RJ Treleaven

Showing posts with label Bookish Things. Show all posts

Happy Monday, My Lovelies! I hope you've had a wonderful summer. Mine has been....busy. And not for a good reason.

My mother became ill in March, and she has been in two hospitals, two skilled nursing facilities, and one assisted living facility. It has been difficult because one moment she seems fine, and the next, she isn't.

Because I'm an only child, her care is solely on me. Mr. Bookish, and our daughters, and our son-in-law have been very helpful and supportive. I don't know what I'd do without my family.

We have only been to the lake twice all summer because we've spent a lot of time in my hometown settling her estate, selling her home, etc. She was released from the hospital Friday and sent to another SNF. I feel badly for her, and I'm hoping she can get the care she needs to improve her quality of life.

I miss being home because I'm such a home bird! My dogs have missed me a lot, and they have not been happy with my absence. I have missed working in our back garden, but fortunately for me, the annuals I planted haven't needed a lot of attention, and we've had so much rain.

This is my favorite time of year to be home, and the following is what I like most about it:

getting in the back-to-school mode (i.e. back on a schedule) even though no one in our home is in school right now
hearing the school buses driving up and down the hills early in the morning
making lists for buying new art supplies, pencils, and planners
planning trips to local art supply and stationary stores
getting up earlier with the school buses and reading my lessons for my Bible study that starts in August
cleaning out and organizing my menu/blogging desk in our kitchen
reorganizing my art studio

Speaking of school and art supplies....In late spring I applied to be a member of the Koh-I-Noor Artist Team. Koh-I-Noor is a company from the Czech Republic known for manufacturing pencils. The company's founder Franz Hardtmuth defined a total of 8 types of soft and hard pencils, two medium hard and one type for natural graphite. He marked the soft ones from B to 8B, with 8B being the softest and the 9B mark is for natural graphite. The marks of soft gradations were based on the same principle as for hard gradations, just with the letter H. Later, a number of gradations H - H8 were extended by H9 and H10. According to the personal notes of Franz Hardtmuth, the marking of pencils using the letter H originates from the family surname Hardtmuth, B means Budweis, or Budějovice in Czech language (a Czech city), and F refers to his first name Franz. This 21-degree gradation marking system for graphite cores is still used by most pencil manufacturers around the world. Most of you have heard of the number 2 pencil: That one is actually a "2B."

I was accepted, and I wanted to share the projects I shared on Instagram.

I drew these peaches with Koh-I-Noor's Tri-Toned Colored Pencils. Each pencil has three different colors in it. I think It makes drawings very interesting because the artist can't control when the colors change from one to another.

I like to make bookmarks for my favorite books and place them in my reading tag journals.

I drew this one with the Mondeluz gray-toned colored pencils.

When I applied for the Artist Team I had no idea that my mother's condition would decline so rapidly. I have not drawn anything this month, and I'm feeling the pressure because I believe in honoring my commitments. If I had known that my mom would require another hospital and SNF stay, I would not have applied.

We have been planning different major projects around our home. I have met with a decorator and carpenter. We are postponing our planning meetings until after Labor Day because I have too much going on right now to meet with them. Because we are saving for these projects, I haven't been spending a lot of money "fluffing" the house this summer. I did purchase one thing during the MacKenzie-Childs Barn Sale, though, and I hope to use it soon.

This is the Piccadilly pie plate. I wanted to bake a tomato pie in it before summer ends.

I hope I can!

I would like to get back into blogging, but it's hard because I haven't been home much to blog. I have posted on Instagram because it's easier to do so on the run. If you would, please follow me on Instagram, and also please, if you do follow me, like and comment on the posts for Koh-I-Noor. They were so kind to send me beautiful pencils and paper for my art in exchange for posting on IG. I would really appreciate it. Click on the graphic below to follow me.

I haven't been reading as much as I normally do, but I will try to put together a Summer Reading post in mid-September and feature my favorite books of the summer.

Below is a teaser of my Welcome Fall tablescape:

I hope you will come back next week and read these posts!

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Late Summer Update and Upcoming Posts

Monday, August 25, 2025

The pink eye peas were our favorite item in our Week Five CSA subscription box.

Happy Tuesday, My Lovelies! Today I'll be sharing our Week Five CSA subscription box, a recipe, and a few things that inspired me this past week. Our subscription only lasts for ten weeks, so we're halfway through! Below are photos of the veggies and things from last week's box.

Garden Carrots, Cherry Tomatoes, Blueberries, Endive, Onions, Chive & Basil Bundles, Rainbow Eggs, Cucumbers , Green & Purple String Beans , Chabata from Hinkle’s Bakery, Pink Eye Peas, Butter Beans, Green Tomatoes, and

Fried Green Tomato Batter (Whistle Stop Cafe)

Each week we receive pretty herb bundles, and this week's chives and basil were put to good use in an egg dish (chives) and Ina Garten's Summer Garden Pasta recipe (basil).

I mostly just cooked the peas and beans, and made a salad with the rest. I also cooked the fried green tomatoes using the mix, and we used them to make BLT sandwiches. This is what I put into BLT's:

Ingredients:

Friend Green Tomatoes

Applewood Smoked Bacon

Red Leaf Lettuce

Pimento and Cheese

Sourdough Bread

Directions:

Slice and toast your sourdough bread. Spread pimento cheese on one side of each bread as if it were mayonnaise. Then add the bacon, lettuce, and fried green tomatoes. This sandwich is very good grilled. Just skip the toasting step and grill it like a grilled cheese.

This is my family's favorite way to make BLT's! However if you're not a fan of pimento cheese, substitute Duke's Mayonnaise.

One recipe I made this past week was utilizing the blueberries: I made a family favorite, "Blueberry Fool."

Blueberry Fool

Serves 5

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh blueberries, divided

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

Pinch of salt

zest of a small lemon

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/3 cups heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Procedure:

First, make the blueberry sauce. Heat 1 1/2 cups blueberries, 1/3 cup sugar and the salt in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbling. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the blueberries are soft, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest and juice; remove from the heat. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup blueberries and let the mixture cool to room temperature. Do not rush this step! You might want to place them in the refrigerator for a few minutes.

Next, beat the heavy cream in a bowl with a mixer or whisk until soft peaks just begin to form. Beat in the vanilla and the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Gently fold all but 1/3 cup of the blueberry sauce into the whipped cream. You can either blend it until the whipped cream is a purple color, or you can make the dessert look "swirled." Divide among glasses and top with the remaining blueberry sauce. Serve immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to three days.

COOK'S NOTE: This recipe presents better in clear glass. I used 8 ounce French café glasses I purchased from Williams-Sonoma. I know that the five servings is a bit awkward, so you can use smaller compotes or jars if you have them.

I'm looking forward to this afternoon for Box #6!

Below are a few inspiring things (and people) from last week.

Y'all might have heard about the shark attacks on the Florida panhandle a couple of weeks ago. One of the young victims is named Lulu, and she lives in Birmingham. She is a warrior, and the community has truly lifted her up in prayer and financially through fundraisers. I am so humbled by her courage, and I'm definitely inspired by the generosity of so many people. You'll see purple ribbons all over Birmingham in support of Lulu (purple is her favorite color). A local artist, Carrie Pittman, used the torn pages from a devotional (creatively torn by her puppy) and created pretty works of art. She sold these pretty pieces giving the proceeds to Lulu and her family. She is quite an amazing lady! You can follow her on Instagram @carriepittmanart.

Carrie used pinks, mauves, and purples in her cross paintings. She then framed them between two blocks of lucite.

While at the fundraiser at a local florist, we saw wedding flowers almost entirely in shades of purple and mauve. There were so many purple varieties, and the mauve tones reminded me of the 80s. Normally I'm not a purple lover, but these florals were absolutely stunning and inspiring.

Upcycling is another thing that inspired me this past week.

I'd like to feature two inspiring companies in this post. The first one I found by accident on Anthropologie's website. They also sell through their own website, too. The name of the company is Old Flame Candle Company. They specialize in taking old, vintage vessels, especially from the Mid Twentieth Century, and making them into candles. The neat thing is that once the candle is used-up, the vessel can still be used for its original purpose or for something else. Another neat service is that you can return the vessel and have it refilled, or you can send them your own vessel, and they will fill it with a candle. I think it's such a neat idea! They also sell other vintage items that aren't candles. I think Anthropologie has a really neat curated collection of their items. Just hop over to their site and type Old Flame Candle Company in their search engine.

In the graphic above, the green hobnail milk glass holds a candle. Her name is Pearl. All of their candles are named.

I think that this candle is pretty, too.

Another upcycling company inspiring me is an Etsy shop called Pretty Old Books. The owner Jess Dollar also has her own site. Jess is from North Alabama, and she sells the prettiest vintage books. She specializes in vintage books for decor, and decorators from all over the country purchase her curated book stacks. If you're looking for a specific theme or color, she can probably find what you want. I tend to purchase titles from her because the books interest me. Below are two books I recently purchased from her, and the one on the left is a history book about my home county.

This is a teal green and blue stack. It reminds me of sea glass!

I'm noticing a pattern here. Clearly blues, teals, and greens are also inspiring me. I need to spend some time in my art studio this week exploring these colors!

Speaking of books...come back Friday for my review of All The Light We Cannot See.

What's inspiring you today?

Until next time...

Blessings!

Ricki Jill

CSA Week Five, Inspirations, and a Recipe

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Before they ripen, blueberries are the prettiest shades of pink!

Hello, My Lovelies! How is your summer progressing? Did you enjoy Father's Day with friends and family over the weekend? Mr. Bookish had a wonderful weekend: His girls saw to that!

Today I want to share with you weeks three and four community supported agriculture (CSA) boxes, a few things that are inspiring me, and a recipe. I'll start with the CSA produce.

The highlights of week three's box were the pole beans, Chilton County peaches, mushrooms, and sourdough bread. The highlights from week four were the onions, herbs, and not one but two dozen eggs.

We are enjoying our fresh produce delivered to our door weekly. I would say that we are eating about ninety to ninety-five percent of everything so far, and what we aren't eating we're sharing with friends and neighbors. Today I will share links of a few of our favorite recipes from the past couple of weeks.

Cabbage Steaks with Balsamic Dressing

Fried Okra

Summer Squash Casserole

Sour Cream Pound Cake

Swiss Chard With Garbanzo Beans and Fresh Tomatoes

Classic French Quiche Lorraine

I have too many other photos to post, but I wanted to share a photo of at least one of the recipes I made.

This is the Quiche Lorraine, a family favorite.

The pound cake recipe is the exact way my grandmother made it. I can fry okra in my sleep, but I thought that this recipe would be good for those of you who haven't tried it yet. It really is a great one! Because of our bumper crop of eggs, I chose to bake the pound cake, quiche, and squash casserole. I usually bake a squash casserole or quiche if I have lots of eggs on hand. Eggs also remind me of my grandmother's pound cake. :D

Although we've been promised melons in the boxes, they aren't quite ripe yet. It wouldn't surprise me if we didn't get a few in today's box. I know Mr. Bookish loves them! We did buy a couple of watermelons over the weekend, and with the leftover melon I made one of Mr. Bookish's favorite summertime salads. I know you've probably seen watermelon salads all over Pinterest, and the first recipe I tried was from the Anthropologie blog several years ago. I've had a little bit of time to perfect it (in Mr. Bookish's eyes, anyway).

Mediterranean Watermelon Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 cups seedless watermelon cubed

1 1/2 cups sliced cucumber peeled and seeds removed (I usually buy one medium size cucumber, and it's usually right at 1 1/2 cups once sliced.)

1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled

3 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of one lime (at least 1 1/2 tablespoons)

salt and pepper, to taste

Fresh mint thinly sliced, to taste

Procedure:

Place the watermelon in a large serving bowl. You can easily use the same bowl for preparation and serving.

Peel the cucumber with a vegetable peeler and slice in half. Use a spoon to scoop out all of the seeds.

Do NOT skip this step!

Slice into one quarter inch slices and add to the watermelon.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice and salt and pepper.

Drizzle the dressing over the watermelon and cucumber mixture. Carefully toss to coat. Sprinkle with feta and serve. Garnish with mint, to taste.

Notice that the mint is separate. Chop the mint right before serving and add it once it's been served. You might have leftover salad, and mint doesn't age well. Only add it at serving time!

What's currently inspiring me:

Blueberries

Last weekend we went blueberry picking at Blueberry Havens. Professor Havens, a retired professor from Auburn University, owns a blueberry farm and second hand bookstore. He is truly living his best life! And I must say that the combination of two of my favorite things made a perfect late afternoon/early evening for me. We went late in the day to avoid the heat!

The blueberries were ripe for the most part.

Trip and I each picked a gallon of blueberries. I froze most of them because we also got some berries in the fourth box.

Check out the Alabama red clay in the background. Who knew that blueberries love growing in it?

I've already cooked a blueberry crips, and we've had blueberries over homemade ice cream. This week I'll probably make a blueberry fool. If I do, I'll post that recipe. Its a very refreshing dessert for summer!

Children's Fiction From My Childhood

These are the books I purchased at the used bookshop. Both are children's books, and I remember reading both as a child! The Tide in the Attic is a middle grades historical literary novel surrounding the actual events during the February 1953 flood of Holland that killed 1794 people and cost $280,000,000 in damages. It was first published in Dutch in 1961.

The Figure in the Shadows is Book Two in the Lewis Barnavelt Series (the first one is The House with a Clock in Its Walls). There are a dozen books in the series, and all are written in the Gothic style. I liked scary things when I was a little girl! I also liked the scarier Nancy Drew mysteries, too.

Flowers

Last week I participated in a link party, and I was inspired by everyone's centerpieces.

I've started painting again, and although my current painting isn't floral, my next one might be.

Once the hydrangeas were past their prime, I brought in some sunflowers. Now our table is decorated with primary colors.

Don't primary colors remind you of the nineties?

Christopher and Shanley Belle

Last weekend, Shanley Belle went to the Detroit Tigers' Pink Out Baseball Game. They sent me tons of photos. I am one blessed mama!

Make sure to check back on Fridays as I share my Summer Reading Challenge. I'm challenging myself to read fifteen books between June 1st and September 1st.

I know the graphic says 20 Books of Summer. We also had the options to read fifteen or ten.

Thanks for reading my blog! Please let me know if you're interested in reading more about our Adventure Eating project. If not, I'll post about other things! What would YOU like to read here on my blog?

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

CSA Weeks Three and Four, Inspirations, And a Recipe

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Happy Tuesday, My Lovelies! Welcome to the summer edition of the Tablescape Blog Hop hosted by Rita @ Panoply. Thank-you so much for hosting, Rita!

Isn't this a stunning setting!

But before I share my tablescape, I want to share a happy milestone with you: Yesterday was my last chemo treatment, and I rang the bell! So happy to have chemo in the rearview mirror!

Now on to my tablescape. It has a theme, and it's summer reading for a summer book club meeting. I decided to use the colors of the ocean, sea glass, sand, driftwood, and sunshine. I miss the beach. I haven't been to the beach since 2019! We're planning a beach trip for late summer or early fall.

The table runner reminds me of the beach because of the colors, and its texture reminds me of beach mats.

The placemats have beach umbrellas printed on them.

I enjoy the vase bookends, and I thought they would be fun to use for the centerpiece.

I ordered these wine cups from England a few years ago.

Sea glass and turquoise votives

Pitcher for strawberry iced tea

Because finger foods are on the menu, there's no need for lots of silverware, although I have placed forks at each setting for the lemon bars.

I also tried to match the fluted MacKenzie-Childs luncheon plates with the placemats.

Book club meetings need to be simple, yet I wanted to offer something delicious for the members. Here is the menu for our summer book club meeting:

Here are a few suggestions for your summer reading. I have not read all of these books, however, my daughter has read a few of them, and my bookseller has recommended the rest.