Wednesday, August 12, 2015

M is for Monkeying With a Name






My Traveling Tote and I 

have been monkeying with her name.




Miss Mary Mack Illustrations Used With Permission ~ Songs For Teaching.com
An excellent resource for both parents and teachers!


Anyone remember this jump rope rhyme?

 It is one of my favorites and the one

 my first grade students loved to chant

 as they jumped rope during recess.





It's what came to mind when I

 purchased the mini bag in the spring of 2010,

 so I named my little bag with the big

 sassy button, Miss Merri Mac.

She is the perfect bag for an evening out.





You might recall that


when Patti @ Pandora's Box first 

suggested the Traveling Totes Series,

she asked us each to give our totes a name.

Forever a fan of the Courtly Check pattern,

 I hastily named my Traveling tote, Miss CC.

 I've decided she deserves better!



So let it be known,

my Traveling Tote is officially now

Miss Merri Mac,

 and the sassy cocktail bag, Miss Mini Merri Mac.





Hope you will join us for our next series

 Tales of the Traveling Totes #3,

 September 15th.

 Our girls plan to venture out for a day in the park.





You can read all about her previous

 adventures by clicking the following links:






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Friday, August 7, 2015

L is for Lemon




L is for Lemon



"Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet
But the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat."

Not so Peter, Paul, and Mary.  
Have you tried my lemon meringue pie?

My favorite recipe for Lemon Meringue Pie 
 is from JOY OF COOKING, Scribner, 1997.

Lemon desserts are the 
perfect choice for hot summer days.

Use your favorite lemon pie recipe to 
make individual lemon tartlets.

You can top them with berries instead 
of the meringue for a bit of summer color.

Or fill pâte á choux puffs 
for a tasty lemon cream puff.

Then sit back with a cool drink 
and enjoy the fruits of a lemon tree.

So when you find yourself 
with a bowl of fresh lemons or limes . . .

Make a pie!

~ A Lemon Meringue Pie ~
Make it with a "mile high" meringue like I do.
Just double the egg whites!
Pretty vintage hankies for napkins   
and served on MacKenzie-Childs' ceramics.
Ahhh, a refreshing summer treat!

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Friday, July 31, 2015

Tales of the Traveling Totes #2 ~ Oh, the Places We've Been



Tales of the Traveling Totes # 2

Oh, the places we've been!



MyBeautiful Cousin, the Mother of the Groom


Well, actually, there hasn't been much summer travel for moi

and Miss CC, though there was a family wedding in early June.

 Miss CC is the perfect overnight bag.

What to take?

Miz Mini Merri Mac or Sarah Oliver's Classic Clutch

 As much as I enjoy Miz Mini Merri Mac for summer occasions,

the Sarah Oliver clutch seemed more appropriate 

for a formal wedding than the sassy Miss Mini Merri Mac.

 Hmmmm ~ 

Wish I'd thought of the name Merri Mac for Miss CC.

 Think it's too late to give my tote a name change?






Our Second Summer Trip ~ Girls Night at the Ranch


Again, Miss CC was the perfect travel companion 

for an overnight get away with some friends.

All packed and loaded up in the car,

ready to head out to the country.

See that brown case beside her?

Thought we might play a few games of Mah Jongg.





Summer in TX is hot, and though 

we are having a mild one, it's always  a 

great idea to escape the city and go out into the country. 





A girls night out at the ranch offers

cool breezes and fresh air.





We won't be roughing it, but just so

you know, this is a real TX ranch with livestock.





Our accommodations are this

comfortable home. 




We don't usually go for a swim,

 but .   .   .





We do hang out on

this porch in these rockers.





Welcome!

My girlfriends say, "Howdy, y'all!"





My friend is an expert horsewoman

who participates in the sport of cutting.





She is the real deal!

I'm born and raised in Texas,

but I've never even owned a pair of cowgirl boots.





Remember, Miss CC and I are city girls,

but we do enjoy little country retreats.





Want to join us for a cocktail  

out on the ranch porch?  

We've saved a comfy rocker just for you.
The view is incredible with

China and Disco grazing in the pasture 

and the sun setting in the distance.





Harvey, our ever present companion,

will likely cozy up by your feet.







Cocktails for us,

but dinner time for the horses.

I think Clay thinks Miss CC is full of feed.






Meet Sundance.




This beauty is Cleo.  Legacy behind her.





China has come in for dinner, and 

 Romeo has stopped for a cool drink.  

There are a dozen quarter horses, one miniature horse, 

 two longhorns, and lots of chickens 

 for whom this ranch is home.





Oh, and as a bit of trivia,

there have been some famous guests 

who've stayed here in the past.





Yes, summer days in the country

can offer a cool retreat from the city.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 Stay tuned for more adventures

coming in the fall.
Until then, join my friends below to see more

 Tales of the Traveling Totes.

Patti and Miss Kenzie @ Pandoras Box

Linda and Miss Rosie @ More Fun Less Laundry

Debbie and Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths
Colleen and Miss MacKenzie Joy
Tami and Miss MC La Mer

 And our new travelers:

 Rita and Miss Luna C @ Panoply

Sammie and Miss Christabel @ Samantha Stone 




Debbie and Miss Aurora 

are hosting a lovely give away of a set of

 cards depicting Thomas Cole's series of paintings,

 The Voyage of Life, 1842.

 Be certain to leave a comment with 

 Debbie @ Mountain Breaths to be entered.

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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

K is for Kettle and A Winner!



K is for Kettle

The kettle has a long and interesting history

 having been used across times and cultures to

 insure potable water by boiling away impurities.






Our Georgian copper kettle dates to 1870,

 yet still continues to serve us well.

 We purchased it in 1980s from

 an antique dealer at the iconic London

 Antiquarian Antiques Market on Kings Road.

 One of the best and most useful souvenirs ever.




Image from ROCK A BYE BABY AND OTHER RHYMES, c1882
Baldwin Library of Historical Children's Literature in the Department of Special Collections and Area Studies, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida.


This 17th century nursery rhyme was written by a father

who observed his daughters tricking their brothers

to get them to go outside to play.

Seems the girls didn't want the rowdy boys around,

so they pretended to have a tea party, 

which of course the boys wanted no part of.

As soon as the boys took off,

the girls went about doing the things they liked to do

 without any rowdy boys to interrupt!




Photo by Debbie @ Mountain Breaths


Debbie @ Mountain Breaths

 was my inspiration for K is for Kettle.

 She recently attended the

 MacKenzie-Childs' Annual Barn Sale,

 and her new Courtly Check tea kettle

 was among the treasures she scored at this year's sale.




Photo by Debbie @ Mountain Breaths


Debbie put the kettle on just for us

 so we could all have tea.

 Oh, I see some yummy muffins too.

 Grab a cup and join me!





Speaking of tea,
Thanks to all who stopped by to visit our
Mad Tea 2015.

 If you missed the party, click here.





In honor of 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland's

150th Anniversary

I invited my readers to leave a comment 

and to share their favorite character 

from Lewis Carroll's Alice.

Drumroll Please!

~  ~  ~  ~  


 Hands Down Favorite Alice Character 

 The Chershire Cat
Alice 150th Anniversary Gift

 Goes to

Christina Paul ~ Comment # 18

Congratulations, Christina!

 Christina shared her own Mad Tea Party here.





Christina, please send me your mailing addy.

 The White Rabbit  has a few tea time

 things for your next Mad Tea Party.

 ~  ~  ~  ~

 TAKING TEA WITH ALICE

 Tea Time Napkins by Meri Meri

 English Caramel Tea from Austin's Steeping Room

 A Heart Shaped Tea Ball

 ~  ~  ~  ~

If you are an Alice fan,

perhaps you'll plan your own Mad Tea and join

Vanessa's Annual Mad Tea Party 2016.


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