Join me for a cup of tea ... Part 11

Welcome to another Saturday Tea. This has been a long week for me as I started working out 5 days a week with me husband, so I am really ready for a relaxing cup of tea. Please pull up a seat, join me for a cup of tea and some sweet treat of your choice. Last time we had tea I showed you the Teacups and Saucers from my friend Kristin.



This week I want to show you a cup that I had fun searching for. My husband was sent to an Army school at Fort Gordon, Georgia that ran over Easter weekend 2007. I flew up to meet him for the weekend and we spent the weekend exploring Augusta which included a variety of antique stores. Among them I'd seen a few teacups and saucers, especially in this particular store, but for some reason, I'd kept coming back to this one. Maybe it was the vivid colors, or the classic beauty of it, but it was the one I'd chosen to document the weekend.

After dinding my teacup, I joined my husband for an Easter Sunday game of golf (which neither of us is really good at) inspired by the Master's happening in Agusta that weekend.

Until our next visit ...

A Book of Treasures

Today I want to share with you my pretty pink photo album. I saw it at Target I think and JUST HAD TO HAVE IT! Though at the time I didn't know what to use it for.



One day I was trying to organize my teacups and other tea-related items and thought, while not catolog them. I was already photographing them for my blog.



So on the back of each photo is the date, description and story of how each one came to join my collection. Many of those stories are recounted on my Saturday Tea posts, as I go through each one in chronoligcal order.



So do you think I am oddly organized yet? My husband and friends think so. DO you organize your collection or anyhting like this? Next week I will preview another binder or two that I have.

Until our next visit ...

Trying something new

Yesterday my husband and I went to the the "city" to watch the new Underworld movie and stopped at Michael's Craft Store so I could get stuff to re-string the pearl necklaces he'd sent me from Afghanistan.

Now I am not to admit that PEARLS are this girls best friend and the fact that both necklaces broke has had me in all sorts of turmoil, since all that I had left was my set of pink pearls ... what do I wear if I've got red on?

So, there we are. George is off somewhere doing something as he tends to wander and I was immersed among the shiny beads. I'd found some beautiful pink glass beads that match some metal beads that I'd bought when George and I were planning on renewing our vows in May for our 5 year anniversary. I'd also found some antique glass pearl beads that I "just had to have" to make a necklace and bracelet for a wedding I am a bridesmaid for in May.

So once we got home after the movie and dinner, George had fallen asleep while watching TV so I took out the beads and proceeded to start on some pieces.

There I sat at the kitchen table just working away and this is what I accomplished ...





I love the toggle clasps. I don't know why, but they seem to be a favorite. The double heart beads are the ones I'd bought to make a headpiece for our vow renewal. They were just too pretty not to make something with.

Now, I must admit, I'd never done beading before other than maybe putting beads on a cross stitch project, so it was new to me. Here is what I learned ...

1. Beading requires patience
2. Puppies cannot help, no matter how much they think they can.
3. Those suckers are REALLY slippery
4. Never bead on top of carpet, especially if it is the same color as your beads.
5. If your husband tells you that the oil and grime on the needlenose pliers will not get on your beads because it is "all dried" don't believe him ... especially if wearing white pants!
6. Don't bead in silence, because if your husband walks up and startles you, the beads will go EVERYWHERE!

All in all, it was a fun project and I have a few more ideas. Have you done any beading? What tips do you have for a beginner?

Until our next visit ...

Join me for a cup of tea ... part 10

Welcome to another Saturday Tea. I hope your week has been a good one. Please pull up a seat, have a cup of tea and some sweet treat of your choice. Last time we had tea I showed you the 5 Teacups and Saucers from my Grandmother's collection but I forgot to mention there was also a pretty saucer wh'd lost it's cup mate a long time ago. If I can find a picture of it, I will post at a later date, but today I am going to share with you the cups given to me by my closest friend, KG.

KG is also a military spouse. We'd met one fateful day in early 2006 when she got a job as a fellow staff writer at the post newspaper where I worked. She was given the office next to me and we'd hit it off from the start. So much in fact that the door that actually linked our officed on the shared wall was always open with our desks also being on or near that wall so we could chat throughout the day. (The previous writer actually had closed and blocked the door with a bookcase ... Point taken!)

At the time George had been deployed in Afghanistan. After long conversations and shared stories we realized just how much we had in common, aside from being military spouses and writers. She too was a Captain's wife with no children and furbabies who kept her busy. We lived in the same neighborhood, one street away from each other (there is actually a little path through the wooks that connect our homes) and she too has family in the area.

We bonded quickly as our higher education levels had made us outcasts at work (don't ask, but it appeared that HAVING an education was a negative thing.)

Anyway, shortly after George came home we had the chance to introduce our husbands after two power surges knocked out two TVs and computer, I offered her one of our TVs since we didn't really need three TVs in a house with two people! When she returned them she brought along these (below) teacups and saucers that had been given to her by her mother but she didn't want them and thought they'd have a loving home with me.



There were so many to look at. My poor husband was forgotten about for a day or so while I sorted, washed and cataloged them. There were a few that stood out to me, but I'm having trouble finding some of those individual pictures since I got my new computer. If I find them I will posts.

KG and I still continue to be close. We both left the newspaper within a week of each other, both taking jobs as Family reps ... she for my husband's unit and me for the MPs which her husband's unit fell under at that time. True to our "one is never without the other" repuation, both of our husbands recieved orders for their next duty station. We will leave at the same time and go to military posts and hour and a half away from each other. I guess that'll make our seperation transition a little easier.

Until our next visit ...

Teacups to share ...

So there are mornings when I wake up and think, "I wonder what Jan is doing today?" Now for those of you who visit Jan and Tom @ Rose Haven, know what I'm talking about. Every week there is something new and surprising, but she also does a variety of weekly events like Rose Wednesday.

Well, I was not surprised when I logged on this week and found that she was sharing again with others in a tea cup give-a-way. These Give-Aways will last for 15 weeks...every Thursday, starting today. The last Give-Away will be on April 30th. The Photo below is of the ACTUAL cups and saucer sets.



So here's how it works ... You must:
1. Live in the USA only
2. Have a blog
3. Only comments left the on the weekly post will be considered for the Teacup and Saucer being given away that week
4. You may ONLY win ONCE in the 15 week Give-Away
5. If you do NOT win, you will have to post again the following week, for another chance.
6. Each week there may be a topic of discussion for the comment section, so be sure to read before entering.

For 5 EXTRA ENTRIES into the weekly drawing, take the GIVE-AWAY BUTTON , just below (it's smaller and will fit on your side-bar) ~ put it on your blog side-bar, with this HYPER-LINK to her blog:
http://jt-jantom.blogspot.com/2009/01/special-announcementof-new-weekly-give.html

Now that you know where to find Jan, take time to browse through her blog. I will guarentee you'll find something you like.

Until our next visit ...

Filling a Room Full of Flowers

This week I am going to share with you one of my favorite current projects.

Decorating my house is one of the most exciting hobbies. The search for "just the right fabric, furniture piece, accessory" to make it a home and to express myself is a very satisfying reward.

In our home, while I take in to account my husband's comfort and the puppy's needs, when it comes to the kitchen, that is my place of solice.

Until recently, we had a sitting area in our dinningroom with the dining table pushed under the window like a bistro table for two. I'd started to stitch some pillows for the seating area.



I loved this pattern from the first time I found it. It was a free pattern on the Internet two years ago. I wish I could find it again, because I want to make another one. I think I'd also like to make a wall hanging. I'm just really in love with the pattern. I'm hoping that there is another copy of the pattern in the stack of free patterns in my craft closest.

The fabric was a gift from an online friend in an exchange, and I wish I could find more of it as well as more soft colors like that. Any ideas, suggestions?

Below is the material for additional pillows and stuff.



I'm really excited because at our next duty station we're looking to rent a house off post which will give us a chance at a larger house for the housing allowance we get. George said that if there is a dining room and breakfast area that I will be able to make the breakfast area into a sitting room with a cabinet for my teacups. I'm really excited. I'll definitely post pics when the pillows are done and if I get my sitting room.

Until our next cup of tea ...

Join me for a cup of tea ... part 9

Welcome to another Saturday tea. I enjoy then so much as I relive the treasured memories of each tea cup on my colletion. Last time I told you about the Mexican Teacup and Saucer that I got when my husband and and I went to a resort after his last deployment.

Today, I want to tell you about my maternal grandmother. She can be tough as nails when needed (and when my brother and I were young we needed it a lot I'm sure), but she is also the most poised, well-mannered and elegant lady. Even when she is elbow deep in her garden after a rain storm, she still seems to have the elegance of a grand lady. I must say she has probably been the largest influence on my life even though as a child we saw her only twice a year when my mother had visitation.



For my pending birthday (Jan. 22, 2006) she gave me five tea cups and saucers to add to my collection.

I asked her about her collection and she said that she started collecting them when she was my age. She had no preferences or requirements, just choosing those she was drawn too. She has given some away over the years, but I think secretly she was happy that I was starting my own collection and she could pass her collection along to me.

I told her about how when I was a little girl I would sit at the coffee table in the den and pretend I was a Spanish Queen pouring tea for her visitors. I loved playing with her silver set.

Growing up I loved to look at my Granny's tea cup collection, from afar of course. She kept them on top of the china cabinet, but there was a silver tea set that sat out on the coffee table, probably because it was unbreakable (trust me I dropped them a few times.)

My grandmother wasn't a "high class socialite" but she is a firm believer in perfect manners, being polite and getting the most from your education. I think that's why manners and style are inmportant to me today.

These the individual tea cups are from her personal collection that she passed to me that January for my 29th birthday. They are elegant and beautiful – just like her.











Every time I look at them, a new favorite emerges. Which do you like best?

Until our next visit ...

Petals in the Storm

When Hurricane Ike, the third most destructive hurricane to make landfall in the U.S., George and I were in Houston caring for his dad who was in no condition to be moved long distances even if he wasn't as stubborn as ever saying no hurricane would run him out of his home!

For 18 days we were without power, living off of generator and scrounging for fuel and food. Amid all the chaos, my husband still found a way to show me how much he appreciated me. He booked a night at one of the local hotels that had power, and this is what greeted me, even though a hot shower was all I had expected ...











I told you he treats me like a princess!

Until our next visit ...

Join me for a cup of tea ... part 8

Welcome to the first Saturday Tea of 2009. Thanks for joining me. Last time we had tea I showed you the Marble Teaset my husband brought back from Afghanistan. Well, that same month, two weeks after returning from deployment he took me to El Dorado Royale in Cancun for vacation. It was while we were there that I found this next piece to my collection ...



I'd always loved Mexican pottery and spending time in Houston with my mother I saw a lot of it. So from the onset of my collection, I knew I wanted some, not only because it would be a reminder of my heritage, but because of the general beauty and artisty of these pieces.

I noticed when looking at the Mexican tea cups that unlike most the design is not centered with the handle on the left, they are centered in the middle of the cup. I don't know if they are all like that or just the ones local to the Cancun/Playa del Carmen area. You'll see later on what I mean, because we went back almost a year later and I got another one.

Until our next visit ...

Join the Tea Party ...

There's a Tea Party hosted by Jan and Tom's Rose Haven and you're invited!

I'm so excited, the first Tea Party of the new year! I just love tea parties ... the crisp linen, the shiney silver, sugar cubes and lemon slices laid out on pretty plates. Chatting with friends, meeting new aquaintances ... tea parties are so much fun!

Oh, what to wear!?! Well, I've got my hat and tea cup, so join me for a sweet treat ...

Until our next visit ...

A Plateful of Roses

With all the holidays finally winding down, I thought I'd take the time to show you one of my favorite dishes, both actualy serving dish and recipe.

I often use this tart plate for food at social events. Life in the miltiary, particularly those of officers tend to include a lot of social activities, from spouses club events, to 'hail and farewells' to holiday parties and potlucks. A favorite "quick dish" that I make when I have an event following a day at work is my red, white and blue dessert. How suiting to have a patriotic dish at military functions!



I take red and blue berries and place in a variety of designs in the tart plate and drizzle with room temperature vanilla pudding or white chocolate and then place in the fridge overnight. It is so yummy and very quick and easy, and when it's all finished how could you not enjoy the sight of that pretty plate staring back at you!?!

Until our next visit ...

Look at what I did!

I stitched this over the Christmas weekend. I used DMC's Satin Floss. At first I was going to use it as a bookshelf, but now I'm thinking I want to frame it and put it on a table among pictures or something.

Until our next visit ...