Monday's Quotes

Spring is when you feel like whistling even 

with a shoe full of slush. 

 ~Doug Larson

Pure Imagination

Pure Imagination  Click to hear music to inspire your imagination.

Yes, imagine Spring is coming with beautiful flowers and sunshine days.

Thanks, Vanessa, at A Fanciful Twist for the link.

It put me in the right kind of mind to dream a bit and imagine a world of beauty.

Can you dream it?

Dream a little dream of sweet smelling flowers

and fairies dancing underneath.

Violets popping up everywhere.

Wear them in your hair or tuck them in your salad.

Surround yourself with imagination and dream of Springtime.
I hope it is making an appearance in your part of the world,
this is my world with a bit of rain today.

Happy weekend, dear friends!

Now take yourself outdoors to celebrate Spring!

Tea with a Friend

Tea time is always extra special when sitting with a friend.

Being served these special, delicious sandwiches, I felt like a queen.
Sipping tea and conversation are always a favorite afternoon treat.

Then we played in the kitchen making mochi.
Mochi is a sweetened glutinous rice mixture wrapped
around a small piece of bean paste. 
A special Japanese sweet often served with tea.

Have you made mochi?
Have you even nibbled on mochi?
Having been served these little treats at several teas,
I was curious to know how to make them.
Thanks, Stephanie, for letting me play in your kitchen.
The mochi and tea were yummy!
To read more visit Stephanie's blog here:
http://stephcupoftea.blogspot.com/

Victorian Delights

 It was hard to pick a favorite at the Victorian Festival fashion show

in Port Townsend this past weekend.

Delights made appearances here and all about town too.

 I thought my tea loving friends would enjoy this tea dress,

oh and the teapot too.

 My friend, Val, is always a delight to see up there on stage.

Her creations just make me smile.

 I believe they said there was 5 yards of fabric in this dress.

That's alot of fabric.

 So crisp and fresh, there is something that delights me in the white.

 A soft tea dress and gorgeous bag.

 I must say this was one of my favorites

and just suited the model perfectly.

 I could picture this being worn on a river boat

for entertainment.  Just whimsical.

 Here's Val again, beautiful as always.

You can find Val's blog on costumes here:  http://timetravelingincostume.blogspot.com/

Hope you enjoyed the show, I certainly did.

Click on any photo to get a closer look at these wonderful costumes.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!

 Whimsical and Springy tea room, Sugar and Spice in Poulsbo, Washington.
A gathering of tea lovers met there for Monday afternoon tea just yesterday.

 Dee and Clarice chatting, which is one of the best parts of gathering for tea.

 Food, of course there is food when we gather for tea.
There were cucumber sandwiches, sausage rolls, white bean spread for rice crackers,
fresh fruit, and a flourless chocolate cake.

 Linda sipping and chatting.

 On the left is Val of Time Traveling in Costume, Jackie, and on the right is Clarice of Storybook Woods.

Chloe, Christine (the owner of Sugar and Spice), and Auberne' did a beautiful job of serving
and making sure we had tea.  Thank you so much!
It was a delightful afternoon!

Monday's Quotes

The secret of getting ahead is getting started.

The secret of getting started is breaking your complex,

overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks,

and then starting on the first one.

~Mark Twain

Calling My Name

 

My name is being called.
That might not seem strange to some,
but I am hearing it in my dreams.
I don't know who is calling,
what is needed; but I know my name is being called.
Do your dreams sometimes speak to you?
Do they reveal what's on your heart?
Listen closely, pay attention, savor each and every dream.

Have a great weekend, dear friends!

A Little Girl's Heart

 Does your heart have a bit of the "little" girl or "little" boy in it?

When you were young, did you dream of such a place?

 Or maybe finding a cabin tucked and hidden in the woods?

 Did you dream dreams of adventures and discovery?

Step inside, dream a little dream with me.

For I still have a "little" girls heart,

a heart that dreams of secret hide-aways.

What treasures would we find?

Would we carry a book and some tea into these secret places?

Would we share or keep the secret?

Let your "little" child's heart come and play with me,

for dreams I have just stepping here.

Find Delight

Recently I celebrated my 71st birthday with friends and family.

I also picked up the magazine, Somerset Life.

Thoroughly enjoying the magazine I realized all these women featured there

are much younger than myself.

The blogs I read are most often all younger writers too.

I began wondering if there was something I was missing or is there

something I have to offer as a woman of 71?

I still am not sure what that is, but I know that I immensely enjoy sharing

beauty and delight here on my blog.

I could share about aches and pains of getting older or of the loneliness

of not being around people as often anymore since retiring.

I could share how I need to take a more concerted effort to get myself

out of the house and find adventure.

But when I retired I chose to find the delights of life and share them with you.

So please, dear friends, take time to focus on delight.

What makes you happy and fills your heart with JOY?

Tea Time Tuesday

 We love birds in my home, so love opportunities to have a nest

or a bird house about the home.

Playing today with Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage.

You can follow the link here to others that are sharing tea time and birds

and maybe a bit of the Irish too.

 The brownies are my acknowledgement of St. Patrick's Day

with minty icing.  The recipe came from Bernideen at Bernideens Tea Time blog.

The little duck is a vintage chocolate mold found at a brocante in France.

The table topper is pulled from my collection of table cloths.

I couldn't resist the teapot when visiting a friends teashop a few years ago.

Springtime is in the air and I am delighting in the sunshine

and yellow of the daffodils from the garden.

Won't you join me for tea.

As you see there isn't a cup sitting here

for you must pick from my shelf in the kitchen.

Another day I will share that shelf

once the kitchen is cleaned and ready to show.

Happy Tea Time Tuesday!

Monday's Quotes

May your life always be like a pot of
tea...overflowing to warm the soul.
   —An Irish Blessing

Oh yes, the winner of the book give-away
is Angela McRae at Tea with Friends
Congratulations to you!
Thanks to all that signed up for the give-away and those that also started following me.

Spring is Not

Inspired by The Book of Stillmeadow by Gladys Taber

Spring is Not

Spring is not just daffodils blooming

Nor is it the earth coming alive

It is HOPE

It is the JOY of life

A time to dance

A time to celebrate

Oh yes, we survived the darkness of winter

Now let's dig in the garden

Pick flowers and Sing

Eat strawberries with ecstasy

And twirl in the moonlight

It is both a Delight and a Wonder

It is the whisper in my heart

~m.miller 

Last reminder of the give away on last Friday's post.

A New Bakery in Town

 

Do you like a good bakery?  Do you just swoon at the smell of fresh baked bread?

 Newberg, Oregon isn't exactly in my town,

but with a bit of a drive toward the coast on Hwy.99 you will drive right through Newberg, Oregon.

 I can attest to delicious cinnamon rolls, baguettes, and cupcakes.

Plus they carry Steven Smith teas too.

 The bakery just opened last week and the business is amazing.

There was a line to the counter the whole time we were there.

 Just take a look.

 My friend, Brenda or Bruce, the two owners are there to greet you with a smile.

No pictures of the bathroom, but even that was done with class.

If you ever find yourself traveling this way, stop by and say Marilyn sent you.

You won't be disappointed.

The celebration is on and I am so happy for this new dream come true adventure for friends.

Newberg Bakery

621 E. First Street

Newberg, Oregon

www.newbergbakery.com

Don't forget the give-away on Friday's post.