Teavana Tea Time

My special tea corner, thanks to my fabulous Darling Daughter, Christine.  One of the cool, really cool Christmas Gifts she got me was this Teavana Tea Set.  There are the foil bags of loose tea which are pretty heavy duty foil packs for freshness and can sealed...like a zip lock.  You get cute tea canisters, a special tea measuring spoon, a cool pouch of raw sugar cube.  The bags and the canisters have the information you need to know about much tea to use and how long to steep it.  You can write the name of the tea right on your canister, wash it off later if you store a different type of tea in it.  This nice wire basket was from another Christmas gift from Stacie and Megan.  Wanted you to know, all the goodies from it may now be gone; but the basket is being used.

In addition, you get these awesome tea pot.  It holds a nice large mug size amount, and or two nice tea cups worth of tea.  The diffuser is in the bottom of the pot.  Notice the little legs holding the pot up about 1/4 inch?  The bottom of the pot is pressure sensitive....so, after it's steeped, all you do

 

is sit it on your cup/mug and it starts to drain,

leaving you with a nice cup of hot yummy tea.   I generally leave the loose tea in the pot in case I want another cup.  Sometimes you can get a 2nd round...depending on the tea and how long you let it steep.  Sometimes I add just a pinch of fresh loose tea to make the 2nd cup.  Awesome gift.  I've used it almost everyday since Christmas.  Even took it to Hilton Head with us several weeks ago for vacation.  Enjoyed a cup after being out and about on the bike tooting around.  Thank You Darling Daughter.

A Tribute to My Mother!

This photo was at my Mother's 80th birthday party last summer. This was before things went bad for her. She was able to get around, though a bit limited due to the knee pain. She was happy here, and this is the way I choose to remember her. Happy! Her life after this was a downward spiral that soon was completely out of control. I do miss her; but am so relieved to know she is once again Happy and pain free, no more suffering.

The alphabet begins with the letter A

Three words come to mind that start with the letter A that apply and bring back memories of Mom.

ADVICE, Mom gave me some really good advice when I got married, never go to bed mad. Just after her decision to be done with the tests, the tubes etc, she gave this same advice to my youngest nephew (her youngest grandson). He's a newly wed, and she told both of them these were her words of wisdom.

AFGHAN, Most of you know I knit and crochet and have made hundreds of afghans. Some were wedding gifts, some Christmas presents, some for new babies, but mostly my afghans have been donated to various charities over the years. From here forward, each and every afghan I make will keep her memory alive. Her gift to me was teaching me the very rudamentary stitches so very long ago.

APPLES, Mom and Dad had a tradition of picking apples in the fall and dividing them among us kids. It's been a few years since Mom was able to walk well enough to do that; but fresh picked apples and apple cider in the fall.........this too is a fond memory I'll have of her.

(I've got several afghans in the works right now, way behind working on them. But, when I do get back to it, rest assured she'll be with me. I have 2 knitted baby blankets in the works, one children's afghan, an afghan for a coworker, a Christmas afghan for the family exchange for Christmas 09.)

Many many thanks for all the nice comments and emails, the hugs, the prayers. They are all very much appreciated.

The ABC"s

Close your eyes and picture Julie Andrews singing, "Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start, when you sing you begin with Do Rae Me......"

And so following Julie Andrews, I give you The A
A being the very beginning of the alphabet.

A = in yarn language, AFGHAN.

I've got 3 in the works. Sorta.

Oh...you can't see into my project bags. Going left to right, bag 1 is for a co-worker Opal
I've not started it really, but I do have the yarn, and pattern....see. I will start it today, even if only a wee bit.
Bag 2 is Christmas ripple. Silly me, I actually started it a week before Christmas of 08, then came to my senses and put it away for 09. What was I thinking of?


Bag 3 is The Candy Corn Ghan, man this has been a WIP for a record long time. I plan to work on it today for either 1 hour, or until I hit the next logical section. Which is the strip with the wild corner and attach it to the ghan. This has been a piece meal type ghan, using up some donated odd colors and handful of bright colored granny squares that didn't go with anything else. I've ripped out a few times, not having enough of a particular color has required adjustments along the way.

When finished it will go to Victory Junction Gang. This is one of Paul Newman's Hole in The Wall Camps, free to children with medical problems.

**working on mittens for The Bridge Project, click on the botton on my side bar
***helping SIL with her blog, stay tuned for an introduction. She's a published Childrens' Author with great ideas about writing activities.

Working on stuff....and

Working...
Pink booties, got 3 knitted, need a 4th and need to stitch them together. 2 Different sizes, one newborn, one larger newborn. Probably will go to....? Must check my list,

Pink short sleeve sweater, crocheted....will go to.........wherever I send booties.

2 tone blue scarf, knitted nice and thick and warm for The Bridge Project. Wish you could see the design, doesn't show up in pictures.

Purple cap, I made for my daughter; but it's not quite large enough for her...fits me pretty well.......though purple isn't the color I needed to go with a red coat. It might go to one of the charities. Still thinking.

The fun super soft orangey shawl was a Christmas gift for my great-niece. Knitted with Red Heart, bright and lofty. Fun yarn to work with.

The black, white, and grey scarf is one my daughter is working on for The Bridge Project. She might get it done in between working on lesson plans and cover letters for job applications. Love the yarn.