An Unexpected Surprise

Yesterday before I left for work my hubby gave me an envelope that arrived in the mail.

It contained a Downton Abbey style booklet of English Country fashions for paper dolls, Lady Gwyneth and Lady Anne.   The 30 detailed outfits are from 1910 to the 20's era and were inspired by the Downton Abbey television series.  

What fun to see designer Paul Poiret's harem pants and lampshade tunic among the collection of garments.  There are also travel outfits, a walking suit, tea gowns, dinner gowns, a garden party dress, and much more.  So fun! 

My thoughtful friend, Louise, sent the paper doll booklet thinking I'd like the outfits for my Downton presentations. Thanks, Louise!  You're such a classy lady, and I'm glad you were able to attend the Downton Abbey tea at The Whitney recently.

Another book that I ordered from Amazon arrived in the mail too.  It's an informative book written by Penelope M. Carlevato.  Her mother was born and raised in England, so she's made many trips across the pond.  In fact, she conducts tours to England.

Her book is a treasure of information about Highclere Castle, servant life, the history and tradition of tea, plus lots of English recipes.  

I love one of the quotes in her book by Tim Chester "The focus of entertaining is impressing others; the focus of true hospitality is serving others." Extending hospitality is so much more rewarding than entertaining, and a lot less stressful.

I'm anxious to try her recipe for Sticky Toffee Pudding.

Welcome November!

It's hard to believe we've entered November already.  Halloween has come and gone and Thanksgiving is on the horizon.

Today is very 'fallish' in southeastern Michigan with a temperature of 44 degrees.  The rain that soaked Thursday's trick-or-treaters has subsided and the sun is actually peaking through as I type this post.

I debated about going to the Michigan Depression Glass Society's annual show today, but decided to pass this year.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the Blakes' Apple Orchard truck parked in front of my local Kroger supermarket.  My church is scheduled to have our annual Harvest Festival at Blakes' orchard tomorrow.  Hopefully I'll get some pics to share.

As you may recall, I did a presentation about the Wizard of Oz in August to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the release of the 1939 motion picture.  

While Judy Garland was the star of the movie, her canine co-star was, Toto, the female cairn terrier, whose real name was Terry before the movie came out. Toto was actually in more scenes than Judy. 

I ordered the book, I, Toto, written in 2001 by Willard Carroll, but it didn't arrive until my presentation was over.   Today I bought a plush toy Toto in a basket for half-price at Target. Both book and Toto are great props if I should ever do a Wizard of Oz presentation again.  If not, I'll give them to granddaughter, Ellie.

The Toto book is adorable.  The author has the largest private collection of Wizard of Oz memorabilia [which, of course, includes Toto], and he co-founded the National Oz Museum in Maine. Toto's autobiography is conveyed through a scrapbook Carl Spitz compiled [Toto's owner as well as Hollywood's foremost Dog Trainer in the 1930's and 40's].  It's written as though Toto is telling her life story.

 Judy Garland was 16 years old when she portrayed Dorothy Gale in the Wizard of Oz. 

My hubby and I recently went to see the movie, Judy, portrayed by Renée Zellweger.  Renée did a great job, but it was so sad to see how MGM abused Judy Garland as a young teenager by giving her drugs to make her sleep, to wake her up, and to control her appetite, predisposing her to drug addiction and a life of self-destruction.  She chased after the rainbow without ever finding true love and happiness in her short 47 years of life. It wasn't a heart warming movie, but it was true to her life's story.  I was glad to leave Hollywood behind at the theater when the movie ended.  

Have you begun watching the Hallmark Christmas movies yet?  They are guaranteed to have a happy ending with a romantic kiss!  ;-)

My sweet tea friend, Nancy, from the Upper Peninsula, sent me a Wild Huckleberry Scone mix and tea bags quite a while ago.  They got hid behind other things in my pantry and I almost forgot about them until recently.  Fortunately they're still good through May 2021.  

Today was the perfect day for making them, and my hubby pronounced them yummy!  I'm having mine in the office while watching Hallmark's Once Upon a Christmas Miracle.  What goes better with a Christmas movie than tea and scones!  Thank you, Nancy!

Have a nice weekend and enjoy your extra hour of sleep tonight - 'fall back'!

Happy Halloween

I began my morning with a bowl of Pumpkin Oatmeal and a cup of Genmaicha [Japanese green tea with roasted brown rice].  Yum!

Then I switched over to a cup of Cinnamon Chai to go with a slice of Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread that I made last night.  I'm taking three loaves to work today to share with coworkers.

Have a bewitching day!

50th Birthday Celebration

Sunday was a non-stop day beginning with church, then going to Shore Pointe Assisted Living to give a presentation at the resident's monthly tea party.  My topic was the Fashions & Accessories of Downton Abbey.  

I shared three of the fashion houses that the Crawley women [and other real-life ladies] would have purchased their high-end garments from:  The House of Worth - Charles Frederick Worth is considered by many to be the father of haute couture.  Lady Sybil liked the designs of Paul Poiret - the French designer who American women called "The King of Fashion". Among his creations are the harem pants that Lady Sybil wore.  And lastly, Madame Lucile or Lady Duff Gordon.

We talked about jewelry [the choker/dog collar necklace that Queen Mary always wore], sautoirs [long single strand necklaces], and, of course, tiaras.  Hats [mainly cloche and wide brimmed], gloves, purses, shoes, hand fans, and undergarments.  Corsets evoked the largest response from the residents - they all remembered the restrictive corsets their mothers wore.

Regrettably, I didn't take a single picture, and the facility was decorated so beautifully for fall.

My hubby doesn't usually go to my presentations, but immediately following Sunday's program we left for Marysville, MI to meet-up with our family to celebrate our son, Steve's, 50th birthday.  

We were the first to arrive at River Crab / Blue Water Inn on the St. Clair River.   It's a very nice restaurant and the place Steve chose when we took him and Sharon out for their 25th Wedding Anniversary.

There were 13 of us - the only ones missing were Lori's three children [now adults with families and activities of their own].  We enjoyed a wonderful evening together, and I'm overwhelmed with how quickly 50 years have sped by.  I clearly remember the night Steve was born, and am so thankful for his life.

~ Lori and Dave ~

~ Landon, Jeremy and Steve ~

~ Steve and Sharon ~

~ Sharon and Brianna ~

~ Ellie, Samantha, Brooke and Izzy ~ 

~ Dad and Mom ~

I'm so blessed with the family God has given me!   Jerry left a while ago for Chelsea to attend Landon's last football game of the season.  I stayed behind - still in recuperation mode but I'm making progress.

Lucille Ball Presentation

I'm feeling a bit under the weather today after a whirlwind weekend, but I got through it and that's what's important.  Thankfully I'm off work today and can rest up.

The Lucille Ball presentation for the Friends of the Warren Library last Saturday went well. They told me on Friday night that they had extended the count to 140 attendees - mostly women but there were a half-dozen or so men present who were Lucy fans.  It's incredible that 30 years after her death she is still hugely popular.

The event was held in the cafeteria of the Warren Community Center [former Warren Consolidated High School that closed in 1992].

Photo below shows just one section of the cafeteria.  It was filled with attentive and responsive attendees.   Tea and sweets were served.

I don't have a large collection of I Love Lucy memorabilia.  If I keep getting requests to speak about her I'll have to work on increasing it. I especially wanted the I Love Lucy television teapot, but that was for my tea passion.    Lucy wasn't a tea drinker - coffee was always in her cup.

I prayed I'd get through my presentation without coughing, and I only had to stop once to take a sip of warm tea and put a cough drop in my mouth, and then I was good to go.   It was a 50-minute program.

My sweet girlfriend, Lori, surprised me and came even though she's heard me talk about Lucy once before.

Lynn Anderson, a local fashion curator and collector of vintage clothing, came dressed as Lucy with her bottle of 'Vitameatavegamin' from the Season 1 [1952] episode 'Lucy does a TV Commercial.'  Her girlfriend, Rose Anne was Ethel.

We didn't get to take pictures of all the memorabilia that attendees brought but we got some.

This couple drove 3 hours - from St. Joseph, MI on the western side of the state.  Now that's really a Lucy fan!  She had her I Love Lucy purse that her hubby bought her, and she said he was a fan first, and then got her hooked on Lucy.

There were children present who watch the I Love Lucy reruns [or DVD's]. A new generation of Lucy fans.  One attendee told me her mother came to live with them from Italy in the 1950's.  She didn't speak a word of English, yet she loved watching I Love Lucy.

It was a fun day and Sunday was another presentation on an entirely different subject.  

Family Highlights and More

My blog is primarily about tea but every now and again I share highlights about my family.  Last Sunday we went to our youngest son's church in Ann Arbor.  It's a large non-denominational church called 2/42 Community Church - based on Acts 2:42-47.  They have four services every Sunday morning, and we attended the 11:00 o'clock service.

We arrived early before the 9:30 service had ended, so we waited in the large foyer for our family to arrive.  There were coffee bars situated around the foyer and I spotted a tea display for those who aren't into coffee.  Nice for tea lovers to be thought about.  ;-)

The reason for our visit was Isabella and Landon [our grandchildren] were going to be baptized at the conclusion of the service and Jeremy [their dad/our son] was privileged to do it.  Izzy went first, followed by Landon.

What a joy to see them publicly proclaim their faith in Christ and their desire to live a life pleasing to Him. Our other son, Steve [who is a pastor], participated in a grief share service recently for high school students in his community when a 9th grader committed suicide. How sad someone so young had no hope and felt life wasn't worth living.  I'm so thankful my grandchildren know the Giver of life and the hope He brings.

We enjoyed a fun day at their house after church.  Izzy is a 9th grader and attended her first Homecoming dance recently.

Here she is with her mom [Samantha] and younger sister, Ellie.

Steve and Sharon's oldest daughter, Brianna, is home from Nashville until after Christmas and it's great to see her again.  She finished summer courses for her graduate studies, and will resume classes the first of the year.  She's studying to be a Christian counselor.  Below is a photo that was taken since she came home.  Bri is a tea lover so she has an extra soft spot in my heart.  ;-)

Brooke, her younger sister, is a senior in high school this year and below is one of her senior pictures.  Senior pictures sure have changed since I was in high school so many years ago! A lot more casual and true to life than oil portraits.

My hubby finished his 2019 GM retirees student corps job for this summer [teaching inner city kids life skills], so he turned his attention to a project for our daughter and son-in-law - building a fireplace surround for an electric fireplace heating unit they had.

My handyman with his project in the garage [his workshop] before it was delivered.

In Lori & Dave's family room.

They were quite pleased and said they've been enjoying it on these crisp fall nights.

I bought my first Christmas present last week and it arrived in the mail yesterday.  Now to be able to hold off until Christmas before giving it to her. [Lori only reads my blog randomly, so I think I'm safe in sharing it here.]  She was born at 11:11 a.m. and I can't tell you how many times I've looked at the clock when it said 11:11. When I saw this Luca & Danni bangle bracelet I had to get it for her.  Whenever 11:11 comes up on the clock, I don't make a wish [even though this is a 'make a wish' bracelet].  Instead I say a prayer that God will bless and watch over her wherever she is and whatever she's doing, or if I'm in a place where I can text her, I'll do that and tell her she's loved and I'm SO grateful God sent her into our lives. I'm thankful to be her mom.

Below is the view from my office window this morning looking into our backyard.  The maple tree leaves are falling, and Jerry will soon be raking them up marking the end of another fall season.  The tree on the left always drops its leaves before the one on the right.  For what it's worth... I'm not ready for cold weather!

This morning I decided to sample one of the Masters teas Adagio sent me awhile back - Ti Kuan Yin Oolong.  It was harvested in April 2019 so it's very fresh.

It's an oolong from the Fujian province of China.  It's tightly rolled and the notes say it's an extremely time-consuming tea to produce [over 12 distinct steps in processing].

The aroma was slightly vegetal at the onset, but I didn't pick up on the gentle collard greens or spinach taste until after it had sat in the cup for a couple of minutes.  It has a smooth, mild taste and with no astringency.  I didn't detect any toasted nutty or floral taste, but it's very good and produced a light golden color. It'll yield multiple steeps, so maybe a nutty or floral taste will come through then. Taste is very subjective and doesn't always match the descriptions, characteristics, or profiles attributed to it.

I have a busy weekend ahead - a Lucille Ball presentation on Saturday for the Friends of the Warren Library. They advertised in newspapers far and wide [it's a membership and fundraising campaign], and the event filled at 125 with a waiting list.  No pressure for Saturday's presentation, mind you, but everyone loves Lucy so how can I go wrong!  This will be my fifth presentation about her life, and I've written three different scripts.  I'm not going to reinvent the wheel for Saturday.  I've been reading thru all three scripts and will select the one I like best or will combine parts from all three.  

Sunday is my monthly presentation at the assisted living facility - Accessories of the 1912-1929 time period [Downton Abbey].  I did an abbreviated version for The Whitney Downton Abbey tea, but Sunday's presentation will be much more detailed because I'll have more time.  I thoroughly enjoyed this research.

So now you're up to date on all my latest happenings, and I hope I've made up for the fewer and farther between posts lately.