Melissa’s Cozy Teacup

Are you getting or giving a Christmas bonus this year? I used to work for a large bank many years ago, and our annual bonus, after making them millions of dollars, was a frozen fruit pie.  Blech!

On my status board, I am seeing many people searching for ways to write thank you letters to their employer for their Christmas bonus, and even more encouraging, I’m seeing employers search on what to give their very deserving employees to say ‘thank you’ for all their hard work and effort over the last year. Thank you for helping our customers, thank you for making me more money, thank you for coming to work in a good mood, thank you for appreciating being employed, thank you for seeing the vision. Thank you.

My husband and I returned Saturday night, well, by the time we walked in the door, it was Sunday morning, from a trip to Los Cabos (pictures to follow soon).

Last weekend on our way there, we encountered a snow storm in SLC that delayed us by two hours, just long enough to avoid a horrendous accident on the Mexican highway leading to our resort. There were four fatalities. On the way back, we were caught in another snow storm that left  5-6 inches of snow all over our Jeep. We had no scraper in the vehicle. The Lord, however, provided one via the nice man in the car parked next to us who offered the use of his.

Today, the church my sister attends, New Life, was attacked by a gun man right after the service she normally attends. Several people were shot and one died, including the gun man. My sister, and her family, were at their condo in the mountains for the weekend. It is bringing tears to my eyes even now as I write, to think of what might have happened had they been there today. I am so thankful that, not only were their lives spared, but that my nephew wasn’t there to witness that horror.

Thank you, Lord, on my knees, thank you.

Please keep those families in prayer who were not so fortunate today, who sit at the sides of hospital beds praying for their loved ones.

My contribution to the virtual cookie exchange taking place through the Make Mine Pink site: Fudgy Cappucinno  Crinkles.

The yummy delights are low in fat, high in flavor.

1/3 C butter softened

1 C packed brown sugar

2/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder

1 TBS instant coffee granules

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 egg whites

1/3 C vanilla, low-fat yogurt

1 1/2 C all purpose flour, try to use unbleached, unenriched flour

1/4 to 1/2 C white sugar or powdered sugar

Beat butter for 30 seconds on medium speed. Add next 5 ingredients after butter, beating until well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add egg whites and yogurt and beat until incorporated. Beat in as much flour as you can, then beat in the rest by hand if necessary, but make sure it all gets in there. Cover and chill 3 hours or until dough is easy to handle.

Place sugar in a small bowl. I use my 2 inch cookie scoop to form the balls. Scoop up cookie dough into cookie scoop then release into your hand, and form a ball, roll ball into the sugar, coating on all sides. Place 2″ apart on slightly greased cookie sheet and bake in a 350 oven for 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm. Transfer to wire rack and let them cool.

These would be great at a tea or with a glass of milk as you watch the snow fall.

Happy Eating!

I’m kind of nearing my 100th post. i would have reached it sooner, but I had to delete some posts because I wasn’t able to post the pictures with them that I wanted. I try, with hubby’s help, not to infringe upon copyrights. So, any comment, from now, to the end of December, will be placed into a drawing for the giveaway, which will take place in January on Twelfth Night.  I’m not sure if I haven’t worked out all the details yet, so bear with me. I may offer something lighter to my overseas friends than those closer to home, due to shipping costs.

If you haven’t already done so, please remember to check out December’s tea menu.

Your posts may be on any of my blog entries, even the very first ones, it’s just the comments starting today, that are eligible.

Happy Sipping!

Three years ago today, at about 4:00pm, I became a married woman. I love being married. I love, and respect, my husband. He has, and continues to be, a source of blessing and happiness in my life. I love you, B3!

I broke a tooth over a week ago. Thankfully, I already had an appointment today for an exam and cleaning, or I might not be able to have it fixed by my dentist. I’ve been trying to get in, but they’ve been booked. I’m very surprised that they don’t have a way to treat emergencies. The break has become bigger while I’ve been waiting. I’m praying I won’t need a root canal, just  a patch, please.

When I return, some things I will be posting in the future; how to wrap a package seamlessly, a Victorian silhouette Christmas card with cute poem inside, and pictures of glass ornaments painted by yours truly. This will not be all posted in one day of course, but I thought I’d give a little preview of things to come.

December’s tea room menu is posted on the Cozy Tearoom page to the left. I am featuring a High tea (dinner) menu. We all know high tea is a dinner, right?

Oh, btw, I’m on page 207 of my book. Woohoo!

It is much more spectacular in real life, but our tree is up. Since sundown on Thanksgiving. It’s not decorated, but it’s up. It is a fiber optic tree, which means it has fiber optic ‘tubes’ coming out of the branches like light up pine needles, and, they oscillate. It’s a totally guy, totally geek tree and I love it!

Congratulations to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip for being married for 60 years.

My, but we are a driven society, we Americans. Busy, busy, busy. Gotta go, do, be. It seems to me, that if you are asked, ‘what do you do?’ and you don’t respond with a laundry list of tasks waiting to be accomplished, you are judged most harshly.  I believe, working from home is one of the most misunderstood things you could say to people. Right now, I am working on a novel. It is the first of three that I plan to have published. While I’m working on it, I have ideas for other books constantly pop into my head. They don’t know how to wait their turn and sometimes get pushy and demanding, but they still must wait their turn. Then, there is the tea lecture business I’m trying to get started. The tea/hospitality book and trying to start a ladies ministry on hospitality, as well as painting 14 ornaments for an ornament exchange at church, getting ready for Thanksgiving which was supposed to be held at my house but has been moved to my sister’s house due to my husband, shopping for the holidays, decorating the house, hosting home group, research for the books, quiet time with God, etc., etc.,  not to mention the big reason for not working outside the home; I was 37 when my husband and I married. On December 4th we will celebrate our 3rd anniversary. I would much rather stay home and make him a sandwich, than kill myself working for some ungrateful employer. Been there, done that, hated it. I refuse to allow anyone to attempt to make me feel guilty for not over extending myself on a daily basis.  So, ‘what do you do, Melissa?’ I stay home and enjoy my husband. I stay home and enjoy my time. I stay home and I write, dream, read, drink tea, watch a movie here and there and feel blessed to be able to do so.

It all started on Friday and didn’t end until late Sunday night. Hubby and I went to a marriage conference at one of the big churches here in the Springs. Ok, THE biggest church here. It was a bit of a nightmare for we introverts. The conference information presented was good, it was just the huge mash of people there that was stressful. Plus, and here we enter into the realm of WTMI so, avert your eyes know and read a little into the next sentence to avoid the TMI. I get gassy when I sit for too long. 6-10 Friday night was way too long. I could have powered the car home with methane, too long. Ok, you may read again. Hubby and I enjoyed the information so much we are planning to do a small home group on it some time after the first of the year. Back again we went Saturday morning from 9-1:30 only now, I had cramps. Yippee! -not. Went home and crashed the rest of the day after stopping at the Elephant Bar Restaurant for lunch, one of my favorite restaurants. Sunday, we went to church service and then back to church for a leadership meeting/potluck at which I became ill. I know I shouldn’t eat pot luck food but I’m curious about other ladies’ recipes. Next time, I’ll take my own Taco Bell but I might have to bring some for our pastor who is a self proclaimed junk food junkie.

Our church is doing some exciting things with groups and leadership. I’m so glad this is a church interested in more than just people coming in and warming up a pew/chair.

Check out my church- Restoration Church