Wait . . . Time to Myself?!

William is in speech therapy camp for the next few weeks in Delaware, OH, which is about 30 min from Mayberry. The sessions last 2 hours, which means that twice a week I get two hours to myself (!) The first time I dropped him off, I sat in my car for about 5 minutes and literally didn't know what to do, it had been so long since I was on my own.

Delaware is delightful. It's one of those towns that when you open your copy of "Country Living," the article starts something like "When Bob and Lucy Luckypants found their charming 120 year old brick colonial in Delaware, OH . ." It's blocks and blocks of beautiful old homes, a downtown that has maintained it's retro charm, antiques stores, cafes with good food, and Crossroads Music, in which Eric Clapton (yes, god lives in Columbus, Ohio) has been spotted. Oh, and it's home to Ohio Wesleyan University, which is about as picturesque and top-notch as a university can be. Old homes, retro downtown with tons of antiques, college town . . . the perfect combo.

Today I'm hanging in Beehive Bookstore, a great little bookstore with an outstanding selection, good coffee and cappy, free wifi, and lots of comfy chairs for reading. Oh, and this really cool mural on the back entrance.

The time goes by Really quickly, then it's back home to laundry, yard sale preparations, and the general work of being a mom. But what a nice way to spend my little bit of free time!

Toulouse-Lautrec: The Art of Cuisine

So I thought I'd share some of my treasures with you. This cookbook by Toulouse-Lautrec and Maurice Joyant is one of my absolute favorite books. It is filled with art by the artist and is, most definitely, a serious cookbook. Toulouse-Lautrec was apparently well known for hosting lavish dinner parties and this book was a result of his gourmet prowess.



The book is supposedly filled with Toulouse-Lautrec's most requested recipes. A delightful thing about the book is that most pages also are illustrated by the great artist. Here, a recipe for Roast Turkey for a Shooting Lunch:



Dindon Roti Pour Dejeuner de Chasse
"For a 14 lb. turkey use 1 lb. each ground beef, veal, and sausage meat and 1/2 lb. chestnuts. If no boudin (blood sausage), chop turkey liver and 3 chicken livers, sauteed, plus 1/2 lb. extra sausage meat."

Each section (game meats, desserts, vegetables) is introducted with a full color painting:



And then there is my favorite section, Ultima Ratio Finis, which includes recipes for Grasshoppers Grilled in the Fashion of Saint John the Baptist, Saint on the Grill, and Ancient Recipe.



Saint sur la Gril
"With the help of the Vatican try to procure for yourself a real(!) saint.

Treat him as St. Lawrence was treated on August tenth, A.D. 258. When you have whipped him, lay him on the grill over a big bed of charcoal. Like his predecessor, if he is a real saint, he himself will ask to be turned over in order to be grilled to a turn on both sides"

This is one of my favorite books and believe it of not, Amazon has a few copies of it. The new copy is $75.00, but the collectible copies sell for much less. Here's a link of you are interested. I promise that if you are an art lover and/or a cook, you will get hours of enjoyment from this amazing book!

I Love: Old Books

One of my favorite spots to waste away a day is a musty, crammed to the rafters used books store. I love the dust. I love the way the books feel when you open them, the slight yellowing of the pages, even that slight smell of mildew that comes from a long stored treasure.

Walk into a store like this with me and count your day gone. I will not be leaving soon. Who Knows what treasures await?



When I was a child, I found a medical textbook from the 1800's. "Chill Blane" was a diagnosis. So was "Histrionic Female."

Perhaps I will find a new addition to my ever growing Wonder Book and My Book House collection. I read these over and over again as a child, somehow parted ways with them, and am slowly reacquiring them.



In Paris, a French biography of Marcel Proust (that I can't read as my french is not good enough) with a beautiful red leather cover. This the same day I placed a Madeleine on his grave site.


jleeson21, photobucket

In New Orleans, the complete Remembrance of Things Past to add to my Proust obsession. In England, first editions for my mom's Miss Read collection. The journals of a Country Doctor. A cookbook by Toulouse Lautrec in which "Grilled Saint on a Stick" is an entree.

My great grandmother's copy of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and Tennyson's poems. My mom's High School year book.


StarGazer806, photobucket

I Love Old Books.

Vintage Christmas

The family and I went to my mom and aunt's condo for our family Christmas celebration last night. It was a wonderful time, especially when a rollicking game of charades was started!

My mom and aunt have long been antique and flea market shoppers. And treasures from their childhoods are displayed throughout their house.


Welcome in!


Here Comes Santa Clause!


Christmas Sparkle


Choirs Sing


Santa and Mary


Tiny Old Elf

Have a Wonderful Holiday!