Tea Time Tuesday #125

I had a late afternoon cup of tea today after a busy day. I had to clean the house today and go grocery shopping before fixing dinner. My feet gave way about noon, so that made the day difficult. I cannot wait to see the podiatrist on Dec 5th. I wear my boot when I can but somedays I don't get much relief from it. Today was one of those days...sigh. My photos are a bit dark as it was a stormy November day here in the Pacific NW. Tea was comforting this afternoon.

Fall is almost gone and many of my friends have their Christmas decorations up  now. I just am such a fall person that I get sad when I have to pack my treasures away. So I wanted to share some of my acorn goodies. I love acorns.

My good friend gave me this little fall teapot a few years back. It's just right for on cup of tea.

I've had this set of hand painted little china plates forever. The colors are so soft...I like the muted colors of November.

I like this little acorn dish too. I just keep little bits and pieced in it. I made the acorn pincushions when I was running quilt retreats. LaVonne sent me the tops and i filled them with emery sand. Everyone loved them and they sharpen your sewing needles.

And now for my lovely cup and saucer. It is very delicate and is decorated with oak leave and acorns.

Notice the soft tones on this one too.

It's marked Austria but that's all I know about it. I know some of my tea friends are so knowledgable about markings...I am not.

This is my new tea...Harvest Pear Rooibos. YUMMY! This is a new brand of tea for me.

I purchased it last Saturday at my favorite shop in Aurora. It was a fun little adventure on the way home from Salem.

Lots of goodies in this shoppe! So many teacups.

So I enjoyed my little tea break this afternoon. Gina will be home tomorrow after I babysit Otto. I need to get a good night's sleep to keep up with that busy 3 year old.

Sunday Thoughts

Ah, the Sunday before Thanksgiving. A quiet time to pause and really think about being thankful.
So much has happened in my life this year. I am just so thankful to even be here and thankful that I will be with my family on Thursday. I am so blessed to have this second chance and I think about it everyday. I don't like all the meds and tests and doctor appointments, but I do love my family and my friends. I won't take this Thanksgiving lightly. I know God is healing me, sometimes much slower than I like, but healing is the important word here. I believe He has more work for me to do and I am thankful for that! It's not a bad thing to have to slow down and relax and get your priorities straight! It's not bad thing to be able to help others, even with a comforting word or a cheerful email or text. It's a good thing to have a peaceful home that welcomes friends.
So, I am thankful for all of this and am looking forward to the holiday season to "be of good cheer"!
Enjoy the day and find peace in some quiet time with the Lord. Enjoy the week ahead with a thankful heart. 

Dolly Time for Thursday Treasures

One week from today will be celebrating Thanksgiving with friends and family! It is hard to believe! I just chatted with my daughter Gina in Seattle and she is excited to come home for the holiday. We were planning some fun times....we will watch Little Women and snuggle up by the woodstove and drink tea and be lazy. We will decorate my dad's apartment for Christmas on Saturday, so that will be fun!

I haven't posted anything for Thursday Treasures for quite some time, so thought it might be fun to so so today. I don't have any Thanksgiving dolls, but do love this little wooden beaded Pilgrim couple that I found a few years ago. They are only 3-4" tall and charming.

A few weeks ago, I discovered this charming book on dolls from the 1950's at the all city garage sale. It was too sweet to leave there. The graphics are wonderful.

Awhile back, I found this charming china head at our flea market from the man who we purchased many Tasha Tudor prints. His wife was such a doll collector and their children have no desire to keep her dolls. Lucky me! He wasn't sure who made the doll but thought it was by someone who also did china painting and he thought she bought it in the 1950's.

I found a name on the back of the doll so I know it was made by Grace Lathrop. She was a doll maker in Oregon. I haven't been able to find much information about her.

I did find this beautiful painted lady on Etsy also by Grace Lathrop and added it to my collection. It is lovely.

Grace Elizabeth, as I named her, is 22 inches tall and is in very nice condition. I just love her and she is very happy living in her new home with the other dolls.

Jimmy found this interesting doll at another sale. She isn't in great condition, but she is so different.
She is a mechanical wind up doll. Most of her body is metal and she does walk when wound up.
The poor thing doesn't have a very sweet face, but she is fascinating.

I think I have dolly fever or maybe I should admit, it's chronic! I do love dolls. It's so fun to share the dolls with my Tasha Tudor group on Thursdays. We all get to play dolls once a week!

Tea Time Tuesday

I really miss having tea time goodies! Being on a low sodium diet and having to watch baked goods and sweets, I haven't figured out how to have or go to tea yet. It takes a lot of time right now to plan out my weekly menu, eat at home and learn how to cook more healthy meals. I am feeling better and getting better and loosing weight, so it's all working. This afternoon, I had a cup of tea in my new teacup and thumbed through a favorite tea time book....A Year of Teas at the Elmwood Inn. I had to peek at the November Afternoon Tea just for fun. Ahhhh.

I fell in love with this fall teacup at a sale recently. I find the shape really interesting and of course, I like the handle.

It's English and a Royal Stafford bone china teacup, trimmed in gold. The colors are just lovely for autumn.

Last week I hinted that I would share some of my vintage paper place cards and other paper goods. I just love ephemera. This one has a great little turkey theme.

This one is homemade and has the person's name on a piece of yarn around the turkey's neck.

I love the colors in this little set with names nicely written on each card!

I only found 3 of these handmade little cards. Each has a turkey sticker and a little saying on each card.

Here we have two different bridge tally cards for fall. I think I have some more somewhere.

I've had this little vintage Thanksgiving card for year. I always liked the heading...Thanksgiving Joy!

My daughter found these little turkey nut cups for me a few years ago. I often wonder how these things survive.

I love this small box with bright graphics! I found it last summer at an outdoor antique show. I was happy to find that it had some of the stickers inside.

Well, that was fun! I am always on the hunt for fun seasonal paper.
Are you getting ready for Turkey Day? We will be going out to Salty's overlooking the beautiful Columbia River for their annual buffet and then over to my sister's for dessert in the evening. It will be a challenge to eat healthy. They always have salmon and turkey and salad, so I will be ok. My dietician said I could have a little pumpkin pie...skip the crust and eat a small amount. I can do that! 

The Dash

Yesterday, Jim and I went to a memorial service for a lady who lived to be 100 years old! Jim was her pharmacist for many years and later found out that she was the mother in law of his fishing buddy Doug. It is a small world even in the big city!
I had never met the woman and it's a big odd when you attend a service and you don't know the person. Well, the family of this dear lady, presented such a lovely afternoon. One of Virginia's son in laws sat on a chair and  told  the group her life story. Virginia passed away about a month ago, so her family could enjoy the celebration without too many tears. Her children and grandchildren spoke kind words and told funny stories. It was touching, meaningful and very sweet.
Towards the end, another elderly lady wanted to share a story. She was another MIL in the family and told us when three of them had gone on a fun road trip. Then she told us a little thing to remember that I will never forget.
She said that she had been to another funeral last week and the pastor reminded people about the DASH on a gravestone. We all know there is a DASH between the date that someone was born and the date when that person passed away. Yes, those are important,however, the DASH between the dates represents the person's years on earth. That's what's really meaningful. That tells it all.
This is a photo of my dad's cousin's grave up in Washington state. I wanted to us a gravestone from my family for this post.
Anyway, the point is how will you be remembered for your DASH? Something to think about, heh?
I hope you have a great week ahead.

The Leaves are falling!

We have had a very lovely fall week here in Oregon, but we have also had a lot of wind. It's been a warm wind and I have to say, I like it. I would miss the wind if I moved from Troutdale! Sadly, the trees are almost bare now.

It's been a busy week with labs, blood tests a and another doctor appointment this afternoon. I hope she can adjust the BP meds again and I have several other things to discuss with her. The presidential election was also a BIG thing this week. This threw me off with my attempt to get back to blogging. I am learning to just take things as they come and do what I can, when I can. Not an easy task for me. So, I decided just to post a few photos around my house of things that I really like before November and fall are gone. Maybe next week, I will be able to return to my weekly posts with more of a plan...maybe not, who knows!

I like scarecrows and I leave this little quilt up for the entire fall season. I didn't make it but have always liked it.

This little guy is one of my favorites and I have had him for a long time.

Of course, I adore my Thanksgiving teapots and china. I have added to my collection for many years and love my turkey plates. I mix and match a lot of different Johnson Brothers patterns.

I have had the pumpkin teapot when I had my store...Holiday Card Shoppe. I think this set of turkey salt and peppers came from that time period.

The vintage salt and pepper set mix well with this look.

I have always loved this little pumpkin pitcher...I actually have another smaller one, just the same. I'm not sure what they were originally intended to be used.

I found the small teapot for my collection last spring. It's just a cute little one cup size pot. I've had my turkey pie bird for many years. He's always happy to join the fun in fall.

I also love vintage postcards and place cards. Maybe I can share that collection in the future.

Well, just a little tour of a few of my treasures.

I want to thank all of those who stopped by during Stephanie's exchange reveal. What fun to visit new blogs and meet new people. Thank you also to all who have kept me in their prayers along my medical journey. Thanks for your patience as I try to get back to blogging and visiting your blogs!

Have a good weekend and remember all of those who have served our country. 

Another Sweet Tea Cup Exchange Thanks to Stephanie!

Happy November....Happy Tea Time Tuesday! I have the pleasure of sharing my latest tea cup from Stephanie's Tea Cup Exchange. Stephanie organizes these exchanges as her little ministry. Actually, it has grown into a large ministry! I have participated in each one and have been blessed with new friends and beautiful tea cups and sweet memories.  Thank you Stephanie for all the work you have done to bring us all such happiness.  Please check out her blog The Enchanting Rose and see all the lovely tea cups that the ladies will be sharing.

So now let me show off my gift! My package arrived from Kim at Wisdom With Needles and Thread.
I adore this beautiful floral cup and saucer and my favorite vanilla black tea.

Isn't the floral pattern lovely? I even like the special decoration on the handle.

The tea cup is by Royal Worcester and is made in England.

She also tucked in the darling vintage linen that someone lovingly embroidered  with a sweet tea pot design.

Thank you Kim and thank you Stephanie...it's a pleasure to know you both. Happy November.