400th Post Celebration

My 400th blog entry is today and I decided it was
time to celebrate with a Marmalady's give-away.
Marmalady's is my tea business.
You can see the links to the right here at
Delights of the Heart.

I am giving roses today.
Leave a comment before Monday.
I will draw a name on Monday morning for the
gift of a Rose Tea Cozy and a jar of Rose Tea Jelly.

These are exclusive Marmalady's products that
I have developed just for Marmalady's.
I also sell the sewing patterns for the tea cozy
and other patterns for tea lovers.

I can't wait to see who wins the gift of roses.

Heart to Heart by Earlene Grey

What a perfect thing to do on a very rainy Sunday afternoon.
A book launch for Heart to Heart by Earlene Grey.
Earlene read several poems from her new book.
There were many words about tea, but other special
thoughts too. I thought you might like to read a few here today.

Invitation to Tea

I have dust in the corner
And on top of the table
And under the sideboard too.

There are dishes that need washing,
Clothes that need mending,
And my Mother is sick with the flu.

My hair is mussed and fallen.
My face is red and swollen.
And the cat has missed her box.

I've no treats to share,
There's no money to spare
Our chickens were lost to the fox.

But in spite of all this,
Come have tea at my house.
You'll find rest, though all is amiss.

For we'll sit and be clever,
Drink Nilgiri tea and
Ignore the God-awful mess.

Then there were short teaisms throughout the book:

Take tea. Take a nap. Then conquer the world.

Tea is not the answer to life's problems,
it just helps you cope with them better.

Visit www.earlenegrey.com to learn more about her new book.

Simple Things

Simple things that make my heart sing

Candles in the rain

The first blossoms of the year even before Spring

Joey's pink nose
Daffodils peeking out of the ground
A kittie's purr
My hands wrapped around a warm cup of tea
Chocolate, all kinds
The smell of sheets dried outside
French Macarons
A song of joy on the radio
A card in the mail
A bouquet of roses
Sunflowers
Walking barefoot in the sand
Listening to a rippling brook
Blue skies and puffy white clouds
A smile just because
A friend stopping to say hello
Flying through the sky in a swing
A good book
Crawling into a warm, comfy bed each night
Tender hearts that answer the call the help

Visit Christina at Soul Aperature
She and her family are sponsoring Simple Things today.
For everyone, up to 250 people, that leaves a comment,
they are donating a dollar to Haiti.

JOY in a Gift

A package came in the mail a couple days ago.
It was from a dear friend of many years.
My husband stood wondering what our friend would send me.
I wondered too.
Upon opening it I found this tea towel gently tucked inside.
It was made by her mother years ago.
She thought, after reading my posts, that I
should have it.
Don't you just think it is perfect, trimmed
in my favorite color with kittens on it?
But the best part of all is the word JOY
written there.
Thanks dear friend!
It does bring a smile to my face and JOY
in my heart.

Enamored with Glass - part #8

Pedestal Cake Plates

Have you seen Martha Stewart Living this month?

More cake plates, including Depression Glass green

Pressed Glass Cake Plates
Where did I get so many cake plates? I have no idea.

Martha Stewart Living has a whole photo layout and articles on
glass cake plates. Check out the February 2010 issue.
I wish I could take photographs like in the magazine. I
have a long way to go. It was fun to try though.
Do you see a picture and wish you could copy it?
Do you try? Someday, I tell myself, I will be
able to take beautiful pictures like in the magazines.

Glass cake plates add to a beautiful table and
make whatever sweets you are serving more beautiful.

Friday will be my 400th post.
I can't believe it, but the numbers say it is true.
Visit me everyday, but especially on Friday for a give away announcement.

Lavender Bleu

Click on collage to see more detail.

This week I had the wonderful opportunity to meet blogger, Adrienne, from
With a Grateful Heart for tea at Lavender Bleu in West Linn, Oregon.

Lavender Bleu and Adrienne were both delightful.

We visited for 3 hours over afternoon tea.
The tea of the day was Paris blend and Pomegranite Green.

We started with a tasty sorbet, followed by a tiny cup of Chicken Noodle Soup.

Savories:
Egg Salad Sandwich
Pastrami and Cheese Sandwich
Artichoke spread on Open face Sandwich
Ham Quiche
Cucumber Sandwich
Pea Salad

Maple Nut Scones with Cream, Jam, and Lemon curd

Sweets:
Brownie
Lemon Meringue Tart
Signature Lavender Blue Heart Cookie
Apricot Bar

The gift shop was full of wonderful things and
so much fun to browse. The buyers definitely know
what we like to see in a tearoom gift shop.
Now they just need to add some Marmalady's products
and it would be perfect.

What two better things to do on a cloudy afternoon than to have tea,
good food, and good company.

One Love

This week my heart has been heavy.
The hurt and despair in Haiti is almost to much to imagine.
My heart has sung at the sight of so many people
that have pitched in to rescue, help, and bring food.

It causes me to think of all those around us that need
our love and help.
Why are we not helping those around us that don't
have health care?
Why are we killing in other countries when
we should be finding other ways of settling disputes?

What is it that makes us rescue, but still kill and cause hurt?

I have thought about God being a God of Love
and Compassion, but we don't listen and follow his lead.

My heart sometimes is heavy.

Christmas Digression

Christmas dinner each year is prepared by my adult children in our home.
It is always a theme from a different country.
The theme is a secret until we sit down to the table.
My husband and I just enjoy sitting by the fire as the food is prepared.
I love this tradition, one we have had for over 10 years now.
I am sharing late, as my camera has been in the hospital and I
didn't have access to the pictures.
This year my son and daughter also had the help of "the chef", my daughters boyfriend.
The first course is sitting in the center of the table.
It is Oysters in a Champagne sauce.

It was a French theme
There was a duck pate (Gillettes de Canard)
Lamb chops with Winter Vegetables
Don't they look beautiful?
Oh they were so good, even the vegetables,
and I am not a big vegetable person.

French cheese plate with baguette and sliced pears

Dessert was Bouche de Noel.

Christmas dinner is always a delight and so fun
to have this unusual family tradition.
Does your family have an unusual tradition for the holidays?

Share a bit of Sunshine

Oh we had one of those sunshiny days in winter yesterday.
I just makes my heart sing.
I took off in my car to deliver some sunshine to a friend and to my aunt.
Don't you just love the bright orange tissue the shop wrapped around the sunshine.
It was just perfect!

A little known fact about me is that I like to listen to James Taylor and Carole King.
On my car radio yesterday as I delivered sunshine they were singing.
It just lifts my spirits and makes me so happy.

I listened to these words from Carole King:

I have often asked my self the reason for the sadness.
In a world where tears are just a lullaby.
If there's an answer, maybe love can end the madness.
Maybe not, oh, but we can only try.

You've got to get up every morning
with a smile on your face and show the world
All the love in your heart.

Then people gonna treat you better
You're gonna find, yes you will
That you're beautiful, your beautiful
You're beautiful as you feel.

***
So today and going forward I will face every morning with a smile on my face.

Enamored with Glass - part #7

Glass jars photographed at the Lourve in Paris, France.

Glass can be functional and beautiful all at the same time.
It is amazing that such gorgeous pieces of glass have survived
for a very long time and then sit in all their
splendor for us to enjoy in the museum.

Click on the picture to see in more detail.

I wonder what they held?
A vessel is for holding many different things.
I am imagining exotic oils for bathing.
What do you think?
Wouldn't it be lovely to have a beautiful glass vessel
sitting by the bathtub holding something that smells
divine? It sets my mind to dreaming.

Have a glorious day~

The Soul Serene in a Cup of Tea

A Tibetan teabowl.

The sun, Lord of the East, grinds the fragrant
dust of tea.
Bejeweled nectar on the teeth, revives me.
A pure wind envelopes my body.
The whole world seen in a single cup.

~Koban, translated by V. Dixon Morris

Tea does our fancy aid,
Repress those vapors which the head invade
And keeps that palace of the soul serene.

~Edmund Waller

The words "bejeweled" and "palace" make
me feel very regal with my cup of tea this morning.
Yet the teabowl is too "beautiful" for me to use.
I will go find a simple, English teacup, then
sip my tea in regal delight.
My soul will be serene.

Beautiful

Beautiful, yes!

Yesterday I was watching Art Wolfe, Travels to the Edge.
Do you ever watch that show?
The photography is amazing.
I noticed he kept describing the sights as "beautiful".
I find I use that word a lot when I visit many of your blogs
and see something beautiful.
Beautiful just doesn't seem like enough of a word when
my breathe is taken away.
I have thought and thought about other words to use.

Some of the words I have thought of:
Gorgeous
Amazing
Spectacular
Lovely
Eye Candy
Delightful
Attractive
Wonderful
Great
Lovely
Pretty
Marvelous
Exceptional

Nothing seems to justify for a sight that is beautiful.
How do you describe it?

My Office or Mess?

Yesterday Tara at Paris Parfait asked us to show the
space we create in. Here it is in all it's
piles of papers.
The east wall has a soft pink book shelf for all the papers
I really need to sort and file.

The chair I am sharing these days with Joey.
My grandfather's desk is on the north wall of this small bedroom.
My typewriter sits on top of another bookshelf with a
letter I have started to a friend.

The south wall has another small desk with my laptop
for bookkeeping and I also use this small table for craft projects.
One of my next projects is hanging on the floor lamp.
Now if I tell you what it is I will have to actually do it.
25 years ago I acquired some beautiful chamois's from the
company I was working for at the time. They were
going to make swim suits out of them, but decided not to do so after some testing.
Well I thought a skirt would be beautiful in them; so I brought some home and hung them in my closet where they have been ever since. My challenge to myself is to finish that skirt this year.
So there now I really must finish it because I know you will be checking on it. Thanks!
Then because there is no place else for the bicycle and exercise equipment
it is in my office too. I do try to use it once in the while. I probably would fit the
skirt better if I exercised more often.

The west wall has the french doors looking
into our backyard. In the morning I can see many
birds and squirrels out at the bird feeders having their
morning breakfast. A very pleasant place to rest the
eyes and enjoy the morning. There is a chain link
fence in the back, then an alley, then our neighbors
wood fence. It is unusual to have an alley like this in
the city. This is something unique to our neighborhood
and I love it. Rarely does a car drive down it, but
on occasion we share a visit over the fence with someone
taking a walk.

I hope you have enjoyed a visit to my office today.
Now it is time for you to share too!
Where do you create?

Gift of JOY

Create a simple chain of key tags.

Wrap them around a small tree or plant.

Special messages to a friend on her birthday.

In choosing JOY this year I realized I receive great JOY
in giving. A friend is having a birthday soon, so I took
the key tags and dyed them in a strong cup of black tea, then
found special pictures, words, and other decorations for each of the tags.
It was a fun and simple crafty project.
The tea stain only took about 15-20 minutes and
they dried by the next day, just laid out on a paper towel.

I hope she likes it, but I thought you might like the
simple idea. Another idea would be to just make a paper
chain and wrap it around something special.
Each chain could be a special word or thought.
What is important is the thought and care in giving.
It brings great JOY~

Enamored with Glass - part #6

This window picture was taken from the outside looking in.
A beautiful window in Provence.

Windows are made of glass.
They bring the light into our homes.
They help us to see a bit of the outside world.
They create a barrier, keeping the cold out
on a cold snowy day.
Can you imagine what your home would feel
like without them?
I love stepping into my kitchen the first thing in the
morning when the sun is shining through the windows,
it is like stepping into the light. It is
so full of happiness in that light.
Do your windows bring you joy?
Do they open up your world and let you
see like eyes to the world?

Decorate your own soul

Flowers because we need these in winter.
Found many years ago in the newspaper and given to my daughter when she went off to collage.

Author Unknown

After a while you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul. And you learn the love doesn't mean leaning and company doesn't mean security. And you begin to understand that kisses aren't contracts and presents aren't promises. And you begin to accept your defeats with your head held high and your eyes open, with the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child. You learn to build your roads on today, because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.

After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much. So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure, that you really are strong. And that you really do have worth and that you keep learning. With every goodbye you learn.

*******

Blessings on you today!

***
For those of you that signed up for the drawing at the Necessary Room, we have a winner.
It is Deena of Can I be pretty in Pink.
She won the Marmalady's jam, tea cozy, and sewing pattern.
One of these days I will do a Marmalady's give away here at Delights of the Heart.

Joey

Let me introduce you to my new friend.
His name is Joey.
He is 7 months old and came into my life yesterday.
He was adopted from the Humane Society.
He isn't sure he likes it here yet.
It will take some time for us to adjust to each other.
I already love that he is a snuggler and purrs so loud.
I am sitting here with the snuggler and drinking my tea.
He is sort of the color of my tea.
Already he is bringing much JOeY for 2010.

Mentor

men·tor

A wise and trusted counselor or teacher. Mentor Greek Mythology Odysseus's trusted counselor, in whose guise Athena became the guardian and teacher of Telemachus.

The hands you see are my Aunt Arlene's.
They look very much like my mother's hands.
She has been my life mentor in many ways.
In watching her live life I learned to love
flowers, music, and making my nest more beautiful.
She will be 90 years old in May and
still I learn from her. I learn
how to live at 90 years old and still
laugh, do, and love; but at a different speed.

There can be mentors for life or even a mentor
on the job. Mentors come in different forms, sometimes
for life and sometimes for just a short time.
They may not be chosen, but in the
circumstances of life they choose you.

Have you had a mentor?
Is there someone that has taught you to laugh
and love?

Winter Tea

Now this is my fantasy winter day, curled up by the fire
with a lovely cup of tea and the cat.
The only thing missing is a good book and a cat.
What would be in your cup?
What book would you be reading?

This morning for me it will be a cup of Yunnan Gold.
I am still trying to finish fictions written with the Christmas
season wrapped in a pretty bow, but soon I will be on
to other fascinating books. And soon there will be the cat too.

Happy winter days~

Enamored with Glass - part #5

A scrappy heart of glass.
Making the fused pendants I took the scraps and tossed
them into a heart mold. It's not very pretty, but
sometimes our heart isn't very pretty and needs to be cleaned.

A much prettier heart of glass from Murano, Italy.
It reminds me of a swirl of stars in the constellation.

My son reminded me of a song called Heart of Glass by Blondie.
I was going to add the link, but didn't like the lyrics.
Now the tune is caught in my head.

Sometimes it does feel like we have a heart of glass when it is broken.
Have you ever had a broken heart?

Happy New Year!

January 1st!
Happy New Year!
Blessings on each one of you in 2010!