Our Quick Day Trip to Seattle

Last week, my daughter Angie and grandson Otto rode the train to Seattle to visit my other daughter Gina and her hubby Eric. Jim and I have been missing our Seattle kids, so we drove up Friday morning to be with them and then we could drive Ang and Otto back home. I just hate the traffic in Seattle, but it's always worth it to see the kids! The "sisters" are very close and this gave them a bit of time to spend together. They both live busy lives and these times are special.

It's hard for Aunt Gina and Uncle Eric living out of town when it comes to watching the baby grow. He changes so quickly. Thank goodness for our phones and computers these days!

On this visit, Otto learned to crawl, wave goodbye and open and shut his little hand...kind of an second wave. Eric and Gina's home is just so nice and so spacious for company.

We went out to for dinner before leaving for home. Of course, Otto is the center of our attention. Eric had made a video of Otto crying and then put it in slow motion. It was so funny...he sounded like a dinosaur! We were watching it and laughing while we were waiting for our table.

Three of the MENFOLK in our family....doesn't Eric look handsome? He's all dressed up and looking fine! We missed you Chris!

My girls...sisters! I just love them and treasure the times I have just being with them. Thanks for the memories kids! It was fun.

The kids got a new car! It's a SOUL by KIA and is a nice little car. Gina took Jimmy and I for a ride around their lovely neighborhood. They live close to a beautiful park that even has a beach. Such a pretty area.

The proud new owner! You HAVE to have a good car when you live in Seattle!

Eric pulled this photo up for us. He grew up in Alaska and he was sooo excited when MacDonalds came to town! Here he is with Ronald MacDonald. Isn't it just the cutest picture!!!

Sunday

Happy Sunday. Good sermon this morning at church with lots to think about going into a new week.
For my Christian blogger friends, I hope you are making good progress during this season of Lent.

Scrapbooking My ATAA Card Exchanges

Oh what a dreary, rainy day here in the Pacific Northwest! My flower beds are flooded again. I just can't plant anything for awhile yet as this weather usually finds us in March! So, I decided to make a cup of tea and finish my St. Pat's scrapbook. You may remember that I got some very nice scrapbooks on clearance in January. I love keeping scrapbooks for my card exchanges. I have participated in three of them now with my wonderful tea group-ATAA- Afternoon Tea Across America.

The Victorians loved scrapbooking. Woman and children kept them and enjoyed saving all kinds of paper goodies. I have never been lucky enough to find a vintage one that I could afford, but I have purchased lots of ephemera from them at various sales over my many years of collecting. I just love to keep paper things and find it very fun to make simple pages to keep my cards and other paper goodies.

I chose this book for my St Pat's cards. I may use it for my spring ATAA card exchanges coming up.
Enjoy my pages and a little look at the cards and sweet tuck ins I received.

These are the card that I made for the St Patrick's card exchange this year. I like to make my cards when I have time or get inspired!

I didn't share my Valentine scrapbook earlier, so here it is! Being a quilter, I love the patchwork look of this album. I was able to slip one of my card on the front of this sweet book. Perfect!

One of the  pages had an envelop and worked just great for the recipes I received. I can easily take them out when I want to use them.

This is the beautiful title page of our ATAA page on Facebook. It belongs to our moderator, LaDonna Lateadah, who takes just lovely pictures, so I want to give her the credit! If you'd like to join our group, please contact LaDonna and she will sign you up.

LaDonna's beautiful photo!

A very big thank you to all who joined our last two exchanges! It really is so much fun. Our next one is for Easter. In an exchange, you send a card, a tea bag and some little flat tuck ins. I have all my treats for the Easter exchange, so I need to get them ready to mail.  We will be doing a very interesting and more challenging one in May....Queen Victoria Day! I have a few ideas, but haven't quite finished up on that one.

I do believe I see a bit of sunshine!!!

Tea Time Thursday # 36~A Package From Denmark

My sweet blogger friend Stephanie at The Enchanting Rose was kind enough to set up another tea cup exchange. This is the 3rd one that I have joined and I always have so much fun with them. She is having us link up on her blog on Thursday, so pop over and take a look! I'm sharing my gift as my Tea Time Thursday post this week.

My package came from very far away...Denmark! I love getting packages but it's even more exciting to get an international package. My tea cup exchange partner was Nina at Thoughts and Images Along the Way. She has a beautiful and thoughtful blog that I enjoy reading. Nina has a very sweet spirit that you will pick up on right away. Her pictures are lovely too.

I opened the box to find a wonderful handwritten letter! How many of us take the time to write a personal note when we do an exchange? She took the time to tell me where she purchased the cup and all about the tea she sent. A very fun box. How did she know I love brown? My friend LaVonne calls our house brownsville!

The cup and the little pitcher are from Zimbabwe and were made by the potter  Ros Bryne. She bought it at a Free Trade Shop called the African Touch. I love the fun pattern on the items and how fun to have a picture of the maker! Her letter included pictures from the shop and a long explanation telling all about the store.

Nina sent the most wonderful packet of tea from a neat tea shop that is so charming. It smells heavenly
before and after brewing. This is the young lady who packaged my tea up. Isn't she just so cute?

The tea and flyer from the tea shoppe. The tea is one of Nina's favorites with papaya, orange, strawberry, mango and pineapple. YUMMY!

Oh how I would love to visit this tea shop! It just has that Old World Charm that fascinates me.

The glaze makes the pottery items so smooth!  Isn't the little milk pitcher cute?

The tea is a very pretty blend. It needs to steep for 7 minutes! I think it's an herbal tea but couldn't find a name.

Of course you probably knew that Jimmy and I would be having this tea for our tea time break this afternoon. The tea smells and tastes so good!

Nina, thank you so very much for sending such a special tea package for the exchange. I know it cost more to mail to the US too, so thank you! I know I will have to have some more tomorrow afternoon!
You blessed my day and I will be following you on your blog.

Thank you again Stephanie for having another exchange. I had the pleasure of being paired up with Stephanie's mom Debbie. What a sweetheart she is too! The tea and cups are always great,but the new friends via the exchanges are the real gem. What a fun way to make a new blogger friend!

Mary Engelbreit Finds!

Most of you know I love Mary Engelbriet and all the bright colors. I had so much fun decorating my studio/cottage with all the items I had collected over the years.

This weekend, my sweet hubby went to some estate sales. I didn't go with him as I was trying to post things on my Etsy shoppe...I have gotten behind again. I have so much to list that I don't like to go to sales sometimes~TEMPTATION!

There was a whole collection of ME things at the sale and he offered the gal a lump sum and she went for it! Look at all the great things! I was really excited to get some things that I can use by the door of my cottage for plants! I think it will make a very cute little entrance with flowers.

There was even a bird feeder! I am going to have fun with these things.

You can see some of the price stickers. He was lucky to get all of this for  $30 dollars! I am going to redo some of my display area and the things I don't want to keep, I'll just sell. That's the fun part of Etsy and doing the shows.

I was really excited to get two more cup and saucers. I have been on the hunt as I wanted to find six. I will be having a big party next summer for my high school friends. I only need one more now.

I love this plate! Perfect for someone who sews, don't you think? This plate will make the perfect serving platter for a party.

Thanks Jimmy for thinking of me and for the great finds! I love them and it will be so fun to share the goodies with my friends.

Spring Is Here!

 I am totally coveting this Flower Fairy Teaset by Ruetter Porcelain! This is so adorable, but out of my price range! Probably a good thing. Reutter Porcelain is always so charming.

Yesterday was the first day of SPRING! It's official. I was getting some groceries the other day and walked by the garden center. Oh be still my heart....FLOWERS! I love flowers and it just makes me happy to see them.

Bright colors an sunshine. Don't you think that's a good combo? I do. I get so excited and want to get out in the garden and start planting. Oh but beware! I make myself wait as it is JUST spring. When I woke up this morning, I was surprised to see that we had a hard freeze last night. Patience with the planting. It's ok to start planning and dreaming a bit.

I love all the flower fairies by Cicely Mary Barker, so I pulled some of her early spring fairies up to post. I like the colors as they are perfect for this month of March.

Let me share just a bit about her life. She was born in England on June 28, 1895 and died on February 16, 1973. She was an epileptic and never married. She worked with watercolors, oils, pastels, and pen and ink. She produced greeting cards and did some illustration work for magazines before she published her first book in 1923-FAIRIES OF SPRING. When her parents built a new home in the country, they built Cicely a studio and her sister a classroom for kindergarten on the property. Cicely borrowed students from her sister for her fairy models. She actuall dressed them up in costumes that she would make....even the wings! She would take them apart when she was done and recycle the costumes for the next flower. Isn't that a fun piece of information.