Monday, June 15, 2015

In Good Company - Book Review - Christian Fiction

BOOK REVIEW
In Good Company
by: Jen Turano

•°o•:*:•.ANOTHER DELIGHT.•:*:• o°•

I received my influencer copy of this book in Saturday’s mail and was not able to open it up until today, Monday morning.  This time I planned ahead and started early in the day, knowing I have a bad habit of losing sleep over Jen Turano’s amazing stories!  I FINISHED the book this evening around 5:30 and definitely loved reading it cover to cover in a day.  I just can't get enough of her books!!

Long Island, New York, 1882 and Miss Millie Longfellow has just gotten sacked from another nanny position. However, you soon come to understand her very unusual style of child rearing may not be the social norm, but is exactly conducive to developing lasting bonds and trust between her and her wards.  On her way to the agency to remedy her employment needs, she runs into, or rather Mr. Everett Mulberry runs into her.  His own wards have just run off yet another nanny of their own.  There is an obvious solution to both of their problems, but Mr. Mulberry is familiar with Millie’s past and has no inclination to allow her anywhere near the three children who have been left to him.  He already has his hands full trying to court the high society Miss Dixon, and does not need further aggravation in his life.

Millie is a truly likable character.  She has a genuine love of children, and a strong desire to better herself through the ever growing use of vocabulary words and reading quality literature (including a favorite of mine, Jane Austen).
Everett is equally likable albeit a bit naive, believing he and his friends are in no way snobs, and those type of actions are perfectly normal, not snobbish in the least.
As usual, the author has all ranges of characters from sweet, elderly busy-body society types, who have nothing better to do than shower the younger set with wisdom and a bit of plotting, to very young children and animals who wreak havoc and add tenderness to the story. Reverend Gilmore has also returned to add a bit of his own kindness and warmth to the story, as has star of the stage Lucetta Plum, best friend and roommate of Millie. Equally woven throughout the book is an ever-present, and much appreciated faith in God.
I definitely enjoyed this story filled with humor and touching moments, and watching the characters grow and work together.  I give it 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who enjoys: Christian historical fiction, with strong female leads.

Looking forward to Book #3 Playing the Part, due out February 2016

Be sure to look up Jen on FB as I have always found her to be very approachable, and DO read her other books as well!  I have read them ALL and each one as received a 5-star review from me!

It is my great privilege to be  included in Jen Turano’s Influencer List and I received this copy for no compensation.  My opinion is my own.
Read: 06/15/15, Reviewed: 06/15/15

SERIES: A Class of Their Own
After a Fashion - Book#1 – 2015
In Good Company – Book #2 – 2015
Playing the Part – Book #3 – 2016

After a Fashion


Until next time friends; 
Hugs and a cup of tea,
Heather Elizabeth
I may also be sharing at the following parties:

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Friday, June 12, 2015

UNDERCOVER BRIDE book review and TEA w Tilly in the Garden

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!

BOOK REVIEW
Undercover Bride - Book #2 Undercover Ladies
by: Margaret Brownley
(Christian Historical Fiction)
Read full book description and order it by clicking here
•°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.
©2015 Shiloh Run Press-Barbour Publishing
305 Pages
Read 06/11/2015 / Reviewed 06/12/2015

SERIES: Undercover Ladies
Petticoat Detective – Book 1 – 2014 (I gave this a 5-star review also which you can read here)
Undercover Bride – Book 2 – 2015
Calico Spy – Book 3 – 2016

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/

I may also be sharing at the following parties:
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Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Tea Towels and TARDISes and more

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.


HOW WE CELEBRATED
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.
Click here for my Pinterest Board: 
“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!
Until next time, hugs and a cup of tea!
~Heather Elizabeth
Guest blogging over at 
http://ataatravelingteapot2.blogspot.com/



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Monday, June 1, 2015

Team Darjeeling - June - ATAA meetup


Well friends, you better grab a whole pot for this blog post, because the photos are extensive and amazing!
I belong to the FB page Afternoon Tea Across America.  They decided to start a Traveling Teapot, where each person hosts the pot for 1 month, blogs several times about it, and then mails it to the next person.  This time, there are two traveling teapots in the shape of a TARDIS (from the popular sci-fi show Doctor Who).  I am on Team Darjeeling.
I have been DYING to share this post with you because I don't officially host the Traveling TARDIS Teapot, until June.  However, I happen to own my own TARDIS, and when I found out one of the ATAA members was visiting CA from TX in late March, I inquired if she would be interested in meeting for tea while she was here, which she was.  (Yay! Happy dance!!).
Sylvia, Juanita, Brenda, Heather
I also threw it out to the rest of the group and 2 more members were able to join.  In the midst of trying to get a reservation, Juanita offered up her home as an alternative.  I am soooo thankful we all said yes, because her home is basically an homage to tea!  Sylvia (who I knew many years ago, and reconnected with through ATAA FB page) and I were able to carpool and get reacquainted. We all arrived at about 11:00 and I had made these teabag signs for our event.  We were first greeted by her front street little library.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LITTLE LIBRARY FB PAGE

As we rounded the corner of the driveway, there was no doubt we were in the right place. 


 And walking into the yard, we were in awe at all the treasures!


See that scripture on the right?  I had texted that along with a prayer to all the ladies first thing that morning to start our day.  More on that to come.



Tea and books.  Perfection Mr. Rabbit!
And now it was time to enter through the pretty door.

 But, we didn't get very far, as wonderful tea things greeted us from every corner.
Yellows


Roses

Hutches on 1 side of the dining room

Purples

Hutches on another side of the dining room
 We finally made our way to the kitchen where we were all able to do final preparations for the foods we brought.
Sorry Juanita is a little blurry here, but we were in full action mode
getting ready to share!
If you have never thought to have guests bring a dish or two, I highly recommend it!  I often do so with my friends and it takes so much of the pressure off.  Plus it allows guests to share their creativity!  It's so much fun!!

Juanita made us these 2 amazing crustless quiches.
Brenda picked up a box of fresh greens, green apple and strawberries with a raspberry pomegranate dressing.  I brought mandarin oranges and candied pecans.  We left it 'build-your-own' style so people could customize.  I loved it!
Brenda also made strawberry soup, and brought french macaroons from Paris in a Cup Tearoom.  Click here for soup recipe. 
You may recognize the darling Noritake demitasse cups/saucers from our FB page, that Brenda bought while on vacation here.  They were perfect for the strawberry soup.

I created a new recipe - Curry Chicken and Fig Pinwheels. While the ladies were apprehensive, all stated they loved it! (Hooray!)  Click here for my recipe. And I made cucumber and dill sandwiches pictures here.  Sylvia provided the striped ham sandwiches.  Click here for that recipe.

I brought these refreshing little strawberry cucumber tea sandwiches.  Click here for recipe, and the Little Debbie butterfly cakes, which in all honesty tasted like a ho-ho ;) Juanita provided the delicious cream puffs.
Juanita also blessed us with not one, but two types of scones and 2 homemade creams.  These are the raspberry, white chocolate.  Her cream has a greek yogurt base.  

These are the chocolate, chocolate chip and yes, she made those darling napkins.


She also provided
jam in this lovely cup.
I believe it
was blackberry.




Cherries, tiny roses from the garden, wee tea gifts (see our scripture on the tag?) and lovelies. 



There was a fresh sprig of lavender on our plates which Juanita instructed us to crush between our hands, and inhale the calming fragrance.  She then blessed the food, and we started our tea time.
Notice our scripture once again?

2 types of tea were provided, but we were told we were welcomed to try anything in her vast assortment.
Canisters of Tea

3 drawers of teas!
(And there's more to boot! - Whoo Hoo!)
Oh look, there's the TARDIS!  I filled her with peonies, which I later left for Juanita as a hostess gift.
Do you take hostess gifts?  I always do.  I think there is great charm in old fashioned customs like this.  Brenda brought Juanita a candle in a cup and saucer and Sylvia brought her a cute quilt and button themed cup and saucer and some patterns.
Brenda and me (Heather)
These were our place-mats.  You can order them from Grandma Rae by clicking here.
Sylvia brought us these beautiful scrapbooks and teaspoons.



My gifts for the ladies.










Juanita invited us to choose anything we liked from this selection and gave us gift bags to fill! Now isn't she a generous hostess.




Juanita's crafts.
Classic novels as earrings.



Juanita's 
tea fabrics
She decorated a box of tea with tea stickers! Oh, yes she did!













Her kitchen window



 Refill your cups.  

 We're heading out back!












The hummingbirds were amazing.









Oh, just some of her potting shed teawares? What?!



The covered patio with fairy lights and tea fun!
One of the dining areas.  

















Down a little path, 















are some more treasures.















Then the yard opens up to this lovely area.  The tortoise lives in there.
There are bird houses galore & a swing for kids of all ages.



 There are decorated sheds  and more toys.






Plus hidden gems around every corner.







These are the amazing raised flower beds Juanita's husband built.  No bending required here folks!  They feature miniature roses, tomatoes and more!
See what a lovely overcast day we had? Perfect tea weather.
MANY demitasse cups hanging above the miniature roses.


I think fairies should live in here. Don't you?

Our tour is nearly through.
Mr. Z arrives to pick up his wife, Brenda.  Mr. S. gives him the grand tour while we clean up.

Mr. S and Mr. Z
It's been an amazing 3 1/2 hours.  Yes, really!  And we won't soon forget the many blessings we shared and the new friends we made.  We are already looking forward to doing it again!
Above Juanita's kitchen sink faucet.

I truly hope you THOROUGHLY enjoyed your time, and felt the magic of our experience.  We are all so grateful to be a part of Afternoon Tea Across America.  God bless you one and all!
Until next time, hugs and a cup of tea.
~Heather Elizabeth

 I will also be sharing this amazing adventure on the group blog where you can read more of the Traveling Teapot's adventures: 

http://ataatravelingteapot2.blogspot.com/
Ps: My apologies for some weird spacing.
Blogger sometimes is finicky, even though 
the layout appears normal when I create it!

I may also be sharing at the following parties:


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