Mother and Royal Tea

I wanted to write a mothers day post, and then time got away from me.  So this is sort of a Mother's day post, or at least a post involving my mom.  That counts, right?

My mother and I don't agree on things. Not all things, obviously. Just the important things, such as whether or not pineapple belongs on pizza or if pears are really just a bland wet fruit rolled in sand. The fruit paired with meat argument has been going on for at least twenty years, and I don't see an end in sight.

However, there are some things that we do agree one.  One of those things is the Kate Pearl Tea Room. We can agree that we enjoyed our Royal Tea to a high degree. (Okay, that rhymed in my head and I couldn't quit giggling as I typed it.)  My mother and I met up with GAT and her mother for tea and socializing.  I absolutely loved that we were encouraged to dress for the part.  It isn't too often that I can play adult dress up, and seeing ladies in dresses and hats certainly sets the atmosphere.

Kate Pearl Tea Room is not my first foray into tea rooms.  I have been to several and the results have always varied.  The Royal Tea boasts of Appetizer, Scones with Clotted Cream and Spreads, Soup, Salad, Fluted Fruit Beverage, Tea Sandwich, Savories, Assorted Sweets and Sorbet on the website, and in person there is no way that a person could even be close to hungry by the end of tea.  The unlimited tea, excellent company, good eats and wonderful atmosphere has the Royal Tea on the list of things that I would want to do again.

The gift shop was stocked with a wide variety of tea, and several that made their way home with me.  I love the look of tea in jars. I reminds me of an apothecary and that tea heals the soul. In addition to Tea, they had a variety of tea companions, such as spoons, books, and stationary.  All things that I need when relaxing with a cup of tea.  If you every get the opportunity, I would highly recommend to check out Kate Pearl Tea Room.

Letter Extras

 It is the end of April, and this is a post I wanted to write at the beginning.  April is National Letter Writing Month. Obviously in National Letter Writing month, you are to write letters.  The is a 30 letters in 30 day challenge that helps celebrate and bring awareness to the event. 

I think that it is a nice surprise to send something a little bit extra in a card every now and then.  It is fun little gift that lets the receiver know you were thinking of them.  Below are 10 items that fit nicely into cards that can brighten someone’s day. 

Letter Extra’s

1. Print Pictures
2. Stickers
3. Flower Seeds
4. Patches
5. Tea
6. House Ghost
7. Lotto /Scratch Cards
8. Face Masks
9. Temporary Tattoos 
10. Bookmarks

The key to picking something that is as a letter extra is if it is thin and flexible.  If it fits that criteria, the possibilities are endless.   What is the most unique you have ever received in a letter?

Tastes Like Poor Decisions

Have you ever done something that sounds like a good idea, but in reality, it is nothing but regret.   I have made such a decision, when I decided to partake in the Soda Challenge.

What is the soda challenge?

The soda challenge was contrived by GAT and myself as a form of torture to my beloved nephew and nieces. The idea behind it is simple.  We gather weird flavored/named sodas and make the kids try them.  It seemed like an easy plan. Children love soda's.  Children are honest.  Children would give the honest opinion on the soda.  As I said, it was a simple plan. 

I just didn't count on having to taste the sodas with them.

Here is a run down on the the sodas and what they taste like.

 

 

Here is a run down of what we tried and my thoughts.  The kids had mixed reactions.

• San Fransisco Fog
• This soda truly made me feel old. I felt cranky when trying it, because it tastes like liquid cotton candy.  I was super sweet and made me want to brush my teeth immediately. 
• Unicorn Yack
• I am convinced that unicorn yack taste like someone took all the cream soda flavors and mixed them together.  So, yeah.  Yack is an accurate description. 
• Bacon
• If you are a person that likes the artificial bacon bits on your salad, then you might like this soda. It tastes exactly like that, except in liquid form and carbonated. If you don't like artificial bacon bits, then, you know that this is pretty disgusting soda. 
• 4. Cinnamon Red Hots
• Out of all the soda's this one isn't terrible.  This one does taste like Cinnamon Red Hots in liquid form. I think it would be better as a candle then a drink. 

The children may have disagreed with me on several of these assessments.  I think that the lesson here is that these taste like some poor decisions and family bonding.

My Favorite Haunting

As we all know, there are many different categories of hauntings.  There are the ones that make you question your sanity. The sort of movement that you see in your peripheral vision, that make you wonder if you really saw something. There are the moments where a door shuts suddenly with no one near it and everyone gives a small chuckle about "the wind".   There are other types of hauntings where you can't stop thinking about a moment in time. It lingers on your mind and keeps you from focusing.  The event replay over and over again, like a scratchy record of days gone by.  Some could say that a person is "haunted by a memory". 

I have recently encountered a new type of haunting.   And it is my favorite type of haunting to date.
I was gifted a house ghost.

 

 

I was a gifted a haunting of Loyal Rex (the fish).  He died from eating something bad.  (Not surprising for a fish!)  He resides in the floor boards in the kitchen, and you know he is there by his glowing orbs.   I feel like this is a haunting I can stand behind, or at least next to.  It seems like my cats would also enjoy this sort of haunting, since they frequently lounge in the kitchen.  This might be the best house ghost I have ever had!

If you are interested in your own haunting, or perhaps gifting a friend with a house ghost, check out Pam Wishbow on Etsy.  It is a delightful gift that is sure to make some one smile. It certainly made me smile. 

Horse Feathers

I can’t tell if I should consider myself educated or just well read.  My husband procured a copy of Horse Feathers & Other Curious Words by Charles Earl Funk for me in San Diego, and it is making me laugh. 

Without a doubt they were loose with the “Other Curious Words”, since I don’t think that “Auburn” is a curious word; however the illustrations with the word make me smile and are a little reminiscent of Phantom Toll Booth, which was one of my favorite wordplay books in my younger years.

There are a couple of words that did make me scratch my head. 

 I think the conversation I had with Faye about the definition of huggermugger is more interesting than the word itself. 

Here is the definition:

Here is the conversation

Another amusing word is sesquipedalian. My goal is to work this word into my vocabulary in a grandiose manner this week at work.  

Albeit, my husband has perverse example to which that word could be used in, and I will not repeat it, but it did make me laugh. If it isn’t a hoagie it’s a hero. 

If you stumble upon this book in your travel, give it a gander.  It has amused me and is now a treasured member of my library. 

Satellite Girl and Milk Cow

Satellite Girl and Milk Cow

I need someone to watch Satellite Girl and Milk Cow.  I have some ideas about the metaphors in the movie that I want to bounce off of someone other than my husband.  If you haven’t seen the movie, then you might want to stop reading now, because it is going to be a little confusing.

Here are a couple of the idea’s that I have about the characters and what they represent. 

1. People turn into animals that represent their greatest characteristic
2. Ko turns into a Milk Cow because he is cowardly about his feelings and his actions in life.  Milk Cows aren’t especially brave or adventurous and run away from danger, much like Ko.
3. Witch of the North turned into a Boar, because while she is a boring individual with crass and crude mannerisms. 
4. Merlin is a roll of toilet paper, because even wise men have to deal with shit. 
5. Osajang  (Hunter) steals peoples livers, because there is always someone that takes advantage of other people for their own gain, and often times that sort of thing impacts the victim like a removal of a vital organ.

I have a half baked idea about the Furnace, but not quite sure how I want to word it.  When I have it all worked out in my head, I’ll come back and update this post.  Until then, what do you think the Furnace represents?  Or do you think that I am just overthinking it?

Sweater of Shame

Sweater of Shame

I am sure that any cat parent can attest that it is hard to teach a cat the difference between right and wrong.  Part of the trouble in teaching a cat anything is that they are so darn cute. They use their cuteness as a weapon to get away with thing they know are wrong.  Both of my cats know that they are not to jump on the television stand. Iggins, the good cat never does it. This is part of the reason he is the good cat.  Dib on the other hand, is smart and crafty.  He will jump up because he knows it will give him the attention he craves.  Anyone that has ever met Dib, knows that he likes to be the center of attention.

It has been a years long battle with Dib on not jumping on the television stand.  We have tried multiple solutions given to us by the mighty internet.  Try spraying him with water.  Dib doesn’t care. He will just sit there and take it. In fact he might even like it.  Put double sided tap down.  It works, but it also looks like and arts and crafts project gone wrong when it has to cover every single surface.  If there is even an edge open, he will perch a paw on it.  Shouting loud noises and tossing pillow at him also doesn’t work.  He looks at it as a game.  Dib is a stubborn smart bad cat that has way too much charm. 

It is true that when you hit rock bottom, the only way you can go is up.  This is the same with cat. I thought I had hit rock bottom and it was going to be hopeless, but then inspiration struck.  The Sweater of Shame. 

Dib hates wearing clothing.  When he was a young adult we had dressed him for Halloween once and discovered he was not keen on clothing.  Thus the idea of Sweater of Shame came upon me.  So far, this is working.

He hates it. He looks cute in it, so I am not compelled to take it off right away, and hopefully slowly he learns his lesson.  If he doesn’t then he will be even cuter running around in sweaters and getting away with even more bad stuff because he would be too cute to be stopped.