Melissa’s Cozy Teacup

Hello ladies! You are invited to join my book club. It’s a doozie! I love Christian romance novels and other, ‘fluff’ reads as much as the next gal, but lately, I’ve been feeling compelled to dig deeper. If you too have been feeling like you need something a bit meatier in your literary diet, please join me for this exciting (I hope) book club. We are just going to jump right in with, ‘Heretics’ by G.K. Chesterton. He is the man who through his friendship with C. S. Lewis, converted him from an atheist to a Christian. Aren’t we all gleaning much from that conversion? I know I am.

If you would like to participate, please copy and paste the above book club button onto your site and link back to my site, please. Also, you do not need to go out and purchase this book. You may find it at Google Reader.

I know this isn’t typical summer reading and that this is going to take us longer than the summer to read depending on how fast we want to go. One chapter a month, a week? Help me to figure this one out. I know people are busy, but if we want to expand our knowledge and do more, we need to stop using, ‘I’m too busy’ as an excuse.

So, who is with me?

Two new favorite Chesterton quotes

• “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.” - Everlasting Man, 1925
• “Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies because they become fashions.” - ILN, 4/19/30

grapevinesandp, originally uploaded by dancingteacup.

I purchased this set many years ago and probably paid too much for them, but look at how cute they are! What a clever design.

Gov. Ritter gave in and sold out yesterday by signing the controversial ‘anti-discrimination’ bill, SB-200.

Here is part of the article and a link to the rest.

Ritter signs controversial anti-discrimination bill

Gov. Bill Ritter today quietly signed a controversial bill expanding the prohibition of sexual-orientation-based discrimination, over the vocal opposition of conservative Christian groups like Focus on the Family…

Emphasis mine. If you believe what you are doing is the right thing, why do it so, quietly?

Tech Hubby is home, safe and sound. The people in Tasmania took great care of him. They even invited him to their home and served him a home cooked meal of lamb. This touched my heart so much. I’ve been praying blessings on them ever since. Also, he brought back a hand knitted tea cozy for me. I now have a hand made craft from Tasmania! The best though, is that I have him, safe and sound and home where he  belongs.

Our wedding topper.

The reason why I’ve had the time of day for Tasmania up on my blog, is because Tech Hubby has been there for two weeks!!!! Two weeks without my man’s kisses, conversation, his skin to touch. I am so excited he is coming home, I’m shaking!

City Grandma Cup and Saucer, originally uploaded by dancingteacup.

This teacup is from the grand other on my father’s side of the family. She brought a suit case full of china to our house from Buffalo, NY one summer. My sister and I were given the privilege of dividing up the china between us. This is one of three cups fro her I dearly treasure.

Recognize him? He was our first President. Yes, this is George Washington. No matter his flaws, he was still a great man, and a great American. In recent years, it has become quite popular to point out the flaws of our most beloved historical figures in an attempt to dim the shining examples of their accomplishments. No matter their flaws, God was still able to use our founding fathers to secure our freedom and religious rights. Even the bible is filled with flawed men who did great things. They were still loved by God and used by Him. Some He even referred to as being ‘after His own heart’. If you are waiting until you are perfect before giving your self over to the plans God has for your life, stop standing on the bank of the River of Life, and jump in!

brightorangesunrisesg, originally uploaded by dancingteacup.

This photo was enhanced with a special effect called soft glow.

orangesunrise2, originally uploaded by dancingteacup.

While on our honeymoon three years ago, my husband and I were treated to breath taking sunrises everyday. We often felt as though God were showing off and making each morning special, making it His wedding gift to us. I thought I would share some of the photos with you.

shocked, originally uploaded by dancingteacup.

It’s a name this photo contest. Must have at least ten unique entries. Continental U.S. only. Winner will receive a selection of loose teas.
Contest ends tonight at 9:00p.m. Central Mountain time.
See the time ticker at the top of my website?(the one on the right, the other one is for Tasmania, I’ll explain later)  When that says 9 p.m., the contest is over.
Thanks! Have fun!

pansycup, originally uploaded by dancingteacup.

Kimberly Shaw, from Kimberly Shaw Graphics, just gave me a compliment on this photo! So totally made my day. I love her work! To see what she said, you can visit my flicker account.

I went over to my mom’s house this morning to hang out with her while she painted one of her walls. It turned out great! While is was there,  one of her dogs, his name is D.O.G., started to shake. Come to find out, he was hearing some far off thunder our mere human ears couldn’t pick up. He got so nervous, he started to vomit. Mom couldn’t get him to the door fast enough and some of it landed on the head of his sister who had run to the door with us thinking it was time to go out. I was laughing so hard, and it was so gross! We got his sister, Callie, cleaned up, gave him some puppy downers to make through the thunder storm and mom went back to painting her wall. Nerver a dull moment at mom’s!

cookieangel, originally uploaded by dancingteacup.

I love good packaging. The lovely and unusual especially. This lovely angel once held miniature chocolate tea cookies. I bought her two Christmases ago. Are you attracted to packaging? So much money goes into research on what types of colors and designs on packages are most likely to make us buy the product. As the saying fes,’The Eye Buys’!

pinkvase1, originally uploaded by dancingteacup.

Tech Hubby and I bought this at one of my fav. stores, Ross. It is designed to look like a purse. I’m not sure if I should have mom put a silk flower arrangement in it or just leave it the way it is. What do you think?

Went to a spa today with my mom and sis where we all had deluxe pedicures. My feet feel so good! Then, we went to lunch. I had my wedding rings cleaned then we went to where my sister’s sister-in-law works and picked up 4 corner work station type desks for only $10.00 each! I need a nap! Now the really hard part starts where I tear apart my office and rearrange everything for my new desk.

purplebird, originally uploaded by dancingteacup.

When Tech Hubby and I were dating, he took me to his, then, downtown office on the 13th? floor of the Alamo building. He gave me a chocolate egg he had purchased in Germany while on a recent trip there (to see there were still flames between he and an old girl friend) and brought home. When I opened the egg, this little guy was in there and he melted my heart. The rest of the evening was quite romantic, looking down on the city lights and canoodling in his office. Later, on the way home, we stopped at a local tearoom that is open late and had dessert and tea/coffee. It’s hard to get Tech Hubby back there since it’s just not his scene. It’s kind of girly and he prefers a good cup of Joe. I kept this purple bird in my purse to pullout and remind me of those times. Now, he sits safe and secure on my book shelf where I pass by him frequently and he still reminds me of those fun times.
Do you have memory triggers you have kept over the years? I would love to hear about them.

Outside my Window…are aspen trees

I am thinking…how nice it is to feel the breeze from the swamp cooler
I am thankful for…my husband.
From the kitchen…just finished a dinner of taco salad with my mom and dad.

I am creating…I’m always creating. A happy and loving environment in my home, paintings, words.

I am going…to watch two season finale’s tonight.

I am wearing…denim capris and a blue flower t-shirt

I am reading…the book of tea

I am hoping…for a safe trip home for a loved one who is far away.

I am hearing…the bathroom fan and the swamp cooler

Around the house…teapots and technology

One of my favorite things…cuddling my husband

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week…clean my office

My mom and dad came over for dinner tonight and helped get the swamp cooler set up. It has been in the 80’s the last few days. I didn’t put it together sooner because it had been in a fifties and forties not too long ago and I was still expecting snow. it’s up now and woohoo! It feels good!

pinkprayerjournal, originally uploaded by dancingteacup.

Such a great way to keep track of who you are praying for and the answers you receive on your prayers. I also like to use mine as a spiritual journal, recording whatever is going on in that area of my life as well as keeping track of prayers. I love the faux pink skin cover.

Now that the weather is warming up, Estate sales and garage sales are popping up everywhere. I stopped by one today with a very talkative German woman keeping an eye on things downstairs. It was a bit sad. First, the wife fied a few years back and now the husband at the age of 84. What did I take away? A bag of old (read-cute) stationary and cards, and the importance of burning fancy candles. Yes, I know, but she had some very lovely Christmas candles that she was saving and had never burned. Now, someone else will own them and probably burn them, or they will sit on their new owner’s shelf for who knows how long until that person dies, etc.
Burn your candles, ladies, or someone else will.

I raided the library the other day, renting a heap of tea books. New Tastes in Green Tea is one of the many I took home. I have not read the whole thing, but what I have read so far, I like. Did you know tea is served in Japanese hospitals? I wonder what it would be like to live in a country that emphasized healthy living through looking to nature’s remedies instead of one only focused on weight loss then feeds diet soda and junk food to its children? The tea that the hospitals serve is called hojicha. It is lower in caffeine and tannins than regular green teas due to the large amounts of stems mixed in with the leaves which means it will not interfere with the effectiveness of medications (check with your physician first before consuming hojicha if you are taking medications that should not be taken with caffeine). It is also used to aid recovery after surgery because it strengthens the walls of blood vessels.

Tea is so beneficial. It should be in school and office vending machines instead of colas. How would you like to be in a hospital recovering from surgery and instead of ice chips, a nurse brings you tea in a lovely tea bowl? Or tea ice chips? Now that is something worth trying. Brew the hojicha then freeze it and the healing benefits of tea slip down your throat with the soothing relief of the cold chips. Lovely.

Dave Samford has written a book about losing one’s faith. I don’t know Mr. Samford and I am not trying to attack him personally, I just need to address a couple of things I saw in an article reviewing his book and hopefully clarify some things.

First, in his title:

If God Disappears: 9 Faith Wreckers and What to Do About Them- (the bold emphasis is mine)

God does not disappear. He is always with us, it is we who move away from Him. How do we move away from God?-by not reading our bible, not praying, leaving our churches over small issues.

Second point I would like to address:it’s actually a two parter.

The author noted that he too “experientially” lost his faith a few years back when he encountered a series of unfortunate news, including his daughter being diagnosed with endometriosis – a condition that affects the womb.

“I felt God was pounding and pounding and pounding on me,” he said.

This quote is taken from the article written on May 9 , 2008 by Katherine T. Phan from the Christian Post Reporter.

The bible never says being a Christian puts you on easy street, in fact, it says quite the opposite.

1. 1 Peter 1:6
   In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

James 1:2
[ Trials and Temptations ] Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

1 Thessalonians 3:3
so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them.

2 Thessalonians 1:4
Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
Luke 22:28
You are those who have stood by me in my trials.

Are churches not teaching this? If not, why not? I attended an Evangelical church for many years. Much was taught about prosperity and I am grateful for the lessons I learned while a member of that church, but after 5 years of the same theme, I wanted to hear more about something different. People, obviously, need to hear about the consequence of their actions. We need to hear about how sin effects our lives and that hell is a real place where you could end up. We need to hear about trials and tribulations and how to dig into the word, how to put on our armor, how to turn to God and not see Him as the enemy. God is not the enemy, people. Our actions, and the things we do to ourselves, is what is the enemy. If people are leaving churches because they are losing their faith, churches must take partial responsibility for this if they are not teaching the lessons that are hard to hear. You cannot just go around tickling people’s ears with what they want to hear. If churches/people i n churches want to save lives and souls, they must teach the truth in all things, even if it is not what people want to hear.

Do you feel lost? Are you struggling? When was the last time you read your bible, or prayed? If you are going through tough times, read the book of Job. The book of Job has a great ending! The book of Job can give you hope and at the very least, might make you say, ‘Boy, I’m glad I wasn’t, Job. I guess my problems are so bad. I can get through this.’ Or, if you feel your problems are worse than what Job went through you can gain some perspective and see that there is hope in the midst of a crisis if you turn to God for help.

To read the entire article on Dave Samford’s book, please click HERE to access the link.

Also, good for Joel Olsteen for upholding biblical truths about homosexuality and for not caving under the pressure of those who want their sin to be accepted and celebrated.

UT President, Lloyd Jacobs failed to uphold the diversity policies of the University of Toldeo ( and the First Amendment) when he sacked Crystal Dixon for writing a letter to the editor of Toledo Free Press apparently in response to a column written by the Editor-in -chief, Michael S. Miller in an attempt to dispel the increasingly popular myth (which he bought in to) perpetuated by homosexuals who say fighting for the rights of homosexuals is the same as the civil rights movement. Being born black is NOT the same as choosing a homosexual lifestyle. It is an insult to those who gave their lives for civil freedoms and liberties, to now be lumped into the same category as the homosexual lifestyle. Read more HERE.

Here is the publisher’s shocking response to the fall out over Ms. Dixon’s letter. Clearly he is very one sided inhis opinions.

Dixon, associate vice president for human resources at the University of Toledo and an elder/minister at End Time Christian Fellowship in Toledo, responded to a column by Editor in Chief Michael S. Miller concerning gay rights, with such thoughts as, “I take great umbrage at the notion that those choosing the homosexual lifestyle are ‘civil rights victims.’ Here’s why. I cannot wake up tomorrow and not be a Black woman. I am genetically and biologically a Black woman and very pleased to be so as my Creator intended. Daily, thousands of homosexuals make a life decision to leave the gay lifestyle …”

I defend Dixon’s right to express her opinions, including and especially her religious beliefs, even if I do not agree with them. Lord knows, there have been plenty of unusual opinions expressed in these pages during the past three years. But as someone who works in human resources for a very public institution, someone who presumably is educated on the importance of diversity in the workplace, Dixon has caused her employer some embarrassment and potentially compromised its mission of inclusion and outreach. She is an official for UT and a minister, and the blurring of her two roles has led UT to suspend her, with pay.

The publisher in me cringes at that breach of her freedom, but the business owner in me understands the message the university and President Lloyd Jacobs were compelled to send.-Thomas F. Pounds

President and Publisher

Bold emphasis mine. Mr. Pounds is painting Ms. Dixon in a very biased and unfair light. Mr. Pounds also writes that the university was compelled to send a message. Well, their message is clear to me, only those who believe what we believe will be tolerated. There is no message of upholding their proclaimed values of diversity or political correctness that I can see. Only one of intolerance to Ms. Dixon’s words and beliefs.

Do you think she should be suspended for what she said? Obviously the right to free speech is not being protected at UT.

I didn’t watch all the episodes, but I showed up for the finale, and what a finale it was! Finally after how many seasons?-a bachelor who was man enough to propose. What a wonderful surprise, especially after the limp noodle of a man we were subjected to last season who turned out to be such a weenie. How embarrassing though for all the other American bachelors who got spanked by a Brit who came across ‘the pond’ to show them the mettle of a real man.

Speaking of heavy mettle, despite the media blackout, Ron Paul is still going strong in the race for the republican nomination. He must be getting press in every other country EXCEPT for America because there are videos all over You Tube and stories on the internet of people showing their support for him in Paris, India, and New Zealand just to name a few. I’m so very disappointed in our American media and their blackout of him. Our press has no freedom. Our news anchors are mere puppets and the people who own the stations are, themselves, owned.

The last American Revolution was fought with muskets. This one, with media. Support and vote for Ron Paul.

I watched the second installment of Cranford last night on PBS and almost flooded the house with my tears.

I love Judy Dench. Honestly, if I saw her on the street in the city where I live, I would drag her to my house for tea and scones just so I could visit with her. Actually and ok, I know it sounds odd but hey, how is that different form any other day for me? -you have seen those posters of of James dean, Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart and the like sitting at the counter of the corner diner, right? Well, I would have something like that in my living room with Kathy Bates, Helen Mirren, Judy Dench, Maggie Smith, and Nora Ephron all over for tea. Maybe we would all be glammed up, or not, but heck, even if we were in blue jeans and button downs, it would still be a  kick in the pants, fun thing to do!

Who is your favorite actress or writer or fictional character you would like to have to tea? What would you discuss?

The tea may be over, but my aches and pains are just beginning! My church did a remodel and the sanctuary and kitchen are no longer next to each other, but doooooown the hall and across the way. Not much of a walk under normal conditions, but quite the haul when one is walking back and forth over and over preparing for an event. That said, I think it all went rather well. The ladies enjoyed themselves, the teachings were fantastic and everything looked and tasted great. Here are some pictures of the tables and of the lady doing what I guess is praise dancing? The dancing was very moving and beautiful.

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Isn’t she pretty? Should I name her? I have been wanting to try this kind of teapot for a while now but just could not justify the price tag. I am not a full price kinda gal. Thursday when I was at Ross doing last minute shopping for the ladies tea today (more on that later,I’m just too tired right now) I spotted three cast iron teapots, this one, and two smaller ones. Tonight, after dinner, I drug Tech Hubby to Ross to see what was left and if he wanted to get whichever one was still on the shelf. This one was left, he liked it and it came home with us. I will try it out first thing int he morning. Maybe, since it has a bamboo motif, I should call it, ‘Bambi”. What do you think?

What a busy day yesterday was! I drove all around town looking for last minute things I needed for tomorrow’s cream tea at the church. My scone baker help lady is feeling the time crunch and cannot make more batches which leaves me to make 9 of the 12 batches we need for tomorrow then I must get up tomorrow morning and make the cream for the event. Whew!

My first task was to look for a 2″ cookie scoop to make sure all the scones are uniform in size and shape. I lent mine to my helper but was sorely tempted to drive to her house and exchange mine for the replacement one I purchased to use as a substitute.

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I think it will work okay. I will do a ‘product review’ and let you know how it holds up. I have carpel tunnel in my right hand and the squeeze scoop I usually use does wear out my hand. Maybe this one will be better.

On the way home, I drove through the posh area of town, past our dream house. It was for sale last year but we kept forgetting to go in during the open houses. I wish I had. I would have loved to see inside. Yesterday was overcast which is why the pictures are a bit dark. All around this house, are blooming pink trees!

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I had a goal to sell 100 scone mixes at the tea. I ran short of supplies and do not have time to go buy more so I am a few short of 100 but maybe ladies will place orders and I can fill those and still reach my goal.

Here is a shot of just some of the mixes I will be taking to the tea tomorrow. Lined up like little soldiers.

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UPDATE! 11:21 A.M.

On batch #3 the new scoop is lame! I am now my 1″ scoop and rolling 2 scoops together which is not what I wanted to do but oh well. I grabbed the handle of my cooking stone right after it came out of the oven. Later, as I was eating a snack and looking out of my kitchen window, I saw a magpie hunt a little song bird and take it up to our roof for a snack. I’m still a bit traumatized!

UPDATE! 12:36 P.M.

5 down, 4 to go. I got a sweet little system worked out so things are going quickly. I took a couple of tylenol for my fingers that got slightly burned and for my back and shoulder and my head which starts to ache after a while when I wear it up. It is quite long and heavy when pulled up. I do not cook with it down though so I will not get any relief for now.

I AM DONE!  WOO HOO!! 2:19 p.m.

Went to my sister’s church yesterday to take a tour and talk to a lady about possibly teaching enrichment classes to home schooled kids two days a week. I’m just not feeling a strong enough pull. The lady was nice, the school (which is actually the church) looked great but I’m not getting a strong feeling that that is where I need to be right now. Here are some pictures of the art work in the halls. When you go up the main flight of stairs, it looks like you are climbing a tree. The trunk of the tree is growing up, out of the walls and there are animals and things in the branches. when you reach the top of the stairs, there is half of a jeep attached to the wall.
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Here is the other half of the Jeep.

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These cute creatures I call puffs, are painted on the walls depicting bible stories in ways I’ve never thought possible. here are the rest of the pictures.

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You may click on any of the smaller photos to make larger.

An early morning thunder shower (with real rain and not ice or snow!) prevented me from posting this morning. I am glad I waited. I went to an appointment and when I returned, the sun was shining on the petals of my neighbor’s tree. I love these pink blossoms. It is such a treat to drive up to my house and see her tree in all its pink glory.

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Bread and water can so easily be toast and tea. ~Author Unknown

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When did I fall in love with pansies? I think I must have always loved them. They look like little happy faces staring up at you from the ground and they grow in conditions that seem impossible for supporting life. The pansy teapot is my first teapot. I bought it in Canada in British Columbia over 20 years ago while on vacation there with my parents. The tea cup, is from City Grandma’s collection. She brought it with her one year from Buffalo, NY while visiting us. She opened up her suit case, and my sister and I got to choose what we wanted. We each ended up with Limoges dresser sets, 3 green glass plates, and three cups and saucers each.

While in Canada, I also purchased a set of table linens.  I have linen place mats that have flowers appliquéd on them in such a way as to be able to stick the linen napkin under the flower. I didn’t feature them in the tea blog-a-thon because they are machine made, not hand stitched, but I will feature them here some time soon, just so you can see them. They are so lovely! Tell me, do you like pansies?

Eight Belles raced against the boys in the Kentucky Derby and came in second. That is a huge accomplishment. Unfortunately, her victory will be forever overshadowed by the fact that both of her front ankles snapped AFTER she crossed the finish line and what’s even worse is that her achievement will be cheapened by PETA.’s bullying of the owner’s and trainers of Eight Belles claiming that the jockey’s actions some how caused the horses ankles to break. What?

“What we really want to know, did he feel anything along the way?” PETA spokeswoman Kathy Guillermo said. “If he didn’t then we can probably blame the fact that they’re allowed to whip the horses mercilessly.”

The Associated Press
Published on: 05/04/08

Huh? Okaaaay, it is called proof reading and someone needs to have a little help with it. Eight Belles’ death was a tragedy, there is no denying it, however, the vet is on camera stating that the horse was coming out of the gallop and slowing down which means she was no longer running fast and hard. The race and the hard and heavy running were over. She collapsed a quarter of a mile after crossing the finish line. So in this midst of emotion and triumph, tragedy and great accomplishment, we have PETA, barking up the wrong tree like one of those nasty dogs that’s always sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong. I think PETA should be ignored. I mean really, what sort of authority do they have over the owner of this horse? None. If I were the owner of Eight Belles, I would not give PETA the time of day.

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I am co-hostessing a ladies’ afternoon cream tea for my church on May 10th, this Saturday. I think Easter occurring so early has seriously messed up my internal holiday calendar. Well, that and the perpetual snow that seems to fall every other day. I kind of expect the fourth of July activities to be ’snowed out’. Anyway, the tea. I am so jazzed to be doing this tea. Jazzed, and scared! I think it is going to be gorgeous. We are decorating in green and pink. I will be giving a little speech before the scones are served on the proper way to eat scones-hint, you don’t cut them in half as has become (unfortunately) very popular.

Hmmm, maybe a photo tutorial will find its way onto my blog here in the near future!

A very talented lady of the church is making fruit center pieces-yum! The head of the ladies ministry purchased peach, apricot tea for the event to be accompanied by pots of hot water so that ladies may serve themselves herbal tea, for those who cannot ingest caffeine. I, and another lady, are baking my scones from my mixes and I get to have a table set up where I may sell my scones! Woohoo!

Two things I would dearly love to do this year, okay, three; have my book accepted by an agent and subsequently a publisher, attend the Occasion for Tea event being held at the Empress Hotel (which you all know I would blog about, EXTENSIVELY!), and sell teas on line from my home.

Sigh, if any of you have some extra money lying around you don’t need, just toss it my way! ha, ha.

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The biggest thing about this picture? It is taken outside. I’m not an outdoorsie kinda gal. The whole time I was outside taking these series of photos, I was freaking out thinking a winter weary squirrel was going to jump up on the cart and help itself to the goodies or worse, the owner of the bear poo I found in the back yard last fall while raking leaves, would wake up from its winter slumber and reclaim the back yard as its turf, right in the middle of my activities. Sigh the things I do for my public! lol

I made these series of photos, there is more than one- not just for my blog, but for business cards, and for placing on items to sell on cafepress and I’m also thinking about doing a calendar this year for 2009. I am also writing a book on hospitality and I may self publish so I am trying out ideas for book covers.

This butterfly meadows set was a gift from my husband. There was a boxed set being sold everywhere and we picked mine up at the grocery club warehouse. It did not come with dinner or salad plates and when my sister and I saw them at a local store, she bought for me for my Christmas present, three dinner plates to use on my three tiered stand, and four salad plates for people to use to eat off. This works well for me as I prefer to eat off smaller plates (you dish up less food) and smaller plates just seem to go better with afternoon tea since one is dining on smaller morsels of food.

So, tell me what you think of my English pancakes (I made them!) and fruit, date, nut plate, enjoyed outside on the patio (not really, I took them inside and ate them in the comfort and protection of my home! but it is the perceived theme) in the morning sun with little birds and squirrel commandos (squirrelmandos) nearby.

Here’s a little yummy tip for something to do with pitted dates. Take a sharp knife, and split open the date on one side. Fill with cream cheese then place/cram an almond into the cheese and serve. They are tasty!

P.S.  IN THE PAGES SECTION UNDER MELISSA’S COZY TEA ROOM, I HAVE UPDATED THE MENU FOR MAY. I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT.

I have a ten year old nephew. He’s the bomb people, I’m telling you. He is hilarious, respectful, cute and witty. He plays hard and studies hard. He is being raised in a Christian home and is well adjusted. No ADD, no developmental issues or anything like that for him. The boy has energy!

The other day, I went with my sister to pick him up from school. He shows up in his jeans, white hoodie and ball cap with the bill turned to one side. He is covered from head to toe in dirt and food stains, but he’s ok with that, and still is working the ‘cool’ angle. workin’ it hard! (btw, it’s 70 degrees out and his hoodie is pulled up over his ball cap)

me-’Why is your ball cap turned to the side like that?’

he-’Because that’s how I roll-why, doesn’t it look good?’

me-(after recovering from laughing hard at the that’s how I roll comment)’It looks ’sick’!’ (that’s the only skater talk I know)

he-eyes big- ‘You said it wrong!’

me-Thinking (how can you say ’sick’ wrong? did I offend him?) no, he’s just being ten.

The conversation deteriorates into me and my sister playfully teasing him about the slang and how we are doing it wrong. He is so ‘cool’ we are so lame.

he-’You guys are getting all up in my grill and broiling my vibe!’

we-Cackles of laughter for miles. as we repeat, ‘you’re broiling my vibe’ and, ‘you’re getting all up in my grill!’

This medallion was made by Josiah Wedgwood. Yes, THAT Josiah Wedgwood.

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I did not see this movie in the theatre. I just, yesterday, rented it from the library. I had goose bumps for most of the movie. I never knew the song, Amazing Grace was written by a former captain of a slave ship. This slave ship captain dedicated the rest of his life to God after surviving a terrible storm at sea that almost destroyed his ship. This man was a mentor to the man, William Wilberforce, responsible for abolishing slavery in England. Mr. Wilberforce spent his entire adult life (quite literally as the bill ending slavery passed three days before his death at the age of 74) fighting for the end to slavery. It is amazing what one person may do with their life if they heed the voice of God. Even if your obedience to God doesn’t result it something as monumental as the end of slavery, what He has you do still glorifies Him and improves the lives of those around you, having an untold (until you get to heaven) impact upon the world. Has God been talking to you lately? Is there something He wants you to do? Step out in His name, His amazing grace and do it.

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Welcome to the first day of May, Rocky Mountain style.

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This tree is in our front yard and it has leaves sprouting. Poor thing. When there is sap in the trees and we get a heavy wet snow like this, we can lose branches from the trees because they are soft and can break under the tremendous weight of the wet snow. It is not uncommon to see people sweeping the snow off the branches if it gets too deep.

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Here is a view of our front yard looking out toward the street. There will be no dancing around the May pole today.

Today is The National Day of Prayer. Please pray for our country, the people in military service risking their lives for our freedom, for our leaders (especially for our leaders!), for our nation to turn back to its Christian roots and not to be deceived by the agendas of those who would tear our nation apart with same sex marriages, the violation of children, abortion, idolatry, witch craft, the restriction of the rights of Christians all in the name of being ‘politically correct’.

Lord, we praise Your holy name. We worship only You. You alone are our Sovereign God. May we always choose You, Lord over the agenda of the enemy who works to deceive us and tries to make us look bad and feel worse for following You instead of the ways of this world. May we always conform to Your will and Your Word and not the ways of this world. We pray against the homosexual agenda and pray for the upholding of morals, values, and clean living. We pray for protection of our religious rights, marital standards, and for those on the spiritual and physical front lines, Father. You are so good to us, Lord. you alone are the reason for America’s prosperity. We pray that your hand would continue to cover us and protect us. We pray for those who are lost to find You, Lord. And I pray that Ron Paul would be the next president of America. In Jesus Name, Amen.