Teas and T's: November 2017

Sunday, November 26, 2017

Week 101, 11-26-2017

Thoughts and Quotes: It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.
Thomas Jefferson

Good advice, which I shall endeavor to follow. I've been a real slug since I had my cold. Just can't get motivated. I've heard there's a time to ebb and a time to flow. I know what it means, but I don't know which is which. I think I've been ebbing and I need to flow. Not sure if that's right, but I do know that I need to get off my big fat rear-end and get to work.

I'm struggling with book formatting, so decided to put that aside for a little while. I ironed the red tablecloth today, so next week you shall see the December Holly Tea. I have a bit of a problem. I should have completed the teas in order because this is January - Winter Flowers.

And this is February - Cardinals

Since there was so much time between them, I didn't realize how alike they were; red, same teapot, cardinals. Now I'm getting ready to do December with a red tablecloth, too. I believe I'll scratch January and redo it with white and silver. Or should I leave January and scratch February? Anyway, one or the other has to go.

The Pepper and Pals Report: Veronica got her shots on Monday and her new mommy picked her up on Wednesday evening. Of course, I cried when she left. I love that little baby girl. Nancy says that she's adjusting, exploring the new home, and wants to sleep with her, but she has to be careful that the little boy kitty doesn't get jealous.

Her last evening here, asleep in the chair in my office while I was on the computer.

Midnight's babies are growing up to be real cuties. The cage goes back into operation this week. I believe they're big enough to spay and neuter. A bonus would be if I caught BJ.

And Pepper Houdini wiggled his way out of his cone collar and scratched his eye bloody again, so tomorrow I'm taking him in to get his back paws declawed. I don't know what else to try. It's not like the old days where they surgically removed them. Now they use laser or whatever our Dr. uses which is some kind of radio waves but I forgot the name. It's not like he needs to be able to defend himself, as he never goes out further than the patio or the front walk when I'm there with him.

On the other hand, this is my Wild Child Stormy who wants to spend time outside, and needs to keep her claws.

I had an appointment on December 5 to take Veronica to the Humane Society to see if they could find her a family. Now I'm taking Stormy instead. She only knows me and they might not accept her, but she definitely needs a family to play with and keep her occupied. She searched the entire house for Veronica the night she left. They loved playing together. Pepper wants to be left alone. He's never going to be a good playmate for Stormy. I'll keep you posted.

Tax Time Is Not The Same Now: Our county seat is in Ozark, one of the few remaining small towns with a square which is still an active shopping area instead of flea market stores. It looks exactly as I remember it in the 1940's.

The red storefront is the Market House Cafe, owned by Pepper's vet's wife

In the middle of the square is the court house, complete with bandstand.

I loved paying my taxes every year because the ladies who work there have been there forever, they're really sweet, they know what they're doing, and if I went in November the office was decorated for fall, and if I went in December, it was decorated for Christmas.

Time has finally caught up with us. This is what I found this year.

When I went in, I was in a small vestibule with a window like the box office at the theater. I could have gone in on the other side and gone through security, but as the sign says, they would have confiscated my camera. I'm so grateful that I was born early enough to remember the days when we didn't keep track of our house key (if we had one) and never locked our cars, but late enough to see the cyber world and have a blog.

Thank you: To Martha who knew that I'd be alone on Thanksgiving and brought over this: Turkey (my favorite dark meat), stuffing, dumplings, sweet potato casserole, and green bean casserole.

Yum! And then surprised me the next day with this: Pork chop, butter beans, squash casserole, and sweet potatoes. How spoiled can one girl be?!

Thinning Out: My weekly seven discards. No acquisitions, so I only needed my one per day.

Ratty old pj's to the rag bag.

Some help from my girls.

Photo-bomber Stormy. This is a Tevana canister. In the future, someone will say, "She should have kept that. They went out of business and it's worth a lot of money."

Odds and ends.

I'm actually starting to have fun with this.

Tasting: Brother Dan wanted my recipe for cornbread dressing, and I don't have one. I had to make the dressing in order to create a recipe.

CORNBREAD DRESSING

1 recipe Southern Cornbread - it's in the drop down menu above

1 can (10) cheap biscuits from the refrigerated case

3 Tbs butter

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1-1/2 cups chicken broth

1-1/2 tsps ground sage

2 eggs and 3 Tbs melted butter, optional

Bake cornbread.

Bake biscuits following directions for time and temperature on can, but on an ungreased baking sheet, with sides not touching.

Melt butter and sauté onion and celery until tender, but not brown.

Tear biscuits into pieces about the size of the first knuckle of your thumb and put in large mixing bowl. Rough crumble cornbread and add to bowl. Add onions and celery.

Moisten with chicken broth and stir in sage.

Put in 2-1/2 qt. casserole. Cover and microwave on high for 8 minutes. OR bake 20-30 minutes at 325°. Not sure of time, so keep checking.

Without broth, broth and sage added, cooked.

Things That Make My Heart Sing: Phyllis Hoffman is a media genius. If you're not familiar with the Hoffman magazines, take a look. My favorites are Victoria, Southern Lady, and Tea Time. In honor of the tenth anniversary of the revival of Victoria, they created this room. When I win the BIG lottery, I'm going to build a house with a room like this, and invite all of you to dinner. Ready? You'll catch your breath. Click HERE.

The Bucket List for Christmas: Here's your Christmas assignment - now get out there and celebrate.

Light a fire in the fireplace

Buy some evergreen or bayberry room spray

Make a centerpiece for your dining table with holly and red candles

Put a wreath on the door

Bake lots of Christmas cookies

Make hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows

Buy new jammies for the whole family to wear the night of Christmas eve

Decorate outside the front of your house

Put up a tree, even if it’s small

Don’t forget presents for the pets

Drink eggnog and/or hot cider

Take a present to a nursing home for someone who’s alone

Watch some Christmas movies on Hallmark channels

Send some Christmas cards

Make chili and cornbread on a cold evening

Treat yourself to a poinsettia

Look at the Christmas lights – take along a thermos of your favorite hot beverage

Go to a Christmas music concert

Splurge on a prime rib roast for Christmas dinner – make Yorkshire pudding

Wear your Christmas costume jewelry, sweaters, scarves, etc.

Play Christmas carols in the house and in the car – sing along

Go to the mall to see the decorations, even if you’re finished with your shopping

Read a Christmas book – the library has lots

Attend a candlelight service at church

Simmer cinnamon sticks and orange peel to make the house smell yummy

Smile at everyone and wish them a Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah

Start working on your 2018 goal list

Monday - Cyber Monday; buy yourself an early Christmas present.

Tuesday - National French Toast Day - yeah!

Wednesday - Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting Day

Thursday - Mason Jar Day - a good time to gather up and return jars to the people who gave them to you filled with jams, jellies, salsas, etc. Or better yet, make something in a Mason jar for your friends.

Friday - Eat a red apple day.

Saturday - National Fritters Day

Sunday - National Roof Over Your Head Day; Celebrate by being grateful for the roof over your head, along with all your other blessings. Do something for someone less fortunate.

WORK ON THE CHRISTMAS BUCKET LIST

MAKE A WISH ON THE FULL COLD MOON NEXT SUNDAY

WASH YOUR HANDS OFTEN DURING COLD SEASON

EAT PLENTY OF SALADS

SOME TEA EVERY DAY

TURN OFF THE TV - PUT ON SOME MUSIC

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE

NOTE TO SELF: HEED JEFFERSON'S WORDS

Sunday, November 19, 2017

Week 100, 11-19-2017

Week 100 - Wow! My big anniversary, and I've got nothing. I've had a bad cold this week, and all I accomplished was finishing my Thanksgiving cards, of which five are still to mail tomorrow, keeping my fingers crossed that they get there by Wednesday. They're all local, so they should, but with the mail performance in recent days, it's iffy.

I also finished the two birthday cards for this month, and they'll both be late.

I'm feeling like a loser. I was looking forward to showing you our Cooking Club photos for this month, but Barbara was sick as well. At least I didn't miss the lunch. We've decided to skip December and start fresh in January.

On an up-note, Midnight came home and reunited with her babies. They come to eat together sometimes, and sometimes separately. Sometimes one or two babies will come alone, sometimes Midnight comes alone. They're truly feeling their independence. I feel they're old enough for the trap to go out again.

And another happy note - I'm taking Veronica in for her shots tomorrow and then Nancy is going to be her new mother. Nancy is a friend of my neighbor and already has a little boy kitty named Pocket. She feels he needs company during the day because she works. Veronica is such a happy little girl, I'm sure she'll adjust quickly. I, on the other hand, will probably bawl my eyes out even though I know it's best for her. I'm too old to have young kitties who can outlive me when there's no one to take them after I'm gone.

I did manage to come up with my seven discards.

So sorry, but sometimes "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak". Tomorrow I must tell myself, "Chin up, shoulders back, forward march!".

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE

THANK YOU FOR SHARING MY LIFE

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Week 99, 11-12-2017

Thoughts and Quotes: I have several quotes for you today, and then I'll tell you where I got them.

With Congress, every time they make a joke, it's law. Every time they make a law, it's a joke. Will Rogers

We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. Unknown

Once the game is over, the King and Pawn go back into the same box. Unknown

To get the full value of a joy, you must have somebody to divide it with. Mark Twain

Friends Richard and Billie put these quotes on the tops of the jams and jellies they make to share with friends. I was lucky enough to be the recipient of four jars of these wonderful gifts of love this past week: Grape jelly, a red jalapeno jelly, a green jalapeno jelly, and a strawberry-jalapeno jelly. Perfect timing - the start of my Snooty Pantry.

Tidbits: I received this from Friends George and Ceil and after watching it, I was smiling all day. So nice to hear good news. Why don't we have more of this?

Time for Others: I'm not proud of my Thanksgiving cards this year. It's been a very busy week with little accomplished. And I still haven't finished making cards. A big thank you to Carrie and Annie for the paper and stickers which came in my last CARE package. Without those, I'd have been even further behind.

The Pepper and Pals Report: And this is one of the reasons I'm behind. My little family.

As you can see, Pepper still has his collar, so I feed him with a spoon four times a day. And each kitty requires special time with Aunt Patsy, for brushing or petting or sleeping in her lap.

And this morning I got up to this.

And one day this week, it was this. Veronica wanted the plant off the table so she could use it as a viewing stand. Stormy thought she saw a wrinkle in the sweater I had drying on the guest bed, so she was pressing it for me.

The kittens are doing well, but I have to keep watch for the neighbor's cat who steals their food.

Drinking water is Flower, named after the skunk in Bambi. Doesn't he/she remind you of a skunk? And I tried to think of who wears a tuxedo a lot, so the black tuxedo kitty is Fred and the gray tuxedo is Ginger. Thankfully, Midnight was spayed on Friday and I'll pick her up on Monday. She'll have been at the vet for twelve days. I wonder if she and the kittens will pick up where they left off when I trapped her? I'll let you know next week.

I've grown so attached to Veronica, it will be difficult to let her go on December 5, but I know it's best for her. She needs a family who will love her and spend time with her. She's such a happy little girl. When I pick her up, her motor is already running. You can almost hear her from across the room, she purrs so loudly.

Stormy will miss her, too. They play together (and make messes), and chase each other around the house every morning until they're both exhausted. I just love her little paws. I really should let her be adopted too, but Pepper wants to keep her.

Tidbits: Some of our trees are still gorgeous, and I just had to share. How I missed Autumn when I lived in California.

Tasting: We celebrated my aunt's birthday on Friday by going back to The Market House Cafe (Click Here) for lunch. Here's an easy way to find it. It's across from the court house in the square in Ozark on this side. Just look for the gazebo.

The specials that day were:

I told you about the fried green tomatoes and fried zucchini before. If you don't go for anything else, they're worth the trip. I had the quiche with a salad and raspberry vinaigrette. All salad dressings are made in-house. A house specialty is Lasagna Soup, which Lisa tried and gave it two thumbs up.

The building is original from who knows how long ago. It was there when we used to pass this way to visit my grandparents in the early 1940's, and it didn't look new then. You can see the height of the ceilings, just the way they used to be.

You can also choose some baked goodies from the case to take home.

And The Persimmon Tree is right next door (Click Here). My Chosen Niece Terri bought some handcream for me here, and now I'm addicted. I picked up another tube on Friday. The fragrance reminds me of new-mown grass, somehow calming and invigorating at the same time. It's called Green Bamboo.

Caren also makes a fragrance called Blue Linen which smells like fresh laundry dried in the sun. There are lots of unique decorative items, and also a little boutique in the back of the store. I picked up a little trinket for my Beloved Terri, but she has to wait until Thanksgiving and her mother will bring it.

Thrifting: My cardmaker friend Jean belongs to a church that has a bazaar every year. Jean printed up these little cards as reminders. Great idea.

Jean is a master cardmaker, as well as a master of all sorts of other crafts. Here are some examples. The shape is unique because it's made with coffee filters. She puts all kinds of little pockets with pull-outs, etc. Truly works of art.

These are notebooks, covered with wallpaper, for journaling

She also makes smaller little notebooks for carrying in your purse or keeping on your desk to jot down little reminders.

And if you're wondering about the quote, the rest says that an architect can cover his with ivy.

Some are made with 45 rpm records. Yes, the actual records.

Others are made from children's books. The book is all there with pages for writing as well. These certainly bring back memories.

Every piece has been crafted with details only Jean can think of. Take a look at this game journal with a poker chip on the back cover.

I'm not sure exactly how to use these, but they're so perfectly detailed, I had to buy the one with the fashions.

Tooth Fairy boxes, with a heart on the back.

Snowman Kisses

And little yellow bag survival kits

She also makes jewelry

And doll clothes, which I did not photo. Sorry.

Other crafters made snowman ornaments from votive candles.

Other handcrafted items, as well.

The room looked very festive with Thanksgiving Tables and Christmas offerings.

The centerpieces were lovely.

They also offered baked goods, sorphum, honey, and nuts.

And costume jewelry. You knew I'd have to buy some. Two necklaces (with photo-bomber Stormy) and five earrings.

Seven acquistions, so seven discards.

This is a really big, really heavy book. Glad to see it go.

Of course, I had help.

And plus my seven for the one-per-day week.

Tasting: Joey and I left the bazaar before they started serving lunch, so we went to Sams Club and had pizza - the best! And the least expensive lunch in town. Then we had apple pie, cherry pie, trail mix, granola bars, and grapes for dessert. I also had pepperoni wrapped around string cheese. Weekends are very busy with tasting stations at Sams. And if you haven't been lately, check them out. Go at lunchtime on the weekend and snack your way through the store. The closer we get to the holidays, the more snacks they'll offer.

Ours has a flower designer now.