New 'reads', Easter dinner, and garden-dreaming on a sunny day~

Our 17thc. raised bed gardens~ SEE MORE HERE~

Penny bought lots of books in Concord, and I came home with two I plan to read soon. One is 'Tea with Miss Rose~Recipes and Reminiscences of Boston's Teacup Society'---(I love that.), which has many delectable sounding recipes, several of which I am going to make for upcoming 18thc. 'tea picnics' we are planning. 'The Peabody Sisters' sounded fascinating, and when at the Concord Museum I found this charming set of a family of 18thc. paper dolls, and thought they would be a nice addition to some of our historical school presentations for younger audiences.
We also had arranged to meet a craftsman friend while on our trip, and purchase a few of his charming 'stone' garden bee skeps wholesale. I came home with 2 'medium' size, and 2 darling miniatures for my gardens.
Above you can see one of the mediums we placed in the raised bed garden, where it sits in the sun waiting for plants to surround it. This morning we went down the road to a small nursery and ordered a half dozen perennial blue flax plants, to be picked up around Mother's Day. These we plan to put in the new raised-bed kitchen garden, and a couple along the old stone wall in the sideyard.

My new 'reads'~little treasures from our weekend in Concord

Yesterday was sunny and fairly warm, and we both worked out in the yard and gardens all day. Adam is off, as it is school Easter vacation. We raked and used the leaf blower, and made fantastic headway. The yard, though still not yet green, is now free from all trash, sodden leaves, pinecones and needles, broken branches, etc. The gardens are all uncovered and raked out, and green shoots of daffodil,  tulips, and lilies are now several inches up. Everything looks 100% better, and we felt satisfied we had accomplished a lot. Adam repaired winter damage to the little wattle fence he had made me a couple years ago as a 'Saturday suprise'.

We took the yorkies on a long walk later in the afternoon. When we came back, Adam pulled one of our reenactment chairs out to the back garden, and with a book on the early history of New Hampshire, he sat in the bright western sun to read for a bit before the chill of the late afternoon settled in. I was watching out the window, and happened to see him pick up Sasha and give her a kiss. I grabbed the camera and took this unplanned photo. He didn't know I took it until he saw it---awww, so cute...

UPDATE~ HERE ARE SOME PHOTOS OF OUR NEWLY CONSTRUCTED RAISED BEDS, ETC. TAKE A TOUR WITH ALL NEW PHOTOS OF OUR 18TH CENTURY HOUSE AND PERIOD GARDENS HERE~

Tomorrow is Easter. We plan just a nice day at home. It is supposed to be sunny, and much warmer than today---hurrah! Next week we are finally supposed to have temps into the 70's, and I can plant my astilbe and ranunculus rose bulbs.  Tomorrow we can putter in the yard and then go for another long walk in the sun.
I am making one of our favorite dinners---a real holiday treat---an herbed rack of lamb, roasted tiny red potatoes,  mashed sweet potatoes, roasted asperagus with lemon, and for dessert, 'molten miniature chocolate cakes' with fresh strawberries. (I will probably only eat the strawberries, as I try to stay away from all sugar, flour, butter, etc.). We'll eat with candles lit in the old pewter holders on the ancient wooden table. First we will start off with a salad of spring greens, avocado, vidalia onion, toasted pecans, fresh orange slices, a few dried cranberries, and a bit of blue cheese, with a simple homemade dressing of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a little fresh orange juice...mmmmm.

Rack of lamb for Easter dinner...

roasted red potatoes,

mashed sweet potatoes,

roasted asperagus with olive oil and lemon,

and miniature 'molten chocolate cakes'~

I would like to leave you with one of the chapter title pages of my new book on tea parties~

A Beacon Hill Tea Menu

Apricot Meringue Squares

Fairy Gingerbread

Glazed Orange Cake

Broccoli Sandwiches

Mushroom Roll-ups or Sandwiches

Curried Chicken Sandwiches 

Pilgrim's Punch

Hu-Kwa Tea