"She seeketh wool and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands." ((Proverbs 31:13)

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Oh what a week it has been!  I am so thankful that dear husband and I decided to take a little time off for one more special day trip last week, before I had to go in for some more medical testing this week.  I can only say that the procedure this week was akin to my memories of the agony of labor and delivery, if you can believe that!   Needless to say,  I was so thankful when it was finally over!  It has taken me the rest of the week to recover, and finally my head is starting to clear!


Last week, I felt the urge to pamper myself and indulged in two new little delightful designs, to add to my stitching stash.  Our LNS was having a sale, and I couldn't resist these two precious pincushions.
                                                   "Pure and Pleasant"
                                                                  by
                                                   Primitive Bettys


                      "Small Token" (Reward of Merit Pincushion)
                                                                By
                                                  Blackbird Designs


If you ever visit New England, you must be sure to treat yourself to a visit to "Pickity Place", located in Mason, New Hampshire.  This charming little, 200 year old, red cottage, and the winding ash tree, in the foreground, served as models for "Grandmother's House", in the famous story of  Little Red Riding Hood, written in 1948, by Elizabeth Orton Jones.  


Inside Grandmother's Cottage, is a  bedroom, featuring the Big Bad Wolf in Grandmother's bed, along with all sorts of Little Red Riding Hood memorabilia.  It is great fun, and there is also a little bookstore with a collection of various other Little Red Riding Hood books, dolls, hand puppets, and lots of cookbooks that feature the use of  many of the sorts of herbs grown in the gardens at Pickety Place.  


One then steps outside of the little bookstore room into the tiny hallway where a menu is displayed on the wall, describing a 5-course gourmet herbal luncheon, which is served in the dining room of the little red cottage. 
Each month there is a different luncheon menu, created with fresh herbs and edible flowers, grown in the gardens at Pickety Place.   Believe me, when I tell you that the meal was not only beautiful to look upon, but just as delicious too!
"Fontina and Pancetta Beef Roulade" (This was Bruce's lunch.)  All of the flowers are edible too! 

                        "Zucchini and Garden Tomato Casserole"
                                              Raspberry Rhubarb Pie
No meal is complete without dessert!  This pie was "melt in your mouth" delicious!  


We also enjoyed walking around the gardens before and after our fabulous luncheon.  I loved the little herb house on the grounds, in which we discovered bunches of herbs, which were hanging from the ceiling being dried. We even discovered a dark grey cat, curled up on a tabletop, having a nap inside.  A lovely, sweet and peaceful setting for a nap I thought.

                                     Hanging Dried Flowers and Herbs


There is also a barn, attached to the little red cottage, which has been converted into a lovely gift shop, with a variety of herbs, dried flowers, and all sorts of goodies.  No visit would be complete without exploring the wonderful shop too!
I'll leave it to your own imagination, what sorts of wonderful things we discovered inside.  You'll just have to come and have a visit for yourself!  This is a truly fun and magical adventure for anyone, and even husbands enjoy it!  At least mine did!  What man could resist such delicious food?  


Well, my fingers are tired from typing and wanting some diffierent activity.....say, some stitching perhaps, along with a nice cup of tea?  That sounds very inviting...


Until Next Time.....
Crossing in Stitches & Friendship With You!
                                                  


15 comments:

  1. Oh gosh, I'm glad those tests are over! How awful! I hope everything is good and the tests are positive. Glad you got to have an outing before the tests too. Looks like such an interesting place! Love your new stash too!

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  2. Kathy, I loved this post! I have been going to Pickety Place for years. We try to get there every month or so. I am not always successful. I love the bread and they usually sell it in the gift shop. Wonderful. I didn't get to go this month so it was nice reading your blog. I usually get the meat offering and my friend, Joanne gets the vegetarian offering. Yummy. I love the new stash. Deborah

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  3. Looks lovely, Kathy. I love all the pics. They're wonderful!!! Glad to see you enjoyed yourself. Grats on the new acquisitions, and I'm sorry you had such a terrible medical procedure. I hope it was as useful as can be, and that you will feel better soon!!

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  4. Pickety Place! I use to go there with my mom and grandmother. We didn't live too far away. Always delish!

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  5. Looks like a great stop. I got a real kick out of the big bad wolf, and lunch looks yummy.

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  6. Oh, I'm so sorry you had a rough week with the testing. Glad you are starting to feel better. Your NH getaway looks wonderful. You find such cute little places to visit. Your new stash is sweet. I went to my LNS and ran amok today. Expect a nice chatty email in the next day or 2 with my sampler explanations and some photos. Are you having to batten down the hatches in anticipation of Irene?

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  7. What a newsy and entertaining post, Kathy! First of all, let me say I'm so glad your procedure is behind you. Yikes! I've had a few that I'd like to forget also.

    I adore the two new designs with floss you treated yourself to, and you well deserve a bit of pampering after what you went through.

    Speaking of pampering, the Pickety Place was a place I would love to visit! I've never been to a bed & breakfast, and this one looks wonderful. The food is beautiful, and the way it's presented makes my mouth water just seeing it.

    You did a great job capturing everything on photos! It's all just lovely!

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  8. So glad you pampered yourself, and hope you are feeling better! What a charming little place, and that lunch does look delicious!

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  9. What a wonderful place to visit.....

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  10. I am so sorry that you are going through a difficult time with your health! I like what you picked up for your stash!

    What a neat little place! Thanks for sharing.

    Love, Heather

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  11. What a beautiful spot to visit Kathy and that food certainly looks delicious! Sorry to hear that you've had to have a not-too-pleasant procedure and hope you are feeling much better now. Two very nice additions to your stash!

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  12. Poor you!!! That must have been awful. Soon as you said delivery I thought ..OH NO. Good on you that you pampered yourself afterwards. Love new stash. And what a beautiful place.

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  13. Oh Kathy, I'm sorry you had to go through that, it's not pleasant at all! I went through something similar a year ago. It brought back labour and delivery all over again. I pray that you receive a clean bill of health!
    Your new stash is lovely and well deserved. Pickity Place looks like an awesome place to visit and dine at.

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  14. Kathy, I'm sorry that the tests were so bad. Please God you are on the mend!!

    I loved the pics of Pickety Place. It looks magical! How fun. My daughter and I rented the movie "Red Riding Hood" with Amanda Seyfried last weekend and oh my gosh--it was horrible. I'm so glad to see the pictures and put that out of my head! LOL

    Nice new stash!

    Enjoy your weekend!

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  15. What a delightful place! Even the name is enchanting and that meal - it looks delicious.
    Lovely new stash.
    I do hope you are feeling better after your ordeal.
    Margaret

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Consider the Lilies of the Field

Consider the Lilies of the Field
"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the Lilies of the Field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, that even Solomon in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these." Matt: 6: 28-29)