hauoli makahiki hou

that's happy new year in hawaiian ;)

may your ship sail 

on gentle seas

with warm breezes

safe harbors

shelter from storms

islands of peace

happy 2012

health(ier) tea

I've been for a walk today already

and plan to go on another walk after tea

- boxing day -

does that come from the idea of boxing up treats and getting them out of the house?

and this is just the candy

never mind the

cake

waffles

cinnamon rolls

truffles

cookies

egg nog

uff da

*

happy tea on tuesday

a very healthy thing to do 

:)

*

I've been off the grid all weekend and hope to get around to everyone

a s a p

!!!

xoxo

lo, how a rose

Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming, as men of old have sung.
It came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.

*

Merry Christmas dear friends!

beachcombing tea

it was a good day to get out of the house

and get some fresh air

and sunshine

December 19th ... a great beach day on Puget Sound

*

how are you holding up during this busy busy time of year?

what do you do when you need to take a break?

where do you go when you have cabin fever?
happy tuesday ... I hope all is well where you are!

*

p.s. please visit Bleubeard and Elizabeth... She is in the midst of computer woes and is unable to link back from a comment box :(

noel

we have a December birthday in our family

she is twelve ears old and almost as tall as me

where does the time go?

(elizabeth, my cake making friend, I made a red velvet cake!)

sit down a while

after school I made myself a cup of tea

and this was my view

it felt good to sit down and watch some busy hands at work

my 10 yr old is making waldorf tissue paper stars

(here's the link for a great how-to)

they are a spot of color in an otherwise dreary day

hanging in the window the light transforms

and the color spills

my tea today: Bengal Spice by Celestial Seasonings

oh, and don't forget the cookies to go with that tea!

***

are you able to take a break?

what do you see?

I hope it's a spot of color in your day

:)

candy dish

this once was my grandmother's candy dish

she always had this type of candy in it

as kids we weren't too crazy about it ... wishing for chocolate I guess

and even now, the only good thing in there is the raspberry filled one

but they sure do look pretty

:)

my little town ...

... has a really neat little tea shop

I was in there yesterday and picked up a little pudgy british teapot

but I always stop to admire the exotic asian ones too

and I picked up some tea as well,

but I also stopped to admire the exotic teas from china

the shop is all decorated for christmas

and all the talk was about how busy they were this weekend

and how business is looking up

this beautiful teapot is in the front window 

a lovely gift for any elegant tea drinker

and this one was on the shelf below it

... my personal favorite ...

:)

***

do you have any holiday shopping tales to tell?

don't forget to slow down and sip a hot cuppa 

orange wreath

remember the dried orange slices?

I used some of them to decorate a large willow wreath from the dollar store

I attached the slices with fishing line

and tried to alternate the more "well done" slices with the slices that were more on the "rare" side

*

it's a nice patch of sunshine on my entry way mirror

:)

a good day to

paint

rocks

rockin it