WREATHMAKER

I didn't post much of Christmas this year, but I hurried to put together a little tea party for the last Tuesday of the year. I tried to keep it silver, gold, and white ...an arrangement used throughout the Christmas season, with the addition of a clock ornament.. Some mercury glass plates.. with silver Lenox napkin rings... Let us enjoy the last hours of the year, and look forward to 2015!

It's a lovely, sunny day here in Manitoba...cold, but bright. Yesterday was a very fun day as my daughter, daughter-in-law, granddaughter, and myself had an afternoon of baking...in preparation for the Christmas season. The cookie cutters came out....    We had a good laugh when my mixer, which tends to start at a fast speed, created a mini snow storm on the counter! It all calmed down though, and peppermint fudge was well mixed... Granddaughter did a fine job of decorating her sugar cookies... Our busy schedule didn't leave time to enjoy a cup of tea at the end of our baking marathon, but each went home with cookie tins filled with fudge, shortbread, sugar cookies, butterscotch squares, lemon snowballs, and pecan tassies. . For Tea Time Tuesday would you join me for a cup of tea with a chocolate truffle? We will use Lenox "holiday" china today.

I promised to show photos of the tortes served at our church Ladies event . Over 300 women attended during the 2 evenings. Most of the tortes were made by one very talented baker. I had hoped to get photos of the desserts as they were presented at buffet tables, but the light was quite poor for photography, so I resorted to showing them in their places in the frig beforehand.        Orange - Chocolate torte This one had a name I couldn't spell or pronounce! Hazelnut torte New York Cherry Cheesecake, with Lemon torte and Irish Creme torte in background.   I was one of the servers at the buffet tables, and it was fun to see the ladies debating about which torte(s) to choose!      

One of the very special events which our church holds is the ladies Christmas tea. There is accommodation for 350 ladies over 2 evenings and tickets are always sold out almost immediately. I was privileged to help with the decorating this year. Here are a few photos of the tables and décor. These are the table centers:  With the help of my husband, I assembled 184 of these little favours: I hope to show you more photos, especially of the tortes which will be served.

One of my favorite tea sets is the one I am posting today...it was given to me by an elderly friend a few years ago. I believe it is quite old. I usually  display it in the fall, as the colours seem to fit the season so well.  The tea set itself consists of a sandwich tray (not shown), small plates, and cups and saucers, with the following mark: Closer views of the cup and plate design:  The cobalt blue with orange is found in many china patterns. I also have a platter which ties in well, shown in the background Closeup of platter design and mark: Also, this teapot which was a wedding gift to my parents, in 1937, has similar colouration: Sadly it has a chipped spout and no lid, but I use it for flowers sometimes.   Atop the platter, I have placed a small Carltonware dish, which has such a vibrant green colour, with pretty gold edges:

                                        For the beauty of the earth, For the beauty of the skies, For the love which form our birth Over and around us lies, Lord of all, to thee we raise This our hymn of grateful praise. For the wonder of each hour Of the day and of the night, Hill and vale, and tree and flower, Sun and moon and stars of light, Lord of all, to thee we raise This our hymn of grateful praise. A Very Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends.. May we be truly thankful for what matters.

September brings a certain crispness in the air, along with crisp, red apples. I have a cute apple teapot which is only used at this time of year. I love to bake with apples! ...and there is no lack of recipes to choose from. One of our favourites is plain old fashioned apple pie, served slightly warm, with just a small scoop of vanilla or maple-walnut ice cream. I used my Eavesham china again Another day, I baked some apple bars and used a fall-themed mug for my coffee. The weather was nice, so we sat outdoors to enjoy those. Fall is in the air, and that means pumpkins for décor, along with the apples.

? I am using my Evesham by Royal Worcester today. Many years ago,I started out with a few bowls my Mom brought back from a trip to England where they visited the factory, and had a few pieces shipped home. I fell in love with the pattern and bought a few items to start a tea set. My dear husband then gave me the plates, etc. for 8. Since then I have added many pieces. I baked a rustic plum tart, using the remaining pastry from apple pies I made a few days ago.    Coffee will go well with the plum dessert, so I brought out the coffee server.  The centerpiece is a vintage cornucopia I bought for my Mom in about 1960 at Red Wing, Mn. I filled it with faux foliage and flowers. I decorated the mantel with lights and ropes of leaves, as it is so gloomy and cloudy these days...I thought it would cheer things up a bit... I hope you are enjoying autumn wherever you are!

Today is our daughter's birthday. The words of a song are going through my mind..."swiftly go the years, etc. etc,. " from Fiddler on the Roof. As I looked through some photos a few weeks ago, I realized we had some pictures of her with her Dad which seemed to have a familiar theme. She was about 4 years old here, in the Canadian Rockies. ..again holding her Dad's hand, at about age 10... ...and this year.... Those two have a special bond...and she is very much like her Dad.. So Happy Birthday to the dearest, sweetest, kindest daughter, with lots of love!