Tea Time Tuesday....St Nicholas Day!

Happy St Nicholas Day! Our family didn't enjoy this celebration when I was growing up. I didn't do it with my children either. After I got into my Tasha Tudor group, it became a fun day to really kick off the holiday season. Tasha always had tea so it's fun to have a special day with my Tasha friends all over the USA.

St Nick paid a visit to our house last night and filled our wooden shoes! So fun.

A few things friends have sent and things I have collected over the years. It's just fun!

My doll Annabelle put her little shoe out and St Nicholas left her some goodies too, so guess she was a good girl this year.

Since I got sick in August, I have had to really learn to eat differently. I am doing better and it's getting a little easier. I haven't had a tea or been to tea during this time. I have to skip the scones and baked goods, so wasn't sure how to put a tea together. I didn't want to miss having tea today, as I have had a tea for Jimmy and me on December 6th for years. So, I just jumped in and did my best, just having a small tea with and keeping it kind of healthy.

I had fresh strawberries, tomato and cucumbers with cute little picks and open face curry chicken sandwiches to cut down on the bread. I did have one tiny piece of chocolate cheese cake and there were spiced cookies for Jimmy and a few candies. I skipped my coffee this morning and had two cups of tea this afternoon.

Love using all my Spode Christmas china. I just love it, always have.

I always enjoy this tea at Christmas...just a nice blend to set the mood.

Yesterday we had our first snow of the season. It didn't last too long but it sure was pretty. Temps are dipping tonight and the east wind is going to pick up tonight. That's a set up for ice and snow where I live. Looks like Thursday will be the bad day. That's my birthday, so we are planning to just staying home and stay cozy. It may be a good day to work on my Christmas cards! I love to do that.

I FINALLY got to see the podiatrist yesterday. The boot is gone and I now have a very light weight  ankle brace. I need to get some good lace up shoes. The young doctor was great and a good listener. I did have to have a cortisone shot. I did pretty good with it and today the pain is so much better. It's a first step and at least something has been done for my problem...three months later! 

December 6th- St Nicholas Day

December 6th is St Nicholas Day and if you're a Tasha Tudor fan, you will be enjoying the day with a tea and treats! It's kind of our official beginning of Christmas and I just love to celebrate the day. Our group didn't have an ornament exchange this year, so it was a bit sad, but maybe next year we will get back on track.

The day began on with a surprise for Oregon....SNOW! I looked out my kitchen window and this is what I say in the morning! Many of you have real winters and probably get sick of snow. We don't get too much here, so it's really exiting. It's been so cold and windy.

This is my cottage with a light dustting. The wind was blowing so hard, so it wasn't piling up too much.

There was more in the front yard as this is a bit sheltered from the wind. Jim's truck was getting covered!

About 3:30, we had a little tea in my tea room. I love my Spode dishes, so they were chosen for the party this year. A few treats for the cold afternoon.

I usually make my Dundee cake using Tasha's recipe, but this year has just gotten away from me. Of course you know that as I am always telling you. Just having the grandbaby has changed things a bit, but I am NOT complaining.

A very yummy cranberry cheese spread.

You can see St Nicholas and a few little treats waiting with the tea pot.

I really like to decorate under my little Christmas tree with dolls and toys. It's fun to use different items that I have living in the tea room/dolly room. I have to have a very tall skinny tree that will fit. My girls tease me that it is a pencil tree! Oh well, it works for me.

I decorate this tree with glass ornaments and a few vintage beaded ornaments. The bell in the center is the only ornament left from my parent's first tree. My dad lovingly gave it to me a few years ago. I cherish it.

After tea, we drove over to Angie and Chris' to pick up baby Otto! We had so much fun with him. He is growing up too quickly. He is so very strong.  His hair is coming in and it's very light.

Jim snapped this out in the front room when he was wanting to go to sleep. It's a bit dark, but he was all snuggy and cosy. What a special St Nick's Day! Snow, tea and baby Otto! I am blessed.

Thursday Evening....

After we finished up in Aurora, we drove south to Albany. We wanted to go to Orchard House and Pumpkin Hollow for an open house event from 4-8PM. We had never been there, but had I had read about it on some of my friend's FB pages and it sounded like something fun and something new. It was just getting dark when we arrived.

This is where I wanted to stay all evening!

Orchard House is the home of a very charming couple-Linda and Joe Harris. How gracious they were to open their lovely salt box style home to strangers.  We don't see too many salt boxes out here!

I loved Santa's suit draped over the bed with a vintage quilt....just waiting for Christmas Eve.

We were served hot spiced cider and of course, some Christmas cookies. They had a good attendance and everyone was enjoying the warmth of the house and the fire.  It was very welcoming to get out of the cold Oregon rain.

Linda was in the house greeting her guests and Joe was manning the little gift shoppe. They make a good team.

After visiting the house, we walked down the path to their little gift shoppe....Pumpkin Hollow Mill.
Very cute and of course, did a wee bit more Christmas shopping. It is so fun to shop at small stores! No malls for this gal!
It was time to head back to Troutdale, but as we drove on home, we found a great antique mall in Albany-open for Christmas shopping with extended hours! Perfect for Jimmy and me! We really were getting tired and hungry, so we did start back home. What a lovely, but different, St Nicholas Day after all.

Thursday Outing.....

Last Thursday was the beginning of a long weekend birthday celebration! After bible study, Jim and I took off for the afternoon. Our first stop was Sellwood to buy a lampshade for our lamp. Sellwood is an antique district in Portland. After our purchase, we popped into a shoppe and fell in love with a German music box! So, we bought our Christmas present for each other. You wind it up and as the disk rotates, the most MAGICAL sound fills the room. It actually fills the entire house! It came with seven different disks and it is lovely. It's just the right size for our home. I have never seen one so small. The picture on the inside of the box is just delightful~ sweet children. It's living in my tearoom now, much to the delight of all my dolls.
Then we went on to Aurora, another favorite destination! We did a bit of shopping at the Aurora Colony museum and then went over to the little cafe. Amy is the owner and will soon be closing her business as her son goes off to college. We were chatting with her about family businesses and pharmacies and having fun over a cup of cocoa and her lemon cake! Jim noticed a King Arthur flour sack hanging in the shoppe. Amy was talking about what she might be doing in her future and told us about her family business in Vermont.....the King Arthur flour company! Her maiden name is Sands which you can see on the flour sack. So that started the whole conversation about Tasha Tudor! Her mother and grandmother loved Tasha's work and she always received Tasha Tudor cards for special occassions. So, on ST Nick's Day, I still had a delightful Tasha connection. It was so very fun and added to the magic of the day.

Happy St. Nicholas Day and Teacup Thursday #83

This is my teacup for this week. I love anything with holly and I think it's really lovely. It's a Queen's
bone china cup and saucer. Don't you adore the little sprig of holly inside the teacup?  I like the little ridges around the saucer.Thanks you Miss Spenser for hosting another Teacup Thursday.

Happy St. Nicholas Day and Happy Teacup Thursday! Our Tasha Tudor group did not do an exchange this year and I am a little sad about that. December 6th has become a special day~being a Tasha fan. She began her Christmas celebration on St. Nick's Day with a Dundee Cake and special tea.

One of the things Tasha did on December 6th was to light her advent wreath that she hung. She features it in several of her books about Christmas. This photo is taken from Take Joy. I always have an Advent wreath for the four Sundays of Advent. One candle is lighted each week. Tasha would light all four candles on St. Nicholas Day. This past weekend when I was in Washington, I found the sweetest little vintage Advent wreath in an antique shoppe. I thought of Tasha immediately and had to buy it. I have it hanging now over my table and will cherish it always. I'm not sure if I will really light it! I do like the look of it with the little mushrooms and red candles.
I think Jim and I are going to go to a country Christmas sale later today after my bible study. We will celebrate the day differently this year. I'll be doing my Friday Tasha Tudor First Friday Book Review on Friday too, so pop back. Susan, this one's for you!