Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day!  Will you be celebrating with your Sweetheart?

Today is my daughter and son-in-law's sixth Wedding Anniversary.   Happy Anniversary Lori & Dave!

Every year I make them a Carrot Cake on their anniversary, because it's Dave's favorite cake.  This is the first one I made on their wedding day in 2019.

~2020~

I must not have taken a picture in 2021 but below is 2022.  I try to change the decorating a little each year for variety, but it's always a heart in the middle of the cake. I'm not a professional cake decorator, so please don't critique me.  

~ 2023 ~

~ 2024 ~

This year's cake.  I think I need to find a Valentine's cake decorating book so I can come up with some new ideas.  ;-)

On Sunday, February 2nd the groundhog saw his shadow which means six more weeks of winter [more in Michigan].  We had a winter snow storm Wednesday night and the photo below is what I woke up to yesterday, but we've had worse.  This was only 3-4 inches.

The teapot below was on Facebook by Artistic Imaginings.  It looked 'icy' to me so I thought it was perfect for following pictures of our recent snow storm. I'm not sure it's functional, but it's probably pricey.  It might be a perfect gift for someone's Valentine, but I'm happy with my box of chocolate covered cherries!  ;-)

A Valentine's Tea Luncheon

Last Tuesday [February 4th] I hosted a Valentine's tea luncheon for my girlfriend, Lori, and Raquel, a lady from my church.  I invited others, but one was sick and the other two had prior commitments.  But the three of us had a wonderful afternoon fellowshipping together.  Lori was the photographer, so I have her to thank for all the pictures in this post.  The only downside is she's not in any of the photos.

I used some of the dishes I recently acquired and blogged about, so you will probably recognize them.  Setting a themed tablescape and planning a menu to coordinate is one of my favorite things to do, and I particularly enjoy holiday themes.  In the past, I've made some of the tablescape photos into notecards which is fun.

Below is the teapot I bought recently at Marshalls' for $12.99.  I knew at the time I would probably use it as a centerpiece.  I got the flowers at Thrifty Florist and arranged them in the teapot myself.  [Don't critique me - I make no claims to being a floral designer].  Since purchasing the teapot, I've seen it on E-bay ranging from $34.95 to $39.95 plus shipping! What a profit markup. 

Instead of making scones, I opted for Fresh Strawberry Muffins from Tea for All Reasons cookbook.  Usually muffins have a sweet cake-like taste and texture but these actually tasted like scones.  The batter was very stiff, and I probably could have rolled it out on a floured surface.  A friend gifted me with a jar of homemade Strawberry Jam at Christmas so I served it with the muffins in individual vintage salt cellars.

I served Zuppa Stracciatella soup, which is really Italian Wedding Soup minus the tiny meatballs.

It was followed by a Spinach/Strawberry Salad with heart-shaped croutons [made with Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and sprinkled with garlic salt].  They made a fun presentation.

The main course was a recipe from a former pastor's wife and it's always liked by all - Chicken & Noodle Casserole with a Ritz Cracker crumb topping.

Dessert was Love-letter Pastry Envelopes with Raspberry Jam tucked inside and Chocolate Mousse served in demitasse cups.  I used to tell the young women at church not to experiment on their guests, and I didn't follow my own advice with the Chocolate Mousse.  It was edible, but almost like molded chocolate candy rather than soft-textured mousse.  Fortunately, we were able to use our spoons to eat it so it wasn't completely solid.  I think I know where I messed up and will correct it next time [if there is a next time].  I didn't particularly care for the bittersweet chocolate taste.  

The tea was Strawberry Chocolate Black Tea.

~ Raquel and Me ~

My sweet girlfriend, Lori, came with a beautiful Valentine's Floral Arrangement and she left a thoughtful surprise birthday greeting sitting on the counter in my bathroom for me to find after she left.

I hope you enjoyed being my guest vicariously.

A New Book

If you're a follower of my blog, you know Jeremy is my youngest son.  Throughout the adult years of his 45 year old life, his career has taken him down several paths from a high school teacher to an Athletic Director and Assistant High School Principle, to a senior living executive, and presently CEO of his own company, Captain's Light Consulting. 

Last week, one of his goals became a reality when his first book became published, The Conqueror's Way.  Thoughts for this book began to formulate about six years ago when parenting his oldest daughter, Isabella [Izzy], as she navigated her way through a middle school challenge with some of her peers, helping her realize that her identity and value as a person are in no way connected to the opinion of others.   It is found in being a child of God!

Life experiences and lessons added to the development of his book until it became a reality and rolled off the presses for availability last week.

I offer no apology for promoting his book.  Mothers have bragging rights. ;-) 

Seriously, it is a thought provoking and inspiring book for all ages - teenagers through senior adults. Who doesn't want a victorious life filled with purpose for God's glory?

"...we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

Romans 8:37

The book is available at Amazon.  Podcasts to re-enforce each chapter will soon be available.  I'll keep you posted.

To inject tea into this post, he's the only one of my three children who is a tea drinker!  ;-)

Birthday Celebrating Continues...

After church this morning, we went to Ike's Lebanese Restaurant to celebrate my birthday with daughter, Lori, and our son, Steve, came too.  Son-in-law, Dave, is home sick with a virus and daughter-in-law, Sharon, is still in Lansing caring for her father who had heart surgery on Thursday.

I didn't take any food photos, but three of us ordered Chicken Shawarma and the other got Chicken Parmesan.  A Mediterranean salad came with our meal plus their basket of warm Naan Bread with creamy hummus.  Their portions are so large we were all too full to eat the birthday cake Lori brought, so it came home with us.

The gift bag from Lori contained two tins of Fortnum & Mason black tea [Royal Blend and Queen Anne] and a tin of Lemon Curd Biscuits [cookies].

My family treated me very well for my birthday.  I also received a gift card to the Pink House tearoom, an E-bay gift card and $78 [a dollar for each year of my life].  Now another year of life begins.

When I got home from work yesterday there was a gift card from our local Jets Pizzeria for a free large chocolate chip cookie [made in a pie tin] and a four piece pizza.  That was a first, and I promptly took them up on it.  ;-)

A Birthday Dinner

My biological 'odometer' officially rolled over to 78 years yesterday.  I'm grateful God gave me another birthday to celebrate.

We picked our son, Jeremy, up at Detroit Metro Airport [returning from a week of business in California] and then we drove to St. Clair, MI where we met our other son, Steve, for dinner at River Crab restaurant to celebrate my birthday.  Both of their wives were out-of-town, so it was just me and the three men in my life!   We will celebrate again on Sunday after church with our daughter and son-in-law.   

There were no freighters on the St. Clair River yesterday.  Just large chunks of ice floating down the river.

We ordered Dynamite Scallops as our 'starter', served with their yummy bread basket of warm rolls and crackers with salmon pate.

It was followed by a bowl of New England Clam Chowder, which I forgot to take a picture of.

Three of us ordered the Ultimate Seafood Mixed Trio - Grilled Salmon, Crab Cake, and Coconut Shrimp, served with Coconut Ginger Rice and Tender Steamed Broccoli.

Jeremy and I enjoyed Harney & Sons Raspberry Herbal Tea with our meal.

Because it was my birthday, I got a complimentary Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee after we finished our entrees.  I shared it with everyone because we were all very full.  

The three men in my life [plus two grandsons, not pictured]!

'My Boys'

After dinner we drove home and Jeremy spent the night at our house before returning to his home in Zeeland, MI.  It was a lovely birthday celebration!

 

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.