The Traveling Teacup

Oh, how I have looked forward to this new friend's visit!

Welcome Tessa Rose, a lovely teacup

 that has been a very busy traveler!

This pretty teacup belongs to our sweet host

Barbara from the blog Mantle and Table.

If you've never visited her blog

 you are truly missing out.

It is filled with so much beauty!

I am sincerely honored that her lovely teacup visited me.

♥

Tessa Rose is a "morphed" name given to this pretty teacup.

She's been Tessa, and Rosie - so I put the two together.

She has arrived from a wonderful visit with Julie 

at the blog My Wee Abode. 

Because of her travels TR was a wee bit tired,

 so she politely asked that we simply share a

 pleasant cool respite...

away from crowds and worries-

to just have a quiet and peaceful visit.

So we spent some time in my shady "Zen Room,"

(my DIY backyard-facing covered patio.)

It is my very own special oasis for tea time,

reading, praying and bird watching.

And I LOVE when friends visit here with me!

Even in the unbearable summer heat

I do enjoy my tea hot at tea time. 

Truth be told it wasn't even necessary 

to use my pretty tea cozy though!

(It just wanted to be part of the action.)

Tessa Rose kept me in good company as our tea was steeping 

and I picked some pink hydrangeas from the garden for us.

What a blessing they bloomed just in time for her visit.

She said floral teacups feel right at home near gardens, 

and sitting upon antique white wicker

 feels "just right," to her, too.

I only left a few blooms on the branches.

Next is to fill a vase of daisies!

Prior to Tessa's visit I picked some zukes

 from our vegetable garden and baked some

zucchini bread for our teatime visit.

I have baked a LOT of zucchini bread

 in the last two weeks.

Our garden is yielding 4-5 large zukes

 every other day.

I think I will be baking much more!

(I put my own zucchini bread recipe at end of this post.)

Try it and let me know if you think it is the best, too!

After our teatime and garden visit

she asked to go inside and hear me play piano for her.

I told her my piano was made the same year I was born.

I guess that makes us both very old classics. 

She told me that her owner Barbara

plays and sings quite beautifully. ♫ 

Tessa had a request for me to play "Tea for Two."

As she was my guest, I had to oblige her.

♫ ♪ ♫

We both giggled when I played her "Chopsticks"

on my grand daughter's wee toy piano.

We both agreed it was painfully out of tune!

The day Tessa Rose was here I received some happy mail

from a dear tea society sister-friend from the South;

a beautiful and thoughtfully hand-made card with flowers.

That sweet visiting teacup approved whole-heartedly!

(As did I!)

Isn't getting happy mail so meaningful and special

 during these difficult and lonely times?

As we were on the subject of flowers,

TR mentioned she really admired my most recent painting,

the one with all the colorful flowers.

I told her that I appreciated her flattery,

but I am only a beginner painter and still just learning.

If you have an iPhone and don't have the WATERLOGUE app

you are really missing out.

Look what IT can do:

I showed Tessa Rose my cute little light purple

antique bottle from the Grand Union Tea Company.

It's the perfect size for a single cut Hydrangea bloom.

And the perfect bottle for a teacup to sit near.

I haven't figured out what may have originally been

in the bottle though - possibly a tea elixir of sorts?

Here is a little history about Grand Union.

(credit: Old Main Artifacts)

So as our wonderful day together was coming to an end

we went out back one last time

 to water the hydrangea and daisies-

 so they continue to bless us with beautiful blooms

 a little while longer!

Tessa liked the deep shadow she made

 towards the end of the day

just before the sun went down.

We were relieved once the day ended,

 as it finally cooled off a bit.

I adore you, sweet and beautiful little teacup.

Thank you so much for your visit.

I hope your next trip

 to visit Linda in Gladstone, Oregon

 is a safe one!

Don't forget to visit our host Mantle and Table

to read about all the other visits of this little teacup!

Her blog is chalk full of beauty:

tablescapes, floral arrangements,

tea-scapes, and even has a shop of beautiful items.

♥

Michele's Zucchini Bread

(Makes two large loaves)

3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. clove

3 eggs (room temp performs better)

1 cup vegetable oil

2 1/4 cups sugar

3 tsp. vanilla

1 cup chopped walnuts

4 cups grated zucchini

1.) Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl with a whisk or sifter, set aside.

2.) Grate one clean medium zucchini, skins ON

 to get approx 4 cups of shredded zucchini.

3.) Place on sieve / colander with a fine screen over a bowl

 so it can drip/ drain while you do the next steps.

4.) Prepare your pans - two loaf pans or one loaf pan and

mini loaves or muffins. 

I use Pam spray but oil/butter and a sprinkling of flour

will work just as well.

5.) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

6.) Mix eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla in a mixer on medium till well incorporated. 

7.) Now mash your zuke gratings into the sieve (or squeeze by handfuls)

till you get most of the water out. Set aside.

8.) Now SLOWLY on lowest speed of mixer - or by hand - add the

flour dry ingredients little by little and gently moisten. Do NOT

over mix!

Once you have it all mixed, hand fold the zucchini and the nuts in.

Mix gently but well. Spoon half mixture into one loaf pan, then the other.

Bake loaves on middle rack - approx. 45-60 mins depending on your oven.

I have found muffins and mini loaves to bake much faster -

so check around 30 minutes.

Done when a toothpick comes out clean.

Thank you for coming to visit, too!

Hugs,

Michele

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