Easter Decorating

 After a long winter it seems particularly thrilling to bring some colour into the house by way of greenery, flowers and Easter pastels.

I found the giant blue hydrangea at the warehouse store and I could barely carry it in the house it's so heavy.  Everything else came from Sweet Violets, my favourite flower store in Guelph.

Foyer Flowers

Kitchen

 It's safe to say that I'm obsessed with adding a very pale blue colour to my house right now.  It sets off the wood tones and dark neutrals that we've layered the rooms with.  Contrast is everything.

Good Friday Dinner

 For dinner last evening I made a very simple potato salad with a shallot vinaigrette (with lots of lemon), chopped fennel and radish.  I topped it all with dill and some optional smoked salmon.  We started with a leek and cauliflower soup topped with sautéed shallots.
It was exactly the sort of dinner I like to throw together these days, composed of dishes I can prepare ahead of time.

 We have a large collection of these cute wool creatures that I collected over many years for the Rascals.  I guess it's me that plays with them now... I like to set them up for holidays on the kitchen shelf.

Dark turquoise candles in the dining room.

 I was never one to think of lighting candles during daylight hours, how does that make any sense at all?  MrBP finds it enchanting however and I've realized he's right, there's something so festive about it.

Pale blue tapers, tall ones!

I love these pale blue taper candles, they are very tall at eighteen inches.  Again that pale blue colour, here juxtaposed to red in the painting, a favourite colour combination of mine.

I hope you have a really wonderful Easter weekend.  We'll be celebrating on Sunday with The Rascals and Poppa.  It's meant to rain all weekend so I'll definitely be lighting lots of candles.
May the sun (or candlelight) shine on you!

xoxDani

Hopping Bunnies

Meringue cookies from Polestar Hearth

 For some reason our neighbourhood has so many bunny rabbits these last months and every time I see one I feel a ridiculous sense of joy.

They're just hopping around doing their thing, sometimes in the middle of the road (no bunnies, be careful!) but mostly in our back garden or in our neighbour's gardens.  I often see them when I'm walking Scout around the neighbourhood and she doesn't know what to think.

We live in the downtown historical neighbourhood and I'm not sure why these seemingly country creatures have made their way here.  I love them even if they do eat everything in our garden.

I wasn't sure how I would decorate for Easter this year, and in the end I kept it pretty simple.  I prepped the bedrooms for my Rascals who will all be home this weekend, and I bought some pretty meringue cookies from the bakery.

Monsieur Bunny

Monsieur Bunny has pride of place in our sitting room, you can see he is ruling the room.  I bought this handmade wool bunny years ago for Lil Rascal, I love that he has a fistful of carrots and a calm little smile.
With a house full of Rascals I'll be taking the weekend off posting but I'll be back for Mop Philosophy Monday.  I'll let you know how our vegetarian Easter meal turns out!
Hoppy Easter to you and yours,
xxxDani

Mop Philosophy Monday

 I can't believe we only have another few days until the Easter weekend, yippee!  You know what this means, here in Canada we might be somewhat close to winter being kind of over.

I spent yesterday afternoon ironing tablecloths after completing, finally, the organization of my linen cupboard.
I prefer to hang tablecloths from hangers rather than store them folded, how about you?

I have a very small amount of Easter theming going on, a few treats in the kitchen and an Easter wreath on the front door.  We definitely need more decorating, the Rascals are all going to be home for Easter and this is cause for celebration.

 My menus this weekend are going to be Easter themed as well and by that I mean CARROTS.  It only makes sense, isn't this what bunnies love to eat?

 MrBP and I cooked up a giant vat of carrot soup for our dinner party on Saturday night.  It was delicious.

Carrot Soup for a Crowd

3 large shallots, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup butter (vegan or dairy)
A glass of sparkling wine, or white wine
20 carrots, peeled and chopped
Herbamare Sea Salt and pepper

Saute your shallots and celery in the butter (real butter or Earth Balance vegan butter) until translucent.  You'll want to use your biggest stock pot.  Add the sparkling wine or white wine and let it boil off.   Add your chopped carrots and completely cover with water.  Boil until the carrots are tender and add a teaspoon or so of Herbamare (you'll taste for salt after the puree).
Let cool and blend in batches, I had to blend this soup in four different batches.  You might need to add more water after blending to get the perfect soup consistency.
Pour it all back in your giant stock pot and taste for salt and pepper, season accordingly.
Serves 10.

Dinner party prep.

 I'd like to cook a main course involving carrots for Easter lunch, I'm thinking some sort of carrot loaf with nuts and seeds, and some potatoes on the side.  I'll let you know what sort of recipe I can muster up.
Are you prepping for Easter?  Have you been ironing any tablecloths?  Do you have a busy week to get through?
Happy Monday, I hope it's productive yet calm at the same time.
xoxDani

Happy Easter

Wishing you a lovely Easter Sunday whatever you're up to.
It is Spring here today, we've just emerged from an intense ice storm, all has melted and the neighbourhood feels like a fresh beginning.
Peace and love to you today,
xoxDani