Tea on Tuesday

We are all nursing colds post Thanksgiving, so between that and being busy, I have been neglecting my blog!!

My husband brought the nasty cold home, and I was the last to succumb last nite.

I have been downing all types of hot tea with honey and lemon, and chicken soup, trying to ward off the germs.

At this point, I am sick of tea (I know, such a blasphemous statement in a Tea on Tuesday post!)so I am posting about some non tea yummies made a week or so ago!

I found a recipe for pear clafouti on another blog a while back. If you are that blog - please give yourself credit!!! I can't remember where I found the recipe - but it is GOOD!!!!

I managed to eat most of the cake by myself - love red pears - altho no one else in the family is a big fan of pears. Despite my best efforts, the cake did not want to come out of the pan too well - but, as you can see by the last photo- looking less than perfect did NOT take away from the taste!!!!

My daughter made some iced peppermint mochas- totally decadent- for an after clafouti treat!!!!

Please feel free to join us each Tuesday for tea- be sure to visit Kimmie and Patty for a list of other ToT participants!

Tea on Tuesday

While I sit here drinking my aromatic jasmine tea from Harney & Sons , I am skimming thru my new issue of Tea Time Magazine, the Christmas Special issue!!

There are pages and pages of necessi-teas  for gift giving - or giving yourself!!!

There is an article about Chinese teas and the camellia sinensis (tea bush) by Bruce Richardson.

There are articles about beautiful, to die for, teacups, and pages and pages of holiday recipes.

How about sausage and kale scones, mini chestnut cheesecakes, pear puff pastries, lemon cake, plum pudding, raspberry roulade, and the perfect stuffed goose?!?!

If you live in NYC, you can find out the 3 best places to buy tea in Chinatown!!

I just love this magazine!!!

I am also admiring my first real attempt at origami. 

After reading faerwillow's blog post about making 1,000 origami cranes, and seeing photos( from my friend's trip to Japan) of origami crane wish bundles in a Japanese shrine, I felt I just had to try one.

Folding one led to 5 - not made out of traditional origami paper- but decorative craft paper in different weights, including a larger one from a page out of a magazine.

I now have it figured out - but don't think I have the patience to make 1,000!!! Even at 3 per day - totally doable- it would take almost a year to have 1,000 and a wish bundle!!!!

So, I will make a few more, now and then - and however many I create, will probably decorate my Christmas tree! I might even make a mobile (thanks, T!)
Check out this link - and click on the little video there - totally soothing - and I wish I knew the names for the backround music!!

Thanks for dropping in for tea, and feel free to join us every Tuesday! Visit Kimmie and Patty for a list of other tea participants!!

Check This Out..........

..................visit Joan's blog to see pix of this fantastic woodcarver!

Woohoo!!

My blog counter just told me I have had 7,000 visitors since it was installed earlier this year!!!!

Might not be alot of traffic by some blog standards - but I am excited!!!!

Thanks for visiting- and please don't forget to leave comments too!!!

I might have to have a giveaway to celebrate...............I'll have to think on it!!!!!

Clocks, Watches, and Steampunk

I am playing around with creating a little steampunk jewelry.

I received an amazing bag of watch innards in a recent swap!I want to give her credit - Michelle An amazing girl from Poland, with a great blog!

Then, I found an Etsy shop with some great supplies. Now, I am off on another tangent, trying to make something steam punk worthy!!!

Yesterday, a friend reminded me of an old childhood song- seemed kind of appropriate, since I am playing with clocks- here are the lyrics, from 1876! These clocks may have stopped ticking, but they will go on, in another form!!!!

My Grandfather's Clock

My Grandfather's clock was too large for the shelf,
So it stood ninety years on the floor.
It was taller by half than the old man himself,
Though it weighed not a pennyweight more.
It was bought on the morn of the day he was born,
It was always his treasure and pride,
And it stopped short, never to go again, when the old man died.

In watching its pendulum swing to and fro,
Many hours he spent as a boy.
And in childhood and manhood the clock seemed to know,
And it shared both his sorrow and joy.
And it struck twenty-four when he entered the door,
With a blooming and beautiful bride,
And it stopped short, never to go again, when the old man died.

Ninety years without slumbering, tick, tock, tick, tick,
It's life seconds numbering, tick tock, tick, tock,
And it stopped short, never to go again, when the old man died.

My Grandfather said that of those he could hire,
Not a servant so faithful he found.
It wasted no time and it had one desire,
At the end of the week to be wound.
And it stayed in its place, not a frown upon its face,
And it's hands never hung by it's side,
And it stopped short, never to go again, when the old man died.

Now it rang an alarm in the still of the night,
An alarm that for years had been dumb.
We knew that his spirit was pluming in flight,
That his hour of departure had come.
Still the clock kept its time with a soft and muffled chime,
As we silently stood by his side,
And it stopped short, never to go again, when the old man died.

Ninety years without slumbering, tick, tock, tick, tick,
It's life seconds numbering, tick tock, tick, tock,
And it stopped short, never to go again, when the old man died.

A Rarity of Late...............

................my other blog has a new post!!!! Drop by!!!

More Etsy......................

......................another item listed!!  Click here    


FREE SHIPPING (within continental US) on this and other items!  Think Christmas!!!

Tea on Tuesday

I pull out my favorite mug by Richard of Glenfiddich Farm Pottery - Japanese salt glazed, and mixed together 2 loose leaf teas. Lemon Grass and Licorice Root taste really good together. I find I can't drink too much of the licorice root tho-  and it does come with warnings on the bag!!!

 The view below, is at the beginning of my 1,000 foot driveway- the original Hebron Mennonite Church, dated mid 1800's. There is a new brick church right next to it- hopefully, this old one won't be torn down. The fog hangs midway down the mountain, the nighttime temps have dropped close to freezing or below. Can't believe it is already November.......................

Please feel free to join us every Tuesday for tea- and visit Kimmie and Patty for a list of the other tea lovers!

Swaps and Stuff.....................

Here's a matchbox swap I completed and mailed - theme was Twelve Days of Christmas - mine was 12 drummers drumming!!! Thanks to Penny of Linen Shelf for organizing this - can't wait to get my 12 little boxes back!!!

The other thing I am working on is my sketchbook for The Sketchbook Project Tour 2011. It has to be mailed in to the Brooklyn Art House Co-Op by the end of December, I think. Early next year, will join thousands of other sketchbook for a tour around the US!

Quite an ambitious undertaking for me - but I'm giving it a shot!

Here are a few of the pages, all still works in progress:

 Tiny watercolor of the view out back........

Hidden in a compartment in the back of the notebook is a tinier Moleskin notebook - a little watercolor flip book of hummingbirds. I love the way it turned out - unfortunately, the photos don't show it off very well!!

Well, that's all for today.................................

Etsy Shop Update

I have been slowly updating my Etsy inventory - here's a new addition!!

If you are into Renaissance Faires, or are just plain dramatic- this may be just the thing for you!!! It's a very cool, crushed velvet cloak with hood. I should have had it listed for Halloween, but organization is not one of my greatest qualities~~~!!

More will be coming- I am slooooowly getting organized!!!!

GO Giveaway!!!!

I am a lurker and follower of Linda over at Lavender Ridge and she drew me out of the woodwork to comment!! She is having a giveaway of a GO and 3 dies!! WOOHOO!!! 

I wasn't gonna tell (and limit my chances to win) but part of the rules is I have to post about it!!! LOL

So, if you haven't already won one - run on over to Lavender Ridge and follow the directions- and keep your fingers crossed!!!

Tea on Tuesday

 While sipping your tea today, I will have to ask you to skip on over to Martha's Favorites to drool over some of her collection of fabulous teacups!

She actually has 2 of my favorite things - and teacups and costume jewelry!!

The first "teacup" caught my eye- it is diner ware, which I love, and have one in that same pattern.

But, after that, you will see part of her collection of  to die for teacups that make me drool!!

And, at the bottom of her post, is a Mr. Linky, where you can visit other teacup collectors, and turn green with envy..........................I know envy is not a good thing, but green is my favorite color- and when there are teacups involved - I cannot help myself!!!!! LOL

To go with my English Breakfast tea and honey, here is a cake I made- (not sure if I posted this pic before)- made with leftovers from my daughter's  baking.

                                     Waste not, want not....... 

It is a chocolate cake, with cannoli filling. Instead of icing the cake, I just made a chocolate ganache, and drizzled it all over the cake. There was so much cannoli left - and not wanting to waste it, I cored a hole in the center of the cake, and filled it with the rest of the cannoli filling, and popped the core back into the cake! I have to say, not the prettiest cake( I leave pretty to the daughter!) - but delicious!!!

Please feel free to join us any Tuesday for tea! Visit Kimmie and Patty for a list of other Tea on Tuesday partiers!