A Proper Tea Pot, etc.

There's a consignment shop that I've always wanted to visit and have never found open because of their unusual hours of operation. Wednesday, they were not only open, but I had a willing driver. You know, the kind who is willing. to. stop. I'm not familiar with consignment shops so perhaps they all operate this way, but there are dates marked on each item and if that date has been reached, the item's price goes down accordingly. This tea pot was originally on sale for $36. I thought that I was buying it for $21, but it was actually $17. How can I have my grandmother live with me if I can't make her a proper pot of tea? ;>

Thanks to Linda at *Restyled Home,* I knew that a trip to the Christmas Tree Shops would be in order, too. You can read about her purchase if you follow the link. I purchased an even less expensive version...$19.99 for what will be my grandmother's beside table/bookshelf. It's a little cluttered with her lotions right now, but we'll be switching to books.

This pillow was also at the consignment shop. I thought I was getting it for $7; I got it for $9. Guess everything balanced out in the end... The lamp was also a Christmas Tree Shops find. Nine dollars and ninety-nine cents including the shade. It's so cute. I just love it and now wish that I had purchased a couple more.

Though I'm not a fan of plastic (except I do love plastic bags from the grocer for the *obvious reasons* ), I really like this tablecloth for the deck table. That metal can get pretty hot and the table is easier to clean.

These were the not so fun items to purchase, but necessary. John took the first shower using the hot-stop-safe-water-temperature-every-time-hand-held shower and had trouble getting the temperature that he likes. I'm not sure if anyone'll ever be able to take a hot shower again. Nana won't like that.

Just tossing in these kitty photos. She used to be fed in that corner and hasn't adjusted to the fact that her feeding station has moved. It has taken me weeks to capture these two rather poor pictures. Every time I get the camera, she steps out of the frame. Ha!

Hey! Wait a minute, I think that I've been framed!

Finally, this message is for Carol and anyone else who has seen me pop in and pop out on your blog. What in the world can this mean? I think it means that my service provider (Fairpoint) is on the fritz. I'll have to Google it if IE will let me. Don't worry, Carol, I'll find my way back as soon as I can.

Have a wonderful Friday!

A Day Away

Yes! We did it! We just took off and had ourselves a fun day. We had errands to do that involved gathering in some things for making my grandmother's space a pleasant one. This involved some shopping, which I'll share with you tomorrow.

For today, let's focus on the mini-driveby and our time at the ocean. The mini-driveby was really a walkby. Such a cute little cottage on a city street corner across the street from the shop where I found a lovely tea pot. I digress...



Isn't it darling?! Can you see the starfish along the check rail? Here's a closer look...



And here's a closer look at the left side where you can see a model masted ship in the window. I saw that decor at least three times today.



Then it was off to get John's state park pass, but no one was manning the gate when we arrived. The first sign we saw after parking the car was this one warning about rogue waves.



Then we had a bit of a climb...



Our first view of the water...



We enjoyed sitting on this bench overlooking the rock formations...







I took lots of photos of flowers, but these were the only ones that turned out...



I hope to add a video of our time there. (See sidebar) You can hear the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks and see them, too, of course. I only wish that I could share the smell of the Atlantic Ocean. It's unlike anything else. I understand that the Pacific doesn't have much aroma...is that true?

Ackkk, do you suppose that John is too close to that rogue wave? Have a great Thursday and bye for now...



P.S. All photos may be enlarged.

That Missing Survey

Sayyyy, do you gals remember way back **here** on February 25, 2008 when I told you all about Tara at Bella Pink who was taking a survey about blogging and I suggested that you should take it because I had taken it and because it would prove so interesting? Uh, uh, d'ya? I kept checking back waiting for the results...for a long time...I did, but then I just gave up. It was obvious to me that there would be no answers. You don't remember? Allow me to explain...

In a moment of delicious serendipity, I just so happened to be visiting Alison at Brocante Home when she mentioned this book all about blogging by Tara Frey.

Tara has a blog called Typing Out Loud. Guess what? It used to be known as Bella Pink, and, in fact, the addy line still has that title. Then it was known as Bella Cafe for a while. I can see how I might've become confused. So, do you suppose that if we read the book we'll find some results of that survey? Hmmmm???

Still gotta wait until August 4...

Just had to share...I do love a tidy ending. Have an excellent Wednesday!

I Found Mrs. Lincoln and Her Cake, Too

The Recipe: Mary Todd Lincoln's Almond White Cake



The Blogger and Blog: *Suzanne of At Home With the Farmer's Wife*

The Frosting: Buttercream Tea Frosting

The Blogger and Blog: *Marye at Baking Delights*

When Suzanne shared this recipe, I knew that one day I'd be baking it because wouldn't it be cool to bake such a cake for the local Historical Society? Ours is called the hysterical society, but that's another story. Anyway, that day was last week. No, I didn't bake it for the Historical Society unless you call two aging folks living here at the Haven and one visiting 99-year-old grandmother a "society."

Sadly, the baking of said cake didn't work out as well as I'd hoped because I made a mistake that is embarrassing to confess. First a picture showing how thick and dense this cake batter was. I think I'd use extra liquid next time.


(John calls the above picture Owl on a Perch.)


This was my big mistake...I didn't check the cake. I set the timer and left to work in the yard. Not good. Now I had an overbaked cake with 19 seconds left on the clock.



I used Marye's frosting recipe substituting almond tea to infuse the cream. The frosting was yummy!

The cake had a mild almond flavor. Should I try it again, I will use almond flavoring in addition to the vanilla and almonds for some added flavor, and I will start checking at 35 minutes for doneness. Live and learn. Still, we've managed to eat it...just two pieces left for lunch today.

Have you ever tried baking a vintage recipe?



In other news, things are getting quite hectic here. My mother's surgery is scheduled for next week and my grandmother is coming to stay with John and me for a while. This means that we are busily making a place for her and hoping and trusting that she'll feel at home while she's with us. If I don't visit as often or if I skip a day or two here and there, don't worry, I shall resurface soon. And, though it may be selfish of me, I so want to take my groom off for a day this week knowing that time alone will become precious indeed after the weekend. Thanks so much for all your prayers, support, and concern.

Mary's Mosaic Monday

Welcome to the first edition of Mosaic Monday.
Confession: I have cheated. I looked at the participants' offerings last evening and oh.my.heck. what am I doing here? =D They're beautiful!

But I have been practicing. I grow better by leaps and bounds drips and splats.

For my first entry, I decided to do a mosaic focused around this blog. I had fun doing it and perhaps that's more important than being my usual perfectionistic self.



If you should find your way back for tomorrow, I'll give you the lowdown on Mrs. Lincoln's cake. Have a great day...

Do You Ever Allow God to Just Love You?

At long last we have finished The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey. We use such texts as part of our morning devotions. There were days when I was quite sure that I'd toss it into a corner and start something new. I didn't always like it; I didn't always like Yancey; but it always made me think.

Perhaps we read it because there were some rich nuggets in amongst the things we found unsettling. (We found it unsettling to read that Yancey doesn't believe that anyone should be a patriot or concern himself with politics. He says that God doesn't care about countries, He cares about people, that the only nation He cares about is Israel. I disagree. I think God cares not only about people...all people...He cares about nations, too...all nations.)

Anyway, back to the nuggets. There were enough to keep us going. I want to talk about two of them today. One of the final ones concerns that Saturday between Good Friday and Easter morning. Yancey says it is an unnamed day and that we are living in that Saturday right now, metaphorically, of course, until the Lord's return. Well, not quite, because we know that we know that we know that Sunday arrived and Jesus arose and we have been sent the Holy Spirit. But there are still qualities about that day that we are experiencing until His return. I'll allow you to ponder them. I've been pondering them at some length.

The second nugget I'd like to share is a story that Yancey tells about being in an airport for five hours because of a flight delay. Fortunately, he was not alone because a companion was on her way to the same conference. They had plenty of time to discuss all the disappointments of life. He described feeling melancholy and anxious about things. When the waiting was almost over and the discussions had ended, his companion asked him this question: Philip, do you ever allow God to just love you?

Now that question will sit with me for a long, long time.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ~Romans 5:8

God bless your Sunday...