More This and That...

 Happy February 1st!  It's National Cherry month, and other significant days.

I was out shopping on Wednesday and found some fun things at Marshalls'/HomeGoods that I wanted to share with you.  Since Valentine's Day is right around the corner, several things in their Valentine's section begged to come home with me - a teapot, heart-shaped ovenproof covered casserole dish and heart-shaped soup bowls.  

I couldn't leave these heart-shaped dessert spoons behind either!

 

My youngest son is a big Elvis fan, so when I saw an Elvis cup/mug I knew I had to get it for him [it was also at Marshalls' if you're an Elvis fan].  It's been mailed and will be a fun unexpected surprise.  Maybe Jeremy can use it in his home office for a pen and pencil holder??Elvis would have celebrated his 90th birthday on January 8th if he were still living. 

Have you ever watched a food video on your iPhone that looked easy and delicious, but didn't turn out like the video portrayed?  Last week I watched a video for a crockpot pull-apart pizza [using frozen dinner rolls] which I thought would be a perfect accompaniment for one of our soup meals.  It would probably be cheaper to buy a pizza from a pizzeria because by the time the frozen rolls, pizza sauce, pepperoni, Italian sausage and mozzarella cheese were purchased, it was pricey.  That would have been okay if we liked it, but I was very disappointed with the results. I watched the video several times to make sure I did everything correctly, and I made it twice with disappointing results both times.  The cooking times and/or temperatures were way off and the rolls around the perimeter were burned.  We ate it and my hubby said it was okay, but I won't be making it again.  The crockpot went back down to the basement.  ;-)

Part of my job at The Whitney is making sure we have an ample supply of teacups for Mansion Tea on Fridays and Saturdays.  There is so much breakage by the wait staff that the supply was getting low, so I contacted Maria, owner of a local estate sale shop, and she sold me 50 vintage teacups.  My hubby and I went to pick them up yesterday after work.  I try not to get too attached to any of them because I know they'll all have a fateful doom, but for now our supply is up again.

With all the American and British potteries that have closed due to a lack of demand for teacups and other pieces of china/porcelain, I wonder if the day will come when they'll no longer be available once the older generation dies and china isn't replenished by younger generations who have no interest.  What a sad thought!

On a happier note, enjoy the month of February!  

This and That

January is almost over and I forgot to write about Pantone's 2025 Color of the Year, Mocha Mousse. Do you have anything that color... clothing, dishware, linens or bedding, upholstered furniture, draperies, accessory pillows, or a room in your home?

I think one wall in my bathroom might be pretty close to the Pantone Color of the Year.

I belong to a Facebook group called Christian Tea Time & Hospitality.   A week ago a member of the group posted pictures of her sizeable tea library.  What fun looking at her books to see if any were in my collection.  Turns out I had 36 of hers.  I've been growing my tea library since 1998 [when I first became smitten by tea] and over those 27 years I've accumulated just over 300 tea books.  I haven't bought any in awhile because I ran out of room to put them.   These pics are before I removed all of them to organize.  

I decided to organize all my books by subject and/or author, and then photograph them so I'd have a record.  What a job!!!  I had six duplicates which I gave to two other tea lovers.

Photo of bookcase after it was organized.

Wouldn't it be fun if there was a library filled with just tea books?  Imagine how many tea books have been written over the years.

I recently read that readers live on average two years longer than non-readers.

On another subject... I'm having some ladies over for a tea luncheon this Tuesday, so I've been working on my tablescape and menu.  I'm going with a Valentine's theme.  I found a heart-shaped stoneware platter with matching dessert dishes [sets of 4] at Aldi's yesterday and wanted to share them with you in case you have an Aldi's near you.  They were very reasonably priced - $29.97 for everything plus tax.

And these cute chargers at Hobby Lobby - 40% off - $2.39 each.

We finally took all our lighted tea houses down from the top of the family room bookcases and packed them away, as well as taking our 9-ft. Christmas tree down.  If it weren't for company coming I probably would have left it up a little longer as we really enjoyed its ambiance.  I was late getting it decorated so it didn't seem like we had that long to enjoy it [although a little over a month should be long enough ;-)].

I used to decorate a 3-ft. artificial tree for all the holidays when the grandchildren were younger, and I toyed with the idea of getting it out to decorate for Valentine's Day this year, but it probably won't happen.

In between shopping, my tea book project and dismantling Christmas decorations, I've been continuing my soup making - today was pot #9 - Tortilla Soup - so good!  

I'll close with another cute tea graphic that came through my Facebook feed recently.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

I had an appointment this afternoon that required venturing out of my nice, warm, comfy house, and it was cold.  Schools are closed, but surprisingly there was mail delivery.  As I type this post it's 3 degrees with a wind chill of -11 degrees, so I'm still making lots of comforting soups - tomorrow will be recipe [pot] #8.  I just found a good recipe for cheese bread online and am anxious to try it with tomorrow's soup - Zuppa Toscana, a copycat recipe of Olive Garden's potato soup, with Italian sausage and kale.

In the past I've shared photos of teacup shaped bathtubs, teapot shaped showers, and teapot shaped pantries, and last week a photo came through my Facebook feed for plush giant teacup shaped loungers.  The one below is by Lux Arts.

Disney Home Decor has tea kettle and teapot loungers too.  Who knew home furnishings in the shape of teapots and teacups would ever be popular.  During winter's cold weather, you might not ever want to leave them!  I just had to share in case they're your cup of tea.

For charcuterie lovers, I just discovered teacup 'charcuTEArie' on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.  They're perfect for a tea party.

Last Friday, my girlfriend, Sandy, and a friend she used to work with came to tea at The Whitney.  I was able to sit down and chat a bit with them.  Tea was served on the second floor in Mrs. Whitney's bedroom.

A few pics my girlfriend's friend took.

In closing I'll share a cute tea cartoon I saw online that's very typical of tea lovers.  I recently went through my pantry and threw out a lot of tea I knew I'd never drink, even though I hate being wasteful.  It's so easy to accumulate a hoard of tea.

Homebound Reflections

It was on my calendar to drive down to the area where I grew up to have lunch with the gals I attended high school with today, BUT... it's 19 degrees outside [feels like 10] and more snow is predicted this afternoon so I decided to stay home and join them next month instead. 

Below is a picture I took from my front porch yesterday.  It's not a lot of snow, but enough to make you want to stay inside where it's warm and cozy, and drink lots of tea.  It's the perfect month for National Hot Tea Month.

We're enjoying our 5th pot of homemade soup since the beginning of January:  Northern White Bean & Ham;  Split Pea & Ham; Hamburger Vegetable with Barley; Creamy Cauliflower; and Chicken Noodle [actually I used Orzo pasta instead of noodles because I had it in the pantry and didn't want to go out to the store to buy noodles].  Soups are comfort food at it's best when it's cold outside, and they're so healthy.  

My hubby and I went to Ike's Lebanese restaurant Sunday after church and I ordered Lemon Lentil Soup, and now I'm anxious to make a pot of that, along with six other's on my list [which keeps growing].

I've been keeping occupied while staying indoors by reading about former President Carter and his beloved wife, Rosalynn.  Last week I watched his memorial service at The Carter Center in Atlanta; transporting his body to the U.S. Capitol and the service there; the beautiful service at the National Cathedral; returning his body to Plains for the service at Maranatha Baptist Church and interment at the Carter home property.   What a remarkable couple with no 'dirty laundry' for the media to exploit!

I read previously that Jimmy Carter was the second-best presidential cook after Ike [Dinner with the President], and he and Rosalynn shared cooking responsibilities.  One article stated he taught Rosalynn how to cook when they were first married, and another contradicted it by saying as a teenager she helped her mother cook for her three younger siblings when her father died.  Regardless, they also enjoyed cooking together sometimes, as they did with so many other activities. What fun it was watching Paula Deen's two shows where she went to Plains and cooked with President Carter.

I ordered the book, The Carter Family Favorites cookbook and am anxious for it to arrive

One of Mr. Carter's favorite foods was cornbread.  Executive White House Chef, Henry Haller, [1966-1987] shared the Carter's cornbread recipe in his book, White House Family Cookbook [it's on my wish list].  I decided to honor the former President by making cornbread for dinner last night to go with our soup.  It was yummy.

Since Mr. Carter was a peanut farmer, he loved anything with peanuts in it, including Peanut Butter Pie, so that was our dessert last night.  My hubby is a peanut butter lover so it was a hit with him, and I liked it too.  I should point out, however, that the Carter's ate very healthy, which meant watching their sugar intake and avoiding foods with additives - they made fresh foods a priority, and limiting their fat and sodium intake.  The White House Chef said he only prepared a dessert for them on weekends.  Maybe that's why he lived to be 100 and Rosalynn 96?? 

President Carter did enjoy dairy products - cheese in particular, and would include it in another favorite food - grits.

I read that the Carter's liked tea.  Mr. Carter drank tea or coffee with meals, and sometimes chose hot tea over coffee.   If he had iced tea he drank Lipton's.  Below is a photo of the President and Rosalynn having lunch on the White House patio.

[Internet Photo]

I had heard of Peanut Soup before, but it didn't sound appealing to me.  I read yesterday that peanuts are a legume in the pea family [they're known in the south as goober peas] but they're categorized as nuts for culinary purposes.  They're a protein-packed food containing vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Their popularity grew significantly during Mr. Carter's Presidential campaign and White House Administration.

Have you had Peanut Soup before?  I may have to reconsider it.

That sums up what I've been doing to keep occupied while being homebound.  How have you been keeping busy?

National Hot Tea Month and Soup's On!

It's 26 degrees in Michigan right now and feels like 16 degees.  It's a good day for staying indoors and sipping hot tea and savoring nutritious, hearty soup.

The Tea Council of the USA recognizes January as National Hot Tea Month.  What hot tea are you drinking today?  My tea of choice is Harney & Sons Blueberry Green Tea.

One of the meats we had on Christmas Eve was a spiral cut honey glazed ham.  I used the bone to make a pot of northern white bean soup and cubed up leftover ham for a pot of split pea soup.  Both were yummy.  I made a list of eight other soups to make over the next couple of weeks, one of which is French Onion soup.  I really like the soup, but rarely order it in a restaurant because the cheese is so stringy and difficult to eat. 

Campbell Soup Company declared January as National Soup Month in 1984.  It's definitely a comfort food, that's 'M'm!  M'm!  Good.  Do you enjoy hearty soups for winter-time dinners?

I've been reading about 'Soup Parties' on Pinterest.  I wonder how successful a soup gathering would be for a church ladies' outing during the winter months of January or February when not much is happening on the calendar.  Have you ever gone to a soup party?

2024 Review - Part II

 Continuing the review with the second half of the year...

~ July ~

The City of Detroit celebrated its 323rd birthday and granddaughter Ellie turned 12!

~ August ~

Granddaughters Izzy and Ellie came to The Whitney for lunch.

Daughter Lori celebrated her 57th Birthday at The Whitney with Granddaughter, Marissa

A meet-up with three paternal cousins [sisters] at Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel.  I hadn't seen them since 2012.  They live in Florida, Tennessee, and the youngest one just recently moved to Texas after living in Colorado for several years.  

~ With our spouses ~

~ September ~

Orchard Ridge Ladies' Fall Tea - Theme:  Broken Vessel Restoration

Granddaughter, Izzy, and son, Jeremy, celebrated their 19th and 45th Birthdays

~ October ~

Our son, Steve, celebrated his 55th Birthday.

Hubby and I attended The Whitney's Halloween Event

~ November ~

My hubby turned 78!

A meet-up with four maternal cousins.  One I hadn't seen in 35 years.

~ December ~

ORCN Ladies' Annual Cookie Swap

The Whitney's Christmas Tea

Attending a High Tea at Waldenwoods in Howell, MI

Our Christmas Tree

Orchard Ridge Candlelight Service

Happy Birthday Jesus!  He's the Reason for the Season.

That concludes the highlights/review of 2024.  Now 2025 unfolds as a blank canvas.  My heart's desire is that I will shine for Jesus every single day.