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 ...

A Christmas Project ... and a Promise for Next Year

So the day after Christmas was just as exciting for me as the holiday itself. As many of you know we brought back a variety of items from my father-in-law's house after cleaning it. Most of the furniture went to storage after I made a detailed list so I'd know what we can get rid of here before consolidating (do two people really need 6 TVs?)

So in all the turmoil of the recent weeks and the holidays on top of it, my precious (though small) craft closet became a catch-all for anything that my husband didn't know where it went or what I would deal with "in a minute." So, day after Christmas I decided to takle this former haven of solice here at Rose Manor. This is what I was greeted with after I opened the door (I was lucky to get it opened!) ...



My poor closet looked like it had contained Hurricane Ike for a week! My close friends were amazed that I hadn't lost my sanity with my OCD tendencies. I too wondered how I hadn't lit a match and started over.

I completely emptied it out and after 4 hours of sorting and disposing of trash, I loaded my Tahoe (after removing ALL of the seats) with stuff to be donated to the post Thrift Store (which provided scholarships for military spouses and children). I reorganized and after threat to my husband resulting in promises to get rid of the old printers and relocating his guns within the month, this is what I walked away with ...



After all that cleaning I found quite a few half finished projects in there. I'm hoping in 2009 that I will get a good number of them marked off. SO after a bit of organized chaos, I've managed to make a list of what needs to be done. There is no promis that I won't start anything new, but hopfully the "to be done list" is smaller by the end of 2009.

I'm not really one to make New Year's resolutions, because I really don't think you have to wait until a certain time of year to make choices that will make your life better. However, this year, I decided (not resolved) to get some projects finished this year. Mostly cross stitch, but a few others as well. So here it is ... my mighty list of procratination.

To be Sewn:
□ Pink and Blue Baby Blanket
□ Pink and Blue Doll Quilt
□ Freedom Wallhanging
□ Purple Quilt Block
□ Christmas Wreath Pillow
□ Blue and Gold Heart Quilt (new project I will tell you about soon)

To be Stitched:
□ Army Seal
□ Daisy Tabletopper
□ Rose Quilt Blocks
□ Rose Pillowcases
□ God Bless Me Pillow
□ God Bless Me Blanket
□ Stuffed Lion
□ Lindsey Stained Glass
□ Easter Bunny and Egg-Mom
□ Easter Bunny and Egg-Me
□ Roly Poly Santas
□ 12 Small Christmas Ornaments (former SAL)
□ Love, Honor, Cherish Centerpeices/Placemats

Needless to say, I have more than enough to do without starting any new projects, but we'll see. There are a few things that I'd like to do for the house such as ...

□ Christmas Stocking George
□ Christmas Stocking Michelle
□ Christmas Stocking Sgt. Major
□ Mistletoe Tree Skirt
□ Kitchen Towel- Christmas
□ Kitchen Towel- Thanksgiving
□ Kitchen Towel- Halloween
□ Kitchen Towel- 4th of July
□ Kitchen Towel- Easter
□ Kitchen Towel- Valentine’s Day

I'll post my progress periodically, but please feel free to inquire at anytime, it may motivate to get some of these projects done.

Until our next visit ...

Our First Christmas ...

Well maybe it wasn't our first Christmas, but it was our first Christmas at home. For the past 7 years we've been together, we've spent our holidays traipsing from one Family event to another. Usually 3 a day. It was so exhausting and left us very cranky and lacking any holiday cheer.

This year we stayed home. Christmas Eve we had a candlelight dinner. George had marinated some steaks and I cooked some veggies and we had a nice bottle of wine before watching a movie. I had to wait for him to fall asleep so that the neighbor could bring over the Craftsman tool chest I'd gotten him. It seemed like it took forver to get it across the street and every noise sounded like a cannon. He was alseep in the livingroom so I was sure he'd hear the garage door. But I got it safety tucked in the garage and then woke him up to go to bed.

Christmas morning we woke up and I made pancakes. Actually first I prepared the ham by marinating it in Bourbon before cooking it in a brown sugar and Bourbon glaze. As you may imagine, Sgt. Major was VERY helpful ... all the way to the fridge ... as seen here ...



Then we opened presents. Puppy first ... we got him this oversized bone and a stuffed animal with squeaker. That damn bone turned him into Cujo and now, two days later we still cannot walk into whatever room he is in without him growling an lunging at us. {sigh} He was such a nice boy before that bone turned him eveil. George and I have decided to take it to the garage. We try this every few months. but those stupid bones turn him into an evil pup. Here he is guarding his treasures ...



What a rotten dog, But I digress.

Next it was our turn to exchange gifts. George got me an 80G Zune and new cell phone, both the same color as my computer. I am so excited that all my electronic toys match! (I know, I'm a total dork, but whatever!) I'll post a pic as soon as I am willing to put them down long enough. He also got me 3 of my top 5 holiday movies ... White Christmas (ultimate favorite, I love Bing Crosby!), Miracle on 34th Street and It's a Wonderful Life. I grew up without a TV and my stepmother never let us help with any decorations, she'd put up the stockings and IF we had a tree while we were all sleeping. So when I grew I kind of reverted to trying to recreate those Christmas memories that most people get when they are children.

George got a BlueRay player, two movies to go with it (something about Star Wars Clones and Tropical Thunder), the Craftsman tool chest, a hat from our college to replace the one he lost and a Texas hitchcover for his new truck (Oh, yeah, I'll have to post a picture of that soon too!)

After than we watched movies and ate luch (ham, green bean casserole and yams) at about 1 p.m. After that we just hung out about the house and played with out new toys while trying to stay out of Cujo's way. For desert we had Port (that is some SWEET tasting stuff) and pumpkin pie. It was an absolutely great day!

Until our next visit ...

Merry Christmas ....

Merry Chistmas from Rose Manor and a very disgruntled Santa!

Christmastime at Rose Manor

Christmastime has arrived here at Rose Manor. It's such a wonderfully peaceful time of year. Since I make my holiday list in January and start gathering gifts in February, by November I only have last minute gifts and the planner I get my niece every year (she's as organized as me, which is a given since she shares my name.)

The tree has been decorated ... twice and gifts are being wrapped. This will be the first Christmas we spend at home and to be honest, I am very excited. I tire of the frantic traveling from one relative to the next. It's so stressful making sure no one's feelings get hurt, that gifts aren't forgotten and that somewhere in all that craziness we don't forget to spend a little time with each other and the puppy.

But, back to Rose Manor and it's decorations. Each year I try to make a new set of ornaments. Our tree is all red, white and gold, so the ornaments, all in a Victorian theme follow that color scheme. Here is a sampling of some of those treasures:


This was made from white and gold cording that I hot glued to a styrofoam ball. I made two different sizes in this cording and red and gold cording.


I made a variety of these by rolling them after putting paint inside. Every few hours I'd turn then and two days later, this is what I got. I did a variety, but word of advise, the red and white may turn pink, but it's still pretty.


Here is a gold version of the same ornament.


This is one of my favorites, but a bit of a sad story, many of them turned yellow. I'm guessing it was the fabric stiifener not doing good in storage. This is the lone survivor. Any one have ideas to keep them from turning? I am hooping to find more round doilies so I can make more.


Thiis our current tree skirt. Many years ago my made these for Christmas gifts and I got to help stamp them. When she stopped putting a tree up I got this one. I recently found a monochromatic poinsettia cross stitch patternt that I want to use to make a tree skirt with. Maybe it will be a project for 2009 and I can debut it next year.

Until our next visit ...