Author Archives: Marcia Ren

How To Host an Autumn Tea🍁☕️

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Marcia Ren

“There is no joy in life unless you share it”-anonymous Hello, sweet friend… Fall is here… And I’m excited! Today I thought I’d share with you how to prepare for a small harvest tea. I will be using only those items which I currently have to create a simple yet elegant tea… You can do this too! I hope this post will inspire you to host one of your very own during this wonderful autumn season. *Other traditional English finger sandwiches include roast beef, sliced ham, chicken salad tea sandwiches, tuna salad finger sandwiches with capers, tuna salad finger sandwiches with celery, and cheese and pickle tea sandwiches…remember to keep it simple!👩‍🍳

Posted in Coastal Living, Garden/Tea Time, Our Cottage | 2 Comments

🍂A Visit To A Pumpkin Patch…& Recipe For Pumpkin Bread🍁

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Marcia Ren

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are October’s.” -L.M. Montgomery Hello, sweet friend… Happy October! This past week… we took our annual visit to a local pumpkin patch… There is nothing like spending time outdoors… surrounded by beautiful Mother Nature… walking…searching… for the perfect pumpkin… or two… the whole experience was quite relaxing… and fun… Btw…any chance you’ll be visiting a local pumpkin patch this year? 👩‍🍳 WHAT’S COOKING? What better way to begin October than with a flavorful…well spiced…super moist pumpkin bread loaf… 🍂🍁🍂🍁🍂🍁 PUMPKIN BREAD LOAF 🍁🍂 INGREDIENTS 3 1/3 cups all purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg 3 cups sugar 1 cup vegetable oil 4 eggs 1 15 ounce canned pumpkin 2/3 cup water DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease two 5 x 9“ loaf pans. Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, … Continue reading →

Posted in Coastal Living, Cooking | 2 Comments

A Fall Haul Getaway

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Marcia Ren

Pumpkin spice is my favorite season… Hello, sweet friend… I hope you are doing well… I’ve just returned from a fall haul mini getaway… Joe I were able to visit with friends… explore a few fun restaurants… and…of course I was able to do some fall shopping… It’s no secret that I love all things pumpkin spice…and because Trader Joe’s my favorite all things pumpkin spice store is almost 3 hours away…this grocery trip has turned into a mini getaway tradition in which I take an autumn grocery trip to Trader Joe’s…among other favorite stops…(of course) 👩‍🍳 What’s Cooking? Shortly after returning home from our mini getaway…and a cupboard filled with pumpkin everything…I asked my wonderful husband Joe if he would take a quick run to the local market for Granny Smith apples…I had a yearning to bake apple crisp. It turns out that I also love everything apple…it’s my … Continue reading →

Posted in Coastal Living, Cooking | 2 Comments

Colors of Autumn…🍂

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Marcia Ren

“And all at once Summer collapsed into Fall” – Oscar Wilde Hello, sweet friend… I hope you are doing well… Joe & I are heading out of town… for a mini getaway… this will be Anastasia’s first experience with a pet sitter… we’ll see how that works out…😂 I thought before we departed… I’d take you for a quick stroll around the garden… this is my favorite time of year… everything is so beautiful… I almost don’t want to leave… However…a change of scenery is always good… whether it’s a faraway trip… or only a small getaway… I always get excited… because it gives me a greater appreciation for home… 👩‍🍳 What’s Cooking? Here where I live we’ve already experienced the first few days of fall…which leads me to the much anticipated offerings of the season and it’s wealth of getting cozy ay home. This delicious cottage pie is the … Continue reading →

Posted in Coastal Living, What’s Cooking? | 7 Comments

My $60.00 End of Summer Haul & A Gallery Wall…

Posted on September 9, 2021 by Marcia Ren

“In order to do something well we must be first be willing to do it badly.” -Julia Cameron Hello, sweet friend… While perusing a recent estate sale… I spotted a few items that were fabulous finds… however all had sadly been sold… disappointing as it was… I’m also not one to get easily discouraged…soooo…. early the following day I headed over to a local church rummage sale… it was there I scored quite well on several items… particularly vintage pictures… I was thrilled since I’d been working on a gallery art wall in the theme of ‘Homes & Gardens’… with a plan to display a few pieces of art… along the stairway next to the banister… I must admit I was quite smitten with the final results.

Posted in Coastal Living | 5 Comments