sweet dessert

Here's another delicious recipe with the red currants from our garden

First I made some red currant compote ,
( Simply boiled some currants with a little sugar ,
and let it simmer for 10 minutes )

when cold , I put the compote in a 'fancy' glass,

added some cold custard ( gele vla )

topped it up with yoghurt

and finally added some fruit to decorate.

Yes, of course.........I made more than just one !

We all loved it :)

cheerful ballerina

Today, whilst looking through the photo's on my computer,

my eyes caught this little cutie that I made a few years ago.

I don't remember ever showing her on my Blog.

My youngest daughter loves piglets so I made it for her.

And making up the pattern while crochetting,

she turned out a cheerful ballerina .

Roedjak Rode Bes

Here is one thing I made from the Red currant I showed you yesterday.
It's a fruit-compote from the Javanese kitchen called ' Roedjak Rode Bes ' .
These are the ingredients I used :
500 grams red currants (rode bessen)
2 spoons of ketjap manis
2 spoons of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of sambal trassi
I put in the currants first with the sugar , brought it to the boil ,
added the ketjap and the sambal and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
I have to say it was delicious with the meat we ate.
Luckely we have some compote left .........:)

the fruit that grows in our garden

What to do with all the fruit in our garden ?

( to be continued )

I heart crochet

Just want to show you my latest creation.

I crocheted this heart and made up the pattern as I went along.

I am planning to sell these hearts in my Etsy shop soon.

herbal 'tea'

I have a real passion for herbs ,
so as you can imagine we have lots of different herbs in our garden.
For me there is nothing more relaxing than a glass of home made 'tea',
with herbs freshly picked from the garden.

Herbal tea can be made with fresh flowers and leaves,
by simply pouring boiling water over the plant parts
and letting them rest for a few minutes.
This time I used, lady's mantle, lemon balm, and mint,
these herbs will produce a delicious cup of tea, and they're good for you too.

sweet - sweeter- sweetest

Our sweet Miss Amy guarding the sweet-strawberries.

Who's the sweetest ?

makeover

One of the spare rooms upstairs is undergoing a makeover.

It's a small room ,

but still a lot to do to make it a real 'wow factor' room.

Here's a sneak preview of the colors and materials I am using.

When it's all finished I'll show you the whole room.

our cherry tree

Last year we had only three tiny cherries on the tree,

but look what we 've got this year !

Aren't they beautiful ?

color pencil

As long as I can remember I love working with color pencils.

The reason I like to work with pencil is several-fold:

the freedom to work from a table or easy-chair

without the mess of liquids,

the freedom to render pieces outdoors,

like sitting in my garden.

Another reason for my passion are the details,

and the way you can blend the colors together to form new colors.

I love the soft pastel look that can be achieved .

This little piece I made yesterday, and I had a lot of fun making it.

The original is for sale in my Etsy Shop , right here

the simplest things

This beautiful champagne glass,

filled with a creamy-white jasmine flower,

is what I found on the breakfast table

with a lovely note from my husband.

What can I say..........

it's the simplest things that make me the happiest !

Featured

I am featured on Getting to know you by the lovely Pat.

She sells textile art, but also beautiful jewelry.

Isn't this bag just beautiful ?

Why not have a look in her Etsy shop to see more of her

wonderful creations ?

'the Lemonade Stand award'

I have been given 'the Lemonade Stand award' by the lovely Shirley of Nannieflash
Thank you so much Shirley !
Shirley makes really adorable cards, the one below is one of hers.

The general rule for this award is to pass them on to other bloggers that inspire and delight you.

I am nominating the following blogs :

Jikke's

Bonjade

Simple Pleasure

Een sneller kloppend hart

G-Style

Each Blog is very inspiring in it's own unique way, really worth visiting !

this bud of love

'This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath,

May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet.”
William Shakespeare

Zeeman, cheerful and cheap

When I feel like buying some new kitchen goodies without spending too much money,

I pop into 'de Zeeman' .

Today I couldn't resist these colorful and cheerful cousions, papernapkins , dish cloths and pegs.

Thank you Zeeman , you brightened up my day :)

The "scrap-craft" of our ancestors.

Crochet has given me a lot of pleasure and relaxation over the years.
I have had a lot of happy moments, creating handmade items for myself and others.
When I give a crocheted gift, a part of me goes into it,
selecting the yarn, the pleasure of creating,
the thoughts and feelings I have as I work, it's all part of the fun.

Crocheting granny squares is one of my favourite crochetting jobs.
I like the history behind these squares,
they were the "scrap-craft" of our ancestors.
In years gone by, there was no such thing as throwaways,
yarn scraps became granny squares.
These days , it's all about creating the little squares,
the nostalgic feeling the squares represent
and the cosy feeling that goes with it.

Innocent child and snow-white flower!

Innocent child and snow-white flower!
Well are ye paired in your opening hour.
Thus should the pure and the lovely meet,
Stainless with stainless, and sweet with sweet.

White as those leaves, just blown apart,
Are the folds of thy own young heart;
Guilty passion and cankering care
Never have left their traces there.

Artless one! though thou gazest now
O'er the white blossom with earnest brow,
Soon will it tire thy childish eye;
Fair as it is, thou wilt throw it by.

Throw it aside in thy weary hour,
Throw to the ground the fair white flower;
Yet, as thy tender years depart,
Keep that white and innocent heart.

William Cullen Bryant

not one , not two , no,.......... three awards

This must be my lucky day :) I received not one , not two , no,.......... three awards today.

Funnely enough it's the same award , I already got from Bellavien.

I am supposed to give the award to 15 bloggers , so that would be 45 in total,

but that will be a bit much ,

so instead of that, I give my 'Blog love' to all the lovely people that read my Blog,

your comments mean a lot to me , I love getting feedback , so thanks to you all.

Here are the 3 Blog friends that gave me the Award :

If you click on the names you can visit their lovely Blogs !

Sunshine

Mysticwynd

NaturallyComfy

Having a walk with baby 4

Here is the fourth addition to the series,

'having a walk with baby'.

A print is available in my Etsy shop here

Painted lady - Vanessa cardui

We put lots of herbs in our garden to attract butterflies

and it seems to have worked !

beautiful butterflies on the chives ,

it is a real joy to see them enjoying the flowers,

and they did not mind us taking very close-up pictures of them at all.

“If there is one creature that represents my essence, it's butterflies.”
Patricia Velasquez