Thunderstorms And Other Things

Yay! Hooray! There was a thunderstorm last night! Okay, so it didn't really make it to our house (at least not while I was awake), but I could see the lightning over the mountains and it was lovely. I absolutely LOVE thunderstorms. I know it is dry here in Arizona and I am fine with that, but that doesn't mean I can't look forward to monsoon season. It is nice to get a little rain! Hopefully this will mean that the monsoons are not far behind.

I finally got around to visiting all the Mad Tea Parties I think, and whew there were a lot! But they were all so madly delightful! Blog parties are so much fun. It was a grand time to see what sort of things all the other partiers had in store. You can still enter the giveaway if you haven't already by checking out the last post. I will probably choose the winner on Sunday or Monday, so you still have time. Now I just wanted to share a few things that didn't make it up sooner because of the party post.

I made this frame in a class put on by my work (Chantilly Tea Room). It was so much fun to pick out all the little broken china pieces and fit them together like a puzzle to make a frame.

The photo in the frame is of my Mom in her wedding dress (on the left). You can't really see because of how small it is, but her reflection in the mirror looks eerily like me. It was also her birthday on the 25th (party day), so happy belated birthday Mom!

I also wanted to share this picture from work. This adorable couple came to one of our tea tastings in their full costumes (they are re-enacters). Aren't they awesome?!

And finally (what else) tea time!

Currently Drinking: Cream Irish Breakfast - Irish tea (black) with creamy caramel highlights. Great with milk.
This is one of my new favorite teas from work. It is really hard to explain the "cream" flavor, I don't think it really tastes like caramel at all, it is just delicious! We also have Cream Earl Grey, but I am not a huge Earl Grey fan so I like this one more.

Currently Eating: rectangle sandwiches are cucumber, triangles are chicken salad with basil and sun dried tomato cheese.

Teacup:

Um and here are the tomatoes I had with it, yum!

Well that is all for today, except wait, where did this picture of sleepy Mal come from?

Haha, okay that is really all. Have a wonderful day my lovelies!

Tea Party Madness And A Giveaway

Ho hum, it is such a boring day. Don't you long for some adventure? Perhaps we can find a rabbit hole to fall down.....

Oh yes indeed, someone says it is time for a tea party!

Of the mad variety of course!

But do we dare to eat and drink?

Oh what harm could come of it really? And there is so much delicious looking food, do let us partake my friends.

And feel free to choose a tea cup, there are plenty to go around.

The March Hare has already chosen his. Could you help him out with a sip?

And there is the Dormouse....

and Alice too!

My, my, the gang's all here...but Hatter has stepped away momentarily. You can try on his hat while he is gone, but don't let him see you or he might get...MAD...teehee.

This really is a lovely party.

Would you care for another cuppa?

This tea is delightful.

Or perhaps some condiment for your scone?

There are so many sweets!

I am not sure if it is a sugar rush or just general madness, but the March Hare sure is acting funny...

Is it just me or do we seem to be growing? I am sure that teapot and bird cage were not so small before.

Curiouser and curiouser.....

Ooph are you feeling woozy too? Maybe we better have a bit of a lie down.

......yawn.....and here we are back home again. Well even if it was all a dream I certainly had a wonderfully mad time, did you? It must have been a dream, and yet as I closed my eyes I swear I saw a vision and that nearby tree winking at me.....

For more tea party madness head on over to A Fanciful Twist!

I am happy to say that I will be giving away the place markers from the tea party! There are four white place markers which you can write on with dry erase pens and so use over and over. To enter just leave a comment on this post. You do not have to be a follower, but if you are mention it in your comment and you will get a second entry.

ps. there is a good chance that a couple other goodies from the tea room where I work will find their way into the package as well, so don't be shy!

A Furry Friend, A Good Book, And Homemade Soup

Is there anything more cozy? Okay so maybe coziness seems silly when it is over one hundred degrees here, but inside it is air conditioned so getting cozy is still possible.

I recently read these books.

They are mysteries that take place at a Tea Museum in England. Super cute! I would definitely recommend them if you are looking for light-hearted, fun, reading. Especially if you are into all things Englishy like me!

I recently made soup for dinner (actually it was the night after the pasta in the last post) and it was so yummy and comforting. I love homemade chicken noodle soup. I did cut a few corners by buying one of those pre-cooked chickens from the grocery (because it was on sale!) and using a mix of frozen stew vegetables. However, the most important part is the noodles so I made my own which is super fast and easy! I tried to get a good photo of the soup in the pot, but the camera lens kept fogging up.

And now for an unnecessary amount of photos of my adorable Mal, as promised. I think I mentioned how he precisely and surgically removes the squeakers from any toy in roughly two minutes? Here is the carnage.

That monkey didn't stand a chance.The rest of the toy is useless now, but he still loves his monkey hands! Sometimes I buy him toys even though I know he will just dissect them immediately. It is totally worth it because he loves doing it so much and he is such a pro it is actually kind of amazing to watch.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! Appearing for one night only, I give you the highly entertaining, the truly impressive....the AMAZING MAL! (picture circus music here).

Seriously if you ever need a toy dissected send it over and Mal will take care of it in no time flat. I will even time him. It has to have a squeaker though, otherwise there is nothing to extract and no reason to operate. That is how I know my stuffed animals are safe thank goodness.

Here are a few more random ones.

Silly boy!