Back on August 1st, I shared with you about a Mug Swap fundraiser here.
I managed to get my box completed well ahead of schedule & it was delivered last Thursday. I received confirmation that my Mug Swap sister {Siraya} received it, so now I get to share my fun with you dear readers.
The different sides of the box
I decorated the inside of the box with cute pictures and quotes I thought she would like, and included a fun card. I lined the bottom of the box with a green cloth napkin, and placed one on top as well. Green is her favorite color.
She loves comics and super hero movies, so I found some fun Wonder Woman items. Max was keen to check out the mug!
I could not decide on just one mug, so in addition to whimsical, I included a girly one with encouragement, which just so happens to be green and will go perfectly with her favorite drink!
Just like me, she's a Whovian. We have so much in common. We both love British. Everything pictured below is British! Whoooop!
Both of us; Christ followers... aaawww yeah!
She's big into photography; found this cute camera washi tape WITH green washi tape. Well, that was meant to be!
All this benefited Bags4Kids. And to date, over $1400 has been raised on the swap. But I think it's gone up from there since late addition swappers joined. What a blessing!!
NOW, since I was searching for mugs... I came across something I could not resist for myself. This beautiful Jane Austen tea mug, which was ON SALE. Check that quote on the upper right: "But indeed, I would rather have nothing but tea." Yep... that's me!
Here are a couple of fun ones that @TheMugSwap featured on Instagram. If you are a Gilmore Girls fan, you may have heard that Netflix is releasing FOUR NEW specials on 11/25/2016. We can not wait!!! This was mine and my daughter's special mother-daughter show when she was a teen. Now, if you know me, you know I detest coffee, but these are certainly cute!
Dolphin Fountain & Palm Trees In front of the Aquarium
Since I am guest blogging over at Afternoon Tea Across America and hostessing the Traveling Teapot for the month of June, my next adventure with Tilly TARDIS takes us to the beautiful Pacific Ocean in Long Beach, CA and the Aquarium of the Pacific as we celebrate FLAG DAY06/14/2015!
Tilly TARDIS proudly posing next to the American Flag. In the foreground are flag chocolate bars I found and in the background is the Queen Mary (where, by the way, you can also enjoy tea)
Drinks consisted of Iced Very Berry White Tea, Blueberry Lemonade, and water I embellished with patriotic whale stickers :) I made my recipe for Curried Chicken & Fig (pinwheels), but modified it using Peppridge Farms Puff Pastry Shells. At $5 for a box of 6, I really was not thrilled with these. Biting into it reminded me of a Pillsbury Grands biscuit. Additionally, instead of the fig spread I normally buy from Trader Joe's, I used fig spread I found at a dollar store from Egypt. It was much more gelatinous; definitely not the same quality, so, lesson learned. I have also tried this recipe on Oatbread, and find it quite pleasant.
Other menu items included Egg Salad Sandwiches with fresh spinach on Hawaiian bread rolls (thank you sis!), tomato basil Wheat Thins, Strawberries, Blueberries, Watermelon, Red Vines and of course...
Cranberry, Blueberry Scones with Lemon Curd
Following our lovely meal, we headed to the aquarium and saw many exciting ocean creatures, and water fowl.
[Gen 1:20-22 ESV] 20 And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens." 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."
Upon entering, you are greeted by a life-sized replica of a blue whale.
There are many types of jelly fish
And energetic Sea Lions
Adorable Sea Otters
Sea Horsies :)
Rays, fish, and sharks you can touch!
More sharks to touch! ...and no, I did not :)
BIG shark tank (noooo touching).
Penguins!
ummm?, birdie!
I was taking random shots of ducks splashing and flying low on the water, and did not realize I had captured this fun shot. Look closely and you will see MANY colors, like jewels on the water. :)
for a mere (eh, hem) $3, you can feed the Lorikeets a tiny cup of nectar. They will land right on your arm (head, shoulder, etc.) to get to it. I figured they did not need any more food from me, so polite pass. :)
Guam Kingfisher (I will have to ask my dad if he saw these when stationed in Guam while in the U.S. Navy).
Cute Mary Englebreit tea mugs spotted in the gift shop (but at $16 - no, no, no)
This sweet little fairy sized mug came home with Tilly, and will make its way through time and space to become a gift (for someone else's fairies).
We really enjoyed our day and give praise to God from whom all blessings flow.
Thank you for joining me for another exciting adventure!!
Yesterday, Tilly TARDIS and I enjoyed our beautiful June gloom weather in the garden with a new book while the kiddos laughed and played. I was able to try the new 'June' teacup I purchased last week at our town's annual antique and collectibles fair (more on that after the review). I sipped on Bigelow's French Vanilla decaf. tea I received as a gift, with milk and honey which was SO tasty - like dessert!
•°o THUMBS UP FOR 1882
FAITH & MYSTERY WESTERN o°•
I really enjoyed Maggie and Garret’s story; so much so that
I read the entire book in a day.
Maggie is an undercover Pinkerton agent, which in itself makes
for a great start. Garrett Thomas is a
former prisoner of war, who has tried to suppress those horrible memories and
move on with his life. He is a widower
with two young children and a thriving tinker business. However, he has no idea
the Pinkerton Detective Agency has evidence that he was part of a train robbery
and murder two years ago.
In an effort to move forward with his life, following the
untimely death of his wife two years prior, and provide quality care for his
children, he has placed ads for a mail-order-bride; the perfect undercover ruse
for Maggie.
Maggie has her own disheveled past. An outlaw father she watched hang at the
gallows as a young girl. Growing up in
an orphanage, and a strong desire to be better than her father and right his
wrongs on society. She has strong faith
in God which is evidenced throughout the book.
Garret has an underlying faith, but separates that from the church he
believes wronged in him during the war. Garret and Maggie immediately begin to
bond over normal family activities and unexpected emergencies. Meanwhile,
Maggie is working the case with her partner Rikker, who has become a father
figure to her. There are many questions
that ad to the mystery, but the book never gets dark. Additionally, the author states she has written
these as stand-alone-stories, so you can read them in any order. They simply have the same theme of female
detectives running throughout.
The story ends well, with no lingering questions, and I am
looking forward to the next one – Calico Spy – which according to ChristianBook
dot com is due out January 1, 2016.
I give it 5 out of 5 stars and would recommend it to others.
Included at the end of the book: Discussion Questions, and a
bit of interesting history regarding the Whistle-Stop train robbery, and crime
solving techniques.
I purchased this book from CBD and I am offering my honest
opinion for no compensation.
Here are some of the treasures I purchased from the fair. I am excited to find a June cup, and IN June no-less! I decided I would like to start a collection of all of the months.
Light blue demitasse = Coalport bone china, England $7.50 Multi-color demitasse = Mintons china, England, & another stamp; possibly W.H. Plummer & Co., NY City $7.50 June Teacup = Royal Dover bone china, England $12 Extra large floral tablecloth - $10
I will post more treasures in future posts :)
Until next time, hugs and a cup of tea! Blessings, ~Heather Elizabeth guest blogging at: http://ataatravelingteapot2.blogspot.com/
Welcome back to Team Darjeeling. If you have not been following this, I am joining the FB group Afternoon Tea Across America and hostessing a traveling teapot for the month of June. I have so many thoughts swirling in my head that I wish to share with you all. I hope to get it organized and flowing nicely here for all of my happy readers! First, a special thanks to Rainy. She sent the TARDIS through time and space to me, along with some lovely gifts. There was a passport journal book so hostesses can share travel logs, a pair of bohemian style earrings, a sample of Red Rocks tea from The Tea Spot (click here to learn more), and a hand written recipe (see below).
During its time with her in May she affectionately called the TARDIS Tardy. If you are any sort of Whovian (people who watch Doctor Who and the TARDIS (click here for details), you know the TARDIS has had many names, and each incarnation of the Doctor comes with a new incarnation of the TARDIS. Some names have included: The Box, The Ship, Blue Box, Sexy, Old Girl and Snog Box. In that spirit, I thought it would be fun for each Team Darjeeling hostess to call the TARDIS whatever name she likes for the month. Rainy already told me to call her what I wish :) And so, I have dubbed her Tilly for this month. It sounds old fashioned to me, much like the TARDIS and the custom of Afternoon Tea :)
(click photo to enlarge Rainy's recipe for Mexican Pots du Creme)
In my photo of Tilly, you may have noticed the wonderful crisp white, flour sack style tea towels. I ordered them with a personalized touch after seeing them on the FB page Afternoon Tea Across America, when another member shared hers. Here they are close up:
(2 HAND EMBROIDERED towels $16 + $2 shipping from WA, or $5 priority w/tracking # emailed to you)
She normally creates these in pink, but I had the color changed to red as it compliments my kitchen better. She kept the flowers pink and pale blue, which I quite like. I had the days of the week changed to 'Blessed' and 'Set Free'. Lovely reminders of what God has done for me. There are several other designs in this series. If you are interested in ordering from her, click her name to investigate here: JoAnn Dunlap Bayne at Scene Through My Eyes Blog. Email her at: joann.bayne@gmail.com She accepts paypal.
Additionally, I ordered her book which is her own story and one that seems very interesting.
$10 and she will autograph it if you wish!
Now for even more tea fun with Tilly! Friday, June 5th, 2015 was National Donut Day. If you don't know, you may think, "Oh brother, another dumb holiday." But friends, this one has a precious history dating back to WWI, 1917 when the Salvation Army sent 'Donut Lassies' into the trenches to bless the soldiers with a little hospitality.
Please click the 3 min. video to play or open in another window by clicking the link below the video.
First, my daycare Littles and I headed to "The Barn"; a local sale held in a lady's back yard every few months, featuring crafts and vintage items.
children's faces blurred for privacy
There were teawares (which I normally come home with, but not this time), a tea tin re-purposed into a succulent planter, pallets painted like flags and much more. Olivia is proudly holding Tilly TARDIS next to 'the barn' sign. In the upper left she found a music book on a stand, so she stayed there for the longest time conducting music!
After browsing, we headed to the best donut shop in town, as we have many to choose from!
children's faces blurred for privacy
Tilly posed proudly next to her sign in support of WWI veterans, and the Littles did the same.
This shop features a play kitchen and toys so, much fun was had by all!
I purchased a blueberry donut with lemon icing which was a special donut made for the day. I saved mine to bring home and enjoy while the kiddos napped ;)
I would love to tell you I was over-the-moon happy with this donut. The premise sounded quite tasty, but, um, nope. I can not tell a lie :)
It was just ok. I also tried Lady Gray Tea for the first time. It was a gift from the gracious Juanita following our tea earlier this month. I had no idea it would be so different from Earl Gray (of which I am not a fan), but it was decaf (yay!), and had citrus notes against black tea. It was quite pleasant.
I have another tea coming up this Sunday with family members (6/14/2015) where Tilly and I will travel through time and space until we arrive at the Aquarium! Won't that be fun?!
The Sea Otters are my favorite! (photo courtesy of Pinterest)
And 2 weeks following on 6/27, some ladies from the ATAA group will gather in my home to share tea and discuss tea themed books as I close out my traveling teapot hostess duties.
“He brewed his tea in a blue china pot, poured it into a chipped white cup with forget-me-nots on the handle, and dropped in a dollop of honey and cream. He sat by the window, cup in hand, watching the first snow fall. "I am," he sighed deeply, "contented as a clam. I am a most happy man.” ― Ethel Pochocki, Wildflower Tea
Thank you for joining me. I pray you have a very blessed rest of your week!
