Trails of Hats'n Hospitalitea

Today is Thursday September 30, 2010.

Accountability to the truth, my weight and the fact that my scales read

230.8

Oh my, I told you, out-loud, I said it now the show must go on.

I am a mother of 3, two girls and 1 boy, in that order. I have 6 grand baby girls and I’m a GRAND – ma.

Ya! I’m Big Momma Grand-ma, and I am planning to return on every Thursday and record a change.

Change, donkey is good’4 ya (from Shrek) This week it is water drink drink drink.

My children are grown adults but when they were young I was a busy, single mom.  On the job, on the go, I was their doctor, their lawyer and their Indian Chief.  When I got them to bed at night it was my quiet time, time to take a deep breath, put my feet up and enjoy some comfort food while I relaxed.

I was inspired by comfort food and I thought this was my way of relaxing.

Hello Momma! wake up that was years ago.

Yes, it was years ago but it formed a habit and then when I knew it was wrong I made an excuse for my behaviour.

The self talk that goes like this. “Shelf!, if your good all month on the fourth weekend of the month you can stop in the chip Isle and pick up a bag, make it a big bag because it was a long 4 weeks.”

Big Momma! I thought you meant one bag on the fourth weekend not a bag a day, shhhh self.

My tipicle day starts and ends like this.

I wake before the birds, read my mail, answer my mail. Clear a spot on my desk. Make a coffee and sit back down. Think about what I’m going to cook my guests for breakfast and what is for supper. I open and read comments from my blogging friends. I answer these and go onto make a post, take a picture, re-size and write. It is now 6:48, I get up from the desk and start to take out breakfast food getting ready in preparation. My husband wakes and starts to help. Breakfast is over, I change beds, say good byes, hang laundry, fold other laundry, watch grand babies, answer phones, respond to emails, make corrections to publications, visit with Google, practice SEO for the website, hang more cloths, wash and vacuum rooms and bathrooms. Then at 12 noon I open the tea room serve guests, chat, wash china by hand, close at 4pm. Garden for an hour then shower, organize papers I took off my desk earlier, read a few friends blogs, remember I didn’t take something out for supper and thaw whatever in the microwave. After supper, I sweep the floors, clean up the kitchen, finish laundry, listen to the radio, organize a little more. Go for a short bike ride, fold more laundry and iron. In the evening I watch a DVR’d episode of HOARDERS  or Repo MAN,  and start to fall asleep by 10:33 fast. To get up and do it again the next day.

I’m obsessed with this show hoarders and I plan to change that this week and look for and start to watch BIGGEST LOOSER. I have a method to my madness.  After an episode of hoarders I tend to start throwing stuff out the next day and well maybe if I watch biggest looser, never know.

Then 5 days ago I passed my anniversary of quitting smoking 13 years of quit and 46 pounds later here I am.

The first of many. I woke up and named today True to Thursday’s.

I plan to return here each week and make and report a change.

I’m encouraged by blog love and comments are motivating.

I am a hard fast strong believer that I don’t have time for exercise. Also each time I post Thursdays there is no room for fairy tails, the truth comes out on Thursdays.

stay true,

cindy

Outdoor Wednesdays #1

A good sunset is part of my perfect day.

In Autumn the skies can sing as the sun goes down in Prince Edward Island.

This photo was taken a couple of Thursdays ago on a ride home from the beaches in the East Point of the Island.

This silhouetted  of a 1.5 story home is in a farming community with empty hay fields and round bails among it.

Many homes on Prince Edward Island are a one and a half story home built in the late 1800 early 1900 and was a traditional style home. The 1.5 story homes were built to save on heating, as a small stove would be placed on the first story in the middle and the second story would be easy to heat because heat rises.

I have an old country farm house that is in Greenvale PEI and it is a 1.5 story and it has very high peaks on the roof for attic space.

I think homes built back in those days were very structure sound.

This has been my Outdoor Wednesday for this week.

For more of outdoor Wednesdays visit Susan at

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

xo,

cindy

Today I’d like to take you to a little spot close to Murry River, PEI.

Called Spit’n Image where Sheila and her alpaca spin the way to some wonderful yarn to make knitwear, socks, scarves, toques, mittens and wouldn’t you know it, spun balls alpaca wool to purchase as well.

My grandmother made braided rugs as I stood by her rocking chair. It fascinated me that I’d come home from sch0ol and step in the front door onto a rug that I had seen her sitting making long strips only what seemed like days ago.

I purchased alpaca yarn on my visit.  I needed to try a new product for my drip catchers.

Drip Catchers

Braided Rugs

About 15 years ago I took a notion to make a braided rug.  I have put it together and taken it apart a number of times.  Never knowing the secret to a turn, or a braid, or the how to finish the rug.  So I have about 2.5 miles in my possession of braid and I have moved this large bin from house to house over the years and a couple of moves.

I visited Sheila while working in her shop and I told her about my miles of braids.  She took out this piece she was working on and  showed me the secret to putting together the braids.  This Winter I will finish my braided rug and it will be another blog.

Make sure to put the Spit’n Image on your map of places to go while visiting PEI.

xo,

cindy

Hi and welcome to my Mellow Yellow Monday.  I happened along and decided this would be fun for a Monday,besides yellow is bright, cheery, Fall’ish, and just yellow.

Mellow Yellow Monday #1

Tea pots don’t drip

This is a new tea pot drip catcher that sits onto this little yellow tea pot.

I got the idea to use alpaca yarn to make new drip catchers.  It would be perfect for a drip catcher because  alpaca yarn is water proof and therefore my drip catchers won’t stain.  Ya, no… the tea runs off onto the table cloth.

This yellow tea pot is my favourite. When placed on the table it seems to glow and the tea variety of Lemon Ginger Rose tastes so much better in this yellow tea pot then say in the black one.

Hosted by Mellow Yellow Monday, stop by and link up.

Thanks for dropping by my Mellow Yellow Monday I hope to meet new friends in blog land. Next Monday should be interesting with our Fall closely approaching.

Till Monday,

xo,

cindy

We have come to the end of yet another week.  The French Gardener and I have been working about the Garden Trails, Hospitalitea Trails and we took time for the Beach Trails on Thursday again. Susanne at Living to Tell the Story hosts this FFF that encourages us to look back on our week and be thankful for, and blessed by.

Friday’s Favourite Five # 14

1. Frugal and Cleverness. “Once in a lifetime Experience”  The PEI Tourism has approved my Scrapbooking Hats’n Hospitalitea as an experience.  I’m blessed to be frugal. Last night I got help from the French Gardener to make these little tiny sand bottles for the scrapbookers I have coming today. Plastic tubing, wooden dowel, hemp and a little bit of glue to seal the bottom of the bottle.  These are 1/2″ long.

2. Found Scuba Helmet. I’m thankful that a drive up East on Thursday had me stumble onto this Scuba Helmet and it is “my photo of the week”  I know that it is being used as a light post.  I don’t know what it is, but I’m including the photo for your insight into it. Go ahead use your imagination.

3. Gaining a Sense of accomplishment. The French Gardener was working inside this week helping me organize moving rooms around.  It has been a big task to undergo and God was with us every step of the way overseeing this accomplishment without any injury.  This is such an accomplishment and I’m blessed to have a hubby to squash big bugs and lift heavy things and he says, and build this product shelf.

A product shelf to hold this much could have cost anywhere around $800. This one was made with boards found at the re-store $7, cut into 3″ widths, then cut grooves in the back for the white board pegs $20, placed the correct distance apart.

4. Garden Harvests. The  garden has provided  this week plenty of blackberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers, lettuce and seeds.  I have to spend a little time collecting seeds and putting them into envelopes.

5. Getting snail mail. I met a lady her name is June, over these past number of weeks while she was here visiting from Georgia and visits the Island every year.  A few weeks ago her beaded  glasses chain broke and she left it for me to fix.  I did and put a little charm tea cup on one side to remind her of  the fun she had at Grandma’s Afternoon Tea Room.  She wrote me an inspiring snail mail when she got home and told me she would see me next Summer.

Only two typoze/spelling this week…. groves = grooves and scenses = sense

Please join in and link up with us and visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.  Where you can link up and share.

I like those eye puzzles, don’t you?

They appear to be one thing and then someone comes along and explains

it to you and it gives a whole new meaning to the object.

I found this…. I don’t know what…  and this is a mind puzzle for me.

I asked the French Gardener to pull on over to the antique scuba diving helmet

so I could get a picture.

Now here is “the someone comes along part”  He tells me #$%^&*( stop )

I don’t want my image to get another illusion.

What is your take on this?

Do you know what it is?

Where it came from?

Beach monster?

Nuf – We drove into the sunset and I captured these for you, just in case the above picture isn’t eye catcher enough here is another.

Then this silhouette amazes me but not as much as the scuba helmet.

Thanks for stopping by. I almost have the shop completed and in undue time. Being tomorrow is FFF perhaps it will make it to the list as being one of my favourites.  Stop by until then make sure to take some time for you today.

xo,

cindy

Good Morning!

I’m still here mussing and fussing about.

I have been busy over the last few days, moving rooms around.

I’m on a deadline, guests will be by the shop today.

Organizing is the better part of the mussing, do you think?

The fussing is when you re-organize it after it is done already.

I promise I’ll not do this today.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention my new plate I thrifted from USED.PEI.

It is a keeper, I love the pink roses, you know how much I love Pink.

I think it will look nice on a table setting with a yellow tea pot, don’t you?

I should get at these dishes, I have a lot to get done in the shop today.

I love to think while I do dishes, maybe too much.

I have a  layout all organized while I’m in the sink.

Thank you for stopping by while I did a little mussing and fussing. I hope you can make it by the shop and have a sneak peek at the mussings and fussings over there.

See you soon,

xo,

cindy

Tea Room open for 5 years and has something for you!

In the blink of an eye, the past 5 years has gone by.

Grandma’s Tea Room first opened it’s doors on May 1st 2006.

And I have You to thank for stopping by.

I so loved watching you put on a hat.

Watching you ponder the tea sniffing bar.

As you know my menu is on the placemat.

Many have gone home with this placemat after they are here.  You who stops by my blog and I love blogging with you as well, can’t get this placemat. So here is the deal, I have something for You! The recipe for my scones today is what I”m offering after I was asked to blog my scone recipe.  I love you in blog land and that is why I will share my recipe.

Grandma’s Scone Recipe off the menu

3 cups of flour  **see note below

1 1/2 Tbs baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

3 Tbs white sugar

4 Tbs unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups of buttermilk

1 1/2 cups of  either blueberries/raisins/or cranberries

Heat oven to 400°F. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Using a pastry blender cut in butter until mixture looks like a coarse crumble. Make a well in center and pour in buttermilk. Fold everything together just to incorporate or mix. Do not overwork dough. Toss blueberries in a little flour then fold them into batter, taking care not to mash them.

Press dough onto a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 by 3 by 1/2 inches. Cut in half, then cut the two pieces in half again. Cut the squares in half in a diagonal.

Place triangles on parchment paper cookie sheet. Brush tops with egg and milk, and bake for 17 (20) minutes until brown.

**note:

I have used the flour in the US and it is different from our flour in Canada. You may have to adjust the buttermilk and flour.

I have used frozen blueberries and I roll my dough out and lightly press blueberries into the dough then fold the sides in to make the triangle and proceed to cut.  It helps not to squash the berries.

xo,

cindy

It is times like this week I need a little something extra to take my mind away and Jerri over at Jerralea’s Journey has asked me to take part in a tag your it.  Here is how it works: The following are 8 questions she has for me and you will see my answers to follow.  Then I’ll make 8 new questions, tag 8 others and see if they will make 8 new questions.

Here are Jerri’s questions she made for me and my responses to them.

This week is over, I can say I’m glad.  Although it has been the toughest in a long long time I’m thankful not only that it is over but for the next five things I’m blessed to be part of.

FFF # 13

1. The little ity bity things that make you laugh. Anna is a bit of a comic. She has new braids and insisted on putting them all in her hair everywhere we went today.

2. Waiting for time to pass. When I couldn’t reach my daughter Vicki on the phone I went to the house and found her on the floor beside little Anna’s crib. Anna had her binky (soother)  in her hand and was trying to give it to her mommy to make her feel better.  We rushed her to the hospital and I’m thankful to have Aubrey sit with me until she was out of the operating room. Vicki is in pain but she will be fine.

3. Making place mat mistakes. I make my own place  mats for Grandma’s Tea Room and have my scone recipe on it.  I was rushed and printed and  laminated 14 of them before I realized I made a mistake on all of them.  Yes, I redid them all. Leaving me with 14 laminated ones that people picked up and purchased in the gift shop for $1 back in May. This week I had a elderly lady come for tea, this is what happened.

Elderly lady, “You know this isn’t my first time here.”

Me, “It isn’t, well then a welcome back is in order.”

Elderly lady, “I came before and others got this here place mat.”

Me, “Yes, I had a bunch in the gift shop.

Elderly lady, “Do you know I’m 82?”

Me, “No, you sure don’t look it.”

Elderly lady, “Well there is a point to this. I’m 82 and your scones are the best I’ve ever had and I wanted one of those place mats so I could get the recipe off it, and they were all gone.”

She went home with a place mat.

4. Giant Cinnamon buns. Matthew is in the kitchen again. I came home and found 4 giant cinnamon buns across the counter. They were good but it took 6 people to eat one.

5. A thinking spot. When life throws a curve ball at you and you need to regroup it is nice to have a thinking spot.

Truly I have a lot to be grateful for this week.  We come together each week,  with Susanne  at Living To Tell The Story.

Sharing life’s moments, supporting one another, most importantly remembering to be thankful for life’s little moments be them large or small.

Thank you for stopping by, I enjoy reading your comments each and every one.

xo,

cindy