Valentine's Day Tea Party

In honor of Valentine's Day, and because I enjoy entertaining, I invited two neighbors over for an early Valentine's Day tea.

 I set the table with Old Country Roses china and tablecloth.

 A little treat to take home at each place setting

I placed two teapots on the table to be sure there was plenty of hot water.

On my tiered server, mini cherry cheesecakes and butterscotch scones

 Did you notice the scones are ♥ heart-shaped?

I served butter and strawberry jam with my scones. One could also serve whipped cream, Devonshire cream, or lemon curd.

Yummy! I also served chicken salad sandwiches and an Asian cabbage salad.




A nice variety of teas were available.

And as they say, "A good time was had by all."

Linking to Tuesday Cuppa Tea, A Return to Loveliness, Tea Time Tuesday, Friends Sharing Tea

Sunlit Sunday

The glory of an ornamental grass on a splendid Autumn day!

Linking up to Sunlit Sunday at My Little Home and Garden

Thanks, Karen, for sponsoring!

Fun with containers

Containers in the garden: do you like them? They really can add a lot, but my problem with containers is the need to water frequently. For that reason, I don't have a lot of them, but here are some I've put together over the years.

 One summer we purchased matching brown containers for the deck. This one I filled with petunias, calibrachoa, porcupine grass, and creeping jenny. At the end of the season, I transplanted the creeping jenny into my garden.

 This one had a bronze sweet potato vine, petunias, calibrachoa, verbena, and a spike.  I think the colors in this one are so unusual - at least they are for my garden, which is big on pinks and purples.

I really loved both of these containers as they grew over the season..

 Every year I plant a tub with sweet potato vine. I use 4-5 in the tub for quicker filling in.

 More petunias, calibrachoa, and verbena. So colorful as a centerpiece on my table!

 This tub was filled with red and orange zinnias and an ivy.

 I like this pump that my mother-in-law gave to me. Every year we hang an old bucket planted with flowers there.

 A chippy paint chair and a (very) small begonia - it looked better as the season progressed, honest!

 We like hanging baskets on the underside of the deck, in our patio area. I save the ferns over the winter.

Right now there are four big ferns sitting on the bed in the guest room!

Can I cheat and call this a "container?" I like my little cup and saucer on a stick. It's so cute when I put a little flower in it!

In honor of Valentine's Day, a heart-shaped leaf on a morning glory.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Linking to Home and Garden Thursday, Open House, Share Your Cup Thursday, and Fertilizer Friday

A Valentine's Tea, just for me

I was in the mood to bake cookies for Valentine's Day. I altered my Christmas sugar cookie recipe to make it chocolate. Then, I put on the tea kettle and made myself a cup of tea to drink with my snack.

 When we went to Dubuque last fall, I found this brown transferware teacup at an antique store.

I find the design enchanting. There was no saucer, but a plain white one will do.

 The cup is ironstone 'Royal Mail' by Myott. (Thanks to Ruth of Antiques and Teacups for information on my teacup!)  The bottom of the cup shows wear, but the rest of it looks nice.

 Faux white roses in a red vase look nice on the table for Valentine's Day.

 In my cup:  Stash Licorice Spice herbal tea - delicious!

Decorated cookies, plus a cupcake from the bakery. It all made for a nice tea time for me this cold winter day.

The cookie recipe came from Jacqueline at Purple Chocolat Home and can be found here.

The original recipe calls for a French Vanilla cake mix. I used chocolate this time. Jacqueline's vanilla has become my go-to recipe for cut-out cookies. Easy and delicious. It makes a small batch (about 15 cookies), so you may wish to double the recipe.


Linking to Tuesday Cuppa Tea, Friends Sharing Tea, Tea Time Tuesday, Teacup Tuesday, and A Return to Loveliness