My Bloggy Friends...

~ Pretty Little Dessert Cakes ~


I love lemon so when I saw this recipe in one of my old cookbooks I wondered why I hadn't made them before. It might have been that I was a little intimidated by the idea of carving off the top and making the wings with it, but today I must have been feeling adventurous so I gave them a whirl. I tweaked the recipe a little bit by doubling the filling recipe and adding vanilla extract to it.

Aren't they cute??? And it was much easier than I thought to create the butterfly wings!


What you will need...

For the cakes

generous 3/4 cup of self-rising flour
1/2 baking powder
1/2 cup of butter, softened
heaping 1/2 cup of superfine sugar
2 eggs, beaten
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
2-4 tablespoons of milk
powdered sugar for dusting

For the filling

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 heaping cups of confectioner's (powdered) sugar
the juice of one lemon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

What you need to do...

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare muffin tin by placing 12 paper cases each one of the holders. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the butter, sugar, eggs and grated rind to the flour and mix until smooth. Add enough milk to the batter until it becomes medium soft. Divide the batter into the 12 cups and bake in the over for  15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile you can go ahead and make the filling. Simply add the sugar to the softened butter along with the lemon juice and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

Remove the cakes from the oven when done and allow them to cool completely. With a pairing knife, gently cut the top of the cake off. I used a small glass and pressed the top of it into the top of the cake before cutting. This gave me a little bit if a line to trace as I cut the cake. Once the top is off, spoon some of the filling into the cakes. Then take the top piece you cut off and cut it in half. Place each half in the filling to create the butterfly wings. Dust with the confectioner's sugar

That's it...all that is left is to enjoy these lemony light cakes.

Have a great day!!!


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For the Love of Baseball

 Baseball...the All-American pastime...we love it because of the memories it brings back to us...
 It has a certain magic that no other sport has. It seems to make the years simply melt away so that everyone in the park is a kid again.
It is the summertime game that transcends us to another world where hot dogs at the ballpark taste better than a fillet Mignon at "Christies"

Baseball games...where we as children bonded with our parents, and as parents we spend time with our own children bonding over the same marvelous sport. Whether playing it in our own backyards, cheering on a little league game, or watching the Red Sox at Fenway Park, it is the game which unites us and makes us feel as if we are all part of better times.

Now lets play ball!!!

Surprise $10 Yard Sale Find...

Today as I was driving from the A & P with the snacks I had just purchased for Michael's baseball game, I must have driven by about a dozen or so yard sales. Evidently the town where the game was being held was  having a town-wide yard sale this weekend. Dag I thought, I knew I had to get to the 10 am game of which I was already late for.

But mama does deserve at least one guilty pleasure now and then right? So as I was driving I noticed someone selling a set of end tables exactly like ones I had seen on Wednesday at the Bucks County Designer House. I made the quick U-bie and sped back to the house where I spotted the tables. I got out of the car with just my wallet in hand, not even knowing how much was in it, and walked towards the lady behind the table. When I inquired about how much the tables were, all I could think to myself was...please please please don't say anything over $10. I thought even if I only have 5 dollars I can give her the money in good faith that I will be back to pay the rest and collect the tables. "Ten dollars for both" she replied. I opened up my wallet and saw a five immediately with a bunch of ones behind it. Yippee I had it...I had $10 on me so I bought the two tables.



It wasn't until I began shooting these pictures that I realized they were not a matched set.







Hey as far as I am concerned that just adds to their charm! The first thing Mr. Rosemary Lane asked was where they were going to go. I'm not sure but I'm thinking maybe Grace's room. It would be nice for her to have nightstands that somewhat matched. I do have to give it a little thought over the next few days and poke around the Internet for some ideas. But bottom line, I think these are pretty cool and only cost me $10!

So woohoo for me!!!

A Peek at the World 50 Years Ago ~ 1961 Better Homes and Gardens Magazines



Sometimes I never know where my next idea for a post is going to come from. Yes if I have a project I've been working on or I am going to be somewhere I think you all would like to see, I know what I will be writing about. But every so often the idea can come from right out of the proverbial blue, and today was no exception. This morning I received a comment from Michele (with one "L") from over at the sweet blog NOOK and CRANNY. So as I regularly do when I see someone new to Rosemary Lane has made a comment, I will follow that person back to see their blog and what they are all about. Well after reading Michele's comment I followed her back to her little piece of bloggyland, and she had a wonderful post up about a vintage 1953 Workbasket magazine. (Click here to read her post.) Michele (with one "L") went on to share some  of the pages from the magazine and at the end of her post she asked if you, her readers, collect any old books or magazines. Suddenly I remembered that I had four 1961 issues of Better Homes and Gardens tucked away in an upstairs closet! I had picked them up a few years ago while traveling through upstate New York in one of the antiques stores Mr. Rosemary Lane and I had been in. So thank you Michele (with one "L") for the lovely comment today, your post on the Workbasket magazine and for asking the question...

"Do you collect books/magazines like these?"

Here is a little peek at what the world was like 50 years ago through the eyes of  Better Homes and Gardens magazine!!!

Check out the blue laminate counter top with matching appliances. Nope stainless steel appliances weren't even a twinkle in old General Electric's eye! And look at the coordinating wallpaper.

Tres chic!




This next kitchen is in an add from Congoleum-Narin Vinyl Floors. I love the hounds tooth covered swivel chairs. The modern look with a traditional fabric...we are still doing the same thing with today's home designs.


The McCormick Gourmet Collection spice jars haven't changed much in the last 50 years! (Although I am pretty sure that they don't t make garlic chips anymore)


Are your arteries clogging up yet?


If you didn't care for the blue appliances in the first kitchen, how about pink ones in the laundry room?


This article appeared in the September 1961 issue.



Did you notice the author of this piece? Could it be???


Are you old enough to remember cigarette ads in magazines...the ones without the Surgeon General's warning?
 "You can take Salem out of the country but...you can't take the country out of Salem".


This is from the November issue...now that is a nice price! But sadly the offer expired over 50 years ago!!


Some more of the decor of the early 1960's.






How about this garden? I love love love that picket fence!


Now I have never heard of a burnt sugar cake but this looks like something I'd sure like to try!!!


So now let me pose to you the question...

Do you have any old magazine collections that you'd like to share???


Have a great weekend!!

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Spring Valley Farm ~ Garden Tour


I love the month of May because I absolutely LOVE touring designer houses! Last week I had the opportunity to see the fabulous Glynallyn Castle (click here for tour) in Morristown New Jersey, and today I went to yet another designer house at Spring Valley Farm in beautiful Bucks County Pennsylvania.

So grab yourself a rather large cup of Joe, tea or depending on the time of day where you are, a delicious cocktail...find a comfy spot and enjoy the breathtaking gardens of this year's Bucks County Designer House Gardens!























































OMGosh aren't you inspired???  These grounds are nothing short of crazy gorgeous!!!

Now for a little history on the home...the first title exchange for this property dates all the way back to 1854 for $819.37. The original part of the home is thought to have been built around 1850 and the adjacent barn is believed to have been built in the 18th century. In 1973 and 1977 rather large additions were added to the home doubling the interior living space. Then in 1980 a bedroom and sitting area were added above the original kitchen.

This home has a wonderful sentimental story...the owners of the home Doctors John Reavy-Cantell and Michael Cantwell submitted the Spring Valley Farm as a potential designer house to fufill their mother's long time dream to one day have her home be...The Bucks County Designer House.


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