Thursday, February 16, 2017

Five on Friday: Things that Made Me Smile



Regular readers might remember our family celebrated Christmas in a rented ski chalet. There was snow, lots of it. We hauled all our luggage, food, and gifts for the grandchildren up on sleds while the snow swirled around in torrents. 
I'd sewn nightgowns for the girls and a cute pair of pajamas for Mr. F - red, with little white cows. 
When the snow finally disappears on Mt. Washington, in May or June, I think a little parcel will appear, wet and bedraggled, and inside will be a pair of red pajamas.
So, at last, over the weekend, I stitched a new pair of pajamas for the young man, and gave them to him at his birthday party. With a Christmas label. Bugs this time, not cows.


While walking one afternoon, we came across a man walking his dog, and his parrot. I asked to take a photo. We occasionally saw wild macaws when we lived in Ecuador. They are so majestic flying through the jungle, bright wings outspread. Their colours are magnificent.


Mr. F is three. He had a bug-themed birthday party, with a gummy worms and "dirt" on the cake. Doesn't he look pleased to be sung to?


I tried something new this week - making marmalade. Seville oranges appeared in the store and I brought 2 kg home with me. Deciding on a recipe was tricky - there's a plethora of tips and variations out there. In the end, I used one from Canadian Living as I thought the sugar would be the same as what I could get. It tastes delicious, bright citrus sweet with a hint of bitterness from the peel. I enjoyed it first on a crust of freshly baked whole-wheat bread, and since then, on a bit of cheddar cheese.


The bouquet of tulips given a couple of weeks ago is reaching its end. I trimmed the stems to avoid legginess, and got another week out of them. Now the petals are twisting and drying - still pretty, but this weekend I'll replace them.

Happy weekend! Linking with Amy at Love Made My Home.  


44 comments:

  1. Such a lovely five. Those bug jammies are so great. The marmalade looks amazing. Have a wonderful weekend Lorrie!

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  2. Those P.J's and that cute face = LOVE!!!

    It must have been so cool to see a macaw while out on your walk. Then again, I've always had parrots and with the wings clipped, they would sit on my shoulder and hang out with me in the backyard when I was gardening or enjoying time on the patio. Such great friends!

    Hope you are warming up!

    Jane x

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  3. Lovely cosy PJ's - your grandson is obviously into bugs! We always make our own marmalade so much better than the shop stuff and very moorish.

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  4. The birthday cake is lovely. Very creative! :D
    Have a great weekend.

    Mersad
    Mersad Donko Photography

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  5. Happy birthday to Mr F. Bet he loved his new bug pyjamas, they are gorgeous. Wouldn't mind a pair myself :). I find it hard to throw out flowers. Have a lovely weekend enjoying that mamrmalde. B x

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  6. Gosh. That is an odd thing to see...a man walking his dog and his parrot. I did a double take. I love your grandson's expression...by the time grands arrive at 10 and 11, they are pretty much done with the family singing. Ha! Sweet pair of jammies, too. Always so much to comment on here. Enjoy the marmalade.

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  7. Wonderful five! There is a man in my neighborhood who walks his dog while his bearded dragon is on his shoulder! You never know what you might see on a walk! Love the pajamas and happy birthday to Mr. F. The marmalade made my mouth water. Have a great weekend.

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  8. Lovely five. Those jammies looks wonderful. Yum to the marmalade. Lovely colourful photos.

    Happy Five on Friday!

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  9. Five lovely things. The pajamas are wonderful and the birthday cake such an original one no wonder Mr F looks pleased with it:)

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  10. That must have been a sight, someone walking their parrot! A bug themed party is perfect for a little boy (or girl of course), what a great idea.

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  11. Happy Birthday Mr.F!
    Lovely cake and pajamas
    Good homemade marmalade is divine.

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  12. Your 5 made me smile too! Love the pj's and the birthday boy looking so thrilled with his party cake. Not sure about the parrot, I'm not a fan, but to think of someone taking it for a walk outside did make me smile. And finally the marmalade, well done! You made a much better job of it than I did last week.
    Enjoy your new tulips and bon weekend.
    M

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  13. Such an uplifting five, the pyjamas and the birthday boys smile was a joy. I like marmalade with toasted cheese, a real treat.

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  14. Love all FIVE of your FIVE! That little 3 year old steals the show though. He is just adorable!!! xoDiana

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  15. love love ,love the pj's
    we make marmalade every year but as we did not eat all of last years we have skipped this year! missed it thought

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  16. The jammies are so cute! Love gummy worms, in fact I like gummy anything, even my vitamins are gummies. The marmalade looks delicious.

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  17. These all made me smile too! Cute jammies. The marmalade looks yummy. And, I see we enjoy tulip petals drying in a vase ... I love how they get almost iridescent.

    Wishing you a beautiful weekend.
    Brenda
    xox

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  18. Happy Birthday to Mr F!! I love tulips that look like that. Enjoy your marmalade!

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  19. I wonder what happened to the red pyjamas. If they were lost in the snow they'll have a few stories to tell. The birthday ones look brilliant.

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  20. What a sweet face on the birthday boy. It will be interesting to hear when the red pajamas appear, sounds like something that will make a great story. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

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  21. The pjs came out so cute...so sorry about the other ones though! And I love orange marmalade. I may have some on my whole grain toast tomorrow. "store boughten" though! heehee! Hugs!

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  22. I read that if you put a straight pin through the tulip stem right below the blossom, it won't take off in all directions with a mind of its own. Haven't tried it yet, but plan o.

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  23. What a cute pair of PJ's! I'm sure the birthday boy loved them! He's so cute standing in front of his wormy cake. Such blue eyes! The marmalade looks so pretty with the light shining through it. xo Karen

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  24. Nice pyjama ! My grandson is now 6, time flies by so quickly !

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  25. Lovely things to make you smile. Mr R looks very happy with his bug birthday. I used to make marmalade when we lived in England, it sure was tasty.

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  26. That should be Mr F, my grandson is R

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  27. Your happy things that make you smile made me smile too ;) Shame about the red cow pj's. I do hope they were found and maybe someone is finding good use of them. I love those buggy pj's! Mmmmmm gummy worms in dirt! I did this for my kids with crushed oreo cookies, chocolate pudding and gummy worms. Such fun! Your marmalade looks delicious. I have never made jams or jellies, and quite honestly, I don't think I would use it enough. But marmalade is something I love and will buy a jar every so often. A cracker with a slice of cheese and a little jelly on top, microwaved just a tiny bit ... yum! This I'm afraid is my weakness.
    Enjoy your week ahead Lorrie!
    Wendy

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  28. Those PJS are fab! I like to think of some little woodland people, elves perhaps, finding the bedraggled parcel and making good use of the treasure inside. Now, I am particularly partial to marmalade, and not averse to a slice of cheese spread with jam, but CHEESE WITH MARMALADE???? Bonkers! Hope you are enjoying the weekend. x

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  29. Another lovely post to read and look at.
    I love those PJ's and that photo of Mr. F is adorable.

    Enjoy your weekend

    All the best Jan

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  30. It's so fun to watch them be happy on their birthday! The attention for one of mine was always too overwhelming though.

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  31. Mr. F is ADORABLE!!! :-) Love the pj's and the marmalade. Your photos are super.

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  32. A bug birthday sounds great! I smiled at the cake as I remember our worm cake (in chocolate pudding). I think the kids eventually started to feel sick as it seems a bit too real. Cute pajamas … hope you're having a good weekend!

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  33. The pajama set you made is so cute!!

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  34. That marmalade looks wonderful! Sweet little Mr. F. is just a doll! And where did you get such cute fabrics? We used to have Mill Ends stores in our area where we could get wonderful kids' prints in flannels, cotton knits, etc.. Then when the mills left the US and went abroad, of course there are no more mill ends. I find almost nothing in JoAnnes in those two categories. I LOVE sewing pjs for the kids. Those that you made are just the cutest!

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  35. Happy Birthday to your cute grandson! I have a weakness for funky pajamas so the bug pajamas made me smile.

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  36. Oh your three year old Mr F is adorable Lorrie! He looks such a bright little button.
    A gorgeous pair of blue pj's which I know he must love.
    Shane x

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  37. These lovely photos made me smile too... Well, the gummy worms do look very (read: too much) real. :)
    The story of a small parcel fallen from a sled in a snow storm is like from an old, cute book. Let's hope somebody will find it!
    Wishing you a happy Sunday!

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  38. Happy Birthday to Mr. F! He sure looks like he's having fun and beaming from his bug themed cake! The pajamas are the perfect gift!

    The bright and bold feathers on the parrot are striking, as is its expression! What a gorgeous orange your marmalade is, Lorrie; sounds scrumptious!

    Happy Sunday, to you!

    Poppy

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  39. There used to be a man in my neighborhood who walked his bird on his shoulder. Love the PJ's. Happy Sunday.

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  40. What a cute little guy celebrating #3. The pajamas fit the theme perfectly. Love aged tulips too. Oh marmalade, yummm! Sounds so very good. I use to sell an orange marmalade with triple sec. I miss a good marmalade.

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  41. What a sweet three year old!
    Each winter I vow to make marmalade and then the time flies by and the Seville oranges are gone. A British friend makes hers with a little whiskey and I find it gives the marmalade a lovely mellow flavour.

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  42. The marmalade sounds delicious. I've never made it, but I have made rhubarb jam, and strawberry and black-raspberry freezer jam. Cute pajamas. The macaw is gorgeous! I enjoyed your five!

    Cindy

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  43. The tulips are beautiful as they start to go off - can't wait to see them in the shops here. And I love the idea of marmalade on cheese - will have to try that. I've had onion marmalade as a pickle but the sweet one sounds absolutely yummy. Mr F is so cute - a wormy cake ... yaaaayy :)

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  44. The children grow so quickly. How cute are the pyjamas.

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