since i am, after all, a creature of habit and the best of habits are hard to break even more so than bad habits, i join again in celebration of tea and teacup collecting courtesy of Teacup Tuesday.

although this is not a vintage cup (it's not even bone china and we know tea should only be drunk in bone china) i fell in love with this french red and white ceramic cup while visiting a beautiful little town north of where i live called carpinteria. it was the one and only one they had left so thought it was on it's way to becoming vintage.

and as promised, i share with you the twist: who i'd most want to have tea with today and that would have to be Kathy of Spot on Cedar Pond whom I have become very fond of over the weeks sharing at TCT.  Her blog is so refreshing to read every day, funny, spontaneous and filled with family love and values as well as a blessed life close to nature.

just in passing, i also share an assemblage crown i have been working on for months titled "the crown of heaven" after the famous religious poem.  i highly recommend this poem of which i've only included the first stanza.

I FLED Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter. 
Up vistaed hopes I sped;
And shot, precipitated,
Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
But with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbèd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat—and a Voice beat
More instant than the Feet—
‘All things betray thee, who betrayest Me.’

Happy TCT in deed!

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Saturday {OP} Shopping

Last weekend I went out to some Op Shops with a friend.

We both found some great bits and pieces ... I thought I'd share some of mine with you ...

This tea pot caught my eye.

I just love it.

I have a thing for tea pots.

I just took a bunch of photos and posted

them to facebook for a friend who also loves tea pots.

I should post them here too ... Maybe I will.

I'm always on the lookout for ways to burn candles. I love candles !LOVE LOVELOVE There was only one of these but it fits with my eclectic collection of candle holders !
This one I didn't buy.My friend Toni bought it for me.It's a milk jug.She kept threatening to buy me one ... a bit of an inside joke ...and this time she made good on her threat ! I like it though ... it's cute !!


And then, when I dropped her home, she gave me two martini glasses.Guess I need to learn how to make martinis ....
These glasses were just so cute.And at 50c each, I just couldn't resist !


Same with these ... I bought two of them.Soon they will be home to tea light candles !!


More to come ....

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fancy a cuppa?

i've put on a pot of tea
you are welcome to join me
you can go sit over with the kitty cat
she'd probably appreciate it if you pulled down
grandma's afghan and let her (the cat not grandma)
snuggle up close while you sipped your tea

i'll only be able to sit with you for a few minutes
the boys will be home soon and i'll need to cook dinner
i've already done the preparations
quinoa crusted chicken fingers are all crusted and waiting in the fridge
the eggs are boiled for the pioneer woman spinach salad
can't wait to try these two new recipes.
i'll let you know how they turn out
well, maybe not here
but definitely on my cooking blog
here's a good one to tide you over til then
we tried this last night
crock pot baked potato soup
mmmmmmm
perfect for the cold weather we've been experiencing lately

how was your day ?

mine was pretty productive

i swam a kilometre this morning
maybe that helped me
with a much needed energy boost

got lots done around the house and in the garden
laundry, cleaning, planning etc ...
i had some time to read too

i like days like today

well, my cuppa is done
i'd better scoot

but you stay as long as you like
i think the cat likes you

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Journal

I have a tendency to be negative.
It's true.
Unfortunate as it may be.

One thing I've started doing when I feel like
being negative,
complaining,
whining,
or throwing myself a pity party
is
trying to focus on what I'm thankful for.

I've started a journal.
A nice leather one that I bought a while ago and have been saving,
you know,
for something special.

And so, I write.
Doesn't matter what it is.
I just list the things as they come to mind.

Here's a page from a couple days ago.
Just one page ...

It helps.
It helps me put things in perspective.
It helps me take my eyes off my situation or whatever it is that's 'buggin' me.
It's simple.
And so,
I will continue to do it.
Continue to write.
Continue to be thankful.
Because, really,
I have
so
so
so
much to be thankful for.

How about you ?

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A Little Tour

Hi there ! Come on in ...

We're still getting unpacked around here but let me show you this first room as you walk into the house. I've put two photos together in an attempt to show you where the room is when you come in the front door. I'll have to take a few more angles later but this will have to do for now. I'm a bit stumped as to why the wall in the first picture looks purple. It's not purple. It's white (or maybe it's more off white) like in you see in the second picture ...

This room is pretty much unpacked. Except for the box I've got a box sitting there beside the TV. It's videos. We don't have a VCR that works so I'm not sure what to do with them. I don't really want to keep them in our (little) entertainment unit but they are ones we want to keep. You know, weddings and family events and stuff like that. Home vidoes. Any ideas what I should do with them ?

Say hello to Jono on your way through. Don't expect to get a response though. He's got his nose in another Captain Underpants book ...

Come into the kitchen. I've got a pot of tea brewing ...



And I've made some Turkey, Cranberry, Camembert, and Lettuce Sandwiches.

Help yourself.

Once you're finished we'll go have a peek at my little gardens outback ! I just love them. I can't wait til we get some furniture out there so we can eat and enjoy the lovely gentle breezes that are forever blowing. We're even dreaming about a hot tub out there one day ...

It's quite a big area, our patio. The picture doesn't do it justice. Probably because I was trying to get the garden and not capture the size of the area. I'll try to do that another time ...

Have a look ... Isn't our little garden adorable ?! It's got some pretty well established plants. Tomatoes, Carrots, Strawberries. There are a few lettuce looking things and something with vines that we think might be pumpkin or zucchini. Could even be cucumber. It's flowering so we should know soon. There's flat leaf parsley too. It's even got a little sprinkler system installed that will make watering super easy !

And look at this !! Our little herb garden. The herbs in it aren't little though. Seriously, the rosemary is enormous ! We've got rosemary, thyme, oregano and chives !! I've used all but the chives already !! They are wonderful ! Heaps of flavor !

Aww, look at my little kitty cat. You'll often find her there on our bed snoozin' away !

Well guys, I'm glad you could stop by. I must head off now. Rory is out at a friends Bucks Night. The kids are getting their pj's on and I'm heading them towards bed. I've rented a movie for myself .... a drama ... Rory hates dramas so I always watch them when he's not here !!

I'll let you know if it's any good ...

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Needles and Tea

For me, slowing down is not about doing less things.
Sure, I'm careful with how many activities the kids are involved in.
As well as how many I am involved in.
Come to think of it, Rory is too.
We both do our best to protect our time and use it wisely.

For me, slowing down (lately) has been about slowing down the super highway that is my brain !
It has been making the choice to knit and sip lovely fruit and herb teas in the evening,
rather than sit at my computer jumping from blog to blog.
It has been about not always having the TV on.

Last night, after Rory and the children were fast asleep, my mind was still racing.
I got up.
Usually I'd make my way to the computer.
Or, at the very least, turn on the tv.
But ... I didn't.
I just sat and knit.
And thought.
And talked to God.
And listened.
And enjoyed the rain and the quiet and my kitty cat snuggled up against me.

And do you know, when my mind finally settled.
When the excitement of the day softened.
When my eyes became tired.
I put down my knitting, went to bed, and in the silence of my mind, I was able to sleep.
Sweet, peaceful sleep.

And so this for me is a choice.
A choice,
that if I am wise,
I will make more often than not.

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Sharing Lemon and Ginger

~

Would you like to join me for a cuppa ?

I'm having lemon and ginger but I've got other flavors if you'd prefer ...

Today was my first "Monday" at home without the kids. Monday is different from the other days of the week because Monday is my "free" day. Well ... I guess free is a relative term. I'm not lazing around at the pool (like I'd like to be) or anything like that but I'm not at work either.

This morning I had planned to go swim laps after dropping the kids off at school. I had also planned for us to start riding bikes this morning but both of those plans got rained out. Instead, I dropped the kids off, dropped the kids off and went from there to do my grocery shopping.

Huh ? What's that ?

Oh, you want to see my haircut.

Ok ... let me just snap a shot in photo booth for you ....

I'll warn you, I haven't brushed my hair since my shower. I'm not getting up to go brush it either because I'll get side tracked on my way to get the brush and possibly never make it back here ! Brushed or unbrushed ... here's the new do ..........

I have changed my shopping day from Friday to Monday. The main reason is lunches. Rory likes to take ham sandwiches, but if I buy ham on a Friday, it's either gone or on it's last legs by Monday ! That does not help us for the work week !

I shop at a few different places. There are two fruit/veg shops that I love to shop at each week. One always has great mark downs on fruit and the other always has great herbs !! Near the second one is the butcher that I love to go to ... the one that sells Rory's favorite ham. There 'smy little Asian shop. And usually I stop at the health food shop but I didn't need to this week. My last stop is always the normal grocery store for the things I haven't been able to find in the other stops. I would like to skip the normal grocery store all together but I can't just yet. I'm working on it though !

How do you shop ? All in one place ? Do you follow the sales or do you have your favorite shops that you go to ?

I'm home now. I've put the groceries way. I've had a shower. I've had some lunch. I'm having a cup of tea and doing some blogging. When the kids get home, we're going to do some baking !

Later tonight, I plan to do an organizing post. I've formatted the pictures ... just need to write it !

I'll leave you with this one little organizing beauty ... I've had a notebook like this for years. It holds all of the little crafty/decoration things that I've pulled out of magazines, catalogs, printed off the internet, been given by friends. You know ... those little bits and pieces that you want to keep for a while til you see if you want to make them ... or home decorating ideas ... that's what I keep in this notebook. It's handy. Very handy.

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