Don't worry...it's a gift

No, I haven't changed my allegiance...

I'm still a Vikings fan.  

Little J had a birthday party to go to today for a neighborhood friend. 

The Packer fans on the block.

It seemed fitting that her American Girl doll would be a Green Bay fan as well. 

The gifts should have been opened by now so I think it's safe to post this. 

If not...hey, what are you doing browsing the internet while the party is going on?!?!

Put that smart phone away.

 

Coffee Cozies

Just a few things I whipped up the other day. 

 

Gifts from the heart

I've been blessed this week with some wonderful gifts from some wonderful ladies. 

First I got this wonderful little journal from my dear friend Elizabeth. 

She knows I have a fondness for pink, so she was sure to include many splashes throughout.

It truly was a gift from the heart...

Thank you so much Elizabeth. 

Next my mom made a nice big batch of sandbakkles. 

They are a traditional Norwegian cookie. 

The kids are loving them.

Yesterday I met my knitting group for lunch. 

Afterward I was given this yummy plates of goodies for the kids by our "teacher". 

How sweet is that?!? No pun intended.

 

Tea Tuesday?

It's been a long time since I had a Tea Tuesday post...mostly since I always have a super busy Tuesday and I don't often schedule my posts. Likely because I'm not very good at planning ahead. I'm sort of a fly by the seat of my pants type of girl. 

 I just had to show you the teacup candles I made. 

Once again, something I've been wanting to do for a long, long time but just never did...until now.

I'm totally in love with them. They turned out perfectly.  

I couldn't have imagined better results! 

Hooray! Love it when something comes out right!

 

Candlemaking

Continuing one with my need to melt things...I made some candles.

Over time I've collected containers and supplies at garage sales to create some OOAK candles.

This one in the tin is so feminine. It has a nice soft scent...not flowery as the flower on top would suggest. Just soft, sweet and slightly fruity.

For this one I placed chunks of a darker, broken  candle in the glass jar before filling with the new wax. I was hoping for a more dramatic look but what can I say...I'm experimenting.

 

Sew....

I've been brainstorming some more ideas to use up the things I already have on hand and make some Christmas gifts in the process. 

I had a small stash of flannels from a ragtime quilt I made when my oldest was a baby. He's almost 13 now. I should show that quilt sometime. It was my very first one.

Anywho... with the weather turning colder, flannel just seems right. Something to warm the hands or toes in boots.

Maybe a something cozy for your cuppa joe.  We'll see.

 

Jalapeno Jelly

We ended up with a lot more jalapenos than last year. 

They must like it hot and dry. 

Anyway, I'm a big fan of jalapeno jelly on brie with crackers. 

Oh YUM! 

So I figured...might as well give it a try.

I used the Ball Jalapeno Jelly recipe.

Can't wait to sample it! 

 

Gifts and treasure

We had a nice family get away around Lake Superior. 

First we went to relatives house in Wisconsin. They just moved into a new house. We wanted to bring them a housewarming gift.  I decided on some coasters...bigger house...more guests...more need for coasters right?!?

In addition, they are also big Green Bay Packers fans. 

Since Mr. G makes these great dice trays for games, we thought it would be fun to customize one a for a couple of our favorite Cheeseheads.  

I think it turned out great!

After a wonderful day and night in Wisconsin, we traveled back into Minnesota to stay in Canal Park, Duluth.

Little J and I could hardly wait to start sifting through the rocks in search of sea glass like we found last year. 

The sea glass from last year is in the little bottle. We definitely did much better this year. The whole family got involved at one point. It's so addicting...like treasure hunting. In my eyes it is treasure!!!

Some of the bigger pieces...which are still smaller than a bottle cap...I'm going to attempt some jewelry. 

 

Tea with gifts

I was a very fortunate girl this year. 

I received so many unexpected but certainly appreciated birthday gifts. 

The first which was an early gift from my in-laws. Its a floating tea infuser and birdie lemon squeezer.

The floating tea infuser works really slick! 

Cutting the lemon to fit in the birdie was a bit of fussy work but I can't complain about how nicely it squeezed all the juice right into the cup. 

The day before my birthday I opened a sweet little ATC book from my dear friend Elizabeth. 

Here's a link to the post she wrote that has wonderful scans of each page.  

Thanks Elizabeth!!!

  

 
 

My daughter made me this card...

The front said Guess what day it is?

Inside was a nibble of chocolate from her Easter candy stash and a coupon "good for one chore done by Little J" 

How sweet is that.

 

When we got home from shopping and picking up sushi...YUM!....I found this plant on the front step with with a note that said:

" Happy 40 day "  and was not signed.

Lucky for me my neighbor doesn't have a very good poker face, so when I asked if she had any idea who dropped it off, she gave her hubby away.

I also got a double-decker plate of Special K bars from a friend of the family who's know me from birth. I don't have a picture because I knew I had to share the wealth of those very quickly or I'd be spending extra time at Curves working them off my butt. The neighbors teenage boys helped devour them in short order.

Oh yeah and some spending money from my mom. WOO-HOO...who doesn't love cash!

Like I said, I was a very fortunate girl.

What are you doing today? 

I know I'm going to pop over to Kimmie's blog to have some virtual tea with my friends. 

Care to join us??

 

40 Tea Tuesday

My BFF turns the big 4-0 tomorrow. Since she's across the country from me I decided to SPAM her snail mail box this past week. I'm sure she'll get me back next month when I going the club but its all in good fun. Neither of us are freaking out about 40...it just doesn't seem possible. I feel like I'm 20 something. 

I sliced open the side of a water bottle and filled it  with a packet of flowers seeds, a knit dishcloth, crochet scrubbie, a wine cork, confetti, a few fortunes and a note.

The note explained the contents... 

In summary it said:

If I were there I'd give her flowers, instead she'll have to plant her own. 

If I were there I'd help her clean her house, instead she'll have to have her family to do it for her. 

If I were there I'd share a bottle of wine but sorry I drank it.

I also made a series of postcards with little snarky remarks all in jest of course. 

I realize this post doesn't really have anything to do with tea... other than the fact that Sandy and I often have a cup of tea and a chat over the phone. 

Stop by Kimmie's blog to see some "real" tea posts.

 

Gift from Kansas

My good friend Eilzabeth surprised with with another one of her quiltlets. This one is made from some of her fabrics she used to demo some techniques on her blog.

I love the the greens and the free-motion stitching she used.

She also included an extra tip-in for my Blue book. 

I think I have enough pages now to put it together. 

Pretty sure I'm going to have to wait until after Christmas for that one.

Sweet Tea

Right after Thanksgiving I stopped by my PO Box and much to my surprise, found a package waiting for me.
Sweet Stacie the Craft Princess had sent me a thank you gift. And a lovely one, it is... So today I'm enjoying a cuppa vanilla bean tea. YUM-O. Super cute card too!
 
You see...a while back Stacie had commented on how much she liked the tissue packs I was making. I decided to make one for her. Of course, in my usual hurry I never took a photo. But she did...here's her post.

I never expected anything back from Stacie but I certainly am appreciative! Thanks Stacie!!

Blogland is such a wonderful place... and speaking of a wonderful place....why don't you stop by Kimmies today and she what my Tea Tuesday friends are all up to today.

Neglectful tea

I have been so horrible.

I received an absolutely wonderful prize...SO LONG AGO.... from Annette, aka Voodoo Vixen.

I took pictures right away, resized them and promptly forgot to post them.
Shameful.
Regretful.

Isn't this the sweetest little book?!?

How could I have forgotten to blog about this?!














The pockets are each filled with a different kind of tea.

Yum...so many to try.

The ATC is awesome!

Love the gears.

Once again Annette...Thank you. So sorry I've been such a slouch and not posted this beautiful gift until now.

Off to brew some tea from the book. :)

Stop by Kimmies blog for the rest of the Tea Tuesday blogs.