Four Questions About Reading & Currently...

From the Tuesday 4, these questions about reading and books.

1. Did any book, besides the Bible, have an impact on your life or beliefs?  I have read so many books over a lifetime that I'm sure have shaped my thinking, but I can't think of any one standout...other than the Bible. When I was young the books that probably shaped me were more liberal in content and as I've aged they've become more conservative.

2. What books influenced you as a young person?  I loved the Trixie Beldon, Nancy Drew, and Hardy Boys series. The young people in them were so sophisticated compared to anyone I knew in real life. I also adored all things horsey so I read all of The Black Stallion series and all of Marguerite Henry's horse books, Misty of Chincoteague being my most favorite and the one that inspired a lifelong love of Chincoteague and Assateague Islands and the wild ponies.

3. Do you continue educating yourself by reading books or listening to podcasts or lectures?  Yes, to all of them. I read books to learn (though not as often as for entertainment) and I listen to podcasts and lectures. One of my favorite streaming services is Wondrium which features full-length, multi-session, college level lectures on a wide variety of topics.

4. Have you ever sat in a coffee shop/restaurant/cafe reading a book? What is your preferred place to read?  I used to do that all the time when I went to Barnes and Nobel on a regular basis. They had a Starbucks in-house and you could take a stack of books to look at while you had coffee or tea. At home I usually read while sitting in my recliner or at the kitchen table.

Moving on.

Currently, I am...

...sitting in the above mentioned recliner with my feet up because my knee is hurting a good bit today.

...listening to The Five on FOX.

...waiting for Tim to come in because we are in the mood for grilled cheese sandwiches and I can't make those ahead of time.

...reading A Murder Like No Author by Amy Lillard. It's book 3 in the Main Street Book Club Mysteries.

...loving our new TV. We'd been having problems with ROKU staying connected for several weeks. We tried replacing it with a new box but same story. It finally got so bad that nothing would stay connected for more than a few seconds. I did some digging and found that if your TV is too old then ROKU might stop working and if you can't connect for long enough then your streaming services could possibly stop sending you a signal. I finally told Tim we needed to consider a new TV even though the picture quality and everything on the old one was still good. So, off to Walmart we went where we found a 70" for a very good price. It's HUGE in our little living room so it's like sitting right in the action!

...feeling happy.

...thinking about my mom getting older. She's had a couple of trips to the ER recently...they didn't find anything either time, just sent her home and told her to follow up with her doctor. She has always enjoyed good health and the idea of her getting older and frailer has never really been a concern before.

...grateful for all that we have been blessed with. So often in talking with my co-workers I realize how much I truly have.

...looking forward to going to Erie for the reunion with my biological father's family. If I didn't mention it, my boss gave me that Friday off so I have a 3-day weekend. It will give us time at the reunion and some time at the beach with Colton and Leah. Woot!

...the weather is sunny and a comfortable 81 degrees. A little more heat is coming tomorrow and the humidity will rise some, too. Lots of thunderstorms in this week's forecast.

...giggling at

 

I hope you're enjoying your week. Tomorrow is over the hump!

Tuesday 4: Talking Turkey

I'm a little late to the party, but I'm joining in to talk turkey with the Tuesday 4. 

1. Do you celebrate with family, friends or by yourself?  

Thanksgiving is usually celebrated with family and this year won't be any different, but it is looking like it will just be Tim and I and my mom and stepdad. 

Our daughter was at the ER last night and has been diagnosed with a kidney stone, a UTI, and Influenza A. Colton was diagnosed with the flu last week. Leah came down with it today. 

Praying Tim and I don't get it since we had Leah here on Sunday and kept both kids last night while Mom and Dad were at the hospital. If we get sick, we will all be in separate homes for the second time in 3 years.

* I am truly thankful that no one is gravely ill, but admit to being a bit annoyed. We have not all been together for Thanksgiving since before Covid. I was really looking forward to all of us being around the table this year.

2.  Do you watch the Thanksgiving Day parade from Macy's in New York City?  The appearance of Santa at the end signals the start of the Christmas season.  What does the day hold for you?  

I used to love the parade, but am not quite as fond of it since you now see so little of the actual parade. I suppose all the performances are okay, but I'm finding that every year I have less and less idea of who the performers are. I'm in a minority, anyway. No one else really likes to watch.

Without our daughter's family present, it will be a quiet day. We may watch the dog show or a movie and a game of dominos is probably in the cards.

3. What foods are the hit of Thanksgiving Day for you?  

Gravy. Yeah, I know, but I love me some gravy! I also like the cornbread casserole and sweet potatoes a lot. I am one of the weirdos that likes green bean casserole, too, but I am alone on that one in this family.

4.  We say grace before and after meals. Is grace a part of your Thanksgiving meal?

Yes, we have always said grace and sometimes share what we are thankful for. I had planned to share this before dinner, but that may not happen since it will just be the four of us.

I can't think of a better thing to be thankful for.

"God won't give you more than you can handle..."

Odd, I can't seem to find that verse.

“I'm guessing Job would take exception to that cliche.

So would Joseph.

Paul did.

"We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself..." II Corinthians 1:8

Why would God allow him to experience hurt more than he could handle? Read on. "...so that we might not rely on ourselves but on God." II Corinthians 1:9

Truth? Cancer is more than you can handle.

So is infidelity.

So is caregiving.

So is rejection.

So is death

and loss

and grief

and prodigal children

and 101 other life struggles.

God doesn't expect YOU to handle it.

He expects you to hand it over to HIM.

He doesn't want you relying on your strength, but on His.

If we keep walking around thinking

"God won't give me more than I can handle,"

we're setting ourselves up for

heavenly disappointment.

Good news? He beckons for your burdens,

"Cast your cares upon Me..." I Peter 5:7

You will never know relief until you do.

For this hard place, I have Jesus!” Jolene Valeu

Simple Woman's Daybook & Thoughts About Pets

November. The leaves are nearly all gone now, the days are shorter, temperatures are cooler...though not cold through the day...and holidays are looming. I am in my glory. Today puts us right smack in the middle of my favorite two months of the year.

It puts me in a minority, but I love the early darkness. It's all so cozy. Families come together inside, meals are hearty and comforting, and homes look so happy with golden light showing through their windows. It's the season to start pulling out puzzles and boardgames and wonderfully written books and Hallmark's Christmas movies have begun to give us all the feels. It's a time of peace and calm before the hectic frenzy of the Christmas season begins. It is the season of giving thanks.

Gratitude can transform common days into Thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.  ~ William Arthur Ward

Just for today... 

Outside my window is a gray, rainy day. It is, however, relatively warm for November at 62 degrees. (he forecast says we will see 77 degrees on Saturday! I imagine many will take advantage of it to put up their Christmas lights.) The grass is still very green and I've heard neighbors mowing theirs as recently as this past Sunday. The trees are mostly bare, just a few holdouts here and there. Mom's enormous Catalpa has dropped its leaves and carpeted the yard ankle deep.

I'm thinking about my new job. As it turns out, I am only training on the computer and reading manuals this week, which isn't terribly exciting, but it's interesting and I got to meet some of the consumers (disabled adults) who work there. They have all been sweet and happy to meet me. Next week I will begin training on the floor, learning how to do my actual job...which is a combination of supervisor, customer service, and direct care worker. I'm really looking forward to it.

Also, our niece is on my mind. She is the mother of the boy I've shared about who has the disease that destroys brain matter. I can't tell you the whole, long, proper name of it. They refer to it as ALD. Getting back to our niece, she found out today that she is the carrier, so now her mom has to be tested to see if it came through her or our late brother-in-law. It is not as serious if it shows up in adulthood and not as serious for females as it is for males. In females it shows up as stiff legs, back pain, joint pain, bladder and bowel problems...which can sometimes result in incontinence. 

Because of the strong genetic factor our daughter is going to get tested because everything she has been experiencing are generally the female symptoms of ALD.

I'm enjoying the "new" furniture I bought at Saturday's auction. I love making the house cozier and as a bonus, the money went to a local church's mission fund.

I already shared a photo of the sectional yesterday, but I thought you'd like to see that it's pet approved.

Yesterday my daughter and I picked up the oak table, 2 boards, and 6 chairs. I didn't know it at the time, but it is a Tom Seely set. I have to clean some paint off the table, but I still got a great deal. Until I have time to work on it...a tablecloth will hide a multitude of sins.

In the kitchen I have been sort of missing in action the last few days. Life has been busy and we've grabbed meals on the go. I did cook tonight. Baked pork chops, sauteed asparagus with garlic and pepper, and cheesy mashed potatoes.

At work I am not yet "on the floor." I read manuals all day today and tomorrow I will be on the computer doing trainings and taking tests all day. Thursday and Friday will be more of the same. Next Monday should be my first day of training to actually do the job.

I'm looking forward to Saturday. The client I see from my old job is back from spending most of October in Texas and I am spending some time with her in the morning. A friend from high school is taking me to Crumpets, the local tea shop, in the afternoon. The weather promises to be beautiful with a high temperature of at least 75 degrees. It's going to be a great day!

I got wrangled into designing a turkey in disguise for our grandson. It's for school, though I'm not really clear what for beyond that. Our daughter claimed no crafty genes and said I had to save the day. I created, but I made her do the cutting and coloring. Here's what we came up with.

Now, even though I'm super late, here are my answers to the Tuesday 4 questions about pets.

1. Do you have pets?  I have two at the moment (my husband lays no claim to either one...he's not really a pet person). I posted the picture of them on the sofa above. Daisy is a 10 year old Toy Poodle and Jasper is a 1 year old Maine Coon Cat.

2. Did you have a pet growing up? Tell us about it, please.  I've ALWAYS had animals around. In my youngest days I lived with my grandparents. They had Fella, an English Springer Spaniel that had been my mom's, and Cokey, a mutt. Both of them were outside dogs. Fella could be a bit grumpy, but Cokey was a good dog except for being terrified of thunderstorms. I once had him in the house on a leash during a storm and he took off running, dragging me with him...right under my grandmother and her just poured cup of tea. I ended up with a big second degree burn on my arm.

Once Mom married and my dad adopted me we got a Collie named Prince. He was beautiful but really hyper and we never kept him in the house. Next we got a Miniature Poodle. She was a miserable, mean thing given to having seizures. She HATED kids, so she hated me until I was 17 or 18. We grew up together, though, and I was pretty sad when she died at 17 after I was married and living in Florida.

I had a tiny turtle for a while and lots of tropical fish. And of course when we lived in the wildlife preserve I made pets of lots of animals...white-tail deer, a Flicker, a chipmunk, and a ferret.

3. Are pets too much trouble, or, do you find neigbors' pets to be a problem?  Pets can be inconvenient if you travel and they can be irritating at times, but mostly I think they are worth the effort. A house doesn't feel like a home to me without at least one furry prowling around.

This is my view as I'm trying to type this.

Pretty much all of my neighbors have dogs. I'm surrounded by a giant Bernedoodle, a pair of pugs, a herd of Shih tzu mixes, a Golden Retriever, our daughter's mutt, and my mom's Schnauzer. Mom's dog is the only one that bugs me. It barks incessantly...and runs away every chance it gets so we all have to drop everything and chase her for hours.

4. Do you think dogs make good housemates, watchdogs? Do you think women living alone need a dog for security or companionship? If they are trained, dogs absolutely make good housemates and yes, they can warn you when someone is around, but in my opinion an actual watchdog is a working dog and may or may not make a good companion. I don't think a woman needs a dog for security. There are plenty of other options. Personally, I have guns and in a home invasion they would be way more helpful than my dog. If a woman is lonely, then sure, get a dog or a cat, either can be good company.

Tuesday 4: Autumn Trip!

Let''s plan a lovely vacation through New England to see the Autumn leaves..  Money is no object and we have all the time we would like.

1. How many days and nights would you like to be away?  Two weeks would do nicely, I think. With a week you are just getting relaxed and into the swing of things and it's time to go home. Longer than two weeks is just too long to be away from "real" life and those you love.

2. What kind of car would you like to take on this trip? Maybe you would enjoy the train? Would you sail up the coast in a yacht?  It would be nice to take a car because then you could stop whenever and wherever you felt like it, but I just might choose to travel up the coast on a ship. We did that in the summer of 2019 and I loved it. The cruise line offers the same cruise in the fall, too, and I said then that I would love to do that. 

3. Would side trips be on your agenda? Perhaps to Mystic, Connecticut, Salem, Massachusetts, Plimouth, (yes, they spelled it with an "i" ) Massachusetts, Walden Pond, Lizzie Borden's home or maybe the home of  Emily Dickenson, etc.  Oh, there would be so many side trips if it was up to me! Salem would be on my list as would Plimouth or Plymouth, because I am descended from John and Priscilla Alden and have always wanted to visit there. I would also like to visit Braintree, Massachusetts where many of my ancestors lived and are buried. Boston would be a stop because on the cruise we stopped there, but not for nearly long enough. There's so much I want to see there. I'd also want to stop in Portland, Maine. I had no idea it was such a literary town until the cruise.

4. Lobster roll, chowders, boiled dinners, brown bread, baked beans, pancakes with real maple syrup, blueberry muffins, Parker House Rolls (well loved by Charles Dickens, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the Kennedy clan.), Toll House Cookies, Red Flannel Hash, Tourtiere  pork pie, (Recipe here)— what native foods catch your attention?  Sign me up for all the seafood! Lobster, crab, shrimp, clams....any way you want to prepare them works for me. Except raw oysters. I draw the line there. I'd have Toll House Cookies for dessert. They are my favorite and I make them fairly often as my family all loves them, too.

Well, I went ahead and joined in the fun (you can join in here). I'll try, but I can't promise I'll get to visit all of you. As of the time of this posting, Blogger is still up to its tricks and I can't view half of the blogs on my list. I haven't tried others not on my list so I don't know if it is just a thing with the list or some blogs in general. It seems to be a widespread problem affecting lots of bloggers so I'm hoping Blogger will soon figure it out and correct it.

**UPDATE**  Tah-dah! Blogger has magically fixed the issue. I can see everyone again.

Tuesday 4: Questions to Ponder

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.

Here are questions to ponder for this week...

1. Are you happy with the way your life is going?  For the most part. I'm busy and active with my family and church. I'm free to do things I enjoy. I live in a relatively safe country and enjoy freedoms many in this world do not. I don't go to bed hungry. I have enough clothes that I can complain about doing laundry...meaning I don't have to do it until there's a lot of it. The likelihood of the water I drink making me sick is relatively low. There is no raw sewage running through the streets where I live. I don't have to worry about insurgents coming into my home to torture and kill us. I can worship as I choose without fear of going to jail for it. I may not like my government, but I am free to say that and try to do something about it. So, yes, I'm pretty happy with the way my life is going. But finding the right job would be nice.

2. Are you planning any trips in the future?  Maybe a day trip to visit my father at the end of the month, but that's it.

3. Are you reading anything at the moment or do you plan on reading something interesting?  I just started reading The Replacement Wife by Darby Kane. I've been reading easy going cozy mysteries all summer. It's time for something a bit meatier and it has been a while since I last read a thriller.

4. What's for supper tonight at your house?  Smothered round steak cooked in the slow cooker to melt in your mouth perfection.

Tuesday 4: Dining Out

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4. Thanks goes out to Ann for keeping it going.

1. Do you like eating out with friends or would you rather have them over for a meal?  I'd rather go out most of the time. It's easier to relax if I'm not doing the hosting, cooking, cleaning up, etc. However, it's nice to have everyone come over after dinner for dessert and conversation.

2. Let's go out to eat. You pick. Where are we going?  If there is nothing else to consider, I'm ALWAYS going to pick someplace with scrumptious seafood. Other than that, I'd choose a friendly local place with yummy comfort food or Chinese. Chinese food is always good.

3. What are you going to order tonight?  If it was up to me, shrimp scampi would be on the menu.

4. Are you going to have dessert? What will it be?  I'm not really a big dessert person, but if I do have something sweet, I'd probably pick cake or cheesecake.

 

Tuesday 4: Light

Welcome to another Tuesday 4 by Toni Taddeo.

Let's talk about light, okay? You light up my life.. shine a light in the darkness, Miller Light. All kinds of light but how about at home?

1. Are you afraid of the dark? Is night or day your favorite time?  No, I'm not afraid of the dark. I am a 50/50 girl. I like morning and evening pretty much equally. I'm probably one of the few people that likes when we turn the clocks back in the fall because I enjoy the cozy, dark evenings that "force" us all inside together.

2. Do you have night lights in your home?  No, we don't need them. Between all of the digital clocks on the appliances and power indicators on chargers and the wi-fi tower there is already too much light at night. We draw the blinds to keep the light from the streetlight out.

3. How low do you set your air conditioning?  Do you adjust it through the day?  It's set at 72 or 73 and I will adjust it if necessary.

4. Do you keep any outdoor or indoor lights on all night?  Only the solar lights on the deck posts.

Thanks to Ann for keeping up the Tuesday 4.

Join the fun here.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4. 

Let's inquire about stuff....

1. What gets your blood to boiling?  Bullies; people who write off those who have cognitive disabilities as useless; drivers who put others in danger with their careless rudeness; our government...

2.What does a really good day look like for you? What makes you say, "That was a great day"?  Honestly, I think most of it is just attitude. I can't think of any specific activity...just spending a day with and having fun with family or friends. Laughter, good food, great conversation. But if I'm in a mood, the exact same day probably wouldn't seem great to me.

3. Are you continuing to grow mentally, spiritually, talent wise or are you  just marking time?  I hope I am continuing to grow in all those ways and keep doing so until I am called home to heaven. I enjoy reading and learning, I study the Bible nearly every day and hope that is changing me, and right now I'm learning how to be a nurse's aide.

4. Have you changed your hair style since high school?   Why or why not? Yes, I have. More than once. I've gone long and short. I've tried sevral colors. The biggest change, however, has to be that I now straighten my hair. My hair will naturally dry in tight spiral curls. I always hated it and after paying for Brazilian blowouts for a couple of years, I learned to use a straightening iron effectively. It is more labor intensive, but lots cheaper! Right now, though, my hair is most often up because at work it's usually really hot and I end up in rather gross situations...at home it's up because I don't want it soaking in the chlorinated pool water, which is not good for my hair at all.

**Just a quick shout-out and thank you to those of you who were praying for me last night while I was working. I did have some pain, but it wasn't anything like it was last week. It was an easy night, though, so I don't know if that means anything or not. For now I'm going to keep plugging away at the job...unless I hear about the library job, because I would probably drop everything for that one.

 

Tuesday 4: O, Pioneer!

Howdy Partners and Buckaroos... Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4

Americans are descended from truly intrepid stock.

 

In Utah, the Days of '47 are starting.  This was 1847 when the first Mormon pioneers came into the state with the great handcart movement. The celebration is huge in Utah with fireworks, rodeos, picnics, fairs and all manner of things.

In America everyone, including the American Indians are immigrants having come from elsewhere (such as Mongolia via the land bridge) as well.  There really are no "native" Americans at all! Let's talk about pioneering. When we think 'Pioneer' we think the Old West.. but the Pilgrims were pioneers. The Spanish were pioneers too.

1. All our ancestors are pioneers and came to America from someplace else.  Where did your people come from?  I can count among my ancestors, John and Priscilla Alden and Miles Standish (all voyagers on the Mayflower), some Swiss Mennonites that came to Pennsylvania and were given a land grant by William Penn, and a good dose of Scotch.

2.  Do you know when and why they came to America?  Oops! I guess I kind of answered that except for the Scots. I don't know when or why they came.

3. Have you been a bit of a pioneer in some way?  Does that spirit live in you? Perhaps moving on to a new job, new home, new state, new country, maybe a change in religion or church?  Yes, to all of those at one time or another. Except for changing religions. I hope I never lose my desire for adventure.

4. Do you enjoy Western movies or TV programs?  They don't make many now but there are re-runs available? Which do you watch?  They aren't a huge favorite of mine. I will watch one from time to time, but it's rare. Tim doesn't really watch them, either, so they just aren't on. Probably the ones I most remember from my growing up years are those with Roy Rogers and John Wayne. My dad was a huge fan of John Wayne.

Well, that was fun! I am off work today. I work again Wednesday and Friday on the 3-11 shift. It went pretty well yesterday, though I did face a "baptism" by poop, a couple of combative residents, and my feet still hurt, but not as bad...I stuck Salon Pas patches all over them. When I get a chance I'm going to have to bite the bullet and make an appointment with a podiatrist. I am friends with one and he told me a few years ago that when the pain got bad enough to come back and he'd give me cortisone shots. I guess we'll see if it's finally time.

The Simple Woman's Daybook & Tuesday 4

For today...

Outside my window... thunderstorms and cooler temperatures in the upper 60's. Everything is so GREEN and blooming.

I am thinking... today should be the day I quit procrastinating and finally finish organizing my office.

I am thankful... Tim has started a new project and is getting more hours again. With gas prices what they are and the cost of everything else on the rise, every little bit helps.

I am remembering... my grandmother and the time I spent at her house. This time of year always makes me think of her.

On my mind... finding time and someone to go with me to visit my father. He is 85 and his wife will be 90 in August. He keeps making comments about how much harder it is for them to accomplish the things they've always enjoyed. I don't want to miss a chance to spend time with him when I've only just met him 2 years ago. I'm very aware of the ticking of time in this particular situation.

I'm pondering these words... "Your birthday is a reminder that God gave you life. It gives you a fresh start every year. It symbolizes the fact that there was something about God's image that He wanted to create in you and share with the world." ~ Sadie Robertson Duff

I'm studying... Elijah by Priscilla Shirer. I'm loving what I've learned about Elijah's time away at Cherith.

From the kitchen... Lots of salad, grilled meats. Lighter, smaller meals. We had a delicious slab of seasoned salmon on a cedar plank the other night that I found at Aldi's. Last night Tim was late so I just made some Southern fried boneless pork chops up quickly.

I am wearing... jeggings and a t-shirt.

I am creating... I hope, a welcoming place of peace for my grandchildren. Things are always in turmoil at their house, there is drama, arguing, anxiety, and as with so many these days, an over connectedness to screens, be it television, cell phone, tablet, or laptop. My goal is to create for them the kind of place I remember my own grandmother's home to be.

I am going... to a used book sale with my mom this weekend. I really don't need to go, especially with our own library's book sale coming up on the 18th. We like to support this library as much as we can, it is staffed totally by volunteers and all the money to run it comes from book sales and donations. Plus, they are going to come and take all the books left over at the end of our library's sale.

I am reading... The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser. I am loving the story, the characters, the setting...but I really could do without the f-bombs and the use of Jesus as a cuss word. It would have been an even better book without the effort to shock.

I'm hoping... to find my motivation again. I have been such a slug, lately.

I'm hearing... the rain on the roof, gentle rolls of thunder, and the occasional thump of the cat landing as he pursues a fly that has gotten into the house. I've had no luck catching it with the swatter so I rather hope Jasper's successful in his hunt.

Around the house... everyone is finally healthy and with summer in full swing the kiddos are in and out nearly every day.

One of my favorite things... how about two of my favorite "things"?

A few plans for the rest of the week... other than the book sale, I am seeing my client, Angel, on Friday...Megan ran over a steel rod and broke the riding mower last week, the part came yesterday so Tim's got to get that on so we can mow our yard before it needs baled...and that's about it. With the price of everything up so much, I'm trying to be good and find things to do at home.

Pictures to share... the kids went to the beach at the local state park yesterday.

And now for Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.

Coffee & Tea

1. What is/are your favorite coffee? (brand or flavor) If you're a tea lover, which tea is best for you?  I don't like coffee at all other than an occasional flavored (pumpkin, caramel) cappuccino. If I have a hot drink I will choose tea and it's usually herbal or flavored. My favorite would have to be the strawberries and cream blend from a local tea room. They make it themselves.

2. How do you take your coffee or tea? Sugar, cream, flavoring?  Generally, I just like some sugar or stevia in my tea. My one exception is in the fall. I enjoy some pumpkin spice creamer in my tea then.

3. Do you go out for coffee/tea with friends? Ever enjoy a real tea room or tea party?  I don't go often, but yes, I do go out for tea with friends now and then. As I mentioned above, we are lucky to have a local tea room/shop. It's called Crumpets. It's in the little village of Ligonier and is in a lovely, historic building that was originally the home of an officer during the French and Indian War. They carry all sorts of loose leaf teas, teapots, cups and saucers, biscuits and things that pair well with tea, and anything you might need to make tea. They also have 7 or 8 small tables where you can sit and enjoy a pot of tea, served in lovely china pots on warmers and delicate cups and saucers. You can also choose to have a scone or crumpet (with scrumptious jams or clotted cream) with your tea and for lunch they offer gourmet open-faced sandwiches on crumpets. It's always fun to go and feels so terribly sophisticated! lol

I have also been to a few tea parties over the years. My friend, Fran, and I are actually planning to have one for our friends one of these days. I've mentioned before that I've spent the last year or so collecting cups and saucers from thrift stores so the ladies can each take one home.

4. If you could design a coffee shop or even a coffee/tea station in your home, what would it be like?  Ooooo....it would have to start with an interesting space, preferably old/historic, it would have to have lots of books and other interesting things, cozy seating, maybe a fireplace or stove for colder days, soft music, a wide variety of teas (I'm having a tea shop not a coffee shop) and tea ephemera. It would be very eclectic and INTERESTING. I saw all of these online and love elements of each one.

I like the bright open space of this one and the PLANTS!

I love how solid the books are in this one, but I'd want more
space between tables. It's hard to talk when everyone is on 
top of each other.

I like the "oldness" of this one.

Is this not the coolest counter???

Tuesday 4: Blast from the Past

Linking up with Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 today! 

1. If you had one million dollars to spend only on yourself, what would you spend it on?  I would hire someone to plan and cook healthy meals and exercise with me and then because I'd have lost a lot of weight I'd need a whole new wardrobe.

2. You can do it again. What decade are you going back to and why? What's the attraction?  Maybe the 70's? Most of my childhood was during that decade and it was great. I feel like my generation was the last one to have a great childhood where we had freedom to roam the neighborhood, played in great herds of kids, and we were always outside...not tied to video games, computers, or cell phones. We also didn't have to worry about every stupid thing we did being recorded and shared with the world on YouTube.

3. What was the last song that got stuck in your head? Alternatively, what's your current favorite song?  Thanks to the Saturday 9 it was Dancing in the Moonlight. It's a seriously catchy song! I don't really have a favorite song these days. I've mostly been listening to Christian songs and oldies.

4. What items do you miss from the past and wish they were still around?  Jukeboxes. When I was a kid and went out to dinner with my parents it was such fun to plug a dollar into the machine and then get to choose something like 10 or 12 songs.

Cooking Up the Tuesday 4

Hi.. welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.

1. When did you learn to cook?  I'm sure I did some cooking during my jr. high years, but things got serious when I was in high school. Like most teens, I hated washing dishes and complained about it mightily. One day I asked my dad why I had to do them every day and he said Mom made dinner every night so I had to do the dishes. I took that to mean that whoever did the cooking didn't have to do the dishes and after confirming it with my dad I took over the lion's share of the cooking until I left for college. I used magazines, cookbooks, family recipes...and taught myself.

2.  How often in the week do you cook? Order in? Go out?  When I was working we probably ate out or got take-out 4 times a week, sometimes more. Now that I'm not working I'm trying to get away from doing that. When we do get something we usually get take-out because Tim's tired after work and doesn't feel like getting cleaned up and going out...and also because I don't really enjoy going out to dinner with him because he has a very hard time hearing when there is a lot of background noise so conversation is difficult.

3.  Which foods are absolutely necessary at a cookout?  Watermelon, potato salad, pasta salad, hotdogs...other than that I'm pretty flexible. 

4.  Do you have a meal you are especially good at making? or that people often request for you to make?  People love my meatloaf, which is basically the recipe from an old Betty Crocker cookbook (newer editions do not have the same recipe), but I make a lot of stuff the family likes. I am the most adventurous cook in the family and I've been called the best. I got the highest compliment ever from my dad. He never, ever told my mom anything she made was good. She'd ask and all he ever said was, "I ate it didn't I?" The only person I ever heard him compliment was my mother's mother (and that was saying something because he didn't like her). I hosted the family Christmas the year we got married and made the whole dinner myself and I went all out and I heard Dad telling someone "the girl can cook." High praise, indeed!

Tuesday 4: Just Wondering

Linking up today with Ann at the Tuesday 4, continued in memory of Toni Taddeo. Today's questions are taken from one of the last Tuesday 4 posts Toni made.

1.   When was the last time you tried something new?  I tried a charcoal toothpaste recently. It doesn't taste too bad, just different, but the black foam and spit takes a bit of getting used to.

2.   Who in your family do you compare yourself to?  No one. I don't think I'm very much like anyone. Maybe a little like my grandmother, but not a lot. 

3.   What lesson in life did you learn the hard way?  Not everyone who says they're your friend really is.

4.   What can you do today that you weren't able to do before?  Forgive life's deepest hurts even if the one who caused it has never acknowledged it or said they are sorry. I've learned that I don't forgive for their sakes, it's for my own well-being.

Tuesday 4: Again and Again

Welcome back!  Thank you so much for joining in with Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.

I hope you are enjoying these.

There are some things we just enjoy quite a lot. Let's talk about it okay?

1. Which book could you read over and over again?  The Bible...it has it all...action, adventure, mystery, drama, betrayal, romance, and the greatest love story ever told. My second choice would be Little Women.

2. What movie or TV program could you watch and never tire of watching?  The Big Bang Theory.

3. What meal do you like enough to eat several times a week or several times a month?  Got a recipe to share for it?  I like lots of things to eat them often, but the one that I probably actually do eat that often is pizza. No particular recipe. Call for take out or I like to use a tortilla and put all the pizza fixin's on that. It makes a yummy, thin, crispy crust if you like that.

4. What place do you enjoy so much that you go back again and again? Why do you like it so much?  Barnes & Noble, Chincoteague Island, and several others. The why is simple. They make me happy.

Hello March!

Today is March 1. In honor of that I'm linking up with Ann for the Tuesday 4 and some questions about the month of March.

They say March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Sometimes it is the reverse.  March has a lot of happenings like March 1st the start of Mardi Gras, the 13th is Daylight Savings Time, the Ides of March on the 15th, St Patrick's Day on the 17th, the first day of  Spring on the 20th this year   March 29-31 are the "borrowing days" when weather is traditionally rough or stormy.

1.  Do you celebrate Mardi Gras or St. Patrick's Day and how do you celebrate them?  We don't do anything for Mardi Gras, though since visiting New Orleans several years ago, my mom has a love for the city and the holiday. She decorated her Christmas tree with Mardi Gras masks and beads for a few years. There is an arch over the walk between her house and ours and every year she puts lights on it for Halloween then changes the colors of the bulbs to suit the holidays from Christmas through Easter before taking them down. This is the first year she has included Mardi Gras colored lights.

As for St. Patrick's Day, we are not beer drinking, partying types, but we do have some Irish roots so we eat corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes every year. 

2. Do you decorate for the spring in any way at all?  For the general season? I might put out an arrangement of spring flowers and change the valance over the kitchen window to something seasonal, but that's about it.

3. Daylight savings time doesn't make the day longer.  Experts say it puts kids heath at risk  as well as contribute to heart problems for adults.   Arizona and Hawaii don't change times.    It began as "war time" so war workers in WW2 could come home in the light.    What about you though?  Are you happy to see it return or not?  It really doesn't matter to me. As you said, it doesn't make the day longer. I am usually awake for both ends of the spectrum so it doesn't make a difference.  

4. How has the weather been in your neck of the woods as March approaches.  What would be your ideal for weather?  It has been cold, though today was sunny and mild, in spite of temps in the 30's. If it was up to me, a perfect day would be sunny and the temperature would be 75-80 degrees.

** For those who want to know, Jasper and Oakley did well with their neutering and other health matters yesterday and were zipping around like nothing had happened by evening.