar on top.

Note....I didn't use any pecans this time around as I have a friend who doesn't like nuts.

.

Thanks for stopping by!

Easter Blue Eggs

"BLUE" Easter Eggs

I know this is a bit late for some of you......but being of Ukrainian background I celebrate Easter according to the Orthodox Julian Calendar.

Every year growing up my family would colour a few dozen eggs........then all week we would have eggs and eggs but most of all my favourite were the  egg salad sandwiches. Then for a few weeks we couldn't look at hard-boiled eggs.

Here I'm showing some BLUES which I'm linking to "BLUE MONDAY" at 

/http://smilingsally.blogspot.ca/

Sometimes I use food colouring to colour my eggs...this year I bought an Easter egg colouring kit. (Paas).
This blue looks dark in the glass but the eggs came out a very gorgeous turquoise blue.

Yummmmm...these were my favourite BLUE eggs, chocolate. See the pretty BLUE bow the Bunny has in the background.


Thanks for stopping by.....and have a great "BLUE MONDAY"!!!!!!

Rice Writing

Every year we go to The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto that is two weeks before Labour Day weekend......I've been going since I was two years old. It also helps that I'm 10 minutes from there.


My husband being a Turk met with one of the booth owners who comes every year to do "Rice Writing"...he has quite a lucrative business. Always a line-up. Just watching him write away is alone interesting. He is also of Turkish background so my husband have lots to talk abut coming from the same area .


He has these pens with very fine points and writes your name or whatever message you would like if you were giving it as a gift. He can also write a short sentence....who would have thought on such a small piece, especially a grain of rice. I've also seen in Topkapi Palace in Istanbul the famous lil' piece of rice with a lot of writing on it alone.....in those days I wonder if they had magnifying glasses. Sure would be tiny but great if you are an 'ant' size.

 Here's the story about the rice..........

My daughter "Jackie" had this grain of rice with her name printed . She had it put into a keychain......the Rice Man has all sorts of things you can put your grain of rice into. You really need something as it is so small it will take seconds to lose....... he had necklaces, key chains, bracelets etc..... basically anything you wanted he could put it in. Except not to boil it with some other rice.....which I was thinking it sure might bring you luck like it said. hehehe.


Thanks for stopping by.

Turkish Blues

Turkish Blues

For Happy Blue Monday.......I'm showing some "BLUE" tablecloths at the Market in Izmir, Turkey.

 Parsley....

 Lil' Village Ladies come to the city to sell their flowers.....prices are so inexpensive here compared to where I live......

 Different kinds of cheeses.

 These ladies are selling dough for boreks and savoury or sweet baked goods.

 Parsley....

Tomatoes.....they tatse like real tomatoes were intended too.

 Artichokes...they were huge.

 Nuts and dried fruits.

 Making Gozleme...so yummy with cheese and spinach, so fresh.

 Zucchini with the blossoms. love those blossoms, they are great to stuff.

 Olives...galore. Any kind you want they have.

 Dried pepper, zucchini and eggplant ready to be stuffed......I think ever house has this string of these veggies hanging.

 Artichokes.....with the stem.

Water with the "BLUE tops.....it will be a scorching HOT day and they still sell that bottled water sitting in the sun boiling...... people will actually buy it and drink it. YUK!

Thanks for stopping by.....be sure and visit  http://smilingsally.blogspot.ca/ for some Happy Blue Monday!