Happy Friday! ♥ What's up for the weekend?

Hello Lovely Friends! Happy Friday! ♥

Let me ask you something? Do you ever buy baby's breath just to have it, or is it always a filler? I buy bunches of it and scatter it around my house is if it were as fancy as red roses!  I just love those little white pom-poms!  They deserve to be front and center, don't you think?  

So that's what I'm looking at right now.  It's been a rainy and gloomy week here and the baby's breath is cheering things up a bit. Highly recommend! 

♥

I also made a BIG batch of oatmeal cookies.  I added chocolate chips because that's what I needed this week ♥

. 

They are delicious!  (and going fast :) 

One of the real stormy days I decided it was soup night so I made Joanna Gaines' classic minestrone.  It's one of my favorite soup recipes. So many good thing in here.

 

I added some shredded chicken this time! 

YUM!

It was so good! It makes a huge amount so I froze half to have another time. 

It's from the Magnolia Cookbook Volume 2, which I'm slowly cooking my way through!

Here's a link to the recipe: Classic Minestrone 

♥

After a busy work week I'm looking forward to settling in tonight and catching up on some needed sleep.  I'm planning on getting up early tomorrow to watch the coronation.  I have tea and biscuits all ready to go!  On Sunday my sister and I are taking my mother out for an early mother's day celebration.  Coincidently, we are going out for tea! The same place I wrote about a few weeks ago.  It's a charming tea room run by a British couple (Shelly's Tea Room, Plymouth MA). They serve the most amazing freshly baked scones with jam and clotted cream.  My mouth is already watering.  It's going to be an extra special occasion because it's coronation weekend! I hadn't realized that when I made the reservation.  How lucky are we! 

I'm so very excited! ♥

 (my post in case you missed it)

I can't wait to taste these again!

Have a wonderful weekend friends! Stay cozy and I'll see you back here on Monday! ♥

Byeeeee! Xx 

Tea Time in Spring! ♥

Hello Friends! It's officially Spring! ♥

And as luck would have it, it's a beautiful day today.  Tuesdays are my one day a week I have to go into the office.  The other days I am still happily working remotely.  Today I dressed in jeans, a blue shirt with white flowers on it, my new burgundy colored cardigan and sneakers.  Comfy and springy.  I stopped for a coffee at Dunkin Donuts on my way into the office.  I got my go-to order...a hot French vanilla with cream & sugar. For half a second I thought about getting an iced coffee, but decided against it.  I didn't wear a jacket today (it's 57 degrees!) but I'm not quite ready for iced coffee yet : ) 

I had The Supremes on my CD player (yes, I still have one!) and my window cracked a bit to let the fresh air in. Motown always wakes me up, especially on work days.  On my drive in I was thinking about how the seasons affect my mood.  Spring has a definitive feeling, doesn't it?  For me it's all about excitement.  Excitement for things to come.  People wake up in Spring and come out of hibernation.  At least I do.  In the winter I want to hunker down and stay buried under a blanket. It takes me a while to let go of that, but it's finally happening. These days I am anxious to buy plants and watch them grow.  I want to go to Starbucks and get an over priced pink frothy drink and sip it through a straw while I window shop. I want to make a coconut cream pie and eat it for dessert while it's still light out! This weekend I'll decorate for Easter and all little bunnies will appear.  I'm not looking forward to spring cleaning but I'm sure I'll do some anyway.  And I'll be happy about it when it's over.  I have some shelves that I don't think I've touched since last April.  The dust is REAL, but that's for another post.  Today I'm only talking about happy things! 

Work was good and then I picked John up from school. Off came my cute outfit and back into my PJs am I!  I'm on the couch having a cup of tea and thinking about what's for dinner tonight. It's late afternoon and rays of  sunshine are still coming through the windows. I have a lemon candle burning on the coffee table and I'm in my zone once again : )  

Even though I'm a certified homebody I do like to get out of the house once in a while.  And once the weather starts to warm up I get an itch to go exploring. Recently I visited an English tea room with my friend Julie, for an afternoon tea.  It was a lovely experience and I thought today would be a perfect day to share some pictures with you.  Isn't it fun when you discover cool places right in your own backyard (or in my case, 30 minutes from home: ). 

I hope these photos of pretty china cups and dainty finger sandwiches get you in a springtime mood! 

They did for me.

Shelly's Tea Room in Plymouth ,MA.  

You were delightful! ♥

 

I loved it so much I'm going to take my mother here for a Mother's Day tea. 

 I was so happy to discover they are handicap accessible, which so many places aren't these days. 

♥

Wishing you all a lovely day and a happy Spring season! Where can I visit next? 

xoxox

PS - I brought a leftover scone home and it was just as delicious the next day, eaten on my couch. 

Sheer bliss : ) 

Current Favorite things! ♥

Hello Friends and happy Monday! ♥

 I hope you all had a great week and a restful weekend.

 I had a long to-do list of chores to get done around the house this weekend and guess what? None of it got done. My heart wasn't in it and that's ok.  That's how it goes sometimes.  Taking John to the movies was more appealing than washing the bathroom floor.  I have no regrets.  So I'm starting this week off still looking at Valentines Day decorations (because they didn't get put away) and a mound of laundry that's going in the wash as soon as I finish this post.  It will all get done.  Eventually : ) 

 I was thinking about what to post today and I had a thought that I haven't done a current favorites post in a while.  

So without further adieu here are 10 of my current favorite things:

 1. Homemade pasta ♥

Recently I've started making my own pasta.  It's so much easier than people think and tastes so much better than store bought.  All you need are eggs, flour, salt and a little time.  I have a stand alone "crank" pasta maker, not an attachment to my stand mixer.

It takes very little time to mix up the dough and crank it through the machine.  Something about that last step where the dough is cut into spaghetti is so satisfying!  My love language is feeding my family and this method certainly fills my heart with joy!  Here is a the basic pasta recipe I've been following.  I think I'm ready to move on to raviolis! 

(link to recipe)

2. Walking ♥

The weather has been unseasonably warm here.  Here we are in February and last week it was 60 degrees!  I'm not sure what's going on...  I've been taking advantage of the warm days and trying to get out for walks when I can. It's still chilly, but no where near where it usually is in February.  I like to walk this beach that's near me.  I'm not a fan of exercise but knowing I get an ocean view motives me to get out of the house.  I always feel better when I get home. I'll put on a podcast or my current audio book and walk for 30 minutes.  It ends up being a lovely experience.  

(and before you ask, there are plenty of other walkers there like me so it's completely safe:) 

 

3. Neutrogena eye cream ♥

Taking good care of my skin has always been a priority for me.  I have very dry, sensitive skin and I break out easily.  Because of that, I have a morning and evening skin care routine that I follow religiously (or try to anyway:).  Over the past year I have noticed a lot of changes to my skin.  The natural process of aging is happening and that's ok.  My eye area is a particular concern of mine.  I have dark circles that even the strongest Columbian coffee can't fix.  Also crows feet and fine lines.  We all have them.  It's just life.  Keeping my skin moisturized is vital.  I use an exfoliating cleanser, face serum, eye cream, and moisturizer. I would like to do a whole post on skin care sometime, but for now I need to tell you about this eye cream.  Because I love it. It's transformed my eye area and makes the makeup around my eyes look so much better.  I use it twice a day.  Definitely a holy grail beauty product for me.  

Love Love Love! 

Trader Joes Flowers ♥

I think everyone already knows this by now, but just incase you don't - if you have a Trader Joes near you, you must stop in for a dose of spring! They have the best selection of cut flowers at the best prices!  I stopped in on Saturday to get blueberries (for Sunday pancakes :) and I couldn't resist coming home with some beautiful carnations (see picture above).  They have so many beautiful bouquets to pick from.  Note to self: I think I'll go every week. 

PS here's a picture of the pancakes I grilled in my cast iron pan (another favorite thing).  

SO YUMMY! 

4. Evening Tea ♥

I've mention before how much I love my afternoon tea time.  Lately I've been pushing it to later in the evening.  It's wonderful to wind down with a cup of tea, especially on a winter's night.  I'm also trying to have my herbal teas without sugar.  So far so good : ) 

Here's the one I'm currently loving from Bigelow ♥

I have an idea to do a future blog post on my favorite teas and favorite coffees so stay tuned for that : ) 

5. Twice Bake Potatoes ♥

Just like with the pasta, I'm learning to try things that I have always assumed to be too difficult.  Especially with recipes, just because there may be a few more steps than I'm normally used to, I can manage it.  For our Valentines Day dinner John requested twice baked potatoes.  He'd had them once in a restaurant and loved them.  I gave them a go, and guess what?! I did it and they were delicious! A big hit for all of us!  I will definitely make them again.  Here's the recipe I used (I left out the bacon)

(link to recipe)

6. Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul ♥

So what have you been watching?  I just finished watching the entire series of Breaking Bad and it's prequel Better Call Saul.  AMAZING!!! Both had me on the edge of my seat.  For a certified lover of Hallmark movies this was big stretch for me and do you know what? I couldn't get enough of this world. I can't decided which series I loved best because they were both so good.  The acting is phenomenal!  Both are available on Netflix! Highly recommend! 

 

7. Chicken Piccada ♥

One of the easiest recipes I know and still one of our favorites.  I've been making this alot this winter and we haven't gotten sick of it yet.  If you use the thin chicken breasts you won't need a knife to cut them! 30 minutes is all it takes.  It's my go to recipe for when I have no idea what to make.  In fact, it's what's for dinner tonight! LOL 

(blog post with recipe linked here)

8. The Body Shop Boost Hand Lotion ♥

I purchased this hand cream for myself at Christmastime.  My hands get SO DRY and cracked that sometimes they actually hurt.  I've been using this hand lotion at night (it's on my nightstand so I remember) and it's helped so much!!  I rub it on my cuticles and in the morning my hands feel soft and pain free!!! Whatever is left on my hands I will rub onto my heels as well.  Heavenly!  

The citrus scent is also very nice :) 

9. I Love Lucy on Pluto TV ♥

Pluto TV now as an I Love Lucy channel (under classic TV).  Finally!!! 

Now I can watch my favorite show anytime I want, 24 hours a day!  Whenever I need a little Lucy, she's there for me.  It's been my favorite show since I was 12 years old.  I love it so so much.  

10. This quote which has stuck with me this past week...

#quoteoftheweek

It's so true! Thanks for the reminder, Your Majesty ♥  

And there you have it! 10 current favorite things.  

What are some of yours? 

Have a wonderful week, friends! Thanks for stopping by today! 

Stay cozy!! xoxoxo 

A Proper English Tea at the Boston Public Library

For many of us this past weekend was Downton Abbey weekend and to celebrate I had the opportunity to go to a proper English tea.  My mother in-law, 2 sisters in-law, and I had just come from the Downton Abbey exhibit (which was fabulous and I will share all the details later) and headed for the Boston Public Library for a tea! I've been to teas before and I had a feeling this one would be something special.  Plus you know how much I love libraries! (one of my dream jobs is to work in one!).  

I had never been to the library before and was very excited, not only for the tea, but to see the library. We came in through the front entrance and walked through the library (past the grand staircase) to the dining area.  I loved the smell and feel of this old building as soon as I stepped foot in it. 

 This "tea bar" was just outside the formal dining area.  It was more casual and had a very cool vibe.  

The lounge draws inspiration from writers and innovations of the 1880's.  They even offer tea cocktails named after authors! 

On to the Courtyard Salon where we had our tea.  Beautiful, bright, and elegant. 

As you can see everything was inspired by books.  Our tea menus were pasted on the pages of books stacked on the table.   The food offerings were listed on the bookmarks.  

We all ordered a different tea so we would have the opportunity to share.  The one I selected was a lemon ginger and it was amazing! 

We were all given a choice of strawberry salad or gazpacho to start (I had the strawberry salad : )  and then they brought out the goodies...mini sandwiches, scones, macaroons, and petit fours.  All so delicious.  The jars on the top tier were clotted cream, orange marmalade, and lemon curd.  

After tea we were able to walk around the library and explore.  I had been admiring this fountain through the window ever since we got there and couldn't wait to go into the courtyard.  It was so lovely! 

The Boston Public Library was founded in 1848.  It was the first large free municipal library in the United States.  The library was moved in 1854 and again in 1858.  At that time it had over 20,000 volumes. As the library continued to outgrow it's space it was finally settled in Copley Square in 1895.  

In 1986 the building was designated a National Historic Landmark.  Within the library there are exquisite murals, sculptures, additional works of framed art, and a peaceful inner courtyard.  They run daily tours for just the artwork.  Something I would love to do one day.

This is Bates Hall, the iconic reading room on the second floor of the McKim building.  Fun fact, it's named after Joshua Bates, a London merchant banker who was born in Weymouth, MA (my hometown!).  In 1852 he donated $100,000 to the library, for it's establishment and the purchase of books. 

Can you image studying here?  I don't think I would be able to get any work done.  I would be too busy admiring the room : )

If you are ever in Boston I would highly recommend visiting the Boston Public Library. I think it's one of the most beautiful buildings in the city.  Full of culture and history and served the most delicious tea that I will never forget.  A perfect fitting for my Downton Abbey experience.  More on that next time.... 

Have a wonderful day friends!  xo