Miss Spenser's Blog

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.  ~Burton Hillis Merry Christmas Everyone!!

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.  ~Charles Dickens Here's a few pictures of our beloved Royal Albert Teapot and Teacup - Heirloom Pattern! It is so beautiful, but sadly the camera has never been able to capture it's splendor to the fullest!! I took many pictures this morning, but to no avail... these were the only two that were somewhat suitable! Maybe I should ask Santa for a new camera!! Wishing all of our dear Tea Friends a very Merry Christmas!!! Other's Who Are Participating in Teacup Thursday! The Hope Chest Rose Chintz Cottage Antiques and Teacups Friendship Tea The Rosemary House Lady Estelle's ...

Thank you to every one on Facebook who sent up prayers for Donna's Dad -- and Miss Spenser's English Grandpa!! (His English heritage is far back...but with a last name like Cherryholmes...well, we like to pretend it's recent! smiles). On Saturday morning, Grandpa had a mild heart attack. The doctors did a lot of testing and scans of his heart; they have changed a few meds, sent him home with a new diet, and more exercise...so hopefully, things will be okay! A special "heart" thank you to all the heart doctors out there...medicine has certainly come a long way; we are so very grateful for that!! Thought we'd share with you today a lovely photo-art that Zachary Hardin took. Notice how the handles refect a heart shape.   Again thank you for all your 'heart-felt' concerns and prayers, they were very much appreciated! He's the best grandpa (and dad) that any one could ask for...we are blessed. Praying for many more happy and healthy years! Love yo...

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."  ~Norman Vincent Peale Here's pictures of our little St. Nick's Teaparty! These are the new teacups that we received from our blogger friend Linda! Along with the teacups she mailed us this pretty pop-up card and yummy mashmallow cakes. Again thank you Linda for your thoughtfulness! How did you celebrate St. Nick's Day? Other's Who Are Participating in Teacup Thursday! The Hope Chest Rose Chintz Cottage Antiques and Teacups Friendship Tea The Rosemary House Lady Estelle's Tea Corner Denise's Delights Faith Hope & Cherrytea Beautiful Clutter Martha's Favorites Breath of Fresh Air Lady Linda Teacup Gracious Hospitality Atteatude and Chocolate Teacups In the Garden Letters from the Northwest A Delightsome Life Poetry in a Pot of Tea Lady B's Time for Tea Romance of Roses From This to That Fabby's Living Miss Kathy at The...

" 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there..." Happy St. Nick's Day!! We are having fun celebrating by sipping some hot tea out of our new teacups and enjoying some festive Tunnock's Tea Cakes all sent to us by our sweet Blogging Friend Lady Linda ! Thank you so much, what a pleasant surprise to find in our mailbox!!  I'll be posting a picture of our lovely teacups on Thursday! So be watching!

Christmas is a time when you get homesick... Even when you're home.  ~Carol Nelson Other's Who Are Participating in Teacup Thursday! The Hope Chest Rose Chintz Cottage Antiques and Teacups Friendship Tea The Rosemary House Lady Estelle's Tea Corner Denise's Delights Faith Hope & Cherrytea Beautiful Clutter Martha's Favorites Breath of Fresh Air Lady Linda Teacup Gracious Hospitality Atteatude and Chocolate Teacups In the Garden Letters from the Northwest A Delightsome Life Poetry in a Pot of Tea Lady B's Time for Tea Romance of Roses From This to That Fabby's Living Miss Kathy at The Writer's Reverie Oak Rise Cottage Art Books Tea Tea, Friendship and the Fine Art of Card Making If you'd like to join us for Teacup Thursday, email me here with your blog address. I'll post a link to your blog and you can link us to yours! Thank you!

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."  ~Melody Beattie Happy Thanksgiving to all our Tea Friends! At this time of year, we bring out our Johnson Brother china, "His Majesty" to help us celebrate Turkey Day! Surrounded by friends and loved ones, may you cherish this Thanksgiving Day! "Forever on Thanksgiving Day The heart will find the pathway home." ~Wilbur D. Nesbit Other's Who Are Participating in Teacup Thursday! The Hope Chest Rose Chintz Cottage Antiques and Teacups Friendship Tea The Rosemary House Lady Estelle's Tea Corner Denise's Delights Faith Hope & Cherrytea Beautiful Clutter Martha's Favorites Breath of Fresh Air Lady Lind...

Last Weekend we had a fun tea party full of the festive Christmas spirit, smiling faces, and a yummy tea buffet!  Guests enjoyed ideas to help them with the busy Holiday Season and guests also participated by sharing heartwarming stories. Hope to do this again next year as it was so well received! Thanks for all who came out! Here's some pictures to tempt your tastebuds!  

"Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company."  ~Author Unknown Happy Teacup Thursday Everyone! Other's Who Are Participating in Teacup Thursday! The Hope Chest Rose Chintz Cottage Antiques and Teacups Friendship Tea The Rosemary House Lady Estelle's Tea Corner Denise's Delights Faith Hope & Cherrytea Beautiful Clutter Martha's Favorites Breath of Fresh Air Lady Linda Teacup Gracious Hospitality Atteatude and Chocolate Teacups In the Garden Letters from the Northwest A Delightsome Life Poetry in a Pot of Tea Lady B's Time for Tea Romance of Roses From This to That Fabby's Living Miss Kathy at The Writer's Reverie Oak Rise Cottage Art Books Tea If you'd like to join us for Teacup Thursday,   email me here  with your blog address. I'll post a link to your blog and you can link us to yours! Thank you!

1 10 ounce package of Fresh Cranberries, washed and picked over 4 C Water ¼ tsp. Baking Soda 2 C Sugar 3 – 3 oz. boxes Strawberry Gelatin 4 C Miniature Marshmallows 2 C Apple, peeled and diced 1 C chopped Nuts, optional 1 9 ounce Can Crushed Pineapple, drained 2 Navel Oranges, peeled and sectioned 1 or 2 C seedless green or red Grapes, halved Cook cranberries in the 4 C water to a boil. Add soda and stir. Simmer 10 minutes. Stir in sugar, gelatin and marshmallows. Stir until melted. Let mixture cool. Add apples, nuts, pineapple, orange sections and grapes. Pour into a 9x13 pan and one 8x8 pan. Chill until firm. Will serve 20 or more.

The glaze drizzled over this simple cake is what makes it stand apart from other poppy seed cakes…Enjoy!! 1 pkg. Yellow Cake Mix 1 C Oil 1 C Sour Cream ½ C Sugar 4 Eggs, Beaten ¼ C Poppy Seed Beat together all ingredients; pour into a greased and floured Bundt cake pan; bake at 325 for about one hour. (I always start checking at about 50 minutes). Let cool in pan for 10 minutes – invert and pour glaze over top. Serves 8-10 Glaze: ½ C Sugar ¼ C Orange Juice ½ tsp. Almond Extract ½ tsp. Butter Extract ½ tsp. Vanilla Extract

May your stuffing be tasty, May your turkey plump, May your potatoes and gravy Have nary a lump. May your yams be delicious And your pies take the prize, And may your Thanksgiving dinner Stay off your thighs! ~Author Unknown Don't you just love this Pumpkin Teapot! I think it's darling! Other's Who Are Participating in Teacup Thursday! The Hope Chest Rose Chintz Cottage Antiques and Teacups Friendship Tea The Rosemary House Lady Estelle's Tea Corner Denise's Delights Faith Hope & Cherrytea Beautiful Clutter Martha's Favorites Breath of Fresh Air Lady Linda Teacup Gracious Hospitality Atteatude and Chocolate Teacups In the Garden Letters from the Northwest A Delightsome Life Poetry in a Pot of Tea Lady B's Time for Tea Romance of Roses Oak Rise Cottage From This to That Crystal Tearoom Fabby's Living Miss Kathy at The Writer's Reverie If you'd like to join us for Teacup Thursday,   email me here  with your blog address....

THINK PINK!! -- National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is celebrating 25 years of awareness and education. What a privilege we have to live in a time where we have screening available to help with early detection. In honor of this month, we are posting a pretty pink teacup and teapot. We hope you enjoy!! Remember, early detection saves lives!! I had mine done…did you??! Other's Who Are Participating in Teacup Thursday! The Hope Chest Rose Chintz Cottage Antiques and Teacups Friendship Tea The Rosemary House Lady Estelle's Tea Corner Denise's Delights Faith Hope & Cherrytea Beautiful Clutter Martha's Favorites Breath of Fresh Air Lady Linda Teacup Gracious Hospitality Sweetology Atteatude and Chocolate Teacups In the Garden Letters from the Northwest A Delightsome Life Poetry in a Pot of Tea Lady B's Time for Tea The Vintage Texan Yvette's Twistedvines Romance of Roses Christine's Home and Travel Adventures Silken Purse The Plumed...

Happy Teacup Thursday!  Today, I'm sharing with you my "Audrey Hepburn" china... I'm not sure what the real name of this print is, but when I saw it in an Antique Store, I thought it spoke "Audrey". It must be the turquoise color that reminded me of Breakfast at Tiffany's!  I've had fun collecting different turquoise color pieces over the past few years to add to my "Audrey" set! Anyone else a Audrey Fan like me? "I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day And I believe in miracles."  ~Audrey Hepburn Other's Who Are Participating in Teacup Thursday! The Hope Chest Rose Chintz Cottage Antiques and Teacups Friendship Tea The Rosemary House Lady Estelle's Tea Corner Denise's Delights Faith Hop...

One of the first questions we posed to Alan and Ilse was, “What is Fall like in England?” Being the proper English gentleman that Alan is, he carefully informed us that the English refer to this season as “Autumn”, not “Fall”… which does have a lovely ring to it, don’t you think? It’s much more poetic and enticing than just plain “Fall” So…we are working on changing our vocabulary around here! (smiles) Much like the States, Autumn is a time when the land sheds it lush green shades and turns mosaic in nature. Although ‘Autumn’s colours’ in England may not be as dramatic as one would enjoy in “New England,” the striking shades of golds, yellows and reddy-browns provide a brilliant display to please the eye. How long it lasts is weather dependent and varies from year to year, but it’s usually best when they have had a dry summer. October is the month when weather patterns shift and they start to receive the tail end of the depressions that cause hurricanes on the East Coast. It isn’...

Teacup Thursday is not only a busy and fun day here on our blog but, it's also a busy and fun day here at the Tearoom! We're open on on Thursdays by Reservations. This group of ladies joined us last Thursday ~ looks like they're having a good time, doesn't it!? Hope you'll bring your friends and join us for Teatime someday soon! Tea beckons us to enjoy quality time with friends and loved ones, and especially to rediscover the art of relaxed conversation. ~ Dorothea Johnson   Other's Who Are Participating in Teacup Thursday! The Hope Chest Rose Chintz Cottage Antiques and Teacups Friendship Tea The Rosemary House Lady Estelle's Tea Corner Denise's Delights Faith Hope & Cherrytea Beautiful Clutter Martha's Favorites Breath of Fresh Air Lady Linda Teacup Gracious Hospitality Sweetology Atteatude and Chocolate Teacups In the Garden Letters from the Northwest A Delightsome Life Poetry in a Pot of Tea Lady B's Time for Tea The Vinta...

Nor rural sights alone, but rural sounds, Exhilarate the spirit, and restore The tone of languid nature. ~William Cowper Oh, the Joys of the Country... it's times like these that I'm so glad that I live in the country. The fall leaves are beautiful! It's so wonderful to wake up to their brillance every morning! Knowing these days of Autumn are numbered, I hope that you all take time to savor these simple joys of Autumn!   Other's Who Are Participating in Teacup Thursday! The Hope Chest Rose Chintz Cottage Antiques and Teacups Friendship Tea The Rosemary House Lady Estelle's Tea Corner Denise's Delights Faith Hope & Cherrytea Beautiful Clutter Martha's Favorites Breath of Fresh Air Lady Linda Teacup Gracious Hospitality Sweetology Atteatude and Chocolate Teacups In the Garden Letters from the Northwest A Delightsome Life Poetry in a Pot of Tea Lady B's Time for Tea The Vintage Texan Yvette's Twistedvines Romance of Roses Christi...

Dear Tea Friends, please meet Miss Spenser’s Friends Across the Pond, Alan and Ilse Ridgeway of Horsham, England. Last Fall, we received a note from Alan stating he’d like to visit our tearoom in 2011 while they were visiting family in the Des Moines area. He had filled out the contact form bearing an “English” address. Miss Spenser asked, “Is this guy for real?” (smiles) Well, we are happy to say, “Yes, these folks are for real!!” This past June, we had the privilege of meeting Alan, his wife, Ilse, her sister, Erika, and her husband, Paul. Now, you can only imagine our concern when we realized that we would be hosting tea to ‘real’ English people!! Of course, we had done our research on English tearooms, but as you know, we hadn’t formally been there yet. We felt much like Mrs. Cratchit when she had her doubts about the flour concerning the plum pudding!! However, as soon as they arrived, they quickly put us at ease and Alan reassured us that we had the scones, “just righ...

"Come little leaves," said the wind one day, "Come over the meadows with me and play; Put on your dresses of brown and gold. For Summer has gone and the winds blow cold." -Inspiration, October 1924 Isn't this Teacup lovely!? I received it for my birthday on Tuesday. I have always loved fall... so this Haviland teacup is perfect for me! It's called "Autumn Leaf". The card in the background was painted by our artist friend, John Preston . My whole family and I feel so honored to be considered friends of John and his wife Cindy... John always sends us lovely cards for our birthdays!! Other's Who Are Participating in Teacup Thursday! The Hope Chest Rose Chintz Cottage Antiques and Teacups Friendship Tea The Rosemary House Lady Estelle's Tea Corner Denise's Delights Faith Hope & Cherrytea Beautiful Clutter Martha's Favorites Breath of Fresh Air Lady Linda Teacup Gracious Hospitality Sweetology Atteatude and Chocolate Teacu...

"Pumpkin light, Pumpkin bright, first pumpkin I see tonight. Wish I may, wish I might, Wish I had a prizewinner tonight." Happy Teacup Thursday!! It's beginning to feel a lot like Fall Time! Are you getting your Fall decorations out? We're unpacking our pumpkins, fall leaves, autumn teacups... and our fall flavored teas, Yummy!! Other's Who Are Participating in Teacup Thursday! The Hope Chest Rose Chintz Cottage Antiques and Teacups Friendship Tea The Rosemary House Lady Estelle's Tea Corner Denise's Delights Faith Hope & Cherrytea Beautiful Clutter Martha's Favorites Breath of Fresh Air Lady Linda Teacup Gracious Hospitality Sweetology Atteatude and Chocolate Teacups In the Garden Letters from the Northwest A Delightsome Life Poetry in a Pot of Tea Lady B's Time for Tea The Vintage Texan Yvette's Twistedvines Romance of Roses Christine's Home and Travel Adventures Silken Purse The Plumed Pen Garden of Daisies Oak ...