Día del Patrimonio

Every year, on the Día del Patrimonio, Chile opens up monuments and museums for free to the public.  A few places, like the presidential summer house, are only open on this day.  The stunning house is situated on a beautiful hilltop neighborhood, Cerro Castillo.

Presidential place setting! Where can I get one of those dishes?

 Live music
(A little ren. fest.-y)

 Carabinero's castle

 Our fair city

Seafood lunch

Oatmeal Blueberry Pancakes

Lazy, foggy Saturday.  What makes these so great is the orange zest, cinnamon and cardamom.

Oatmeal Blueberry Pancakes

• 1 3/4 cups instant oats
• 1 ¾ cups milk
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange or clementine juice
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 tblsp. butter, melted
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tblsp. turbinado sugar
• 2 tsp. grated orange or clementine zest
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. cardamom
• 1 cup blueberries
• Syrup for serving

 I snuck in a little ground flax seed and wheat germ for some added health benefits!

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine the oats, milk and orange juice.
2. Set aside for about 5 minutes until the oats soften.
3. Add the eggs and butter and beat with a spoon until well combined.
4. Add the flour, sugar, orange zest, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and cardamom. Stir well to mix until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
5. Gently fold in the blueberries
6. Heat a griddle pan over medium heat and spray it with oil or crisco.
7. Pour the batter in 1/4 cupfuls onto the heated griddle.
8. Cook until golden brown on each side
9. Serve with syrup.    

Sisters

Three Faces of Annabelle

Cat Camo

On a side note.  That awesome alpaca throw we bought in Ecuador (wish I had bought ten more!) just happens to be the exact same colors as Frida the cat.  No visible cat hair on this thing!  She loves sleeping on/under it and even grooms it!

Botanical Charts

 

My new obsession is these German educational botanical charts.  I really want to get two to put up behind my couch.  However, even the reproductions here are expensive.  Botanicals may be a recent fad, like the bird craze ("put a bird on it"), but these gorgeous prints have an antique, classic look that will hold up.

I love the black background and the earthy, soft tones of the colors.

 

 

Love the white couch with the greens!

Right now I prefer the black prints, but here are some other beautiful posters.



 



 

 

 

Reminds me of these lovely serving dishes from Williams-Sonoma.





All images via Pinterest

Shopping Finds in Ecuador

Handmade table runner from Olga Fisch

Pillow from market in Otavalo

 Alpaca throw (incredibly soft!)