Tea cosies

This post was inspired by 'Little Jenny Wren' at http://littlejennywren.blogspot.com showing some of her favourite tea cosies.
Although I love pretty cups & saucers, I prefer plain white teapots covered in colourful cosies. I guess it's nostalgia from my childhood, coupled with the need to keep the tea 'hot' here in the mountains, where the climate is a tad cooler. Some have been purchased at fetes, some op shops, some at markets, one a designer 'teashop' and one handed down in the family.

The Wedding, the cake & mosiac lesson

Mosiac Lesson
Begin by choosing photos in sets of threes, starting with the ones you want on the bottom row.
When uploading, Under layout option choose 'none' (This allows you to move them around as they will load one on top of the other in a column and you want to click on each one and drag them into a row - you choose whether you want spaces or not.) and 'small' under size.
I work in 'compose' as this is simpler for me and check how it is going with preview. I usually find the photos are still too big, so I click on each, one at a time, and drag the corner marker to make them smaller.
Finally I publish and choose 'open in a new window' so that I can check the final result and edit if necessary. If the photos aren't small enough I find they wont sit three in a row, but send the third one down to the next line, which spoils the effect.
BTW I cooked the 3 cakes, but my husband ended up doing most of the icing, including the intricate measuring of the patern, as I was not well and also needed his mathematical skill and precision and patience. I went to bed to recover for the wedding day. I managed the day but am still not well- lots of coughing, which started yesterday.
Well I just had a go at publishing a didn't get three in a row so I need to shrink them or try two in a row. Finally it worked!!

Crockpot Recipes and Photo Mosiacs

Whats in the crockpot right now? My Favourite Chicken and vege soup.
Brown 2 or more chicken thighs in a frypan.
Chop up with chicken shears (the kind of scissors that pull apart and can be cleaned throughly) or use a knife, or cook pre cut
Put chicken in crockpot, Crock pot on low setting
Brown Pumpkin pieces, (1/4 0f a jap pumpkin), add to pot
Brown some onion and garlic, add to pot
Add whatever other veges you have on hand - carrot, swede, potato, sweet potato etc
(OR if in a hurry in the morning add 1kg pack of frozen white wings chunky cut casserole veges)
ADD 1-2 litres of chicken or vege stock or 3-4 teasp powdered stock and 1-2 litres of water, just cover food
You can also add herbs of choice fresh or dried - I use dried Italian mix. Simmer all day on LOW, use HIGH only if you need soup in 3 - 4 hours time

SORRY NO PICS this time, icing cake, packing for a quick getaway, but hope to post soon after the holy season, with photos of wedding cake too!

OK photo mosiac lesson next time!

Hello

Just a few of my favourite things... and a quick hello... as I have posted in quite a while! Been busy working fulltime for a while with long days, often away from home for 12 hours, (so thankful for my crockpot/slow cooker) looking forward to the school holidays and catching up with friends and a less hectic schedule of 3 days work for the rest of the year!

I'm a Great Aunty!

I'm a Great Aunty - My neice had a baby boy, my mum is a Great Gran now.
Sorry I have been busy and missing from blogland, a few visits, but not much posting. We've been busy rearranging the study and I've started back to fulltime work for a few weeks. Next term it will settle down to 3 days a week. Thanks for all the comments re-header. I've decided to stay with the cups and saucers for a while.

A New Header, the one above is new too!

What to choose, what to choose? I can do a header now, I figured it out!
You click on customize up the top, then you click on 'edit' in the title (header) box and you can add a description into the box and upload a picture or photo, by browse(ing) in your computer or web address URL. Save it and view blog, see if you like it. If not just do it again. You can also change colour and size type of font by clicking on the fonts & colours tab after customise. Why not have a go if you haven't already.





What do you think? Let me know your choice in the comments
Some do not quite come out and I don't know how to change colour of writing. Huh I figured that out too - use the fonts and colours tab after the first one.

Afternoon Tea anyone?

Hello! So great to see you today! Come on in and borrow one of my vintage hats.



Choose a cup and saucer from the cupboard while I make the tea and pop a cosy on!


Now lets have a cupcake or two with our tea! and chat about all sorts of things.


Lastly we'll say a quiet prayer for those Aussies who have been suffered so much in the floods in Queensland and the fires in Victoria.
We'll think about what we can contribute to help by donating to the Red Cross in Australia at www.redcross.org.au OR 1800 811 700 (for Aussies 0nly), or in a practical way via the blogs of beautiful people like Kirstie at http://adelinecountrycottage.blogspot.com/ and/or Monica who is putting together comfort packs for children at http://beyondpinkandblue.blogspot.com/
for more info please visit Kathryn at http://ourshabbycottage.blogspot.com/ or Kylie at http://abiteofcountrycupcakes.blogspot.com/
Love and Prayers