The Mop Philosopher's Mail

Source: The Philosopher's Mail

This morning I came across maybe the best thing I have ever found on the internet: The Philosopher's Mail.
It wasn't exactly created for us Mop Philosopher's but it might have been.
Try this bit of news: Victoria Beckham is a philosopher.
Then go on and read everything else.  Created by the brilliant Alain de Botton this news feed takes the ghastly and gets us pondering.
Hope your day is bright Tooties,
xoxDani

Mop Philosophy Monday

 I'm feeling so happy every single time I look at these yellow notecards with their royal emblem, are they not cheering and perfect?  They were a gift from an extremely thoughtful friend.  Some people know just the thing and they know just when to gift it.  That's talent + intelligence.

 I've been drinking pints of tea instead of pints of something else I'd rather be drinking.

 You know what I'm talking about.

 I polished my copper pots...

 but not the chandelier in the parlour, though I did think about it.

 I made some vegetable soup, inspired by our beautiful Janet of course!

 These soup bowls from Williams Sonoma have been little kitchen soldiers.  You can see they're a bit chipped but none the worse for the wear.

I bought a new refrigerator, it's from Fisher&Paykel.  I know it's wrong to love things but I love my new refrigerator.

 My favourite fridge accessory, the bottle of Veuve Cliquot, seems happier too.

 We went out for lunch on Saturday and MrBP was wearing such an attractive coat-with-scarf-over-flannel-shirt that I asked him to pose for the blog.  He didn't mind one bit, well you can see for yourself that the outfit gave him confidence.

 I've been noting down any ideas in my little Smythson book, also a gift from friends who know just how much I love a monogram.

 I'm not sure how to deal with the fact that Scout is not enjoying having her picture taken but I think her body language tells a thousand tales:

Scout, smile! Hmph.

 Doesn't she know that she's a dog with a blog?  She's going to have to learn the art of the blog pose.  Don't worry, it's part of our puppy training program, we're on it.

 I fluffed my pillows because it's always something I forget to do.  Now I make myself check those cushions every time I walk past.  How do they get squished and rumpled so quickly?  It's a mystery.

 I like a woven wicker tray even though they collect dust like the dickens.

I definitely owe you all a Rebecca Update:  she is emerging from the snow, I think she looks Victorious:

Rebecca in the garden, emerging from the snow.

 I didn't want to frighten you with pictures of our garden last week, we were pretty much buried.  You can see it is melting and someday, someday we might even see the ground once more.

Look we have far less snow.

I won't hold my breath though.

I hope your week starts off brilliant and stays that way.
xoxDani

Mop Philosophy Monday

 The February flowers were pretty and bright, weren't they?

They reminded me of this fetching scene in Paris, way back in July 2011:

 We all miss Paris!

Speaking of blast-from-the-past how about my daughter in her Too Much Leopard? outfit:

 I guess that little apple didn't fall far from the tree:

 Have a look at my going-out-for-dinner get-ups and you can see the theme.

Speaking of going-out-get-ups, have you had a look at the devastatingly gorgeous Ziegfeld Collection over at Tiffany&Co?

 I wouldn't turn away any of these jewels, how about you?

 Wondering about the next Mop Philosophy Book Club selection?

Wonder no further: in honour of Scout why don't we read To Kill a Mockingbird, what do you say?  A classic if ever there was one.   We'll discuss it on March 29th.  I've read it twice before: as a teenager and then again in my 20's.  I'm definitely overdue for a re-visit, how about you?
I hope your week starts off with plenty of cheer.
xoxDani

Mop Philosophy Monday

 I've been keeping my cleaning supplies organized in a basket right on top of the kitchen counter.  I think I was anticipating more of a mess with the puppy than she's actually creating.  What a good Scout she is.

 Everyone likes a stack of fresh towels.

Since I'm spending so much time in the kitchen with the pup I decided to use the hours for good not evil.  I refreshed the white wooden trim all around the windows: it makes everything look so much cleaner, don't you think?

Speaking of angel-like behaviour, I've been trying to keep up with my New Year's Resolution of eating more cognac filled chocolates:

It's going pretty well.

I'm taking lots of snowy walks in the backyard with you-know-who.  

 MrBP and Young Rascal have been playing a bit of chess.  Young Rascal is the only girl in her chess club.  The boys were giving her the gears until she beat last year's champion, hehehe.

 It's lovely to sit in the living room while the chess shenanigans are going on because the whole entire room is scented with Reggie Darling's Potpourri:

It's actually Agraria's Bitter Orange Potpourri which Reggie has recommended, well he would never steer us wrong would he?  You can read his post on the subject here.

I hope today is the start of a wonderful week for you.
xoxDani

Sunday With Scout

 Scout has been a member of the BP family for two weeks and she has captured our hearts.  So much has happened!  She has adapted very well to the crate-training and the house training.  She has had only three accidents, they were in the first week and all due to some kind of commotion like people "dropping by" and distracting us.  Oh and one unfortunate incident in which I was dealing with this really annoying guy from the furnace-cleaning place who was trying to up-sell me on all kinds of stupidity.
We went into this knowing that if an accident happened it would be our fault... we need to watch the signs and supervise constantly.  If Scout isn't in the kitchen with me she is in her crate, and if we bring her into the living room or family room we attach her to us: the "umbilical cord method".

 Yesterday Scout had her first visit to her veterinarian... I am proud to report that she was a big star.  She was nervous for about a minute and then she calmed down and dealt with everything quite gracefully.

 You can see she is getting bigger... in fact she is going to be a large dog, bigger than a golden retriever.  She loves to be outdoors and is very interested in other dogs, people and strangely enough cars and trucks.  We'll have to keep a close eye on this car-and-truck business!
She is teething like the dickens and loves to chew on the wooden security gates which keep her in the kitchen with me:

Of course she also enjoys staring longingly at the persian rugs just beyond... there's lots of good chewing in that fringe!
I hope you have a lovely Sunday, well you know what I'll be doing...
xoxDani

Crepe Cake

 The Rascals have always loved crepes but it wasn't until we became good friends with a family from Sweden that I found out about this crepe cake business.
Basically a stack of crepes is made and layered with some sort of filling, and this past week that filling has been dulce de leche.
I made one on Sunday morning with some larger crepes in about eight layers for a late Rascal Breakfast.  Old Rascal was home from University and was looking for lunch about an hour later... but you know, that's the way things go with Old Rascal and his "Empty Pit of Misery" stomach.

For a special treat for a single Rascal, or maybe two small ones, a smaller crepe cake can be easily made.
My younger daughter was home with a cold last week... here is the cheer-up breakfast I made for her.

 The crepes themselves are smaller, but the method is the same.  Layer the crepes and spread the filling in between: go right to the edges, no half measures needed here.

 I layered three crepes on the bunny plate...

 cut into quarters and served with a large napkin and a cup of lemon tea: maybe the cure for the common cold?

Here is my crepe recipe, originally from the wonderful Mollie Katzen:

1 cup of unbleached white flour
1 & 1/4 cups of milk
1 egg
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk and ladle, about a quarter cup at a time, into a non-stick pan for easy flipping.  I use a knob of butter for the first crepe and replenish as needed.  

For a larger crepe cake I double the recipe, it's so easy.  I'm planning to cook up another crepe cake this weekend, this time layered with whipped cream and blueberry jam.  While using whipped cream I'll make the crepes well ahead of time so they will be nicely chilled.
I hope you are having a great week Darling Tooties.
xoxDani

Rough Linen

Embroidery on the pocket.

 Thanks to a reader's recommendation I have found the ultimate apron for Mop Philosophers everywhere: the Rough Linen Pinafore Apron.

 Pure good Orkney linen sewn up in the USA, it's such a beautiful and useful item.

Back detail.

 The criss-cross straps at the back make for a perfect fit, slouchy but not hanging in any kind of bothersome way.  I have such an issue with aprons that tie at the back of the neck, they cause a sort of low-level irritation and discomfort, and sometimes even a headache from the pull.

I've been wearing my pinafore apron from morning until evening, the large pockets are so useful and it is the perfect cover up for my current daily uniform: black or grey jumper with black pixie pants from JCrew.

With my teething puppy this is the only outfit I can safely wear these days: add in aubergine Hunter rubber boots and you've got the whole picture.
Many thanks to the reader who suggested Rough Linen aprons to me, if I could find the post I would thank you by name.
xoxDani

Mop Philosophy Book Club: The Custom of the Country

"You come among us from a country we don't know, and can't imagine, a country you care for so little that before you've been a day in ours you've forgotten the very house you were born in- if it wasn't torn down before you knew it!  You come among us speaking our language and not knowing what we mean; wanting the things we want, and not knowing why we want them; aping our weaknesses, exaggerating our follies, ignoring or ridiculing all we care about - you come from hotels as big as towns, and from towns as flimsy as paper, where the streets haven't had time to be named, and the buildings are demolished before they're dry, and the people are as proud of changing as we are of holding to what we have - and we're fools enough to imagine that because you copy our ways and pick up our slang you understand anything about the things that make life decent and honourable for us!"
-Raymond de Chelles, to Undine Spragg, Book V, Chapter XLII, The Custom of the Country

As the enchantment of Undine's beauty fades and the realization of what she truly holds dear seemingly slaps Raymond de Chelles across the face he is finally able to articulate what we, as readers, are thinking: Undine Spragg is a brittle shell of pretty hair and finery with a hollow centre.  She adores wealth, the "next thing", and is ruthless and clawing in her savage desire to be always the richest, the prettiest and the most socially accomplished.  Her shining moments involve sweeping into rooms, radiant and dazzling with beauty and wealth, a captivating vision which quickly dissipates as she opens her mouth... for she has nothing of any interest to say and her understanding does not extend past the superficial and the obvious.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the drawing rooms of Paris, where women are expected to be well turned-out but also to have cultivated their intellect through books and conversation.  Beauty inside and out as it were.

Why did Edith Wharton draw such a despicable character as Undine Spragg?  Does Undine represent everything Edith Wharton found alarming about her own country?

If Ralph Marvell represented everything that was good, solid and intelligent in New York society, why does he display a certain lack of courage when confronted with the hollow yet powerful Undine?  In taking his own life is he displaying weakness or is this a result of Undine's destruction of anything that blocks her ruthless path?

As a character I found Elmer Moffatt almost decent, did you find him at least honest and straight, or does he just seem this way when compared to the terror that is Undine?


What do you think Edith Wharton would say about the new social climbers?  Did you think this novel was prescient of our materialism, our current celebrity culture?  For an excellent perspective on this and to see how Undine is still being discussed today please read THIS ARTICLE, it was sent to me by our Wendy and I think you'll find it interesting...

Does Mrs. Heeny represent the media's participation in building a hollow celebrity culture, with her bag of clippings?  Is the heartbreak of Paul Marvell's life illustrated as Mrs. Heeny reads aloud the clipping she carries describing his mother's divorce from his beloved "French Father" and immediate remarriage to Elmer Moffatt?  Is Paul Marvell's sad and lonely life the ultimate criticism of Undine Spragg and her selfish, vacuous ideals?

Any and all thoughts you have on the book will be greatly appreciated, I feel a book like this leaves much to discuss and that conversation could go in many directions...
xoxDani