Mop Philosophy Monday

 Slender green beans are so elegant, don't you think?  A simple steam, some butter and maybe a scattering of toasted almonds and you've got a delicious side dish.
I'm working on stretching our food dollars these days, isn't everything so expensive?  A bargain in vegetables just now: the humble zucchini.

 I'm planning to whip up Mollie Katzen's Carrot-Zucchini Pancakes later today.  They would be a beautiful side dish, true, but also brilliant as an after-school snack.

Have some odds and ends of fruit lying around?

 Me too.  It doesn't hurt to simmer down a chutney or a fruit sauce.  How about peach and plum with a little brandy thrown in?

Polishing copper never fails to cheer me up.

 As far as the decorating goes, I'm done for now, I feel I've hit the wall as it were.  The blue and white pillows do add a fresh touch.  Especially in contrast to a textured apricot throw pillow.

 I was planning to search high and low for the perfect coffee table, but no.  Instead I threw this old wooden tray on an ottoman I already had.

 I think it's fine!

And the big news of the day.... GetFresh's Birthday!!

Happy Birthday to our GetFresh!  It falls on a Mop Philosophy Monday and that can only mean one thing: a great year ahead!
Enjoy your day Darlings,
xoxDani

Sunday Best

"Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance."
Saint Francis of Assisi

Today was St. Francis Day at our church service and all the household pets of the congregation were there for a blessing.  It was a comedy!  I have to say, they got along surprisingly well.  It must have been the spirit of St. Francis hovering over them...
I hope you've had a happy Sunday.
xoxDani

Siegfried Farnon: Sartorial Inspiration

I've been assembling my closet into a fall colour story and the whole thing has been reminding me of something... or of someone, who is it?  I've been scouring my brain for the answer...

 It's definitely Siegfried Farnon and The Whole Yorkshire Look!

 We've spent many happy hours watching episode after episode of Creatures Great and Small these last several months.  We fell head over heels for the scenery, so much so that we've booked a holiday next summer in the Yorkshire Dales.

I know exactly whose look I'm going to emulate for that packing-up.

 I'm missing a few key accessories: the signature yellow vest, the pipe and the tweed hat.  Siegfried does enjoy the brandy and so do I, he is an excellent horseman and I am terrified to ride horses so I'm definitely lacking there...

My Siegfried Farnon Inspired Tweed Jacket

Well, it's a work in progress, like so many things.

Do you have any unexpected Sartorial Inspirations?
xoxDani

Mop Philosophy Monday

 I just don't think you can ever go wrong with potatoes.  I've never met a single person who doesn't like them.  Have you?  If so you must tell and we need to hear the whole story.

 Besides buying three more bags of delicious potatoes at the grocery store I picked up these little gourds.  So autumnal.

I've definitely been going through one of those nesting phases.  My furniture has been taking many trips back and forth to the upholsterers.

How do you like MrBP's "new" reading chair?

 I sourced the chintz from the Designer Fabric Outlet in Toronto.  In the end I needed nine yards!  Bigger patterns will do that.

I rescued an old broken-down chair:

 I wish I had taken a "before" picture as this was in terrible condition.  It was covered with a hideous green velvet and had springs and other scary things sticking out of it everywhere.

It is clear to see that the Blue Inspiration came from the rug.

 Other news in nesting: Autumn Smells.  I have just discovered Diptyque candles and it was love at first smell.  Have you had a sniff of this one, Feu de Bois?  It smells exactly like a roaring fireplace.  How they do that I have no idea.

Of course you can't go wrong with cookies to scent the whole house with fabulousness, with the added benefit of cheering everybody up immensely.

Lyle's Golden Syrup Cookies

 I hope your week is off to an excellent beginning.  Doing any nesting?  Embracing autumn?
xoxDani

Sunday Best: Tree of Life

We need to be "grounded" in life; but there's quite a difference between a boat that has been grounded on the rocks and the way a tree is grounded in the soil, in which its roots, very much alive, keep the tree centred and steady while actively drawing nourishment from the well of life.  We want to be grounded like a tree - to be "rooted and grounded in love." -Brother Curtis Almquist

Have a wonderful Sunday,
xoxDani

Mop Philosophy Book Club: To The Lighthouse

Godrevy Lighthouse
St Ives, Cornwall

 Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse completely took me by surprise!  I have had this book on my "to read" list for years and I had some preconceptions about it.  I am not sure of the origins of my ideas about the book as they were completely off base.  In the end I found it a pleasurable read, and though many passages were "psychological poetry" I did not find it difficult, though I did find it a challenge.

How so?  To be so completely immersed in the inner thoughts of the characters was a challenge for the absolute seriousness of their thought processes.  The idea that kept occurring to me was that no-one has thoughts this dour!  Each character, to me, seemed fairly plunged into gloom, perseverating on the same themes, winding around in circles of both self-consciousness and ambitions of belonging.
Reading each character's stream was an immersive experience, to the point that I found myself going off on my own thoughts and coming around again only to realize I'd read half a page and hadn't taken a thing in!  So while I enjoyed this thought immersion, I also found myself unable to read it if I wasn't paying particular attention to focussing on the character.  Did anyone else have this experience?

As you probably know if you have done any bit of reading on the book we are dealing with quite a bit of autobiography here.  Virginia Woolf's own family had a summer home in Cornwall and there was a lighthouse located out to sea, past similar gardens and a bay.  The character Mrs. Ramsay was modelled on Virginia Woolf's mother, who died when Virginia was only 13.
The sometimes frustrating thought process of Lily Briscoe was an exploration of Virginia Woolf's own writing methods, as well as a nod to her sister Vanessa Bell, the painter.
James is modelled on their brother Adrian.

 Did I enjoy the book?  My most favourite section was Time Passes, when we are immersed in the house rather than any particular character, though Mrs McNab the caretaker does add in her own thought process as she "lurches and leers" around the house on occasion, cleaning and attempting to keep the ravages of time at bay.
The house as well as time itself become characters of some importance:
"So with the house empty and the doors locked and the mattresses rolled round, those stray airs, advance guards of great armies, blustered in, brushed bare boards, nibbled and fanned, met nothing in bedroom or drawing-room that wholly resisted them but only hangings that flapped, wood that creaked, the bare legs of tables, saucepan and china already furred, tarnished, cracked." (Chapter 4, Time Passes)

I enjoyed this essay on the novel:  Virginia Woolf Explores and English Country Home (NYT)

I really liked this biography:  Virginia Woolf Biography 

As well as this take on the book:  To The Lighthouse is really a book about summer holidays.

However what I'm really looking forward to is any thoughts you might have on the book, whether you've read all or part, don't be shy, chime in!
xoxDani

The Best Use of Harris Tweed

J.Crew Collection Cafe Capri in Harris Tweed

 I had a look at the new fall arrivals yesterday at J.Crew.  I saw these little pants in a Harris Tweed.
Oh goody!  I adore a charming Harris Tweed.  I have an older J.Crew jacket in a Harris Tweed that's a bit too big, it's in the consignment box.  I'm not sad about it because I bought a better fitting Harris Tweed jacket last year from Brora.

Brora's Current Harris Tweed Jacket
Terrific shade of deep green.

 Then I started thinking about it... cropped pants in a Harris Tweed?  If you have ever worn a Harris Tweed you will know that it is an incredibly warm and resilient fabric, quite thick and impervious to the elements.  Those are going to be some thick little pants.  And a cropped leg?  Does this not demand a sweet shoe with bare ankles?  Wouldn't some proper boots cause the pant legs to be shoved in an awkward manner resulting in the fabric buckling around the knees?

I think a better use of the Harris Tweed fabric (besides the obvious and practical choice of a jacket) would be in a tidy little skirt.

Maggie Skirt in Woodland Green Harris Tweed from The Rose

As you may know I found just such an item at The Rose.  It looks darling with my Brora Harris Tweed jacket purchased last year.
Harris Tweed's are like that, they enjoy being next to each other.

Cozy-in little tweeds: Brora jacket with a skirt from The Rose.
Printed wool scarf also from The Rose.

So happy together.

 In case you are worried about the versatility of a Harris Tweed jacket, worry no further.  Not only can it be worn with the skirt, riding pants and some kind of boot form a no-nonsense outfit:

Brora Harris Tweed with Brooks Brothers riding pants.

 I like to wear my jacket over a Brora Liberty print dress in an easy jersey:

 The skirt does quite well with a simple cashmere jumper or rather sumptuous print silk blouse.  Harris Tweed has such depth of colour that it seems to look good with everything.  Layer the jacket over the skirt and various toppings to leave the house:

From the left: skirt from The Rose.  Blouse and jumpers from Brora.

Thinking the skirt is rather plain?

 Check out the saucy yet pretty lining with a trimming of lace.

The seams are well sewn and the skirt is throw on and go with a neat zipper at the back.

Well you know how I feel about it, Harris Tweed is best used on a jacket or a skirt, but what do you think?  Would you go for the pants?  If so how would you style them?
xoxDani

Mop Philosophy Monday

 I've had these old cushions for years and once again they are taking on a starring role in my living room.  I'm doing a little re-decorating featuring blues and reds.

 The September flowers mesh with the theme nicely.  How do you like them in the copper champagne bucket?  Copper is such a festive, autumnal colour, don't you think?


We've embarked on a big project: having our dining room chairs re-upholstered.  We bought our dining set six years ago, sourced at an estate sale.  One of the best things about it is that it came with TEN chairs.

Here's a look at our chairs BEFORE.  You can see the dusty rose pink and blue stripe through the filthy dirt they've accumulated these last years.  Well, they weren't pristine when we bought them but of course The Rascals really did the number on them!
Some of them were covered with red glitter glue, it's true.

Dining Chair BEFORE

Dining Chair AFTER

 I chose an extremely heavy 100% linen fabric in shades of ivory and aqua.  I thought about finding something really dark to deal with Rascal Mess but I think I have them trained now to wipe their hands on their napkins... not their chairs.
The red glitter glue will have to be kept well away from the dining room.

I thought I'd share my recipes for my Sunday Best lunch.

I've been working on perfecting my vinaigrette recipe.  These days I am finding a shallot vinaigrette just the thing.  The key is to chop up your shallot, soak it in a tablespoon of white vinegar and a bit of salt, and then add in about three times as much oil after an hour or so.
Shake it up and you're good to go.  I made two lots, one of them featuring some fresh dill.

I go through stages of being crazy for different herbs.  Right now it's dill.  I've been adding lots of fresh dill to a mixed green salad, try it, it's delicious!

 Since I had this giant clump of dill hanging around I decided to saute it with my chicken for lunch.  The chicken is chopped into bits to ensure even cooking throughout, sauteed in butter and some garlic olive oil as well as the dill.  I just flick it around until it browns up nicely.

 About 10 minutes before serving you'll want to add in some heavy cream, about a third of a cup.  This will bubble up and thicken, creating the most delicious sauce.  It is Rascal Approved.

The frites that accompanied this lunch take it into Delicious Bistro Food Territory.  I love some oven fries and they're so easy.  Simply chop your scrubbed potatoes into matchsticks, I'm not the best chopper in the world so mine are usually chubby matchsticks.  Then scatter them all over a large baking sheet which has been lined with parchment paper.  The parchment paper is KEY.  My theory is it crisps them up.

 Once scattered you'll want to glug olive oil (or grapeseed oil) over all of them, don't be shy with it, they need the fat for maximum deliciousness.
Then sprinkle liberally with a fine sea salt, throw them in your 350 oven and remove when they are perfectly golden brown.

You can see this makes a fresh yet filling lunch!

I like this so much I'm going to make it for dinner tomorrow night.  I'm not sure I could ever get tired of it!
I hope your week is off to a brilliant start.
xoxDani

Sunday Best

Pearls, a natural complement to Sunday Best.
Stored in the bowl that was a gift from Wendy, they are even more special.

 It has been my experience that a Sunday can either be the best day of the week or the most horrible.  It can be a day of grace, blessings, good food, handshakes, smiles and naps or it can be a day of dread:    the emptiness at the end of a weekend, the prospect of work to be done, chores to be organized and the nervousness that grips us as we contemplate a new, and perhaps tiring, week.

I have the solution to this, well there's only one solution, and it involves making certain that Sunday is your Best Day.

My recipe for Sunday Best:  Sleep in, but not too late.  Make something nice for breakfast, do some soothing stretches or go for a walk, then haul your Sunday Best Outfits out of your cupboard.

Brora Tweed Suit
Brooks Brothers Ten Button Jacket and Skirt
Smythson Antonia Clutch

 I have two skirt suits that make up my Sunday Best, a couple of Brora cashmere jumpers, a nice small handbag in a festive shade of red, and some really pretty shoes.
I can interchange the skirt suits with each other and I did the math: it totals four outfits.  That's a month of Sundays right there.

Classic Salvatore Ferragamo Black Pumps with Bow
Sunday Best Shoes

 Going to church is a priority for me.  I grew up in the Catholic faith and now I attend Anglican service, it's a fairly "High Anglican" service so it speaks to the Catholic in me.  We were married there, our youngest rascal christened there, it's where I like to be on a Sunday morning, at 10:30, wearing my Sunday Best and with the hymn book in my hand.

I'm thinking of making Sunday Best a regular feature of the blog.  I'd love to share with you some thoughts and quotes that I might take away from the Homily or the bulletin at my service.  I often feel so inspired that I am brought to tears.  Now I am not encouraging crying by any means but you may also find some grace in a little thought or quote.  Being religious is not a requirement.

You don't have to be religious to contemplate love.  This, from today's bulletin:

"LOVE...

God invites us to inhabit love, as we might inhabit music.  Love is a kind of silent music- a still, small voice, a sound of sheer silence- that surrounds us on every side.  The music of a still small voice that can so easily be overwhelmed by the cacophony of our lives."
(Br. Mark Brown SSJE)

Sunday Lunch

Love can also be found in home-cooked food, which is why I like to trot home from church, throw my apron on over my Sunday Best, and cook up a proper lunch.
Today it was oven roasted frites, salad with fresh dill and chicken sauteed in a cream sauce.  If you'd like the recipes head back tomorrow, that will be a feature on Mop Philosophy Monday.

How do you make Sunday your Best Day?  Have you also had the experience of Sunday as the Most Horrible Day?
Hope this Sunday holds lots of Love for you,
xoxDani

Cozy Brights

 The temperature has dropped just in time for a cozy weekend at home.  I have a stack of magazines and a great book to read, ( ...To The Lighthouse... blog book club is next weekend!) so you know where to find me, that's right, cozy on my bed under this lambswool throw.

I found the perfect colour combination in a throw, it had to be a certain mix of blues and greens to tie in with the painting that hangs above the bed.  (Do you remember my "Picture Window"? )

I found it at LLBean of all places.  It comes in three different colours and it was made in Ireland, you can see it here.

It's cozy yet bright at the same time.  Somehow it makes the painting look even more beautiful, it fairly leaps off the wall.
I hope you have an excellent weekend with some cozy activities planned!
xoxDani