Espresso Your Love

Cuban Coffee (Café Cubano), is made with Café ESPRESSO, the bold, strong coffee that we associate with romantic Italian sidewalk cafés (and now Starbucks). Enjoying a cup of it is a deep and almost-revered tradition in my Cuban culture as well.  I have many memories of my family’s after-dinner “cafecito”—a small coffee—as the basis for long (and often-animated) conversations at the table.  (By the way, these after-dinner conversation are such an ingrained and much-loved part of a Cuban family meal that we have a name for it: sobremesa [so-breh-meh’-sah].  Isn’t that lovely?  The family not running off after a meal, but staying to chat and discuss the events of the day?)

Some readers of this blog may stay away from espresso because it has more caffeine per unit volume than most drinks, but because it’s served in small vessels—usually in a demitasse or even smaller cups—it actually has less caffeine than an 8-ounce cup of drip-brewed coffee! Now, that’s a surprise! The brewing process makes the flavors more concentrated, which tend to be a bit too concentrated for me, so I make a cortadito, which in Spanish means “small cut,” meaning that you “cut” the intensity of the coffee by adding steamed milk to it.  Not to be confused with lattés and cappuccinos, and café au lait (or since we’re “speaking” Spanish today, café con leche), a cortadito is still served in a demitasse.

Yesterday was a lovely day in central Ohio; the perfect time to serve ESPRESSO cortaditos for two in the garden.

But first, how to make it.

Nothing fancy…the stove-top ESPRESSO maker I’ve had for years. This is the small version, which makes 1 or 2 cups, and I have a much larger one for family serving.

My family’s espresso of choice is Café Bustelo, now available at many large grocery stores or online. (It’s also available as decaf, as well as instant. I use the instant to make a bold cup of American coffee—it’s delish.)

This won’t be a complete how-to, nor will it be technical, but the reservoir below the coffee basket holds the water, and the coffee basket is filled completely, and the coffee tamped.  I use the bottom of my coffee measure to tamp it.  There is no measuring—you fill the basket, tamp, and refill and tamp as necessary.

Can you smell it? The brewed coffee bubbles up through the central core. The wonderful aroma of coffee wafts through the house.

This is how we enjoyed our cafecito in the garden.

The demitasses are fairly new to me—an auction win I was thrilled about. Six blue and white demitasses! And the darling demitasse spoons I’ve had for years.

Steamed milk to make our cortadito…

And of course, sugar…LOTS of sugar (or in my case, Splenda). Warning: This is not a drink where you want to cut back on the sugar! Such bold coffee needs the counterbalance the sugar provides.

And I should add that the flowers are real. I am NUTS about these two geraniums we have this year. Don’t they look like they have been hand-painted?!

As the sun moved it created wonderful shadows. I’ll share some of the pictures for your enjoyment.

Of course, we couldn’t be al fresco and not have a few of these!

 

It was lovely in the garden, and the cafecito…perfect. Won’t you join me? I’ll have it ready in a wink.

So tell me—are you a fan of ESPRESSO, or not so much? Have you ever tried it as a cortadito? I’d love to hear from you—even if you like the setting more than the café.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to Google+ this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

Sundays at The Tablescaper: http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Tuesdays at http://www.astrollthrulife.net/

Tuesdays at http://hickorytrailblog.blogspot.com

Wednesdays at Let’s Dish: http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Wednesdays at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

Wednesdays at Wow Us: http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

Thursdays at Tabletop Thursday: http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Thursdays at No Minimalist Here: http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Be Inspired Friday at http://www.Commonground-do.com/

Fridays at Feathered Nest: http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Fridays at http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/

Fridays at Home Sweet Home: http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Tussie-Mussies for Baby Love’s Dance Recitals

Every ballerina, regardless of her age, needs flowers…LOTS OF FLOWERS…after her performance, and our little ballerina has learned that yes, she will receive flowers, LOTS OF FLOWERS. 

Last year her grandpapá and I gave her a silver tussie-mussie with a soft pink rose and baby’s breath ~

pictured here in her Papá’s (our son’s) silver baby cup, along with a Teddy Bear.

I’ve had the tussie-mussie for many years, and have used it and its companion on our Christmas trees.  Her dance recital seemed like the perfect occasion to pass one of them on to her.

This year, after seeing Carol’s, from The Polka Dot Closet, tutorial on fabric flowers (here) I just KNEW what this year’s tussie-mussie would be.  (Thank you, Carol, for all the help and inspiration you so generously share with us!).  And it was so much fun to make!

My idea was to make the tussie-mussie, and fill it with the handmade flowers…

…they would certainly hold up better than fresh ones, and since this grandmamá loves to save mementos, it would be ideal for either a shadow box or another display in her room at our house.

Totally stealing the Nutty Butter ballet-slipper cookie idea from Pinterest (too many sites to list), her gift seemed complete,

…and personalized.  BL for Baby Love.

The flowers turned out beautifully, but I forgot to tell you that our ballerina is a PRIMA DONNA BALLERINA (well, in our hearts at least…), and in the days leading up to the recital she talked about receiving flowers, and I sensed that not-real flowers, even when handmade with so much love, may not yet fill the bill.  Maybe when she’s older and can appreciate such things…

No worries.  I “readjusted” the tussie-mussie to allow for baby pink carnations with small flower vials to fit, yet surrounded by the handmade ones.

Oh, and her little brother was also in the recital…  He too, needed some accolades, but…what do we give a boy for a recital?

We gave him a trophy (which he quite liked!), his own, black ballet-slipper cookies, and a balloon.

Tussie-mussie, ballet-slipper cookies, a trophy, and balloons…we were so proud of our little dancers. 

Happily, they loved {ALL} their gifts. 

I’ve been away for quite a while!  I’ve missed so many of you, your own posts, your comments and connections back to me.  Lots of family activities have kept us happily busy, but I can’t wait to hear what things you’ve done for your recitals.  After all, we’ll have another one coming before we know it (and a piano recital too!), so I must start thinking and planning NOW! 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to Google+ this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

Sunday’s Simply Klassics at http://www.simplyklassichome.com/

Sunday Blog Hop at http://www.blissfulanddomestic.com/

Sundae Scoop at http://www.iheartnaptime.net/

Show Off Your Cottage Monday at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com

Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Monday’s Blue Monday at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Market Yourself Monday at http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/

Monday Just Something I Whipped Up at http://www.thegirlcreative.com/

CraftOManiac Monday at http://craftomaniac.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Too Cute Tuesday at http://funkypolkadotgiraffe.blogspot.com/

Sew Cute Tuesday at http://thecreativeitchboutique.blogspot.com/

Tuesdays at http://hickorytrailblog.blogspot.com

Wednesdays at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

Wednesdays at Wow Us: http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

Wednesday at Tea Rose Home at http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/

We Did It Wednesday at http://www.sew-much-ado.com/

Wednesday’s Hoo’s Got Talent at http://nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com/

What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

Share Your Cup Wednesday at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Thursdays at StoneGable http://www.stonegableblog.com/

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Thursdays at Home Sweet Home: http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Thursdays at No Minimalist Here: http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Fridays Unfolded at http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/

Fridays at http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

The Nook and the Old Ladder

We have lived in this home for 7+ years. For 7+ years I’ve tried to figure out what to do with this “nook” in our master bedroom.  Here it is, as it was up until a few weeks ago:

Love the teal shadow boxes, the teal and silvery lamp, the Ballard Design Eiffel Tower full of family memories.  And the Norman Rockwell has tons of sentimental value, but…not here.  I needed something with some dimension to fill the space between my MIL’s writing desk and the wall.

And, for MANY MORE than the 7+ years we’ve lived here, “we” have had an old ladder that we jammed into our car and drove several hours with it wedged between the front seats—happy memory :)  (well, for me, anyway).  And for all those years I’ve had a nagging thought about what to do with it—other than keep it in the basement with the tons of other stuff precious belongings we have stored down there, including the theatre seat I just brought up and painted with AS Duck Egg and posted here.  If you’d like to take a peak at our basement, you can see it all here. 

So finally, for some reason, inspiration hit me:  The nook and the ladder! 

I wanted to hang pictures from it, so first I added eye hooks, being careful to turn them with pliers in an effort [read: not always successfully] attempt to not break them…

You’ll notice that the rungs aren’t flat, so nothing could be set on them, and I wasn’t about to try my hand at cutting flat boards and attaching them….no sireee…tooooo much trouble!

I attached the hooks at the top and bottom of each rung, planning to attach each picture at the top and bottom, with twine.  No go.  They didn’t hang right; they were angled back.

Now what?!  I was bound and determined to:

1. Fill the nook;
2. Use the ladder.

And this is what the Mother of Invention came up with:

For the first time in 7+ years (are you getting the drift here…it was SEVEN-PLUS years of frustration!!), I am finally happy with the odd nook (well, except that I’m not completely sold on the two pictures on the right wall being there). 

The ladder now “frames” four pictures of our favorite subjects—our baby chickadees!

To add a bit of of depth, and texture, (okay, and to use the hooks I’d taken the time to put in), I still used twine to tie sloppy, casual bows.

But I’m still wondering about one thing:  Now that I’ve painted the theatre seat in Annie Sloan Duck Egg…yes, you know where I’m headed…I’m wondering if a bit of that would look good on the ladder too.  I already have that color going there, so I’m just not sure.  What do you think?  Yes?  No?  Emphatic YES?  Emphatic NO?

************

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to Google +1 this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

Sundays at The Tablescaper: http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Tuesdays at http://www.astrollthrulife.net/

Tuesdays at http://hickorytrailblog.blogspot.com

Wednesdays at Wow Us: http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

Wednesdays at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

Thursdays at Home Sweet Home: http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Thursdays at No Minimalist Here: http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Be Inspired Friday at http://www.Commonground-do.com/

Fridays at Feathered Nest: http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

From my nest to yours, ~Zuni

ASCP Duck Egg Theatre Seat

Annie Sloan paint to the rescue!

We bought this theatre seat at least 20 years ago, and except for a brief period when we had it in use in the family room, it’s always been in the basement gathering dust, but I never wanted to part with it.

It’s such a versatile piece, because the seats flip up and the legs close, like a triple folding chair, so it can easily be put aside if need be.  And for a long time I’ve wanted something narrow for this spot in the screened porch that would allow for extra seating…then a giant light bulb popped up over my head!  And there was a voice, too!  It said, “Bring the theatre seat up,” and in a whisper it said, “P-a-i-n-t i-t!”  What?!  Paint something that old?!  Won’t I be ruining its value (whatever it is, which I don’t really know)?!

  Ummmm…the mental tug-a-war didn’t last long.  I got up Saturday morning—a beautiful, sunshiny day—determined to paint it.  Just like that.  Out came the ASCP in what else???  Duck Egg!

Ahhh, yes, I’m very happy with it.

What do you think?  Did I make a mistake in painting it?  I looked on eBay and Etsy after I painted it :), and they can be a lot pricier than I thought.  But I wasn’t planning on selling it, and at least now it’s in use, and I’ve already enjoyed looking out on the porch and seeing it soooooo much, that it’s worth it to me.  But I still would like to know from my friends out there—should I have painted it, or am I crazy to have done it?  What have you painted regardless of its {monetary} value?

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to +1 this post, or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

These are the parties I’m joining this week.  I hope you’ll stop by and visit!

Sundays at The Tablescaper: http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Tuesdays at http://www.astrollthrulife.net/

Tuesdays at http://hickorytrailblog.blogspot.com

Wednesdays at Wow Us: http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

Thursdays at Home Sweet Home: http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Thursdays at No Minimalist Here: http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Be Inspired Friday at http://www.Commonground-do.com/

Fridays at Feathered Nest: http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

From my nest to yours, ~Zuni

Urban Oasis

My hairdresser’s salon is on the southern edge of German Village, a lovely part of town which is described on the German Village website (http://germanvillage.com/about-2/history) as “a historic neighborhood just south of downtown Columbus, Ohio. The area was primarily developed between 1840 and 1914, and settled largely by German immigrants in the mid 1800s. Today, German Village is a model of urban neighborhood preservation and revitalization - a nationally recognized success story. The Village is mostly a residential neighborhood of sturdy, red-brick homes with wrought iron fences along tree-lined, brick-paved streets.” 
The salon is in an old brick home that, if not for committed neighbors, would look out onto a busy street, and beyond a glimpse of the Scioto River.
Last week, on a rare sunny day (rather than the wet, gray ones we’ve had), I drove up to see this:
   and this, across the street:

I left the edge of the billboard in the picture to help readers visualize what this spot would be like if not for my hairdresser’s neighbor, who has done all this by himself!  This is a one-man effort to beautify his city.  As luck would have it, my hairdresser was running a bit late, so I had time to grab my phone and dash across the street and take pictures of all this loveliness.

Oh, and it gets better…

And to think that all this abundance grows without a bit of mulch!

Every rusty, old hydrant needs tulips!  The contrast of such beauty against the chippy rusty surface of this most utilitarian object is lovely.

Then I walked back across the street to his yard, on my way back to the salon.  Notice the chain-link fence—even that feature adds charm and texture to his creation.

Back at the salon, shadows of the bamboo on the porch play against the brick.

A LOVELY spring afternoon at the hair salon!

How is your spring coming along?  Has it arrived, or has it been s-l-o-w to come?  Have you found any spring surprises that have brought you joy?  I hope so!

Thanks so much for visiting.  I hope you enjoyed this lovely example of one human being giving back to his community and bringing so much joy.

I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to +1 this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you! I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back. Sundays at The Tablescaper: http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/ Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com Metamorphosis Monday at  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/ Tuesdays at http://www.astrollthrulife.net/ Thursdays at Home Sweet Home: http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/ Thursdays at No Minimalist Here: http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com/ Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/ Be Inspired Friday at http://www.Commonground-do.com/ Fridays at Feathered Nest: http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/ Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com From my nest to yours, ~Zuni