(This is actually a re-post from my old blog. Just decided to share it with you today…)
Yellow is “the color of happiness” – which really comes as no surprise to me. No color in the world makes me happier than bright, warm, sunshine yellow. It is also “the color of forgiveness, peace and joy”. I like that. Yellow is perky. Today was a rainy, gloomy day – but these beautiful yellow mums were just smiling at me from my kitchen table, begging to have their picture taken. Naturally, I obliged.
They say to use yellow to suggest freshness and citrus fruitiness. Perhaps this explains, in part, my recent obsession with lemons. If you have been following me on Facebook or Twitter, then you know that I have had a case of “Lemonade-itis” lately! Two recent posts were recipes for Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes and Cherry Lemonade with vodka!! OK – I’m sorry, but they just sound delish! And guess what. I found yet another recipe for Lemon Cupcakes (just wait until you see how cute they are)!! Oh my – Someone please stop me! Did I mention that yellow is also “the color of… insanity“?! Seriously. ( Oh well. Sanity is SO overrated!!) OK – No more lemon “food”. Let’s think “SPA”. How about a wonderful lemon scrub to exfoliate and smooth away dead skin??? Ahhh… There we go. And since we’re at the spa now; how about some refreshing lemon water… Simply slice several lemons and add in your choice of other goodies. Some of my favorites are lemon and fresh mint, lemon and cucumber or a combo of lemons, limes and oranges. Fill your pitcher with fresh cold water and ice and you’re ready to be refreshed. Calorie free!!!
Yellow, by any other name ( banana, cadmium yellow, chiffon, cream, golden, goldenrod, lemon, mellow yellow, saffron, chartreuse, topaz, yellow ocher) is still yellow. So maybe yellow isn’t your favorite color (Hmmm… trying to process) – but perhaps you are redecorating a room or planning a dinner party, and you would like a few tips when it comes to mixing yellow into your color palette… Well look no further. Here we go:
- Use yellow to perk up a more subdued cool palette of blues and grays. Perhaps an end of summer “pool party”? No pool? Me neither. Just call it a “Beach Party”. I live in Kansas. Enough said.
- Use lemon yellow with oranges to carry out a healthy, summery, citrus theme. Nothing is simpler than a bowl of fresh lemons, limes and oranges!
- Very pale yellows can work as neutrals alongside darker or richer colors.
- Yellow and blue are a high contrast, eye-popping combination. My choice of colors for our guest room. A classic combo and “gender neutral”. It just works.
- Mix yellow with neutral gray and a dash of black for a high-tech look. Suddenly I’m thinking about New Year’s Eve. And champagne.
- Try a hot, exciting mix of red and yellow. Anyone for a Mexican Fiesta?? Ole’
- For an earthy palette, especially for fall, mix yellow, olive green, and brown. Thanksgiving at your house this year??
- While yellows and bright or light greens can be part of a natural, fruity color palette, be careful not to use colors too close in value or they will appear washed out.
Alrighty – Let’s check our “party prep” list. We have a delicious Cherry Lemonade, with or without vodka, and two different kinds of lemon cupcakes. Yum. We used our lemon scrub while we sipped on our lemon water – so we will be a bee-u-tee-ful hostess. Our “color palette of choice” has been embellished with a little happy splash of yellow. All that’s left is to leave that fresh scent of lemon behind as we spritz those kitchen counters down one more time. This little recipe might help.
All natural “General Cleaner Upper Spray”
- 1 tsp Liquid Dish Soap
- 1 tsp Borax
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Vinegar
- 1 Spray Bottle
- Essential oil; like lemon (optional)
Add dish soap, borax, lemon juice and vinegar to bottle. Fill bottle with 1 quart hot water. Place the spray nozzle on the bottle and shake until all ingredients are well mixed. A few drops of your favorite essential oil will make it smell yummy. You could use lemon, lavender or tea tree oil (All three are antiseptic and antibacterial). If you have a problem with hard water stains, use 2 tsp lemon juice and 2 tsp vinegar.
Well – I think you’re pretty much ready for the party. Just one more thing before I go. Do you believe in serendipity? I was in the middle of writing this blog when the phone rang. It was my neighbor, Deb, and she needed a missing ingredient for her dinner. Any guesses? Yep. A lemon. Make that two lemons. I quickly took a pic of the three lemons on the plate for this blog, so that I could share them with her. When she walked down to get the lemons, she told me that she had a little gift for me. Something she saw and thought of me. It is the tea towel in the pic. She had no idea that I was writing a blog about lemons or that I would post a recipe for Cherry Lemonade – with vodka on Facebook and Twitter. That’s just how friends are sometimes. True friends. They just know.
Oh – and one last thing that I forgot to mention.
Yellow is also “the color of friendship”… but, then again, I already knew that.
As you know, I am kinda sorta playing “catch up” with my blog posts after my computer crashed… So today I am sharing with you a few images of my Valentine’s Day 2013. Morning began with a “Valentine Breakfast” for my two boys, complete with heart shaped pancakes, chicken apple sausage and sauteed apples with maple syrup. One of these “boys” I shared a first date with on Valentine’s Day 1980 (Yep. Do the math. That’s 33 years ago!!) and one I shared my big ‘ole belly with, along with his twin sister, some twenty-something years ago. Both of them loved and treasured… xo Each one of my boys surprised me when they came home from work with a beautiful bunch of flowers. Pink roses from my sweetie, and a beautiful “springlike” assortment from my (6’1″) “baby”. I’m such a lucky, lucky girl…
OK – so there you go. A few “sweet” little ideas for your upcoming Fourth of July holiday!! Say a prayer for our troops, and the families who are missing them. Be proud, be safe, be American; Keep calm and eat a cupcake!