Friday, June 26, 2020

Hot Cinnamon Sunset Tea


I'm enjoying a little midday nosh
while looking out the sunroom windows
towards the gazebo & the fountains in the lake.

It is a little too warm to go outside at this hour, 
especially if I'm drinking hot tea!



My current favorite is this "Hot Cinnamon Sunset" tea by Henney & Sons.
I order it via Amazon, as I can't find it locally.
It reminds me of red hot cinnamon candy hearts! 
♥♥♥


My Weight Watcher friendly treat today is a cupcake made with
sugar free yellow cake mix & 1 can of sugar free orange soda.
That's it...no other ingredients!
I used my smallest cupcake tins & baked them for about 20 minutes @ 350ºF.
They work out to about 1 WW point each on the plan.



The lovely Phalaenopsis orchid was given to me by my daughter.
There is one more bud yet to open on its single stem but I just couldn't wait
any longer to share its beauty with you.
They tolerate low light which is perfect for winters in Ohio!



My choice of tea cup today is by Royal Albert Crown China made in England.

I often float a piece of citrus rind in my flavored teas,
just for a little additional zip.
Truthfully, this wonderful tea needs no embellishment!
It is delicious just with a little sweetener.

Thanks for stopping by The Gazebo House for a visit.
Maybe next time, we can get together inside the gazebo.


fondly,





Saturday, June 20, 2020

Ms. C's Favorite Tea Cup


The peonies & iris have all bloomed for this year.
I cut as many as I could before the rains came again.



When my granddaughter, Ms. C, comes to visit, 
I always allow her to pick which tea cup she would like to use.


This flower petal shaped one is always her favorite!
 It had an FTD floral arrangement in it at one time.


The dainty Towel spoon with a crown is one of a set of 4.
I wish I had bought more!


My daughter gave me this gorgeous "Black Tie" Bath & Body Works candle.
It has the most lovely floral scent & elegant silver cover!





Ms. C. prefers sugar cubes in her tea
while I use artificial sweeteners, Stevia being the current favorite.


Her choice of tea is usually Lady Grey...mine too!


The teapot I'm using today is shaped like a bird house.
It was made by Adams Antiques in Steubenville, OH,
which is less than 2 hours south of where I live now.





If you look closely, you can see another little
blue bird inside the teapot.


Thanks for stopping by for a visit & allowing me to share my teacup collection!
I have lots more to come! 


fondly,





Saturday, May 30, 2020

Siberian Iris, Pink Peonies & Pink Tea Set








My Siberian iris & pink peonies have finally bloomed & I hurriedly picked some before the rain ruined them.
The peony plants originally came from my maternal grandmother's garden. 
My mother then divided the corms & had them planted all along our side yard. 
Before that childhood home was sold, 
my sisters dug up some of those plants for their own gardens.
When I moved back home to Ohio, my sweet sisters dug up some & shared them with me.
♥♥♥ Thanks Weezie & Fritz! ♥♥♥



I set up a little tea table vignette for four, using my BTaT (Brewed to a Tea) china.
I just love this darling set with its pale pink & white polka-dot background & beautiful roses.

The set has 2 different patterns of cups. 

I considered mixing & matching the saucers, but in the end, paired them to their corresponding teacups.









I wish the little sugar bowl lid had an opening for the
Oneida "Americana" sugar spoon to poke out of.
I used my pressed glass shamrock for a spoon rest instead.



I have sugar free mini cupcakes, sans icing ( 1 pt on  WW) on a vintage "Treat Tree". 
I found it online & have used it for many, many events.
 I like to display Hershey kisses, in their proper holiday colors for each month. 
Red in Feb.,Green in March, Gold towards Autumn. 
It is fun to change it out for the occasion &
it is the little things that make a difference!



The white sandwich plates, beneath the cups & saucers
are ironstone by Johnson Brothers, made in England.



The table topper is one that I bought in Milan, Italy.
I'm so very glad we traveled when my husband was alive.
I have no desire to leave my country ever again!




My tea of choice is Lady Grey (decaffeinated).
 When I was working in the hospital (RN) 
I could drink strong caffeinated tea all day
 (or night shift) long, without effect. 
Now, if I have anything with caffeine after 4 pm,
 I toss & turn all night long! 
Even chocolate ice cream keeps me awake!














Thanks for stopping by "The Gazebo House"
I'm really enjoying playing with my dishes again &
love to share information about their origins.

fondly,
Rett









Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Red, White & Blue snack on Memorial Day
















On Memorial Day, in order to pay homage to the fallen American military, I tried to create a patriotic tray on which to enjoy my midday snack of yogurt & fruit outside in the nice warm sunshine.
I used my red & white star quilt that I made, for a tablecloth & a silver tray to carry my items out the back door to the deck.


My parfait consists of a sugar free vanilla cupcake (1 pt Weight Watchers 💚 plan) with toasted coconut Greek yogurt (2 pts. 💚 WW) layered with an assortment of red & blue berries...delish!

 




My blue & white teacup is very generic...just says "made in China" on the back. 
Same for the little individual white ironstone teapot, steeping Twinings French Vanilla Chai tea.



The little miniature red, white & blue teacup & saucer is an AVON collectable from 1984. It is from their European Collection & is titled "The Netherlands". 
A sweet little treasure given to me by my sewing friend, Eileen Simon.



 I picked some of my lily of the valley flowers & 
tucked a little American flag into the vase along with them.
They smell Heavenly!






The tiny Mason jar holds Pro Granola to sprinkle on top of the parfait. I have an affinity for darling Mason jar lids & this homespun one speaks to me.



This quilt was redesigned by Peg Bingham from a vintage one that a friend found at a garage sale.


It is one of my very most favorites...I adore RED & WHITE quilts! 



I hope you all had a peaceful & blessed holiday...I did.

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Strawberries with Breakfast

I am going to try to get back to blogging since I've missed my blogging friends & "playing with my dishes" so much!

The joy of entertaining went out the window when Ernie passed away.  *sigh*
Other than a few family dinners, I have not bothered to set a pretty table for a long time.

I joined a Facebook page called "Tea Cups & Cupcakes" & have been inspired to use my
collection of tea cups in little vignettes, just for myself. 

 Perhaps a friend or two will be able to 
join me, once this awful corona virus has passed.



Breakfast this morning is a Kodiak Cinnamon Oat pancake with 2 chicken sausages.


Topped with fresh strawberries & Swerve brown sugar! 


Irish Breakfast is my tea of choice this morning.


Napoleon Bee flatware is from Horchow


My pretty tea cup today is Staffordshire from England


It was a thrift store find, as was my strawberry basket, below.



Traditionally, the little containers on the side were used for brown sugar & cream.

Thank you for visiting *The Gazebo House*.
I hope to be able to get this to post & then visit your blogs as well.