A Prayer in Spring

March 31, 2019March 7, 2021 ~ amykins100 ~ 13 Comments

By Robert Frost

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
To which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends he will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.

So happy to be swinging into Spring!

Inspire me Monday. Tuesday at our house. Inspire me Tuesday. Make it pretty. Made by you. Metamorphosis. You’re the Star. Tuesday with a twist. Wonderful Wednesday. Talk Of The town. Keep in touch. Beautifully made. Party in your pjs. Wednesday blog hop. Your whim. Share your style. Home and garden. Waste not. Style showcase. Grandma’s House DIY. Vintage charm. Friday features. Feather nest. Friendship Friday. Funtastic Friday. Grace at Home. Pit Stop. Thursday favorites. BFF open house. Morning Cup Of Joe. Home matters. Sweet Inspiration. Best of the weekend. Create bake grow. . Fresh market. Faith and family. Sunday at home. Snickerdoodle. Happiness is homemade. Saturday shuffle. Silver pennies. Create with joy. Inspiration Monday DI&DI. Amaze me. Over the Moon Creatively crafty Senior salon

Humbled but Happy #72

March 30, 2019March 10, 2021 ~ amykins100 ~ Leave a comment

Excited to be featured at Best of the Weekend@Calypso in the Country

Friday Favorites #470

March 29, 2019March 29, 2019 ~ amykins100 ~ 1 Comment

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Simple Spring

March 24, 2019March 20, 2021 ~ amykins100 ~ 13 Comments

When your weekend is busy it’s great to take a peek at the past…enjoy!

Oh, the simple beauty of Spring! Never over-embellished, never gaudy in its most glorious form and never tiresome to experience. My hope is that I have captured this “Spring Attitude” in my seasonal arrangement (and don’t tell anyone, but some of my flowers are not even real).

Peonies look stunning in an antique silver pitcher. Perfect every time.

A few elements on a mantel reflect the simple beauty of Spring…what is sweeter than roses in a Mason jar?

Blossoms in a…(well I’m not sure what it is, but it is old and rusty and found in an old barn) is a striking combination.

Unexpected flowers everywhere!

The simple joy of a front porch…

Humbled But Happy #71

March 23, 2019March 10, 2021 ~ amykins100 ~ Leave a comment

So excited to be featured at Best of The Weekend@B4 and Afters

Friday Favorites #469

March 22, 2019March 22, 2019 ~ amykins100 ~ 1 Comment

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Spring!

March 17, 2019March 16, 2021 ~ amykins100 ~ 6 Comments

I think…just maybe…Spring may be right around the corner. Lovely temperatures and clear blue skies and flowers starting to poke up from the earth. A perfect day for a walk downtown, a bike ride to the park or a yummy freshly baked strawberry slab pie…or all of the above. Our neighborhood comes alive in the Spring. Porches are swept in anticipation of visiting, dogs have a better attitude on daily walks and the sight and sound of bike and scooter wheels can be heard again. I love it and truly hope I have written my last snow post for the season! If you have time, make and enjoy this wonderful Strawberry pie. It is very easy and very Springlike.

The usual cast of Characters

For the Filling

3/4 c. granulated sugar

6 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. fresh orange zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Pinch salt

3 1/2 lb. strawberries, hulled and quartered…I threw in same blueberries for good measure.

For the Crust or use store bought…I won’t tell!

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

1/2 c. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut up

4 tbsp. ice-cold water

For the shortbread crumble topping

1/2 stick of butter

1 cup all-purpose Flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

The Steps to Glory

To make the piecrust, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal with several pea-size pieces remaining. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, using a fork to pull dough together into a crumbly pile (add up to an additional 1 tablespoon of water, if needed).
Wrap dough in plastic wrap. Use the plastic to flatten and press dough into a disk. Rrefrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
To make the pie, preheat oven to 425°F with the rack in lowest position. Line a baking sheet with parchment. On a lightly floured surface, roll 2 recipes of dough to an 18-by-13-inch rectangle. Transfer to a jelly-roll pan and trim to a 1-inch overhang. Fold edges under and crimp; chill.
Stir together sugar, cornstarch, orange zest, and salt in a bowl. Add strawberries and orange juice and toss gently to combine. Transfer to bottom crust, packing into pan.

6. Mix together shortbread ingredients to form pea size crumbles. Scatter evenly overPie mixture. Freeze for 15 minutes

7. Bake on baking sheet until filling is bubbly and crust is golden brown, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Awwwww…Spring!

Inspire me Monday. Tuesday at our house. The Scoop. Inspire me Tuesday. Make it pretty. Made by you. Metamorphosis. You’re the Star. Tuesday with a twist. Wonderful Wednesday. Talk Of The town. Keep in touch. Party in your pjs. Wednesday blog hop. Your whim. Share your style. Home and garden. Waste not. Grandma’s House DIY. Vintage charm. Friday features. Feather nest. Friendship Friday. Funtastic Friday. Grace at Home. Pit Stop. Thursday favorites. BFF open house. Morning Cup Of Joe. Home matters. Sweet Inspiration. Best of the weekend. Create bake grow. . Fresh market. Faith and family. Sunday at home. Snickerdoodle. Happiness is homemade. Saturday shuffle. Silver pennies. Create with joy. Inspiration Monday DI&DI. Amaze me. Over the Moon Creatively crafty Senior salon what’s for supper

Humbled but Happy #70

March 16, 2019March 20, 2021 ~ amykins100 ~ 1 Comment

My blog post “The Art of The Collection” was featured at Something Old and Something New@ Oh My Heartsie Girl!

Friday Favorites #468

March 15, 2019March 15, 2019 ~ amykins100 ~ 2 Comments

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With a Little Bit Of Luck

March 10, 2019March 18, 2019 ~ amykins100 ~ 7 Comments

A restful weekend here in Annapolis, in no small part thanks to a crazy burned out electrical transformer that led to a blown out Verizon box that led to a service call to happen between 9am and 9pm that led to a mandatory day at home. It is a wonder how we ever did anything without the internet…or Fios TV. Anyway, it did give me time to put together a St. Patrick Day mantel. I have never attempted to capture the luck of the Irish in my decor, but like my Valentine’s mantel, I am quite pleased that the simplest additions really do have major impact. Do you like the sparkly shamrock? I give the Princess full credit!

Some green depression, vintage postcards and a bunting of shamrock pennants gives homage to Old Saint Patrick.
A close-up of the gorgeous green of the glass.

Vintage St. Patrick postcards are known for their amusing nature and exuberant love of the perfect Irish lass! I love these examples of both.

My Hero also kept busy this weekend. He was able to hang my darling new antique sampler…a post for another time. Thank goodness he had a reliable helper. Someone has to chose the perfect nail!