French Toast for Sunday Brunch ~ The Aftermath . . .

Oh, that was delicious! French toast for brunch. Sure it used a dozen eggs, but, oh, yum!

My next door neighbor Chuck was the guest of honour. First, it's Father's Day and he's our in loco fathertis and secondly, it was a continuation of his birthday.

There were four of us for breakfast. Karen went off to church so we saved some for her. Kim regaled us about her first visit to Fremont and her first encounter with the Naked Bicyclists in the Solstice Parade.

Once we started talking about bikes, we talked about the STP (Seattle to Portland bike race) the RAMROD (Ride around Mount Rainier in One Day) riding in the abandoned train tunnels in the Cascades, riding from Germany to Copenhagen.

We talked about the Lenin statue and its pride of place on Leary Avenue and Kim got her picture taken with the Fremont Troll under the Aurora Avenue bridge. We talked about the education system in the US, Paul Krugman and the handbasket it looks like we may be in. We talked about this and that and worked our way through a pan of scrumptiousness.

Is this a great country or what!

Yes, we saved some for Karen!

 

Day 49 Everyday Grateful ~

Sunny, blustery day, friends for brunch.

Called the Bear in Milan to wish him a Happy Father's Day.

Happy!

The Night Before ~ French Toast for Brunch

Tomorrow morning, friends are coming over for brunch.

I'm fixing a classic French bread for breakfast. There is something really comforting about whisking 8 eggs, 1/4 C sugar, 3 cups of milk, some fresh butter, Vanilla and a little nutmeg together and pouring the mixture over the 1 1/2 baguettes left over from dinner on Friday night and knowing it will be delicious.

I like to cut the bread into generous 2" thick pieces and stand them up in an oblong baking dish. When they are all arranged, I pour the egg/milk mixture over them, cover and put them in the refrigerator overnight.

When everyone arrives for breakfast, the house will be redolent with the smell of nutmeg, butter and vanilla baking. I know my little pan will not only be delicious but also beautiful when I take it out of the oven. I predict many oooh's and ahhh's will be heard.

I'll keep you posted.

Day 48 Everyday Grateful ~

Misty day, ran errands with Ramses.

Talked with Logan as he prepares to come to Seattle for Rent.

Happy!

http://www.loganbenedict.com/
http://www.seattle-theatre.com/theaters/5th-avenue-theater/theater.php

Gentle Reminder: Life is Short ~ Use the Good China!

Yesterday, I had a meeting with a friend. We chatted about this and that. She mentioned she had sold her family silver "because I never use it and it was just collecting dust."

I've really been pondering that. Not so much the selling the silver but the "saving things for good" aspect of the conversation. I can think of lots of reasons in this economy to sell things of value to eke out another day, another week or another month. That's not what I'm talking about here.

I was thinking about "saving things for good" while I was ironing napkins this weekend (I know, I know, crazy woman). I love cloth napkins. I never buy paper napkins. While they aren't terribly expensive, they seem like a profound waste of resources. Cloth napkins seem like a small luxury and are used for years over and over again. 

When I was getting things out to make interesting tableaux for "French Toast," I was reminded again of the importance of treating ourselves, treating our families and treating our friends. I mean, really, no one is getting out of here alive. What better place to spend your resources, fortune and attention on than those you love?

Today, especially, I was thinking of my friend Sally who is so worried about her daughter. She absolutely spends her resources, fortune and attention on her beloved daughter. There's a good lesson there.

I was thinking that treating those you love like they are special actually becomes a habit.

I love it when the boys come home and we work together to get a meal ready. When it's time to set the table, they go automatically to the buffet and the stack of ironed napkins. They know the ironed napkins are there for them to use ~ we're not saving them for some nebulous time and guest in the future.

Occasionally, as we're pulling out the freshly ironed napkins, someone will demur. Then we have to go into the whole damn pageant of "don't make me move my neck! Use the blasted napkin. We're not putting on the dog. We use these every day. (ehem) So . . . enjoy!"

Probably not such a good idea that people feel they have to take a napkin 'cuz they're sure their life is in danger. We may have to reevaluate our response. In the interim ~

A gentle reminder ~

Life is short ~ use the good china!

Colour & Pattern Courage

My friend Sally is an attorney who is a fantastic quilter. Mmmm, or is she a fantastic quilter who is an attorney?

But, I digress. Right now, Sally's entire focus is her daughter's health, so she's asked me to do things she might ordinarily have done herself. As I've mentioned before, Sally's daughter, Mary-Elizabeth is battling a recurrence of leukemia. It's scary, scary, scary. The good thing is she's holding her own and making progress ~ but, it's baby steps.

Last fall, I redesigned Sally's bathroom in what I like to call French Sanitary White. Then, she asked me to rearrange her living room. And, this spring, Mary-Elizabeth asked me to redesign her bedroom to be more for a grown-up girl.



A little while ago, Sally called me again to ask me to update her wonderful Mission style oak side chair that was in urgent need of reupholstery. When I went to meet with her, she had three fabrics out on the counter in the kitchen.


"I'm thinking something like these. What do you think?"

Knowing she has both colour and pattern courage and liking her combination, I said, "I like them all. Shall we do a multi-pattern extravaganza?"


"Yes," she said. "Let's!"

And, so we did.

The result? It is wonderful. Upbeat. Spirited. Friendly. Cheerful. A happy piece holding its own in a room with lots of other things going on.

Day 47 Everyday Grateful ~

"French Toast" is up and running.

Comcast has quit working up the street

so I have internet again.

Ramses and I ran a couple of errands.

Kindah nice.

Happy!

http://mary-elizabethsbump.blogspot.com/
http://thefairhero.blogspot.com/2012/03/design-for-smallest-bathroom-in-world.html
http://thefairhero.blogspot.com/2012/03/home-from-hospital.html