Monday, February 11, 2019

Travel Break: Home and Fun

Nothing warms up a winter's day like a brunch invitation! Last month, Rick and I were lucky enough to be invited to blogger Mae's home for brunch. Mae writes the wonderful Mae's Food (although her blog is far more than food!) She wrote about our visit HERE.


Mae's husband, Len, makes wonderful bread and she knew Rick was a bread guy too, so she suggested a bread tasting. (Rick's is below, but I didn't have my camera at Mae's; the pic above is one Len took.) All that good bread, with cheese, jam, chutney, chicken salad, carrot salad and more made for a fabulous brunch. And even better conversation!


In other activities, I've hit a couple of movies -- "The Favourite," which deserves to walk away with acting and production/costume design Oscars (although whomever designed the credits should stay far away from me or else get an earful!) and "On the Basis of Sex," about Ruth Bader Ginsberg's early days. My list is long. After seeing the Ruth movie, my friend Judy Winter and I celebrated a late Christmas. Judy is a photographer and took some new pix of Lizzie and me.


She didn't have a very cooperative model.


If all else fails, lay on the cat.


I hadn't drawn or painted in far too long so I pulled a few old favorite cards and tried to riff off them a bit to get me back in the swing of things. These are all ink with color pencil overlay. Just roughs.


Nothing looks quite like the original and by the time I transfer one or more of these to paint, they'll probably (and should be) far different.


They all started out as ink drawings...


....and got some colored pencil after.


Maybe I'll try the snowman next! Or the bird.


Lizzie says, "I really don't care what you do. I just would like some food, please."


And then there was a visit from my favorite guys!


Little Little Guy was pretty enamored of Grandpa's tie.


And Little Big Guy impressed me by when, spilling his water and my getting a paper towel, took it from me and when it was sopped up, held it out for me and said "Trash!"


I melt when I see this fabulous face!


I melt when I see this one, too!


Of course, there's always time to keep in touch!


But for now, I think bedtime will do.


 Say "Goodnight," Lamb Chop!

Sharing with:         Pink Saturday    

38 comments:

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Next time you make it to Southern Ontario come here for brunch/lunch/dinner......but I will leave the breadmaking to Rick! I could cheat and go to a fabulous local bakery......or maybe that's not cheating as long as I don't claim that I made it. Deal!

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

Those boys are so darn cute! They look so similar and I can see Kevin and Molly in both of them! I love the blond hair! And little big guy is a good helper!

The brunch with homemade bread sounds so delicious! Yum! We had a brunch to attend yesterday in honor of my nephew Andrew. He got confirmed yesterday as the big Cathedral in St. Paul. We were late getting to brunch as Paul napped longer than expected! But there was plenty left for us to eat when we got there, of course! The roads were horrible as we got more snow. I'm glad we don't have much going on this week as we'll get snow about every other day. But at least it's not so bitterly cold!!

eileeninmd said...

Hello, Jeanie

Your grandsons are adorable. I have never learned how to make bread, I guess it good now I am trying a gluten free diet. Cute photos of you and sweet Lizzie. Enjoy your day, have a great new week!

DUTA said...

I like your photo with Mae. It's lovely!
I highly appreciate anyone who can make a decent loaf of bread.It appears both husbands are good at that.

Your drawings are terrific! You're a genuine talent!
The cat and your grandsons are terrific too! It's sheer delight to play with them.

Valerie-Jael said...

Looks like you are enjoying your time at home, with nice visitors, visits, tasty bread and time to paint. The cat pictures are my faves today. Hugs, Valerie

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I was surprised when I read you didn't have your camera with you. My camera seems to be an extension of my arm. Mae seems to be a beautiful lady and Len's bread looks SO good. I love sesame seeds.

I laughed at Lizzie being uncooperative. Welcome to my world. Lay on the cat. Never thought of that! She DOES let you photograph her, while mine both run and hide as soon as I pull out the camera.

Your Santas are already impressive. I love the second Santa and feel it is finished already. There is something magical about it.

Both boys are so adorable. I can see how and why they steal your heart. Hope your day is going well.

Mae Travels said...

It was so great that you could make it between all the un-driveable weather systems that have been blowing through Michigan! We loved all the bread... Len is starting a sourdough batch today, will finish tomorrow or Wednesday. Keeps the house feeling warm with all the ice outside.

best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Jemma@athomewithjemma said...

Good Afternoon Jeanie!
What delightful photos and gatherings with family and friends. Your smile is so genuinely delightful and those grandboys are so precious.
Love that you are back to your art...makes me think that we need to pick up where we left off with my craft booklet...:)
Happy Monday!
Jemma

Susan Kane said...


Those little guys! Those faces are made for kissing!

You are quite the artist! You are also a lovely woman!

I could gobble up bread.

Blondie's Journal said...

I love your photo shoot!! You are such a happy person and your blue eyes match your Santa drawing! Keep up the good work with that and please keep sharing!

I enjoyed seeing your little ones, they are precious!!

Jane

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

Love the Santa's and lucky you getting to meet a fellow blogger!! How exciting!!
Thanks so much for stopping by!!
Hugs,
Debbie

Pam Richardson said...

Jeanie, I love the photos of you and Mae and you and Lizzie, so very sweet! How fun that you are back creating beautiful art. The baby grands are so adorable and those faces are so handsome!

My name is Erika. said...

Life sounds good. I would like to see both of those films-not sure I will make it to them in the theatre but it is good to hear you liked them. They will be out on netflix or amazon I am sure. And the art is great, the food sounds good, the little ones are beyond adorable...what else do you need in this cold winter months? Hope you get some spring weather soon. hugs-Erika

Joanne Huffman said...

Bread and grandchildren...mmmmm.

William Kendall said...

Awww, Lizzie! :)

Pamela said...

Lizzie is adorable! Nice that you could spend time with Mae and with your grandchildren.

Anonymous said...

The sweet children are adorable! There is nothing so precious as little children! Love your drawings! Very nice!

Misadventures of Widowhood said...

Love that third photo of you and Lizzie. And of course your grand babies are adorable.

Lynne said...

So much to enjoy in your posts.
And in this one . . .
Dinner with a blog friend.
Talking about, enjoying, breaking bread together.
Photo Shoot.
Lizzie
Littles.
Grandpa’s flashy tie.
Water clean up.
Ink & crayon.
Creating.
Love your warmth, love, energy . . .

NanaDiana said...

I love all the family pictures of the kids, Jeanie. That is fun that you were able to have lunch with another blogger AND that you had some bread bakes specially for you.

I hope you have a wonderful week- xo Diana

krishna said...

Aww!! those little guys are so cute!

Marilyn Miller said...

Sweet "Grandlittles". Isn't it amazing how quickly they change?
Love seeing your process with art and getting re-inspired.
I was imagining a get together with you my dear blog friend, as I read of your get together with another blog friend. And the brunch and bread tasting sounds just perfect.

Tracy said...

How WONDERFUL to meet a blog-friend!! So much fun... And fun that Mae's Len bakes bread too, just like your Rick! LOVE the pics of your & Lizzie--these are so sweet! We've not been to see a movie in a while. Although, while Stateside at Christmas we did get to go with my sister and niece to see the Fantastic Beasts 2, which was great fun. Your snowy/winter/Christmas sketches are such fun!! Oh, and look at your Little Guys... too CUTE in their jammies!! Thanks for sharing your happy days, Jeanie! :) ((HUGS))

Sami said...

How wonderful to enjoy a meal with a fellow blogger.
I'll go and read Mae's post as well, she often comments on my blog too.
Lovely photos with the uncooperative Lizzie, cats aren't very good models, at least mine aren't :)
Your grandchildren are such cuties Jeanie.

shoreacres said...

Didn't I grin at the sight of your baby grand with a corded telephone!
That really did tickle me. The sight of all that bread's hard to take, though. I'm off bread until I reach my (ahem) "goal," and giving up bread's almost worse than giving up sugar!

La Table De Nana said...

Such fair haired little urchins..as cute as cute can be.
I iss thosedays..You're surrounded by love..and hobbies:) Sounds perfect:) I never use my pencils..I should they are right there in my craft room staring at me;)

Carol @Comfort Spring Station said...

You've been having lots of fun. Lunch with a friend is one of my favorite things. Who could resist your "little men?" Very cute.

CHERI said...

What precious little faces!!! Nothing like sweet babies to make us "mature" folks happy:) Love your drawings! I have always wished I could draw but that is definitely not my talent. However, my granddaughter is great at it so I just enjoy her talent instead:) Thanks so much for dropping by my blog and leaving a comment...I left you a reply there. Now I'm off to catch up with your posts and then plan to visit your friend's blog too. All this pine pollen we deal with here in the south has leaped on me with a vengeance so today I'm going to do nothing other than sit in my chair and enjoy catching up with my blogging friends. Have a great day!

Jellybeans Angel said...

So lovely to meet up with friends over food. What cute visitors you had! I had to laugh at the photos of you with your cat. I have the opposite with the hounds here- they like photo bombing. You wont see them all day but the moment you are taking a photo of something you have made they appear.

Such fun drawings. I hope you enjoyed yourself.

Sandra at Maison De Jardin said...

Jeanie: I am a bit in love with your Lizzie. We had a precious kitty, who lived to be 18, and he looked just like her with exception of her cute little smudges on her mouth. His name was Punk and he was such a wonderful kitty.

Also, love those sweet boys, they are so cute. And, love your drawings too. Especially the eyes on the second santa, they speak to you.

Happy week to you, Jeanie. Hope you are seeing a bit warmer weather.

The French Hutch said...

How nice you and Rick were invited to Ma's for brunch. Oh boy does the breads sound delicious so does the entire meal! Celebrating with friends is always special even if it comes late. Love, love, love the pics of you and Miss Lizzie. You look fabulous Jeanie. So does Lizzie. I could love on her like you do, she's so sweet.
Great pics of the boys too, I know they melt your heart. Both are such cute ages. Your drawing look great and I think the paintings will be lovely. Happy Valentine's Day Jeanie......

Judy at GoldCountryCottage said...

Jeanie, what cuties! Every single one of you..Happy Valentines Day..xxoJudy

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Jeanie, your grandboys are so beautiful! I know they bring you both a lot of joy. It's always nice to meet other bloggers and it looks like you had a lovely time at Mae's

Please check your comments on this post as you have one from an "anonymous" and it is very vulgar and you probably would like to delete it. I stopped accepting anonymous comments on my blog as many tried to slip in links or spam in their comments.

Iris Flavia said...

Oh, and can you believe it, we're invited and supposed to bring bread (we are Germans, right) - and we have no oven!!

Love the pictures of Lizzie and you (of course)- and the drawings!! And the Wee Ones, such a very cute age!

Liz@ HomeandGardeningWithLiz said...

Ooh I love your art work! You really are a talented gal! The bread looks so good. I’ve always loved homemade bread and should make homemade bread more often. My grandmother always made homemade potato bread. The grandchildren pictures are the cutest!

Sketchbook Wandering said...

Such cuteness and happiness, thanks for sharing it!!

Doodle T said...

So very sweet. Makes me smile.

Victoria Zigler said...

It all sounds lovely. I love the thing with Little Big Guy and the "Trash," though it seems amazing he's even old enough to be doing things like that. He'll be all grown up before you know it...

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