Wednesday Smile February 6, 2019

as me how I know 

Wordless Wednesday: September 26 2018

Wordless Wednesday: February 24, 2016

found somewhere on the web

Five on Friday: January 17, 2014

I really like doing the Five on Friday and while I'm not a serious list maker, I do like lists. Things to do, things to buy, things to cross of a list, etc etc   I wonder why I don't do more of them? Commitment phobia?

1. Man oh man did I eat my share of avocados in California! Now I'll have to go back to having to remember what a luscious ripe one is like. A ripe one that is 5 for a $1. Just imagine...

2. I take my own teabags (Typhoo decaf) with me on trips so my dh can make me my pot of tea each morning. However, there is nothing like getting back to your own water (for good or for bad) for the specific taste I'm used to. Anyone else notice things like that?

3. It was wonderful to see my 2nd born on that trip but all the harder in feeling how much I miss having him around. T'aint nuthin' Mama can do about that when there's a whole country between us. He's definitely a left coaster and as much as I love visiting the West, I know my heart lies in the East.

4. Do you 'decorate' your suitcases? I presume you don't have ultra expensive luggage when I ask that. I use craft puff paint to make designs on our suitcases. People smile at them but they are easy to spot!

My dh and I stick to the standard black carry on size...what is that, 21 inches?... but my most recent one is just a bit less roomy than his of the same size. wtf?  It's kind of like this one but it isn't a spinner. Those outer pockets just don't expand as much as his do, nor do they zip all the way down. I'm sure as soon as I decorate it, I'll see a better model.

5. I didn't do that well without my computer on this recent trip. I found that I just wasn't satisfied with my iPad which also was losing its charge and needed a trip to the Apple hospital. Clean it out and download all my stuff from the Cloud worked but with a slower net connection, the download didn't go very fast. I am one spoiled woman, aren't I!

Happy Weekend to you!! Have a hot chocolate for me or an iced frappuchino - depending on your climate.

Ritual, Start My Day

Recently I read something about how important rituals are in our lives. I knew that but it's always good to be reminded of something we know to be true.

I remember when I consciously created some ritual in my life. It was a time when I needed stability as so many things in my life had changed. It was one of those times of massive upheavals when all my ground was new and uncertain. I was having to recreate my life with things as I wanted them. Some things have fallen by the wayside, no longer needed now but other rituals have remained. My mug of the day is one.

When I was working, I normally woke up at 6:00 am and had quite a bit of free, silent time until I had to be at work at 9. Sometimes I stayed in bed for a half hour, and just luxuriated in that time to think through the day ahead. When I went downstairs to make my tea, I enjoyed looking at my mugs while the water boiled and then the tea steeped. In a short time, I had a specific mug for each day. Those mugs have stayed fairly constant for 25+ years. My dh now makes my tea for me and I am retired. However, I still get a warm feeling when I go to the cupboard and select the mug of the day. It's stability and comfort.

 

For the most part, they are bone china mugs acquired at T.J. Max but others are heavier and have a special significance. For a long time, the Wednesday mug was from RISD, a school the young woman who could have been my daughter in law attended. She is no longer in my life, finally married to another man,  but I always remember her with love especially every Wednesday. Recently, that mug was replaced by a mug my grandson gave me, USC Grandparent. I felt the grieving time was over and made the switch with only a bit of regret.

Friday is another pottery mug, one that caught my eye in the $1. bin at Michaels. It shows a vintage chair and says Rest a Minute. Now that I am retired, I still need to remember to do that. Today? today is Thursday so it's an English bone china day, with a mug of autumny and harvest fruits. This mug is similar to my Evesham china but actually a bit prettier I think. In any case, it's my Thursday mug, and my feeling of comfort when I use it is complete. Sadly, it's holding the last cup of tea from my morning pot. But then again, I can always make more. After all, it's decaf!

Yes, Dave...It's Coffee's Sneaky Sister

"That's where I discovered English breakfast tea. I didn't realize it had caffeine in it. After seven cups I thought I was going to have a heart attack." Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters etc

Happy Sunday! Now why not make yourself a good cuppa or pot of English breakfast tea...but once you drink the pot, well... you've been warned.

What Tea Can Do

I saw a rubber stamp of a teapot on line and decided to make my own digital version of my own beloved Haddon Hall teapot by Minton. I loved this pattern when I lived in England and it was a lovely design well suited to have a cuppa with a friend.

This layout took a bit of a twist as it was being made. Funny how that sometimes happens!

The text on the right reads -

“He brewed his tea in a blue china pot,
poured it into a chipped white cup with
forget-me-nots on the handle,
and dropped in a dollop of honey and cream.
He sat by the window, cup in hand,
watching the first snow fall.
"I am," he sighed deeply "contented as a clam.
I am a most happy man.”
Ethel Pochocki, Wildflower Tea

Have a good Weekend

Nothing particular to say today. I've done a good bit of filing of digital supplies today and finished up my September purchases. They're so easy to buy but they sure do take time to organize on the computer.

There are black beans ready to be cooked, there are printed layouts to ohh and ahh about before putting in the album, and there is the final disk of "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy " to watch. Love, love, lovin' it.

So on this delicious fall evening, I hope your windchimes are blowing in a gentle breeze. See mine?

Oh, do have a good pot of tea yourself. I just may go and brew up another one for the night. Have a great weekend!

Cosy with Tea and a Cozy

I've written about this company DEVOTEA ,in Minnesota, once before, but never got around to getting that one special tea cozy. Now I see that they have the teapots I lusted over in England. They had them at the Tate in London (and in Liverpool)

and they had them at a gorgeous cafe in Oxford. DH was all set to buy one for me but carrying it back, and then the exchange rate, and did I really need another tea pot??? Well I gave two ordinary teapots away to the charity shops recently so perhaps there's at least space if not a need. And wouldn't my house really look like the Tate if I had those pots??? Dream on Maureen...


I know they pour well, they have a flush strainer inside and they stack. (not that I plan to buy a collection but it would be nice...) As you can tell I'm weakening.

I even saw a cozy that someone is going to get as a gift! I love this company, I really do, and if you are a tea drinker in a climate that has winter, you won't find a better cozy anywhere. Seriously. btw, they also carry cozies for French Presses for those of you who prefer your brew a s coffee!

On My Desk...September 24

A chilly a.m. and all in all I was grateful for a cat who felt I needed to get up before 06:30. He just wandered into the bedroom, howled, and walked out. DH was already out and on the road to the govt office he has been given, so it was a morning alone ahead for me. Pure quiet. All the windows were shut, including the window the cat's perch is in front of, which told me it was Brisk! out. Brrr...too cold to walk with just a t-shirt. So I retired to the computer after journaling.

With tea of course.

Hmmm...walk is still on that list from yesterday.


Yesterday was a full day of playing with ATCs which went pretty well. Since our trip to the beach didn't work out, I thought I would sign up for an art pencil/stamping class, but sigh.. it was already filled. I'd had a chance to sign up before but we were going away then so I didn't. I'm going to have to..no I WANT to find...a fun activity for tomorrow. Perhaps a day in the big second hand furniture stores of Baltimore. An artist-date a week is a goal, and Thursday seems to work best for me.

Do you get to take your artist out for a date?? Where do you go? what have you found recently that made your heart laugh?

Well, I had better go eat my breakfast and put those shoes and warmer clothes on and yes...walk. Have a great day! and check out the other players at Kirsty's blog by hitting that On My Desk button.

Tea for 2 and 2 for Tea

A couple of years ago, my dear husband bought me some tea cozies from this company dev-o-tea. I love them! You know...there isn't any roar when the clock strikes four, Everything stops for tea...

Now as an American, I wasn't used to this idea till I went to England tho I grew up as a tea drinker. In cold damp Yorkshire, a cozie was a necessity, and I loved the idea of the last cup still being good and hot. I've had quite a few cozies over the years, and in so many moves, most of them have gone ...wherever things go when you move. (???)

Well I just got an email from this company mentioning that business has been tough in the current US economy, so I thought I'd share what I think as one of dh's best finds. Not only does the cozie really work (it has an insulation) but the gift boxes and wraps were so well chosen, you knew these people had their hearts into their work. In addition to cozies, they have all the teas and tea paraphernalia you might ever need. Take a look and see what strikes your fancy.

Happy teatime to you! (and yes, the cozie shown is one I'm going to buy for myself. Hot tea and a book? Does life get much better than that??) So listen to Jack Buchanan 1935 and have a cuppa.

Love Friday

Right now because I'm home and not traveling. As delightful and fun as trips can be, I do like my own home, and I like to happily putter at what I want to do. Admittedly my weekdays are rather like other peoples' weekends but what the h. It's the mood still.



Tonight? I plan to meet with other crafty people in my Artist Way group which I've sorely missed this summer. Saturday, a nice little celebration with a friend, maybe a trip to Virginia for a Middle-Eastern festival at one of the churches. I also have a good bunch of collage books from the library to give me a boost of inspiration, and ...there might even be a movie rental...just for me. Dinners will be easy, perhaps some peach cooking, and if the weather continues cool, a switch from iced tea to a pot of hot tea in the afternoon.

I love this transition into almost-fall!!! (Guess who's a September baby!!)

So what is giving you Friday love today??? This lass started this meme and it sounds as if she could use a dose of huggy love today.

Tea makes it alright

With massive intakes of fruit and doses of JinShinJytsu (hold the ring finger for lung issues), I have my appetite back and am feeling as if I am on the road to recovery. I've always found that JSJ can short circuit something that may be developing in me. Some may say it is mind over matter, and if so, then I have quite a powerful mind. Beware!

Since my dh is not feeling anywhere as well as I am, I decided he might need another dose of scones. Sometimes as J says you just need sugar in your life. I also thought that for a man who can't seem to get warm today, the influx of oven heat in the house would give that special warmth. I like the recipe that I think is going to be my standard since the ingredients are few and relatively healthy with both oatmeal and whole wheat flour in addition to the regular ap flour. Today I added a good 2T of ground ginger as it is a warming spice and also because I had about 2T left when I 'decanted' some into a small jar. ;-) In addition to about 1/2 cup of butterscotch chips, I also added about 2T of very small bits of sugared ginger. Yes, I am trying to sneak the ginger in.

While these baked, and I cleaned up the counter I decided to make tea a bit early this afternoon. I have a couple of bags that are unidentified - label less or otherwise unnamed- so I thought...Go with the flow and trust that this little bag is what you both need and want. Often in the afternoon, if the tea is just for me, or if it is closer to dinner and one cup each is enough, I will use the pot that dear friend A gave me. I always think of her when I use it and remember both how it broke my heart when she moved across the country and also how my dd said Mama, you'll always be friends; you love each other! Sometimes a teenage girl is profoundly perceptive. So A, thank you for your love, thank you for the teapot, and thank you for knowing that the empty space I felt in my heart could someday be filled by the man who became my dh. Isn't the pot lovely?


Oh yes, you wanted to see the scones?? And the recipe is here.