Tea Moons - A Re-Run!

Each cup of tea represents an imaginary voyage.~Catherine Douzel

While mindlessly flipping through blogs one afternoon, I came across a very interesting site called CHA DAO. It is dedicated to the discussion of tea. The author, Adrian Lurssen, described the making and collection of "tea moons". Adrian has collected many samples of teas and "moons". I decided to try making my own moons. What I would do differently when making tea moons again is to use a more absorbent paper with more texture and beauty. Here are the results of my quick tea moon session. I think this idea would made an incredible tea journal, perhaps for a gift, together with a variety of teas.

Tea moons are made by two different methods. In one, while enjoying a lovely cup of tea you wish to remember, allow a bit to spill onto the saucer, placing the cup back in the tea puddle. Then place the cup bottom on a piece of paper or a tea journal page, thus making a tea moon! The second method of tea moon making is to save a spot of tea in the bottom of your cup or a little dish. Using an artist's brush paint a tea "moon" onto paper or in your tea journal. Personally, I prefer the tea cup method - it seems more natural. Which ever method you use, allow the tea moon to dry. Then write or type the name of the tea, your description of the tea's flavor, and your enjoyment of it. Finally jot down any memories, old or new, that the tea evokes.

Steam rises from a cup of tea and we are wrapped in history,

inhaling ancient times and lands,comfort

of ages in our hands.~Faith Greenbowl

How Do You Perceive Beauty?

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousand of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed the musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried on to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a three year old boy. His mother tagged him along hurriedly but the child stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head to see the musician as he walked. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only six people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

What no onlooker knew was that the musician they chose not to see was none other than famous violinist Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. In the subway that day he had played one of the most intricate pieces ever written for the violin, worth 3.5 million dollars. Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell performed at a sold out theater in Boston at $100 a seat.

This is a true story and test of how we perceive beauty in our world. The experiment involving Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people.

The test guidelines - a common place environment at an inappropriate hour:

Do we perceive beauty when we see it?

Do we stop to appreciate it?

Do we recognize beauty in an unexpected context?

How many things of beauty do you miss in life because you fail to recognize it?

The Buzzard, The Bat, and The Bumblebee

Be sure to visit Spiritual Sundays and Praise and Worship Sunday to find many inspirational posts!

How Great Is Our God - Chris Tomlin

THE BUZZARD:
If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from
the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly,
but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

THE BAT:
The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place.  If it is placed on the floor or flat ground all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then at once, it takes off like a flash.

THE BUMBLEBEE:
A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom..
It will seek a way where none exists until it completely destroys itself.

PEOPLE:
In many ways, we are like the buzzard,  the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up! And that's the answer, the escape route, and the solution to any problem! Just look up.

Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, but faith looks up! How great is our God!

Have a beautiful new week everyone!

Halloween At My House

Hope you all had a fun weekend and enjoyed Halloween Saturday.  Our daughter's family spent the evening at our house.  We ate chili and then walked around a few blocks for the girls to trick or treat.  They had a blast!  It was the first year Isabelle at 2, understood. She quickly learned you get something yummy when you walk up to a door and say "or treat" - all she could remember.  Sydney was fully into it ll this year at 5.  It was extremely cold her Saturday night with high winds.  An hour was plenty for the girls, and more than enough for Mimi!  We spent the rest of the evening having pumpkin pie and chocolate cupcakes.  I've never been totally in to Halloween but I must admit it was fun this year, being on a weekend and of course, my little sweeties make everything more fun!

On to Thanksgiving!

In Better Hands

In Better Hands - Natalie Grant

Please visit Praise and Worship Sunday and Spiritual Sundays for many more inspirational posts!

Me and George Clooney???

Do you ever wonder what your children would look like if you had married George Clooney or Brad Pitt?  I can't actually say I have, but I did have fun creating this baby at http://www.morphthing.com/.  I would have chosen to create a child with Richard Gere but he wasn't one of the choices.  Why, I can't imagine, unless the creators of morphthing.com understand that too many women would keel over at the mere idea!  Mr. Gere is one fine man.

Meet Kathy Georgina Clooney!

Funny thing is, the morph baby looks A LOT like my youngest granddaughter Isabelle!

Here are a few more fun things for your entertainment on this Halloween Day

(And a recipe to die for at the end)

World record pumpkin...1689 pounds!

http://pumpkinnook.com/giants/giantpumpkins.htm

Credits: Nick Veasey
Published: 10/06/2009 09:02:37

I still love you, Detroit Tigers!

Wanna order a brain mold?  http://www.goestores.com/home.aspx (eyeball and heart molds too!)

 

 

What is Dracula's favorite kind of coffee?

De-coffinated!

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What do you get when you cross a vampire and a snowman?

Frostbite!

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What do zombies like to eat at a cookout?

Halloweenies!

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What did Dracula say after he kissed his vampire girlfriend?

Ouch!

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Why was the skeleton afraid to cross the road?

It had no guts!

Want some cute Halloween pumpkins to tell your fortune?  Here's the link: 

http://www.pumpkinnook.com/cookie/cookies.htm

 

 

 

   

Enjoy the weekend with your family and friends, everyone!  I'm not a big Halloween person, but we do have a fun weekend planned.  October 30 will be spent with our daughters family, walking down town as our granddaughters trick or treat at all the stores in our quaint little town.  On Halloween our daughter's family will come to our house for trick or treating in our neighborhood.  Since our granddaughters are so young an hour will do it.  We'll be having chili and cupcakes decorated with cute little orange pumpkins.  Even though I don't really love Halloween, I do love an opportunity to be with my family and make some fun memories with our granddaughters.  I hope all of you do too!

Here's the recipe:

Fairground Caramel Corn

1 stick butter
½ cup light corn syrup
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups peanuts
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon salt
20 cups popped popcorn

Preheat oven to 350. Set popcorn aside in large bowl. Lightly spray two cookie sheets with oil. Combine butter, syrup, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Stop stirring and cook 4 more minutes. Add vanilla and peanuts; stir to combine and cook 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in milk and salt. Pour caramel over popcorn; mix well, using two wooden spoons. Divide between the two cookie sheets. Bake 15 minutes, stirring after 7 minutes. Remove from oven; when cool enough to handle, break into clumps. Cool completely and store in airtight containers for up to 3 days.


Everyone thinks the best caramel corn they’ve ever eaten!

And The Winner Is...Mr. T!!! Ah,I mean Hank!

What a fun time we had on Sunday afternoon!  We went to historic part of our little town for a Halloween block party.  There was great music, games and choo choo rides for kids, lots of inventive costumes for children, adults, and pets.  My grand-dog Hank won for best pet costume!  Hank is a BIG boy weighing in at more than 100 pounds.  My son Jacob dressed Hank up as Mr. T, complete with mohawk hairstyle and layers and layers of gold jewelry!  Hank was pretty tolerant of the costume and the other dogs - of course when a 10 pound poodle sees Hank coming it's way and licking his lips, Hank has all the room in the world!  Our daughter and her family came to see Hank take the prize too.  My granddaughters looked pretty cute too as Tinker Belle and Minnie Mouse!

Visit Little Red House where Mary hosts of Mosaic Monday!

He Knows My Name

Visit Spiritual Sundays each week for more inspirational posts.

Scarecrows and Pumpkins By The Hundreds!

I used Photosaic to make this mosaic, which is 2400 copies of the scarecrow pictures you see.  Stop by to visit Mary at Little Red House for more mosaics.

Highlighting "Twirl and Taste" and Some Odds & Ends

I was visiting Libby Murphy at her beautiful blog,Twirl and Taste, this week and found that she has a wonderful giveaway going on. It's a darling 7 piece French Home etched wine set. I must tell you that I have fallen in love with it! Libby posts fabulous recipes every day and fun stories about people you read about in the newspaper and magazines. I especially enjoy reading Libby because she is from the same place I am originally from, near Knoxville Tennessee.  Libby talks like my people, she cooks like my people, and she makes me feel like I'm home again when I visit her. Libby's current post includes a wonderful southern recipe for Refrigerator Rolls.  I remember my own mother making these.  So if you haven't done so yet, check Twirl and Taste out soon - I think you'll love it!

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This Blog:

"Contains Brilliant Content and/or Design"

and/or

 "It's Creator Has Been An Encouragement To Me"

One of the sweetest and classiest ladies in blogland, Kat, Just A Beach Kat, sent me this sweet blog award last week.  Coming from this beautiful, classy lady, the award is an honor.  I'm going to pass the Honest Scrap Award along to:

1. CeeKay, Thinkin' of Home - My old friend encourages me, keeps track of what's going on with me, and she prays for me faithfully.  She has shared her life, her family, and her friendship with me for nearly 30 years. Plus she has an awesome blog of "brilliant content and design" and she is the one who introduced me to blogging nearly two years ago!

2. Janie, Blondie's Journal - Janie writes beautifully (check out her current post) and she's a lovely new friend

3. Suzanne, Southern Inspiration - What a lovely lady Suzanne is - and she writes a beautiful blog!  She's been a source of encouragement to me.

4. Bernideen, Bernideen's Tea Time Blog - Bernideen's blog is filled with the most beautiful tea related things and she is just a wonderful, encouraging lady too.

5. Libby, Twirl and Taste - I've just got to add Libby tothe list because of all the reasons I listed in the beginning of this post!

6. Catherine, Catherine de the Cups - Catherine has a classy, beautifully written blog and she has been so lovely to write me encouraging notes during the paast months that my father has been so ill.  Thank you, Sweet Catherine!

7. Ro, A Hint of Home - I can't tell you how many times Ro has written me notes and comments to let me know she is praying for me.  What an encouragement!  Plus, her blog is just filled with photos of her beautifully decorated home and tutorials for crafts and projects.

Here are the rules for the Honest Scrap award:

1) Post "10 Honest Things" about myself.

2) Present this award to 7 others whose blogs I find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged me.

3) Tell those 7 people they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving.

 

Ten Honest Things About Me:

1.  I love plain white cake so much that I could eat one all by myself in a weekend!

2.  On average, I go to bed at about 3:00 AM and sleep about 4 or 5 hours.

3.  I sleep with both a fan and an electric blanket on year round.

4.  The beach feels like church to me.

5.  I met my husband when I was 15, became engaged to him when I was 16, married him when I was 17.

6.  I despise dishonesty.

7.  I actually DO NOT pray that my son and DIL will have quads, even though I may have on occasion hinted that I do.  I'm not sure why - just a mean streak I guess.  Well, yes, I do know why.  It makes my son crazy, especially if I hint the quads might ought to be all girls!  Oh, the fun in turning the anxiety around once in a while!

8. I have watched General Hospital since I was coming home from elementary school to watch it on my lunch hour.

9.  I did not rest on my beloved deck swing ALL SUMMER LONG - why, why, why???

10.I start getting depressed in August because summer is almost over and I CANNOT enjoy Autumn because the trees will be naked and my garden will be bare soon, and the seemingly endless winter will over take us any minute.  I know...I need an attitude adjustment.

Ok, ladies, I spilled my guts.  Your turn!

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Have a beautiful week, ladies!

Fur Baby-Mosaic Monday

This ragged looking old boy is Noah, our 15 year old cat.  He fits in really well at our house these days...he's a little arthritic, his vision's not so great, and likes to lie around the house in his favorite chair!  There's a bit of a story around our fur boy Noah.  I've always been an animal person.  I was raised in a family of animal lovers.  Both of our kids love animals too and we had a few pets as they grew up - fish, guinea pigs, hamsters, a dog, the usual family menagerie.  But no cats.  My husband just couldn't stand cats...or so he thought.  When our daughter was mid way through college (she still lived at home) she talked her dad into letting her have a cat in the house.  My parents still live in Tennessee where I was born and they've always had a half dozen or so outside cats at any given time, like many families in southern rural areas do.  One of the cats they called theirs was actually a feral cat.  She was a beauty but she had never been touched by human hands.  They fed her regularly so she took advantage of a good thing and made their grounds her home.  Mother named them all she was Ellie May.  Ellie May had a litter of 5 or 6 precious kitties in February 1994.  However, in March there was a horrendous flood.  Even though my parents live in a high area the flood ravaged the property surrounding the house.  When my parents heard the water coming my dad ran out and carried the babies to a safe place under the house.  The mother cat promptly ran to her babies rescue and moved her kittens back to the original spot, which was directly in the path of the water.  When the rapidly moving water reached the little family the mother tried to swim with her kittens carried in her mouth to a safe place.  The first, and only kitten she was able to save, was a snow white ball of fur, now red from the Tennessee clay earth.  All the other kittens were swept away in the flood.  Mother said she and Dad were heartbroken when they saw the mother frantically swimming in the flood with her tiny baby in her moth.  When she reached the patio around the swimming pool Ellie May collapsed from exhaustion with her baby and my parents were able to take them both to a safe, dry place to recover.  It was the first time Ellie May had ever been touched.  Our Noah was that lucky little survivor.  From that time on Ellie let her baby be cared for by my parents.  She let them hold him and bath and feed him.  Julie drove down to visit her grandparents weeks later and she fell in love with the tiny, fluffy ball of solid white fur.  My parents offered him to us.  Well, my husband wasn't thrilled about it but he finally gave in and said yes to a cat.  Julie named him Noah, for obvious reasons. 

Now here's the funny part of the story.  My husband calls himself Daddy to Noah, he carries him like a baby in his arms, he shops for and feeds him the most expensive cat food, and he is positive that his fur baby says "hello" to him!  When we leave town we have someone come to the house twice a day to care for Noah.  My husband has become notorious in his preparations for Noah.  There's always enough food for ten cats and there are a few pages of written specific directions, per Noah's preferences.  He REMOVES the door to the basement to make certain the door doesn't "accidentally" get closed so Noah will have full access to his litter box.  Our bedroom door must remain open so Noah will be able to rest on our bed, along with an article of our clothing so he won't get too lonely!  This is the man who hates cats.  Perhaps a leopard's spots CAN be changed! 

Our sweet fur boy is probably nearing the end of his life now.  We'll be so sad when he's gone and yes, we'll get another cat.  Noah can't be replaced but we won't want to miss out on the happiness a warm, purring, furry little body can bring to our lives.  Meanwhile, until that inevitable day comes, my husband and I will carry our fur baby around and let him sleep on our bed and supply him with treats and love him like the gift he has been to our family.

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful,

The Lord God made them all.

Please visit Mary, Little Red House, for more mosaics.  Thanks, Mary, for hosting this fun weekly event.  I'm always amazed at the creative ideas so many of you come up with each week!

Whites

Katherine, Faded Charm, is our host for White Wednesday.  Please stop by to see her beautiful blog and the list of participants for White Wednesday.  I'm always amazed at the creativity of so many bloggers!

vintage pearls...

my vine covered kitchen chandelier...

a little village on a white cake pedestal...

white treat canister - I have two on my counter filled with pretzels and cookies...

a couple of sweet angels...

a summer collection of beachy white coral...

one of my favorites, an antique milk glass biscuit jar...

a porcelain dancing bride and groom from our daughters wedding against an old milk glass lamp...

a vintage porcelain  tray...

a vintage rocker, painted a creamy white of course...

and lastly, a playful polar bear at the Toledo Zoo!

The Beauty of Fall - Mosaic Monday

The trees are changing color all around us here in Michigan.  Though I am not a fan of Autumn, I have to admit they are quite beautiful!  This mosaic contains 2400 squares.

Be sure to visit Mary at Little Red House to find more mosaics!

Holy Cow! Did You Happen To See...

Did any of you see Larry King and Private Practice tonight?  Holy Cow!  First things first I've just got to say about Jon Gosselin on Larry King...

What in the dickens is wrong with that man?  Every time I see him on yet another TV show he is making a bigger embarrassment of himself.  Seems as though Jon's "epiphany" is a little bit convenient, do ya think?  I can't think of anything I love more than babies so I have watched Jon and Kate Plus Eight since it's beginning.  It makes me sad to see what's become of this couple who have been so incredibly blessed with eight gorgeous, healthy children.  Maybe they both need to appear on talk shows a little less and devote a little more time to creating a happier, less stressful atmosphere for their children.  And maybe they could grow up a little themselves in the process...I'm just sayin'.

And HOLY COW, Private Practice!  Oh, say you didn't miss it!  The cliffhanger last Spring was the best one I think I've ever seen on a series and tonight's season premiere was outstanding.  And by the way, I think I'm going to have to get myself a new kitty in order to have a Violet in my family.  My kids just will not cooperate by having a baby girl and naming her Violet, which happens to be one of my favorite names and my grandmother's name too!  Oh, the trials of life!

White Wednesday

 

Visit Faded Charm for a list of White Wednesday participants!