I've Moved

Hi everyone. Life has taken many interesting turns recently and I've decided it's time for a change. So I've given my blog a make-over at this address: http://lydiathelibrarian.blogspot.com/

See you there!

July Celebrations

For Independence Day, Elizabeth made her first ever pavlova. 

A patriotic pavlova. 

Happy chickens. 

"Do you have any blackberries for me?" 

Close on the heels of the Fourth of July, is the Eighth of July, a.k.a. Matthew's birthday. 

  Happy twenty-seventh birthday, Matthew! 

One big chocolate-chip cookie. 

And last but not least, our new patio room, Tiki Cove. 

Complete with Tiki torches. 

And mood lighting. Beautiful July.

Hummingbird Rescue

A few weeks ago we were cleaning out and preparing our motor-home to sell. (After ten or so years, we decided camping, even in a luxurious RV, just wasn't for us.) Everyone has been looking forward to having it out of our care, unfortunately however that meant it had be parked out in the driveway right where Tiki Cove was supposed to be.

So one day Mom and Elizabeth were out walking in the garden when they heard two distinct "thuds" coming from the motor-home. They went over and found two hummingbirds lying on the ground beside it. The larger one had been chasing the little one, a tiny hatchling with speckles still on his chest, and they had crashed into the motor-home! The larger one, though stunned, managed to fly into a tree while he recuperated. The little one was too stunned to move. My poor Mom thought he had died. But he was okay. Elizabeth picked up the little guy in her hand and carried him the back deck where she fed him sugar water.

 And we named him Pip. 

See the little dots on his chest? He's just a baby. So cute! 

  Pip seemed in no hurry to leave.

But he eventually flew into a tree and rested a bit before taking off for good. I think I saw him again a few days later.

Fun in the Kitchen

Some Very Merry Un-Birthday Cupcakes! 

Elizabeth has perfected pink frosting that's not too runny. So, our cupcakes can have beautiful swirls and flowers. My favorites are the ones third from the top. They are like a bouquet of sweet little wild flowers. 

Copper pans make very good wall decorations, (and they are easy to access.) 

"I was just giving myself some good advice." 

--Alice in Disney's Alice in Wonderland

A cook's play room and a baker's delight! 

P.S. Happy Star Wars Day, May the Fourth be with you. 

Happy Birthday, Mom

To many more Aloha years.

Snow Flakes on my Window

Since January our dining room has been all decked out in snowflakes and snowmen to celebrate winter. And this winter not a single snowflake has fallen on our home.

This has been quite possibly the most mild winter I have ever experienced, (and for that I am very grateful.)

Not that I'm superstitious or anything, but I'm just about convinced that our snowy decorations are keeping winter away, and I'm afraid that as soon as we take the snow decorations down and put up the spring decorations it will snow.

 So the snowmen have stayed around through April. But Sunday is Easter Sunday so we will most likely be taking down the snowmen in favor of springtime decor. I hope it doesn't snow.

The only snow I welcome.

The Doctor's Back in Town!

Earlier this afternoon I went downstairs and was told that I had received two packages in the mail. "That's weird," I thought. "Who could be sending me a package?" I looked at the return address and it said "Amazon."

"But I didn't order anything," I stated, feeling nervous.

"I don't know, you spent a lot of time on the internet the other day," my Mom joked.

So I opened them:

   Guess what we're watching tonight!!

Elizabeth ordered the eighth season of Doctor Who, and the Christmas special, two days ago and put it in my name as a surprise. Boy, was I surprised! I haven't been this excited since I found out Pixar is making Toy Story 4.