{Hydrangeas & Mother-in-law's Tablecloth}

On May 29, we happened to have some gorgeous blue hydrangeas from our garden. So I did team them up with the hand embroidered blue tablecloth from my late Mother-in-law.

Don't you just love such blue color?

This draw work embroidery tablecloth I've had now for over three decades and it still looks like new.

A wider view into our garden...

Photo is taken from the patio in front of our Rose Suite.

This is the view from the patio, towards our gazebo and the newly placed rose arbor.

Guests do have their own private entrance here...

There are rose stepping stones towards the path to the gazebo.

Guests also can enjoy the perfume of the gardenias that bloom right outside of the entrance door.

These are the regular sized gardenias, not the large ones that I showed a couple of days ago.

May/June sure is a happy time of the year with so many flowers to enjoy!

Do you have hydrangeas as well?

Related link:

{Our Hydrangea Trio and Tea in 1930s Blue Transfer Ware} | Previous post by me

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{Third Week of Advent 2014}

Wishing you all a very cozy and happy Third Week of Advent 2014!

Creating a warm and cozy atmosphere works wonders for the colder season.

Used our cotton Zweigart Aida tablecloth with the German Arzberg porcelain votive candle holders in white with real gold.

My sister Diny, was so kind for getting these for me in The Netherlands, when I found them in a Dutch magazine.

Having our own Magnolia Grandiflora trees, does also provide leaves that I have sprayed with gold paint.

Added Nandina berries with a few Ilex berries as well.

Nosegay from spices, seeds and hazelnuts, made in South Tyrol, Italy.

Thanks Johanna from +Silber-und-Rosen-Shop  for the name: In the Salzburger Land "Gewürzsträusschen".

Our gold sprayed Magnolia leaves tied with raffia. 

The big candle is still from our 25th wedding anniversary, it was a gift from dear friends.

This fireplace is from The Netherlands, +Doensen Sfeerhaarden & bouwbedrijf in Venlo.

On eBay I once got a hold of this Baccarat Crystal Vesuve / Vesuvius Caviar Server (2 pcs) because the inset was missing... But it works perfect for floating candles with fresh flowers.

Here I used fresh cranberries for inside.

The table runner in Portuguese Guimarães white work, we bought in Coimbra in 1994,  while on tour through Spain Portugal for 19 days.

Used on top of this red Hardangar tablecloth it looks perfect.

Making photos during the dark days of the year is hard in itself but trying to capture those flames of burning votives is even harder...

Don't you love the hand embroiderd detail of that Portuguese Guimarães white work?

Wishing all of you a very warm and meaningful 3rd Advent Sunday and a great week ahead!

Stay warm and healthy...

Mariette on Google+

{My Very 1st Blogpost: Romancing the Home}

As usual, I forget my Blog Anniversary!
Maybe it is because of such a sad period in my life, you can read more below blog post from previous links...
Anyway, now in 2014 on November 23, I had a total of 1,205 blog posts written.
So let's go Back to Basics and show the beginning.
On November 23, 2009 I started blogging and here is my very first post:

Autumn is the time of year to turn inward again, for making the home into a warm nest where we savor the memories of summer and sunshine. All about Romancing the Home...

A few last Midas Touch roses from the garden in a lovely silver vase adorned with a silver rosebud (that will at least last all winter long!) while indulging in a cup of hot chocolate with a Bon-bon, while reading an invitation to a winter wedding on February 13th... How romantic the outlook; just a day before Valentine's Day!

After all, these special moments will pull us through the dreary winter. With the memories of warm sun rays kept alive inside our hearts, we will get to springtime again.

Romancing the Home... Indeed, trying to extend the season of roses all year long!
The yellow roses on the tablecloth are hand embroidered by me...

Detail of the silver rosebud vase with rose...

{Post # 484 and my blog is 2 years old today!} | previous post by me with the sad story...

Mariette on Google+

{Wishing YOU all a Happy 3rd ADVENT Week!}

The time is passing ever faster it seems like... It is gray and dreary looking outside with some rain. But inside we can create a cozy setting with the use of some votive candles and with natural things from our own garden. Wishing you all a Happy 3rd ADVENT Week! Stay cozy and warm.

On eBay I once got a hold of this Baccarat Crystal Vesuve / Vesuvius Caviar Server (2 pcs) because the inset was missing... But it works perfect for floating candles with fresh flowers.

Here I used fresh cranberries for inside.

To the left you see our Rösle Universal Fire Lighter which works great to light candles or whatsoever.

Also a WMF silver candle snuffer...

To the right you can see some yellow Ilex berries from our Ilex decidua 'Finch's Golden'

The berry yield this year is poor, also on the red Ilex, shown to the left with barely any berries...

The Pyracantha Firethorn berries we had plenty and also the red Nandina or Heavenly Bamboo berries.

The table runner in Portuguese Guimarães white work, we bought in Coimbra in 1994 while on tour through Spain Portugal for 19 days.

Used on top of this red Hardangar tablecloth it looks perfect.

Closeup where you see those Heavenly Bamboo berries to the left and the Pyracantha Firethorn berries to the right. 

You also get to see the great quality of fresh cranberries we got from +Costco Wholesale.

I've made Cranberry Conserve out of them. Below you find the link to my post with recipe.

Making photos during the dark days of the year is hard in itself but trying to capture those flames of burning votives is even harder...

Don't you love the hand embroiderd detail of that Portuguese Guimarães white work?

Wishing YOU all a Happy 3rd ADVENT Week!

Related links:
{2nd Advent & Great Family Time} | previous post by me
{3rd Advent} | previous post by me
{Silk Brocade for our PRINCE OF PEACE} | previous post by me
{SUPERFOOD For Your HEART ♥ CRANBERRIES} | previous post with cranberry conserve recipe

Mariette on Google+

{Our Hallway}

Let me show you the next finished project, inside our home. Husband Pieter, did also change the wooden baseboard in our hallway into a tiled one. These white tiles for the bathrooms, kitchen, veranda and hallway came back with us from Italy in a 40-foot container with all our belongings. Life in Italy was over as we did not build our home in Italy but went back to Georgia/USA. Okay, welcome into our hallway!

From the front door you face the dining room to the left and straight ahead is the living room.

The white ceramic chandelier from Italy you can find below this post in a previous post's link.

Those white tiles are from Italy, we bought them at the time we worked and lived there. 

When we did not construct the house in Italy, we did bring everything back to Georgia/USA.

Here you see husband Pieter's work; a tile baseboard after he removed the wooden one.

This is nice glossy and a lot easier for cleaning and it looks better with the tiles in this room.

Turning now back towards the front door, past the dining room door.

You cannot see my French DMC Rose Filet Lace Crocheted Curtains here, due to the glare.

But in the link below this post you can view them. By the way, that is my 3rd most viewed post!

Our French oak coat rack with chest.

Looking all the way to the end of the hallway, where our master bedroom is. 

First door is to the staircase, next door is a closet where we keep our winter coats and boots.

Next is the office (you recently saw a post about it) and last door is the guest bedroom (you also got to see that).

Stepping halfway down the hallway you can see the office door to the right and guest bedroom next with the master bedroom straight ahead.

These beautiful Ipomoeas in blue (Pieter's favorite color - which he CAN distinguish very well) are done by my sister Diny Van den Munckhof, in 2004.

The brass plate with peacock was a gift to Pieter when he was still principal at the practical training college in The Netherlands.

Sister Diny's artwork...

Frame is by Irok gallery, our favorite as they do museum quality framing.

Looking back to the closet where we keep our coats and boots and the door to the staircase.

Looking to the right you see a row of  10 hand painted wild mushroom plates by A. Zen Nove, ITALY.

That was a gift from our company in Italy. They had each year a different one painted by this artist in a limited numbered edition of 100. See link below post for more details.

Three Royal Tichelaar Makkum pieces in polychrome.

Made by the The Netherland's oldest company and framed in French oak.

Royal Tichelaar Makkum wall plate in polychrome.

This photo is taken from the door opening of the master bedroom.

To the right you see our bi-fold closet which I did show in a previous post: My closet looks like a neat store - see below post.

the next door is a closet where we keep albums and the vacuum cleaner and such.

A bit more recessed is the door to the guest bathroom, that you recently saw in a post.

Turning towards the master bedroom door.

These hand embroidered wild mushrooms in cross stitch, I made long time ago and they hung in the office of Principal Pieter at his practical training college for mushroom growing.

Looking up to the ceiling where a foldout staircase leads to the attic.

THAT will be another project...

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Related link:
{Our White Ceramic Chandeliers from Italy} | previous post by me
{My French DMC Rose Filet Lace Crocheted Curtains} | previous post by me
{MY CLOSET LOOKS LIKE A NEAT STORE} | previous post by me
Irok gallery | link to museum quality framing
{10 Hand Painted Wild Mushroom Plates by A. Zen Nove, ITALY} | previous post by me

Mariette on Google+

{Our Yellow Midas Touch Roses & my Embroidered Yellow Roses}

Not only real yellow Midas Touch roses but also my yellow embroidered roses that I cross stitched on a rayon damask tablecloth.

• That was part of my trousseau at the time I first got married. It is French 3 Suisses.

• This is almost heaven; coffee with chocolate, silver roses, real roses and my hand embroidered cross stitched  roses...

• Why not join me for a cup of coffee  & chocolate, over reading the mail...?

• This silver teaspoon with rose is one of my favorites.

• My Giovanni Raspini silver rose

• Pure bliss with yellow roses in a bud vase with roses in silver!

• We MISS our Midas Touch roses...

• Are they not a dream?

• Whomever created these silver roses on that bud vase I admire...

Mariette on Google+

{What YOU should LOOK for when Buying Fresh Mushrooms}

• Those readers that have visited also my Zen Cart on line Boutique: Mariette's Back to Basics, have read under: About Mariette,  CITIZENS OF THE WORLD, that I have been involved into the Mushroom business. 
• Also on my LinkedIn Mariette VandenMunckhof-Vedder profile you can read about my publications. So rest assured, I do know just a little bit about What to LOOK for when Buying Fresh Mushrooms.
• You can click on the above hyperlinks and down below in this post, I will show you my Mushroom Harvesting book that  I wrote, also one page about quality with photos. 
• Let's look at some of my Fresh Mushrooms of GREAT quality that I found at Costco.

• These are really Firm, Closed  and with Broad Stem - the parameters you ought to look for!

• Costco often sells brown or crimini mushrooms. But it really doesn't matter; they are all the same AGARICUS BISPORUS! Like people from Asia, Middle East, South America or Africa are looking different from Europeans. But we are ALL the very same HUMAN BEINGS and we all have red blood in our veins. So that aside, and regardless those fancy names like Baby Bella; look for the STEMS.

• Compliments to C&M Mushrooms LLC in Avondale, Pennsylvania! They did manage to pick these mushrooms in time and shipped them out quick. Beautiful criminis. I wonder if we had these people in one of our Kenneth Square Seminars for Campbell's Soup?...

• It was a cold and windy, but sunny day when I took these criminis out into daylight. Using my Mother-in-laws hand embroidered brown-white tablecloth and our German 'daughter-in-law's hand made oven proof dish. Earlier, above I told you already to look at the STEMS. We all could learn from the male population; ask them what they look for when checking out a girl? They look at the LEGS... Aha; lesson learned so for Mushrooms you ought to check out the STEMS! These are 98% first quality: FIRM, CLOSED and with BROAD STEMS.

• C&M might provide their pickers some better mushroom knives, as is shown in my book. Some of these Mushrooms look like they got handled by the wrong sort of knife, or even by a dull knife. I've done consulting at some mushroom farms that would work fabulous for opening up a KNIFE MUSEUM. I laughed at the variety of knives used, mainly too long, too straight or too dull. Great for hunting, scaling fish or whatever but NOT for cutting mushrooms with a swift, straight and clean cut.

But I'm not into this business anymore...

• Those angle shaped cuts are because they cut them in a reversed sequence, thereby dropping some 3% or more of its weight into the waste bucket; the harvester's money first but also the owner's money of course!

• This is called: cross cut - meaning cut in the wrong sequence. 
• Also I see here a few with Soil On Stem, for the same reason, cut in the wrong sequence.
• This means only a little bit of work for you, the person cooking with them, as they need to be trimmed.

• WHY do they have to have a broad stem?

Mushrooms do expand very rapidly and in about 24 hours they double in size.

A mushroom's existence is not for being good quality, but for growing up, stretching its velum between stem and cap and than finally opening up and releasing its millions of spores for the next generations...

That's the complete cycle in nature; a few times a year. After heavy rain we suddenly see them show up.

A mushroom grower just mimics Mother Nature by creating a perfect Fall or Rainy Season environment by maintaining the proper temperature, humidity and by watering daily so those fruit-bodies can grow.

Here I have to mention another FACT. 

• Some of you believe that you CAN NOT wash a mushroom.

That is a fairy tale as they are being watered really heavy before they ended up on your counter.

Sure, during transport and even at time of harvest they ought to be DRY to prevent those bacterial blotch spots that grow within 20 minutes as those bacteria multiply rapidly and become very slimy. You know those orange looking marks? Be careful not to get those!

They are picked too moist and not handled well after harvest time.

But yes, before cooking them you can wash them with a clear conscience!

Don't wash them hours ahead of time as they will brown easily and look awful.

Wash, slice or, whatever way you will use them, and prepare right away!

• A mushroom itself contains about 92% of water... 

• Again, broad stems and firm first quality.

• You should ask the male population that do select Miss U.S.A. or Miss Universe.

What is your guess; do they chose an 18-year old beauty or are they more inclined to an 80-year old beauty ...? 

• Yes, age has a lot to do with beauty and quality. The young ones, they are firm. The older they grow on those beds, the more rubbery they become and lighter too. Only minutes away from opening up. They even will open up after they got cut by the knife!

• AHA - gotcha! Here is a second quality mushroom that has been left on the bed at least one day too long before being harvested. So this is a middle aged women competing for Miss Universe...

Do you see the veil that stretches all around the stem?

That veil will open up in a matter of hours as this mushroom is still desperately trying to release its millions of spores!

• Lesson learned?

• So no matter what, white or crimini, look for the presence of a broad stem! 
• Regardless the size; that is still valid for small, medium and large.

• The one to the left has been cut off by a dull knife... and it is starting to stretch its veil already...

• So for girls in modeling, slender and long legs are considered  optimal and are called race horse legs.
• But this is NOT the case for mushrooms; here the broader and shorter stems are proof of better quality! Of course there are several other factors to quality but here I just give you some simple examples for explaining mushroom quality in a nutshell.

• So that's the story about Quality Fresh Mushrooms!

• Hope you did learn a few tricks as what to look for.

• On page 22 of my book, you can read and see the difference about first, second and third quality.

Top photo, left shows ONLY ONE first quality mushroom; bottom left is a PERFECT BEAUTY! 

Top row left is already a second quality mushroom. The others are fast on their way in becoming a second.

Totally open ones are more mature, more old and also softer and more rubbery in feel.

If they are firm and fresh they still can be used but I've seen too many on the market that were almost mushy and started already smelling foul. 

• For me; the very best is the firm, closed one with broad stem!

• My book is being sold on line still a lot in Russia by: Agaricus Russia foreign language literature (scroll down) besides the spawn company Sylvan that has them. If you click on above link from Alexander Tsarev, you will find it when scrolling down. Also my husband Pieter's famous Mushroom Bible (as it is being called): Modern Mushroom Growing.

• This is the English version and it is translated and published into 8 official languages.

Two more that have been published; Romanian and Chinese, without bothering the royalties.

Not that one gets rich from writing any scientific book but it is something for leaving a mark behind you, with pride!

• For more info you can check out: linkedin.com/in/pieterjcvedder 

• Found this once on Amazon.com and it proves that my husband Pieter's knowledge is still very much being sought after...

Mariette on Google+