Tea Party, AYM and a Recipe Share

Yesterday, it was one of my "A Year of Memories" group meetings, here. I decided to "set" high tea for us. After all, I'm only too happy to show off all the teas I bought in England. I know most people don't really "get" it, but there's just something about tea that makes me happy. It seems so refined---just relaxing over a "cuppa" with good friends, catching up on the latest news. I've had tea with my friends regularly over the years---and it's always been a ritual. In KY I had a friend that we'd get together every afternoon for tea. Here, it was every Tuesday morning with some and every Friday mornings with others, I miss that---haven't really done it regularly with my friends for years. 

Of course I start every day with a pot. Even that is exciting. "Which one shall I have today?" How about Twinnings Earl Grey, Lady Grey, or William and Catherine's blend? Or Prince Charles "High Grove" afternoon blend. I have quite a stash of Harrods, so that's always a good choice. Maybe I'll go with American made Harney and Sons "Sally's Surprise" full of pink rosebuds."

I should have been English---or more to the point---maybe I just want to be "royal." 

I set it up in the sunroom. When you are in here, you sort of feel like you are sitting outside. It was a gorgeous day in Nashville.

 You can't have a tea table without flowers. Luckily, the roses still look grand in the garden and inside too.

I love that I was able to use my vintage linens.

I even made "homemade" Clotted Cream. When we were in England, Butch asked me exactly what "clotted cream" was. It's pretty simple---heavy cream, a bit of sour cream and a little powdered sugar. Divine. Mindy wouldn't touch it with a 10 ft. pole. She says anything with "clotted" in the name sounds disgusting. This from the girl that loves sushi---go figure. Anyway, I made a batch and now have some in the fridge for the next week or so. 

Unfortunately, this sort of ruined the effect. I made 2 pots of tea, but I only have one regular tea cozy. I had to pull out the Christmas one. I can't believe I was all over England and never even thought about buying another tea cozy. Darn!

 On to the layouts. The topic this month was to scrapbook your hobbies or collections. Suzanne focused on her scrapbooking by taking close-ups of her scrapbook room. She has a great space that's well-organized.

Sally is one of the most creative people I know. She's a true artist and her house is adorned with her paintings. This is her first year to "dabble" with scrapbooking. Her title says it all.

Kim couldn't make it this month, but Mary Jo came. She's joining us next year. It's going to be a good year. As I wind up this year, I've asked them to think about which topic was their favorite. I have another group starting up at the scrapbook store---15 are signed up. Between all 4 groups, I now have 41 people participating. Who knew this would grow so "big." And all from my "Making the Most of My Memories" Workshop. I'll be offering that again after the first of the year---after my regular organization classes. I still teach that in KY every year. Here, due to space limitations, I had to offer it 3 times as only 10 can fit in the store's scrap area. I still really enjoy sharing my organizational tips.

Now on to the recipe. I made some Chicken Noodle Soup that was delish. And it was so easy. You know I'm all about quick and easy. Could be a good tailgate recipe for a cold game. I should have taken a picture---it was pretty too!

Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
32 oz. chicken stock (I use Swanson 99% fat free)
2 cans cream of chicken soup (I used the low fat for this too)
Whisk together in crockpot.

4 boneless chicken breasts
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
4 ribs of celery, sliced
salt and pepper
1 1/2 T. onion flakes
1 T. parsley
Add to pot.

Cook on low about 6 hours. You can't overcook it. Pull out the chicken and shred. Return to crockpot.

8 oz. extra wide egg noodles, cooked
Add to chicken mixture.

I made a pan of cornbread to go with it. Actually, I made beans and dumplings over the weekend and needed more cornbread for those leftovers, so decided to serve it with the noodle soup first.
Bon Appetit!
Later....