What's In My Teapot?

Oh, hi! I thought I heard someone at the door! Next time don't be afraid to use the big knocker, and if that doesn't work, you can lift the mail slot and give a holler! It's been done before and it's actually pretty effective. Do come in out of the cold and stay awhile! I know it's February and all, but when did you ever see such weather? I mean, when it got up to close to forty on Sunday, we started feeling HOT, and that's a little unreasonable! Oh, well, we're in our last week of the month and thankfully this can't last forever. I've just brewed up a pot of Lemon Lift tea , so here's a cup of that, and please help yourself to some biscotti ! Sorry about it being two weeks old, but I am discovering that biscotti has a very impressive shelf life. I've kept mine in a container on top of the fridge, but don't worry, unlike Father Tim and Cynthia, I don't have a Violet that lives up there. Only dust bunnies. (Bu...

If you have enjoyed February's Book of the Month as much as I have, then it shouldn't be too hard to also enjoy some discussion about it! Tomorrow is the actual review, but following is a list of questions to percolate over in preparation. If you have read the book- either this month or anytime previously- I would love to have you enter the discussion! You can give answers to these questions, or feel free to write whatever type of review works for you! Discussion Questions for Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good: 1. After taking a break to go to Holly Springs and Ireland with Father Tim, how did it feel to be back in Mitford? 2. What does the term Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good mean to you? 3. Did you agree with Father Tim's approach to dealing with Sammy? 4. Was there an event in the story that caught you by surprise? 5. Has there ever been a time in particular when you felt you needed more purpose in life (like Father Tim when he was struggling with retire...

Sometimes snowy day make me feel cozy and sometimes they make me feel contemplative. Today was what you might call a Snowbound Saturday , and while it was mostly a cozy one- watching out the window as Wesley & Gavin did the shoveling, working on indoor projects without needing to stir abroad, finishing a good book over chocolate- it also put me in the frame of mind to miss my friends who are far away... And to remember... The imprint of a stockinged  foot on the woodstove door. Tea bags in the sink. A cozy cabin back an icy lane. And, in particular, a silly little poem learned, oh, about 12 or 13 Winters ago, while in the company of two such missed friends... I looked the poem up and had such a good laugh over the accompanying Pooh & Piglet story that I decided that everyone else needed the chance to be warmed by it as well! You may wish to go here to read the entire chapter! ONE day when Pooh Bear had nothing else to do, he thought he would do something,...

Forgive me! This is my third post about food in four days, and between that and posts about books, you must think that's about all I get done around here... eat and read ! Believe me, while that does sound like a very pleasant existence, there are other things that happen in my life: teaching Elasa what a sphere is in math, going to Prayer Meeting in single-digit weather & nylons, attempting to iron but getting off the hook when the iron calls in sick, changing Parker's wardrobe after he soaks himself playing in the dishwater left undrained after his older siblings washed the dishes, making a huge batch of granola (oops! Food again!) I've even been taking small and furtive bites from a brand new and rather large tome of a book on, uhm... dieting ! But more on that another time... Diets are not for cold evenings in February when the temperature is groveling in the basement on the thermometer. These evenings beg for comfort foods that go well with a cup of t...

There are some traditions very much worth the keeping, and Doughnut Day would be one of them! This particular Tuesday- the day before Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins-  goes by many names and is celebrated in many ways, but I grew up calling it Doughnut Day and that name still conjures up the very images and smells that came alive in my kitchen today! Doughnut Day at home was always a special day and a homeschooler's delight since you could mix, stir and fry doughnuts instead of doing math and still count it as a day of school! Oh, yes, and a lot of taste-testing was required, too, which is a job with a lot of joy attached, as you can see in the picture below of me at six years old. It had been about 7 years since I was last involved with making homemade doughnuts, and for some reason, this winter I kept thinking about wanting to make them again! I even figured out early on when Doughnut Day was this year so I could keep track of it and I penciled it in Elasa's lo...