Happy Fall, Y'all!

Has it really been ten months since I've posted? I guess a lot of things have kept me distracted. But I discovered a GREAT color palette from At Home . I'm not a fan of orange and yellow fall colors in my house, and these blues and creams and browns are really hitting the mark for me!

 

 

And yes, I even bought a pumpkin wagon.

There's also this SUPER FUN pattern called "Cozy Cottage." It's part of their Christmas collection. It's great crockery, and hand painted. It reminds me a little bit of Vietri. But I love it and will definitely be setting many tables with it. Great Brunch dishes! Gotta love At Home. They have so many amazing seasonal decor items as well as every day.

 

 

 

 

Tea in December Pt. 3: Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride

 Today I tried Celestial Seasonings "Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride." I really enjoyed this tea. It is very light. Not full or robust, but subtle. It will go well with any treats you want to eat with it, because of the delicate taste.

 

The primary ingredient is Milk Thistle, which I'm not sure what that is, but I detected a whisper of orange and definitely some vanilla. I can see why this tea claims to have the aroma of "sugar cookies right from the oven." It is a tea that will complement whatever you want to put with it, or, just enjoy it by itself. I steeped for 3 minutes and added one packet of Truvia. Delightful!

 

Tea in December Pt. 2: Gingerbread Spice

Ahhhh, gingerbread. I love it warm, right from the oven. I was a little skeptical that a tea might be able to capture the true essence of gingerbread, but this one really does it. "Gingerbread Spice" by Celestial Seasonings. I double bagged with 12 oz. of boiling water. This is a tea you don't want to steep too long, or you'll have a bitter aftertaste. I steeped for three minutes exactly, and added two packets of Truvia and two creamers, and WOW.

It's smooth going down, and you feel a little warmth at the back of your throat from the ginger. This is a great tea with sweets (in this case Christmas Stollen), or for dunking your gingerbread in! Has notes of ginger (of course) with cinnamon and a hint of chocolate. Definitely sipping this again next to a warm fire with a good book!

Tea in December Pt 1: Cranberry Vanilla Wonderland

 I love tea. LOVE it. And there's always so many fun flavors around the Holidays. So, I'm going to post about them this month.

 

Today it's Celestial Seasonings Cranberry Vanilla Wonderland. I steeped it for about 4 minutes. I also added a packet of Truvia, because I like my tea sweet. It has a tart yet smooth flavor, reminiscent of cranberries for sure, and it's almost like a cider. The tart is in the aftertaste. It was very yummy. And invigorating. Definitely a good choice for a cold winter night. Or morning. ;-)

Vietri Old St. Nick Love

 It's that time of year...time to break out the Vietri Old St. Nick. I love these dishes. Like, I really, really LOVE them.

They are so fun, and so festive. 

I usually just keep them in the cupboard and use them for dinners, but this year, I'm using them as decor too. Why not?

The Biscotti Jar has to be my favorite.

It might be a little silly, but I want it out in the open. It's just too fun and cute. I don't have little kids at home any more, so I don't have to worry about OOPSes. ;-)

Breakfast with KBJ

I don't know what it is about Keith Brymer Jones crockery--maybe it's because it's so simple, and everything has a name so you know what's in it/what it does? But he can be a snarky one, too. Some of his typeset isn't exactly kid friendly. But I love the simplicity and cleanness of the range:

Isn't it fun? Why NOT label everything? And if you can be naughty or snarky or humorous about it, why not? Life is too short to be so serious. I've realized that a lot, recently. 

I got most of these pieces before things shut down, shipping wise. But I recommend you go on the website. You can see for yourself how fun this can be! (I had to hold myself back from getting the "Rockstar" cup. Because...you know... ;-)

Crazy for Daisies

I love Daisies. As in, I LOVE them. They are so pretty and springy and just make me happy. The image above is my current desktop background. I even had a custom cover made for my Surface Pro, and found the same for my airpods:

The only thing that makes me sad, is the shortage of DAISY Patterns in china dishes! My absolute favorite is this daisy pattern from Gracie China:

 I wish there were more pieces with this pattern. It's definitely my "cup of tea."

 And there's this lovely Gisela Graham pattern, (U.K.) but can't get it here in the U.S.:

And there's always Poppytrail by Metlox:

Photo from Replacements Ltd.

Photo from Replacements Ltd.

Photo from Replacements Ltd.

It's cute, but it's sort of "vintage" and very "1970's" to me. I love more delicate china, and Shelley Blue Daisy Chintz never disappoints. But it's very hard to find.

And this gem from KH Pottery:

But that's about all I've found. And I am REALLY handy with the internet searches. Surprised there isn't more love for Daisies. But every spring I get Daisy Fever and maybe one day, I'll find the perfect china pattern.

Back Porch Breakfast with Burleigh

I love summer. Lazy mornings, late nights, sun-soaked days, cool pools, and my favorite part of summer? Morning. As in Breakfast. Outside. On the porch. Hallelujah.

I've started "Lazy Keto" for summer. Instead of restricting myself to 20 grams of carb or less, I'm doing 100. Still healthy, just more flexible. Which means I can have my Cafix/Kafree with half and half and Cheerios with fruit in the morning. Yay!

We went a little nuts at AT HOME and did some fun porch decor. Now we have a little oasis and it's so fun. Peaceful, private, everything we want. And a great place for morning breakfast. And I love my Burleigh Mulberry Felicity. It's so Country, but so versatile:

Sun's coming up! Guess I'd better eat before it gets cold. ;-) 

**SIGH** Perfect Bliss.

Back to Basic Basics...

After a week off of Keto, I am back. I truly have a love/hate relationship with the Keto Diet. Do I love carbs? Heck yes. Fresh baked breads, Pizza, Pasta, Desserts, yes please. But my body doesn't like how it feels when I eat them. In this case, I took a week off and ate them, with a capital ATE. In abundance. And I feel awful. Lethargic, tired, puffy, you name it. Inflammation is not my friend. When I'm in Ketosis, I have zero inflammation, as long as I keep the processed meats down to a minimum. My brain works better. I wake up in the morning refreshed and energetic. The difference is amazing. I don't recommend it for a permament lifestyle change, but for losing the weight you want, it's the answer for me. And believe me, I've tried EVERYTHING. Keto is the only one that works.

This is the most basic Keto breakfast of all. And I scrambled those eggs with Kerrygold. Back to high fat, low carb! In about three days, I'll be back to my keto-ing self. I just hope I can survive the Carb Withdrawal. Never the fun part. :-( Live and Learn.

 

City to Cottage Breakfast

"City to Cottage" is a brand I ordered from London, and I have to say, it's very cottage-y. It comes in a lot of colors, but my favorite is sky blue. Look at them polka dots!

They are very relaxing and soothing for morning time. Especially in a sunny corner of the house!
You can find all the colors and patterns here. They really are a fun addition to any home! 

Photo from City to Cottage.UK

Photo from City to Cottage.UK

A Little Blue Romance...

...to start my day! This pattern is "Blue Romance" by Delton. Not really heard of Delton, before. One thing to know about me, I don't care about "brands" or "labels" when it comes to my dishes. I like it, I buy it. Whether expensive or not. This was definitely not expensive, but it was so pretty I HAD to have it. ;-)

I just wish there was a sugar and creamer set to round it out!

It does look nice on a table. The floral and stripes and colors really are striking. I'd include a link to Delton but they are wholesalers, and you can't buy individual pieces. Oh well. You can find tons of pretty Delton patterns on Amazon. 

Definitely a great way to start the day! :-)