The weekend's activities

This past Saturday, my friend Amanda was visiting from Maryland and our afternoon tea group got together. Amanda was the tea hostess (the person in charge of the event) and she made all the arrangements from long distance. She selected the Hallowed Herb Tea House in Quincy, Massachusetts for our group outing.



The owner of the tea house, Lisa, lives upstairs. Downstairs, there's a tea room and gift shop.
Lisa had a lovely collection of tea cups. This beauty was mine for the afternoon.

Here's a photo of Amanda and Lisa, another member of the tea group. Amanda is from England and when we met her she was living in Massachusetts. She's lived many places including Dubai!

Our meal included soup, tea sandwiches, a scone, and a variety of desserts. My soup preference was broccoli and cheddar. Yum!!

I wanted to take this cute little lustreware sugar and creamer home with me but it was not for sale.

I am thinking of doing a treatment like this in my new kitchen. Isn't it lovely?

Here's a view of the tea server. We had grand marnier brownies, an Irish teacake, and a pistachio cookie.

Our check was presented with caramel truffles. I couldn't eat mine right then.

Pretty display. I have a teapot like this one. I got it for free from a neighbor.

There were so many teas for sale in the gift shop. I bought an artisan tea called Awakening Spirit. It's a green tea with a floral scent. When the water hits the tea pod a flower unfolds. Well, you'll see, later in this post.

The powder room was so feminine and pretty.

A beautiful towel to wipe one's hands. No paper towels here.

Here's the group outside the tea house. It actually hit 60 degrees on Saturday. It was absolutely gorgeous out. Of course, today it snowed! Saturday's weather was such a tease!

Saturday night, my sister and I went to visit our friend's Mary and Don. Mary wanted to make dinner even though it was her birthday. We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls. Mary did a fabulous job! We brought the cake, a black and white cake. Chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream layers. So good!

We brewed the Awakening Spirit tea and drank it with dessert. The tea pod looks like a sea creature, don't you think? Actually the flower was quite beautiful and the scent was jasmine, I think.

All in all, it was a wonderful day. Great friends, great food, what more does one need?

A Hint of Pink

It's Pink Saturday again. Thanks to Beverly from How Sweet the Sound for
organizing the event. Click on the Pink Saturday button on the sidebar for details.



All of today's photos are of the New England sky and all have a hint of pink in them. The first is of Rye, New Hampshire taken from the patio at Saunders Restaurant.


Pink clouds settle over the village of Rockport, Massachusetts.

A view of Rockport Harbor on a beautiful Summer evening.

Nubble Light as seen from Nubble Cove in York, Maine. This was taken just after Labor Day. The crowds had left for the season and it was peaceful in the late afternoon.

A pastel sky and all is calm on the Atlantic Ocean in York, Maine.

After disembarking the ferry from Martha's Vineyard last August, we were greeted with a subtle pink sky. Gas prices were high at Woods Hole on Cape Cod. Thankfully, they are much lower today.

Thanks for joining me today. I hope you enjoyed your brief tour of New England.

The Salon

On Saturday, I went to the hair salon for a much needed cut and color. My friend owns the Jean Brian Studio for Hair. I thought I'd take some photos there. It's so warm and welcoming. This is the view from the front door.

Jean has a flair for decorating and for finding bargains. She will pick up a piece at a flea market and paint it to make it look chic. This is the entrance to the sink area.

You can get a manicure or pedicure.

I love tin ceilings! Jean painted this one black. I think it's so cool.

A restful place to sit and read while waiting for services.

This is Jean's latest purchase. An end of season bargain. Think I'll just plant myself in front of the fire, have a cup of tea and catch up on what's new and exciting with Jean.

Are you kidding me?

Ugh! Winter just refuses to let go around these parts. Today we got 8 inches of the white stuff. Not enough to call off work but the schools were closed. See my neighbor and his snowblower clearing his driveway today. I think snowblowers are man's best friend!



Looks like we won't be eating outdoors anytime soon. And the worst news is that the snow won't even melt because the temps are in the 20's. The wind chill is supposed to make it feel like zero.

I can't believe the first day of Spring is this month!

I'm doing my part!

Well, no one can say I'm not doing my part to stimulate the economy. I've made a few purchases and I thought I would share them with you. As most of you know I recently bought a condo and so of course, I needed some new "stuff".

I decided to invest in a new TV stand. My old monstrocity of an entertainment center went to a friend's basement. I was looking for something smaller. My friends Don and Mary went shopping with me. Don suggested that I could save money and get the look I wanted by going with a smallish bookcase. We found this one at the Mill Store. It is made of wood and the stain is called Carribean Rum. The moulding on the top looks like the moulding around the windows in my living room.

The Expo Center is closing in my area. I got this clock for 30% off. It reminds me of a railway station clock. I can't wait to see it hanging in my hallway.

Another find at the Expo Center. This bookshelf is metal and it fits my little corner perfectly.

While looking for another bookcase, I found this table. It's great because it's a drop leaf table and it expands to become a round table. It was quite the find at the Mill Store. It didn't come in Carribean Rum like the other bookcase but it's close enough. The stain is called Espresso.

I got some trivets at the Expo Center. I will use this as a trivet or as a candle holder or I can hang it too! I even use them to elevate the lamps in my home such as the one in the prior photo.

The last item is going to hold my soaps or maybe a sponge. I loved the scrollwork on it.

Now you've had a sneak peek at the condo. When the rooms are finished I'll post some photos.

Valentine's Tea Party

I promised some photos from my Valentine's tea. Everything turned out really well!
I took this shot of the table before the guests arrived. Then I pretty much turned the photographic duties over to my friend Don.

I used one of my favorite pitchers. In the beginning I dressed it up with pearls. Later on it was filled with strawberry jam for the scones.

Don took this shot of the tablescape. It was later in the afternoon and the lighting

made the room look warm and inviting.

Harrod's No. 42 flowed freely. My friend Jan brought it back from London. No. 42 is

Harrod's brand of Earl Grey and it is fabulous. It's best in the loose leaf form, hence the strainer in the photo. Again, Don shot this one.

Another shot of the tablescape. The plates were a gift from Lisa.

No one was reading tea leaves on Saturday. This was my cup after I drank most of the Harney and Sons Valentine's Blend. It's a chocolate tea with rosebuds. Very pretty and a delightful fragrance!

Of course, Molly attended the tea! She posed for Don.

And her little brother Oscar was there too! He was interested in Don's camera.

Mary made a lemon cheesecake. We added blueberries to the top for color.

We had heart shaped petit fours for dessert. Now which one do I want?

Yet another shot of the petit fours. Don took this one from his side of the table.

My sister made chocolate panecotta. We thought it would look pretty in crystal glasses with a dollop of whipped cream. Decadent!

The tea tray held even more desserts. I made lemon squares and I also served Valentine

heart shortbread cookies.

Clara made an apple coffee cake. We added blackberries for a little color.

I should mention that we also had tea sandwiches, spinach puffs, and scones with

strawberry jam, lemon curd, and mock devonshire cream. Debbi brought a broccoli quiche and Ellie brought fruit salad with strawberry whipped topping.

It was a billion calorie day but no one seemed to mind too much. We can diet next week after all the leftovers are gone.

Steeped in Love*

Steeped in Love*

I hear him whistle

not a command, a come on

an invitation

Led by the scent of

forbidden fruit

infused by expectation

I breathe him in

caressed by steam

one taste an exultation

*an ode to Earl Grey

author- Sheila Foley (my sister)

To read other postings for the Romancing the Blog Valentine's Day Party click on the blog party button on the sidebar.