Lavender La Drôme

Warm visit and sad goodbye

2010-07-26T11:50:00.009+02:00

I had a wounderful time my dears, cause my parents were visiting me for the very first time in 7 years I live here in Belgium. It was so great!!! The weather could be better - with this I actually mean worse or colder - as travelling around in 32 C is bit too much for me. But nevertheless we had super lovely time together.

Two weeks are not enough to see all the places I have wanted them to show, but we still have managed to visit a couple of really cute locations...

One of my favorite places in Belgium - the Ardennes. The nature is so overwhelmingly beautiful there, I just love it.

You will find plenty of small villages like this one - La Roche-en-Ardenne. Some of you will recognize the name from history lessons - famous battles during the WW II happened right here.

And as it was so hot we have decided to take a kayak from Maboge to La Roche. You can really enjoy the views from a different angle.

And of course, Fleur was with us -her very first kayak trip!

Visitng Luxembourg city on the Royalty Day.

As some of you probably know there are more than 800 different sortes of bear in Belgium - 853 to be exact. We have visited one of the small breweries in Achouffe. I love their blond bear. A couple of years ago you could only buy it in the Ardennes region, but now they also have it in my local supermarket. If you ever have the chance to taste you should really do so, it is a very nice bear.

And do you know Bruges? Have you ever seen all its lace shops and chocolat madness? Isn't it ne of the cutest towns in Europe?

So many good memories. It's a pity that all good things are tendingto end that fast. My parents areback in Sint-Peterburg and I stay here in Antwerp with Fleur. Oh yes, this is the second part of my sad goodbye - my other dog Felix has moved out together wth his owner. I miss him soooooooo much but there as no other way. I wish him the very best!

Well, enough sentimentsfor today, the life goed on and there are some practical decisions to be made. As we have stayed with Fleur alone and we want to keep on travlling but we don't have a car, there is no other option left as to start hiking. Yes...sounds terrifying I know. I did it when I was a child so I have to be able to do it now also. So what I am busy with right now is looking for a good tent - it must be light, strong, very waterproof, considering this wounderful weather in Belgium, and last but not least not too expensive. Not that easy to find something if you really know what you are looking for. Anyway for the moment I am considering this model from Coleman, what do you think:

Btw I hope you do't think that I've forgotten my crafty business for all this time. Noway, I should tell you. I have ben actually quite productive for my humble norms. But this is for another message... tomorrow.

Wish you all a very nice day!!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Summer moods

2010-05-11T17:19:00.009+02:00

Oh dear, don't tell me it's already May and I haven't posted anything yet.
I am not good in blogging, no discipline at all! Please don't think that I have forgotten you, but I just don't manage to find this extra minute to write all things down.
I am studying, studying and again, studying very hard and working, and cooking and crafting... not much crafting lately... but anyway.

As you remember this year the Orthodoxe Easter was at the same day as the Catholic one. To give you an idea about how I do celebrate Easter:

Special Easter cake, the dough is a bit like white bread dough but sweeter. It is quite dry but the scent of cardamom and cinnamon makes it very aromatic. I also paint eggs (they are hard boiled and then painted) or use special stickers - quite modern isn't it ;-) A very special one - Pascha - is a dessert made of cottage chees, eggs and butter. It is very sweet, a real calory bom but soooooooooooooo tasty. And we eat it just once a year!

All these goodies I bring to the church on Saturday morning before Easter so that they can be blessed and sprinkled with holy water. After a long Lent wich lasts 7 weeks we may taste our special cuisine on Sunday morning - the Easter Day!!!

I have been reading Attic24 and Lucy wrote there about her caravan. Well isn't it just so cosy and nice all those retro and vintage models she introduces. I love them all. Our camper is far from being vintage as my second half doesn't allow me to let my fantasy fly...

He wants to keep it NORMAL whatever he means with it (well he means white and black and a bit of grey...normal BORING I call it)... But I am trying here and there, you know...

We have already managed to get away for 1 week this spring. It was fantastcic - Belgian Ardennes can be so beautiful. The weather was super good, around 25 C all the time so we have really enjoyed us - the doggies also, of course.

By the way the doggies have a new way of transportation...

Very very handy - I also do my groceries with it. Love it!!! Am not I so very ecological-enviromental minded? ;-)

Yes I also have a couple of finished craft projects but as the weather is has changed to very bad and rainy I haven't had a chance to make nice shoots of them... So have to postpone posting any pics for the moment.

I wish you a nice week for the rest and I really truly hope to be back ASAP with more news!!!

Snow in March

2010-03-08T11:19:00.003+01:00

I can't believe it, t is snowing again. Here in Belgium!!! In March!!! It is almost impossible, live here for 7 years and this is the first time that I see so much snow in this country... I just had to share it with you guys.

Just to compare this is how it looked here last year in March:

And now off I go - have to catch my train to Sint-Niklaas. I have medical practice today, we are going to learn how to make all sort of injections. I love it!!!

Oat cookies

2010-03-07T13:22:00.007+01:00

Oh dear, it was a busy day! Don't remember if I have already mentioned it but I am dancing flamenco and our school gives a show every year in Antwerp. This time it will be on 13th en 14th of March, which means that today I have had a rehearsal in the city. Not a big deal to be honest, we don't really have to do our dance but just to stand for a couple of minutes at the podium to memorise the exact place for the big event. Fleur was with me today. She was really great, she stayed in her bag all the time without making any sound. I am quite proud of her actually...

But before going to the repetition I had to clean up first at home, windows including cause they really look out like mess. Finally we have some sun here in Belgium, which is nice, very nice, honestly. But the same nice sun seems to figure out all the places in my appartement which do not look all that clean and tidy and to lighten them up for me.

Well this post is not about me being all that busy all the time. In fact I wanted to share with you a very nice oat cookies recipe which was posted at Attic24 a couple of days ago. You can find the English version of it at Attic24 blog, here I am just giving a translation into Russian so that my mum can make them too:

Овсяное печенье

100 гр маргарина

50 гр коричневого сахара

2 ст л меда

Все ингридиенты растопить на водяной бане, тщательно перемешать.
Добавить

100 гр муки для выпечки ( обязательно добавить пекарный порошок)

100 гр овсяных хлопьев

50 гр суховруктов, орехов и тп

Перемешать все тщательно вместе с растопленной смесью. Смазать противень маслом. Столовой ложкой выложить массу, каждый раз немного ее придавливая. Выпекать 12-15 мин при температуре 180 градусов. Печеньки должны подрумяниться.

Here is the result of my Saturday baking.

The flowers I used for the photoshoot I have found in the park during one of my morning walks with the doggies. Have no idea what they are called... maybe you have a tip...?

For the resta I am still studying hard as you can see:

And I am trying to not put aside all my crafty hobbies:

Have a very nice and productive week guys. Hope to see you all very soon again.

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Still a bit crafty

2010-02-27T07:53:00.004+01:00

I can't really call myself a crafster at the momement. There is just no time left for most of my hobbies. Sometimes I have the feeling that the only thing I do after I wake up in the morning is just sit and study, study, study... If I see all my courses together I start to hyperventilate. How in God's name am I going to get through them all???

Anyway, sometimes in the evening before I go to bed I manage to crochet a couple of rows of this baby blanket:

The choice of colours was inspired by some spring flowers:

As you can see it's a bit modified granny block pattern blanket, nothing to complecated for me at this moment. The number of hdc varies between 2 and 3 in each row, for the rest it's quite the same pattern. I love the colours anyway. I think it will be a nice blanket for a baby, so colourfull nad spring-feeling.

But off I go to finish my breakfast, walk with my doggies and yes...study!!!

The days are flying by...

2010-02-26T15:05:00.001+01:00

As you can see even my knitting basket has been occupied in the last weeks... and not by me!
Fleur has chosen it to be her new " place to sleep". Can't say I am so thrilled with this new way of things are going on here, but she does
look kind of cute. The blanket I am crochetting specially for her. She is still such a cold froggy and as the weather ain't gonna be better in the next few weeks, I need something warm to put in her cycling basket whenever I take her with me on a ride (which is pretty often I must say). I think she likes her blanket...

No way she is sleeping while following the photo camera with one eye! Do you see it? Wat here comes the close up:

And yes, she is awake - alive and kicking as you see:

Well to add some colour to this post I'd like to share with you my second favourite flower - he Tulip. Now is their season and you can find them in every little supermarket here in Belgum in all possible colours and sorts.

Fun, fun, fun!

2010-01-20T20:18:00.005+01:00

Yes, I know...my doggies again. But they are so cute, and the time is passing on so quickly that I just want to capture those dear moments. They are just once puppies, you know...

As you have probably noticed the snow is gone. The dogs are just loving it, because finally they can dig out one or another rubbish from the ground to eat it up as quickly as possible before I get there and take it out of their mouth!

The snow is gone but the ice. It will take a bit longer...we wait and see.

Have a nice day you all!

Long time no see

2010-01-16T09:01:00.004+01:00

I am so sorry my dears for being absent for such a long time. There have been some changes in my life. Don't have time to wright it all down in details. In two words - I am busy with my exams in nursing school and I have another pup in house. Believe me it's a lot of work. Here are a couple of pictures to give you an idea about the past month.

Her name is Fleur and she is now 12 weeks old. The day we got her it started to sneow here and it kept on snowing till yesterday. Today the snow is smelting and my dear Fleur can see other colours of the world besides white-white-white!

Playing with her big brother Felix in the snow. The coat she is wearing is handmade as you have probably guessed...

Exploring the world and testing ducks' patience...

Beautiful winter days as we don't get them here that often.

Enjoy your day and I promise to return next week with more news.

10th December

2009-12-10T18:53:00.002+01:00

Promise to explain it all later! Have to run now. Kisses!!!!

8th December

2009-12-08T11:53:00.004+01:00

Cute little bears to warm you up these days.

To proceed with the bears-theme here we go:

And off I go to continue my studies...anatomy is hard my dears!

7th December

2009-12-07T15:50:00.005+01:00

If you are looking for a new fresh idea for your advent calender for the next year here I have a suggestions. This one comes from December issue of MC des idees. I have to admit though that you need a stairs to make something like this ;-)

And what do you think about this lovely candy bag? Do you know that Ikea has these kind of candy bags this year? It is an easy option if you don't want to make them yourself...

Less cute but more practicalare these usefull gloves for cleaning. Can be used as a present, although I won't be thrilled to get something like this under my Christmas tree.

I hope you've noticed that all these ideas are number 7-marked!!!

Another marvelous tip is just to use your lovey rubber boots as gift socks. I really love it! Simple and cute.

I buy Marie Claire des idees for a couple of years now ad I find a lot of interesting ideas, tips and sugestions in every issue. This magazine is in French, whic is not that easy for me, but on the other hand it stimulates me to practice my French in a very pleasant way!

I will leave you with some more beautiful pictures from December issue:

And this idea cmes from December issue from last year. It's quite eqsy to make, you need to use Fimo and be a bit patient and accurate - the rest are peanuts ;-)

And a birdy of course which do remind me of Attic24 style a lot!

See you tomorrow guys!

6th December

2009-12-06T16:34:00.005+01:00

The December edition of Marie Claire des idees is full of nice pictures and tips to make your Christmas very special.

As promised here are some more pictures of my Christmas decorations:

This branch I found in the park after a storm. I've just put into a vase wrapped in white fabric, decorated it with little LED-lights (they work on batteries), wooden red hearts and gift boxes from Ikea.

My photocamera is not the best one in the world, so unfortunately I can't take good pictures in the dark, but this is how it more or less looks...

And this is my Sunday bread - wholegrane this time:

Trust me - there is almost nothing better in the world than to enjoy a slice of fresh bread on Sunday morning during your breakfast!!!

Dear friends, have a very nice Sunday evening.

5th December

2009-12-05T17:46:00.004+01:00

I just don't get anywhere near my craft projects...no time or am I just lazy? A bit lazy I guess. I woke up at 7.30 am this morning to let the dog out. It was pouring cats and dogs, I am really tired of all this rain. How much water do we actually get this autumn??? Anyway, I just went in my dressing gown outside to stand in the rain and wait till Felix found the right place to lift up his pow. Because not every tree or pole is suitable for lifting his pow at, you know my dears. And then after comming back to my cosy warm bedroom I made a huge mistake and decided to lay down for just a couple of minutes. Right, you get the idea...next time I opened my eyes it was already 10 am...and still raining. So half of the day has passed.

The only decent thing you can do when it's raining outside is ... COOK! At my local supermarket you can find great dels on Saturdays. So what I often do is go there on Saturday and get as much as I canin promotion. They have vegetables sliced and packed on a very interesting price. My problem is that if you have to buy all the ingredients let's say for a soup, it's too much for one person. But when I buy it pre-packed it's just enough for 2-3 meals for me. So today I got some soup mixes - one for marrow soup and the other one for parsley soup. As they were in promotion, it means they had to be cooked the same day. So I have made 2 pots of soup and I am going to freeze one of them. This is also great for using in the week, when I have less time for cooking.

Marrow soup:

700 ml water

2 small green marrows

celery leaves

1 onion

1 handful of spinache

5-6 leaves of fresh mint

2 cloves of garlic

salt, pepper and spices

Just let the water boil, add all the vegetables and cook approx 20 minutes. Add salt and spices, blend it all and serve!

Суп с кабачком:

700 мл воды

2 маленьких цуккини

листва сельдерея

1 луковица

горсть свежих листьев шпината (или 1 кубик замороженного шпината)

5-6 листочков свежей мяты

2 дольки чеснока

соль, перец, специи по-вкусу

Овощи порезать кубиками, шпинат добавлить цельными листьями. Дать воде закипеть, добавить овощи и варить до готовности примерно 20 мин. Добавить соль и специи. Все перемешать в блендере и подавать горячим.

Parsley soup:

600 ml water

1 leek

1 onion

1 turnip

celery leaves

parsley 100 gr

Just let the water boil, add all the vegetables except for parsley, cook for about 20 minutes, add parsley at the very end, some salt and spices and blend it. It's ready!!!

Суп с петрушкой:

600 мл воды

1 лук-порей

1 луковица

1 репа

листва сельдерея

100 гр петрушки

Овощи порезать, дать закипеть воде.В соленую воду положить все овощи кроме петрушки, поварить примерно 20 мин. Под конец добавить порезанную петрушку и специи. Все смешать в блендере, подавать горячим.

I have also put the red bans into cold water to let them soak over the night as toorrow I am going to make quite an old-fashioned bean soup with pig's tails and hoof for my friend. He is not an Orthodox so he doesn't have Lent at the moment. It is heavy stuff but very tasty and quite healthy btw...

Last but not least as promised a couple of pictures of my Christmas preparations:

My birdies again as you can see... The very first Christmas card this year fron my mom... A bit too early but nowadays you never know how long will it take till something you post gets to its destination.

Birdies again, some napkins and chair cushions from Ikea. You remember, I am going red and white this Christmas.

This wounderfull emroidery I got from my friend. Her mother made this emroidery for a Christmas card. I've liked it so much that I have decided to cut it out fom the card and put it into a frame so I can use it during the Christmas season.

Crocheted stars ad flowers to use as decoration for a Christmas tree or to give as a little present...

And the rest is for tomorrow my dears. Have a very nice and cosy evening!!!

4th December

2009-12-04T18:37:00.003+01:00

Have been to Ikea today. Now I am dead dead dead. I have bought some things for Christmas and I have already packed them out and arranged nicely all over the house. So cosy!!!

I will post some pictures tomorrow - that's a promise. As for today - I am going to eat my fresh salad with shrimps and tomatoes and some french fries of course, it's Belgium, guys!! ...Drink a glass of whine and enjoy my Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I am kind of starting to like this film...childish but so very cute for this period of time. It's a nice way to fill up these grey and rainy days with some magic. See you tomorrow....xxx

3rd December

2009-12-03T13:08:00.005+01:00

Lucky number 3. As you probably know cycling is quite popular in Belgium. Ialso try to go everywhere wih my bike - it's good for my health, I don't have any traffic problems and it's betr for the environment. You can see this kind of signs for bicycle routes all over the city.

For those of you who love cooking I have picked these three ideas for three different recipes. If you like to get one of themplease leave a comment and I will write them in one of my following posts. For each recipe you have 3 possible vaiations!

Have a nice day and till tomorrow!

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PS I have my very first follower Kimbles at Home!!! This is so great. Thank you for your lovely comment btw.

2 December

2009-12-02T16:17:00.004+01:00

If you live near Antwerp, you will recognize this sign - going from the Ring 2 to Gent or Brugge or the seashore. This picture was taken in Berchem, when I was cycling back from the Christmas Fare in the Antwerp Expo.
As you can see it was bad bad bad and grey rainy weather again but anyway... If you want to feel more cosy I have another number 2 for you:

This looks more homely and welcoming I guess.

Here are a couple of birdies I have made using the tutorial from this amasing blog:

These birds are presents for my neighbours and friends. I only keep birdies in white and red for myself. Don't worry my neighbours don't rea my blog so little chance that they will figure out what thir little presents are this year.

I am using some rest of Zeeman acryllic yarn and jingle bells from last year.

I am planning a traditional Red and White Christmas with a tint of Scandinavian style.

Well, this is it fir today, have to return to my studies.

Have a very nice evening and till tomoroww with new numbers!

December countdown -1

2009-12-02T15:39:00.006+01:00

I have always enjoyed this last month of every year at the bloggers' land! There are a lot of you who start with this final countdown and post beautiful pictures with numbers. Well, I want to join the fun this year, but the point is that it is not that easy to find numbers and make nice pictures at the same time. I am not disencouraged yet, I still want to go through it, but I am afraid that my photography won't be such inspiring...

I also don't have any luck with light this time of the year. It is raining already 3 weeks in a row, there is no sun and taking pictures inside is a coplete disaster! I have little light sources in my appartement, s my pictures are always turning out too dark and out of focus if I have to take them indoors. But I will try anyway ;-)

As some of you already know the 28th of November has started the Christma Lent for the Orthodox Russians. It means we do not eat from now on and till 6th of December any anymal food, like meat, cheese or milk. This is why I have to look for new recipes to make my menu a bit more variated. Today I have made a celery soup with potatoes.

Its recipe comes from the last year's edition of AllerHande - it's a free magazine from Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn.

The recipe is very easy - you just have to cut you celery root in smaal blocks together with 250 gr of potatoes, one onion and two garlic cloves. Then you fry it during 3-4 minutes in 2 ts of olive oil, add water or boullion, salt and herbs and let it all cook for another 20 min. Then you pour your soup in the bender, mix it all till the structure is smooth, cook it on a soft fire for another 10 min and it's ready. You can serve it with rye bread and some ham. Very very easy-peasy and healthy as you can see.

As my mom follows this blog but doesn't speak English quite well, I will post translations of the recipes for her.

Суп-пюре из сельдерея с картошкой:

1 корень сельдерея

250 гр рассыпчатой картошки

1 луковица

2 головки чеснока

2 ст л оливкого масла

бульон говяжий или овощной

Сельдерей помыть, нарезать ломтиками и очистить. Порезать на кубики. Картофель почистить и также нарезать кубиками. Лук и чснок мелко пошинковать, обжарить в масле, добавить порезанные сельдерей и картофель, попассировать еще 3-4 минуты. Добавить бульон, дать закипеть и варить на малом огне около 20 мин. Миксером сделать суп-пюре, поварить еще 10 мин и подавать горячим с кусочком ржаного хлеба (можно добавить немного порезаной ветчины или бекона для непостящихся).

Here you go. Enjoy your day and a nice meal.

Last autumn days

2009-11-30T15:44:00.004+01:00

Nevertheless I do enjoy my free days. I go for a long walk with my dog in the park. He loves it! He is so active, he loves chasing the birds and making huge holes in the ground.

The park has changed a lot in the last couple of weeks... All the colours are gone... Winter is gaining power to take over. It is still warm enough but very dark and sober.

Just a little bit sunny accents in the leaves...

How is your crafting going on?I have made a couple of Christmas birds, still have to take pictures of them. But with these dark days I just don't manage to get enough light in my living room for a nice shoot. Will try again tomorrow.

You all have a nice creative evening and I will see you soon, as the December countdown will start tomorrow!!!

Sweet November

2009-11-02T15:01:00.007+01:00

Have you ever seen this movie? It's a sad one, really. But don't think I am melancholic, not at all. I am still enjouying this last colours of 2009.

In a couple of weeks all the trees are going to loose their last laves, and then it will be a very sad, grey period till the first snow will fall. But it might take a while, especially in Belgium. It's not easy to see some real snow here.

By the way, have I mentioned that I am studying for nurse at th moment? It's a bachlor degree studies, which takes 3 full years. As I work, I can't enroll for as a day student, so I've chosen for a distance education. It is hard... a lot of material, too little time.

It's just a part of all the books and courses I have to go through, not to mention te study material which is posted online. Now you probably get the idea why I don't post that much at my blog at the moment.

Also I am starting with my little-tiny kitchen garden...just some herbs to start with.

I must agree that my terras garden looks a bit better.

Completely inspired by this gorgeous variation of clours I had to make this easy autumn napkin.

As usual the napkin itself comes from Dille en Kamille, and I ust crochet the edge in different colours. You can find lots of edging crochet pattern online.

I have to step by this shop to get more napkins for Christmas. I still hope I will have time to crochet a couple of edgings with all these studies and exams coming on!

Well, I guess I will move on to my books now. Have a nice week!

Autumn colours

2009-10-18T13:54:00.014+02:00

I love autumn colours. They are so warm and bright at the same time.
As I am at home for 2 weeks due to a small car accident, I can afford myself to go to the park with my dog every day.

I couldn't resist to bring these wounderfull colours at home...

And by the way - what do you think about seasonal cooking. I've got this marvelous book for my birthday - Jamie At Home. I just love it!!! Not only for the recipes - which are easy to make, traditional and yet modern at the same time - but also for the beautiful pictures this book is full of. I am not too much into cooking books as they cost a fortune nowadays, but this one I am really glad to have in my collection.
Well, anyway what I wanted to show you is my pumpkin creation from that book. Just plain baked pumpkin with herbs and wild mushrooms I picked when I was in Russia on vacation.

Very tasty with some aked pork.

And to finish up for today some more autumn colurs inspiration for you...

Have a nice and cosy Sunday!

Autumn-Herbst-Herfst

2009-10-05T16:55:00.005+02:00

It's quite a while since my last post here.
I am back from my wounderfull vacantion in Russia and Karelia. It was such a lovely experience, as you can see.
Felix travelled with me - that was his first flight and it all went so smoothly. I am so proud of him!
There are a lot of changes in my life since my last message. I don't want to make you too curious, but I think I will wait just a bit with telling you all the news. The only thing I can mention at the moment - I will move again probably in 2010.
I haven't been too productive lately on the craft field. No time, no time... and too tired in the evenings. My eyes are so tired that I can't see what I am knitting, which just can't result in anything good. But I miss my crafting, so I still try to knit 2-3 raws per evening.

October in Belgium is a rainy, dull month. It's so grey and depressing outside. I am trying to compensate it with nice and warm colours in my clothes and around the house. And you, what do you do to fight the grey autumn feeling?

Raw food - something for you?

2009-09-02T13:42:00.003+02:00

I have been surfing around and happened to find this interesting blog. I have tried to find a suitable diet for me for years, but the biggest problem is that I love cooking (and eating). I think baking and cooking in general is creative. I just can't imagine that I would eat raw food for the rest of my life. Don't get me wrong, I really do admire people who can do it. But it's impssible for me, I would miss the process of cooking and creating too much...

I am Orthodoxe, which means that I have Lent from time to time. I must admit and I am so NOT proud of the fact, that I don't follow all the rules strictly. I do not have Lent on Wednesday and Friday, as I should; and I even allow myself to skip Lent periodes occasionally. Especially during the summer it's almost impossible for me to lent. I don't want to excuse myself and give you all the reasons I do not succeed in Lent. To be honest, it's because my will is not strong enough and my faith is not deep enough. These are the only reasons. Nothing else. Shame on me, I mean it!

And what about you? Do you follow any diet or way of life? Do you know 80/10/10 diet? What do you think about veggies? Please, feel free to share in the comments.

Granny blocks in progress

2009-09-02T08:47:00.005+02:00

It takes time, and patience, and again a lot of time... It's a relaxing thing to do in the late evenings. You don't have to think or count, you can just keep on crochetting these blocks. The only thing you have to worry about, is your colour choice. The rest are peanuts.

I still enjoy the fresh colours of the summer. My blocks are made from 100% cotton yarn. I am planning to crochet enough of those to make a blanket. I know, it is not going to give a lot of warmth, but it's planned for pure decorative goals.

I guess it would be lot of fun to combine all these blocks in different colours in one blanket.

Have a great day!

Wednesday bread

2009-09-01T18:18:00.003+02:00

Yes, I know - strictly speaking it's not a bread... I wanted some change in my breakfast routine, so I decided to bake some croissnts. No, I am not that crazy to make them completely on my own - t would take me about 4-5 hours. So I let you do the counting to figure out, what time you should gt up if you want to eat freshly baked croissants at 7 a.m.

Lucky me, they have here fresh dough for croissants, which you only have to cut in shape, roll it and bake it. Just this simple.

Oh boy, they are TASTY. Maybe they don't look as they are from a bakery, but they are delicious. And at the en of the day - that's what counts, right?

With a cup of hot tea it's a nice beginning of the day!

Are you getting hungry ?

Fabulous embroidery

2009-08-28T09:45:00.005+02:00

You have to see this. Don't you just love this emroidery? It's fabulous, I love the colours. My hands are already itching for a new embroidery project. I am more familiar with cross-stitching, but this technique has definitely its charm.

All the picture s are from dona-anita blog.

Are you into some stitching projects? I have seen a couple of interesting ideas in the last edition of Anna. Maybe I will have some time during my vacation in September to make a couple of them. We shall see...

Thursday bread

2009-08-27T21:33:00.004+02:00

This time it's wholegrain rye mix. The taste is a bit heavier than a normal wheat bread. But I am Russian, and our traditional bread is rye bread, so I really enjoy the taste of it.

The napkin is, by the way, the result of the previous weekend in the Netherlands. The napkin itself comes from Dille en Kamille, I only had to add a crochet edging.

Rye bread is the most difficult to bake I think. It's structure is too thick and wet, and you have always a risk that it will ot rise properly. Luckily for me, this time it's turned out quite well.

I also managed to bake a plum crumble cake. It was delicious! It didn't last long though. We managed to eat it in 2 days. And now all I have left are the memories...

Well, let's add a little bit of colour.

I love baking! And as you hae noticed, I am quite proud with my napkin.

Buttons

2009-08-26T15:51:00.006+02:00

I've bought the last edition of Anna magazine today. Yes, I am really happy with it. There are a couple of interesting ideas and a lot of inspiration in it. I also read about this website, where you can order all kind of wounderfull buttons for your patchwork or other creative projects. It's really worth taking a look at it!

Just to give you an idea:

Or for those among us who is already preparing for the Christmas Holidays Giftmaking:

They are so cute! I would buy all of them if not the price. Let's be honest - they are not cheap. But I must agree, they have a huge choice and ,anyway, I won't find these kind of things here in Belgium in a regular shop.

This is also a useful way to reduce your scrap stash:

I bought two pillow cases which were too big for my pillows but also too cheap to let them go. So I had to make them smaller, which left me with two pieces of fabric I could you use for another pair of pillow cases. I also had some white cotton fabric stashed at home. One hour of measuring, cutting and sewing (yes, I know, I am a slow one ;-) - and voila, I have two extras! I believe this kind of things are always useful and welcome in every housekeeping.

It's pumpkin time!

2009-08-25T15:25:00.004+02:00

I have found today a wounderful blog/website which tells you all about bread baking!
Just look at all these tasty things - don't you feel urged to rush into the supermarket for the ingredients?
I have picked a couple of recipes for myself to try out this autumn. I want to start using pumpkin a bit more in my cooking and baking. It's such a terrific vegetable and it suits autumn cuisine so well!

And what do you think about these marvelous butternut muffins from J. Oliver? I am definitely going to try this! And here you see the result of it:

Right, do you recognise the granny blocks?

Nice colour matching, don't you think?..

Little garden

2009-08-19T22:56:00.003+02:00

What you do if you don't have a garden?

You try to make the best of what you do have:

And enjoy the result!

Wednesday bread

2009-08-18T09:49:00.004+02:00

This time a blend of white and buckwheat flour.

I must say that on the photo it looks much lighter than it is...

It turned out quite nicely, the rising process went well. Buckwheat flour is much more difficult to work with than plain white wheat flour, it's heavier (like rye flour). But the taste is unforgettable. You should really try it, just mind your blend proportions!

No time to waste

2009-08-17T15:47:00.002+02:00

This afternoon I was on my way to a grocery store cmlose to my work and saw my former fitness studio. Through the window I could see a VERY thin woman jogging her last butt off.
When did I do some sport the last time??? I just honestly do not have time for it. Really, it's not one of those lazy excuses, it's really true!
I work 5 days a week, during the summer months we are away every weekend (normally we leave on Friday evening when I am back from work) to enjoy good weather. Three evenings are occupied: Tuesday and Thursday evening I go to the puppy school with my dog (to learn him some manners), Wednesday I have a student, who is following Russian language by me.
So there is Monday evening left, when I try to do some sewing, cooking, baking, washing, ironing...And the rest of the week I also have to cook in the evenings to do some domestic stuff and a bit of knitting/sewing/crocheting.
In the mornings I need about 20 min for my routine: cold quick shower and then my oil treatment stuff. I try to use natural cosmetics lately: I have a blend of natural oils with a mix of EO for my face and body, and I use vinegar-water-hydrolats-EO blend as tonic:
Soothing face tonicum
- 20 ml distilled water;
- 1 tea spoon vinegar
- 3 drops of EO lavender + 2 drops EO camomille
Dissolve EO first in 1 teaspoon of vinegar and let this blend stay for a couple of days in a dark cool place. Shke well twice a day.
Then add the EO+vinegar blend to the water, shake well and use as tonicum for your face. Please shake well every time before use.

After my cold shower I rush to let Felix out, as he is still to young to be able to wait long for a walk. It takes me another 15 minutes.

Then it's breakfast time. I eat a lot in the mornings, as I am really hungry at that time of the day. I start with some fruit and a cup of tea, and then move to sandwiches with homemade bread. This takes me about 1/2 hour.
Then doing the dishes, cleaning a bit up, dressing, feeding the dog and then again a short walk with Felix. Another 30 minutes are over.

I used to practice yoga in the mornings, but if I still want to do it, i have to get up at 5.30 which I just can't. It's too early for me. I never manage to get in bed before 24.00, so 5 1/2 hours of sleep simply won't do.
And the crafting - I LOVE it, but I don't have enough time to realise all the projects. How do you guys manage it all?

Well, anyway, enough complaining. My knitting project is going quite well, I enjoy the colour and the rough structure of the yarn. I think I'll buy more of this yarn when I go to Russia in september. It even smells like sheep a bit... or is it just my imagination?

I wish you all a very creative Monday!

Wednesday bread

2009-08-13T09:00:00.007+02:00

Here we go again. This time it's casual light-brown one. I am quite happy with the result. Btw I still think that adding a bit of milk makes the structure of the bread much softer... The best way is to use water-milk mix for almost every sort of bread, imho...

Yesterday I started this project. I am using 100% sheep wool in natural colour from Russian TroitskWorsted factory.

It is VERY warm, but has rather rough weaving structure.

A couple of months ago I managed to buy 2 pieces of pleated fabric to make 2 skirts. I think they will look nice and a bit folklore with this cape.

Felix and cow -ow - wow!

2009-08-11T14:35:00.004+02:00

Such a brave little one! Sometimes I think he has no fear at all, which is not all that useful from time to time... And he never shows that he has pain - a tough one!

Hey, you have a wet nose!

After such an experience he managed to eat a couple of fresh raw oysters and then fell in a deep sleep. Cute !

Have a nice day!

Wednesday bread

2009-08-04T08:37:00.004+02:00

Today we are eating rye bread with thyme and kumin seeds. My problem with rye bread is that it never wants to rise the proper way. I've tried all possible solutions - fresh yeast instead of instant one, longer rising process, more water, more flour - it just doesn't want to rise the way it should... Anybody ideas?

Meanwhile, we are enjoying it the way it is!

Have a nice day.

Rainy Sunday

2009-08-02T12:08:00.004+02:00

No luck for us this time. It's raining every 5 minutes, and it looks all so grey and sad. The only good thing is that it's not so cold. Rain, rain, rain...

Well, we knew better days here in the Ardennes.

Look how fast I can run!

The water is so cold!

How long do I have to wit for you?

I like my ball! It's big..........!

Time to sew and sew I do

2009-07-31T14:07:00.003+02:00

Just another quick project for this summer. I kind of hoped to finish it yesterday, but little F. required a lot of my attention, so no sewing for me... Anyway, maybe I will manage it tonight before we leave to the Ardennes for the weekend. I love the colours of this fabric, a bit vintage I would say.

( This is a photo of the finished item)

I have also discovered a wounderful block full crochetted goodies and marvelous pictures - Attic24. It is so inspiring. I already can't wait to get home and start my granny blocks (hmmmm, no way,I have to sew my dress first. Crochetting is for in the car). I've already made approx 20 pieces...a lot more to go though.
Have a very nice weekend!

Early mornings

2009-07-30T09:56:00.006+02:00

Good way to begin your day - freshly baked homemade bread. I am not so into white bread, but from time to time I allow myself to bake. Maybe not so good for my line, but it's soooo tasty. And this is in fact the only reason I bake my own bread - because it tastes so much better than any other bread!

This little one keeps me also quite busy in the mornings. He is 4 months old and has lots of energy! His name is Felix.

Have a nice day everyone!

By Bread Alone

2009-07-28T15:16:00.005+02:00

Thanks to Farmgirl Fare blog, I have read 2 books in 10 days time - By Bread Alone and Blessed are the cheesemakers by K. Lynch! It's a record for me as I am a very slow reader. I must tell it was nice summer reading, although these are books which you read once and never return to them again. Anyway, they did inspire me to try out a couple of new bread recipes, and that's a good thing!

I love, I really do love it to bake my own bread. I do it the old-fashioned way, kneading with hand. It takes a lot of time,I must admit, but it'ssuch a relaxing process. The kneading itself, then waiting and seeing the dough evolve and rise, looking at your bread turning golden brown on the oven...and then this smell, this gorgeous smell of freshly baked bread at your home! Trust me, it'sreally worth trying.

This morning though I have decided to bake bookwheat pancakes. These are typical Russian pancakes, which are being served with sour cream or caviar. They are smaller and thicker than the normal pancakes, and have a much stronger taste. If you find them to heavy for breakfast, you can always mix the bookwheat flour with normal pastry flower in the proportion you prefer.
This is what you will need to make 10 pancakes:
100 gr flour
1 egg( separate the yolk)
1 ts salt
1/2 ts black peper
15 gr fresh yeast
200 ml milk (room temperature)

Mix all the ingredients (except for white of egg). Add the yeast-milk mix and set apart for one hour. Whisk the white of egg, add it carefully to your mix and bake!

Enjoy it!

2009-07-07T14:01:00.004+02:00

The cake turned out nicely. It really smells like roses and it has a hint of rose pettals in its flavour. And the rosemary gives it this special herbal tint.
Although I am not really happy with its structure. As I was a bit in a hurry, I didn't mix the ingredients in the proper way, with a crust separated from the cake as a result.

Do you also like cooking or baking with herbs and aromatic plants? Here are a couple of recipes then.

Lavender cookies - 12 pcs

Mix together 1 tbls lavender flouwers and 90 gr honey in a blender. Add 250 gr flour, 30 gr barley and 175 gr butter. Add to the mix 3-5 drops of lavendr essential oil (EO). Please note that the EO should be of the best quality, pure lavender oil, no additives!
Roll the dough to a dia of 25 cm, draw lines with a sharp knife to form 12 cookies. Prick the dough with a fork in several places, let it for 30 min.Bake at the temperature of 190 C fro about 25 min. Serve with ice cream or fruit salad.

Лавандовое печенье -12 ШТУК

Смешать 1 cт л цветов лаванды с 90 гр меда.Перемолоть в комбайне, просеять и смешать с 250 гр муки, 30 г манки, 175 гр сливочного масла и 3-5 капель ЭМ лаванды хорошего качества.Замесить тесто, раскатать диа 25 см, наметить острым ножом 12 порций (треугольничками), проткнуть тесто вилкой в нескольких местах. Дать постоять около 30 мин.Выпекать в предварительно разогретой духовке около 25 мин, при температуре 190 градусов.Подавать с мороженым или фруктовым салатом.

Lavender pudding
450 ml coffee crea
3-4 tbsp lavender flouwers
100 gr sugar icing
3 eggs

Put the lavender flouwers into the cream, warm this mix a bit slowly during approx 10 min (NOTE: don't let the cream boil, otherwise it will become bitter). Separate te flowers from the cream, let the cream to cool down a little bit. Add sugar icing and eggs (beat them up first) , mix it all. Pour the dough in a baking form, and bake at the temperature of 190C

Пуддинг лавандовый

450 мл сливок для кофе
1 пучок свежей или сушеной лаванды
100 г сахарной пудры
3 яйца

Смешать лаванду со сливками и подогревать на медленном огне около 10 мин (но не давать закипеть, иначе лаванда придаст сливкам горечь). Процедить, добавить сахарную пудру и взбитые яица, тщательно перемешать. Перелить в форму для выпечки ( личше из прозрачного жаропрочного стекла), поставить в духовку при температуре 190 градусов до готовности ( пока не перейдет в консистенцию пуддинга).

The true story of baking

2009-07-06T11:43:00.006+02:00

I have been baking my own bread for while already but to be honest, I can't really call it baking. Bying those all-in mixes, adding some water and kneading a bit, you can't really call it baking. I've been dreaming of making my own sourdough starter for ages though, even tried it once, but it turned out badly. Now that the temperature outside and inside is much suitable for this kind of projects than in the middle of the winter, I will give it another try. I have found a cople of nice websities with instructions of how to make your own starter (here and here) and I have also one in a book, I've leant from the local library another day. They all have a couple of things in common, but still vary from each other. At the moment I am trying to figure out, which method will suite me the most.
I am baking bread every 2 days, so feeding and keeping the starter alive shouldn't be a problem. By the way, I am reading A Bread Alone from S-K Lynch (thanks to Farmgirl Fare blog), which is extra inspiring for trying out the sourdough!
I love to bake simple, basic things and adding unexpected and not-so-traditional ingredients to them. I love experimenting with herbs, flowers and herbal waters. These ingredients can change your basic pastry to something completely new and surprising. You should try it, you won't be disappointed!

Rosemary Cake

For tonight we have a Rose Cake plan. I want to try out my own recipe (actually it's a basic cake recipe; what I want to do is to add some rose jelly and rose water to the dough, and some sugar with rose flowers on top... We will see how it will turn out).

Have a nice day!

Grandmother's blocks

2009-07-03T08:46:00.005+02:00

I am working at the moment on a traditional grandmother's blocks blanket using modern summer colours. Here are a couple ofblocks I have already made. Must tell you it will take a while to finish this blanket, but it is still a nice project and it's fun to combine all these wounderfull colours. Have a nice day!

Don't you love these colours?

A long way to travel...

2009-07-02T11:53:00.001+02:00

This is it, this is where the power of Internet has brought me. I have my own blog!!! Me, the one who doesn't like computer and always does only essential things on it. Like sending e-mails and calling my parents.
Anyway, I guess this is the time I need to communicate, I need to find all those people who are interested in the same things as I am. From time to time I feel myself left out, a bit misplaced in the time. All my hobbies seem to be old-fashioned here. I don't know anyone of my age who would be interested in sewing, crocheting, baking or cooking. But on the other hand, if I read your blogs, my dear friends (I hope you will allow me to caal you so), I see that I am certainly not alone, that there are so many talented people around the world, who are a neverending source of inspiration for me. I would like to thank you for this! Keep on blogging and inspiring people like me.
Another problem is to find time. .. If you work full-time there is not much time left for yourself. And still, I'd really like to continue doing as much as possible.
Well, enough of complaining girl. It's time to get creative ;-) I'll see you around.