Can you believe that we are about halfway through July?  The summer heat has hit North Texas and out house finally warmed up.. You see it is pier and beam and the crawl space stays chilly.  With the crawl space so chilly the house stays quite cool until the relentless heat finally warms up that huge space under the house.  Well, it finally happened last week.  I am drinking lots of ice water and eating lots of ice..and not getting so much done because of the constant bolts to the facilities.

Marc has been pushing himself hard this week and has cut many of the fallen tress into fireplace sized logs so we will be cozy and warm this winter.  I am hoping to have a laptop by then so will be blogging from the front of my roaring dining room fire.

But for today? It is hot. No worries about fires or cold. I need to clean my office and I need to do some organizing.  Marc is taking on  large portion of the homeschool responsibilites this year as our roles change and I am the breadwinner while he handles the things around the house.  It is an odd time for us, learning to be comfortable in eachother’s clothing…Your  prayers are appreciated.

If you needed any convincing that coffee and cake are really the way to end a work out, worry no more. According to researchers it is a grat way to get a burst of energy.

I loved this article.  It seems that a coffee shop off the coast of Vancouver has a brilliant idea.  Row through window.  You see, apparently most of the residents get around by…boat.

If you keep losing your favorite mugs to office thieves you need to check out this locking coffee mug. 

According to some researchers coffee can reduce a woman’s fertility. Don’t believe them. I have eight kids.

Do you remember percolated coffee? If so you will want to read this article to bring back all those great memories.

La Tea Dah has about a million ways to use lavender over on Gracious Hospitality.

The T- Cozy is having a give away that you just won’t want to miss. It is easy to enter..just leave a comment telling her your favorite post.

Oddly enough, Cherry Hill Cottage was also discussing percolators this week! I love that blog.

Summer reading is just a part of summer.  Stephanie at Steph’s Cup of Tea has a great suggestion.

If you haven;t participated in a Pink Saturday yet, you should. I know..I haven’t, right? But that is besides the point..Maybe next week..or the next..

I hope your week is magnificent and full of blessing.

Image:Marye Audet 

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Summer is here. I keep thinking that I am going to free up some time to sit and enjoy life but the more I work to free up the time the more I have to do…if you are feeling the same way just take the time off and sip some iced tea on your porch.  Relax.  We all need to learn to live!

If you care about Fair Trade, Organic, and sustainably grown coffee (and you should!) checking Coffee and Conservation on a weekly or bi weekly basis is the best place to keep up with serious news about the industry.  I know I try to get over there at least twice a week to see what is happening.  I always learn something I did not know!

Jim over at Muddy Dog Coffee Blog has a great post on the famine conditions in Ethiopia. His company has decided to donate a portion of their profits to support EthiopiAide. Hats off to them in this altruistic venture!

Did you see the movie, Calendar Girls? I cracked up all the way through it..The funniest part was when Marc looked seriously into my face and said, “You would SO do that.” Well, there are some other ladies willing to bare it all for a good cause. Women Kona Coffee Farmers have produced a calender to enlighten us about the false advertising associated with coffee and Kona coffee in particular.  Check out the whole story at Eat. Drink. Better.

This is a little scary but did you know that Wrigley’s Doublemint gum has a Kona Creme gum out? I despise gum..I hate watching people chewing it.  But if you are desperate for coffee this might do the trick.

So it is hot.  Summer is here.  The kids are dripping popsicles all over the kitchen and you need a break.  Check out this Coffee Ice Cream with Espresso Brittle Swirl from Cooking with Coffee. I’ll take two.  To go.

I found At Home with the Farmer’s Wife blog through Vee, at A Haven for Vee.   Her blog design is fantastic! I will be reading this one alot, I can tell.

Brenda is having an open house for her son at Coffee, Tea, Books and Me.  She has an amazing menu planned..check it out and wish her well!  She has had a busy week, I figure she is drinking gallons of coffee over there!

I love thrift store shopping. In fact, yesterday I went to pick up a few things and ended up with a whole new wardrobe (we are on our way back to our home church and I needed to get my look up to par! We have been very casual for the last few years . Anyway I found some awesome things, which I will share on another post..but look at these adorable crocheted scrubbers that LaTeaDah found at her thrift shop!

Finally, The Tea Lady at Tea Time Tales posted something that touched my heart.  I understand her frustration with people who just would rather grab a cheap brand off the shelf than good quality from a local business. Read her post entitled Mediocre Minds and add your prayers to mine for her success.

O.k..

I hope you enjoyed today’s tour of the Internet. Have a great weekend!

Image (c) Marye Audet 2008 

Post from: Kettle and Cup

He told me he desperately needed his own tea because everyone keeps drinking the one’s he likes.  He is a Vanilla Chai man but will tolerate a nice Irish breakfast on a cool day.  He had the people in the grocery aisle cracking up as he tried to choose his tea.

“I have had that. It has too much tannin”

“I tried that. It is a cheap company mom”

“Not organic”

Now, all of this tea chatter coming from a seven year old, especially a seven year old male tends to get attention. Nick gets alot of attention anyway. He is cute. Like his mom.  he ended up suggesting that an older lady try the Celestial Seasoning Coconut Chai because she seemed the sort to enjoy it. She put it in her cart it with a smile.  And Nick came home with Spiced Chai. Everyone is happy.

If you have a special tea coming up consider these White Silk and Berry Tarts that I posted on Baking Delights.  A little different with a white chocolate french silk topped with raspberries and blackberries. I would suggest making them in puff pastry shells, but I was rushed for time so used graham shells.

Visions of Sugarplum has posted  a blueberry honey sweet tea that sounds very refreshing..and very good. It is almost blueberry season here..I can’t wait!

I loved Ellen’s post, and images, about her wanderings through the Rose Bowl flea market! There is some amazing stuff here, and it is almost like strolling through the flea market yourself.

If you weren’t aware, it was all about tea rooms this week on the blogathon at Gracious Hospitality. 

Breville has come out with a tea kettle/toaster combo.  Personally I think it is a monstrosity but I am  not keen on microwaves either.  In any case, it is interesting.

Starbuck’s new logo is apparently too risque for some.  It is a double tailed mermaid with bare breasts.  I always am at a loss for these types of arguments.  Here’s my thoughts for what they are worth. As a Christian I do feel like our society is much to lax in their standards and morals. However as an artist I think that a wood cut of a mermaid is the least of our problems.  If you have a young man, or an old one, at your house that is getting a little excited by the new logo I think that your problems are deeper than a two tailed mermaid.  What are your thoughts on that?

If you are still using paper coffee filters rather than the permanent gold ones here at 10 uses for coffee filters that you may have not known about.

If you go in to Starbucks you may have seen a basket with coffee in it? I don;t know, our Starbucks has one. You can buy a pound of coffee, write well wishes and blessings on it and send it to the military personnel  serving overseas. We try do that once in awhile. It is a great way to give back.

Here’s a cool thought. For gifts? Coffee Stocks! Green Mountain is at about $42.00  per share, Caribou is under $10.00, Peets is less than $30.00 and Starbucks is in that region as well.  If you have a coffee devotee on your Christmas list, buy them a couple of stocks between now and then. How cool is that?

Usually recipes go on Baking Delights but I could not resist these Rosewater Green Tea Shortbread  Butterfly cookies posted on  My Plate My World.

Do you remember when I did the posts on Honor Grounds Coffee? Well I got an update from them and last quarter they were able to donate something like$7,000.00 to local VA and Military programs.

Something I have only recently discovered is the Show and Tell every friday that Kelli sponsors.   I hope to get involved soon and share some of my vintage stuff.  I have a lot of it!There is a MrLinky at her site that has some interesting stuff from this week’s posts.

Hey, congratulate me. I am now the editor for LoveToKnow Antiques. I have been in training and finally made it though. I am looking forward to it.

I think the theme for the blog-a-thon next week is teapots so you will definitely want to check back.  I have some really cool ones, including a very antique pewter one.

Have a great weekend!

Images:(c)Marye Audet 2008

Post from: Kettle and Cup

I think that is my favorite image this week.    If only that table looked like that all the time!

How was your week? Mine has been super busy.  I feel like I have neglected the blog!  I have not visited much, not because I don’t wish to visit but because I have been so overwhelmed with my to-do list.  I hope to be visiting again soon.

I have a backlog of posts that I have notes for but we just spent so much time at the VA this week I couldn’t post them.   W will be camping out there a bit next week, too. Neurosurgury consult, pain clinic, labs, new CAT scan…sigh…Marc’s pain level had gotten quite intense and we are trying to find the correct amount of pain killers balancing between making him comfortable and knocking him completely out.  If you pray, please do. This has been a difficult time.

On to fun things.  Grab your tea or coffee…choose something from the tea table to nibble on and  let’s go.

First stop for me this morning was Christie at Charm & Grace.  She wrote about an interesting tea that she attended with her mother at her local library.  The images she took were beautiful and who could resist a bring your own cup, Jane Austen tea?

Swaps are fun.  Here is a loose leaf tea swap.   You will need to email the hostess if you don’t have enough feedback points and get special permission, bit for this? Probably SO worth it.  If you do it please post about it and let us know what you got!

Modern Princess knows how to make real southern sweet tea!

Jane Goodall and Green Mountain Roasters unveiled a new coffee this week, Tanzanian Gombe Reserve Coffee. The coffee is grown in an area where the farmers are very poor.  As they have cleared land a group of chimps has become isolated and unable to move off the small wild area they inhabit.  This coffee is designed to bring attention to the problem.

O.k..I am late on this..BUT if you hurry you can still get it.  In honor of Fair Trade Day (today)  True Blue Coffee Roasters is offering 15% off coffees through TODAY.  Check it out…The coupon code is   fairtradeday

They have an Ethiopian Sidamo for 9.99 and shipping seems to be just 4.99 for your order.  You better get there before I do because I plan on checking out alot of these!

Check it out…7 uses for leftover coffee grounds!

More Fair Trade Day celebrations!  Green Mountain is offering 20% off purchases of 10 ounce bags of Sumatran Lake Tawar, Kenyan Highland Cooperatives, Colombian Fair Trade Select, and Mexican Decaf Huatusco Cooperative .  Website/phone orders only.Promocode is:

7200-2242

Larry’s Beans has a coffee break Kit for Fair Trade day…

15% off Bundle of Love from Peace Coffee with this code: WFTD08  Coffee and chocolate, what’s not to love?

Mother’s Day is tomorrow. If you can, spend some time with your mom.

Oh, and as a last lingering little bit of eye-candy, check out Storybook Woods’ baking pantry…sigh…

Have a blessed Sunday!

Image:MaryeAudet

Post from: Kettle and Cup

From my salt and pepper collection..Avon.

Saturday again! Time for your, and my, weekly internet fix of the coolest, the neatest, the most cool…and the ones I found. 

Judy, on My Front Porch, well not MY front porch, hers..you know…has a fantastic post about the baby barn owls that are in her barn. They are fantastic! If you homeschool it is worth heading over there to get a look.

So here’s an interesting thing. DO you know that there are tons of blogs about tea but almost none about coffee? Do you further know that tea blogs tend to be beautiful, creative, and cozy…and the few coffee blogs I have found tend to be snappy, terse, and edgy?

So what does THAT tell ya?

Case in point…Breaking News

And…A Timely Reminder

Differences.

Which is why, my friends, only a blogger as totally multiple personalitied as me could do this. Don’t try this at home, kids.

O.k..if you have trouble deciding which Starbucks coffee you will like Starbucks has the answer! You knew they would, didn’t you? Called Starbucks at Home, it is a 5 question quiz that is supposed to help you figure out what to order the next time you go…this is tricky though, because if you are like me these questions can be confusing if you try to answer them before…you know…coffee. At the end they offer to send you two whole OUNCES of whatever they tell you your favorite is.

Barismo has a thoughtful (for a coffee drinker) article, Attitude at the Counter

Now, I have the coolest barista in the world, and in fact, I told him I was going to bring my camera and get his picture to make him famous. I will od later this week, too. But apparently some of you all have had odd experiences with baristas, and baristas with customers. I suppose it is rude to wear an ipod when getting your coffee, but then, on the flip side, is there anything worse than a cashier of any sort on the phone when checking you out?

So here’s something. Comment Speedway talks about the little coffee shop, the small roaster, the guy that knows his customers and fixes great coffee.

Would you please moe that soapbox over here for a minute? Thanks.

Does anyone else recognize that Starbucks, and Wal-mart and places like that are the devil? Disclaimer. I go to Starbucks because, and only because they have literally closed all the local shops within a 15 mile radius. We have two kinds of coffee drinkers here, south of Dallas:

• The old guys who drink stale Maxwell House at the local truck stop
• The others who think Starbucks is the end all beat all for coffee.

Welcome to Texas.

I dislike that we, consumers..collective we, buy into the hype of the advertising companies and spend too much money on mediocre coffee. Why do we not realize that as we support BIG business and huge corporations that we are effectively shutting down the little places? Wal-mart has shut down several types of retail in my area…They have 4 stores…4 superstores in a 15 mile radius..all open 24 hours. The parking lot is full 24/7. And people think they are saving money by buying junk. Pay a little more, go without something, and get quality. It’s tough, believe me I know.

O.k..sorry…moving on…

Nicer things now..

Ivory Spring has ushered in Spring with some beautiful tulips… we are past tulips here..my heirloom roses are full in bloom, huge masses of blooms…
oh and then there is this:

You Are Fruit Loops

You’re very fun loving and easily bored. You need everything in your life to be over the top.You are definitely attracted to shiny and colorful objects. If kids love something, you tend to love it as well. You a very short attention span and are easily distracted. You are likely to eat something very random for breakfast… or forget to eat it at all.

What Kind of Cereal Are You?

::cough..cough:::

Hey, I have been called that before….

Mimi’s Garden has a great show and tell antiques post…check out the cool stuff she got!

Wales holds a special place in my heart..Nope, never been there, and you don’t need to know why..it just does…Codlins and Cream is just a breezy visit to Wales for me…great images and just …hmmm. cozy chats. I enjoy it and hope you will too.

For right now, this is the last image from my Tea with Me Tour of my house. Most of the rest of the house needs repair, and I am not sure you want to see the barns…. This is the upstairs landing..It is a quiet spot to sit and gather thoughts…

The hall is lined with bookcases…

Have a great weekend!

Images: Marye Audet 

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Among the many things I collect is a particular type of vintage glass called Moonstone. It was put out by Anchor Hocking from 1941-1946. This is a dainty, and I mean DAINTY cream and open sugar set that was my mom’s. Just thought I would share this picture with you.

I have to say that I really like Peggy. She and Jennifer do some way cool stuff on Tree Hugging Family and I have been stalking her on My Junk Creation as well. Gotta love someone who makes cool stuff from junk. Well, she has the coolest bookmarks made from tea tags on her blog this week…and I thought that with so many of us liking both tea AND books…well, just check them out.

But does she stop there? Nope. She also posted about making Tea Tag Confetti. This blogger girl is a serious party animal.

Stop by Steph’s Cup of Tea and wish her a happy blog-a-versary. Her blog is THREE! That is ancient in blog years.

If you are a freak for beautiful dishes head over to Ivory Spring. She shows off some of her collection and the tea strainer is amazing.

Have you been keeping up with the Gracious Hospital-i-Tea Blog-a-Thon?

Well, this week is a whole new subject so head over there and check it out. I have had a great time participating!

If you have a lot of family treasures and you don;t want their importance lost on your kids, check out this post by Katherine at Yellow Rose Arbor. She shows off her book of family treasures and I think it is an awesome idea.

Alice at Tea in My Cup has some adorable flower pot cookies that would be perfect for a spring tea.

My Little Pony turns 25 this year, and the stage show is billed as the largest tea party ever! That could be a great tea party theme for a little one, even if you did not get to go to the show.

Adagio always has cools tuff, but with an order of $50.00 you can get free shipping AND a zarafina teacup and saucer.

The Republic of Tea is also a great site to find the interesting, the new, the Tea-mendous (o.k.that was bad, sorry). Well they have a line of Be Well Red Teas that are infused with herbal blends for specific things. I am a real freak about using herbs in health…we don’t go to doctors here …only very rarely. Marc is the only one currently and that is because his condition requires medical intervention. However, that aside, these teas sound amazing. Check it out:

Get Gorgeous-anitoxidents for healthy skin and listen to the ingredients: Rooibos (leaf), Orange (peel), Hibiscus (flower), Chamomile (flower), Red Clover (flower) Chaste Berry (fruit), Burdock (root), Natural Pomegranate Flavor.

Get A Grip- I could probably just buy them out of this one. PMS and menopause don’t stand a chance with these herbs:Rooibos (leaf), Licorice (root), Eleuthero (root), Parsley (leaf), Black Cohosh (root), Chaste Berry (fruit), Chase Berry (fruit) Extract, Dong Quai (root) Extract, Birch (bark), Roasted Chicory (root), Natural Honey Flavor. It will probably pick up your libido as well so you might want to warn the husband.

Get Happy- Balance those emotions and fight the blahs with this Kosher tea. Organic Rooibos (leaf), Lemon Balm (leaf), Lemon Myrtle (Bachousia citriodora) (leaf), St. John’s Wort (aerial parts), Rhodiola (root) Extract, Natural Peach Flavor.

There are a ton more.

It has not escaped my notice that the weather is getting warmer. Be sure to read my very own instructions for making real southern sweet tea, the ONLY iced tea worth drinking is made with sugar infused water. Never never add the sugar later. Trust me.

For you coffee drinkers, head over to Babylune for Eliza’s Coffee Break. Every weekend she has an open chat over there. Grab a biscotti and just GO.

Image:MaryeAudet 

Post from: Kettle and Cup

See this picture? This is an illustration of the battle royale for coffee in this house. This is my son in law, desperate for coffee, trying to get those last few drops of precious caffeine from the coffee maker into his mouth.

Sad. So, so sad. And yet, a picture that is repeated numerous times weekly. Pray for him. And us.

O.k..I was going to blog surf yesterday, really I was, but I am not sure where my time went. So..here we go.

First of all, I want to discuss the etiquette of blogging. So totally not about coffee, but I will wait while you grab a cup if you like. ‘Cause I am polite like that.

One of the nicest, sweetest people in the blogging world is Brenda from Coffee Tea Books and Me.

She is seriously one of those people that you know puts the shopping carts in the corral when she is finished with them, and wipes up the sugar she spilled on the counter at Starbucks. Her blog is a refreshing combination of tea, scripture, and slices of her life, which is not an easy one. Someone did a drive by on her blog yesterday and slammed her. I am not sweet, nor am I gracious, quiet, or anything you think of when you think of a gracious lady. Brenda is all of that. She graciously answered the driveby commenter and in the nice way that I would expect to come from her. I am not going to give credit to the whole thing by quoting any of it here. However, people, you cannot come by a blog, read a couple of posts and presume to know tomes about the person posting. Criticism of someone’s life, habits, or finances is certainly not appropriate. If you disagree with something a blogger says or does- move on! I was deeply offended by a post someone made not too long ago and yet managed to attribute it to different ethics and personalities, and situations..managed to refrain from sarcastic commentary, and moved on….

Marc and I have discussed over the past weeks, the possibility of us getting food stamps. With his disability…service connected disability, and our lives we are having trouble making ends meet for 12 people on under 2000. 00 a month. If we WERE to get food stamps we would still have internet, not because we were milking the system but because this (the Internet) is how I make an income which helps support us. God knows his disability doesn’t…it has been in appeal for 3 years.

I would hope noone would make assumptions about my frugality, or lack thereof, by those decisions. That would be RUDE.

Moving on…..

Caroline at Eat, Pray, Run discovers a new tea and the joy of a solitary tea party. Excellent! It is important to learn to spend times alone indulging in as much ceremony as if it was a party. I loved this post..and need to try the tea.

We don;t let our kids drink coffee but there seems to be a trend. According to the Salt Lake Tribune coffee consumption amongst kids as youngas 12 is growing. Yikes!

This article discusses why it is important to use a travel mug rather than throw away…did you know those cups cannot be composted?

If you are in desperate need of a huge caffeine fix, Viet Nam’s largest producer of coffee has made the largest cup of coffee…I will be sending my son in law right over…

Baklava with Coffee syrup...

Book of Tea’s Journal has a great review of Steaz Raspberry Green Tea Soda..Microbrewed…mmmm..need to try this one.

Have a great Sunday folks …
Image: (c) Marye Audet Apron Strings and Simmering Things

Content (c) Marye Audet Kettle and Cup

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Image:Morguefile

I have been actively searching out tea and coffee blogs..and i have to tell you, tea party-ers blog a whole lot more than coffee drinkers.

Today is a very girlie day here, which I feel no need to apologize for …you see, while I can throw a bale of hay, and drive a John Deere with the best of ‘em, and have been known to clip horses hooves when necessary…I am unabashedly female. So, if you dislike pink perhaps it would be best to check out Frozen Music, which is , my homesteading blog…altho to be honest I have not written there in several days.  Maybe a week. Or so.

I assume the buzz gives the coffee drinker the shakes to hard to type?

Anyway…Welcome to Saturday surfing at Kettle and Cup!!

Tea in My Cup has some awesome recipes…this one for Orange Scone Wedges with Cream Cheese filling, certainly caught my attention.

I discovered Sue’s blog, Country Pleasures, and am having so much fun reading I can’t suggest a particular post…yet.

Gracious Hospitality has a fascinating post about a tiny tea house.

Check out the way cute giveaway on Amanda’s blog, felt tea bogs for your little one’s tea parties. Seriously too cute!

Look at this cute pie over at Kimberly’s Cup…seriously cute.

So..what coffee are you drinking this weekend? What tea are you sipping on?

Right now I am drinking a black Fair Trade South American coffee that is fantastic. Bold and Saturday afternoonish.

It is cooler than it has been, in the 50s and I am listening to the younger boys play a computer game, and the other kids talking to Matt (15) who just got back (hyped) from his monthly rock climbing adventure.  Sort of a lazy day…You?

O.k..So I am reading that Starbucks is now allowing its customers to pour their own coffee. Check it out.  Is it just me? But when I go somewhere I want to be served totally.  I don;t make my bed in hotel rooms either.  They call it cozy..I call it just another way to cute customer service..Hey, I REMEMBER when gas station attendants pumped gas in states other than New Jersey.  It was supposed to keep the prices down when they started the self serve trend.

I wanna go back….

hmm…o.k..next…

Thank bats for your Mexican Shade grown coffee..they seem to be doing a good, albeit thankless, job.

If you aren’t getting enough caffeine you may want to up your snickers uptake..they are coming out with a new bar, Snickers Charged…

This one is near and dear to my heart.  A chaplain in Iraq is providing a coffee house experience for the troops complete with homemade cookies…He is asking for donations of cookies so please check this out… I have a list of cookies that ship well on Baking Delights, so no excuses.

SO this has been a little random..but hey, it’s the weekend. Have  a great one.

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Easter weekend is a busy time.  Not only are we getting ready for Easter for ourselves, but there is so much involvement with the church.  Flowers to arrange, productions to do, all kinds of stuff.  This year, Marc has to work after chruch and wo’t get home until late, so Easter dinner will be lower key, maybe even off-key, if you know what I mean.  But the most important thing about it is the celebration of new life.  The reseurrection of Christ gave man a chance at eternity, a  new beginning, a clean slate. Ham, jelly beans, and chocolate bunnies aside, that is worth celebrating.

I hate paper cups.  I can’t drink from styrofoam. And cardboard sleeves make me cringe.  I carry my ceramic cup everywhere, just in case I need coffee, or even water.  I have a touch sensitivity that keeps me from being able to touch some textures.

I always get weird looks when the server at a restaurant watches Marc lean over and remove a paper from my straw (I used to have a glass straw, they used to use them in hospitals in the 1930s).  Anyway…I was thrilled to read that I am not the only weird one!  There has been a study done and you can read it here! Coffee does taste better from ceramic mugs!

Will coffee grounds be the new heating fuel of choice? Check this out!

In this new society of changing social etiquette how does one properly handle the coffee meeting? Great information on how to handle a coffee meeting.

Check this out.  Honor Grounds Coffee  has come out with a new line of coffee that support the troops.  You know, that is near and dear to my heart.  Well these unique coffees come in three varieties.

•  “Five Star Joe”
• “Reveille” dark roast
•  “D-Day” decaffeinated

The program is aimed at helping soldiers and veterans, and Marines too. (If you are a Marine, you understood that, if not, you just need to know that Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children do not consider themselves part of the military, exactly…)  I am going to try to contact the company to see if i can get some detailed information and do a post of what they are doing later on…

Here is a cool blog-a-thon for those of us who enjoy relaxing with a vintage cup, a scone, and  maybe some Emily Dickinson poetry in the afternoon…no time to partake today..but I may next week!

Dinner with Julie looks great as she does a roast chicken  infused with green tea.

On Tea with Friends I came across some beautiful and inspiring Easter vignettes using vintage tea things.  You need to check it out for a dose of beauty today!

Megan had a spring tea party this week. In between handling livestock, the VA and floods I somehow missed the first day of spring..but check out her blog to relive it.  Beautiful pictures! Stephanie  joined her, with tea dyed eggs.Sigh.

But even with missing the tea  party I have been introduced to a new to me blog, The Par Tea Planner  I really am enjoying the back reading I am doing there, and look forward to more posts.!

Have a wonderful Easter,  if I don’t get back here before tomorrow.

Image: Public Domain, by Karen’s Whimsy 

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Happy St Patrick’s Day.

Marc and I went to eat at Olive Garden last night.  We hardly ever go out because I am so totally picky about food.  Not about what it is but the preparation of it.  I suppose that is why we don’t get invited over to other people’s houses either, although I have never once been critical of someone else’s cooking skills.  Umm.. except privately.  Anyway so we went to olive garden and had a mediocre dinner and got charged 2.85 for coffee.  EACH.  And it was not Italian roast even, just restaurant supply coffee. Sigh.

Well apparently I am not the only coffee snob on the Internet. Hails never fails (dear Lord I did not mean to rhyme that) to crack me up on her blog, Coffee Helps.   I so identified with what she had posted…

Passionate About Baking has a Panna Cotta Espresso creation that is fantastic. I love Panna Cotta and this one is beautiful as well as delicious sounding.

A new blog to me, and I seem to be finding many of them these days is After A Cup of Coffee…or Two.  Christy had a giveaway which included LUSH bath stuff and I didn’t know…She is a fellow homeschooling mom, Christian, and military wife (o.k..so Marc is medically retired but with as much time as we spend at the VA I FEEL like a fellow military wife..) and her blog is fun.  Besides maybe she will give away some LUSH again and next time I won’t miss it.

In case you are living in a cave, at least in the southwest, Sonic has decided to jump on the coffee train with Mickey D’s and try to give Starbucks a run for their money…They have come out with some premium coffee drinks. I love Sonic burgers, almost as much s a triple bacon cheeseburger with jalapenos from WhatABurger but I am not sure about this coffee thing.  I mean fast food places should just have crappy coffee. It is part of the nuance.  You don’t go to McDonalds to order brioche, right?  You don;t expect to have your food served to you on a white table cloth with silver candlesticks…I wish the fast food places would stick to greasy fries and artery clogging burgers, and thick milkshakes.

Some of the coolest mugs I have ever seen are here. I like this one the best, and my birthday is in April…by the way.

Unusual things to do with coffee…besides drink it…

Have a great weekend….and think about this…

It is disgusting to note the increase in the quantity of coffee used by my subjects and the amount of money that goes out of the country in consequence. Everybody is using coffee. If possible this must be prevented. My people must drink beer. His Majesty was brought up on beer, and so were his officers. Many battles have been fought and won by soldiers nourished on beer; and the King does not believe that coffee-drinking soldiers can be depended upon to endure hardships or to beat his enemies in case of … another war. -

Frederick the Great

Maybe we should be sending the troops Sam Adams rather than Starbucks?

Post from: Kettle and Cup