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I do not have tea themes decorating my house, not yet. I have seen some lovely examples and I plan to redecorate in the near future. I have tea sets ‘displayed’ in my dining room. I say ‘displayed’ but really, they are just stored openly. Paper doilies are placed between each plate so they do not scratch each other, and cups are stacked in teetering towers. They are the leaning tower of teaza! lol
Here are some pictures I took of an Easter table theme. I was very excited about how it all turned out. Let me know what you like about it. I love hearing from you all.
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To see more of the Easter table pics, please go to FLICKER, I have an account there. I’ll post more on this either later or tomorrow. I will take photos of my ‘open storage’ so you can see all my piles of china.
I am so sick and tired of being disappointed when I go shopping for clothes! I am 6 feet tall and a plus size. My inseam is 36 inches. Finding pants with legs long enough or tops with sleeves long enough is difficult. I frequently wear 3/4 length sleeves, but you really can’t do that with pants all the time, especially in the winter. I like to look nice when I’m dressed casually and Capri pants don’t convey a professional image. I desperately need a pair of dark blue jeans. You can see daylight through mine and they could suffer structural damage at any moment. The last pair I purchased at Lane Bryant, fit perfectly. They were long enough and covered my curves beautifully. Well, that was then, this is now. I went to Lane Bryant and they have a new system. Someone in their marketing department had the ‘brilliant’ idea to change the sizes. No more 14/16, 18/20, 22/24, oh no, that’s just too easy. They had to go and make new sizes;1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. Who are they trying to kid? I’ve been a size 20 for years. Do they really think I’m going to walk into the store, see I wear a size 4 and freak out for joy here? I do not need an artificial size made up by some knuckle head in their marketing department, who may or may not even wear a plus size, to make me feel good about myself. I know who I am and what size I am. I do not need a store messing with me in an effort to get me to buy more because all of a sudden I’m the ’same’ size as some Hollywood-starlet-flavor-of-the-week! Also, the length of the zipper part from the bottom of the crotch to the top of the pant was shorter by about 2-3 inches. I-HATE-Lane Bryant’s-new-jeans!!!
While I was there, I also tried on one of their bras. The girl who waited on me, and who also constantly called me, ‘honey’ (I’m forty and much older than she, someone needs to retrain her!) told me it was their most popular bra. Really? With whom, women with no arms? The band that goes around your middle was twice as wide as the one on the bra I was wearing. I could barely move my arms. Then, she measured me wrong and the cups were too big and they came up to my clavicle. I thought I was going to choke! Grrr, Very disgruntled shopper here.
So join me in the vent here. Tell me what you hate about women’s clothing and shopping.
Oh, BTW, I went into Dillard’s to use their restroom. The NICEST sales lady walked me over to the restrooms after it was apparent I was not going to find them on my own (I get lost sooo easily) she even had a blister on her foot because she works two jobs (evidentially both require her to be on her feet). Thank you, Waltraut, for helping me find the ladies’ room. You are a fine example of all that is right in the world and of how to properly attend to a customer. I hope you are recognized for your good deeds and hard work.
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Dresser top picture taken at the Antique Mall. I like to go to places that sell old things and look around, wondering about the owner of each item. I sometimes make up stories and try to envision how people looked using things. Loom shuttles, hats, boot hooks, a vintage nail kit, bake lite dresser sets, silver hair sets, hair combs, hats, doilies hankies gloves. They all have a story to tell. What is your favorite thing and the story it could tell me?
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Usually this phrase pertains to the homes of newly weds or a secluded place for an intimate tete-a-tete. Let’s reinvent the phrase to mean something else, shall we? Why not make your home a love nest for friends and family and persons who are ‘not yet friends’ n.y.f.? What would you need to do to turn your house/home into a love nest? Do you need additional chairs and tables? Try a thrift store. Table cloths hide a myriad of blemishes and can bring unity to a room quickly and inexpensively-if you shop at discount stores. Discount stores can also offer an array of inexpensive decorations such as glass containers for holding candles,(they sell the candles too), paper doilies, (which are great for dressing up a plate of appetizers), and seasonal decorations to help set a theme. You can pack such things away and use them the following year. Trust me, people are not making a record of your decorations and how often you use them and if you know of people who are, just don’t invite them over again. Keeping your menu simple can save money too. I have often used pre-seasoned pork tenderloin roasts for my home group meals. A larger roast can serve all six of us for about 2-3 dollars per person. Throw in a couple of .99 cent boxes of scalloped potatoes and a couple of cans of veggies and you’re good to go. You may also establish a menu schedule. My home group friends are such a blessing to me, not only for the wonderful friendships we’re developing, but also because they volunteer to bring dinner now and again. We have often asked them to bring a bag of ice to home group. I have an automatic iced tea maker and it uses quite a bit of ice to brew the tea. It’s not that the ice is expensive so I ask them, but if the week has gotten away from me and I haven’t had a chance to replenish the ice supply, our H.G. friends are happy to assist. Don’t feel like you have to carry the entire evening on your shoulders. I did at first and it became stressful, fast, and I started to not enjoy home group night. That all quickly changed when I started letting go of my preconceived ideas of how things should be.
If you feel your house is too messy or out of control to have people over, allow me to introduce you to the website that can help you out immensely. I don’t do everything she writes about, but I do follow the tips and ideas that work best for me and it has made a big difference in my home. Enough so to where I felt comfortable enough to start hostessing a weekly home group. Who knows, it just may do the same for you! Here it is:The Fly Lady .
Need some help with recipes? Recipe Zaar.
Have questions? You can always email me. I’m happy to help. Does this help you at all? Please let me know.
I love sci-fi. Not all of it, mind you, as it can get hokey if not done correctly, but I love, love LOVE! Stargate Atlantis. For me, it is THE BEST ever sci-fi show. I enjoy it even more than SG-1. I know that without SG-1, there may not have been an Atlantis, but I don’t care. I think Atlantis is funnier and better written than SG-1. I have lost more fingernails to Atlantis (nail biting-literally!) than I can count.
Here’s a LINK to the site.
My other confession? I am totally wrapped up in a Korean ’soap opera’ right now, titled; Dae Jang Geum. I have written about this one before on my blog. I don’t care that it’s in Korean and I have to read subtitles (for several days now, for hours on end, much to the dismay of my husband) the dvd set is a 14 day check out from my library and I finished it in three days. I would have been done sooner but I had to stop for home group. It is a three volume set with 54 episodes! Whew! Here’s the wiki LINK for that one. Why do I enjoy it so much? The ladies all look meticulous and wear lovely dresses in pretty colors. I have enjoyed allowing myself to be immersed in the lives of the characters. There are many, many fabulous scenes of palace cuisine being prepared. There is unrequited love, devotion, murder, betrayal, sacrifice, deep and loving friendships, and love. There are many scenes of people gathered around lavishly appointed tables of food and tea enjoying themselves and each other because food is not just something to keep your blood sugar up, oh no, it is an event!
This series emphasizes the effects food can have on your emotional and physical health. You even get to learn about how different foods and medicines can work together to heal or harm a person. If you haven’t already watched this show, run out and find it and make the time commitment to enjoy it. If you enjoy tea and cooking and great drama, you’ll love, Dae Jang Geum as much as I did.
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I just think this is so cute! I envision it with maybe a rose petal lamp shade or something ultra feminine in lace or feathers with beading. How would you crown this beauty?
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It too was at the Antique Mall. Isn’t it deliciously old fashioned? I love the square shape. Can’t you just see yourself pouring for your friends from this one? Out in the garden watching the butterflies and hummingbirds go about their busy work while the bees hummed nearby on lavender bushes.
Steam rises from a cup of tea
and we are wrapped in history,
inhaling ancient times and lands,
comfort of ages in our hands.
~Faith Greenbowl
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Thank you to all the ladies who have, and are coming by to read my post on the books (below). I’m so excited about the response I’ve received! If you have time, there are a couple of surveys to the left. If you don’t have time for both, please consider taking the time to fill out the one titled, ‘Getting to Know You’. Thanks!
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I am in a bit of a fog today. Tech Hubby kept waking me up last night, snoring. He has this habit of tucking his fist under his chin which cuts off his breathing. He often wakes up in the morning with a bruise under his chin and one on his knuckle.
Over the weekend, we went to a Chinese restaurant called, Hunan Springs. It serves up the best Chinese food I have ever tasted. The chef served our dishes with a carrot flower garnish. I took mine home so I could show you.
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Isn’t this great!
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On each table were different plastic place mats. Some were Winnie the Pooh, Disney Princesses, pastel colors and shapes, it was nice to see a restaurant having some fun and not taking itself too seriously.
On this week’s assignment form La Tea Dah, we’re to Share tea from the perspective of literature. and to also share how we bless others with tea. My journey to the land of, ‘I love tea’ has followed a long and winding path. Though exposed to the beauty of tea by taking my first formal afternoon tea at The Empress Hotel over twenty years ago, it didn’t find a foot hold in my heart until a few years ago when I worked at a friend’s tea room as a hostess/waitress. A good deal of ’stuff’ went down at the tea room but it was there that I began flirting with, and ultimately fell in love with, tea and all that encompasses it. The smell of a newly opened package of tea. The fizz and spit of the hot water making contact with the tea leaves. The anticipation of the taste of well brewed tea. The fact that the flavor of tea is enhanced by sitting down and enjoying it, where as coffee is associated with madly dashing about and being in a hurry. I enjoy associating tea with gentleness and civility.
When I think of drinking coffee and tea out of doors, for coffee, I picture cowboys on the open range, a sunrise and the sounds of cattle nearby, for tea, a regency or Victorian picnic with all the trimmings including parasols, linens and china, hampers filled to bursting with goodies and couples having fun on the side of lush green hills.
Mention a Jane Austen novel or afternoon tea to a woman, and her eyes light up and a smile crosses her face. She longs for the time to enjoy such luxuries but is unable due to budgetary or time constraints. Perhaps this is why I developed a desire to give a moment of beauty, however brief or simple, to those around me.
Some are receptive while others strive,with great effort, to keep themselves too busy to enjoy the gift of life around them. Sometimes I can bring ladies together, sometimes I cannot. As the saying goes, ‘Sometimes the urgent gets in the way of the important’. Is getting together with other ladies for tea important? I believe it is as important as air or water.
That said, I must share with you some of what is going on, though not for the sake of being maudlin. I have sent my query and the first 50 pages of my novella to an agent. Times being what they are, in the mean time while waiting to hear back from her, I will need to get a job. My prayer is that the book will open other doors leading to opportunities I’m not privy too at this moment. So, the hospitality I am able to extend will naturally be diminished as my time is taken up with the urgent and mundane. How can you help? By praying my book is accepted and published sooner rather than later-this year!! That I would find a job that would not be too demanding on my time or person so that home group night is not affected.
Well, enough of that. Here are a couple of books I wanted to show you. I have some of the ones that La Tea Dah has displayed on her blog and I have enjoyed them immensely. I thought I would show you something a bit different.
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You can link to Quin’s page from this picture. I could not find anything about Laura.
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Although copyrighted in 1993, this book has been a wonderful guide to me on how to be a hostess. It teaches, by example, what not to do. It is appropriate for the novice hostess as well as the experienced. It instructs on how to prepare your home to receive guests, and how to do it within a limited budget if need be. It teaches us how to receive which, if you’re being hospitable towards others, you may be too focused on giving and not be able to easily switch to ‘receiving mode’. My husband and I were treated to lunch Sunday by some friends of ours who also attend home group. I was joking with the husband about how now I would have to cook on Wednesday since they were treating us to lunch. (they had offered to bring dinner for Wednesday and I had accepted and thought that lunch would cancel out dinner not thinking they would be able to do both, I was happily mistaken). To me, it does seem a bit extravagant to be treated to lunch on Sunday by the same couple who are bringing dinner on Wednesday, however, when we deny people the opportunity to do something for us, be deny them of the blessings they would receive for their actions. My husband and I receive many blessings from hosting a group in our home on a regular basis. It is tangible. How could I rob someone of that? How could you? If someone has been trying to bless you lately and you’ve been dodging their efforts, let them serve you, bless you, treat you. You never know, it could be God working through them in ways you won’t know until you get to heaven. Wow, wouldn’t that be amazing? Imagine, you get to heaven and there’s a group of people who greet you and begin the conversation with, ‘remember when we were on earth and you let me to (whatever) for you? Well, let me tell you about the doors that it opened up for me and the things it broke off of me.’ Remember, what you let loose here on earth, you let loose in heaven. What you bind on earth, you bind up in heaven.
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I like this one, just because it’s pretty! lol We can’t always be deep. Even Jesus had His fun. This book just makes me smile. It has great photographs of teapots, food, flowers, the English countryside, period clothing, food served on fine china and on harvest/kitchen tables. When I open it and flip through its pages, I pretend I’m there, sipping tea, watching the afternoon sun travel across the hard wood floors. It also contains recipes and stories which provide a glimpse into the small moments that make life worth living.
Well, I hope you have enjoyed reading about these two books. Cheerio!
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Up from the grave He a rose! With a mighty triumph o’er His foes! He arose a victor from the dark domain and He lives forever with His saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Hallelujah, Christ arose!
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” Then they remembered his words.
Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
Last Saturday, I was invited over to a friend’s home to participate in a cookie focus group. My friend Christine, used to be a One Stroke painter at Michael’s a local craft store. You may have heard of them, ha, ha. Anyway, I was struggling a couple of years ago with learning One Stroke. If you’ve never painted before, it can be quite confusing. I took some classes from her and wow, my painting improved so much, it was amazing. Christine has a great gift for organization and for using the computer to make great diagrams and teaching aids. I still have them all and refer to them on occasion. Back to the cookies.
So I, and ten other ladies (the twelfth was too sick to attend) showed up and sat around a table tasting and rating cookies. Christine had this great form she created where we rated each cookie on appearance, taste and texture. I am not blessed with the gift of organization or even one for reading directions. I didn’t even know how to fill out the form, but in some fairness and explanation, I had put my contacts in that day and THOUGHT I had forgotten my readers. I was unable to read parts of the form. Found the readers later as I was leaving, in the bottom of my purse. The cookies were great! They tasted good and looked lovely. Here are a couple of photos and a link to her site so you can see more great photos of painted cookies. I feel so blessed to have been a part of this event. From humble beginnings, grow mighty things. Someday I’ll be able to say, ‘I knew her when’.
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No calories here! Wouldn’t this be fun to ’serve’ at a garden themed tea? It was at the Antique Mall too. Sometimes, many times, crafts sneak in at the Mall as long as they don’t look contemporary. Notebooks and journals that have been embellished to look vintage, that sort of thing.
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What if Jesus had never been born?
This document gives examples of how things were before, and after, Jesus lived. Some of the ‘befores’, are quite evident in our American society today. I believe, that unless we put God back where He belongs, first and foremost in our laws, schools and day to day living, forsaking all other religions and their false gods and refusing to give in to them in the name of being politically correct, we will continue on the downward spiral we are on currently.
“It shall come about if you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish.” Deuteronomy 8:19
Jesus is the only God who cared enough about your life in eternity to give His life for yours. Christianity is the only religion where God reaches down to man. All others, man reaches out for enlightenment. With Christianity, you receive salvation (much more important).
Here is a link to what Jesus did to ensure your salvation. You cannot get to heaven through Mary. She didn’t die on the cross. You cannot get to heaven being a Buddhist, a wiccan, a Mormon, a Jehovah’s witness. You can only get to heaven through Jesus and what He did for us on the cross. My hope and prayer is that you would read and believe. The bible says not all will enter the kingdom. This is because there are those who, for some reason, are determined not to believe, not to trust, not to enter in. This doesn’t have to be you. Choose today, whom you will serve.
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She stopped for a moment, laying her needle down to rest her fingers and massage the back of her neck. She had been sewing like mad whenever there was enough light. She had a goal of filling her hope chest to the very top with not only things she had made, but those things with which her friends and family had blessed her. She reached out for the glass of iced tea and took a long drink. Even though it was still spring, she was beginning to feel the promise of summer’s heat. She remembered how they met. His family had moved to their tiny town from another, two states over. His father was to be the new preacher. She smiled as she remembered how shy he had been, glancing at her when he thought she wasn’t looking.
They had circled each other for two years. He pretending she didn’t exist, she, pretending she didn’t know he was pretending. In the end, it was his boldness that had won her over and she had rewarded him with her heart. One Sunday, at an after church picnic, he had filled a napkin with two pieces of bread layered with butter and fresh strawberry jam, ‘kissing’ so as not to get their toppings all over the checkered cloth, two apples and a mason jar filled with tea. He held the bundle, she held the jar of tea and they held each other’s hands as they walked down to the river bank to eat their picnic, sitting in the shade of the trees listening to the river, the bugs, each other and their hearts.
A different heat now warmed her from the inside, separate from the sun. Smiling, she opened her eyes, rested and ready to get back to work. He would be home soon and there would be a wedding, their wedding.
Movement at the end of the drive caught her eye. It was Becky Greenwood. She worked at the telegram office. Seeing Becky made her blood run cold and her sewing dropped from her numb hands. She didn’t have any brothers and her pappa had died last winter. “Momma!” Momma!”
She rose to stand beside her mother who had come running at the sound of her name being shouted with such desperation. They waited, shoulder to shoulder, for the news to come to them.
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She stopped at the front door and waited as Maggie placed her cape about her shoulders. She looked down at her hands.
“Alice! Fetch my gloves!” she called out to her ladies’ maid standing on the stairs. Alice ran up the stairs as fast as she could. Fiona knew he would be there, as well as every eligible lady within 5 miles of the theatre. Her mother no longer left the house and her father was away on business. She’d had a devil of a time finding a chaperon at the last minute, but she was determined to be seen tonight. He was her last chance to escape the gloom of Foxglove Manor. Her last chance for marriage. Would he also be her chance at love?
Alice fairly flew down the stairs placing the gloves in her mistress’s hands. It had been a group effort getting her ready and out the door, barely in the nick of time, but it was worth it and they had all taken great pride in their effort. She looked stunning, ‘If I do think so myself,’ thought Alice. Fiona did look stunning. Her hair was swept up and held into place with gold combs accented with crystals that caught the light whenever she moved her head. Around her throat was her mother’s pearl choker tied at the back with peach ribbon. Her gown was peach silk with seed pearls sewn around the lace at the the neck line and arm holes. She was a vision of soft femininity. If Jasper Bowden didn’t notice her tonight, he was blind.
Don’t go into Mr. McGregor’s garden: your Father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor. [The Tale of Peter Rabbit]- Beatrix Potter
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It is safe to say, that if I were to go walking in my garden one day and see this little fellow munching on my carrots with such joyful abandon, I would come quite unglued. He is safe for now as I do not have a garden and it is not even on my mind right now since we’ve had 7 inches of snow since Friday which, thankfully, is melting rather quickly. Since he his ceramic and of no harm to the flora, I’ll let him munch in peace.
La Tea Dah, over at Gracious Hospitality, is have a Tea blog-a-thon. Today’s post is a story about a teacup. Here’s mine.
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Growing up, I loved to read, I still do. One of my favorites, wa:The Country Mouse and the City Mouse. Maybe because one of the mice was named Melissa and rarely did I ever see my name in print. In The Country Mouse, City Mouse, Melissa goes to the city to visit her cousin and is wowed and frightened by all the contraptions and gadgets in the city house. It is very dangerous and exciting. Eventually, it proves to be too much for her and she happily leaves the city and returns home to the quiet, simple life of country living. The teacup pictured above, is from my country Grandma. You see, I had a city Grandma who lived in Buffalo, NY and a country Grandma who lived in Burns, WY. Country Grandma was my mom’s mom and we would visit her often. I don’t remember ever seeing her china set on our visits, but one day, my mom asked me if I would like a box of her china. I said, yes! My Grandma lived a very simple farm life and when she was married to her first husband, they didn’t have much but they had 9 kids and a farm on the prairie of Wyoming. The longest trip my Grandma ever took in her life, was when her momma carried her in her arms across the Atlantic, through Ellis Island and across the plains to their new home in the wilds of America. For my Grandma to have such a delicate and lovely item in her possession, brings tears to my eyes, for when, with 9 roudy children, would she have felt comfortable bringing her china out to use on special occasions? I would imagine, with the mindset back then, that it would have set on a shelf, in the china hutch, treasured and protected and unused. I do not remember ever sitting down to tea with one of my Grandmothers. Maybe country grandma invited her girlfriends from church or the senior center over for a cup now and then but such things weren’t done with children for fear of them breaking a beloved item. At country Grandma’s house, we drank out of rinsed out and reused jam jars. Everything in her house was well worn and well loved but rarely brand new or expensive. So this, yes, this cup is my favorite. I use it occasionally and think of my grandmother’s simple life on the prairie of Wyoming. Do you have something that never sees the light of day because you are fearful it will be broken or perhaps you are waiting for that special occasion to use it that never happens? Why not go and dig it out and use it today with someone you love? You’ll be glad you did.
You Belong in Paris |
 Stylish and expressive, you were meant for Paris. The art, the fashion, the wine! Whether you’re enjoying the cafe life or a beautiful park… You’ll love living in the most chic place on earth. |
Of course I belong in Paris. That’s why I live in the wilds of Colorado!
I thought I would share some Eastery looking photos I took at Ye Local Antique Mall. It was quite busy on Saturday which is good. If you want your local businesses to stay in business, tell your friends about them. Don’t make them the best kept secret in town or they won’t be around for long.
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Easter and spring time were the major themes at the shop. One carrot or two?
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Wouldn’t these loo cute hanging in your kitchen? Bunnies need something on which to wipe their paws.
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The best way to have your cake without calories is to make it out of dried and silk flowers!
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Ready for the Easter parade.
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Ready for the egg hunt.
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So, how about you? How have you decorated for spring this year?
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However, lest I should yak on plain ol’ zucchini that isn’t grilled and smothered in garlic butter, here is a chocolate zucchini bread recipe. A nice cup of black tea or even chocolate tea if you are in desperate need of chocolate therapy, some days are like that, would go well with this recipe.
CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI BREAD
3 eggs
2 1/2 C all-purpose flour (I like the unbleached Hungarian flour)
1 C oil I always use coconut oil you may use olive oil try not to use vegetable oil
2 C sugar (I will reduce to 1 C) I’m sweet enough already-wink
1 tsp salt
1 TBS vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
2 C peeled, shredder zucchini-squeeze out as much moisture as you can
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
In medium bowl, combine eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla, mix-add in zucchini, mix. In large bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
Gradually add wet ingredients to dry. Pour into two greased and floured bread loaf pans and bake
at 350 in preheated oven for 1 hour or until a knife stuck in the middle of the bread comes out clean.
Enjoy with your favorite tea. Serves many happy bunnies!
China treats their people no better than the Jews were treated prior and during WWII, and yet here we are, throwing money at them by using them to manufacture most of what we eat, wear and use. what happened to our promise to not letting history repeat itself?
Here is a recent story of how China is dealing with the Tibetan Monk’s desire for freedom of religion.
To the left in my PAGES section, you’ll see a new page for surveys. The Lord has impressed upon me how every important it is for us to invite people to our homes and develop relationships with them. This sometimes gets over looked in out busy lives. Please use this survey to tell me about your entertaining habits and what you would need to help you entertain more. I’m using the word entertain interchangeably with hospitality. Please don’t think I’m just talking abouthaving a dinne rparty ad never seeing your guests again. I am talking about hospitality and builsing relationships when I use the word, ‘entertain’.
Thanks!
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Because I was sick and lying in bed for so long, my back (I have scoliosis) does not like me sitting at my computer all day, but I have goals and need to press on. I try to go and sit on the sofa to give it a break and to walk around too and ‘warm’ it up, but I’d rather have a new one and some dark chocolate please or some Ferro Roche. Maple Nut Goodies would work in a pinch but they are not chocolate but are one of the very few yummies that would be allowed past my lips in lieu of chocolate.
Today’s Easter REcipe comes to us from Healthy Insites. This would make a great addition to almost any tea setting but would be especially wonderful at a brunch. I too would even eat this, then stop off at the local breakfast diner on my way home for a nice steak and egg platter with hash browns of course!
BREAKFAST SALAD (serves 4)
1 unpeeled. chopped apple
1/2 C sunflower seed nuts
1/2 C raisins or currants
1/4 C chopped dates (pits removed)
1 sliced banana
2 TBS honey
1 TBS fresh orange juice
1 tsp double strength vanilla
1/2 tsp Cinnamon (or Chinese Five Spice to shake things up a bit)
1C cottage cheese
4 melon halves
In small bowl, mix together the orange juice, vanilla and spices separately, set aside. In large bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients,except the melons and cottage cheese. Spoon orange juice mixture over the fruit and mix making sure all is evenly distributed. Place melons ‘face’ up on plate. You may need to cut off a small amount on the bottom so that they sit flat and straight. Spoon equal amounts of cottage cheese into each melon half.Top with fruit mixture and serve. Compliment the fruit salad with a light, aromatic tea such as a jasmine green or chamomile.
When I got up at 6, it had just started snowing. The street was wet but snow free, and there was a thin layer on snow on the cars, but it was coming down like crazy. Two hours later, this is what the view was out the same window.
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Of course, Tech Hubby has the cool Jeep. I like it when it snows, you can’t see my car. It’s a Chevy, with a bad paint job as do all Chevys of this time frame. Something to do with the top coat. The paint comes off in sheets. Thanks, Chevy.
Here is something interesting I found at Active Christian Media. Why is there a double standard? Why is preferential treatment being given to some religions while Christians are being silenced?
Please visit and learn. Thanks!
Are you ready? What will you be serving? Are you inviting anyone over? I’d love to hear all about you plans or memories from Easters past. What Easter means to you. Any family traditions you would like to share with us. I would love to hear from you!
We just finished up home group for this evening. I’m tired, but happy. We are so blessed to have such a great group! How refreshing to be with people who are in love with being in love and who enjoy being married. The Lord brought back my friend safely from Spain where she has been on a mission trip. The ‘new’ couple are mixing into the group well. They are fun and have a great sense of humor.
Are you building relationships? it is so very, very important that you start. Invite people over for dinner, a bbq, anything, just start building relationship with those around you. That’s how they did it in the early church. Church was your neighbor’s house, not a warehouse crammed full of people who don’t know that the person they are standing next to and lifting their hands with during worship, lives two doors down on the same street. Let’s get to know one another. It’s fun!
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I made beef bowls for dinner last night…and the night before. We had some left over steak so I thought I would experiment. Tech Hubby loves Yashinora beef bowls. Well, we don’t have anything like that here where I live, so, when you live in a restaurant challenged city, you get creative.
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Honteri Sweet Seasoning, Soy Sauce, Sesame seeds, Sesame oil, Sushi Vinegar, Coconut oil, and chili flakes. Also used but may or may not be pictures, 3 cloves of garlic, 1/2 a white onion, 1 whole green pepper (both sliced thin), 1 sheet of sea weed, 1 gigantic portabella mushroom-peeled. Sticky rice.
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Follow the directions on the sticky rice bag for cooking. If you live at high altitude where there is almost no moisture (like I do) add an extra cup of water. When sticky rice is done cooking, stir into it, 3 tablespoons of Sushi Vinegar. You’re going to do the other prep and cooking while the rice is cooking. This is what it looks like when it’s done cooking. Even if the bag says it’s pre-washed, still wash the rice and let it soak in cold water for 1/2 an hour.
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Cut your onion and bell pepper into thin slices.
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Add them to a pre-heated pan with deep sides. that is coconut oil. The only time I don’t use coconut oil is when I’m making pancakes, then I use butter. If I use any other oil but coconut oil, I can actually feel my butt getting bigger. You don’t want to use too much oil because we’ll be adding the slices of steak to this and they have their own fat. Use about 2-3 tablespoons. Build your confidence. Learn how to ‘eyeball’ your measurements.
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I like to wait to add my garlic until the onions and peppers have cooked down a bit to avoid burning the garlic.
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While the onions,peppers and garlic are melding, I peel and cut my portabella into thin slices. As well as the steak.
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The steak slices were added in first, cooked for a few minutes, then the mushroom slices. To this I added; the soy sauce, sesame oil, Honteri, and the chili flakes. These flavors balance each other out and give the dish a sweet hot slightly salty flavor.About a table spoon each of the soy, sesame oil and Honteri a bit less of the sesame oil. Add chili flakes as to how hot you want your food.
By now the sticky rice has been done cooking as is on the ‘warm’ setting of the rice cooker waiting for me. I remove it from the rice cooker(you do not want to add vinegar to metal containers) place it into a glass bowl, add my 3 TBS of Sushi vinegar and stir it into the rice along with a tablespoon of sesame seeds. When that is all encorporated, I then crumble up a sheet of sea weed into the rice and stir it all up.Plate it and drizzle more soy sauce and sesame seeds over it all and enjoy!
Where did the weekend go? I have home group tomorrow and I am not at all ready! Ack!
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Today, I’m going to give a little visual on some different cuts and types of tea.
In the above picture, the teas are as follows:
1. This is a ‘plain’ if you can call any tea plain, black tea from a round tea bag which is very popular in England (Tetley) and finds its way frequently into my cup. Notice how small the pieces of tea are? If you were to brew it for the same amount of time as say #s 3-7, using the same amount of water, you would end up with bitter tasting tea. BTW all ten numbers have roughly the same amount of tea-1 teaspoon. Remember that old teaser-which weighs more, a ton of feathers or a ton of bricks? Well, of course they both weigh the same, but feathers are much less dense than bricks and therefore take up more space. Same idea with tea leaves. The smaller the leaf, the less steep time. The larger the leaf, typically, the longer the steep time. There are exceptions to almost every rule (except gravity-it’s the law!lol) and there are some exceptions to the steeping time of teas. I usually steep #1 for 5 minutes but it is in an 8 oz mug. I would not do so in a standard 6oz teacup.
Tea #2 is a grocery store tea bag of green and black jasmine tea, however, it has much more in it than just what I’ve mentioned so far. It also contains; green tea, black tea, natural citrus and jasmine flavor with other natural flavors, chamomile flowers, lemon grass, jasmine flowers and lemon peel. Quite diverse for a grocery store shelf.
Tea #3 is Monk’s Blend. Now we are getting into loose tea. See how much bigger the leaves are?
Tea #4 is called Victorian.
Tea #5 is a Chocolate with rose petals blend.
Tea #6 is a Banana flavored tea.
Tea #7 is Russian Caravan.
Tea #8 is not a tea but an herb called lavender. Herbal teas are called tisanes.
Tistane/Tea #9 is peppermint.
Tisane/Tea #10 is a blend of Chamomile and peppermint.
Steep times: tea bags 3-4 minutes depending on the size of the cut. Loose tea 5-7 minutes, sometimes even 10 but that is rare. Herbal teas and green teas use not such hot water (herbals less hot than greens) and again, depending on the cut steep for about 3-4 minutes.
Please post any questions you might have in comments.
There is a cruise ship in the bay at Cabo. Cool! Check it out on the live Cabo Cam. Also, I’m selling some of my bonus weeks on Craigslist.
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This could be you!
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View from our condo balcony. You could be waking up to a sunrise like this.
Then wave to the people on the cruise ship in your jammies because they are THIS close!
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Fun!
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Here is a LINK, to a story written by a man who regrets supporting Hillary Clinton. Funny, I have no regrets for supporting Ron Paul. Even if he doesn’t win the election, I will be able to rest at night knowing that instead of voting for the lesser of three evils, McCain, Obama, or Clinton, that I chose to vote for a candidate who walks his talk. No embarrassing scandals with Dr. Paul. No two faced indecisiveness. No voting in the direction of what is popular vs. what would be the right thing to do. So, for those of you who have been disappointed by your candidate of choice, or whose candidate has given up, come on over. Join the tea party. Vote for hope and freedom and for the restoration of America as it was intended to be, per the vision of our fore fathers.
Woke up this morning to a light dusting of snow. In one of the other blogs I read, she reported snow in Texas of all places. I know they get ice storms down there but snow, I’m told, is a rarity. I brewed a cuppa Tetley to keep me warm while surfing the net and getting ready for church. Hope you all have a great day!
To some, it may seem odd and perhaps out of place for me to discuss politics on a tea site, but no, my lovelies, it is quite fitting. The Boston Tea Party, the Suffragists Movement, to name two well known historical political events not to mention political issues discussed by women in sitting rooms, parlors, living rooms and kitchen tables over a cup of tea or coffee before the kids and husband came home. Eventually when women were allowed to, they ventured into tea rooms and coffee houses, bent whispering over hot steaming cups of something good to discuss the issues of the day. In keeping with that noble tradition, I am discussing politics on my tea blog. Here we go!
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Ron Paul is a Republican. He is not a Libertarian as the media has erroneously reported on many occasions. Ron Paul wants to support our troops by ending the war. He is a veteran. Just because he opposes the war, does NOT mean he doesn’t support our troops. He does. Ron Paul is against gun control. Ron Paul votes for what he believes in and he cannot be bought. He does not cave to the temptation of lobbyists.
There are many of you out there voting for McCain out of desperation because:1. Your candidate gave up and dropped out-Ron Paul is still in the race, learn more about him and vote for him. 2. You think, erroneously, that McCain is the right man for the job, he is not. McCain votes liberally. If you care about the fate of unborn babies, if you want our boarders closed, if you want the government to stop spying on you (this is illegal and unconstitutional no matter how they try to sugar coat it under the guise of ‘protecting us’), if you want to put an end to benefits for illegal immigrants, if you want the constitution of the United States of America, that many Americans have died protecting, to be up held and adhered to, the you must vote for Ron Paul.
The media have been trying their best to keep you in the dark about Dr. Paul. Make sure you are making an informed decision when you vote in November. Find out more about Dr. Paul by going to his web site. I’ve provided a like to his site above, under the photo. Here is a link to a Ron Paul video. Please take a few minutes to view it so you know who he is and why he should be the next president.
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Remember the Scotch eggs? Those will NOT be making an appearance on my Easter table this year, or any other year for that matter. Here is a breakfast casserole that looks pretty good. I have not tried the recipe yet but I will before the big day. I don’t like surprises when entertaining. Testing a recipe before hand can help your event run smoothly.
BRUNCH EGGS
6 slices of bacon (I used the prepackaged real bacon crumbles. It saves time)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 C chopped onions
1/2 C milk
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
6 eggs
3 English muffins split open
If you are using uncooked bacon, fry it then drain off all but on TBS of fat. Saute onion in the fat that is left in the pan. I will be using coconut oil to saute my onion. Stir in soup, milk and mustard. Heat until warm. Stir in cheese until it melts. Pour sauce into greased 9×13-inch pan. In the sauce, make six even spaced, ‘divots’ with the back of a spoon. Break an egg into each of the divots. Sprinkle crumbled bacon over everything. Bake 20 minutes at 350 or until eggs are set. Toast English muffins. Spoon sauce topped with an egg on to each muffin half and serve. Serves 6.
A nice mix of fruit would go well with this. You can either offer fresh fruit by itself, or Next week, I’ll be posting a couple of fruit recipes for a bit of variety at your Easter table.
If you do try this recipe, let me know how you liked it. I love your input!
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She really, really, REALLY wanted to play. Really. She brought over her squeaker, gave it a few tosses, then gave up. My sis and I had gone to the dog park with Rocket so we could all walk off our winter fat, Rocket has the most, where she ran around barking at everything and everyone for about an hour. It’s a great deal of hard work being Queen of the dog park.
Why is the pappy sporting a few extra these days?
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Stealing the snack from the pantry.
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More thievery.
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Ahhhh, enjoying the bounty from our ‘labor’. ‘Does my fur make my butt look big?’
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Criminals get bold. This man is being told by police he can’t even use a chicken poop catapult to protect his property. Two thumbs down to the UK police.
I am selling some books from my collection on craigslist. This classic, illustrated by Tasha Tudor, and some of my cook books.
Spring is almost here, but not quite.
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We’re going to go visit our friends, ‘Bob’ and “Martha’ tomorrow. We met them when we attended another church. He’s a cowboy at heart and she’s a girly-girly like me. Tech Hubby asked me last week what day would work for me and I said any day but Friday in case I wanted to go and paint some more with the ladies like I did last Friday. Well, I never occurred to me that he would schedule an outing before home group night. I keep forgetting, men just don’t think the same way we women do. Yes, please schedule a play date for us on the day when I have to cook dinner for 6 people and do a once over on the house to make sure everything is perfect before everyone arrives and tomorrow is also the first night the new couple is coming over. Ack!
If I have a relapse, someone out there please bring me chicken soup. I like it with noodles.
Why, why, why would an introvert like me, concern herself about getting ladies together for tea? I’d much rather be holed up in my house reading about tea, surfing the net looking for tea ideas, reading novels, writing and painting.
Tech Hubby and I started entertaining people as a way to tithe on our wedding gifts. We host a home group every Wednesday in our home. I love having the people over, I hate doing what it takes to get ready for their visit. Because of past woundings, I feel like my house will never look good enough for company even Ty Pennington were to come over and so an extreme makeover. Still I do what God asks me to do. He didn’t ask me to make my house perfect. Or cook a professional meal. He just asked for us to open up our home to others, to not forget to meet together as some are in the habit of doing. To be hospitable. So, we give, of our time, our food and our home, once a week. I also try and get ladies together for tea. It’s been difficult. Everyone is so busy being busy. Our lives are so filled with activity but is that activity producing substance or is it just keeping us/you isolated. Can you give up something to give more of yourself to others? Can you rearrange your schedule to have one day a week, every two weeks or once a month available to those who need face time with you? Or hey, how about this for a twist? maybe someone invited you to join them for some social time. Maybe they saw you needed a breather from the world. What did you say to them? Did you say you couldn’t because you were to busy?
Why not let this be the year you open your door and heart to someone who needs a friend, needs a prayer, needs you? You really do have more to give than you think. If a grumpy introvert like me can do it, I’m sure you can too. For a little more motivation, here is the sermon Pastor Mike gave yesterday.
The above link will take you to the church’s website then just scroll down a bit until you see this thing
and click on it. sorry I’m not sophisticated enough to get you there in one click. You can try clicking on the listen now box and see if it works though it didn’t for me. Could just be my system.