Opening Night

It's Opening Night at home for the Rice University Owl baseball team.
Astros spring training is also going on.

And, Sofie is back!
She is now a year old and doing well in her service dog training.
Here she is with her Mom.
Sofie's boy is on the baseball team.

*

It's Mardi Gras time.
That means King Cake!

This one has a Strawberry Creme filling.
Yum.

Here on the Gulf Coast the King Cake is associated with the pre-Lenten celebrations of Mardi Gras/Carnival.

In the southern United States, the tradition was brought to the area by colonists from France and Spain.

The King Cake comes in a number of styles. The most simple, said to be the most traditional, is a ring of twisted cinnamon roll-style dough topped with icing or sugar, usually colored purple, green and gold (traditional Mardi Gras colors) with food coloring. King cakes may also be filled with additional foodstuffs - the most common being cream cheese, praline, cinnamon or strawberry.

Finding the baby in the cake is said to bring good luck and you must supply the King Cake for the next years party.

*

I've started adding the green to the flowers for the afghan.

Almost finished  The Readaholics and the Gothic Gala by Laura DiSilverio.

I enjoy the readholics series.
 Book club members that always seems to get caught up in murder
and the book they are reading offers clues!
This time they are reading Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Five On Friday

Monday Social

Mosaic Monday

On The Menu

There is rain in the forecast ... lots of it.

So I thought it would be a good time for some soup.

I just happened to have a bag of baby spinach that I needed to use.
There was tortelinni in the freezer. 
 A can of tomatoes from the pantry.
And, I was lucky, 32oz of vegetable broth.
That's all I needed.

I found this recipe in Fine Cooking years ago and it remains one of my
favorite quick and easy recipes.
You can find my original post here.
And, it's pretty too.

I chopped a small onion and let it cook in some olive oil.
Added 32 oz of vegetable broth.
The canned tomatoes.
A bag of baby spinach.
Letting that cook until the spinach was wilted.
Then I added the tortellini.
Let all of that come to a boil and the tortellini fully cook.
Done!

Sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese and serve.

Quick and easy.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

I Couldn't Resist

Sometimes it good to NOT listen to oneself.

I told myself that I would not buy/look at any newly made teacups.

Then I went to Homegoods with one of my sisters-by-choice

and there it was ....

This beautiful black and white toile/transferware trio.

I couldn't resist.

Square Plate and Cup and Saucer with floral design and birds!

It is called Adelaide Grey by 222FIFTH.
Tea tastes wonderful in this cup and I had a nice salad on the plate.
Perfect.

In addition, I had a couple of wonderful mail calls.
Bigelow had a give-a-way on Face Book.
They gave away tins filled with Constant Comment to celebrate 
their 70th anniversary.
I have fond memories of drinking Constant Comment.
My mother and I would visit with a good friend and her daughter at least
once a week and drink Constant Comment -- and read tea leaves!
They also included a sample of Green Tea with Pomegranate
(delicious).

The other mail call was from Angela at Tea With Friends.
She gave-a-way a fun teapot tea strainer and a tote bag.
A girl can never have enough tote bags.
She finds the most wonderful tea things.

I've had a tea-riffic time!


“I take a few quick sips. "This is really good." And I mean it. I have never tasted tea like this. It is smooth, pungent, and instantly addicting.

"This is from Grand Auntie," my mother explains. "She told me 'If I buy the cheap tea, then I am saying that my whole life has not been worth something better.' A few years ago she bought it for herself. One hundred dollars a pound."

"You're kidding." I take another sip. It tastes even better.”
― Amy Tan, The Kitchen God's Wife


Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Thank you to the hosts of:
Mosaic Monday

Teatime Tuesday
Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

Is It Fall Yet?

Is it fall yet?!

Feels like temperatures over 105 make me dream of fall.

I get emails daily with previews of fall merchandise

and, occasionally, items for Christmas.

You'd think that would cool me off!

My favorite magazine arrived.
That's good!
The Cottage Journal Autumn issue is full of gorgeous photos.

It made me want to go out and find fall!
So, when I went to the grocery early in the morning I came home
with the closest to fall I could find --
Sunflowers.






At least they are the right color
and they look fall-like in one of my favorite pitchers 
that I use as a vase.
It is hand built, heavy and, the most important thing, fall like!

It makes me smile every time I look into the kitchen.
The sunflowers look happy with my roosters.
Fun!

and I guess the random is trying to stay cool!

Wishing YOU well and much joy.
I hope you are staying cool!

I'm joining the Good, the Random and the Fun!

And, the lovely Judith at Mosaic Monday.

Celebrating the Pansy

I love Miltonia orchids.
For me, they are charming and irresistible.
They bloom profusely.
Miltonias are often called Pansy Orchids because of their flat-faced,
open flowers that resemble pansies in shape and markings.
Richly colored, fragrant flowers.
From the time that the flower bud on the stems open,
they remain in bloom for 4 to 6 weeks.

**

I thought sharing the Miltonia orchid was the perfect time to share

another new to me teacup.

It was sent to me for my birthday from another of my sisters-by-choice.

This sister is my Saurian sister -- we both love dragons!

And, we both love pansies. 

This is Spring Melody by Queen Anne.

Queen Anne is a fine quality china produced by Shore and Coggins,

Staffordshire potteries in England from 1911 to 1966.

This is beautiful fine bone china that is very translucent when held to the light.

The background is pure white, and the design is a bouquet of pansies

in colors of purple, pink, blue and yellow.

The teacups are footed and there is gold trim on all the edges and handle.

She also sent me Persian Nectar tea from Serendipi Tea.

Persian Nectar is organic Indian black tea with

organic peach flavoring.

YUM!

A little treat with my tea today.

Key Lime Pie cookies from Oreo.

Oh, my! 

***

Thank you to the hosts of:

Mosaic Monday

Teatime Tuesday
Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

Wishing YOU well, much joy and a wonderful cup of tea!

When the world is all at odds

And the mind is all at sea,

Then cease the useless tedium

And brew a cup of tea.

There is magic in its fragrance,

There is solace in its taste;

And the laden moments vanish

Somehow into space.

And the world becomes a lovely thing!

There's beauty as you'll see;

All because you briefly stopped

To brew a cup of tea.

~William Gladstone

(Thank you to Marilyn at Delights of the Heart for the poem.)

Why Be In A Hurry?

Did you have a nice holiday weekend?

Hot dogs and hamburgers?

No hot dogs here, but I did have a turkey burger 

and some delicious macaroni salad and a beer (or two).
I watched the 4th of July festivities on TV .. beautiful!
How do people stand being out in the heat??!!

I have taken the red, white and blue buntings off of the balcony.

The Uncle Sam windsock has been replaced by a bright red flag

with a large sun, cactus and red pepper ...

a colorful message that the HOT summer has arrived! 

**

TeaVivre sent me samples of their Spring Green Teas.
I love the TeaVivre packaging ... really sealed!
The first one I tried is La Shan Yun Wu.
Opening the package I could immediately smell the tea ...
sort of a roasted spinach odor.

The dried leaves have an interesting texture.
Really dark green.




I like brewing the TeaVivre samples in my little red pot.
Perfect size for the sample and it has its own strainer.
I can lift it out, drink the tea, and steep another pot if I like.






I brewed the tea for 5 minutes.
Such a pretty light green color.

It has a chestnut flavor ... not overpowering and slightly sweet.

I haven't put up all the indoor holiday decorations yet. 
Why be in a hurry?!

You can see what the leaves look like after one brew.

Still delicate looking, but they really open up. 

TeaVivre said this was a good large mug tea,

so I got out one of my new mugs.

This is one from a set of four given to me on my birthday

 by another of my sisters-by-choice.

She knows how I love my tea and the birds!

I have a tea quote for you:

“As far as her mom was concerned, tea fixed everything. 

Have a cold? Have some tea. 

Broken bones? There's a tea for that too. 

Somewhere in her mother's pantry, Laurel suspected, 

was a box of tea that said, 

'In case of Armageddon, steep three to five minutes'.” 

― Aprilynne Pike, Illusions

Wishing YOU well, much joy and a wonderful cup of tea!

Thank you to the hosts of:

Mosaic Monday

Teatime Tuesday
Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

Tin Roof Teas

I really enjoyed my visit to Raleigh, North Carolina

to see my BGD (Beautiful God Daughter), her handsome fella

(AKA The Kids) and to attend their confirmation.

One afternoon, BGD and I set out to find Tin Roof Teas

and boy, did we find tea!

BGD is a coffee drinker, but she was a good sport 
and tasted all the samples of the day.




I think BGD liked Pineapple Mimosa Fruit the best.
My favorite was Arabian Night.
We enjoyed China White Monkey and to be fair,
it was a warm day so the cold tea was really good!

There were rows of tea and colorful teapots, tea mugs, tea bag holders.
All sorts of tea utensils. 
I didn't get a picture of the tea bar where they make their own blends.




Matcha sets, more pretty tea cups and 
they have wonderful tins and ceramics for storage.
If all else fails, and you don't find any tea that you like,
perhaps some chocolate will do!




Be sure to visit Tin Roof Teas if you are in the Raleigh, North Carolina area.

Wishing YOU well, much joy and a wonderful cup of tea!

Big thanks to the hosts of:
Mosaic Monday

Teatime Tuesday
Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

June Is Iced Tea Month

June is Iced Tea Month.

Perfect timing because it's hot (90s) and humid (75 dew point) here.

Time for lots of iced tea.

Especially if served in pretty green glass.

The year was 1904, and the event was the St. Louis World's Fair.

A merchant of Indian tea tried unsuccessfully to sell hot tea to the

sweltering crowds, and finally, in desperation, poured the hot brew over ice.

He created an instant success with this refreshing new beverage, and

iced tea has been an American favorite ever since.

At least that's the story you will hear on a tour of St. Louis!

*

I'm a lucky girl.
All my sisters-by-choice know my love for tea
and when my birthday comes around .. the tea and tea things arrive!
This is what arrived, hand carried from Japan:

If you look carefully you might be able to see the geisha face in the bottom of the tea cup. 
Love the blue and white fish pattern.
A whisk for the matcha.
She also brought matcha candy, but I've eaten it all! 

Isn't this fun?!
I made it at Fotor.
Truth, too!
Love Life
(and have a cup of tea).

**

My buddy Steph, at Steph's Cup of Tea posted this on her blog.

I thought since I was celebrating Tea Day,

I should post it here.

Thanks, Steph!

The Tea Party

~Jessica Nelson North

"I had a little tea party

This afternoon at three.

'Twas very small-

Three guests in all-

Just I, myself and me.

Myself ate all the sandwiches,

While I drank up the tea;

'Twas also I who ate the pie

And passed the cake to me."

Wishing YOU well, much joy and a wonderful cup of tea.

A big thank you to the hosts of:
Mosaic Monday

Teatime Tuesday
Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

Catching Up

I've been away for awhile.

I have lots of catching-up to do.

Be patient.

I'll be around to visit -- I promise!

First, here's what's happening around here:

I have some new neighbors.
When I went out to take a photo of them,
Mom wasn't too happy. 
She kept an eye on me the whole time .. along with the babe.


I have a crocosmia blooming in Musashi's Garden.
I planted them last year ... this one and a red one.
They are grown from corms and are a relative of the Iris.
Native to South Africa and the Sudan.
In the states they are known as copper tips or falling stars.
I'm sure I saw then on another blog.
Do I remember which one?
No! Sorry!


Index Card a Day is going strong.
This is Bingo Lady -- torn book pages, acrylic paint, collage.
Some wonderful little pieces of art are being shared on the ICAD FB group.
Why don't you join us?
No pressure .. work at your own speed.
This is my fourth year and I learn so much.


I've had a birthday.
One of my surprise gifts was this wonderful Grapefruit/Mandarin
candle from Goose Creek.
I won this candle in the give-a-way that BJ at Sweet Nothings had.
I love this candle.
The whole house smells like citrus -- summer time!
A big thank you to BJ and to Goose Creek.


**
I spent sometime in Raleigh, North Carolina.
It's not a good place to go if you are on a diet!
BGD (beautiful god-daughter) and her handsome fella
asked me to come for their confirmation.
Here they are on confirmation day.
Look at those smiles!

They have a beautiful home and BGD sets a gorgeous table filled with memories.
The china from her maternal grandmother,
the shell napkin rings and crystal from his maternal grandmother,
and the silver from me.

The other reason to visit was to meet my god-dog.
Oh, my, but he is a handsome guy ... and big!
He's a sweet boy, gentle (rolling on the floor with moi).

More photos to come.

Hope all is well with you and yours.
Wishing YOU well and much joy!

A big thank you to Judith for hosting Mosaic Monday.

Pumpkin Crazy

The world is going pumpkin crazy.

I went to Trader Joe's this morning and the pumpkins have taken over.

There's Pumpkin Spice Coffee

Pumpkin Bread Mix

Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle Mix

Pumpkin Ice Cream

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Mini Pumpkin Pies

Pumpkin Yogurt

Pumpkin Spice Granola

Pumpkin Cream Cheese to go on the

Pumpkin Bagels

Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin Spice Chai

Kennebunkport Brewing Co. Pumpkin Ale

Honey Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli

Pumpkin Butter 

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Pumpkin Macarons

Pumpkin Cheesecake

and that's just a few of the pumpkin "things".

I found a succulent in a pumpkin ceramic pot that came home with me.

Must be why Pumpkin is the "Pumpking" this time of year!

Then there are the pumpkins on my block.

A big pumpkin and a pumpkin Pooh!

I did find a skeleton among the pumpkins.

It's Pumpkin Crazy time!

I'm joining the lovely Judith for Mosaic Monday.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Happy Pumpkin Time!

September Days Are Here

...September days are here,

With summer's best of weather,

And autumn's best of cheer.

~Helen Hunt Jackson

Last weekend I put the Autumn wreath on the front door. 

It was an effort to get Autumn to make an appearance.

And guess what?!

It worked!

At least for one day.

Lows in the high 60s and a high today in the low 80s.

It may not sound like much to most of you, but to me, it was bliss!



I made a trip to Trader Joe's and came home with some goodies including these:

Such pretty fall colors!
Mums, Protea and Eucalyptus.
They should last awhile (I hope).
I love Protea and I don't splurge on them too often.

They provided some playtime, too.

The produce bins were full of squash and cooking pumpkins.
I came home with these:

Delicata Squash
Small and cute!
Have any of you tried them?
The sweet girl who checked me out said she'd tried them and they were very good.
She put a little sea salt on them.
I'll let you know what I think.
At one dollar, I couldn't resist!
And, I liked that the label said Product of the USA.

After my trip to TJs I walked into my Village.
Had lunch.
Checked out the 2015 calendars at Half-Price Books and walked home.

Cubs baseball now and then football.

That's it for me.


Today I'm joining the lovely Judith for Mosaic Monday
and The Fabulous Fall Party. 


Wishing YOU well and much joy!

"Delicious Autumn!
My very soul is wedded to it,
and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."
~George Eliot