July Activities

Tuesday was a visit with a friend I haven't spent time with since before COVID.  She's an avid tea drinker [by the pots full], so I made some pumpkin bread for her to enjoy with her tea.  The recipe makes four loaves.  I gave two away and kept two.

I thought we were having lunch at her house but when I got there she said we were going out. We went to a place in West Bloomfield called Stage Deli.  I didn't take any pictures, but I ordered a yummy Maurice Salad.

Before leaving to come home she gave me a cookbook by author, Debbie McComber, and a vintage piece of sheet music for the song, Tea Leaves.   I never heard it before - it was written in 1948 and sung by Ella Fitzgerald.

I'm not into tasseology [tea leaf reading] but here's the lyrics.

I was never superstitious, just believed in destiny.

Then a gypsy in a tea room changed my mind for me.

Tea Leaves read by a gypsy sent me in search of you.

They said "You'll find your dream girl.

You'll meet her somewhere beyond the blue."

And now that my arms enfold you,

dear one, my search is through.

My heart believes in Tea Leaves, 

because the Tea Leaves told me of you.

*  *  *

I flipped through the cookbook when I got home and it's got some good recipes in it.  The last chapter - Drinks - has a section on homemade teas.  Some of Debbie's blends are Christmas Spice Tea, Rosy Black Tea, and Minty Lavender Herb Tea. 

My friend's house is a mini tea museum.  She owns practically everything associated with tea including some French Veilleuse-Théières [pronounced VAY-yerz - TAT-ee-yair]. Curosity got the best of me and I had to research them.  Here's what I found:  They are basically teapots that sit on a tall [usually between 9 and 12 inches tall] vintage style warming stand.  I've seen a few in antique shops, and since they're not plentiful, they're pricy.  They're also known as nightlight teapots. Inside the warming stand is a small vessel [called a godet] filled with oil or a short candle to keep the contents of the teapot warm.  Placed bedside [before the days of electricity], the oil or candle not only kept the tea warm, but also served as a nightlight as the flame flickered through the vents and porcelain itself.  

During the 18th century, people often enjoyed sipping warm cups of tea just before retiring for the night.  So bedside porcelain teapots became wedding gifts.  

The earliest veilleuses [stands] were used as food warmers for soup or an invalid's drink in sick rooms or hospitals and a bowl instead of a teapot sat on top.  

The world's largest collection of them is found at the Teapot Museum in Trenton, Tennessee, midway between Nashville and Memphis.  I'm definitely making note of that for my next road trip south.   

When I came home Tuesday night I went on e-Bay and Etsy to see what I could find.  To my delight I found a copy/repro on e-Bay that was made by Bombay [when the company was still in business].  The price was right and so was the color [blue and white] so I bought it. Estimated delivery is July 22nd.   I apologize the picture below is a bit blurry due to enlarging it for this post.  I'll take a better photo when it arrives.  I justified my purchase by convincing myself it'll be a great visual for a presentation on French tea customs.  ;-)  It'll also fit perfectly in my blue and white living room.  Do you have a Veilleuse-Théières - vintage or repro?

Yesterday found me in baking mode again.  Our church had an outdoor potluck followed by a baptismal service - the first one since COVID shut everything down.  For my potluck contribution I baked a Texas sheet cake.  I made more than my share of them when I was a Sandy Clough tea lady, because it was the only dessert Sandy would allow us to serve guests at home parties. She added a little powdered cinnamon, instant coffee granules, and orange extract instead of vanilla, and renamed it Sandy's Tea Society Cake, but it was really Texas sheet cake.  It's a scratch-made cake with soft, creamy, fudge-like frosting, and it's deliciously moist.

We had a great turnout and nine people were baptized.  The owner of a residential building company attends our church and the event was held on his property.

~ Play area for the kids ~

Food Pavilion.  We need one of these on our church property for outdoor activities.

One of the baptismal candidates was a young girl.  Her personal testimony was in the form of a song she wrote and sang for the occasion.  Her proud father and Pastor Steve stood close by. It's so heartwarming to see someone young make a decision to follow Christ.

Steve had the blessing and privilege of baptizing one of his life-long friends from their teen youth group days.

It's been a great week.  Thanks for letting me share it with you, and it's not over yet.

Bridal Bouquet Flower Bar

Yesterday I attended a bridal shower for our daughter-in-law's brother's fiancée.  It was held outdoors in the bride's parent's backyard.  Mother Nature didn't get the memo that she was supposed to provide a warm, sunny summer day, because it was 66 degrees and rainy, but in reality that was better than hot scorching heat and humidity.

Shower planners were prepared for Mother Nature with a big white tent and everything was beautiful.

~ The happy couple, Mark and Whitney ~

What really captured my attention was the Bridal Bouquet Flower Bar.  I had never seen this done as a favor for guests to take home and I love the idea!  When I got home I Googled flower bars and many links appeared.  The first link said, "Why Flower Bars Are the New 'It'."  

Daughter-in-law Samantha's sister [Hannah] has just started a new business called Ruby Rae's Flower Bar and she provided the flowers.  Before each guest left, they went up to the flower bar and made a bouquet of flowers [with Hannah's help] to take home.  The instructions were printed on a chalk board.

As soon as I saw the array of flowers to choose from, I knew I wanted a sunflower.  It's my favorite flower - so cheerful!  Before I got into tea, my kitchen and dining area were decorated in a sunflower theme.   Below is the bouquet Hannah put together for me.  I thought I'd share this great idea in case you might be planning a shower [bridal or baby] soon.

The gazebo was used for the food station, and they served chicken salad croissants; turkey roll-ups/wraps;  individual cups of fruit salad and pasta salad, and a selection of desserts.

It was a beautiful, well-planned shower, and now the wedding day awaits.  I've requested that Saturday off from work.

Moving on to another subject.  Do you like DIY projects?  The DIY makeover picture below of a 2-piece china hutch and buffet came through my Facebook feed this morning.

I had to do a double-take when I saw the picture because I have the exact china cabinet. It's made by Temple Stuart, and was the first piece of quality furniture [solid maple] we bought [on credit] when we got out of the Air Force and came back home to Michigan.  I think we purchased it around 1970 and it still looks like new today.

We've done our share of furniture antiquing - the spoon cabinet and butcher block to the right of the china cabinet are projects we refinished - but I don't think I'd have the heart to paint over my china cabinet even though Early American maple furniture is 'out'.  I'll leave that decision to whoever purchases it at an estate sale when I'm gone, but I do think the DIY project was very creative and more in keeping with current trends.

Heads Up... Blogger is eliminating the feed-burner to receive my blog posts in your e-mail inbox. This change which will take effect in August, and I'll be removing the option from my sidebar soon. If that's how you've been receiving my blog posts, I hope you'll opt to come directly to my blog to visit and read my posts.  Thank You!

Hot Off the Press

A few weeks ago I preordered a book from Hoffman Media titled Come for Tea.  It arrived in today's mail and it's a beautiful book.  I'm so glad I ordered it.  Lots of great tea time recipes and beautiful pictures.

I recently watched a video by Jennifer Peterson [put out by World Tea News] titled Building a Tea Lover's Library.  Hoffman Media's Tea Time books were on her list of 'must haves'.  I'm happy to have every one of the tea time books they've printed to date.

An envelope of pictures from a cousin also arrived in today's mail.  My cousin was going through my deceased aunt's photo books and said she thought I'd like to have the pictures.  What a pleasant surprise that brought back wonderful memories of my aunt.

I've spent most of this week working on my genealogy research.  I've connected with cousins I haven't talked to in years.  I told them genealogy research is like a giant jigsaw puzzle - you uncover information one piece at a time.  How wonderful to have the Internet so travel to courthouses or libraries in other states aren't completely necessary.

While very interesting and addicting, the research is time consuming and at times frustrating when you can't find what you're searching for. While I was doing research yesterday trying to find information on family members only a few generations back, a wonderful thought crossed my mind: our Heavenly Father, who is infinite and all-knowing, knows everything about every person that has ever been born on this planet since the beginning of time and He doesn't have to research it!  It's hard to comprehend, but it's wonderful and comforting to know.

Have a nice weekend!

A New Tea Accessory

As you know, Facebook abounds with advertising.  Some good and some not so good.  I've been stung a couple of times by sellers so I proceed cautiously.  A couple of weeks ago a pretty blue and white ceramic swivel tea maker was advertised.  Since I love blue and white porcelain and all things tea, it piqued my attention.  It's very unique and something I'd never seen before, and the price was reasonable [$29.95 + $5.95 shipping] so I ordered it.  It arrived in today's mail.

It's a three piece ensemble - the pouring bowl, the steeping bowl [which sits on a porcelain notch on each side of the pouring bowl to enable it to pivot] and the lid.  I'm quite pleased with it.

Below is the inside of the steeping bowl.

Marking on the bottom of the pouring bowl.

The china cabinets in my living room are filled to capacity so I've stopped purchasing blue and white dishware unless something really grabs me.  [This tea maker grabbed me! ;-)]  I managed to find a spot to display it.

The company is Purely Arts, and they call it a 360º Rotation Tea Maker.  Did you see it advertised on Facebook?  I think it'll be happy in it's new home.  ;-)

By the way, the Teacup Attic announced on Facebook today that their Silver Teapot Pendant Necklace [that I blogged about on June 30th] is back in stock if you're interested.  It's as pretty in person as it is in the photograph and very reasonable at $19.99.  

4th of July Celebration

We spent the 4th of July with our son, Steve, daughter-in-law, Sharon, and granddaughter, Brooke.  Sharon's parents were there as well.  It was a very enjoyable day.

Sharon grilled chicken and hot dogs with a pasta salad.  My contribution was a watermelon/ blueberry salad with Feta cheese and balsamic blueberry vinaigrette, and corn on the cobb.

When we finished eating we watched "The Patriot" [starring Mel Gibson] on Netflix - a very appropriate movie for the 4th of July.  Even though the movie came out in 2000, it was my first time to watch it.  It definitely wasn't a movie filled with warm, fuzzy feelings. While 'loosely' based on several real life historical figures, it makes one realize the high cost that was paid for our freedom and independence. 

As always, I was a shutterbug.  Steve was sorting his baseball cards when we first arrived.

Sharon relaxing while watching the movie.  Tonight night is the first night of Vacation Bible School at church [which she oversees] so yesterday was her last day of  relaxation for awhile.

Brooke following her after dinner nap [the movie didn't interest her].

I hope you had an enjoyable 4th.  We are now past the half-way point of 2021!  

Happy 4th of July

 

God Bless the U.S.A.

Our granddaughter turns 9 today!  Happy Birthday, Ellie!  

John, my granddaughter Tiffany's husband, posted this picture of their 110 year old house this morning with the caption, "...with liberty and justice for all."

We're going to our son Steve's today for a BBQ.  Will write more later.

Postal Deliveries and More

I frequently see Facebook ads from The Teacup Attic [a vintage store], but they usually feature beautiful teacups, teapots and other pieces of fine china.  Last week, however, they posted a pretty silver teapot pendant necklace for $19.99.  The picture stated only two were left in stock, and since I like to wear tea-themed jewelry to work I decided to order one.  I'm glad I acted quickly, because right after I placed my order the website said 'out of stock.'   The necklace arrived and I'm very pleased with it.  It has a 29 inch chain and the teapot itself is about 1 1/4 inches tall by 1 1/4 inches wide.  It looks very vintage even though it's not.

The other package that arrived was from Amora Coffee and Tea Company [www.amoracoffee.com]. They recently sent another package containing a tin of  Chai Masala black tea and Chamomile herbal tea, and this package contained two tins of Peppermint herbal tea and a stainless steel teabag squeezer.

I decided to sample the Peppermint tea for breakfast.  It was deliciously refreshing.  Reminded me of a York peppermint patty minus the chocolate.

The teabag squeezer is very handy and amazingly, I didn't already have one.  It seems I remember reading or hearing that you aren't supposed to squeeze teabags because that releases tannins into the brew producing a bitter taste.  Since this is an herbal tea with no tannins the squeezer worked great.  

This tea was the perfect way to start my day.  I've been trying a new medication in place of low dose antibiotics that will hopefully stop recurring UTI's - it contains D-Mannose.  My stomach doesn't like it [hopefully that will pass once I get acclimated to it], but the peppermint tea seemed to help me tolerate it better.  I highly recommend this tea and visiting the Amora website.  And if this new natural medication works I'll shout its praises from the rooftop!

Thank you Amora Coffee and Tea Company for sending me the samples to try.  I'm thinking the peppermint tea will be great iced, and I'm going to make that for dinner.   Will try the Chamomile before going to bed tonight.

It's hard to believe this is the last day of June and tomorrow is July 1st.  My boss has already talked to me about plans for our Autumn and Apples Tea in September.

On Monday my girlfriend, Sandy, and I attended the funeral of a high school classmate's husband.  Funerals are so sobering and thought-provoking.  They make you realize death is inevitable. How will I be remembered by future generations, if I'm even remembered at all?

Have you researched your genealogy?  I'm thinking about subscribing to Ancestry.com so I can research my family.  I know the names of my great-grandparents on both sides of my family but that's as far back as I can go. Yesterday I scanned photos of my paternal great-grandparents for a cousin.  I'm glad I have their pictures.  There were nine living children in my dad's family and all of them are gone now except for one aunt, and she has Alzheimer's so she can't provide any information.

Below is my paternal grandpa's parents with my cousin [their great-grandchild].

I don't know what year they were born or what year they passed, and I feel bad about that.

 My paternal grandma's parents.

My paternal grandma [below] who lived to be 98 years old, and passed away in 1992.  She was loved by all.  Her favorite quote was "Only one life 'twill soon be past, only what'd done for Christ will last."  ~ C.T. Studd

It's been said the past is the key to the future, so I'm feeling I need to learn the past to pass it on to my children and grandchildren.  Here's to sipping lots of tea while researching relatives who are responsible for my earthly existence.