Sunday, January 30, 2011

40th Tea Pot and Tea Things Tuesday, brownies


Welcome to...

40th, Tea Pot and Tea Things Tuesday







Seldom can the heart be lonely,
If it seek a lonelier still;
Self-forgetting, seeking only
Emptier cups of love to fill.

Frances Havergal


Wasn't last week wonderful!  How generous you were, dear friends,  with sharing your tea treasures and comments. All much appreciated.  I did not feel lonely, nor my cup of love empty.  I am anticipating with great excitement  what my eyes may be delighted with, this week.  There is  always an invitation and  a welcoming place for everyone on Tuesday at the tea table.  Thank you for sharing with us.  We feel blessed.

Do you ever imagine people as teacups?  There are just as many shapes of people as there are shapes of teacups. Full-sized ones, petite ones, tall ones, all with their own unique character and appeal. The colours and rich designs are as varied as the complexity of the friends we have. The shape of their handle, the curve of the lip, each offering a different experience in which to embrace a warm cup of tea.  When taking a moment to contemplate  a relationship , I oft reflect and ponder  if perhaps a friend may require a spot of love in their cup, from me? What a difference it could make in that person's day, perhaps even in changing their path in  life, maybe eternally?  I believe that nuturing loving and caring relationships is our ultimate calling. 

I invite you to relax and settle yourself for a sweet treat with your tea.



By a sunny window






A touch of sweetness





Still mismatched crean and sugar
I have discovered that their mates are packed!
Who knows when I will have them together again?



Larger luncheon plate is a set of 6 from an aunt
The smaller plate is from a set of 4, found
in the local thrift store for $5.00
I love that they are diffent shapes




I used larger plate on the pedestal
to create a larger serving piece
Cream and sugar now on the table
I changed my mind.  Do you ever do that?


Please don't eat all of them.  I need a few to decorate.
See below.






Tea is served!





Luncheon Plate

Small plate




My inspiration for a dessert came from the one and only Martha Stewart,


                                Brownie Heart Cupcakes, I have included her recipe here.




My adaptation is a little quicker.
When using a mix, use the best.

I am grateful that three packages come in one box,
at Costco.

For Valetines' Day I add chopped candied ginger to the batter and use a heart-shaped cookie cutter
Ice and top with a heart-shaped ginger snap cookie if I can't find
 my teeny-weeny heart-shaped cutter.


Or pour batter into a greased and floured large, rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. When cool, cut with a heart-shaped cookie cutter Pour into a greased and floured large, rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. When cool, cut with a heart-shaped cookie cutter









~ I encourage you to stop by and savour another cup of tea while you enjoy her pretty vignettes.


The more the fun!


We don't want to miss a single teacup or teapot!

As always we cherish your comments and participation
in our Tuesday meme.

~You will be warmly welcomed if you choose to
become a follower!~




Welcome to,

Tuesday Tea Time In Blogland!

These are the links to the other oh-so-delightful tea parties and tabletop parties that I attend.

I invite you to drop in. Many thanks to those who faithfully host each week.

~ Hope to see you there!!

(Our own memes are marked with an asterisk*):




Tuesday Teatime with Lady Katherine

~ Teatime Tuesday with Sandi

~ Teacup Tuesday with Martha

~ Teacup Tuesday with Terri

~ Tabletop Tuesday with Marti

~ A Return to Loveliness with Kathy

*~ The 40th, 'Teapot And Tea Things Tuesday', with Wanda Lee and Pam @


Other favorite places I may visit this week:

~Tablescape Thursday with Susan

~ Foodie Friday with Michael

~Show and Tell Fridays with Cindy

~Sunday Favorites with Chari




Cheers and hugs from Pam and Wanda Lee; ( Wanda Lee is the other half of our weekly blog tea party memes; 40th, 'Teapot And Tea Things Tuesday'/ 68th, 'Tuesday Tea For Two'.., @ http://silkenpurse.blogspot.com/ and also @ http://theplumedpen.blogspot.com/




















Monday, January 24, 2011

39th Tea Pots and Tea Things Tuesday, soup and cranberry dishware in kitchen


Welcome to....

38th, Teapot And Tea Things Tuesday




Winter is the time for comfort,
for good food and warmth,
for the touch of a friendly hand
and for a talk beside the fire:
it is time for home.

Dame Edith Sitwell





Thank you for dropping by today.  Its a perfect day to ”nest” and savour the aroma and warmth of a steamy brew with a heart-warming chat .  Perhaps today you will linger a little longer for lunch.  Homemade soup is simmering on the stove.  I will  arrange our luncheon in my hearthroom, by the fireplace.





Cold! Artic, bone chilling cold.

Windy! A wind so strong that it ensures its frigid fingers
grasp your very essence.

The wind is a fierce force of nature today. I can hear the
roar of each gust, echo in the ravine outside my home.  As I watch the
cardinals perched on the barren branches, dancing hither and yon I
too feel an unsettling in my soul.

Each day this week has brought its challenges and with that, decisions on
what direction our lives should take.  With an eye to the future, and its
uncertainties, I am trying to look at it, as opportunties, with positive
possiblities.   I suspect, if God wasn’t blowing change into my world, I
wouldn’t even take a glance outside my comfy circumstances any other
way or embrace the idea of change.


Getting organized in my kitchen

Cute detail - button hole in napkin


What better way to serve a piping hot soup than in
pretty cafe au lait cups that my friend Wanda, gifted me with.









Perhaps some fresh bread and butter to accompany our soup
Better yet, tea biscuits or soda bread.
My favorite McKelvie's Bannock
(I will tell you more about that in a future post)

They know tea time is coming


We have counted up to 15 cardinals
and their mates in the woods at one time.





Cozy cushion

Muffie is wanting patiently for you











I would like to share a recipe for soup that my family enjoys on cold days, like today.



RIB STICKIN' BEAN & BARLEY SOUP


1  TBSP  olive oil
2             large carrots,  sliced
2             stalks celery, sliced
1             large onion, chopped
1 BOX     (900mL)    Campbell's Ready to Use Organic Vegetable Broth
1 CAN     (19 oz/540mL) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 CUPS    diced plum tomatoes, fresh or canned with liquid
1/4 CUP   uncooked pearl barley
2 CUPS    firmly packed chopped fresh spinach leaves, washed

Ground pepper, garlic, your favorite herbs to taste

1.   Heat oil in large saucepan, over medium-high heat.  Add the carrots, celery and onion, fresh garlic.      Cook and stir until vegies are tender.


2.   Stir in broth, beans, tomatoes and barley.  Heat to a boil.  Reduce heat to low.  Cover and cook for  30 minutes or until the barley is tender.


3.   Stir in spinach and seasonings to taste .  Cook until spinach is tender.




OPTION
I have used  homemade chicken stock or ready to use chicken broth and added leftover chicken or turkey, for a heartier soup.




( the link for that other half of our weekly tea party with Wanda Lee is @
http://silkenpurse.blogspot.com/).


~ I encourage you to stop by and savour another cup of tea while you enjoy her pretty vignettes.

The more the fun!

*Mr. Linky will arrive soon.





We don't want to miss a single teacup or teapot!

As always we cherish your comments and participation

in our Tuesday meme.


~You will be warmly welcomed if you choose to

become a follower!~




Welcome to,
Tuesday Tea Time In Blogland!

These are the links to the other oh-so-delightful tea parties and tabletop parties that I attend.
I invite you to drop in. Many thanks to those who faithfully host each week.

~ Hope to see you there!!

(Our own memes are marked with an asterisk*):


*~The 67th, 'Tuesday Tea For Two'
@ http://theplumedpen.blogspot.com/

~ Tuesday Teatime with Lady Katherine
@ http://www.ladykatherineteaparlor.blogspot.com/

~ Teatime Tuesday with Sandi
@ http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/

~ Teacup Tuesday with Martha
@ http://marthasfavorites.blogspot.com/

~ Teacup Tuesday with Terri
@ http://artfulaffirmations.blogst.com/

~ Tabletop Tuesday with Marti
@ http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

~ A Return to Loveliness with Kathy
@ http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/




*~ The 39th, 'Teapot And Tea Things Tuesday', with Wanda Lee and Pam @
http://breathoffreshair-paperbutterfly.blogspot.com/
and http://silkenpurse.blogspot.com/


Other favorite places I may visit this week:

~Tablescape Thursday with Susan
@ http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

~ Foodie Friday with Michael
@ http://www.designsbygollum.blogspot.com/

~Show and Tell Fridays with Cindy
@ http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

~Sunday Favorites with Chari
@ http://happytodesign.blogspot.com/



Cheers and hugs from Pam and Wanda Lee; ( Wanda Lee is the other half of our weekly blog tea party meme; 'Teapot And Tea Things Tuesday'.., @ http://silkenpurse.blogspot.com






Photo credit - "Cardinal in Snow Storm" by Jayne

Saturday, January 15, 2011

38th, Teapot And Tea Things Tuesday; marmalade


Welcome to....

38th,  Teapot And Tea Things Tuesday







Each small task of everyday life is part
of the total harmony of the universe.

                                                                                                         St. Therese of  Lisieux



A warm wintery welcome to all of  you.  I am pleased to be part of the festivities this week as I am well.  I hope you are well too!

Do  you sometimes dream of  lounging in a luxurious bed, clothed in an etheral gown, eating the best pastries and fruits as you read your favorite books?  I do.  But the reality this week for me, was a mound of rumpled bed linens , wound around a limp flannel-gowned body, nibbling on toast and tea , one hand on the remote.  Quiet time but not enjoyable.  I am now attending to the daily tasks at hand, just enjoying each moment.

While you settle yourself  in a cozy chair I will set off to the kitchen to boil the water for the tea.  Its tea and toast today.  What do you prefer on your toast?  Friends have shared a jar of homemade marmalade.  The oranges are from their orange tree, which grows in their bay window.   I will be inquiring about ingredients and technique and share it with you.



GOOD Morning Sunshine



I may not be awake or do I need those
glasses more than I thought?
Mismatched cream and sugar??? and I didn't
notice until my shoot was done


They look quite cute















An amazing vibrant orange jam
Placed butter and marmalade on a mirror to protect the table.









Thank you for sharing your time and talents with all of us.
~ I encourage you to stop by and savour another cup of tea while you enjoy her pretty vignettes.
The more the fun!



*Mr. Linky will arrive soon.

We don't want to miss a single teacup or teapot!
As always we cherish your comments and participation
in our Tuesday meme.




 ~You will be warmly welcomed if you choose to

become a follower!~



Welcome to..,
 Tuesday Tea Time In Blogland!

These are the links to the other oh-so-delightful tea parties and tabletop parties that I attend.

I invite you to drop in. Many thanks to those who faithfully host each week.


                                                                                                 ~ Hope to see you there!!


(Our own memes are marked with an asterisk*):





*~The 66th, 'Tuesday Tea For Two'
@ http://theplumedpen.blogspot.com/

~ Tuesday Teatime with Lady Katherine
@ http://www.ladykatherineteaparlor.blogspot.com/

~ Teatime Tuesday with Sandi
@ http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/

~ Teacup Tuesday with Martha
@ http://marthasfavorites.blogspot.com/

~ Teacup Tuesday with Terri
@ http://artfulaffirmations.blogst.com/

~ Tabletop Tuesday with Marti
@ http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

*~ The 38th, 'Teapot And Tea Things Tuesday', with Wanda Lee and Pam @
http://breathoffreshair-paperbutterfly.blogspot.com/
and http://silkenpurse.blogspot.com/


Other favorite memes:

~Tablescape Thursday with Susan
@ http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

~ Foodie Friday with Michael
@ http://www.designsbygollum.blogspot.com/

~Sunday Favorites with Chari
@ http://happytodesign.blogspot.com/


Cheers and hugs from Pam and Wanda Lee; ( Wanda Lee is the other half of our weekly blog tea party meme; 'Teapot And Tea Things Tuesday' @ http://silkenpurse.blogspot.com