Good Morning!

Favorites

I love Callas.

When I saw this one I knew I had to have it ... the beautiful golden color with a deep purple center.

When we lived on Galveston Island, we'd go downtown to the Peanut Butter Warehouse.

It was filled with antiques and junk and so much fun.

This teapot was one of the first things we found.

There is no marking of any kind on his bottom.

He has a crackle finish. He makes me smile.

You can see why he is a favorite.

 "The legend of tea's origin is that it was discovered by 

the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung in 2737 BC, when a tea leaf

accidentally fell into a bowl of hot water."

~365 Things Every Tea Lover Should Know

***

Thank you to our hostesses:

Mary at Mosaic Monday

Martha and Teri at Teacup Tuesday

Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday: Wanda Lee and Pam

Sandi at Teatime Tuesday

Seasonal Sunday at The Tablescaper

Good Morning!

Yarn Along

I found a new MEME to join.

Perhaps Ginny will get me to crochet, knit and read more!

I've been crocheting this baby blanket.

It's a Herrschners kit called Lil' Lullabies Baby Blanket.

The Mom of the baby likes the color purple, so I thought this was perfect.

It was interesting. I crocheted the blocks and put them together first

and then the interior of the blanket was  crocheted in place. 

Something new and different for me! 

The Nora Roberts book VISION IN WHITE is perfect reading material for the treadmill!

Here are the happy parents to be.

I'm so happy they were able to visit the states in October while Mr. Dragon was still with us

and able to enjoy their visit.

We always take the family to our favorite Thai restaurant and take photos with "Bob"!!!

A tradition that I'm sure will continue.

Be sure to visit Ginny at Small Things and see what others are making and reading.

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled week.

Blooming in Musashi's Garden!

I've been working in the garden.

Geraniums are in pots on the balcony.

Tomatoes are planted.

Green beans are coming up and Musashi's Garden is blooming.

The west fence is covered by this trumpet vine ... common name Dragon Lady!

Musashi's Garden smells like orange blossoms with all the small citrus trees blooming.

Red and white camellias, dianthus and blooming citrus.

The Japanese maple is bursting out as is the crape myrtle.

What fun! 

Wishing you WELL and a JOY filled week.

Mary is the wonderful hostess for Mosaic Monday.

Seasonal Sunday can be found at The Tablescaper.

"Sadness is but a wall between two gardens."

~Khalil Gibran

Trouble ... Who Me?????

Mom, look at the pretty new flowers!!!

Did you bring them home just for me?

I promise I won't hurt them!

Camera Critters is hosted each week by the lovely Misty.

Wishing you well and a JOY filled weekend.

Good Morning

Source

Memories.....

I found this while cleaning out Mr. Dragon's closet. 

It was taken June, 1997.

I can smile through the tears and remember............

Strong back, soft heart

Eating of the Green!

I'll be wearing green on St. Patrick's Day and I'll also be eating green!

Better Homes and Gardens has some wonderful recipes for St. Patrick's Day.

BHG

MidWest Living has some wonderful recipes, too.

MidWest Living

I'm having shredded brussel sprouts with bacon along with my corned beef.

Here's a nice stew recipe for you:

-  1 pound boneless lamb or boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

-  4 cups beef broth

-  2 medium onions, cut into wedges

-  1/4 teaspoon pepper 

-  1 bay leaf

-  4 medium potatoes (peeled and quartered)

-  6 medium carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick (3 cups)

-  1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed

-  1/4 tsp. dried basil, crushed

-  1/2 cup cold water

-  1/4 cup all-purpose flour

-  Sprigs of fresh thyme (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, combine lamb or beef, beef broth, onions, pepper and bay leaf. Bring to boiling and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Skim off the fat.

2. Add the potatoes, carrots, dried thyme and basil. Bring to boiling and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes more or till vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf and discard.

3. Stir together the cold water and the flour. Stir into the stew. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for one minute more. Season to taste with some salt and pepper. Garnish with the thyme, if you like. Makes 6 servings. 

(I always add a little wine (!!!) and it always tastes better the next day.)

A BIG thank you to Mary for being our hostess for Mosaic Monday.

Wishing you well and a JOY filled week!

A Bit O'Blarney

St. Patrick's Day will soon be here.

I'll be having corned beef and cabbage in honor of St. Pat and Mr. Dragon.

Just what is blarney???

How about smooth, flattering talk?

(I can just hear the Irish accent ... can't you?!)

or

Deceptive nonsense.

I think a little of both is definitely in order!

I can imagine there is a Bit O' the Blarney going on with this young man and woman.

The back of the postcard is dated March 16, 1909 and reads:

To my Star In the East I

write these lines,

For her heart is true to me

And from her soul a bright light shines

To guide and strengthen me.

I always wonder about the people involved with the postcards.

What's the story behind the message and who sent it to Ted Dixon, Esq?

Postcard Friendship Friday is hosted each week by the lovely and talented Beth.

Thank you Beth!

Wishing you well and a JOY filled weekend.

Good Morning!

I read about a new diet yesterday. It's called:

Fly It and Diet***

"This week, Continental Airlines announced its exciting new wellness program, Fly It and Diet. Nothing adds pounds faster than greasy terminal food, woofed down between tight connections. At Continental, we care about our passengers, which is why we have decided we won't feed you while you're on our planes.

That's right: no meals, no sandwiches, no salty snacks, no high-calorie cookies and no fatty nuts.

You'll be able to feel the pounds melt away while you fly.

To help you achieve your weight-loss goals, we've made our seats narrower than ever, so you can gauge your progress.

And that's not all. No food means fewer trips to the bathroom, which reduces the chance of overflowing lavatories during those long tarmac delays.

With Fly It and Diet, there's no weighing of meals, no pills, no special food -- heck, there's no food of any kind.

Lose weight while you earn frequent flier miles. Sit back, relax and allow the rumbling of your stomach to lull you to sleep.

By the time you reach Elite status, you'll be a svelte sultan of the skies!

Other airlines may take away your amenities, but only Continental cares enough to deprive you of the very best.

Continental: Work Hard, Fly Right, Eat Later."

***

Loren Steffy is the Houston Chronicle's business columnist. The Fly It and Diet was part of his commentary on Wednesday discussing Continental Airlines (now merged with United ... something Houston customers of Continental may never get over) decision to drop snacks etc from its service.

Steffy suggested that this was not going to make folks happy and suggested that Continental should come up with a good reason to drop all food (you can get food if you pay extra, along with baggage handling, fresh pillows and blankets et al) and suggested Fly It and Diet as a new marketing tool.

Too funny! I've been giggling for two days now after reading his commentary.

His blog is located here if you are interested.

Thank you Mr. Steffy!

Here's to more conference calls and staycations and less airline travel.

Wishing you well.

It's Garden Time ... right?!!!!

I love when the seed catalogs start arriving in the mail.

Have you planned your garden?

Ordered your seeds?

Started your seeds?

I'm still dreaming!

With everything that has gone on around here, I am behind

but I hope I get to the nursery and pickup some tomato plants and 

geraniums for the balcony garden.

I'll plant spearmint, basil and catnip (can't forget the furbabies).

I still have oregano and thyme in pots that made it through the winter.

I love zinnias and have lots of seeds including the new lemonade mix from Burpee.

Can't forget the green beans! 

Yum!!!

I hope Spring is springing where you live.

Thank you to Mary for hosting Mosaic Monday.

Wishing you well and a JOY filled week.

Mardi Gras

The big Rex Mardi Gras Parade in New Orleans is March 8.

I went looking for Mardi Gras postcards and found these on the digital collection

at the New York Public Library.

They are both from 1907 and made by the Detroit Publishing Company.

"Rex passing up Camp Street"

"The Royal Chariot with Rex"

"'We is come' ~ Hope to see you soon."  The "B's"

The Mardi Gras Rex parade in New Orleans held on Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday referrs to the practice of the last night of eating fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which starts on Ash Wednesday.

Since the founding of the Rex Organization in 1872 its traditions have helped define Mardi Gras. Rex's Proclamation invites his subjects to the grand celebration of Carnival. His royal colors of purple, green and gold are to this day the colors of Mardi Gras, and the song played in the first Rex parade, "If Ever I Cease to Love," has become Carnival's anthem. Rex and his Queen preside over the Rex Ball, Carnival's glittering conclusion.

You can read more about the Rex Organization in New Orleans here.

Thank you to Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday.

I'm also joining Seasonal Sunday at the Tablescaper!

Wishing you well and a JOY filled weekend.

(Mine will be filled with college baseball!)

Good Morning!

Tea and Gardens

Lindsey Goodwin writes a tea and coffee column for About.com.

In her email today, she talks about tea and gardens.

Coffee grounds and tea leaves are good for compost.

If you don't have a compost pile, she suggests adding coffee or tea around

your flowers for extra fertilizer ... something I've done for years.

Also, some bugs (like ants) don't like coffee!

(Perhaps they don't like tea either!)

This teapot makes me smile.

It is from East Hampton and their Chinatown collection.

Unfortunately, the mugs that went with the teapot were sold out,

but my Fiesta mugs in all their assorted colors work well.

The wonderful tea towel is from Anthropologie.

Tea tempers the spirits and harmonizes the mind, 

dispels lassitude and relieves fatigue,

awakens thought and prevents drowsiness,

lightens or refreshes the body,

and clears the perceptive faculties.

~Confucius

There are so many tea parties in the blogging world.

These are just a few.

Martha and Teri who host Teacup Tuesday

Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday: Wanda Lee and Pam

Sandi at Teatime Tuesday