Oh Baby, It's Hot Outside!

Summer has come on hot and strong, we had at least 5 days of record breaking temperatures and  for those 5 days the temps were at 100 and above.  At this moment it is 93, still quite toasty!  So it's a natural fit for our ESN theme of "hot weather" this week.  In this kind of weather it's best to stay hydrated as much as possible and have plenty of ice on hand for those tasty beverages.  After work I like to sit on my balcony with a couple of wine spritzers and a bucket full of ice to keep them chilled.  Come on over to Le Petit Marche and check the ice buckets I have to offer.  They are crystal, functional, pretty and solid. The one below comes with a pair of plastic tongs. Visit the other fine merchants at ESN while you're shopping!

Crystal Glass Ice Bucket

Mother's Day

I was doing a little research to see what countries celebrate Mother's Day since that is our ESN theme this week. Turns out about 70 countries celebrate Mother's Day on the same second Sunday in May, which is this Sunday, May 13th.  Other countries observe this celebration on other days throughout the year.  Some sources say  Mother's Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods.  Another source cites that Isis, Mother of the Pharaohs was honored at annual festivals.  Well, let Greece and Egypt duke it out to see who gets the honor.  But it seems everyone is in agreement that Mother's were special and worth honoring, even centuries ago!  Think about it, mom, mum, mummy, mommy, mama and whatever else these lovely women are called by their offspring ...

Caregiver, cook, dishwasher, house cleaner, nurse, doctor, animal handler (all the pets that come and go through the years!), confidant, truth seeker (I heard a million times "I didn't do it", no matter what or where it was and the kid was the only one in the room), negotiator, cop (ok, disciplinarian) (I also heard a million times "I hate you!").  Wow, I'm depressed now at how hard this job is!

If you're looking for something nice to give to mom to say "Thanks for being there, always.... and I love you"  Le Petit Marche has a delightful little Heart Shaped Glass Crystal Dish With Lid that would be a great heartfelt gift.  It's dainty, so fill it with potpourri, dried roses, M&M's (get the peanut kind, it's my favorite sweet/salty treat! :) or whatever you know your mom loves!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers around the world!

Toothpicks in the Moon

This is my last installment for the theme of the week of Moon on ESN.  I found a great item but a little history first.  Toothpicks have been around in some form or another for millions of years. (And you are asking, what has this got to do with the moon???, I'm getting there, trust me!) They were made of stone, bone, metal, wood, you name it, whatever you could get your hands on to get that annoying particle of dinosaur out of your mouth you went for it.  So this went on until 1869 when Charles Foster invented the toothpick that we pretty much know of today.  Back in the 1880's it was still  "polite" to pick one's teeth in public so Victorian tables were set with toothpick holders.  It was only a fad until about 1910.  But in that time someone, or lots of someones, I don't know who invented the "toothpick holder", invented the most incredible little gadgets for holding toothpicks, it's mind boggling. There are websites devoted to these things, and they are gorgeous. There are even little internet clubs about them.  Incredible!  So I found this delightful  Moon and Stars EAPG Blue Toothpick Holder at Bargain Express.  See, you can put toothpicks in the moon!

Moon in Capricorn

This weeks ESN blog theme is Moon.  I thought I had a great idea with astrology since about the only thing in my store that could work with Moon is my Capricorn Laser Etched Crystal 3D Image Paperweight.  So I started checking things out.  I came to realize my knowledge about astrology would fit inside a thimble!  There are so many sites and so many descriptions, explanations, information,and so many different charts!  I've never had my chart done so I don't even know what my sun or moon sign is.  How do you like that for ignorance?  I may get a chart done one day, if my mother can ever remember what time I was born! This paperweight is really cool though with 3D stars and stuff  inside of it.  So if you yourself are a Capricorn, or family member, a loved one, or a friend, maybe they could use this cute and practical item. You can buy it at Le Petit Marche.

Ahhhh Breakfast!

Breakfast, the most important meal of the day, so it's been said.  Every country has their own variation of breakfast foods, and quite fascinating too! Wikipedia has a nice list of countries and what they serve for breakfast.  I've experienced breakfast in a handful of countries and they were all different, except they all served coffee or tea. Some had juice and fruit, others not.  Some had cookies, cheese and baguettes, and others not.  Breakfast is actually quite a fascinating subject! 

Eating breakfast began in the Neolithic (late Stone Age) era, when large stones were used to grind grains to make a sort of porridge. Porridge was also a staple of Roman Solders’ diets – they called it pulmentus.

During the middle ages, barley and hops were used to make beer which was served up in the morning to hungry peasants alongside oatcakes or porridge. (ref: breakfastpanel.org)

I did experience a similar breakfast as listed below back in 1998 in London.  Get a load of this hearty fare!  I don't think we had "cold joint of meat though".... but the half tomato is missing.  I remember the tomato, thinking tomatoes for breakfast?! Oh, and there weren't any game pies or broiled mackerel either, but plenty of everything else.  I think it was nearly the equivalent of the "full English breakfast" served in the 1860's to well-off households.  Incredible huh?

 Eating breakfast had become a more elaborate act by the 19th century, at least in well-off households. In the 1861 Book of Household Management, Isabella Beeton suggested a daily breakfast buffet that included a cold joint of meat, game pies, broiled mackerel, sausages, bacon and eggs, muffins, toast, marmalade, butter, jam, coffee and tea. (ref:breakfastpanel.org)

But even back in the late 1800's someone saw these diets were not very healthy, so along came Kellogg and Post who created cereals.  Good thing too, not too many people make time for breakfast anymore, so cereal is easy, kids can get it themselves.  In fact, I'm already thinking of my Cheerios and skim milk tomorrow....

I still enjoy coffee in the morning though, so I offer these lovely elegant milk/cream, crystal/glass pitchers in case you want to get all elegant and everything on a Sunday morning.

You can check them out at Le Petit Marche