Tea for Me

With the temperatures turning cooler, I can now enjoy some hot tea in the afternoons. Today's selection is from a small bag (almost gone) that I picked up while in San Francisco last January.  (I can't believe it was that long ago!)  Vallen and I met for tea at the wonderful Crown & Crumpet.  She chose the Marie Antoinette for her pot.  Thank goodness, because it is a delightful mix of fruity goodness!

It even has little pink crystals in it--probably sugar--which makes it even more delectable!  Pink crystals! Oh my.

An absolutely wonderful afternoon pick-me-up filled with delightful memories.

Cheers!

Afternoon Tea

Way back when, a life time ago it seems, we were in San Francisco. Remember that? ha. Well, yes, I'm continuing to post about it. And here's one of the highlights of the entire trip.

Val and I met up for afternoon tea at Crown & Crumpet. It was as delightful as it looks. Probably even more so, if you ask me.

I promise.

C&C is a delight to walk in to, nonetheless sit and have tea. With a special friend? Even better. Sneak in under the radar, priceless.

There were all kinds of colorful and flavorful candies.

Something for everybody. And then some.

Not to mention eye candy. Everything had its spot.

Cath Kidston linens. And you know how I feel about CK.

So civilized. Dainty finger sandwiches.

Scones and crumpets. With all the fixin's.

And little sweets for our hearts' content.

Tea for two. We sat for hours.

With our special sugar charms. An absolutely charming afternoon, indeed.

And today, my replication.

Divine Marie Antoinette tea. Val chose this one, and what a choice it was. Almost melon flavored and pure delight.

With sugar charms, of course.

Speaking of tea, who's anxiously awaiting the new Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland film with JD opening next weekend? I sure am! I'm feeling a little better these days. Cleansing the body is a good thing. I definitely feel the difference.

xo
ro

Ringing in the New

While in Sonoma, I found some wonderful textiles at The Corner Store. It was a delightful place to do a little shopping. Even the hub found some wonderful wines from Highway 12 Winery and had some shipped back. These table cloths are made by Lisa Corti. I have been having a hard time finding any of my April Cornell cloths around so I was quite pleased when I saw these wonderful Indian block prints as soon as I walked in the store. Little did I know, Lisa's textiles are also very hard to find in the United States. Leave it to me. I am so enamored with the colors, I redid my blog! I didn't even know, but I'm sure this was my inspiration yesterday.

Of course, I had to have these sweet pillow cases for the zen bedroom at Riverside.

I sat and sorted my papers that have been stacking up and watched the snow flurries yesterday. It has been so pretty. The birds have been gorging themselves. And I have been keeping them fed.

Poor little things. I don't think they're accustomed to this cold either. They have been using all of my bird houses I have on the porches. I don't know how they survive. But they do.

I have more Northern Cali to post on. I think I finally put my finger on why I put off doing so for so long. Perhaps once I post, I feel that's it. The time spent doing whatever is over. Poof. Gone. Just a memory. As long as I don't post, it's still fresh. I was so happy to meet up with Vallen in San Francisco, and I want to share it all with you but once I do, it's over. I have yet to post about Thanksgiving--again, not ready to let that go either.

Anyhow, I will get to these posts. Promise.

xo
ro

Happy Birthday Vallen!

May the waves be always gentle at your feet.

xo
ro

Champagne for Everyone!

Yes, today is my birthday, a big ol' 48 I am! I have been overwhelmed with all the love arriving via email, telephone, post and in person. It has literally been non stop. Yay! I love it!! I am so fortunate to have all of you in my life. A big birthday hug to you all!

First I awoke to my favorite weather--foggy, cool and damp.

All the leaves are piled under our little tree and it's so pretty.

In between all the door bells ringing, phone calls and errands, I actually set up a date for the countertops to be replaced. Finally! This truly IS a good day. (Ask me next Thursday, and I'm bound to tell you differently.) Even the rug for the new room arrived. It sits on the front porch waiting for the kid to help me get it in. I'll have to wait to open it until the floors are done next week.

And, on top of that, some really good news. But at first, it wasn't so good. We awoke to a 4 a.m. phone call yesterday morning from the Shepherd Center where my brother Johnny is. He became unresponsive and had to have a breathing tube put in, much like what happened to him in January. I was ready to go down but by 8 a.m., he was stable. The ICU nurse said not to come down but to call this morning. Well, of course I did and he is awake, alert and off the breathing tube! Yay! I am therefore heading down to Atlanta in the morning to stay for a night or two and make sure he is doing better. It's nice having him only three hours' drive away. Wish he lived here. Sniffle. The kid's 15th birthday is Sunday, so I will come back home either Saturday night or Sunday morning. I have a cake to bake, by golly!

These came in this afternoon from the hub. He also gave me a day at the spa. Yum. The perfect gift.

But look at all the other goodies that have been arriving all week! I waited until this morning to open them. Oh my. A big thank you to Jaime, Linda, Natalie, Pammy, Val and my parents-in-law. Is this not booty-liscious?

This great hippie bracelet (as I have named it) is from Val. I have been wearing it all day! She sent an array of other goodies too.

Natalie Sarabella made the lovely card at the top for me. How precious.

In the middle of everything, I was able to finally get the tea in the mail to Rosa in Switzerland who's name was picked. I also got a bunch of lavender to Peggy. I was waiting for a flower box to mail it in. Pammy sent me a beautiful bouquet and so the lavender went straight out. I'm getting ready to go up and get a bag packed for the trip to Atlanta. The hub is taking the kid and I to dinner so I better hop in the shower and get cleaned up while I'm up there.

Thank you all so much for every wish. I send well wishes right back atchya!

That Darn Cat(s)

The night before last, I couldn't sleep. So, I came downstairs for something and was startled by this--Abby sitting near the top stair guarding the front door. She would not look at me. Of course, I had to grab the camera. She still wouldn't give me a glance as I shot several flashes at her in the almost-pitch dark. Is this what cats do when we go to sleep? Guard the house?

Yesterday morning, when I came down the back staircase, this is what I found. Aha! There wasn't any guarding going on while these shenanigans were taking place. Perhaps one got bored guarding the back door and decided to have a little fun. I gasped, literally, when I saw what someone {thing} had done to the pom pom on my favorite sweater in all the world. I'm not one to get attached to clothes; but this one sweater has a special place in my heart. During our last trip to Europe, our first stop was Amsterdam. The airline had lost our luggage, so the kid and I had to purchase a couple of pieces to get us through the windy chill (our jackets were packed away--not smart). Anyhoo, being of plus-sized proportions, my shopping spree was extremely limited at De Bijenkorf, the local department store. I was flabbergasted to find this gorgeous sweater in the Marina Rinaldo section! Of course, I never would have purchased it if it weren't for Northwest Airlines' paying for it, mind you. Between the weak dollar and the designer tag, it was a lot more than I have ever paid for a sweater. So yes, for more than one reason, I hold it very dear to me!

I have to admit, the pom pom was my least favorite part though, but I surely wasn't going to tear it off. I'm sure it was the Divine Miss B that did the damage. Not that the others wouldn't have helped, I'm sure. But it is more with Bella's demeanor to not being able to walk away from a pom pom looking her in the face. My fault for hanging it over the banister in the first place, I know. Regardless, a sad state of affairs here.

But no worries. If I so wish, I have a replacement for it. Vallen makes these gorgeous pom poms. How convenient that I have a set that perfectly match the sweater. Doesn't it look sweet? Perfect fall colors.

And speaking of Val, she had a two-year blogiversary last week. My name was one of many she pulled out of a hat for special hand-made gifts.

Look at what I won! Her wristlets are just the best. This one is tea themed. I love the old brass buttons and the turquoise and coral pieces in there. Just so lovely. I'm sure I will get many compliments on this in my journeys.

She also threw in a lagniappe (a little something extra).

She knows how Riverside's motif is a dragonfly; and just take a look at what she found for me!! That girl is just the bestest. Thank you Val. Mwwwwwaaa!

It's chillier today, finally. Perhaps I will put on my sweater with new pom pom and my new wristlet and take a stroll. I am loving this weather!

Autumn in the Air

We awoke yesterday morning to some cooler weather. Dare I say, Autumn is inching its way in? Let's hope. (Although, today, it's in the 80s again, yuk.) I opened every window and door I could to let all the fresh air in. It didn't take much to blow the petals off most of my tulips.

Still pretty, even sitting on the counter. That orange is so lovely, isn't it?

I've been putting some of my fall things out, trying to get the house in some type of order. Sometimes, I feel as if I'm just spinning my wheels. I'll start doing something in one spot, then move to grab something and start doing something totally different in another. Pretty soon, the hub will come home and find me just wandering about. I started this on the fireplace mantel yesterday before moving off to start something else altogether, I suppose.

Val had sent me these wonderful Halloweenish tags when I ordered the tea cozy. She's the sweetest. I stamped them for October and hung them on a string. Voila. Instant banner. (Yes, I know it's only September--I guess I'm one of those crazies preparing for Halloween a month early like some begin preparing for Christmas, like NOW? I swear, some stores have Christmas stuff out! Eeeee gads!)

Love them!

I received the sweetest little note from my Aunt Ann who still lives in Maryland. She enclosed some old family photos of me and my brother. It's always fun to see old pictures you had never seen before, isn't it? Aunt Ann and Uncle Johnny were friends of my parents. They aren't blood relatives, but they were always family to us. My brother Johnny was named after Uncle Johnny, Aunt Ann's husband. She is in her 90s and is as sharp as a tack. She still calls mom to talk with her even though she knows mom can't really talk. Aunt Ann asks her questions that she can say yes and no to. So thoughtful. I look to be about two or three in this photo. It was torn to only show myself playing with crayon, that she probably brought, and her in the background. (I wonder who was torn out? hehe.) Looks to be one of my dad's photos he shot.

I was so thrilled with the photo that I had to make something for Aunt Ann and send it back to her. And this is the page I came up with. Photoshop is amazing stuff. I used Mo Jackson's doodads to make it. The wedding picture to the left is my parents'. Awwwww. I can't wait to hear from her and see what she thinks. Fun stuff.

Well, it's time to start cooking dinner, and I don't have any inclination of doing so. Maybe I'll just go wonder about and start a couple of other projects instead. Or maybe I'll just wonder about.

Orange

I found this orange table square at a thrift shop the other day. In truth, I bought it for Val. You see, Val makes these wonderful tea cozies and sells them in her Etsy shop. Thinking this linen would be perfect for her to use for more cozies, I bought it, for her. I have several of her cozies, each one better than the next. So, as I was looking through her shop the other day and spied this one above, I knew I had to have it for fall. You see, I really am trying to get fall moving here, even if Mother Nature is not. Well, long story short, when I opened the table square to see if it needed laundering before mailing it out, I noticed it was in absolute perfect condition. And, once I spread it over my kitchen table, it matched perfectly with its surroundings. It just so happened that the new tea cozy arrived about the time I was "inspecting" the table square. Can you see what I'm talking about? Is it not a perfect pair??? They had to stay together. Sorry Val, I'll make it up to you, promise.

Well, seeing those two paired together in all their orange brilliance, I began looking around at what other oranges I have in the house. It was actually kind of fun. I hadn't realized that I had this much orange lying around. So, for your orange viewing pleasure, this is what I came up with. (Pardon my ignorance with Flickr. I hope this works.)

LOST

I seem to have lost my mind. Has anyone seen it? If found, please return ASAP.

Remember my mentioning meeting up with my friend down in Atlanta? Monday, after saying goodbye to the hub and BIL, I jumped in the car and headed to points South. I had my bags in the back, coffee in the cup holder, good cruising music playing and my foot on the pedal. As soon as I hit 840, I phoned Amy (hands free) to tell her I was on my way. Left a message. I wasn't even sure when she was arriving in Atlanta with her son. A few minutes later, the phone rings. I answer it (hands free). It's Amy. "Rose, OMG!" she says. Uh uh. I thought. Changed plans. Then she says, "ROSE, it's not until NEXT WEEK!!" Lord have mercy. Just pack the bags now for the funny farm. I should have just driven myself right then and there. Not even turned around. Just kept on going to the closest farm and checked myself right on in.

Aim felt so bad, but it truly wasn't her fault. Aim, it wasn't YOU!!! OMG. She has sent me numerous emails on the science fair they are attending. Explicit times and dates. But, I never once connected the dates with NEXT week. ha. Guess I had my mind on the kid's confirmation and stuff. I don't know where my head has been, truthfully. I was so looking forward to joining them. Oh well, next week. If I can stand to wait that long. The hub is leaving for Asia tomorrow for a trek around the world so I will only be able to spend a day down in Hotlanta. Daig. Anyhoo, no harm done, except to my heart. Pout. I just felt totally deflated when I turned around and drove home. Sniffle.

Well, such is life. I picked myself up by my bootstraps and I'm trying to keep myself busy with other stuff until then. Yesterday, I finally planted some pretty flowers in our window boxes. This is from the guest room window. Kind of lonely since the BIL went home. I miss having family close. More snifflin'.

I certainly hope we won't be getting hit with any other frosty nights! You'd think, right?

My peonies are getting close to popping open.

The ants are the proof in the pudding. They love that sweet nectar, little buggers. Hey, as long as they stay outside of the house, they're A-ok.

Now, moving on. Take a look at my latest addition to the kitchen. I have been in search of some type of decorative box to hide all of our vitamins. They look hideous sitting out in the open. At least I think they do.

Last week, Vallen added some more wonderful tea cozies to her Glitter and Grunge shop that fit with my kitchen decor perfectly! . I was fortunate enough to jump on board quick (unlike my usual daze) and snatch up this little diddyWhoo hoo. I am loving it. It's just so cheerful and sunny. That Val, she's just the bestest.

Is everyone having as gorgeous weather as we are down here in Middle Tennessee? Couldn't ask for any better. Just loverly.