A Perfect Holiday..........

Memorial Day we took a BBQ

picnic to Suttle Lake.......

A wonderful time with

family and friends!!

Baby Blessings!!!

I cannot leave you today without sharing my

latest little Blessings!!!!

I am sooooo happy to have chickens again.

When we thought we were leaving the

country for a year, (by the way

that story is on our other blog

"Bendites in Cornwall" that you

can find by going to my profile)....

we got rid of many,

many things. I gave all my chickens to

a neighbor. So, sadly for some time

we have not had our own fresh eggs.

I love having eggs to

1) use for ourselves,

and 2) sell some to pay for ours and

3) give to others who may need them.

Just one of those little

things I can do to

help with the state of our household.

My Lazy Afternoon.....

Last Saturday a friend and I went to Lark Gardens......

it was the Grand Opening of their little store!

There chef (who, by the way, had a very ENGLISH accent:)...

was tossing things around in the kitchen and

giving us samples in order to taste

the vinegars made at Lark Gardens.

I bought one small bottle to try. He had it on kale with shallots

and garlic (also available in the store).

We tried it the other night and it was GOOD!! You just splash some

vinegar in a couple times during sauteing....

YUMMY!!
They had different vinegars on plums, potatoes, strawberries.....

WONDERFUL!!

They also have little starts in there greenhouses and in the

winter will have fresh greens for sale in the store.

And speaking of greenhouses!!! One of them had citrus

trees!! There was a lemon just about the size of a football!!

We all decided we needed a greenhouse like that attached to our

house that we could just leisurely wander in to, but with glass

ceilings in order to see the sky......maybe your hottub could be in

there or just a spot for tea and reading!!

I also brought home Organic lollipops for those who

stayed home that day. :D

Tea Time!!

Turns out I do get to do the Nutcracker Tea

this Friday......sooooo much to do!! Food to prepare....

Crafts to finish for sale......soooo, I must disappear

for a few days and I will see you after Tea with

pictures of Tea, finished crafting projects

and so on. But, until it is over I must stick to

the task of being ready!!

But first....I just have to share my menu! ;)

A Nutcracker Tea

Scene 1

Stahlbaum's Christmas Party

~Sparkling Cider

~Savory Refreshment

Red and White Christmas Rounds

(Sundried Tomatoe and Basil)

Turkey Relish on Wheat

Saurbraten Tartlets

Then off to dreamland......

Scene 2

Nutcracker battles the Mouse King!!

~Potatoe Cheese Soup

~Sliced Pears

Scene 3

The Land of Snow

~Fluffy Snowy Cream

~Cranberry Relish

~Served with Orange Scones

Scene 4

The Land of Sweets

~Sugar Plum Fairy Tarts (plum jam)

~Spanish Chocolate Truffles

~Arian Coffee Crisps

~Russian Wedding Cakes

~Mother Ginger Stars

~Chinese Almond Cookies

Scene 5

Back Home Christmas Morning!!

~Frozen Cranberry Mousse

See you after Tea....hey....want to join us?!?!? :)

Tasha Tudor Day!

Many of you know that today is Tasha Tudor Day! In honor of her birthday....

After just doing Prairie Camp and having an upcoming Tea in a couple weeks, I said to my friends, "You should have a Tasha Tudor tea party and invite me!" And they did!!

This lovely row of lavender and a line of fruit trees are what greet you as you drive into their property.....
Then as you arrive at the

front door........

You are greeted by many lovely flowers........


The mother's sat around in the shade enjoying a tea party that the girls prepared....Scones, gingerbread made with honey :), watermelon......all very delightful! After tea, we went inside and watched a Tasha Tudor video.....
The girls present were adorned in their historic dress and enjoyed tea on the lawn with their dolls. Having dolls to tea is VERY Tasha Tudor indeed!

Look at what they did!! These are very "mini" scones, there is
really cream in that "thimble" size
creamer and very small cut watermelon.......


Their table is a cake stand!! How lovely!

The girls browsing through the garden.........
Close up, can you see that the
doll's dress matches her dress!!


Beautiful surroundings, quiet, restful.......
My friend who lives here, is allowing me to have a "Garden Tea" in her yard in a couple weeks. We are praying the weather holds out that long and that her garden will be as beautiful as it is today!!
I cannot wait to do the tea and
share that with you. :)

A Little Peek at Heaven..........

Have you ever had those times of such awesome fellowship that you come away feeling as if you were allowed just a teeny peek of what awaits us in heaven? This was a time such as that. Who could have asked for more perfect weather.................

Wonderful, inspiring speakers....................
Special music..................
People fellowshipping everywhere................

Some of my favorite faces..................

Many helping hands make everything run smoothly and we were presented with delicious, healthy meals three times a day!!

Much help in the outdoor kitchen, set up just for this occasion.......

Lot's of funtimes....................

Hey, think I've seen these tables somewhere before...............hmmmmm

Zipline...............eeekkss.................

Giant slip and slide.............wow!!!!

Keeping cool in the pond........

or the creek.................

Lot's of people......lot's of wonderful times!!

It is amazing how when you bring together so many likeminded people, even with very large numbers............you can have a wonderful time.