Puppy Love & Blogging

Greetings! Autumn nears and with that, anticipation of cooler weather grows! It's time to start blogging again!

This cute little puppy agrees! She came to visit me yesterday. Isn't she precious? So cute! She's six weeks old and a mix of chihuahua and shih tzu. 

Sweet puppy breath. Adoring eyes. Cuddles.

She needs a name. Any ideas? Can you hear a name or moniker calling to her? What would it be?

She belongs to my friend, Tari. Last night was her first night in her new home. I wonder how she did? I suspect she was cuddled all night long.

I hope you, dear reader, are doing well and that your summer was fun, blessed, and happy! I'm looking forward to the resumption of blogging. Here's hoping for creative, thoughtful days ahead! 

Bye for now...

{Tari decided to name her puppy SuzieQ}

Craftin' with Lavender

The lavender is beautiful in June! It's time to make lavender crafts! Years ago my children's Suzuki piano teacher taught me how to make lavender wands. She was a very special person, believing in embracing the whole child. Not only did she teach appreciation for music and how to play it well, but how to incorporate the little things of life --- like flowers, fine food, and beautiful art --- into one's scope.

After mastering the art of weaving lavender wands, it was easy to learn how to make lavender bottles, mussie tussies, and lavender baskets.

Today "the traveling teapot" and I teach how to make lavender wands --- step-by-step --- on the Traveling Teapot blog. You are welcome to stop by!

Tea Delight!

"Somehow, taking tea together encourages an atmosphere of intimacy when you slip off the timepiece in your mind and cast your fate to a delight of tasty tea, tiny foods, and thoughtful conversation."  

Greco

I'm busy hosting the traveling teapot this month. You're invited to stop by the Traveling Teapot blog to read about our adventures. See you there!

Blogging Friends

White miniature roses with the first of this season's lavender.

I would like you to invite you to visit some of my blogging friends. I have two different listings of blogs that I enjoy. I think you might too! 

The first is a list at Tea Gracious Hospitality. The other is Friends of Gracious Hospitality. I've tried to include everyone who links to Gracious Hospitality or those who frequent my blog and leave a message telling me they've visited. Since blogging is a fluid and dynamic process, it may be that I have missed some favorite blogs unintentionally. . .or there may be a few broken links in the listing. If you'd like to be added to my blog roll, please leave me a message with this post. Alternatively, if you find a broken link that I've missed, let me know and I'll make necessary adjustments.

Thank you for visiting Gracious Hospitality! I am also happy to visit you! Just let me know where to find you!

Ruffly white miniature roses in a Shelley teacup.

Vee's Note Card Party

Vee at A Haven for Vee is having her April Note Card Party. I enjoy her note card parties, but have never joined the party. But, this month I've decided to give it a try. The idea is to go through your blog and find four pictures you like that you think would make pretty note cards. My first thought was to go through my blog, looking for pictures of flowers. But, since I have been posting so many flower pictures recently (after all, spring is here!) I decided to look for pictures on another theme. I settled on pictures of an afternoon tea party I had for my friend, Karleen. It was prepared for her birthday a few years ago. But, my love for flowers can't help but spill out! The food and the 3-tiered tray are decorated with fresh, miniature roses from my garden. Flowers win!

It was a sunny, spring day. We shared the tea foods with our sons who were busy playing computer games in another room. They didn't mind the froufrou as long as the food was good! Silly guys! Karleen and I sat out on the covered porch and enjoyed tea sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, and dainty sweet treats. Hot tea with brown sugar cubes and milk were enjoyed by the dainty teacups full!

Thank you, Vee, for the opportunity to browse through the Gracious Hospitality archives in search of pretty pictures and happy memories. 

You can visit A Haven for Vee by clicking on this link.
I'm also joining Heather for her Tea Trolley.

Steeped in Tea & Friendship

Digital technology has opened up the world. We are able to send instant messages, share photos, and post on personal websites and blogs. Friendships are formed and creativity enhanced. It has also provided many with opportunities to publish. Several of my friends have written their own books. Clarice from Storybook Woods has written a delightful book called "Wren Bay". You might remember one of my blog posts where I reviewed her book. Wren Bay, the story of making a home, portrays charm, creativity, and warmth. It is skillfully mixed with grace and elegance, with a true mix of practicality, economy, and the careful use of natural resources.  Another friend, Marilyn from Delights of the Heart also authored a book. It's called "Tea Party in Your Cupboard" and is filled with ideas for creating impromptu tea parties with products generally found in your cupboard. She includes recipes from her own kitchen.

Clarice and Marilyn inspired me to give it a try! Step one is finding a publishing company online. There are several reliable companies that provide this service. Check out amazon.com, lulu.com, and blurb.com as a start. They offer simple instructions about writing, layout, color, and publishing.

My book is a simple "coffee table" book, although I should be calling it a "tea table" book instead! 

Since my book is simple, I wrote it in a way similar to writing a short story, article, or blog post. My main intent was to find a way to use some of my favorite tea themed photos. Therefore, my book was about tea and I called it "Steeped in Tea & Friendship". It was not only a labor of love, but labor intense as well. That surprised me, as I thought something as simple as my little book wouldn't take much time. I wrote about tea themes and included some of my favorite tea quotes. I enjoyed sitting for an hour or two at my computer each evening and adding to "my book". 

I enjoyed choosing photos and prose for each set of pages. Each pair was laid out by theme like an Asian tea, royal wedding, tea and sewing at a friend's house, or family tea times at the cabin.

Although I only published ten copies which I gave to family and friends for Christmas, I now feel like I have had an interesting peek into the world of self-publishing. It was a fun creative process! I treasure my copy and keep in on my "tea table" to enjoy during quiet moments of the day.

Other blogging friends collaborated together to share their favorite recipes and with the help of a publishing company. They've written a wonderful cookbook called Mennonite Girls Can Cook. Volume Two will be coming out soon. 

If you have some time to share, you might enjoy publishing a book too. Are you a blogger? Have you considered writing a book or publishing your blog? Please share!

Your Favorite Blogs

Blogging has become a popular activity for people of all ages. It is truly a 'delight of the heart' to be able to expand our friendships by meeting other bloggers. Sometimes we are fortunate enough to be able to meet them in person. Others, we simply meet online and treasure them just as much. The ebb and flow of blog relationships are interesting. Sometimes I find that I forget to visit some of the blogs I've always enjoyed and that my personal blog roll changes with my interests and with what is going on in the world. I think that is natural, but I am always glad to revisit those blogs that I've pushed to the back of my mind. 

Have you found this to be true for you? Do you have favorite blogs that you love to visit? In an effort to keep things fresh and interesting, why don't we share links to our favorite blogs? It's alright if you share yours. 

Just leave a comment with a link to a blog or as many blogs as you would like. Let's share the love!

Photo: Sharing lunch with three of my blogging friends.

THANK YOU for the wonderful blog links. I am slowly adding them to the Friends of Gracious Hospitality blog roll.

The Delight of Hearts

Moments. Delight. Passion. Joy. 

These are all words that describe my friend, Marilyn. She has refined the art of living with purpose and she does it so well. From the word pictures she posts on her blog each day, to her creative photography and design, Marilyn greets life with exuberance and a plan. She inspires everyone around her. Her friendliness and ability to network has made me christen her the "Ambassador of Tea". It is a rank of high distinction and one she holds so well.

Recently Marilyn and her husband, Jim, decided to christen their new garden house by hosting a luncheon for tea blogging friends from far and near. Jim built the garden house from recycled materials; beautiful old windows and stained glass. A candle chandelier hangs center-stage over a wide plank table which is surrounded by antique folding chairs. For our dinner, Marilyn's beautiful heirloom china was the center of each table-setting cover. A manicured garden and a stately maple tree surrounded this back yard scene. 

Guests arrived one by one, meeting and greeting as though we'd been real-life friends for years. In actuality, we have been friends for many years, but most of us had not had the opportunity to meet physically until Marilyn facilitated this luncheon. Some came from far, while others lived nearby. Linda traveled from 2,400 miles away while Jennifer dropped in from a city just ten miles distant. The rest of us drove from points in between and each looked forward to being on the receiving end of Marilyn's most gracious hospitality. Seven of us were friends who'd met in an online tea group group ten or more years ago. We enjoyed visiting in real life! Six were devoted bloggers, generally centering our blog themes on afternoon tea. As you can tell, a common cord was formed and is now tightly wound.

The summer lunch was delicious! Marilyn made a broccoli and an asparagus quiche. Caesar salad, gigantic green olives from California, and artisan bread filled our plates. Our tea was iced; a refreshing blend of a brewed green tea and sparkling apple juice. We toasted our friendship and our friend, Martha, who was unable to attend. Conversation hummed along and if there was a lull (which I don't recall), Marilyn had thoughtful tea quotes printed on cards that she displayed in antique floral frogs as our centerpiece; quotes that could evoke more conversation if needed. Dessert was as delightful as the main course. It was summer watermelon infused with lime and fresh ginger; so refreshing! Citrus scented sugar cookies in shapes of moon and stars were passed around for us to enjoy with our watermelon treat. 

It was a day of pure delight! But it's not over yet! Come back again soon! I'm pretty sure you'll want to know about our after-dinner tea ceremony. 

*Please click on the photo montage to enlarge it. I'd like for you to see all the beautiful details.
*I'm happy to be a part of Bernideen's Tea Time Blog "Open House" today.

The Traveling Teapot

Have you been keeping up with the adventures of the traveling teapot? There's a link on the right-hand sidebar that updates when new posts are made to the blog. The traveling teapot is a project that the Yahoo group, Afternoon Tea Across America, is conducting. For a year-and-a-half this little plum teapot will be traveling to visit group participants. Each month a different individual will be hosting the teapot and sharing the graciousness it represents with others. You can follow along with the teapot's adventures as they are shared on The Traveling Teapot blog. If you haven't been there yet, you have some catching up to do! But, I think you'll enjoy reading about what hosts are doing with the little plum teapot.

If you love afternoon tea and all that it represents, you are invited to join the group Afternoon Tea Across America. You will be welcome there! The tea kettle is on and your chair is waiting!

Chocolate, Crochet, and Tea

 

Awhile back my blogging friend, Tammy, wrote a blog post called Chocolate, Crochet, and Tea. Now that is a title that's sure to draw me in!  I always enjoy her blog posts, especially because Tammy knows how to enjoy the little things in life. Moments rather than things are treasures to her. I appreciate her perspective and her joy in living each day. She really does fill her quiet moments of the day with chocolate, crochet, and tea! She crafts some beautiful things! 

Years ago my mother attempted to teach me to crochet. As a teenager I made a baby sweater and booties for my "hope chest". Of course they were made in "pink" and I never had a baby girl so they weren't used. They are still stored away for a time when they might be needed for a grand-baby or two. When mom taught me, she was my instruction guide. I didn't learn to read a pattern and since mom could make anything without a pattern, I never really learned how to decipher the art of pattern reading.

This past winter I decided that I needed to push myself and learn something new. Pretty yarns in beautiful colors drew me in, and I decided to learn to read a crochet pattern. Of course there were many aspects of crochet I had to relearn as well. I admit to many frustrating moments, but Tammy's example spurred me on. She posted this dishcloth pattern on her blog and started posting what she'd made. I decided to do the same and "wallah", dish cloths were the result! Thanks to my friend, Karleen for helping me decipher pattern instructions...and to Mitty and Verna at the Quilt Guild for taking time out of quilt piecing to help me fine-tune my stitching technique. And of course, thanks to Tammy for inspiring me from far away! Throughout the stitching process, my teacup of chocolate oolong tea has been by my side. Chocolate, crochet, and tea.

HerbLIST Swap

Last week I enjoyed a quiet day creating recipes and product for an "herb swap" with some of the members of TEH online chat group. Although I did a lot of measuring and packaging, it was a soothing and relaxing process. The fragrance of fresh herbs is such a delight! My packages have been sent off and several of those sent to me in exchange have arrived (I will share a picture when they are all here). I made enough of everything so that I could have some for home use as well. It's been much fun to use the bath tea, to make seed crackers, and to use my seasoning packets when I make dinner. It's amazing how flavorful fresh, dried herbs are as compared to ones that have been sitting in a jar for awhile. Like black tea, fresh herbs that haven't been pulverized seem to retain their full flavor better than powered herbs that sprinkle out of a bottle. Here's a sample of some of the recipes and products I made last week:


* Lavender Relaxation Foot Soak
* Lavender Oatmeal Tranquility Foot Bath


* Rosemary Chamomile Bath Tea
* Golden Meadow Tisane


* Herbal Splendor Bath Tea
* Lavender Sugar


* Rosy Meadow Tisane
* Mary's Lavender Black Tea


* Rosemary Sea Salt
* Lavender Sea Salt


* Herb d' Provence
* Italian Seasoning


* Seed Cracker Recipes and packets of seeds
* Walla Walla Sweet Onion Jelly


I hope the recipients of my packages enjoy the contents they contain. They were packed with love and well wishes!

A Delight of the Heart

The tea group I belong to is having its twelfth anniversary reunion tea in Ohio this coming Saturday. I am unable to attend, but my "tea and blogging buddy", Marilyn, will be there. She and her husband are on a road trip and the reunion tea is in on their schedule. This is also the month that Marilyn hosts the traveling teapot. I was happy that they were able to make a stop on their journey to join me for lunch. Of course they brought the traveling teapot with them! My friend and neighbor, Karleen, came to lunch as well and graciously helped me with the finishing touches of our meal together. We had a menu that incorporated seasonal fruits and vegetables...broccoli quiche, roasted sweet potato wedges with Herbs d' Provence (my own blend which included lavender from my garden), farm-fresh asparagus, spinach salad with toasted pecans and strawberries, whole wheat bread (right out of the oven), and black current jam. Marilyn prepared the tea for us, decanting a teapot of Golden Yunnan (in the plum-colored traveling teapot) and another of Shanti Tulsi Tisane. Marilyn poured the tea for each of us, filling each teacup only three-quarters full. She said that was her tradition, as the rest of the teacup is left empty so it can be filled with love.  For dessert we had "Obst Kuchen", a German fresh fruit flan with a sponge-cake base that's topped with a layer of custard, then fresh fruit, and a fruit glaze on top. It is served with a whipped cream topping. Traditionally this dessert is served throughout Germany during the afternoon coffee hour, but it lends itself nicely to "afternoon tea". It's a recipe that has been in our family for many years.  We had a pleasant time chatting about our shared interests in afternoon tea, blogging, and gardening. The highlight of our conversation was their delight in their first grand baby who will be joining their family in September! Their visit was truly a "delight of the heart"!

Moon Flower

Moon Flower is the common name for several kinds of flowers that bloom during the darkness of night. Frequently they exhibit flowers that are white. I especially like the one named Angel's Trumpets because they have such pretty, fluted trumpet flowers. They are graceful and elegant.  My friend, Salina, relates to them so well that she has named her blog, Moon Flower,  for these night-blooming flowers. She says that her creativity comes out at night and that she enjoys creating in the quietness and peacefulness that comes at the end of the day. For several years I have enjoyed observing the things she creates. Each of her projects comes from her heart and is an expression of who she is. She enjoys nature and this love is translated so well in her creations. I'm always amazed at the items she produces from simple, natural ingredients.  

Recently I was happy to receive a package from Salina. It contained one of her beautiful, felted bird nests with three baby-blue felted eggs inside. It also contained a matching handmade book and four pretty, stamped gift tags. They are so spring-like and look pretty on a table in my living room. Thank you, Salina!


If you would like to visit her shops, you can find her on these sites:


Handmade Books and Paper Items


Crocheted, Felted, Home Decor, and Jewelry


She also has a vintage and de-stash shop; linked on the sidebar of her blog.


I think you'll enjoy visiting her and seeing the pretty things she makes. Enjoy!

Customized Calendar Project

Most bloggers have digital files filled with their favorite photographs. There's something about blogging and photography that go hand in hand. But, if you are like me, you have many more pictures than blog posts! Occasionally it is fun to create something with the pictures one has taken. This year I decided to create my own desktop tea calendar. I chose some of my favorite photos from tea parties, china cabinets, tea picnics, and more. There are many companies online that make a project like this simple. It's easy to set up an account and then add your photos to it. They give you the tools to move things around, crop, and edit. Before long a personalized calendar is ready. Print "send" (along with payment, of course) and within a week you'll have your own personalized calendar in your mailbox. My calender this year was tea themed. Last year I used pictures of our son's wedding for a wedding themed calendar. What kind of pictures do you have in your digital files that would work nicely for a calendar?


*Click on the photo to enlarge.

Thinking of You!

 

It has been fun sharing "afternoon tea" with you during National Hot Tea Month.  We have one more week to celebrate! As a thank you to Gracious Hospitality readers, I am offering this little teacup and pansy cross-stitched needlework.  I will be drawing a name from those who enter by posting a comment on this post.  Please leave a comment here, telling either (a) something you have learned about afternoon tea by reading my blog or (b) one of your favorite memories of sharing afternoon tea with someone you care for.  In order to qualify, please sign up to be a Gracious Hospitality "Follower" on Google Friend Connect (scroll down on the left side of this page to find the "Follow" button).  Comments will be closed at noon on Friday.  Thanks!  I look forward to hearing from you!

CONGRATULATIONS TO MARILYN FROM DELIGHTS OF THE HEART FOR WINNING THE DRAWING FOR THE LITTLE CROSS-STITCH PICTURE.  IT WILL BE IN THE MAIL SOON!

A Thank You & Blog Hop!

If you are a blogger, you know that 'dry spells' occur occasionally, and works and ideas just don't seem to flow from keyboard to computer screen. After nearly six years of blogging and more than 3,500 posts, this writer hit a major creative roadblock!  Blog posts on Gracious Hospitality this summer have been few and far between.  Thankfully inspiration is returning and ideas are starting to flow again, so maybe, just maybe, posting will resume on a more scheduled basis . At least that is my intent.  It's pretty easy to think that after a period of silence, your blogging friends will forget you and move on to more interesting places to read and share their friendship.  But through it all there have been some faithful blogging friends who have encouraged me by their continued comments whenever I did develop a post.  Their messages of affirmation have meant so much to me, and I would like to say THANK YOU to them for their gracious words of encouragement to keep on writing!  

Let's go on a blog-hop so you can meet just a few of these encouraging  bloggy friends!

Susan from Writing Straight from the Heart has been a most faithful encourager.  She has stuck by from one sparse post to the next, always giving an encouraging word or thought.  Thank you, Susan, from the bottom of my heart.  I cannot adequately express how encouraging you have been to me.  Readers, please stop by Susan's beautiful blog.  Her blog is a place of beauty that flows with the seasons.  I think you'll enjoy her inspiring words and photos, as I have!

And there is Bernideen.  I love her name and like to say it several times so that the syllables roll through my tongue several times.  Bernideen is a 'tea lady' who writes from her lovely tea shop in Colorado.  She is a kindred spirit when it comes to porcelain china and creativity.  She always has a kind word and her gentle spirit is expressed sweetly through picture and word.   Her faithful comments are some that have kept me blogging along.  Thank you, Bernideen! You can visit her here at Bernideen's Tea Time Blog.  If you visit soon, you'll hear a gentle song by Willie Nelson to soothe your day.  Moonlight in Vermont. . .

Then there is Vee.  She is quintessentially northeastern, terrifically creative, and authentic to the core.  I love her ability to ask a simple question about a blog post that rocks me to the bottom of my socks!  She pays attention and I love that!  Her words are always encouraging and her faithfulness blesses me.  You can visit her at A Haven for Vee, and be sure to tell her I sent you!  

I have been fortunate enough to meet two bloggers from my own neck of the woods.  I've shared tea with both of them and we have bonded as bloggers and friends.  Marilyn writes at Delights of the Heart.  She is always a delight!  Marilyn is a woman who gets things done!  And whatever she sets out to do, she does with creative energy and focus!  I have learned a lot from her !  I am inspired by her vision as she sees the world through the eye of her camera.  I also admire her perspective as she shares about her outlook on life.  She chooses a 'word' each year to focus on.  This year the word is JOY --- and that's what she brings to my life!  I really appreciate you, Marilyn.  Thank you for helping to keep me focused!  The other encouraging blogging friend from my neck of the woods is Clarice.  If you have ever read Storybook Woods, you'll know already that Clarice epitomizes authenticity, uniqueness, and extreme creativity!  Her home in real life IS a storybook house in the woods!  Walking into her home is like stepping into the house of Louisa Mae Alcott's Little Women!  Clarice's daughter's complete the role, as they are like characters from the same.  But never fear, Clarice's husband has a wonderful "man den" that doubles as a library and retreat.  I am especially proud of Clarice because this year she published her first novel and she has done a lovely job of expressing who she is and what homemaking means to her through the life of Wren Bay.  Clarice especially inspires me because she has dyslexia, but she didn't let that stop her from reaching for the stars and achieving her dream of becoming the published author of a charming book! Congratulations, Clarice, and thank you for being the positive example you are!

And last, but not least, I would like to thank Paula for always encouraging me to keep on blogging.  Paula doesn't have a blog, but she has a lovely gift and antique shop that I love to visit!  She encourages me to keep on posting, shares ideas with me, and lets me take pictures of her lovely vignettes to my heart's content.  Without her constant encouragement, I think blogging would be a little duller for me.  So, thank you to Paula as well!

I hope you enjoy the blog-hop to a few of my friends who have left such encouraging comments to posts in the past few months.  On another day, I will take you on a trip to visit a few others who have encouraged as well.  Enjoy your day!

Autumn Daze

 

September brings crisp and clear days.  Even on a mountain filled with evergreens, colors change and a golden glow warms the landscape.  The bull elk are gathering their harems and their bugle can be heard in the distance as I walk through the meadow and hillsides.  Inside the cabin, a cozy fire is welcome and warming.  A tea kettle simmering on the wood stove makes a pleasant sound as it heats water for a hot cup of tea.  Sunshine streaming in the window by a table invites me to sit as I read or write on topics of my choice on a yellow notepad.  Stepping away from the convenience and comfort of daily life, to the quiet routine of a cabin 'off the grid' reminds me of the things that matter most in life.  Blogging has been slow for me these past few months.  Maybe the pleasant days of autumn will revive creative thought and energy.  I can only hope!

We're Back!

 

And. . .we are back!  A blogging glitch happened when a change was being made to a more reliable registrar for Gracious Hospitality.  I apologize for the inconvenience.  If you are linked to Gracious Hospitality on your blog, please do not change your settings.  The change back to the Blogspot URL is a temporary change and the regular URL for Gracious Hospitality will be working again in a few more days.  In the meantime --- an attempt at regular posting will continue as before.


Thank you for your patience!  I appreciate all the message inquiring as to what happened to Gracious Hospitality!

Sweet Treats!

 

This week I'm posting healthy candy recipes over at My Cozy Kitchen.  If you are interested in delicious, sweet alternatives to sugar-coated candy, please stop by.  I'm posting with your children's and grandchildren's Easter baskets in mind!  See you there!

Friends of Gracious Hospitality

Friends of Gracious Hospitality is a wonderful place to make new blogging friends.  It has recently been updated and shows blogs by most recent post.  I invite you to spend some time visiting your blog friends there and making new ones from this resource.  If you are a Gracious Hospitality reader and have a link to Gracious Hospitality on your blog --- but don't see yours there --- please take a minute to add a comment to this post.  Let me know and I will be happy to add you to Friends of Gracious Hospitality!

Enjoy a great week and be blessed!