family weekend

 Be still, my heart! This brown-eyed beauty is my second cousin, whom I met for the first time this weekend. Most of the people in my family are fair-haired and blue-eyed, so what a wonder to behold those dark eyes. Eyes just like her daddy. 

We celebrated the baby's first birthday at my aunt's house. Baby Cousin's birthday technically isn't until July 21st (which is also my deceased son, Philip's birthday, so how special is that?) but since they live out-of-state and were in town for the weekend, we had an early celebration. My mom made a delicious carrot cake, which was totally vegan. We don't have any vegans in our family, but we have several who are lactose-intolerant, so there was no dairy in this cake. The cream cheese is made from almond milk. The cake was absolutely delicious. My normal, healthy, everyday eating doesn't include sugar, but I made an exception for this cake. 

Baby Cousin obviously loved her birthday cake, too. Her mama told me she's never had sweets or sugar before, so this was a first. 

Of course, Sunday was Father's Day. My dad passed away 17-1/2 years ago. He wasn't a hands-on dad (I know not many were "back in the day"), was very strict, and wasn't the huggy-lovey type, but I knew that he loved us in his own way. He was a very intelligent, well-read and well-spoken man, with a quick temper and a dry wit. That's me on the left and my sister on the right. Don't you love our Farrah Fawcett-type hairdos? This was around 1979.

Tim came home for Father's Day and we grilled marinated chicken breasts, ribeye burgers, and potato-onion foil packets. We also had an Israeli couscous veggie salad, fruit salad, and homemade baked beans - all leftover from my cousin's party. Tim gifted Brian with a veggie grill pan, which will really come in handy next time we barbeque.

We were teasing Tim and saying Happy Father's Day to him, as Zippo is his baby...Tim was the one who found Zippo on our property as a stray, almost 17 years ago. Yes, Zippo is 17! He was about three months old when he showed up at our house. As you can tell by the photo, Zippo is a very relaxed kitty and loves to be held like a baby. He certainly doesn't look 17, does he? He's very healthy except for a little arthritis in his back legs and one eye being dilated all the time due to some sinus pressure in his head. My cats see a holistic vet and Zippo has homeopathic drops that are custom-made for his conditions.

And today ~ the first day of summer for those of us in the Northern hemisphere. It's been very hot and humid here, but I won't complain. It certainly beats our winter weather. You don't have to shovel sunshine! :-)

easter aftermath

 Hello! If you observe Easter or Passover, I hope that you had a lovely celebration with family or friends this past weekend. Twelve of us family members gathered at my mom's house on Sunday for Easter dinner around her beautifully set table.

 We had so much food! The main dishes were ham (Mom got a nitrate-free one at Trader Joes) and pasta with a homemade marinara sauce. The buffet was set with those dishes plus all the sides that everyone brought ~ sweet potato souffle, corn casserole, tossed salad, glazed carrots, mashed potatoes, and marinated asparagus. We have a few lactose-intolerant people in our family, so we try to make as many dairy-free recipes as possible. I'll post the recipes for my own creation of glazed carrots and the marinated asparagus at the end of this post. Both were gobbled up and raved about. Mom also made homemade rolls and had them warm in a basket on the table.

My sister made the prettiest spring jello salad!

For dessert, Mom made this gorgeous chocolate cake with strawberry buttercream frosting from the March 2015 issue of Better Homes and Gardens. You can find the recipe here.

 Even better than the food was being with family. My teenage nieces never let me take their photo. Typical at this age, right? But yet they'll do selfies. I don't get it. I guess because when they do selfies, they're in control of the photo. OK, I do get that from a teenage point-of-view. I wish teenage girls could somehow realize how truly beautiful they are instead of being self-conscious and critical of themselves. I love my girls and hope they can spend a weekend at their Auntie Mimi's (that's me!) house soon. My oldest niece will be graduating high school this year. So hard to believe. How did they grow up so quickly?

My handsome cousin enjoyed his food out on the deck. He is so kind and warm-hearted and has always been there for me ~ yes, even through my own gawky, critical, self-conscious teenage years. He's six years older than me, so I always looked up to him. Of course, I thought he was so cool, too. He had the best disco records.

 

My mom - superwoman of the day! And her little fluff ball, LuLu, too.

Lastly, me and my "baby". The sun was so bright, so pardon my squinty eyes. Tim was smart and chose to keep his sunglasses on.

 

GLAZED CARROTS

(Recipe by Melanie Riley)

1 lb organic carrots, peeled and sliced into coins

4 T organic cold-pressed coconut oil

3 T organic pure maple syrup

2 T whiskey or bourbon

Salt & pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the coconut oil. Add the carrots, give them a stir, and then put a lid on the pan. Turn the heat to medium-low and let simmer in the oil for about 10 minutes, or until carrots are tender. (Check them with a fork; if not tender enough, cook a couple of minutes longer.) Stir in the maple syrup and whiskey (or bourbon). Add salt and pepper to taste. 

MARINATED ASPARAGUS

2 lbs fresh asparagus

3/4 c quality olive oil

1/2 c white wine vinegar OR white balsamic vinegar

1 T dried basil

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 green onions, chopped

Place asparagus in a large skillet. Add 1/2" of water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Rinse in cold water and drain. Refrigerate 2-3 hours. Arrange asparagus in a shallow dish. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over asparagus. Let stand at room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving.

the love of vintage runs in the family

Hello!

I switched a few things around in the living room again.

Here's the before with the white stool and the small chests and lots of plants.

(My plans still stand to get rid of the black and white prints and put up a big 

shelf to use as a mantle.)

I took the large vintage suitcases that I was using beside the couch...

 and stacked them where the stool and smaller chests once were.

I'm now using my grandma's table as a side table where the large suitcases were. 

The lamp base belonged to my grandma, too.

 Speaking of family and their lovely vintage things, this past weekend we

visited extended family 2-1/2 hours south of us. We all connected the past

couple of years when my great-aunt was ill. Otherwise, I hadn't seen these

family members in about 35 years. We all gathered for lunch at a restaurant, then

went to my second cousin's house for dessert and talk. I'd never been to my

cousin's house out in the country. Her dad - my great-uncle -  used to own an antique

 store (and he still sells antique furniture in a booth at a store) and I knew  she sold 

vintage items on eBay and etsy, so I wasn't surprised that her house was filled with 

beautiful antique furniture and vintage collectibles.

This was one of my favorite pieces - a library card catalog cabinet.

 Another favorite was this curio cabinet-desk. I love the curved glass of the cabinet

and the leaded glass above the desk area.

A vintage bread board was filled with pumpkins and gourds from my cousin's property

 and used as a centerpiece. 

 I don't have one favorite decorating style ~ I also like contemporary, mid-century

modern, cottage, and a little farmhouse and french country ~ but vintage will always

have my heart.

Sharing this post at Cozy Little House: Tweak it Tuesday.

family gifts

 I went to visit my great-aunt yesterday. Aunt Sylvia - or "Sibo" - as we've always

affectionately called her - is now in her early 90's and has severe dementia.

Her son, my second cousin whom I've always been very close to and totally

adore, took care of his mom with no outside help up until about six weeks ago,

when he just couldn't do it anymore. Sibo is now in an assisted living facility

unlike any place I've ever seen before. Instead of your traditional nursing home

setting, this is a group of four ranch houses in a quiet neighborhood, where a

qualified husband and wife team lives in each one and takes care of the 

residents. Of course, there are medical staff that come by just about every day,

but for the elderly to be in a "real" home and have 24/7 care is so awesome.

My cousin is so happy and at peace with the care that is mother is receiving.

The last time I visited with Aunt Sibo was in August, so only two months ago.

I couldn't believe how much she's gone downhill since then. It was so sad

to see her totally incapacitated now. She slept most of the time and barely 

opened her eyes when we were there. She can't walk anymore and what little

speech she has is all garbled. Her petite frame is now just a bag of bones.

Other relatives from downstate whom I don't see very often, were there to

visit too, and at the end of our visit when the hospice chaplain prayed with

all of us, there were many tears. We were able to go out to lunch afterwards

and sat and talked for a couple of hours. Lots of hugs and gratefulness

for each other ended our visit. There is a lot of strife with other family members

over certain issues right now, and it's truly a shame. Life is just too short.

Anyway...my dear cousin was kind enough to give me some things that

belonged to my Aunt Sibo. He knows my tastes and what I like.

He was going through the china cabinet in his house and found these

beautiful napkins and dishtowels. Perfect colors for my kitchen!

 How gorgeous is this Fenton milk glass cake plate? Be still, my heart.

I could see this cake plate used for so many things, but for right now, it's

on the living room buffet. I think Aunt Sibo would be happy to know that

her things are with me and will be used with love and appreciated.

Do you have any family heirlooms from beloved relatives?