Tasha Tudor Day

Dearest Readers,

What a lovely "Tasha" day I have had...so gentle and slow....a day to savor. The day started with beautiful sunshine streaming into my small kitchen. I pulled out a copy of the Tasha Tudor Cookbook (from the library...it is on my Christmas list) and decided to make the Blueberry Muffins...

This is a delightfully easy recipe and makes 18 muffins...that is quite a large batch.....


I must admit to wanting the muffins to "hurry-up" and bake...but then I remembered that Tasha did not believe in hurry...

A delectable muffin along with a cup of tea for my morning meal....wonderful!

After tidying up the kitchen...I pondered about what to do next?

What could be more Tasha-like than drawing? Out came my colored pencils and my parchment paper...I wanted to draw embroidery designs for two homespun aprons that I will be making in the next few weeks....

Here are my drawings (or should I say chicken scratches?) inspired by the charming illustrations found in all of Tasha's books....

I now possess my very own copy of "The Private World of Tasha Tudor"...heaven!
(I know my local library is quite pleased...I checked it out so often that I am sure they worried that it would be read until it became tattered!)

I so love sitting alone in the quiet of the afternoon, reading about Tasha's life and feeling inspired to live life to the fullest...not being afraid to be different....

Finally, I sat down in the coolness of our back parlour and watched "Take Peace". It is all about Christmas at Corgi Cottage....

I have watched it 100 times and each time I enjoy it more!

(I have ordered Take Joy and cannot wait for it to come in the post...smile.)

I hope you have enjoyed spending the day with me in honor of Tasha Tudor...I just love her...and I hope that you do to.

Yours so kindredly,

Shan

To read more about how other kindred spirits are spending their Tasha Tudor Day, please visitStoryBook Woods.

Also, visit the Tasha and Family blog: Rookery Ramblings and enter in the Tasha Tudor Day giveaway!

Summer...lived gently....

Dearest Readers,

Our gentle lifestyle continues....weeding....watering the garden.....weeding....canning the bounty....weeding.....weeding....it is no wonder that my poor blog has been sorely neglected. I have missed visiting many of you and will endeavor to catch-up with my blog reading soon.

I shared my summer kitchen idea last year, but I have made some changes and wanted to share that with you this year. The above picture shows my summer kitchen in its new location...the front porch. I was wilting in the heat of the garden as I went about my tasks and decided that a better location would include shade and protection from the wind. I also added a "skirt" made from a tablecloth (on clearance at Bed, Bath and Beyond) that has pretty cutwork...I just cut it in half and added a pocket along the top. It is secured by gathering the fabric on heavy duty elastic and then using upholstery tacks to stabilize it along the perimeter. So much storage and a place for the kitties to hide!

This is a close-up of my "sink"....just a hole cut into the surface and a lovely old graniteware pail slipped into place. The water cooler is handy for rinsing your hands (there is a bar of soap and a towel nearby) after working in the garden. I can take the pail out and sweep potting soil down through the hole into my garden soil can beneath...a truly lovely and efficient workspace.

The ever beautiful Mrs. Caul-i-flower is sporting a lovely dress (and her pearls, of course!) as she does her best to shoo away pests from the garden.

Anything and everything that can hold a flower is put to good use here on our little place. You would not want to leave your shoes out of doors....I might plant a marigold or two before you return!

Let's see....what else....Oh yes, I will be celebrating Tasha Tudor Day on August 28th here on my blog, so I hope you will come by for tea!

Yours so kindredly,

Shan