A Snowy Day!

 

My view just yesterday across my little patio.

The Snowy Day is a 1962 American children's picture book by American author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats. It features Peter, an African American boy. It was written to encourage everyone to slow down and notice the small things in life, something I try to do here on this blog.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmZCQfeWjeQ&ab_channel=EJKFoundation

As a white man, Esra Jack Keats was one of the first to write a children's book with multi-cultural children. His book has been banned recently because of that. When my children were young, Ezra Jack Keats, was a favorite author of theirs and visited their school on author's day.

 

This morning and last evening, sights of snow from my window. Many have walked their dogs past my window and I love seeing them out enjoying the snowy day.

 

Sending love and warmth on this Valentine's day. Hoping you are warm and cozy, tucked inside on this snowy day. Now I must sip some tea.

Sending love,

Marilyn

Valentine - I send you LOVE

For some reason Valentine's Day isn't complete unless

 I have a heart shaped sugar cookie with my tea.

So today is no different than other years where the cookies are nibbled and 

a favorite tea sipped from a pretty cup.
Castleton Moonlight is in my cup and I reminded why I love this tea.

Then if I add a pretty magazine to savor as I sip and nibble, even better.

My favorite guy will be spending the night and I intend on playing a bit.

He is the sweetest little guy I know.

There are always kisses and words of "I love you" too.

Looking forward to this love with him.

Well now if you haven't guessed, it is my grandson, D.

His parents are having a date night.

So I sit in my little cottage sipping tea and awaiting.

The Cosy of My Cottage 

by Earlene Grey (Susan Patterson)

Inside my house it is

Safe and warm,

The way that homes are

Meant to be.

No sharps of sticks

Or blows of guns,

Or faces we cannot see.

Fruit and cream are plenty

With breads and buns to spare.

The perpetual invitation is out,

And I am set,

Ready with tea to share. 

Have a most delightful Valentine's Day whatever you have planned. 

Take time to sip a bit of something quite special to you and nibble too.

And if you find your way to my part of the world

the tea and a nibble is always ready.

Happy Valentine's Day, dear friends!
Have a great day and weekend!

Word for the Day - 2020

Heart

"There is no charm equal to

tenderness of heart."

~Jane Austen

Books, songs, and sonnets have been written with heart.

From Wikipedia: A heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood in various species.
Heart may also refer to:

• Heart (symbol), a symbol (♥) representing love, the organ, or a card suit

It has become the symbol of Valentine's,
a day we will celebrate each February 14th.
It represents love, which many feel comes from the heart. 

The heart is tucked away deep inside of us.
Sometimes we wear it on our sleeve.
And on occasion I love including it in things I bake.
Have you ever noticed if you slice a strawberry
vertically it becomes a heart shape?

Most hearts you will see are red.
The symbol of heart health is the color red.

Celebrate the heart this week.
Celebrate Love from the Heart. 
Have an amazing week full of love.

Sending Love for Valentine's Day

 When I walk through an antique mall or shop

and see a bunch of cards or postcards I can't resist

going through them to see if something grabs my attention.

Of course most of the time I am looking for tea themes,

which I don't usually find.

 But still a few have come home with me.

I just can't resist all the time!

 Did you exchange Valentine's in school when you were young?

I never will forget the time my class was learning about the post office.

We built a post office from boxes and on Valentine's Day

sent our cards through the mail to the others in my class.

Some years we would decorate a paper bag or a box to carry

our cards.
These are such special memories!

My cards are now standing at attention on flower frogs across my mantel.

Those little frogs are handy for more than holding flowers.

Do you still send Valentine's?

Do you love receiving them?
Do children still decorate a bag to carry Valentine's?

Happy Valentine's Day to each of you, dear friends!

Have an extra special day.

I hope you receive at least one Valentine from someone special.

One friend always surprises me and that makes me extra happy.

Enjoy the day!
Sending Love to you!

Valentine and Tea time

Saturday I got to play at T Project, making Valentine's and sipping tea.

What fun we had playing with paper and glue.

Teri is such a lovely host.

While we played she read poetry to us.

Now how fun is that!?

Her shop is a mixture of art exhibits and tea.

We sipped I'll Take you There, a Darjeeling with vanilla bean, pink peppercorns,
rare tea flowers.  This is my favorite. 
Then we sipped Voila, an Indian black with spices, fennel,
safflower, roses, lavender, bergamot
Teri's specialties are blending teas with flowers and herbs.

 

You can find her website and details here:  http://www.tprojectshop.com/

If you are in the area sign up for her email notifications,

 she has wonderful events from time to time. 

Sending love for Valentine's Day and all year long.

May each of you feel the love each and every day.

hugs!!!

Tea Time full of Love

 Tea time is ready!

 An afternoon tea with special friends is awaiting.

Tea in this teapot was Castleton Moonlight, Darjeeling.

 Once the fun began I almost forgot to photograph the food.

There was quiche lorraine, roast beef with carmelized onions,

black olive sandwich, and my favorite egg salad sandwich.

Tea in this teapot was Rama Tulsi, a herbal tea.

There were scones warm from the oven, served with strawberry jam and marscapone.

 The sweets were a strawberry chocolate heart shaped pie,

sugar cookies, apricot shortbread, and puff pastry with lemon curd.

Tea time with friends is such a joy.

We sat by the fire on a winter day, sipping tea

and nibbling tea delights.

Linking to Bernideen at http://blog.bernideens.com/

Book Review

By the teahouse at the Japanese Gardens.

Photos were taken at the Japanese Gardens in Portland, Oregon

Shitamoe, he said, shoots under snow.  It was a nod to the hope of spring returning, to the ancestor Rikyu's simple tea, and to the new life, unbelievably, slumbering inside my older sister............The only sounds in the room were like breath: the soughing of the boiling water, the whisper of the tea whisk in the bowl.

"When he wrote to the Meiji court, he said the aim of tea was that people face one another as equals.  Just as you said, he wanted a way for merchant and samurai, commoner and artisan, Kyoto native and Satsuma man," she said, nodding here to Advisor Kato, "to set those differences aside and meet each other in the teahouse as equals, as fellow men"- inspired, she snatched at Kato's rhetoric - "under the Emperor, citizens of a new Japan."

The book, The Teahouse Fire" by Ellis Avery is full of tea and tea ceremony in a Japanese teahouse during the late 1800's.  It made me sad to see how women were treated during that time and how the Western world began changing things in the country.  I missed being enveloped by that world after finishing this book a few days ago.  Definitely worth reading.

Happy Friday, dear friends!

Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow!

In front of our house there is a heart of crocus each Valentine's.

Often children stop by to see it and it has even been photographed by

people walking by.  It is a little difficult to photograph, but hope you can tell.

Nibble on Cookies

Recuperating from neck surgery since the end of December has given

me time to think and just be.

Normally this is not who I am.

I am fairly independent.

I haven't been given permission from the doctor to drive yet

and this is beginning to really bug me.

I don't like having to depend on others to drive me where I want to go

and then wait for their schedule to do so.

Soon, very soon I must regain my sanity and independence.

So in the meantime, I am sitting here sipping tea and nibbling on cookies.

Not having ventured out much I just am beginning to realize Valentines

is coming next week. And next week I will celebrate healing with a drive in my car.

Think I will go to the chocolate shop.

Care to join me?

Oh, but you would have to come here.

Savor the Day with Tea

Mailman coming through the snow.

Is there a Valentine just for me?

Sitting here with my love, sipping tea.

Looking forward to a week of hearts.

Will you come and share a cup with me?

Valentine and winter white a perfect combination.

Notice what you notice and enjoy the day.

Celebrate and savor each and every way.

Happy Valentine's Week!

PS:  The tea cozy, teapot, and tea glasses (only two sets left) are Marmalady's products.

They can be found at www.marmaladys.com

Linking to Bernideen at Bernideen's Tea Time blog

Heart and Flowers - Part 2

Hearts and Flowers can be displayed so many different ways.
The flowers here are my first crocus of the season.
If you saw them in a wider angle you might notice that they
grow in my lawn in the shape of a heart.
They always make an appearance for Valentine's and
they haven't disappointed this year either.
There are other hearts here too.

Since I haven't had a give away in awhile and it is Valentine's Day,
I am having a small give away.
I will pick one of these hearts to come your way
along with a copy of the newly released issue of Tea a Magazine.
Just leave a comment here to be placed in the drawing.
The winner will be announced next Monday.

Happy Valentine's to all of you.

May your day be filled to overflowing with love.

Hearts and Flowers

 

For Aye and Aye

They say that we are growing old,

You, my dear, and I,

Which may be so by count of years-

Figures do not lie.

And yet-and yet, how unaware

Are figures of this truth-

Love triumphing time is far

More sweet than love of youth.

And I am still all yours, my dear,

As you, thank God, are mine-

For life, and then for aye and aye,

Each other's Valentine.

Kitchen Sonnets by Ethel Romig Fuller

The passion of red hearts and flowers is seen here.
As my eyes no longer see as clearly,
the brilliant color shines.
Do you love chocolates and flowers for Valentine's,
or is it just the thought, dear friend.
For Valentine's is just another day, but
yet set aside for you.
We will share our hugs and love so true,
and celebrate the day.
Happy Valentine's, dear friends.

Sending you Love

February 14th is the day of LOVE.
Valentine's Day it is called.
So my heart and my mind is beginning to look forward to this day
with cookies made of all things sweet.
I am surrounding myself with those I love
and cherishing the thoughts of LOVE.
But I am reminded as I think of Valentine's Day
that each day should be a day of LOVE.
There may not always be heart shaped cookies,
but certainly a hug and the hearing and telling of LOVE.

I see PASSION in this day.
A day of red hearts, red roses, and boxes of chocolates.
So today I am celebrating Valentine's Day
because I know each day is a day of LOVE.

Decorations that Delight my Heart

This year when I took down the Christmas decorations I decided
I needed to do some decorating to just delight my heart.
Taking a look at what I already had out some revisions to the theme were made.
My daughter knitted a string of 12 little mittens for me for Christmas.
They aren't just any little mittens, but ones made with wool
I spun many years ago and I love them.
The mittens have been hung over the mantel and little hearts tucked inside
to celebrate the coming month of February and Valentine's.
My snow girl received a heart.
A basket of little inspirational hearts came out.
Finally I left one of my faux trees standing and put hearts on it.
All this to say, seeing my heart decorations definitely makes my heart sing.
Let the winter darkness come, it won't get me down - NO IT WON'T.
We will stand firm, laugh and dance and celebrate even in the darkness!

Sweetheart Cake

Sharing in the celebration.
Visit Koralee at Bluebird Notes.
Wish I could send you all a piece of cake today.
Happy Valentine's Day!

Put on your Party Dress

Put on your Party Dress
and get ready to dance!
Twirl in the sunshine
Laugh
Sing

Soon the flowers will shine
the sun will come out
Rejoice and be Happy

Do you have hearts hanging from your dress?
Do you have love sitting on your shoulder?
Enjoy each moment and Dance!

Love and Joy

This is the week leading up to Valentine's Day.
Do you do something special?
Send cards to those you love?
Eat more chocolate?
Buy or receive red roses?
What expectations do you have?

May it be full of Love and Joy.

We can always buy our own chocolates
and roses, but Love and Joy take
more than ourselves. It doesn't need to
be the love of romance, but a love among
friends and family can touch the heart and
fill it with great joy.

Take JOY!

Stop in the Name of Love

Since this year's word is "Create"; I decided I

would make my valentine for my husband.

Here is the results.

I hope he likes it, it was great fun

to create.

Happy Valentine's Day to each one of you!

Take time to stop and relish love.