It Makes me Happy!

 When I was a young girl I dreamt of designing clothes. I would take small scraps of cloth and hand-stitch them into clothes for my dolls. But growing up in a conservative family I knew the only thing allowed was to be a wife, mother, or maybe a secretary. I kept my dream locked up tight. The high school counselor suggested I attend business school and become a secretary. My mother made the same suggestion. The only other acceptable family push was to attend a "Christian college" and find a husband, which I did. My secret remained and I worked in offices until I had children.

I would design and make clothes for myself and my two children.

As I was approaching 40 years I asked myself what do I still want to do. My children were more independent. I finally let the secret out and told my husband I wanted to go back to school. After much hard work I graduated with a degree in Apparel Design. The illustrations you see here were done during my time in design school. I hadn't looked at them in a very long time. 

Yes, that is me in those snap shots!

My mind has a bit of an engineering thought process and I ended up working for Jantzen, Inc. as a patternmaker. It was a good career choice and I loved it. When I retired I was working for Nike as a technical designer. A technical designer needed the patternmaking background and good writing skills. I worked with an amazing design team to develop street clothes, making sure the garment fit correctly and the quality was up to the standards of the company. I was the final approval before it went to production. My career makes me very proud of myself.

One of the 100's of sportswear outfits I worked on at Jantzen, Inc.

Now in writing this I was thinking we must acknowledge our dreams and gifts in every step through life, not just our careers. I have heard it said "what do you want to do with your one, beautiful life?" It is so important for our hearts to do the big things, but also the little things.

It's also important to encourage those around us to follow their dreams.

She doesn't look happy, but she shines. In shining and following her dreams, she is happy. She puts on her sparkle and shines, she dances.

I danced too, which is a story for another day.

The spirit of creativity still sits in the center of my heart. Each time I do something creative, even writing these posts, it satisfies my heart. It makes me happy. 

Just a little peak of my past dreams come true, living the dream.

Sending love,

Marilyn

Flowers I Buy Myself

There is an old song sung by Neal Diamond and Barbara Streisand, You Don't Bring me Flowers. that I was thinking of recently as I purchased a bouquet at our farmer's market. Even when I visit Trader Joe's I most often buy myself flowers.  They are a self love gift to myself and I enjoy each and every one of them.

This past Sunday I had a teatime date with two nieces. For some reason I later found out about I showed up, but they didn't. I waited awhile and decided I would treat myself to teatime alone. Then I saw this pillow sitting in the tearoom and knew I could buy myself tea and I could bring myself flowers.

Miley Cyrus also sings about Flowers, I can buy myself Flowers.

 What a treat to sit quietly and enjoy the moment of sweet indulgence with a pot of tea, two savory tarts, sausage roll, and a pavlova with fresh berries.

We don't need permission to treat ourselves with love or to bring ourselves flowers.

At the farmer's market in town, there were flowers. Though I didn't buy the flower in these two pictures, I did buy the bouquet at the beginning of this post.

Then today I walked in Lan Su Chinese Garden and shared tea with two friends. As you see the lotus were blooming and the flowers just touched my heart.

Aren't the pink lanterns beautiful too?

Flowers touch my soul, make me smile. Even if I don't buy them all, they bring me JOY.

Do you buy yourself flowers?

Do they bring you JOY?

Sending love,

Marilyn

Sitt'n and Dream'n

 

I adore a pretty Adirondack chair to sit in and dream in.

Recently I had an email from the magazine, Bella Grace. They send me encouragements to subscribe. The magazine is gorgeous, but expensive; so I just enjoy getting their ad emails. Now in most cases I unsubscribe, but this is one I look forward to. They always have a link to something fun and free.

Recently they had a list of 35 Joyful ways to settle into Spring. I thought I would share a few with you to think on when you find a few moments to sit in a pretty chair.

1. Refresh your closet with a burst of cheerful paint.

3. Line a windowsill with pots filled with herbs.

8. Keep an eye on the sky for migrating birds.

13. Practice the art of strolling.

15. Visit a flower market and splurge.

20. Put lemony bar soap in your drawers as sachets.

23. Eat a decadent breakfast.

24. Paint your toes like a spring bouquet.

28. Stargaze.

33. Take note of the change in light.

35. Start taking the stairs.

All three of these chair pictures I found when out and about this past Spring.  I love finding them and dream'n too.

Books finished this week are the first in the 3 part Timeslider series by Santa Montefiore called Shadows in the Moonlight. I always love a time travel adventure. A gift from a friend was Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism by Stewart Reynolds. A very quick book to read and made me smile with the comparisons to cats in our society today.

What would you add to the list of Joyful Ways to settle into summer?

Oops! I just noticed I forgot to post this in springtime, but summer works too.

Sending Love,

Marilyn

A Week in the Life

 

Most often there are tea adventures in my life and this week was no disappointment. Cindy Chin from Wuyi Origins (she and her family are the growers in China) sends our group of tea lovers samples twice a year and we sit down for a tasting session. Whew! This afternoon we tasted 14 different teas. I wasn't sure I would be able to sleep that night, but somehow I did. Her teas never disappoint. They were all good, but I chose two teas to order, an aged white tea and a black oolong tea.

And of course I continue to notice the summer flowers around me. These hydrangeas are on the apartment grounds and so very beautiful. I will miss them when they are gone.

Then I walked in another garden and "noticed what I noticed"; which is always fun to take time to do.

I had to look up in the tree to find this one. There are also some on my apartment ground too.

Yesterday I walked through Peninsula Park in Portland. It is near where my house was located and I love any excuse to walk here. Isn't it beautiful? It is the oldest rose garden in Portland.

My tea group that meets once a month met under the trees. It was a gorgeous day for 20 tea lovers to share tea together. I shared a new to me tea called Forest Sprite from Floating Leaves in Seattle, a Taiwanese oolong with a hint of green.

And I keep reading, but often forget to share what I am reading. So here is what I have been recently reading:  Soulwork by BettyClare Moffatt, The Paris Assignment by Rhys Bowen, and A Dark and Stormy Tea by Laura Childs. I read Soulwork years ago, but thought it was time to refresh my memory and do a little internal work. It has essays to create personal evaluation and thinking when needing to do some self work. Then I always enjoy Rhys Bowen's adventures. I tend to like reading women's stories surrounding World War II and this was a good one. I have probably read about 20 of Laura Childs mystery books. Though I enjoy them, I am not sure I will read anymore as they seem a bit too much the same. The tearoom owner is a self appointed sleuth that always solves the mystery.

This week will be for rest and reflection before my summer heats up and starts filling with more adventures. How's your summer going so far? I hope you have time for rest and adventures, some days with gentle breezes that are neither too hot and too uncomfortable. Some slow days of meandering a country lane or walking by the seaside would be extra special too.

Sending love,

Marilyn

4th of July - JOY

 The Fourth of July is always worth celebrating, but for this year I was having a hard to time doing so.

I started this post a week ago and yet I totally forgot to post and send best wishes. I was struggling to find JOY.

What did bring me joy was noticing the flags waved. There is just something so beautiful in seeing the flag of the country you love wave from the front porch, a patio, bridges, and even from a car or truck. It just feels like a celebration.

Here are a few sightings!

Instead of a true 4th of July celebration I took a drive to the coast. Yes, It brings me JOY too.

I found a path to JOY.

There was an avenue of fun and games.

And a few swans swam by.

Out and About in my part of the world brings me JOY. Just seeing people celebrating the day brings me JOY. And waving a few flags brings me JOY. So even though I didn't watch fireworks or even eat a hotdog, I found JOY in the little things around me.

I hope you also found JOY in celebrating the little things around you.

Sending love,

Marilyn

Tea Festival Time Arrives

 Friday was time to set up for TeaFestPDX. Tents were going up. Rain was on the way.

Ready, Set, GO

The tent looked amazing! Thanks to all that helped and put it together.

This would be my last year to organize the tent.

I figure 10 years is a good run and time to hand it off to younger, more energetic ones.

Next to the British tent there was a tent for gently used teaware. It helps raise money for next years event and is very popular.

And so we begin!!!!

These first ladies, Lisa Hand and Lynelle Harder, present in the British tent every year and come in costume.

This year it was all about Beatrix Potter and tea.

Through out the day we have a table of donated tea related items that people thoroughly enjoy. I love that vendors are so generous to donate tea from Harney & Sons, Tea Time Magazine, and Effie's biscuits.

Our second presenter was Tony Tellin sharing the story of Earl Grey tea.

This was his second year and I love having him in the tent.

Then over the noon hour, Karmel and Devorah, shared their new children's tea book about Zesty with a hand craft and reading.

Kristen and Erin, from Framer's Touch shop in Forest Grove, returned for an exercise in teabag art.

Here is one example that someone painted on a teabag.

Jeni Dodd of Jeni Dodd Tea spoke of women's suffragettes and tea.

Jeni comes from New York just for our festival.

She was encouraging people to get involved.

Yours truly was the final presenter of the day. While the attendees enjoyed afternoon tea I read small excerpts from literature that referenced tea. I read quite a bit and find it fascinating how often I come across those characters inviting someone to have a "cuppa" or "let's put the kettle on".

There was some poetry read too.

Just as I began the rain did pour and the thunder clapped.

The tea food came in a lovely box put together by my partner at the British tent. I saved my tea time for dinner as I was too busy to eat.

The British tent has six presentations after which I took a short break to visit a few vendors and say hello. This year we had about 45 vendors and a lot of tea tasting was going on. I always stop by the ceramic artists booth; their pottery is so beautiful. Jeni Dodd Tea booth is in the background. I have offered to help her next year just to pour tea, much easier than organizing a whole tent.

Finally the TeaFestPDX is in the bag for 2026. It was a great year. The rain didn't keep anyone away, in fact there were more than ever coming to sip tea in the rain. We had people  from all around the world, even a writer for a magazine in Germany came to cover the festival. They said our reputation is that we are a top tea festival in the US and they wanted to check us out. I even met a tea farmer from Mississippi and two others from Sri Lanka. It was a great festival.

If you ever find yourself in Portland, Oregon at the end of June check out the tea festival at the World Forestry Center.

Sending love,

Marilyn