There Is No Doubt That Summer Is Here

It is hot.

And it is humid.

Feels like temps (in the shade) well over 100.
There is no doubt that summer is here

and I'm already tired of it!

*

I'm still celebrating my May birthday.

This time with the Mother of my god-children 

and one of my sisters-by-choice.

We went to one of our favorite spots:

Morningside Thai.

I had garlic eggplant and she had basil-eggplant.
We were both smiling and "yumming".

*

Not only did we have a lovely lunch,
I received a lovely gift, too ...
tea pot and matching mug
by Emma Bridgewater.

I love Emma Bridgewater.
The pattern is called Wallflower and is described as a
Cheerful, purple and green floral pattern that was inspired by
Emma and Matthew's love of a flower bed that overflows with wallflowers every May 
... perfect for an "Emma lover" with a May birthday!

*

I also received a surprise in the post.
When the box arrived I wondered what I had ordered that I'd forgotten!?
No, it was a surprise from a dear friend who knows I have a thing for owls.

Aren't they great?!
I'm lucky -- good friends and more great mugs for tea drinking!

I made an early morning run to Trader Joe's
(before it got too hot for man or beast).

In addition to food, I came home with flowers ...
peonies and tulips.

So pretty!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Willy Nilly Friday

Five on Friday

Mosaic Monday

Amaze Me Monday

SaveSave

I Squealed With Delight!

I subscribe to two boxes.

The kitties receive the Kit Nip Box every month

and I receive the My Texas Market box. 

This month the My Texas Market box featured Bourbon and BBQ --
a kick off for the summer season. 

From No4. St. James came Chocolate Chip Bourbon Bombs.
I opened the package 
and memories took me directly to my Granny's kitchen during the holiday.
I think she put Bourbon in everything! 
(Kidding)
She did put bourbon in the sweet potatoes.
No wonder they were so good and so are (were) the Bourbon Bombs!

There was a lot more in the box 
and I squealed with delight when I saw caramels 
from the Dallas Caramel Company -- Bacon and Texas Drunken Nut.
I've had their caramels before and they are melt in the mouth delicious.

*

A dear friend of mine -- also with a May birthday -- went to lunch with me at
McHugh Tea to celebrate our birthdays -- better late than never!

We both had the sampler plate and it was delicious.
Peach iced tea.

Cream cheese and date scones for dessert.
YUM

*

The Passion Flower Vine is flowering in the garden.

I thought I should get the camera out before the squirrels eat the flower!
They really do think the very middle is a tasty treat.

This is the closest I've gotten to an image of the small dragonflies 
that visit the water garden.
They are usually moving too quickly.
I was thrilled (I might have squealed with delight)
when this little guy decided to take a time out on the water lily!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Five on Friday

Willy Nilly Friday

Mosaic Monday

Sometimes You Just Need To Go Shopping!

I'm a big Susan Branch fan.
I love her books.

And, I love her mugs.
She designs them all.
First on paper!
She sends the designs off to England where they are made.
Dunoon, fine bone china.

Many months ago I ordered the first three of her mugs.
The mugs are covered with her wonderful watercolor designs --
even on the handles.
They arrived in time for my birthday coming up this week.

Each mug is very different.
They hold 16oz of tea, soup, stew -- anything you might want 16oz of!
I admit, I haven't tried beer in a mug!

I think my favorite is the Go Green or Earth/Nature mug.
I love the quote:
"Most know the earth is utterly enchanted."

Susan recently announced that she had more mugs in the works.
I decided I just needed to go shopping!

Shop I did.

There are four new designs:
Bluebird, Martha's Vineyard, and Santa -- all 16oz.
Some folks requested a smaller cup and 11oz Autumn will fit that bill.

Each cup is sold separately or a group of three
(Bluebird, Martha's Vineyard, and Santa).
Autumn is sold separately only.

New designs mean the old designs will be retired.

Yes, I ordered all four -- Christmas presents for me!

You can find details on her blog -- click on the shopping icon.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Found at Celestial Seasonings

Amaze Me Monday

Make It Pretty Monday

Mosaic Monday

Celebrating the Green!

St. Patrick's Day is today.

This year I started celebrating a little early with a 

Green Tea Frappuccino from Starbucks.

Matcha and Green heaven! Ha!

And, if it is too cold for a Frappuccino,
perhaps some hot tea will do the trick.
Always nice to get out the Belleek for St. Patrick's Day.

Corned beef and cabbage are usually on the menu.
This year I'm changing things up a bit and plan on having
Pasta, Peas, Asparagus, Spinach and Pesto!
Adapted from a friends recipe that you can find here.

*

Daffodils have arrived at Trader Joe's and I'm in heaven!

Spring is definitely arriving around Twisty Lane.

In almost every room.
The daffodil is such a happy flower!

“Daffodils are an optimistic flower, and foolproof. 
You know what Shakespeare said: 
"Daffodils,
That come before the swallow dares, and take
The winds of March with beauty."

...I plant them in big clumps with a trusty shovel. 
I make several large holes all around and put quite a few in. 
That's why it makes such a spectacular look when they bloom.” 
― Tasha Tudor, The Private World of Tasha Tudor

*

I finished the Cottage Charm Afghan.

Yes, I ran out of blue and had to get more.

The color is a close match, but the texture is a little different.

I always make the first of a project for myself.

The difference in texture won't bother me! 

I think my favorite part of the afghan is the little white bow!

It's going to work well as a lap-ghan for me.

Most importantly -- It has Mr. Oliver's approval!

The blue matches his eyes...... 

I'm reading the last of the Amish mysteries - A Churn for the Worse.
I'll be sad to finish. I really like the characters and the setting.
I hope there are more to come in the series.


*

May your joys be 
as deep as the oceans

Your troubles 
as light as its foam

And may you find
sweet peace of mind

Wherever you
may roam.


Wishing YOU well and much joy on this St. Patrick's Day.


Five on Friday
(Thank you Amy for hosting!)

Willy Nilly Friday

Monday Social

Mosaic Monday

Make It Pretty Monday

Keep Calm Craft On

Like Raindrops in Spring!

February was the hottest month here since "they" started keeping records.
Bodes ill for summer.

March has come in with rain... all weekend and most of the week.
But it was a nice rain, slow steady raindrops and about 4 - 6 inches worth.


*

It's March and thoughts have turned to Spring!

I've been slowly finding my Easter decorations.

My favorite Easter Bunnies.

They make me smile.

Sitting at the kitchen table
surrounded by some of my favorite things
is a great way to start the day!


*

Working on the Cottage Charm Afghan.
I bought the kit from Mary Maxim.
Nice yarn and the pattern is easy to follow.

However, I've run out of yarn twice.
I'm a "tight" crocheter so I was a little surprised.
I had one more pink flower to make.
Thankfully, I had some yarn at home that was a close enough match.
Then I ran out of the green.
I had to go out and find a green yarn to match.
I now have enough of the green to make another afghan.
Feast or famine! Ha!

Now adding the blue to the squares and wondering if I will have enough yarn.

*

I started a "new to me" cozy mystery series by Laura Bradford.
They are set in Amish country -- Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
I visited the area some 15 years ago.
Came home with a Quillow (a blanket that folds into a pillow)
 which is mentioned in the first Amish mystery Hearse and Buggy.
I thought Hearse and Buggy was one of the best first books in a cozy series I had read in a long time - so much so that I dashed out and bought the next four! 
The books pictured here are the ones that I've read.
I like the characters, the story line, the mix of the "English" and Amish life styles. 

The lovely teacup was a Christmas gift from one of my sister's by choice.
It is an Aynsley.
Aqua is one of my favorite colors.
Pretty waves on the cup and saucer with gold rims.
Fun spring-time flowers on the inside of the cup.

Five on Friday

Willy Nilly Friday

Mosaic Monday

Monday Social

From the Fortune Cookie Journal:
"Good fortune will shower you like raindrops in spring."

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

SaveSave

This and That

My Robin friends are back.

I took their portrait through the dirty glass door.
Wonder what they were saying to each other?


*

Did you do anything special for Valentine's Day?
I had a lovely dinner and some Prosecco.

My knight-in-shining-armor and I would have been together 36 years this year.
I still feel like we are together.
Just living in different spots -- one on earth and one in the stars.

He liked Valentine's Day.
It's one reason why I have so many Teddy Bears! 
My favorite flowers -- iris and tulips.


*

I'm a big tea lover.
Nothing better than a cup of tea.
Taking the time to brew the tea.
Then taking the time to sit and enjoy the tea.
Sometimes I have tea in a fancy cup and saucer.
Other times I have tea in a mug.

The mug for February is BIG LOVE by Emma Bridgewater.
Tea and Chocolate!!!

*

College baseball is starting!
Rice Owls held their second annual Baseball Fest.
An opportunity for the fans to come out and meet the team.
Get autographs.
Take batting practice with Andy Pettitte or Jose Cruz, Jr. pitching. 

Phillip Humber was there.
He was on the Rice team that won the 2003 College World Series.
On April 21, 2012, Humber pitched the 21st perfect game in MLB history
for the Chicago White Sox, defeating the Seattle Mariners.

Things were just getting started when I was there.
I picked up my season tickets. 

*

I'm still crocheting.
I finished making all the patterns in the Mirror Image Scarf book.
Now, I'm putting the patterns together for different looks.
Have to use up the stash!

I did order the cottage charm baby afghan (pattern and yarn) from Mary Maxim.
I loved the pattern and thought it would make a pretty lapghan.
The pink flower is the beginning of the lapghan.

Now reading I Shot The Buddha by Colin Cotterill.
It is a Dr. Siri Paiboun mystery set in Laos.
I've been reading the series from the beginning and always look forward
to the next Dr. Siri and friends adventure. 
You get a feel for what Laos was like in the 70's.
Fear, angst, and amazingly, humor. 
In this one animism, Buddhism and communism are center stage.
If you think you might be interested in this series you must start with the first one --
otherwise you will get lost and only Dr. Siri will be able to find you......!

Oliver had to supervise while I was taking photos. 

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Five on Friday

Willy Nilly Friday

Mosaic Monday

Make It Pretty Monday

Happy New Year!

It's 2017!

Did you stay up and bring in the New Year?

Did you make some noise -- beat a drum or pots and pans -- 
set off fireworks?
Have to do something to frighten off the demons!
 

Did you eat lucky food?
In my neck of the woods, black-eyed peas are the tradition.
I like the tradition of eating 12 grapes like they do in Spain.

Did you drink a special beverage?
Wassail?

I didn't make it to the magic hour.
I climbed into bed with the kitties, listened to the New York Philharmonic's
New Year's concert and had a glass of Prosecco. 

If you missed all the festivities, 
you can celebrate the new year again later in January
on the Lunar New Year.

Thank you to SageGoddess.com for the photo.



My Christmas cactus started blooming the day after Christmas.
Close enough!

Santa was full of Walkers Shortbread and now has what is left
of Trader Joe's mini-gingerbread men.

All the outdoor decorations are down and put in their resting place,
but the tree is still up!
I've had back problems and decided it was just easier to leave it,
enjoy it and maybe by Valentine's Day it will be down! Ha!

My friends and family know me well.
I love Tea anything!
I have a new holiday mug -- nice, big, sturdy and I love the red and white. 
Yes, the teapot was a gift, too.
My beautiful step-daughter sent me a box full of "made in Washington"
goodies -- the chocolate covered Chukar Cherries go well with tea!
The towels have lovely snowflakes.

This is the second Shin-yu Infinity Scarf I've made with Caron Cakes.
My beautiful god-daughter saw the first one and walked out the door with it
before I got a picture of it. 
This is a wonderful crochet pattern by ChiChi Allen.
The directions are clear and precise and she includes photos.
The pattern can be found on her Ravelry site or her blog.

I just started The Glass Universe.
An interesting look at astronomy (before it became astrophysics)
and the role women played in the early days.









Wishing YOU well and much joy!


Mosaic Monday

Yarn A Long

Participating is Fun Part 2:

The lovely Stephanie from The Enchanting Rose 

hosted her Ninth annual teacup and mug exchange.

There were 192 tea lovers participating from all over the world.

What a lot of work and

What a lot of Love Stephanie puts into this exchange.

I decided to go all out and take part in both exchanges.


I was lucky that Jill Torres, also a "first timer", sent me a mug.
Hard to believe all of this was in one box!
Everything was so beautifully wrapped.
A lot of effort went into the paper decorations.
Almost too pretty to open! 

Jill even included mice and cat nip for my kitties.
So very thoughtful.

I began to unwrap all the goodies.
It quickly became apparent that this was going to be a magical,
fun tea!


Jill is from Florida and she enclosed some Florida goodies.





A wonderful Florida souvenir spoon with a pelican.
(The pelican just happens to be one of my favorite water birds.)
Postcards with recipes.
Florida wouldn't be complete without a mention of Ernest Hemingway --
with Highland Select Tea --
"Infused with the author's spirit and passion for life."






More magic with Alice In Wonderland!
Fun mug -- drink me!
Wonderland Tea - The Official Unbirthday Tea called
Topsy Turvy Tea Blend. 
I'm going to fall head over heels for this tea.
Black tea with a delicious citrus and fruity flavor.

And a wonderful book filled with Wonderland ephemera.
It's been so much fun going through it all and I find things
I think I didn't see before.






The precious little bird frame was another little surprise.









I got out my Alice In Wonderland Tea for One Teapot.
I'm all set now to have a cup of tea and open the Ginger Nuts.



Last, but not least, Jill included these beautiful white on white hand made cards.




They are so gorgeous.
I think I'm going to keep them and frame them.

What fun this has been!

I'd like to thank Stephanie again
and special thanks to the talented Jill Torres for sending such a magical tea.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!


The Enchanting Rose