pleasure in simple things

halloween fun 2024

October 25, 2024

Although I’m not a big Halloween fan, I usually will carve a pumpkin or two – or, create something in the Halloween spirit.

This year, my pumpkin was carved in a little less than traditional manner. I used wood carving tools rather than a knife. Carving in this manner is much easier and, I think, can be more interesting.

I was inspired by an evergreen tree in my yard. The tree has the traditional needles and tons of little mini pine cones. My idea was to carve the pumpkin with ‘needles’ and then add some of the pine cones from my tree.

I purchased what is called a blue pumpkin, rather than an orange one, to complete the task. Because the blue heirloom pumpkin looked almost green, I thought it would work well as my ‘evergreen’ pumpkin.

I used woodworking tools to carve the needles. I had planned on adding the pine cones with straight pins, but I began to wonder if the pumpkin would not live as long with holes punched in it! With this in mind, after I finished carving, I ended up using my glue gun to add the pine cones.

I have to say, using the woodworking tools is much easier on the hands than the traditional method of carving through the pumpkin with a knife!

After I completed my pumpkin, I carved a few baby boos to use at place settings for an upcoming brunch. I love little white baby boos! I did a little bit of carving and added a ribbon. I did end up adding some pins on these little guys – some pretty gold ones!

In the Halloween spirit, I also created some favors for my brunch. I made some butter cookies in the shape of candy corn and packaged them in the holiday theme! Why are they not the traditional yellow and orange? Well, I made them totally organic – so I couldn’t use red dye! I used organic cocoa to create color variations.

So, that’s the extent of my Halloween preparations! I hope you are also creating something fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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white pumpkins 2024

September 27, 2024

You must know my love for neutrals by now! And, in the fall, white pumpkins are my fave!

In my last post, I showed you some of the more traditional pumpkin sightings I’ve seen so far this year. Today, I am sharing some of the more neutral pumpkins I’ve seen. Enjoy!

I would like to substitute white pumpkins to mix with these daisies! More like this –

Not white, but what a lovely neutral!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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pumpkin peeping 2024

September 20, 2024

I do feel just a little bit guilty posting these photos while it is still officially summer! Not one to easily give into fall, I did visit a couple farms to check out what was displayed for the upcoming season. Here are some of my favorites from the traditional – orange – color pumpkins. (My favorite – white pumpkins – will be in my next post!)

I love the addition of green – with plants or squash – to a fall arrangement!

A squatted pumpkin shape is so much more interesting than a round one!

How great do these colors look together?

I always love an interesting stem!!

It is the best time of year for visiting farm shops and garden centers! So much to explore! Have you started yet?

Have a great weekend and start to the new season! Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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a flirty restaurant

August 30, 2024

For me, this may be the summer of visiting restaurants with beautiful wall paintings! In my last post I showed you some beauties in Connecticut and today I want to share some I found in Massachusetts.

I found these paintings on a recent trip to Boston, when I had dinner at a wonderful restaurant called Coquette at the Seaport in the Omni Hotel. The food was fabulous and the aesthetics were just as great.

Right in line with the restaurant name (translating as flirt), the vibe was definitely flirty! My favorite part of the décor though were the paintings on the wall.

How pretty are these walls?

And, I had a major crush on these light fixtures!

Some other favorite décor details:

The chandelier in the main dining room, some of the large-scale paintings that truly added to the feel of the place, the ceiling above the bar, the toile wallpaper in the restroom, and the seahorse doorknobs!

If you should ever be at or near the Omni – even if you don’t eat at Coquette (which I highly recommend) – I would peek inside and check out the décor!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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brunch at the mayflower

July 12, 2024

Summer is such a fabulous season in Connecticut. There are so many great spots to explore – many that take on an aesthetic excellence during the summer months.

One of these spots is The Mayflower Inn and Spa in Washington, Connecticut. The Mayflower is a luxury country retreat set on 58 private acres of beautifully landscaped gardens and woodland in Litchfield County. The Mayflower always exudes distinguished luxury, but the spectacular grounds make a summer visit extraordinary.

Cacio y pepe beignets served at The Garden Room at The Mayflower Inn and Spa in Washington, Connecticut.

My recent visit to The Mayflower Inn was for brunch in The Garden Room – a beautiful light-filled dining space overlooking the Shakespeare Garden. Though the menu showcases the finest in seasonal and local ingredients, the views were the star of the brunch for me. Two fabulous views: 1. the view of the indoor décor and 2. the view of the outdoor grounds.

From the painted gardens scenes on the walls…

…to the fresh flowers…

the décor provides the perfect garden ambiance – right down to the perfect bathroom wallcovering!

While dining, the outdoor view of the Shakespeare Garden prompts a walk outdoors to visit and appreciate all its nuances!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you are inspired to explore a spot near you!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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lavender iced coffee

May 31, 2024

I love culinary lavender.

A subtle taste of lavender in a drink or a baked item is delicious! So, I was very excited when I heard Starbucks added lavender drinks to its menu. An iced coffee with a hint of lavender sounded very appealing to me! That is, until I actually visited my local Starbucks and found out the only way to get a lavender drink was with the addition of a lavender sugar syrup! “Is there any way to add the lavender to a drink without adding the sugar?” I asked the barista. “The lavender is part of a sugar syrup. That is the only lavender we have” was the response I received. Yuck! Determined to enjoy a lavender iced coffee without sugar, I set out to make my own.

The usual iced coffee I make at home is made from organic coffee. I combine brewed coffee I keep in the fridge with walnut ‘milk’. The walnut ‘milk’ I buy is from Elmhurst and has two ingredients – water, walnuts – that’s it! (These ingredients make my everyday coffee very clean!) Using my usual iced coffee ingredients, I was determined to create a lavender iced coffee. I came up with a very simple way to accomplish this!

I filled a tea infusion ball with culinary lavender and dropped it into a glass jar filled with my walnut ‘milk’. (Use whatever nut ‘milk’ you prefer.) I left this jar in the fridge overnight and by the next morning the milk was infused with a lovely, subtle lavender flavor!

I combined my infused ‘milk’ with some of my cold, pre-brewed coffee and voila! I had a lavender iced coffee with no sugar or other unwanted added ingredients!

The taste of my lavender iced coffee was perfect! (Of course, the longer the lavender remains in the ‘milk’, the stronger the flavor. Overnight was just the right subtle flavor for me.) Mission accomplished!

I hope you will try your own iced coffee creation by creating your favorite flavor(s) in a clean way!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. Be sure to use culinary grade lavender – lavender that is intended for ingesting! It will be marked accordingly. I usually can find it at a bargain at Home Goods or TJ Maxx – in the food aisle. Try it in your scones!

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chocolate bunny beverage servers

March 22, 2024

Want a fun way to serve milk at your Easter breakfast this holiday? Use a hollow chocolate bunny! What child (or child at heart!) wouldn’t like Easter breakfast milk served in a chocolate bunny!

Here I’m using Lindt chocolate bunnies because Lindt 3.5-ounce hollow chocolate bunnies are the perfect size to serve a small drink! (Each bunny holds about 4 ounces.) Plus, they are very easy to find…pretty much any store that sells Easter candy will carry them. I purchased mine at Target. The bunnies are sold wrapped in gold foil with a bow around their neck. The bow color distinguishes the type of chocolate of the bunny…a red bow is milk chocolate; a brown bow is dark chocolate and a cream color bow is white chocolate.

Are you wondering how I got the milk into the bunny? It was pretty easy. I heated up the spout of a small stainless-steel funnel. While the funnel was hot, I gently pushed it into the chocolate bunny to make a hole. I used the funnel to pour milk inside the bunny via the hole and added a straw to serve!

Serving milk in a milk chocolate bunny is the obvious combination of tastes, but there are so many more great combinations!

For my milk chocolate bunny, I poured in banana flavored milk! I think a chocolate milk would also taste great. For a more adult treat – how about Amaretto?!

I decided to pour my favorite beverage – iced coffee – into a dark chocolate bunny. Yummy!! I bet Kahlua or Baileys would taste great in the dark chocolate as well!

For the white chocolate bunny, I poured in strawberry flavored milk – a great flavor combo! For an adult version, I would try Chambord or Limoncello!

Wouldn’t these bunnies make a great favor at Easter brunch or breakfast? Tie a bow onto the bunnies, like I did here, to match your color scheme. How fun for your guests to eat the container when the drink is finished!

I hope you are inspired to serve a beverage from a chocolate bunny this holiday – what will you serve in your bunny?

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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3 Ingredient Organic Brownies

February 9, 2024

I haven’t bought sugar, eggs, butter, or milk in five years, so I’m thrilled when I can make something that tastes like a dessert without using these traditional dessert ingredients. This brownie recipe uses only 3 ingredients and the taste is close enough to the real thing to satisfy any brownie cravings I may have!

To make these, I use all organic ingredients from Trader Joe’s that I pick up during my regular grocery shopping. To make them a little fancier, garnish with walnuts and/or dark chocolate chips (or spread the top with peanut butter ‘frosting’).

3 Ingredient Organic Brownies

3 ripe organic bananas
½ cup organic creamy peanut butter
½ cup organic cacao powder

Line an 8” or 9” square baking pan with parchment paper. Mash the bananas in a medium mixing bowl. Add the peanut butter and mix well. Sift the cacao powder in with the bananas and peanut butter and mix well. Spoon mixture into the baking pan spreading evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees about 27 minutes. Cool completely before cutting.

So easy to make and a great guilt-free treat…just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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free gingerbread house gift wrap

November 24, 2023

Start saving your grocery bags! Trader Joe’s has started using its holiday bags and they are super cute to use as holiday gift wrap! So, forget about adding the bags to your recycling bin and start adding them to your holiday wrapping station!

This year’s holiday bags sport a cute gingerbread house pattern with a light blue accent.

White or light blue ribbon make for a great addition to complete a package.

After wrapping gifts with the bags, use the scraps to make gift tags.

I hope I have inspired you to create some free gift wrap from holiday bags!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. Would you like some other ideas on how to repurpose brown bags? Click here!

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shades of green pumpkins

November 17, 2023

I did a couple posts this fall about color and styling of pumpkins. There is one more color palette I want to mention before we leave this topic!

When styling pumpkins for fall, green is an option we hadn’t really seen in the past. What fun varieties there are now! So, in this post, I am offering up some examples of how the color green can be added to pumpkin vignettes!

Not only are pumpkins offered in a variety of colors, but have you noticed there are pumpkin offerings in softer, muted looking tones?

Of course, a multi-color theme is a styling option as well and incorporating fall flowers is so fun! And though pumpkins come in a variety of colors, fall flowers, like the colors of the falling leaves, are available in even more!