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autumn 2018 at terrain

September 18, 2018

ringing in fall at Terrain Westport

I was kicking and screaming over the whole season change.  Summer wasn’t going away easy for me…and then, I took a trip to Terrain.  I should have known better.  I should have saw it coming.  One trip and I was sucked in – dreaming of all things pumpkin towers and fall colors!

terrain autumn time

white pumpkins Terrain Westport

basket of mums at Terrain

I am sharing some of my favorite glimpses here…you will see what I am talking about!

different shades of pumpkin stack

fall color at Terrain Westport

serious stem envy

Serious stem envy! I had to buy this little fella…I needed the stem for making velvet pumpkins!

I always feel sorry for those who don’t have a Terrain nearby to visit!  There is no better way to kick off any of the seasons than a visit to Terrain!

fall can be purple

Trellis at Terrain

Stop back on Friday and I will share some more…even a small glimpse is hard to contain to one post!

baskets of gourds

5 pumpkin tower

bumpy pumpkins at Terrain

Thank you for stopping by!

outside wall terrain

dueling towers

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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new life for my fern container

September 14, 2018

finished succulent rocks

I had a lovely little potted fern.  It always put a smile on my face.  I received it as a favor at a wedding shower and I always loved it.  I even tucked a little bird inside of it!

fern casualtySo, I was really disappointed when my fern died – I had enjoyed it for years!

I decided not to put another living plant inside the cute little container the fern lived in, but I did want to reuse it.  Since I’d been painting rocks recently, a rock painting came to mind right away!

For today’s Friday field trip, look at the quick and easy rock painting I made for my fern container!  (I was inspired by the succulent Easter eggs I made last year!  Click here to see them.)

painting the rocks

A very simplistic design can bring satisfying results!  I hope I have inspired you to paint some!  If you want to keep your rocks outside, be sure to spray them with clear coat to protect against the elements!

succulent rocks

Of course, if I was embracing the season, I would have painted some pumpkin rocks ;) !

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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beat it fall!

September 11, 2018

doormat

I am not accepting fall gracefully this year!  I didn’t have enough time to enjoy the summer and I am kind of bitter about the change of season!

I haven’t even begun to think about changing up my décor, though I did need to add a blanket to my bed last night.  And, I must confess, we had a fire lit in the fireplace last night.

Still!  I want to keep summer alive!

In an attempt to let summer go gracefully, I started combining the seasons…one way I’m accomplishing this is in the garden.  Instead of pulling up the summer annuals and planting fall blooms, I have started combining the two!

parsley and mums

Here is one example.  In my cosmos/parsley container, I removed the wilted cosmos and let the parsley hang on for dear life while I added some mums. If we don’t get an early frost that kills the parsley, it will look great combined with the mums when they are in full bloom!

mixing seasons

I am looking around for some additional ways to combine seasonal plants around my yard.  How about you?  Have you combined fall and summer plants in your garden?  I would love to hear about your combinations!

close up of parsley and mums

Thanks for stopping by!

Fall quote

Have a great week and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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change of season

September 7, 2018

a sign of fall

It’s funny how much I love the change of season when it is becoming summer…but, when summer is leaving – not so much!

grasses outdoors

enjoying labor day 2018

Nature is starting to send some subtle signs of the approaching season and it makes me feel sad…

queen anne's lace

Today on Friday field trip, the photos I am sharing are from my Labor Day weekend in New York state.

how to relax in the trees

I hope yours was as good as mine!

rise and shine labor day 2018

Have a wonderful weekend!  Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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grilled cherry tomato skewers

September 4, 2018

making cherry tomato skewers

As a kid, I would never even consider eating a tomato!  Not sure why, because, as an adult, I look forward to this time of year when local tomatoes are beautifully ripe and ready to enjoy!

There are so many wonderful ways to eat tomatoes.  You can’t beat a tomato tart when made with fresh, ripe produce!  (Click here for a great recipe.)

tomato skewers on the grill

Another fabulous, but very simple way to eat a tomato is grilled.  And, skewers of cherry tomatoes, hot off the grill, are so very flavorful!  I love eating grilled cherry tomatoes on toast spread with goat cheese.  Or, just all on their own, sprinkled with salt!

cherry tomatoes cooked and ready from the grill

Grilling skewers of cherry tomatoes is simple enough.  If I am using them on toast, I just grill them, as is, on skewers.  I season them once they are on the bread.  If I am eating them plain, I first toss them in a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper before skewering and grilling.  Either way, they grill up fast and taste fabulous!  Heating them up makes their flavor explode!

tomatoes and basil skewer recipe

So, if you have a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes…or, have just picked some up at your local farmers market, be sure to try some skewered and heated on the grill!  Tasty!

skewers for grill

Remember to take pleasure in simple things…like seasonally delicious tomatoes!

skewers on the grill

Thanks for stopping by, Jackie

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summer in the city

August 31, 2018

party in battery park

Are you gearing up for this holiday weekend?   I look forward to my family being together for a laid back weekend with friends.   We call it “No Labor Day” – a much more accurate name for the weekend activities!

flowers battery park gardens

I am doing my best to grasp every last, wonderful bit of summer!  I hope you are able to enjoy some “No Labor Day” time as well.  Have a wonderful weekend!

statue of liberty from battery park

The photos today on Friday field trip were taken at Battery Park while attending a family party.  It was a wonderful summer day in New York City!

lady liberty in distance

Thanks for stopping by!

statue of liberty photo op

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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sprinkled with love

August 28, 2018

baby shower sprinkle theme cake

I truly believe personalization is the key to a great party.  And, creating favors that do a great job of embracing the occasion are a key component of any successful celebration!

I have a great example from a recent family baby shower I wanted to share – it should definitely get your creative juices flowing!

So, the mom-to-be had a passion for a particular brand of sprinkles. The future dad had always loved animal crackers.  What better way to personalize a baby shower favor, than to incorporate these 2 loves!  How?

animal crackers sprinkled with love

To execute this into a baby shower favor, a tin baby-sized cup was used to house some animal crackers.  To elevate the garden variety animal cracker, they were dipped into white chocolate and then sprinkles before getting packaged in cellphone bags.  Baby bracelets crafted of beads by the grandma-to-be were attached to each cup as a place card and a ‘sprinkled with love’ tag was added.  Cute, right?  Of course, there were many ways to carry through the sprinkles (like the cake!) and animal themes throughout the rest of the party!

animals and sprinkles

Can you think of a cool way to incorporate personal elements into the favors you create for your next celebration?

sprinkle shower theme

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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september book giveaway!

August 24, 2018

book and pencil giveaway pleasure in simple things

Because of my unplanned summer hiatus, I am changing up the timing of my monthly giveaway a little bit.  Today I am announcing the July winner and at the same time, I am putting up the September giveaway.  This gives you a little extra time – from now until the end of September – to leave a comment for a chance to win this September giveaway.

I don’t know about you, but I constantly seem to be bombarded with creative ideas just when it is time to drift off to sleep!  (Either then, or in the middle of washing my hair in the shower!)  In an effort not to lose my marvelous thought, I have to quickly locate a pencil and paper to jot down my thoughts or I can not get to sleep!  So, when I saw this book, I had to pick it up to use as a monthly giveaway!  The title:  Can’t Sleep Write Now…a nocturnal journal for tireless thinkers.  The perfect journal to keep bedside!

giveaway pencils with reading sayings

In addition to the journal, I am including in the giveaway, some custom pencils I had imprinted with ‘bookish’ phrases and a custom designed bookmark.  Just leave a comment and you will have a chance to win this giveaway!

September giveaway

Congratulations to Diane, winner of the July giveaway – the Kate Spade notebook.  To see more, click here.

Thanks for the lovely email message Diane!  Enjoy the notebook, I know you will put this win to good use!

Instagram users, please read on!  From now until the end of September, please share your favorite reads from this summer.  Just share a photo with hashtag #pleasuregram.  I will be sharing some on my Instagram stories.  I was able to get some great advance copies and I have some recommendations to share!  (How many of you have read Educated this summer?  Amazing, right?)

september 2018 instagram challenge

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

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cereal treat bowls

August 21, 2018

a pb mousse in choc cereal treat bowl

Cereal treat dessert bowls have been popular for a while now.  I thought I’d give it a try just once so I could put my own spin on it.

Since everything I’ve seen has been made with plain rice or fruit cereal, I decided to make some cereal treat bowls with a chocolate cereal.  And what flavor goes best with chocolate?  A darker chocolate?  Coffee?  Raspberry?  Peanut butter?  That’s it!  I decided on peanut butter.

Peanut butter mousse in a chocolate cereal bowl sounds like a good combination!

a chocolate cereal treat bowls by pleasure in simple things

I made the standard cereal treat recipe of 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, 10 oz. of melted marshmallows, and 6 cups of cereal.  I lightly sprayed some small bowls with cooking spray (and sprayed a little on my hands as well).   Using my favorite little Anthro bowls as a guide, I spooned the mixture into them and used my fingers to form the mixture into a bowl shape.  Since I don’t have air-conditioning, I popped them into the fridge for a little bit to set them up.

a choc cereal bowls with peanut butter mousse

I chose little bowls to make a nice sized individual serving, but you can make your bowls in any size you’d like!  Since I am making a mousse to put inside, I am leaving them as is.  If you plan on putting something more liquidy (I know this probably isn’t a word) than a mousse, I would suggest melting some chocolate and spreading a coat to harden on the bottom before adding anything so it will act as a seal and prevent any of your dessert from leaking out.

a filled choc treat shell with pb

For the peanut butter mixture – kind of a cross between a mousse and a cheesecake – I beat together 4 oz. cream cheese, 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 2/3 cup heavy cream till smooth and then beat on high speed for a minute or two.  I spooned this into the cups and garnished them with milk chocolate shavings.  I think peanut butter ice cream would have been a better choice than the mousse idea.  Whatever you spoon into the dessert bowls, be sure to do it just before serving so the bowls don’t get soggy.

Make a cereal treat bowl.  Check.  Have you tried making one?  What did you serve inside it?

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great week!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. If you liked this, click here to see a similar treat I made recently…peanut butter cereal treat bites.

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white flowers are the best flowers

August 17, 2018

part of the moon garden on a rainy day

One of the first perennial borders planted by the founders of White Flower Farm was pure white. (For a short time, the owners even considered growing and offering only white-flowered perennials and shrubs..I wish that was carried through!)

pleasure in simple things blog moon garden

ferns at Whites

I call my all-white garden a ‘virgin’ garden.  At White’s, the all-white garden is called a ‘moon’ garden.  The white border is planted with a white tree wisteria and looks crisp and refreshing during the day and positively glows at twilight – the reason for its name!

white cosmos and white house

pretty white flowers pleasure in simple things blog

This garden is my favorite at the farm, but visitors can’t get too close to admire it.  This changes once a year when White’s has their open house.  During the open house tour – and the best part of it – visitors can get up close and personal to the fabulous moon garden!

daisies in the rain

white flowers in moon garden

This year, the open house happened on a rainy day, but I wasn’t going to miss the tour and my chance to get close to the moon garden!

pretty contrast in the moon garden

rock staircase Whites

Today, on Friday field trip, I am sharing some photos from the beautiful moon garden at White Flower Farm in Morris, Connecticut.  Enjoy!

moon garden against the trees

white cosmos pleasure in simple things blog

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fabulous weekend!

Tiers of white flowerswhite mass of flowers

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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