Vermont...Here We Come!

2:00 AM is a very very early time to wake up! That's what time we had to get up to be ready for our ride to the PDX airport for our early morning flight to New Hampshire! It was so hot all night, miserable, and we didn't sleep much. Our nephew Markie was so kind to give us a ride to the airport.
Our flight to O'Hare was on time and it was a really smooth flight.

We fly into O'Hare often, so we are pretty familiar with it. It's a big airport, but pretty easy to navigate. Our flight to Manchester, NH was on time and all was well.

The weather was cloudy and it was a turbulent flight towards the end....ugh.

The Manchester airport is small and we got our luggage~all 3 bags arrived safe and sound. Our rental car was waiting. We never could get on the route we wanted to Vermont, so we just gave up and had Helga (the GPS on our phone) guide us in!

We are staying at the Holiday Express in Brattleboro VT for a few days of sightseeing. The Tasha Tudor Garden, HomeTour and the Gathering will be on Wednesday.

The nice lady at the front desk told us about the Marina restaurant. The good was soooo yummy. We met the managers...Lori and Leo....so nice and so much fun. They got us a map and told us all kinds of fun places to go in the area.

We were so tired, I'm not sure how we made it though dinner! We went back to our hotel and fell fast asleep! A great start for our vacation!

A Little Companion

LaVonne sent me this interesting doll (the one on the left) earlier this spring and I just thought she was really neat. There is so much detail in the little miss and I love her crocheted apron.

She is made with the fat pipe cleaners and is just charming.

I was at an all city garage sale and found this little lady for $1.00. I think she is an egg cozy as her skirt just fits over an egg perfectly. I have a plastic egg under her skirt! She also has an apron and just reminded me of the doll LaVonne sent. I love her long yarn briads!

Now these two little dolls are friends and live on a shelf togherther. They have become good friends. Thanks LaVonne...just wanted to share. 

Tea Time Thursday #81 The Secret Garden

Happy Tea Time Thursday! I am writing my blog post and finishing up chores before it gets too hot here in Oregon. We are in for an early summer hot spell! Jim and I are leaving on Sunday for Vermont and it looks a bit damp out that way. As I have been sharing, we are going to a big Tasha Tudor even on July 1st, so naturally, my mind and thoughts are focused on Tasha. This lovely classic book~THE SECRET GARDEN~just popped into my head and came together with a few other tea time things this week. I love this novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It's wonderful that Tasha illustrated this classic and it is one of Tasha's books that is easily found and very affordable.

Right now, my copy is living in my bookcase with some foxglove Carlton Ware. I love the green variety and have had these pieces for years. I really need to share my collection some day.

Teacups!

Some tea time pieces for a very fun summer Secret Garden party or just tea out in the garden.

When I got my recent copy of my TEA TIME magazine, they also featured a Secret Garden Tea.
I am planning to take my issue to read on the plane. I did just glance through it- it is so hard not to just stop and read it all!

I did spot this recipe for Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches. It looks good, but I just made mine last Sunday and I like mine version a bit better.

My secret ingredients is PATAK'S Sweet Mango Chutney. It is mild yet gives the mix a very yummy taste. I have also served my version in a bowl lined with salad greens and everyone always loves it.

So here is my version:

Curry Chicken Splendor~ Salad or Sandwich Filling

3 c of cooked chicken-chopped
2 ribs of chopped celery
1/4 c cashews
1 tsp curry powder
salt and pepper
2 TBLS Mango Chutney ( I often use more but it depends on your taste)
1/4 c organic mayo
1/2 c golden raisins

I mix it all up, using half of the cashews if making the salad,  cover and refrigerate for about an hour to let all the spices blend together.

Present on a bed of salad and sprinkle the remaining cashews on top if serving as a salad.

If making tea sandwiches, you will need about 6 slices of bread. Spread, cover with another slice of bread and cut into triangles. That will give you 12 sandwiches. 

Criss Cross Coasters

I finished up a little craft project for an event I will soon be attending, so I am linking up with my friend Stephanie's blog at The Enchanting Rose for her Roses of Inspiration. It's really fun to see what her blogger friends have been creating. I am fascinated with bloggers and their endless creativity and their willingness to share! Please pop on over and have some fun!

On Sunday, my Jimmy and I will be flying off to Vermont for the Tasha Tudor Gathering. This will be a large group of fans as this would have been Tasha's 100th birthday. We will have a very busy day on July 1st with a tour of Tasha's home, a craft adventure, a tea and then a doll fair.  I decided to make these little fabric CRISS CROSS quilt coasters for those attending the tea. My quilting buddy Nancy taught me how to make these little goodies. They are easy and go together quickly.

I have had this tea fabric for awhile and decided it was time to use it! You need 5 5" square pieces of fabric and thread...that's it! You don't need any batting .

There are several ways to make these little coasters. This one is called a CRISS CROSS coaster because you fold the fabric into triangles when you make them. I found a nice tutorial on
a great blog. You can see the process so nicely on Pat's Patter....just go to her tutorial section and choose CRISS CROSS COASTERS.

I like the way this coaster criss crosses, but you can make it like a regular 4 patch if you wish. It's cute done that way too.

This is one of my favorite photos of Tasha having tea. I love all the flowers from her garden, her blue and white china and her turkey red linens. So summery.

My packages all arrived for the doll fair back east! They all arrived safe and sound. I finished up getting the last little bits and pieces for the trip. Just have to pack and make that trip to the bank. Just praying that we don't hit any summer thunderstorms in Chicago and that our flight is an easy one. After getting stuck in the airport last year, I have to admit, I am a bit nervous about flying back east again. I won't be alone this year, so that makes it all better! 

Happy Summer Solstice

Happy Summer Solstice! We have had a fun weekend celebrating Father's Day and the beginning of summer! Gina came down from Seattle and we got to have her with for two nights. We had a lunch at the Wirth house to honor Jimmy and my SIL Chris.
One week from today Jimmy and I will be in Vermont! I know I will have lots of stories to tell this summer. What about you?

Tea Time Thursday #80

Happy Tea Time Thursday from Oregon. The weather is so perfect here for Oregonians...cool start, a few clouds and then glorious sunshine and temperatures in the high 70's!

Today I am featuring a teacup that I just had to keep! It is a birthday teacup and it is also decorated with  my beloved Forget-Me-Nots! I was thinking of giving this to my friend, but decided to keep it so I can share it with many friends for a birthday tea.

It's quite pretty and named Forget Me Not. It is bone china and made in England by Duchess.

I'm not sure if this is the front or the back but each side is lovely.

Last Saturday I went to tea at Myrtle's Tea House again for Ann's birthday. It is about 45 minutes away but it is my favorite tea shoppe. So many have disappeared and that makes me sad. I do understand how difficult it is to keep a tea shoppe up and runnning....a lot of work. The owner Elizabeth, does such a great job and she keeps expanding her shoppe.

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We had our tea in the BonBon room this time...a very beautiful room!

I am sorry that my pictures didn't turn out well this time. Here is the only OK photo I got of Ann. Elizabeth came by with a tiny cake for her . She is a sweetheart.

This is our tea time treat plate. Everything was just delicious. The soup was a white cheddar with broccoli and it was heavenly. Sadly, the photo of the dessert plate was a big blur. Happy Birthday Ann and thanks for celebrating with tea.

Pocket Letters Received!

I LOVE Pocket Letters! I wanted to share photo's of two Pocket Letters I just received. This is from my friend Gwen who is also on my ATAA group. It's so sweet and I loved the back! I am learning from my friends who have been doing this a bit longer than I have. Thank you so much Gwen! I love it.

Gwen told me she loved purple, so this is the one I put together for her.

I used a purple, green and turquoise theme and found lots of fun things to put together. This is my second PL, so I was a bit more comfortable putting things together.

This time, I did remember to add a little letter!

I found this in my mailbox the other day! It was from my friend Belinda who introduced me to this whole adventure!

I am going to get to meet Belinda in Vermont at the end of the month! She is on my Tasha Tudor group and my ATAA group.

I LOVE the beautiful paper on the back and I think the ribbons and cover on the side is a great idea.
Thank you Belinda, I think it's so beautiful and very special.

I can't wait to do some more, but I am so busy right now getting ready for our trip and some home remodeling. Our handyman will be working while we are away! Back to work choosing paint, flooring, curtains, towels and more! It will be fun to come home to some changes! 

Sunday Thoughts

It's a lovely morning in Oregon today. There's a gentle breeze with lots of sunshine. As we begin a new week, I just thought this was a good verse and a good reminder. It's easy to say we LOVE, but often harder to live that LOVE out.

Enjoy your day. 

Tea Time Thursday #79

 Happy Tea Time Thursday. It's been a busy day and here it is almost dinner time and I am just getting to my blog post! I was with my dad a good part of the day, stopped to see Jimmy and Otto, did a few errands and here it is almost 5PM. Although I adore pink, I just can't pass up a blue Forget-Me-Not teacup!

Jimmy found these two gems recently at as estate sale. I purchased the little crocheted pillow from a lovely lady who had just the best sewing items, buttons, lace and ephemera. She was a delight to visit with and I was thrilled with her offerings.

The first cup is just beautiful! I love the soft blue handle and the delicate little clusters of Forget-Me-Nots!

This cup is a Crown Staffordshire fine bone china teacup and it is Made in England.

The next cup and saucer is really quite pretty too. The colors are really bright and I like the flower print. A nice cup and saucer for a collection.

This one is called "Forget-Me_not" by Royal Standard. It is also bone china and was made in England too.

I am currently very busy finishing up my Tea Time booth for the Doll Fair in Vermont on July 1st. I will have to ship it east in a few days. It has been a fun project putting together a tea shoppe for the fair. Jimmy and I are going back to New England to attend another Tasha Tudor event. She would have been 100 years old this August, so it's a special year to remember her. I will post pictures later this summer as I don't want to spoil the surprise of it all now.

Tasha Tudor LOVED Forget-me -not flowers. I have always loved this photo of her walking in the  field of tiny blue flowers. Her gardeners were not always thrilled with them and would take them out! I love them and don't really care where they pop up.

You can buy seeds from Tasha Tudor's garden through the family website.

This is one of Tasha's cards featuring the little flowers. I am so excited to go back to New England with my husband. We have been trying to take this vacation for 2 years. It will soon be here! Hope you are enjoying some gardening.