Copy Cat

Have you ever walked into a store

and said I wish I could copy that?

In the past month I have walked into my

favorite women's shop to just drool abit.

I love their stuff, but it is for skinny girls with 

plenty of pocket money.

I looked at this one top, which cost about

$70.  and I said I can do that.

Of course for some of you, you might not

know that for 25 years I worked as a professional

patternmaker in the apparel industry.

I came home and dug through my fabric stash

and there sat a piece of silk my husband bought

for me when he traveled to China many years ago.

He had been disappointed that I hadn't done anything with it.

So this week I finally took the time to make that top

I saw at the store.  It is simple, but so fun to finally

just do what I am always thinking - be a copy cat.

The rewards have been fun!

Travel

Travel can be a trip across town or

it can be a trip to another country far, far away.

My trip on Saturday was to my favorite antique mall.

It is the perfect place for some "me" time.

I picked up the best cup of chai at the coffee shop

and I wandered with my camera.

The yellows in this booth just hit me with

the gorgeous color of spring we are beginning to see.

Take a trip, a "me" time soon, it is so worth it.

Visit Tuesday's blog too, my Tea Party in your Cupboard has made a debut.

Announcing: Tea Party in your Cupboard

I am thrilled to announce a dream come true.

Tea Party in your Cupboard,

hot off the presses and self published

is a dream I have had for 6 years.

It is a small 40 pages, hard cover book, 

only 7"x7", with full color.

 It is a simple book that gives

tips on preparing afternoon tea for that impromptu tea party

for yourself or for a friend that stops by for a cup of tea.

The recipes are only suggestions to help you think

about what might be in your cupboard or freezer.

Each recipe also includes a quote, such as:

Remember small celebrations, as well as the big ones.

The everyday occasions are always worth celebrating.

M. Miller

Note:  There is a limited supply, but I can order more.

The cost is $22., which includes shipping.

Just email me at marilyntea @ gmail.com

Spirit Whispers

Several years ago I picked up a pamphlet that talked about

Centering Prayer, written by Robert O'Rourke.
Here is a brief look at what he had to share on Centering Prayer:

The experience of centering prayer is to find God within.

There are four simple steps to centering prayer:

1) Upon entering prayer, take a few minutes to quiet and relax your body,

and then move in faith to God dwelling in the center of your being.

2) Choose a single, sacred word that expresses for you the fullness

of God.  Begin to repeat this word inwardly.

3) Whenever your mind wanders or becomes aware of anything

else, gently return to your sacred word.

4) After 15-20 minutes quietly reenter the world, asking God

to remain with you and make His (or Her) Presence know.  

One of the first things we need to do in all forms of meditation and prayer

is to detach ourselves from the fast-paced world of activity and follow God's simple

invitation:  Be still and know that I am God.

Be prepared for an onrush of thoughts.

As a result of returning to your sacred word, you slow down the

onrush of many thoughts by focusing on one.

As you do this, tension begins to flow out of your life.

This is another way of being still and listening,
releasing the tension within you.

A Time for Celebration

My sister, DeeDee, and I share the birthday month of March.
So each March we make a date for tea or lunch for just the two of us.
It's a wonderful tradition and one I definitely recommend.
I have always said we must celebrate the small things along with the big things of life.

Last Saturday we celebrated another year together.
DeeDee and I didn't grow up together.
We have different mother's and DeeDee didn't know she had two other sisters.
About 15 years ago we found each other.
So you see our celebrations are even more precious.

We had tea at the Lavender Bleu Tearoom in West Linn, Oregon.  Since we are both watching our weight these days, we opted out of the largest, tiered afternoon tea; but we found the tea we chose to be just perfect.
There was a veggie tart, a stacked reuben sandwich, yummy cucumber sandwich, chocolate chip scone, fresh fruit, apple cobbler, lavender heart cookie, and coconut cream tart.  My tea choice for the day was Blackberry Sage Black Tea. 
Sharing tea with someone special in your life is so special and highly recommended.

Life is a Choice

Does your mind sometimes just jump from one thing to the other,

full of scattered thoughts?

My mind is doing that very thing this week.

There are so many different thoughts just jumping around there.

Saturday I visited my 91 year old aunt, who is getting ready to move

closer to her grand-daughter.  Our conversation was sort of the way

my mind has been, but the one thing we talked about was how the only

certainty in life is that we are born and we die.

This week I have thought a lot about what is in between being born

and dieing?  It is called LIVING.

Do we just sail away or do we dig into the dirt?

Are we fully living or are we just letting be what will be?

Are we just living out what has already been predestined for us,

or are we making choices for the way we want to live?

Then I came across this quote in two different places

and it just made me smile, as it fit so well with the way my mind was thinking.

"Living is like licking honey off a thorn." by Louis Adamik

I do BELIEVE we have choices in the way we live;so today I am choosing to laugh, listen to music, and surround myself with beauty.  What are you choosing today?

Step Softly

Spring is softly stepping from the winter gloom.

The soft pinks and whites of blossoms flutter in the breeze.

They remind me of a new born baby birds soft feathers,

preparing to burst forth in glorious, full flight.

But for now step softly, step into Spring.

Breathe in the fresh air and the blossoms that surprise.

Have you noticed the soft fluttering of blossoms as they flutter to the ground?

I BELIEVE

My word for 2011 is BELIEVE.

 I have been doing some thinking on that word.

What do I BELIEVE:

For sure I BELIEVE in wee folk such as fairies.

But beyond that, what do I BELIEVE?

Yes, I BELIEVE in God.

I BELIEVE that in times of trouble,

people will step out and help each other as

 they are in Japan.

I BELIEVE in seeking out the beauty around me.
I BELIEVE the sun will shine again.

I BELIEVE flowers will bloom
and
I BELIEVE in rainbows.

What #1 BELIEF do you find in your life?

Spirit Whispers

Some of us need to discover that we will not

begin to live more fully until we have the

courage to do and see and taste and experience

much less than usual.....

There are times, then, when in order to keep

ourselves in existence at all we simply have to sit

back for a while and do nothing.

And for a (wo)man who has let her/himself be drawn

completely out of her/himself by her/his activity,

nothing is more difficult than to sit still and rest,

doing nothing at all.

The very act of resting is the hardest and most

courageous act she/he can perform.

~Thomas Merton

-------------------------

In Celebration of 700 posts, the winner of my "this and that" give away is:  Joy
Joy please email me with your address and your gift will be on it's way.  My email is in My Profile location.

A Bit of This and That

Every cup of tea is an imaginary trip.....Catherine Douzel
A dear friend often closes her notes with this quote.
The picture above sends me on an imaginary trip to Paris.

Today is my 699th post, so I am celebrating with a bit of "this and that".
For anyone leaving a comment today I will have a drawing and announce
the winner on Monday. my 700th post.
It definitely will be a bit of "this and that", but it will include a notecard
with a picture of lilacs, two recipe cards with family recipes never given
out until this past month, some tea, a postcard from France, and
maybe some other surprises.  So come along and leave your
comments and if you aren't a follower, please join in the fun.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

The day is green, fresh with the first leaves of Spring.

Will there be Irish Beef Stew or Soda Bread today?

Enjoy the day and don't forget to wear green.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Remember tomorrow I will announce a give-away for my 700th post.

Laugh Often

"To laugh often and  love much;  to win  the  respect
of intelligent  persons and  the  affection of   children;
to earn the approbation of honest citizens and  endure
the betrayal of  false friends; to  appreciate beauty;  to
find the best in others; to give of  one's  self;  to  leave
the  world a bit  better, whether  by  a  healthy child, a
garden patch or a redeemed  social  condition; to have
played and laughed  with enthusiasm and  sung   with
exultation; to know even one life  has  breathed  easier
because you have lived...that is to  have  succeeded."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

Recently someone referred to Delights of the Heart as Pooh's Thotful Spot.  So this morning I visited Pooh and this is the quote he shared with me.

Just last week I commented my camellia's were not blooming much. I am laughing now because they have burst forth in a beautiful array of pinks, red, and white.  What a JOY to behold.  What is bringing laughter and joy to your heart today?

I will announce my "this and that" give away on Friday and the winner will be announced on Monday, which will be my 700th post. 

March House Madness

For March I wanted a whimsical house for the Dollhouse Project.
 A house a fairy might like to live in out in the garden.
It is soft as a pillow.
The door says Laduree, a tearoom in Paris.
The buttons are from my button collection.
It is lopsided too.
I had fun playing this month.
Above the door it says: blessing, a gift of divine.
It was a gift to just play and create, silliness for sure.

Soon I will celebrate my 700th post.
It's time for a give away announced very soon.
It will be a little bit of this and that.
I hope you come back to join me in the celebration!

Spirit Whispers

To Pray is to

laugh

whistle

dance on happy feet

sing

shout

and jump---higher than ever before

But it is also to 

whisper

wonder

stumble in dark places

cry 

scream

or just hold a worried head

in tired hands and wait......

Prayer is our tired reaching out

to the One

who holds us closer

and loves us more 

than we would dare imagine.

~Greta Schumm 

.............................................

Honey and Ollie Give-away

And the winner is: Gwen
Congratulations Gwen and a huge
thanks to Rainy for sharing her beautiful earring club with my readers. 
Visit Rainy's blog here to learn more about the earring club.

Tea, tea, tea, tea, tea, Tea!

Can you sing the Title?
Yes, it is tea here.
I thought you would enjoy seeing what full leaf tea looks like after it is steeped.
Many people haven't seen it.
I wish you were here to touch it and smell it.
It is truly amazing.
Yes, that's me in that picture on the bottom.
I am with James Norwood Pratt, who
has written the best Tea Dictionary.
When I first started exploring tea his book,
New Tea Lover's Treasury, was the only book recommended to me to learn more about tea.
Beside having written several good books on tea, he is just a fun person to know.

Have you had your cup of tea today?

Don't forget to sign up for the give-away I posted yesterday.

Honey and Ollie - Give Away

Honey and Ollie has offered something special for one of my readers.

You really don't want to miss it.

She is making some gorgeous jewelry bling.
Her offer is a Give-Away to one of my readers.
A membership in her Earring of the Month Club
from April through June.
How special is that?
To read more about the club visit her at:
  http://honeyandollie.com/2011/03/09/theres-enough-pie-for-everyone/

Anyone that leaves a comment on my post today through next Sunday at midnight,
I will draw a name and announce it on Monday.

Best Wishes are sent to Rainy as she begins this new adventure.
She is truly a talented artist.

What's in your cup?

What's in your cup today?
In my cup is Tribute Tea.

It was grown by a lady in Taiwan
and given to a friend of mine.
The purpose was to share her tea with
someone that would send her garden seeds.
I may have shared this before, but I just
loved that she wanted to connect in this way with others.
The tea is an Oolong with a slightly roasted flavor.
It is nice and light and perfect for my morning tea.
This is my last pot of this lovely tea, so I am savoring it this morning.

"Each cup of tea represents an imaginary voyage."

~Catherine Douzel

Spring Fever

It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want - oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!  ~Mark Twain

Saturday I went venturing out to find touches of Spring.
Really, I wanted to see the fields of crocus that
bloom each Spring at "the secret garden".
They were there, yes they were;
but a little worse for wear.  All
the rain had really battered them.
They didn't want to open their pretty faces.
The ones that had braved the cloudy day were
greeted by the honey bees.  Oh, I think
the bees were just waiting with bated breathe.

Also in abundance were the hellebore, camellias,
snowdrops and a few iris too.  Daffodils were closed up tight and
waiting for the sun.

Are you starting to see signs of Spring?
Does it make your heart sing?

Spirit Whispers

Prayer is yet another way to listen.

This is my prayer basket.

Just let me know if you would like to be included there.

Prayers enter through the heart

and are forwarded to God.

Meeting in the Tea-cup

"When will the West understand,

or try to understand, the East?

Strangely enough, humanity has so far met in the tea-cup.

It is the only Asiatic ceremonial which

commands universal esteem."

~Okahura Kakuzo (1862-1913)

The Book of Tea

So join me in a teacup.
I just wanted to say I have noticed new followers recently.
Thanks for following along with me at Delights of the Heart.

Yummy! Cherry Winks

Do you have a favorite cookie?

This is my lifetime, all time favorite cookie.

My mother use to make it for me

and now I make it myself.

Not to often, as I would definitely be chubbier than I am.

Cherry Winks

from Better Homes and Garden Cookbook

the one I received as a wedding gift.

1/3 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup seedless raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 1/2 cups wheat flakes, slightly crushed

(I usually use corn flakes)

Candied cherries

Oven 400 degrees

Thoroughly cream together first 4 ingredients.

Add egg and milk; beat thoroughly.

Sift dry ingredients together; add to creamed

mixture, mixing well.  Stir in raisins and nuts.

Drop by teaspoons onto crushed wheat flakes;

toss lightly to coat.  Place on greased cookie sheet

(I use a Silpat sheet) about 2 inches apart.

Top each with a candied cherry half

(I use marachino cherries)

Bake at 400 degrees about 12 minutes.

Cool slightly; remove from pan.

This recipe says it makes 3 dozen,
but maybe I make mine too big because
I never get that many; in fact I usually
double the recipe to get what I think is enough.
Ok, Ok I know enough for me may be more
than enough for you.  You know this is my favorite.

Oh, the places you'll go!

  Not exactly the Cat in the Hat,

but Joey wants you to know,

so you can sing

Happy Birthday to You!

dear Dr. Seuss!

http://www.seussville.com/#/videopage

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You're off to great places.

You're off and away!

So I say,
Happy Birthday dear Dr. Seuss
You have won our hearts
and given us smiles.

March, You Finally Made It !

They say that March comes in like a lion,

that is for sure.

March celebrates the coming of Spring,

a time change, and St. Patrick's Day.

But most of all,

I am looking forward to meeting that lamb.

Celebrating Spring!

Peeking in my closet

and dancing in the sunshine once again.

Welcome First Day of March!