The Best Buttermilk Pancakes

I would like to share this wonderful Buttermilk Pancake recipe with you. My family loves pancakes and they say that once you have had these others will pale by comparison!

So you be the judge and let me know what you think.

In our house these are called Panny Cakes, Flap Jacks, Pancakes, Griddle Cakes and just plain goodness graciouis OHMYGOD yummy cakes! The secret to having this recipe work for you is to have new baking soda on hand.

The Best Buttermilk Pancakes

1 C Buttermilk
1 egg at room temp
3 TBLSP butter, melted
¾ C all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Note: optional: I add about 1/4 tsp of sugar

Let the mixture rest for about a half hour in the fridge.

Put the buttermilk, egg and melted butter in a mixing bowl. Stir briskly until the mixture is smooth and blended.

Stir the flour, salt and baking soda together in a small bowl. Stir into the buttermilk mixture only until the dry ingredients are moistened - leave the smaller lumps.

Heat a skillet or griddle to medium hot. Grease lightly and spoon out a 3 TBLS of batter per pancake. Cook until a few bubbles form on top and break. Flip the pancake over and cook until golden brown..not too long.

Makes 6-8 cakes

Enjoy!

Old Doorstops

When I think of "doorstops" I think of those funky ones that you will find behind a door - you know, the kind that goes "doynggggg - doynggggg" if you pull it back with your finger. Kind of a bouncy little wrapped tight springy coil that usually has a little rubber cap at the end. Now who would have ever thought that doorstops could be something other than a spring? Well, if you visit this site (click here) you can read up on the history of Hubley doorstops. It is a quick read and gives you a bit of base knowledge of things to look for when buying an antique door stop. There are other makers besides Hubley, but this site will give you a little insight into collecting old door stops no matter who the maker is.

The next two photos are some of the doorstops that my friend Wave has collected over the years.

The little cast metal black scotties below are fashioned after the Morgan Dennis "Look And Listen" etching. Aren't they just too cute?
These are the stairs that lead up to Wave's second story of her adorable cottage home. Along the edge are some of her antique cast metal dog doorstops. Wave also has an amazing collection of antique artwork depicting dogs of all breds.
The little flower basket doorstop is a piece that I recently picked up at a local estate sale.
The ol' guy below is a Syroco doorstop and is made out of a composition wood. I just love his glass eyes - they have such an inquisitive look, wouldn't you agree?
Below is a cast metal squirrel doorstop that has been featured before on my blog, however he just had to share a little more blog time. Mr. Squirrel is new but has a good "old" look about him.
Below is my old "Look And Listen" scotty dog doorstop. They just hang out at the base of my hall tree.

For now, these three oldies but goodies hang out in the kitchen window. My very favorite of all of my doorstops is the old Hansel and Gretel cottage.

The little flower basket below is a reproduction Hubley door stop. My philosophy is this: It doesn't matter if it is old or a reproduction, if you like it then you should just bring it on home.

I also would like to share a beautiful blog with you so please stop on over to Violet's blog to see her amazing artwork and the gorgeous pumpkins she has decorated. Violet is truely an inspiration! Thank you Violet for having such a gorgeous blog for all of us to read!

((hugs)) to all

A Morning Seaside Stroll ~ Come Along.....

This past weekend we celebrated our 26th anniversary and spent a few quiet days at the coast, which is our favorite getaway destination. I so enjoy the sea and always feel rejuvinated after breathing in deep gulps of fresh sea air and taking in the sites and sounds.

It is early morning and we are going for a walk, so come along if you'd like. This is a bit of a jaunt, so grab a cup of coffee and stay for a few minutes.

As always, my faithful companion, Duhgall, is ready to go!
A little peak over the wall of a beach home.
A fabulous Craftsman style home - my hubby loves this house.
A group of smiling faces at the beach ... oh, oh...where is her body? :)

Sweet times...
..and a darling girl begging me to see the jelly fish that she discovered...
....eww...how on earth did she manage to find this? There were jelly fish all over the beach that had washed up in the tide...
..guess I should watch my step!
Lots of kelp littered the pretty white sandy beach..
..but did not stop the group of surfer "dudes" and "dudettes"
who managed a willful pose and smile for my camera.
Then there was this group of guys cruisin' the beach ~ maybe looking for a bikini clad beauty, ya think?
Then there is my Doogs...

..sniffin' everything in site...
...yup, everything! Dogs........................!
Running with the big dogs...
..and walking with his Paw.
We walked to the charming Point Pinos Lighthouse.....

...to take in this misty morning view.
Oh, oh.....
...and more oh, oh!
My loyal driver will now drive us to Pacific Grove to mosey around and look at some charming beach homes.

But first we must pull over so I can snap this picture of the pink house that I know some of my "pink" friends will appreciate.

You just never know what colors you will find on the charming seaside homes.

Let's take a stroll through the Historic District of Pacific Grove.

Many of the Historic District homes have placards with the original owner's name and the date that the home was built. Cool, huh?

I just love this old Victorian Row House. The colors are fabulous as are the details of the woodwork. Looks like it could be in New Orleans.

Lots of picket fences here....
...and there....
...and there.
This sweet old Victorian is for sale! Just a dream as my pockets are not deep enough to ever afford such a home. How much you say? Try 2 million! Umph hmmmm.

Very colorful and charming little home that I would bet an artist lives in.

I love the details in this gorgeous carved front door.

A little known fact about Pacific Grove.
A sweet and colorful place with the sweetest lacey valances.

I am always inspired when looking at homes and gardens. It seems that so many of these homes had lacey window treatments or cafe curtains. Hmmm...I think that my windows could use a little change!
Love the Victorian details such as this charming cutout in the eaves. I see a crab, don't you?
Sweet little porch.....
...and ric rac trim. Did you see the ghost in the window?
Thank you, dear friends, for taking a few minutes of your day to visit. I so love having you stop by and appreciate your friendship and sweet comments! Thank you, too, for sharing your favorite books in the last post. It is really so enjoyable to learn about what other kindred spirits love.

Happy day to all of you!