Massanutten Ski Holiday

This time of year I’m ready to go and lie on a beach somewhere, but…..

hubby decided that he wants to go skiing one more time - before he gets too old.  I’m not talking cross-country good for all age groups skiing, but the (for the brave of heart only) downhill kind.

So we’re off to the Summit at Massanutten in McGaheysville, VA.  Other than the traveling, I don’t mind since there are many activities at this resort for the non skier.  My grandson is looking forward to snow tubing with Grandma and the indoor water park.

 

Grandma is looking forward to a gourmet dinner, digital photography class, and Zumba.  Maybe I’ll even visit the spa with my daughter.

We plan to stop overnight in Charlotte, NC.  Have any of you had afternoon tea at the Ballantyne Hotel?   I’m also planning to visit Mrs. Hardesty’s Tea Room in Harrisonburg, VA.

I’ll miss all your wonderful blog posts while I’m gone, but the catching up part when I get home is something to look forward to.

Time To Share A Cup Of Tea

This little Fisher Price tea set has been so much fun for my grandbaby Madison and Nana too.  We love the songs it plays.  One of my favorites says – Time to share a cup of tea, some for you, some for me.  Lets pretend and always say, please and thank you.

 

There are two cups and a plate of cakes too.  The teapot makes a cute pouring noise when you tip it up.  We like to play hide and seek with the little cakes that fit inside the teapot.  This is a great baby's first tea set – lots of fun and educational.  

Of course, I really just wanted to show off Nana’s little sweetie.

Happy Valentine’s Day

A bell is no bell 'til you ring it,
A song is no song 'til you sing it,
And love in your heart
Wasn’t put there to stay -
Love isn’t love
'Til you give it away.

- Oscar Hammerstein (The Sound of Music)

There were some interesting facts about chocolate on the about.com site. 

• In the 1800’s physicians commonly advised their lovelorn patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining.
• As an elixir for love, chocolate has been believed throughout history to bring smiles to the broken-hearted and to prompt amorous feelings in both men and women. It is believed that Madame Du Barry served it to all her suitors; Casanova consumed chocolate instead of champagne to induce romance; and Montezuma, the king of the ancient Aztecs, believed chocolate would make him virile.
• At one time, conversation candies were made into shapes including horseshoes, baseballs and watches.

Happy Valentine’s Day

I’m A Little Teapot

I was searching for a board book for my little grandbaby for Valentine’s Day and was delighted when I came across I’m A Little Teapot by Iza Trapani.  I can’t wait to read it to her, although it is for ages 4 to 8 and a little advanced for her yet.  The little teapot in this book has lots of fun travels and adventures.

Like traveling to another planet.

Or riding to hounds on a fox hunt.

The little teapot as a pirate ship is a cute page.  I love that there is even a figurehead on the spout.

The trip to the opera page is adorable with the little teapot playing the saxophone.

The colorful illustrations and rhyming verses make this book interesting and fun to read.  It will be a nice addition to her growing collection of tea theme children's books from Nana.

It’s available at Amazon new for $7.95 and used starting as low as one cent.

Teacup Tuesday

Just then the door opened and Deborah returned, bearing a tray that must have weighed an hundredweight, loaded with bread and butter and small cakes and sandwiches and pots of tea and little dishes of jam.  It looked hearty and comforting like a nursery tea, and I would have been thoroughly pleased had Deborah not interrupted her mother just when she had seen fit to drop such an interesting titbit into conversation.     - from Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn

 

It seems that all my teacups have now made an appearance on Teacup Tuesday posts.  There hasn’t been time lately to comb thrift and antique stores to find any new ones.  Traveling three or four days a week to watch my sweet grandbaby really cuts down on available computer time.  Perhaps you won’t mind if I show some of my cups again – this time filled with tea.

This bone china cup is made in England by Windsor.  It was a birthday gift from my friend Angela at Tea With Friends.

This black and white teacup is from the Spode Blue Room Collection in the Geranium pattern.  This collection also has some beautiful pieces in blue and yellow, which is a favorite color combination of mine. 

This pretty cup is made in England bone china from Royal Albert.  It is the Moss Rose pattern.  I’m not sure what kind of tea is in the cup, but for some reason it makes me want a nice cup of Dragon Eye oolong.

To see lots of wonderful Teacup Tuesday posts please visit Terri and Martha at their beautiful blogs.

 

Tea In The City books

This series of three Tea In The City books  (New York, London & Paris) is a wonderful addition to my tea library.

They are on sale right now at Elmwood Inn Fine Teas.  They normally sell for $18.95 each, but you can purchase the set of three for $14.99 right now.

These books are filled with lots of interesting tea facts and history, as well as wonderful photographs of interesting landmarks, antiques, tea foods, etc.  Since they serve as a tea lover’s guide to sipping and shopping in the city, there are many tea rooms listed.  It is quite entertaining to see the photos and visit them on their websites.

I’m discovering a lot of things that I didn’t know about the history of tea.  For instance, the New York book tells me that in 1808, John Jacob Astor’s ship, The Beaver, sailed for Canton loaded with $45,000 worth of fur and other goods.  She returned with $200,000 worth of Chinese tea.  This helped the once-penniless German immigrant to become America’s first multimillionaire.

It looks like I’ll be enjoying many hours of armchair tea travel with Tea In The City. 

Royal Albert Pacific Dogwood teacup

The other cup that I found at the Goodwill last week was a teacup from the Royal Albert Provincial Flowers series.

 

The Pacific Dogwood was adopted as British Columbia’s floral emblem in 1956.  This Dogwood tree can grow between 15 to 40 feet tall and flowers in April or May.  It has clusters of bright red berries in the fall, with brilliant foliage.

The cup has a Montrose shape.

I found this dainty teacup (without a saucer) at another thrift store for one dollar.

The pale pink band around the top is pretty and there is a lovely rose on the inside of the cup.

I can’t seem to find any information on Gold Coast China.

For lots more Teacup Tuesday be sure to visit Terri and Martha.