Monthly Archives: January 2016

Something to crow about

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Marcia Ren

THE CROW AND THE PITCHER A thirsty crow found a pitcher with some water in it, but so little was there that, try as she might, she could not reach it with her beak, and it seemed as though she would die of thirst within sight of the remedy. At last she hit upon a clever plan. She began dropping pebbles into the pitcher, and with each pebble the water rose a little higher until at last it reached the brim, and the knowing bird was enable to quench her thirst.~ Aesop I’m hoping that your first month of 2016 was a good one. Mine went well. This past week however was interesting. I’m in the midst of painting the living room floor. White. S.t.i.l.l… And, the odd thing is lately I’ve been thinking a lot about birds. a.l.o.t. Specifically crows. This seems rather odd to me, since I don’t think … Continue reading →

Posted in Coastal Living | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Downton 6E4

Posted on January 26, 2016 by Marcia Ren

Tonight was another fun evening spent with my new friends, and fellow Downton fans here on the coast. I’m finding much comfort while settling into these winter nights. My friend Allegra graciously hosted again. I don’t think any of the ladies are excited to have me host. Perhaps, it’s because our BIG tv is in the bedroom…or that currently our cottage is under the weather. (grin) Aka…the front room is getting a little make-over. Anyway, Allegra’s home is charming. Here’s a link if you haven’t seen this tour. https://marciascottagebythesea.com/christmas-on-the-coast/  It’s so nice to have beautiful cottages to enjoy the ending of this glorious season. I’m savoring every last bite of this sumptuous feast. I promise not to spoil anything big. (grin) However, when Daisy took out her frustrations on the mashed potatoes…well, that must have felt good! I’m all for whipping mash potatoes when frustrated. Yes,  indeedy! I must admit I always get … Continue reading →

Posted in Coastal Living | 4 Comments

Soups on!

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Marcia Ren

Living on the Oregon coast is fabulous. With that said, there is a reason it’s so gorgeous. It rains. Yep…a lot! Fortunately, I’m loving it, since I can choose to be home. (yippee!) And, choose I do. I’m loving my sweet kitchen, and I’m lovin my soup! Here’s a recipe for when it rains where you are at. Thanks, my midwest friends. More than likely this recipe originated from you. ♡ My So. Cal friends can pretend it’s raining. (grin) And, of course it’s perfect for all my back East friends. There’s nothing better than soup on a snowy winter day. MINESTRONE SOUP Makes 8 servings 2 zucchini, halved, cut into thick strips, and cubed 2 summer squash, halved, cut into thick strips, and cubed 8 ounces white mushrooms, stemmed and quartered 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) olive oil Kosher salt to taste 2 carrots, scrubbed (not peeled) and chopped 1 … Continue reading →

Posted in Coastal Living | 4 Comments

What Do You Do When You Don’t Know What To Do?

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Marcia Ren

  “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. ”  ~William Morris No doubt I could have called this post “Things I wish I could’ve learned years ago.” Do you ever feel that way about life? Oh, oh, I think I’m about to preach to MAH-SELF. Because this post is more than likely only speaking to me today. This past week marked 6 months in our cottage on the Oregon coast. Overall things are moving along nicely. However, without going into specifics I know there is a shift going on with how I envision this new space of living. 6 months is long enough to have experienced what our cottage is asking for. It seems I need to frequently remind myself, and embrace this idea of simple living. Simple living does not come easily for me. I really have to … Continue reading →

Posted in Coastal Living, Our Cottage | 7 Comments

Downton Abbey Tuesday

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Marcia Ren

  Hi!  This is a re-post from January 2016. The same group of wonderful ladies have just recently begun another ‘Book Club’ on the PBS Masterpiece Theatre Series Victoria. One of the ladies offers her home for the evening, & the others are asked to bring a snackie, wine or both. *************************************** I’m loving this Downton Abbey group. Have I mentioned how nice all the ladies are. Perhaps that was a requirement. Ha! Anyway, I decided to take advantage of it by posting a What I make and take to this fun gathering. I’m not going to spoil anything for you just in case you haven’t seen this episode. However, spoiler alert there is definitely something to celebrate! So, I decided to bake yummy vanilla cupcakes. Sort of like like mini wedding cakes. (grin) I also purchased some yummy candy from Cranberry Sweets. It’s an adorable candy gift shop around … Continue reading →

Posted in Coastal Living | 5 Comments