Thursday Breakfast Tea~

Dear Friends,

Thanks to our sweet friend Emily at A Beautiful Life for sponsoring another Thursday Tea Time! We certainly would not have taken the time and effort to get out our best china and eat in the parlor, if not for you, dear!


This morning we had some lovely zucchini pancakes with our tea, with homemade hawthorn berry syrup and banana/lavender custard for dessert.


The tea was a blend of lavender blossoms and goldenrod from our garden,


and all was sweetened with a product called "More Fiber Stevia Baking Blend", which we used because it is diabetic friendly, and won't raise AnnaMarie's blood sugar. Normally we use regular powdered stevia, but its green color is not quite so appealing on the tea table!

Audrey brought along her "Princess Guide" book, to make sure everything was done properly.

What's this? Was Tasha caught in a tea-time transgression?

We had a very special guest with us in the parlor today: a little caterpillar who turned into a jewel last night while we were sleeping~

We hope that he or she has time to turn into a butterfly before the weather is too cold to fly south. This was the first Monarch caterpillar we'd found all summer, so we were very excited about it.

Thank you for joining us today for our Breakfast Tea; may you enjoy the simple pleasures that the day holds for you.

Love,

Marqueta

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A Day Of Tea

I like a nice cup of tea in the morning,
For the start of the day you see,
And at half past eleven,
For my idea of heaven,
Is a nice cup of tea.

I like a nice cup of tea with my dinner,
And a nice cup of tea with my tea.

And when it's time for bed,
There's a lot to be said,
For a nice cup of tea!

~anonymous

It's Hawthorn-berrying Time!

Dear Friends,

It was so very kind of you to drop by today~we are grateful for every visitor we receive at Merry Hearts Cottage, and for your kind and encouraging comments!

We've been busily gathering Hawthorn berries lately, to use as food and medicine. Wolverine Canyon is loaded with berries this year (if you know where to look).





Although the haw (the name of the berry) is not very sweet, or very juicy, and has hard little seeds inside, it is very good made into a syrup or jam for eating.



Medicinally, hawthorn berries are a famous heart tonic, helping to strengthen that very important organ, which gets strained so much by the stresses of modern life. They lower blood pressure, and help dissolve cholesterol and calcium deposits. Since they lower blood pressure, obviously you wouldn't want to take them for this medical condition! The berries and leaves are also used as a nervine, helping to restore a feeling of well-being after the stresses of the day, and to prevent insomnia (Remember, of course, I'm just an herbwife giving friendly information :) ). Quoting from the lovely book "Backyard Medicine", "Taking hawthorn calms the spirit, and gives good results in menopausal mood swings, restlessness, and anxiety; it will quieten overactive children who have ADHD."

Just lying under a Hawthorn tree seems to have a calming effect!

We are so grateful to our Heavenly Father for providing these wonderful foods and medicine, growing wild and free, all around us. It is such a blessing to see how many provisions have been made for every ill that besets us.

Using Hawthorn berries may make Merry Hearts Cottage an even merrier place!

May your heart be made merry today, as well.

Love,

Marqueta

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"The Hawthorn Tree"

by Nathan Haskell Dole

At the edge of the hedge is a hawthorn tree,
And its blossoms are sweet as sweet can be,
And the bees are humming there all the day,
And these are the words I hear them say:-
Sweet, sweet is the Hawthorn Tree!

Thursday Tea Time

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for coming by today~You're just in time for tea!


We decided to set out two tables today, so there will be plenty of room if you want to bring a doll or two :)~
While we bigger folks will sit at the bigger table here~


The Japanese Knotweed is in bloom, and makes a lovely centerpiece~

Add some pretty cups and saucers, a few healthful refreshments (Except maybe for the pickles), a lemon slice~



And we're all ready to enjoy a few moments of each others' company! Oh yes, don't forget the tea: today's tea is a blend of sage leaves and linden blossoms, very yummy and nourishing.



(Should you be in the mood for something a little more filling than carrots, popcorn, and pickles, we'll be serving up garden-fresh ratatouille in a few minutes here :) )

Thank you to Emily of A Beautiful Life for motivating us to have our party today~we hope you all enjoyed it as much we did it. May you have a blessed day, dear friends, till next time.

Love,

Marqueta

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Friend

My fields are not too rich in grain,
My orchard trees are lean and few;
But, friend of mine, come once again,
Ever their yield belongs to you!

The rooms within my house are small,
Their furnishings are not the best;
But, friend of mine, my home and all
It holds is yours--come you and rest!

~Sydney B. Cooksley

The Doll's Fair~Happy Labor Day!

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for coming by Merry Hearts Cottage today! We hope you enjoyed a lovely weekend.

We returned yesterday from a little trip to Utah, where we attended the 40th anniversary celebration of Grandma and Grandpa Graham. It was a lovely family reunion, and we were thankful to have been able to see everyone there.

This morning, the backyard was busily transformed into a fairground, in preparation for the annual Doll's Fair. Although we must confess that it may not have been as fancy as Tasha Tudor's, it was definitely creative!

Benjamin Franklin did quite well as the ticket man.

One of the main attractions was a siamese tiger!

There were horse races~

A dog show~

A vegetable display~

Many exhilarating rides~

And giant chickens? ?

There were also wholesome refreshments for all~

And many hand-crafted items for sale.

In short, it was a day to remember, and much nicer than the fair going on down the road, with all the crowds and loud noises!

May all of you be held in the hollow of the Lord's hand throughout the upcoming week.

Love,

Marqueta

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These Simple Things

These things I delight: The shape of a tree,
A wide-open gate for much company,
A hackberry fire, snow in the air,
Books at my hand, and a deep, soft chair.
I am fond of bird music and innocent fun,
The prayer of the earth when a shower is done,
The laugh of a child and the rhythm of tear,
The sigh of a bud when the blossom appears.
I love the sharp fragrance of a balsam and pine,
The scent of warm bread, and the wild grapevine.
The breath of new snow, spring water that flows
Are high in perfumes with the scent of the rose.
I've a zest for the eating of honeybee meal,
The tang of the cress with crab apple peel,
For the flesh of red haw and sassafras rind
To quicken the palate and kindle the mind.
I delight in rough towels and take special pride
In sheets that are hung in the dew and sun-dried.
I love a flat pillow, wind in my hair,
And a quilt that is woven with silence and prayer.

~Jennie Harris Oliver

Sunshine and Shadows

Dear Friends,

We had a wonderful weekend celebrating Mr. Graham's birthday with his family, and going to his "A Little Princess" play at the local theatre. We are always left feeling a little sad whenever company goes; like after all the presents have been opened on Christmas! We spent the rest of the day trying to get back to "normal" and getting our homeschool routine down.

Yesterday was the first anniversary of our little Victoria's birth and death. She lived only two hours, but will forever be in our hearts. We wanted to go to a local lake to have a picnic in her honor, but our van wouldn't start, so we consoled ourselves by having a birthday tea with the Tall Dolls. The tea party was quite a lovely affair, even including cake and ice cream! Our doll Victoria, of course, blew out the candle, and we sang to her in leiu of the real Victoria.




Later the dolls played tag outside, but paused long enough to have their portraits taken with their mothers by the biggest sunflower we have.






Our orphaned kittens, Liberty and Justice, have been growing like weeds, and will be nine weeks old tomorrow.

According to the cat thermometer, it's hot on the couch!

Look at those beautiful blue eyes!

Of course, Frankie, yours are beautiful, too!

We feel thoroughly blessed to have passed through the learning experiences that the Lord has seen fit to give us. We now know what it is to lay a child to her eternal rest, and we know that although we always will miss that child, there is a spirit of peace and comfort that accompanies our greatest losses. There is no need to fear, for the Savior is near. We only pray that we will be worthy to someday be with all of our loved ones again in heaven, and never have to part.

May the Lord bless you and yours today. Please take some time to let your loved ones know how much you truly love them, for life is a fleeting and fragile thing.

Love,

Marqueta

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“Live life so completely that when death comes to you like a thief in the night, there will be nothing left for him to steal.” ~Anonymous