Smoothie Bar Lunch Choices..

Good Morning...

welcome to Mdm Samm's Smoothie Bar

I am sure many of you asked at one time of another..

"what is that lady or rather Madame on?"

Now you know how much I love my coffee, and I still begin

each day with a wonderful k-cup of either a breakfast blend

or a Sumantra Reserve with 2 tb of evaporated milk...

( by the way 4 stars hotels use evaporated milk for their coffees) 

But my day could not be jumped started in the spring and summer months

without smoothies...

IN fact David and I have been on a cleanse of smoothies

and nothing but smoothies for 2 weeks now....

We both have sooo much energy, we are not sure, we want

to get off...but we will, as it is just a cleanse....

however we will continue with smoothies for breakfast...

So what do you need! 

YOU need a very  good blender...we love our Bullet...in the US

some of you have the Ninja...

In Canada we can get all of this( below)  anywhere from 

$29.00 -39.00

In fact we just had to get another one on the weekend,

we wear them out...Canadian Tire had them on sale for 29.00

Now when I say wear them out...we had our first one

for almost 6 years...with daily use...not bad...

Start looking for fruit on sale...

Bananas, fresh Pineapple, kiwi, mango, strawberries

raspberries, blueberries... 

All of these fruits freeze perfectly for smoothies..

Pitted DATES ( these will be your staple...great fibre, wonderful natural

sweetener to all of your fruit smoothies) don't freeze these lol.

Take your bananas, peel them, cut in half, freeze them in baggies..

Pineapple, cut off all the rind, cut in 1 inch chunks, freeze them in baggies.

Kiwi and mangos peel and cut in chunks and freeze..

all your berries, if you are not in season...use frozen berries at supermarket. 

OUR Smoothies, are all done with FRESH frozen fruit....

no sugar, no yogurt added, we have lots of Salba

( long story, but I was the very first

 nutritionist to test Salba recipes, ) 

You can get it almost anywhere today...it is expensive, but you

don't need much.. I actually designed this package too) 

I will be adding veggie smoothies too....they will be coming next week!

Find a good protein whey or flax seed...

But all you really need is fruit and water....

I included 2 recipes...I will keep adding on to this page...

and I will add a link on the side bar for easy reference..

I have to go have some breakfast but I wanted to start

you off with something first...

You can easily print this off

All recipes will come 2 on a page...

Each day for the next while...I will add more here! 

These smoothie are like a rich thick milkshake...with

very few calories but loads of energy! 

bar

Now for some LUNCH choices...

If you love Peanut Butter and Peaches..

ohhh not together...

than you will love these..

See you on Monday with our 

Say it with Flowers Blog hop 

and Carol from just let me quilt 

will be cheering world wide..

French Country Burlap and Gingham a La Mdm Samm

Budget Conscious?

Then you may love this idea for  indoor or outdoor DECOR.

I LOVE GINGHAM, so much so, I have started

collecting RED GINGHAM dishes ( Dillards) ....I have quite a few gifted pieces

 for our outdoor cafe....

SOOOOO when RBD came out with their very fresh collection, I could not 

stop thinking about all the projects I would make with their gingham.

I am in LOVE With Gingham...it is a love affair...

WE are love BIRDS, hence les tourtereaux in French....

WE spend a lot of time outdoors on our deck that is complete

with 3 very large umbrellas. So we are very secluded from neighbours ( whom we adore) 

and rain ( which we don't) ....OUR cafe  is complete with it's own privacy curtain 

and it serves 2 purposes, privacy  and has a very fresh FRENCH look...

Which is great since I am FRENCH..

So thanks to RBD for trusting me - to share some trade secrets on 

an inexpensive decor treat for the summer....

ARE YOU READY? 

Ok, in case you are hungry I baked us a butterscotch meringue pie...

A French Favourite...not too sweet, more creamy than sweet! 

and I will be serving a black tea with milk. 

JOIN me will you! 

For this FRENCH COUNTRY Cafe curtain you will need the following..

Depending on how long your window-the rule of thumb

is double your length. 

16 -18 inch wide is perfect width for a cafe curtain..inside or outside.

MY sitting area is 5.5 feet wide, so I ordered

a piece of burlap from HomeTex.ca 

16 inches wide by 108 inches long.

Cost $11.00

YOU can order any width and length and you have

the option to have your edges finished...

I suggest having them finish it for you....they have the machines

and their cuts are exact....

I used 1.5 yards of RBD RED gingham for the casing( where the rod goes through) 

and ruffle( bottom of cafe curtain) 

 and some ribbon in my case 110 inches in length. 

Ohhh and 2 fat quarters of any colour of fabric for your silhouettes.

Something to note about BURLAP! 

           BURLAP is lubricated with  Linseed oil  as it is a natural fibre...

Weaving  this natural fibre it would be impossible to loom. The Burlap would get stuck on the needles..

So there is an odor but it's not offensive....very earthy smell....It most certainly can be used indoors too..

however I have a deck that is well covered and each season I make a cafe curtain...Last year I made

it from  RBD Laminates...this year BURLAP. 

I have tried many Burlaps on the Market, this company has the best choices

as well their PRICES are excellent. Their customer service has my SEAL ON IT...

( must make one, you know a seal of approval) Will work on that !

Let's continue on FLIGHT.....to making your very own cafe curtain...

I drew this bird and mirrored it for you in case you want her facing each other...
I chose one on the right and the others facing left...

Silhouette Pattern to print and trace...

make it any size you like...

this is on a page 8.5 x 11

I printed them out approx.

3.5 inches tall 4 inches wide...

I have a light box from artograph, makes my job so much easier
I have a fairly large one, so it is great for drawing
multiple projects.

I have a   LightPad 950 
and I forgot to add I have  the Pad Pucks now...
I had a hard time being so short- to reach
across the other side to trace..
now I do it with ease with these...

Traced on Wonder Under from Pellon! 

I traced 5 birds and chose a dark black fabric

and ironed on my wonder under  and cut them all out and set aside ...

Meanwhile, get your iron out and press with steam

your Burlap runner...you want it laying as flat as you can..

It will make it easier when you are adding a casing and ruffle. 

AS the runner is 108 inches long I cut 112 inches of gingham fabric

that were 4 inches wide.

This will be your casing for your rod!

I find ripping gingham fabric much easier than cutting

as I am sure the fabric will be straight and it is ...

I know we are taught to cut....

YOU can use your rotary if you must...

but pssst this is quicker...

Now stitch 1/2 inch seam

from one end to the other...

fold in ends of gingham 1 inch...like above..

Now time for ruffles....your casing is done....

Cut more 4 inch strips the length of your curtain x 3...

so in my case I ripped 108 x 3 , I like my ruffles full....

WE are going to hem the bottom of the ruffle...press 1/4 inch
then fold over, press again and stitch close to the left side...
you just want to stitch as close to the edge as you can.
Use the gingham as your guide...

Now we are ready to add ruffles..
no tool required, just your fingers and some
ribbon...Ready?

Start with 2 pleats, sew over them, stop,
make 2 more....now get your ribbon..you are
going to do this step together...with me....
photos will show you....
( use 1/4 inch seam)

Now let's add the ribbon, this will hide your unfinished ruffled edge.
Go slowly. YOU do not want to pick out threads our of your Burlap...
It stretches the weave!

Be sure to check underneath, you will note you are covering
your unfinished edge, this will be important when we add
it to the finished edge of your burlap.

Place your rod through casing and pin where your birds will go....

better to see it on the rod all full then trying to do it flat....

If birds are not your thing, you could always

add letters and add your favourite quote...

Translation , Life is Beautiful! 

I wish I had more time to show you what I will be doing with 

the table cover...but I am out of time....

Yes you guessed it...it will have ruffles too! 

So for under $30.00 you too can have a lovely French setting....

Burlap with Gingham....such LOVE BIRDS.

I so appreciate YOU RBD, YOU who loves to sew

and YOU for loving anything Gingham!

I am thinking FLOWERS...white flowers...wink

I wanted to put something up while I am away, to get you into the mood for spring and summer...
And thinking FLOWERS ( Say it with Flowers blog hop next week)

Our garden is flourishing...I had my DH in the garden all weekend, digging and planting more 

bushes and flowers...Me, well you can see what I was up to lol

You would think I would grow up...still playing with Barbies for goodness sake....Not happy just to dress them up now, I have to have one on a vespa...Thought you would enjoy some smiles...
I bet that other lady does not have a vespa wink? I know she has the same Barbie...

It seems the only time T-cup our main coon does not object to me

taking photos of her is when she is cat napping...

She's on the bench on our deck on the most comfortable spot

she could find all cuddled on her cushions...( writing this early Sat morning)

She stayed there for 2 hours while I was busy taking shots

of the garden...

And as you will note this one Sumatra ( rag doll)
is not camera shy...She still has her winter coat...
I have been brushing her and the hair has been coming out
enough to make her a coat for next winter lol
She is manning my bacopa's which will be planted
in planters this week...
( she is not fat, that is alllllll hair)

When we built our home here 4 years ago. where you see the middle tree,
we had a globe maple. It was a tree we planted in every home we ever lived.. These trees would grow
into a perfect umbrella.. no trimming it just grew like that...
WElll last year, with our frost spell that damaged many fruit trees here on the escarpment,
we lost our tree to a fungus. We tried nursing it but the fungus got to her root ball.
When we purchased it, it was
already 20+ years. So it was a fairly large one!

Our local nursery advised us not to plant a similar tree, in fact we were
to stay away from the family of acers...( all maples) as the soil would still have
the fungus in the soil that would attack all maples... So we decided, ok, I decided
on European Viburnum, it was shaped into a tree....Got 2 of them... they are about 6 feet tall!
One is at the back of the garden, where DH is digging up the whole back
yard to have another 60 x14 feet garden....

Our whole garden has nothing but white flowers ( some people call it a moonlight garden)
...it starts off with our tulips,
all white, then viburnums which are green now, but in a week or so they will be
filled with white popcorn balls ...... our white lilacs are in bloom,  our pear trees
had white blossoms, they have already dropped their flowers,
then the peonies will come up,
and the bridal wreaths, and black eyed susans that are all white,
and some climbing hydrangeas as well as snowball hydrangeas...
we even have some award clematis, they too are all white...
all Summer long something white will always be blooming.
WE even found some Italian sunflowers that will grow up to 9 feet tall,
they will be all white too...

My DH did not think we had enough garden...lol 

he decided to dig up back there...where you see the beams on the ground...

as our yard slopes to the forest...( which is till not in full bloom yet, 

that tall tree on your right is about 80 feet high...it is always the last

to bloom and the last to drop its leaves in the fall...)

The tree by the red chair is a Beech Nut, it is about 30 feet tall. 

The Beams will be in a trench so as not to lose all our triple mix 

to the forest....it will act as barrier...So he tells me wink...lol

WE have another Viburnum to plant in there and I  have 6 bushes

of snowball hydrangeas and bridal wreath already planted..

I will be scouting when I return for some white annuals...

I am sure I will be able to fill it up within weeks ....

with of course nothing but well you know...

Every home we had we have had white gardens....

I have this thing about 3 colours...in my home, in my quilts

and now my garden....What is with that? lol

Our neighbours always called it a Fairies garden...

I called it Fairies in a Tea Garden, because at night

hundreds of fire flies come and visit the flowers...

It  really is a spectacular event...

They look like Fairies coming out for tea!

Next Monday our Say it with FLOWERS
begins, with Carol cheering us all on.....

See you then...

Special Announcement! for JULY blog hops!

After much deliberation and taking into account

so many of us have JULY PLANS....

I would like to propose postponing 

our JULY blog hops...

Christmas in July - to Christmas in August

and 

Take 7 and call in the morning ( hexes)

To the month of AUGUST.....

WE will announce signs up for  mid JUNE

for August and since you already aware of these

hops, you can all plan accordingly too...

I personally have a special engagement in July 

that requires my attention and seeing

all I have to do to get ready for this,

I was wondering where I was going to find the time..

So Solution...I know many of you will be disappointed..

but think of all the things you can caught up with:

clean up sewing room

work in your gardens

visit with wee tots, grandchildren

travel

REST

Gratitude for understanding..

our next hop with Carol cheering us all on..

Think Spring, Summer, FLOWERS!

To a Blossoming showing! 

ohhhh and we added 2 more days to the hop....goes till JUNE! 

PUT your STAMP on it Blog hop for mid June, .... SIGN UP NOW!

PUT YOUR

What will your STAMP look like?

If I had a stamp for my letters ( you know those things we mail out occasionally)
 it could look like this...

I would appliqué some birds on it, ADD my country CANADA

I like the currency of 12 cents... so that is what I would add.

( in Canada on March 1st 1977 that is what it cost to send a letter)
Today to mail a letter in Canada 63 Cents! 

I may even make something else for this hop...

but I wanted to give you all an example.

Ok, so here is what you will need for this hop...

A background for your stamp...

Here are some to choose from...

Choose any one of these or make one up of your own......

print out and custom size it

to your preference. 

You could design a mini quilt stamp  4 x4 inches or 14 x14 inches..
or even 14 feet....Ok, I won't be doing that ....lol

Your stamp requires the following:

____________________________

1. A theme

it could be dogs, cats, wee tots, trees, owls, foxes, chickens, ducks, cows, pigs,

 funny looking ladies with pompoms, 

cups, food, chocolate, wine, beer,  tea, dress, baby, quilted bolts,

sewing tools, a word, a quote....

2. Your Country in the corner...or CITY or TOWN!

3. And Your currency...( from your Country)

___________________________

Now I did mine on black just so you could see it...but you 

can choose any background colour...

I thought what I would do is trace out my stamp, use wonder under from Pellon,
 cut out my background stamp

and place it on a rectangle or square background so the edges would show

but I would not be binding around corners... It would give an illusion

that my stamp is all curved...get that? 

So to summarize YOU will be creating a MINI QUILT STAMP

Something that would represent and reflect your passions from your country

and your currency, value....

And who will be cheering you on...

Thearica from Pig Tales and Quilts...

She did a fabulous job in keeping everyone together 

and on time for Shake your POM POMS, she earned her

cheerleader's rank for all you FUTURE STAMP DESIGNERS! 

STAMP ON IT Blog hop...

She will need the following from you:

Name

email address

blog name ( if you have one)
and URL ( sometimes they are different) so please include
both name and link! 

mail this info with the subject LINE 

I want to be a  STAMP DESIGNER

to 

Thearica's email! ( link here for address)
or go to her blog 

Sign up BEGINs THIS FRIDAY!

100 participants will be accepted...
Given you all notice....

( I will have the button ready tomorrow) 

It will be in this post! 

LINK HERE to be reminded of 

 why your commitment stands for something here...

#1 If you commit, commit!

#2 We all want to cheer you on for your project you created for this hop...

( stay focused) lol 

#3 Have post ready at midnight the night before your post date

#4 TURN OFF Word Verification so we can tell you how wonderful you are!

#5 MOST IMPORTANT...be a cheerleader for those in the hop..
YOU can  make these ladies world- ROCK! 

If you drop out for any reason that is not an emergency

you will be placed on the LIST, you do not want to be on the LIST...

Ever, never, EVER! 

By they way the last 3 blog hops since the Spring Cleaning announcement

was made...everyone has been 100% committed...So darn proud of YOU!

No really I am....Let's continue that climb....that is where the stars are...
YOU! 

WE already have a sponso too ...

RED ROOSTER FABRICS 

with Tokyo 4 x 4 squares 101 colours...

Each winner will receive 3 of them! 

( photos later too) 
among other giveaways that have been pouring in!

The next blog hops that will be announced

will be next week...

HO HO HO it's Christmas ( Christmas in July) 
(Carol yes, that lady who.......well you know
she will be cheering you on)

Take 7 and call me in the morning ( HEXIES) 
( and Jane, another familiar cheerleader
who is soooo into hexes will be cheering you for this one) 

Let us know if interested in any or all hops..
just to get an idea of course....

Apologies for not getting back to everyone from
yesterday....I was busy getting this ready
and the next 2 blog hops announcements for next week....

There is always soooo much behind the scenes
that require some attention wink.

WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Congrats to the following...
They will all receive bundles from Clothworks,
Thread from Aurifil,
Pattern book from Annies...

Carla for top 3 of the day
( the duck project)

Karen O for participating
( bird wall hangings)

Jenny for comments left
( she was a bird watcher) 

P.s YOU all know how much 
I love Gingham...with our Tammy
Bag coming up and Riley Blake Designs
being our sponsor....
Welll this says it all..
What a great video...The STAR is the owners
son....He has that Gingham STYLE

If this does not have you thinking
"Where can I get me some GINGHAM, right NOW? 
I don't know what will!