A Proper Tea is much nicer than a Very Nearly Tea, which is one you forget about afterwards. ~A.A. Milne
When I was a child I enjoyed tea parties. Now, this is not the pretend tea parties where a doll and teddy bear are both set up at the tiny table and cups of water are placed near their hands. You know, the kind where Mrs. Nesbit is in attendance? No...
No, I mean a real tea. The kind where you spend hours in the kitchen with beloved friends putting together cucumber sandwiches, real ones. And then meticulously decorate the table, making it just so - often themed according to the season or current holiday (Michaelmas tea anyone?) And then sitting together to finally eat the splendor you have created and remember, that it is always polite so long as you have your pinky in the air. Of course, since my friends and I are not what one would describe as "girly girls" there were often pirates in attendance, and sometimes we were old ladies or kids trapped on a deserted island. Or maybe we were maidens in a castle, held captive by an evil witch and this was to be our last meal - or maybe we had just gotten away and we were celebrating our victory (I have no memory of ever being rescued, clever as we were we always found a way out, we were never trapped by very smart witches). You get the idea.
So lately I have been wanting to have a tea - but not a Very Nearly Tea, a real one. I want to invite friends over, sit and laugh together, raise our pinkies in the air and possibly sing a pirate shanty or two...
But Tea in and of itself, while lovely does get rather boring after a while...yes I said it. So I think I want to start having parties once a month. I saw on a random blog once the idea of a waffle party - see?. You know, everyone comes and you eat waffles together. Somehow that grabbed my fancy and all of a sudden I really wanted to have a waffle party. I'm sure there are tons of other ideas too - My beloved friend Val actually wrote a book a while back about different sorts of Teas you can have. I have lost this book, I need to get another one. Was the book published ever Val or did you just make enough for friends and family? Either way I need another one, just tell me how much it costs and I can send it.
Don't you love how I can ask questions here and be pretty certain they will be answered? Makes me happy! That and the idea of having a real tea again.
Alright - so I am going to do it. I am going to start having tea parties. I will cook for hours, decorate my house and invite friends over. Once a month is my goal.
Who wants to come to my party(s)? What day of the week should it be? I am fine with kids getting invited and having it during the day, or in the evening sometime with only grown-ups. Either is good with me. Perhaps it will change month to month.
I am serious here people. I would love it if I could have friends from all over come. Let some of the people I love get to meet one another. So give me some feedback on what days/times you can do and I will plan it!
I believe my first party will be a Waffle Tea Party. Then I can get both in there...and Maybe scones. I love scones.
While searching for my first quote (yes, I really know W.T.P. so well as to know what exact quotes to look for) I found this one and it made me sigh a sigh of contentment. With this I leave you:
You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me. ~C.S. Lewis
True, so very, very true.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Fathoms below
Those of you who know me well know that when I was a child I wanted to be a pirate. Now, as an adult of very nearly 30 I still want to be a pirate when I grow up. I love pirates, I loved pirates before it was the popular thing to love pirates. Want proof?
That is my little brother and me, I am guessing halloweenish due to the pumpkins. I think we look about 7-8 and 9-10 which would make sense, I had a pirate birthday party when I turned 11, it was a huge hit. Wonderful memories those....
Anyhow - I think I have established, I love pirates. Though if I am being entirely honest I think the real truth is, I love pirate ships...or perhaps I just love ships in general.
Twice when I was a child I had the privileged of living on a ship. Ok, a boat. It only fit about 10 of us. I think I was between the ages of 9 and 11 - so right in the same time-frame as this pictures and my pirate party. No doubt we pretended to be pirates while on the boat, who wouldn't!
I think I can say with confidence that my time on the boat(s) is one of my very favorite childhood memories. I can remember it very vividly.
It started in the evening, we left for the dock. My best friend's dad had his sailing license and so we rented a sail boat from his club. I think if I focused on it long enough I could even remember Her name. There were six of us kids and 3 dads, one friend was sadly sick so she was missing at least one of these trips. It is different going places with dads verses moms. Moms make sure you are clean, fed, go to bed on time and don't get to close to the edge. Dads? Dads make sure you stay alive - which honestly is the most important anyhow right? I know we went twice, but I can't differentiate one trip from the other, they are all squeezed together in my head. But I remember vividly sitting on the front of the boat late one night with two of my friends. we were the dare-devils of our motley crew, if there was trouble to be found it was almost always started, carried out and finished by one or all three of us. The wiser of our group of kids had gone to bed - no grown-ups were around and all three of us found a perch at the very front of the boat. I am sure the dads were keeping an eye on us, but we weren't aware of it so it truly felt like we were alone.
Have you ever been on a boat? One big enough to slice the water but not so large you are miles from it. I am not really a fan of the movie Titanic, a little too touchy/feely for me, not really my style. And cliche as it might be, remember his "top of the world" moment? Well I, my friends, have been there. Sitting on the front, as we were, we got whipped up as the boat moved foreword, and splashed by icy spray every time the boat lunged down. It felt like we were flying.
I can't remember conversation, perhaps it was there or perhaps the three of us understood that it wasn't needed. But all of a sudden we were not alone. There was something that looked almost glowing in the water. We were being raced. A dolphin cut through the water next to us, I remember laughing with joy, my hands were ice cold holding onto a wire rope connected to the deck. We watched the dolphin enraptured until suddenly one of us (I can't remember who) yelled "There is another one!" In all, four dolphins raced us that night. It literally looked like their bodies were glowing, I don't know if it was a reflection off the boats light or if it was just them. But I wont ever forget it.
We got to see more dolphins later in the trip during the day, a whole pod of them. We also got to see seals, cormorants, flying fish and tons and tons of seagulls (hold a cracker up in your hand and they will take it from you mid-flight). We were free from mothers' picking, we didn't take showers, go to bed on time or dress warmly enough. We swam in the ocean, got sunburned and ate and slept whenever we felt like it. It was heavenly.
A few years ago I went yard-sailing - not the same as real sailing, but still fun. I found this painting and bought it for $5.
It is hard to see the detail in my terrible photo of it, the light must be bad in the room. But it is very detailed, beautiful and obviously hand painted. I can't imagine someone wanting to part with it, much less for $5. There is a signature on it, all I can really tell is it starts with a B. See?
Perhaps someday I will discover who painted my picture. For now it rests above my bed, perhaps giving me lovely dreams of being a pirate on a ship - but for sure reminding me of those wonderful memories.
Oh goodness, a little monkey is awake, so I must make a premature exit.
So for now, may you all have lovely dreams of pirate's, racing dolphins and 4 lovely days aboard ship.
Anyhow - I think I have established, I love pirates. Though if I am being entirely honest I think the real truth is, I love pirate ships...or perhaps I just love ships in general.
Twice when I was a child I had the privileged of living on a ship. Ok, a boat. It only fit about 10 of us. I think I was between the ages of 9 and 11 - so right in the same time-frame as this pictures and my pirate party. No doubt we pretended to be pirates while on the boat, who wouldn't!
I think I can say with confidence that my time on the boat(s) is one of my very favorite childhood memories. I can remember it very vividly.
It started in the evening, we left for the dock. My best friend's dad had his sailing license and so we rented a sail boat from his club. I think if I focused on it long enough I could even remember Her name. There were six of us kids and 3 dads, one friend was sadly sick so she was missing at least one of these trips. It is different going places with dads verses moms. Moms make sure you are clean, fed, go to bed on time and don't get to close to the edge. Dads? Dads make sure you stay alive - which honestly is the most important anyhow right? I know we went twice, but I can't differentiate one trip from the other, they are all squeezed together in my head. But I remember vividly sitting on the front of the boat late one night with two of my friends. we were the dare-devils of our motley crew, if there was trouble to be found it was almost always started, carried out and finished by one or all three of us. The wiser of our group of kids had gone to bed - no grown-ups were around and all three of us found a perch at the very front of the boat. I am sure the dads were keeping an eye on us, but we weren't aware of it so it truly felt like we were alone.
Have you ever been on a boat? One big enough to slice the water but not so large you are miles from it. I am not really a fan of the movie Titanic, a little too touchy/feely for me, not really my style. And cliche as it might be, remember his "top of the world" moment? Well I, my friends, have been there. Sitting on the front, as we were, we got whipped up as the boat moved foreword, and splashed by icy spray every time the boat lunged down. It felt like we were flying.
I can't remember conversation, perhaps it was there or perhaps the three of us understood that it wasn't needed. But all of a sudden we were not alone. There was something that looked almost glowing in the water. We were being raced. A dolphin cut through the water next to us, I remember laughing with joy, my hands were ice cold holding onto a wire rope connected to the deck. We watched the dolphin enraptured until suddenly one of us (I can't remember who) yelled "There is another one!" In all, four dolphins raced us that night. It literally looked like their bodies were glowing, I don't know if it was a reflection off the boats light or if it was just them. But I wont ever forget it.
We got to see more dolphins later in the trip during the day, a whole pod of them. We also got to see seals, cormorants, flying fish and tons and tons of seagulls (hold a cracker up in your hand and they will take it from you mid-flight). We were free from mothers' picking, we didn't take showers, go to bed on time or dress warmly enough. We swam in the ocean, got sunburned and ate and slept whenever we felt like it. It was heavenly.
A few years ago I went yard-sailing - not the same as real sailing, but still fun. I found this painting and bought it for $5.
It is hard to see the detail in my terrible photo of it, the light must be bad in the room. But it is very detailed, beautiful and obviously hand painted. I can't imagine someone wanting to part with it, much less for $5. There is a signature on it, all I can really tell is it starts with a B. See?
Perhaps someday I will discover who painted my picture. For now it rests above my bed, perhaps giving me lovely dreams of being a pirate on a ship - but for sure reminding me of those wonderful memories.
Oh goodness, a little monkey is awake, so I must make a premature exit.
So for now, may you all have lovely dreams of pirate's, racing dolphins and 4 lovely days aboard ship.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Mmmmm
I love cookies. I really do, my favorite is oatmeal chocolate chip. However, there has to be a little added extra flour to make sure the cookies stand up instead of go flat, they need to have about 2/3 of the sugar called for, they have to be slightly undercooked so they don't get tough and crunchy and the chocolate chips have to be Ghirardelli Chocolate 60% Cacao Bittersweet Baking Chips. See?
Those ones. They used to only be sold at Savemart for $4 a bag, and I was known to buy 3-4 bags at a time if I was lucky enough to find them on sale. But now Target and their blessed new grocery section has them for half that price and I am elated! Yes, I really love them that much.
Cookies are my down-fall. I am generally a very healthy eater. I mostly cook meals that I would consider on the high end of "good for you" (though when Kaylee is fussy that high-end moves a little downward due to my lack of hands. It is harder to cook in general without hands...even harder to cook healthy. boxed becomes much simpler) and I am good at controlling my portions. I can pretty easily say no to cheap out of the box desserts, or have just one and be content. But homemade cookies, especially of the chocolate chip variety have me helpless. I have some in my frig now, hold on and I will get one. You see, after talking about it so much I have decided I need one. Be right back....................................................................................... ..........................................................................................................I got two. You see, they were sticking to one another and it seemed sad to just rip them apart...right?
I am eating these cookies now as a demonstration to you of my addiction. Why you ask? Well, just in case you didn't believe me. I needed too....right? If I had just written down that I liked cookies you would have nodded understanding and moved on. But now you know I REALLY like cookies and you are looking at me with your head cocked to the side and your eyes a little squinted. See now you shake your head just slightly and smirk a bit...starting on my second cookie. I must re-unite him with his lost love lady cookie! It is for the sake of the cookies that I eat them. We can't have a depressed cookie on our hands, that just wouldn't do! Now your eyes look up for a moment as you smile in pity and shake your head again, it is almost a laugh, but could also be taken as a guffaw. Admit it, you did!
I have been on a weight loss mission since Kaylee was born. I was my ideal weight and in pretty good shape when I got pregnant. I had worked hard to get there losing to 30lbs below my pre-pregnancy weight after having Ayla. I then got up to that weight again while pregnant - and added a few more. I gained 15lbs while pregnant with Taylor, gained 25 with Ayla and this time I gained close to 45. I think I better stop with three kids or who knows how big I will get! So after Kaylee was born the first 20 came off right away and then stopped. So I was faced with 25lbs still to go. 6 weeks pp I decided I needed to work a little to get the extra off or it would stay put so I started working out and watching very close to what I eat. Weight started to come off. I am proud to say that in three weeks I have now lost 8lbs and I am starting to feel more like myself. There is still a bit to go, but somehow 15ish lbs seems much more doable then 25.
Goodness I am distractable today! Is that a word? Firefox doesn't think so and he just put all those squiggly red lines under it. Makes me feel like I am being yelled at "BAD SPELLER! You wrote that word wrong! See? See? See those lines? That means you spelled it WRONG!" And yet none of his suggestions are correct. You see, I am a sight reader which means that I may not know how to spell a word, but I will recognize the correct spelling when I see it which means that spell-check is my friend - including Firefox and his wiggly lines. Well for now those lines will just have to stay there!
You see what I mean by distractable? I joke that I have the attention span of my youngest child in order to keep-up with them. That means that at the moment I can only pay attention for the same amount of time as a 2 month old. I would also like to claim that this means I need a 3 hour morning nap and will possibly cry this afternoon for a few hours for no apparent reason. I'll claim that is why my house is cluttered. I was busy crying...and possibly had eaten too many chocolate chip cookies....
Well I just caught myself staring for several minutes at a toy bear on the floor so I believe my blogging abilities are limited this morning - and you, my reader are probably very bored. Would you like to see some pictures of my babies?
Here is Ayla on her first day of school - and just for good measure I will add one of Taylor on her first day too: They both feel so huge to me! Taylor is starting a bit of an awkward stage, which for some reason I love. It means she is getting bigger and we have some of our best conversations then. Her mind is just growing by leaps and bounds and I am shocked every day by her cognitive abilities. And Ayla? This morning out of the blue she said "Are you thinking what I'm thinking Mama?" I had to laugh, where had she heard that? But when I asked her what she was thinking she got all embarrassed and would only say "I don't know"and ran off to play elsewhere. She doesn't like being laughed at.
At one week old Kayle was just over 5lbs
See how big her newborn clothes were on her?
Kaylee was 7lbs 3oz and 20inches at one month old.
Almost a smile there. We got her first real smiles at just under 4 weeks
Now we get smiles all the time and sometimes a chuckle that sounds very close to a laugh.
No wonder most of her newborn clothes don't fit her anymore! Now I need someone to give my newborn girl clothes too, anyone need some? I like giving my baby clothes where they are truly needed instead of just dropping them off at a thrift store. If I don't have any takers I will likely donate them to a shelter.
Now the little miss has woken. But I will add a few more one handed just because I like them. Enjoy!
All for now. Be well!
Cookies are my down-fall. I am generally a very healthy eater. I mostly cook meals that I would consider on the high end of "good for you" (though when Kaylee is fussy that high-end moves a little downward due to my lack of hands. It is harder to cook in general without hands...even harder to cook healthy. boxed becomes much simpler) and I am good at controlling my portions. I can pretty easily say no to cheap out of the box desserts, or have just one and be content. But homemade cookies, especially of the chocolate chip variety have me helpless. I have some in my frig now, hold on and I will get one. You see, after talking about it so much I have decided I need one. Be right back....................................................................................... ..........................................................................................................I got two. You see, they were sticking to one another and it seemed sad to just rip them apart...right?
I am eating these cookies now as a demonstration to you of my addiction. Why you ask? Well, just in case you didn't believe me. I needed too....right? If I had just written down that I liked cookies you would have nodded understanding and moved on. But now you know I REALLY like cookies and you are looking at me with your head cocked to the side and your eyes a little squinted. See now you shake your head just slightly and smirk a bit...starting on my second cookie. I must re-unite him with his lost love lady cookie! It is for the sake of the cookies that I eat them. We can't have a depressed cookie on our hands, that just wouldn't do! Now your eyes look up for a moment as you smile in pity and shake your head again, it is almost a laugh, but could also be taken as a guffaw. Admit it, you did!
I have been on a weight loss mission since Kaylee was born. I was my ideal weight and in pretty good shape when I got pregnant. I had worked hard to get there losing to 30lbs below my pre-pregnancy weight after having Ayla. I then got up to that weight again while pregnant - and added a few more. I gained 15lbs while pregnant with Taylor, gained 25 with Ayla and this time I gained close to 45. I think I better stop with three kids or who knows how big I will get! So after Kaylee was born the first 20 came off right away and then stopped. So I was faced with 25lbs still to go. 6 weeks pp I decided I needed to work a little to get the extra off or it would stay put so I started working out and watching very close to what I eat. Weight started to come off. I am proud to say that in three weeks I have now lost 8lbs and I am starting to feel more like myself. There is still a bit to go, but somehow 15ish lbs seems much more doable then 25.
Goodness I am distractable today! Is that a word? Firefox doesn't think so and he just put all those squiggly red lines under it. Makes me feel like I am being yelled at "BAD SPELLER! You wrote that word wrong! See? See? See those lines? That means you spelled it WRONG!" And yet none of his suggestions are correct. You see, I am a sight reader which means that I may not know how to spell a word, but I will recognize the correct spelling when I see it which means that spell-check is my friend - including Firefox and his wiggly lines. Well for now those lines will just have to stay there!
You see what I mean by distractable? I joke that I have the attention span of my youngest child in order to keep-up with them. That means that at the moment I can only pay attention for the same amount of time as a 2 month old. I would also like to claim that this means I need a 3 hour morning nap and will possibly cry this afternoon for a few hours for no apparent reason. I'll claim that is why my house is cluttered. I was busy crying...and possibly had eaten too many chocolate chip cookies....
Well I just caught myself staring for several minutes at a toy bear on the floor so I believe my blogging abilities are limited this morning - and you, my reader are probably very bored. Would you like to see some pictures of my babies?
Here is Ayla on her first day of school - and just for good measure I will add one of Taylor on her first day too: They both feel so huge to me! Taylor is starting a bit of an awkward stage, which for some reason I love. It means she is getting bigger and we have some of our best conversations then. Her mind is just growing by leaps and bounds and I am shocked every day by her cognitive abilities. And Ayla? This morning out of the blue she said "Are you thinking what I'm thinking Mama?" I had to laugh, where had she heard that? But when I asked her what she was thinking she got all embarrassed and would only say "I don't know"and ran off to play elsewhere. She doesn't like being laughed at.At one week old Kayle was just over 5lbs
See how big her newborn clothes were on her?
Kaylee was 7lbs 3oz and 20inches at one month old.
Almost a smile there. We got her first real smiles at just under 4 weeks
You can see the clothes fit her a little better. She rolled over for the first time at exactly 6 weeks. We were shocked! She did it three times in a row and now does it often when she is put on her tummy. She rolls tummy to back, hasn't yet rolled back to tummy but hey, we have have time!
She just had her 2 month and now she is 9lbs 6oz and almost 22inches. The girl is huge!
No wonder most of her newborn clothes don't fit her anymore! Now I need someone to give my newborn girl clothes too, anyone need some? I like giving my baby clothes where they are truly needed instead of just dropping them off at a thrift store. If I don't have any takers I will likely donate them to a shelter.
Now the little miss has woken. But I will add a few more one handed just because I like them. Enjoy!
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