Stitches for Tea

This week's theme for LaTeaDah's Gracious Hospital-i-Tea blog-a-thon is to share ideas and pictures that involve stitching for the tea table. I enjoy all kinds of needlework, but particularly crocheting doilies. I get the impression that decorating with doilies might not be "in" right now, because I don't see very many patterns available for them these days. That's okay. I have plenty of patterns and I don't worry about keeping up with trends. I just like what I like!

My doilies aren't particularly tea-themed but I do have my tea things sitting on them, so that should count, right? (LaTeaDah has a picture of the cutest tea-pot doily on her blog! If I could find a pattern, or even had a doily to copy, I very well might try my hand at something like that!) I don't have a lot of tea things, like many who are participating in the blog-a-thon, so I hope you don't get tired of seeing the same things each week. (Just to break the monotony, I have something new old different to show you next week. Hint: Next week's post will be in cooperation with my mother!)

I use my large pineapple doily draped over the mantle where I have my violet tea set.

Here's another smaller doily I made under my little pear demitasse cup and saucer. (Technically for espresso, not tea, but close enough!)
Lastly, here's a napkin with a crocheted edging. I entered a table-setting in the fair a couple of years ago, and one of the requirements was that the table-setting include hand-made items. The theme was "Blue Ribbon Good Times" so I decided to go for a "farm" dinner look. I bought the blue-checked tablecloth and napkins and crocheted a lace edging on them and then put my big pineapple doily in the middle. I used a sunflower centerpiece with my stoneware dishes and blue ribbon accents. I ended up winning a red ribbon, which spoiled the effect completely! LOL! But I actually like my red ribbon because it goes with my kitchen... and it's one of those great big rosette ribbons. I failed to get a picture of the table at the fair... but here is one of the napkins, just to show you the edging. (If you'd like to read more about the fair entry, I blogged about it here.)

Cheesy Broccoli Quiche

Saturday Stirrings is a blog meme that my friend Farrah has participated in for several weeks. It is hosted by FiddleDeeDee at It Coulda' Been Worse, which is one of my favorite blogs to read. I have been wanting to join in, too, but just needed a chance to catch my breath a bit from moving.

This is a quiche recipe that I tried last weekend. I found the original recipe at Simply Recipes, but I am posting the recipe with my modifications. My family loved it, so I'm sure I'll be making it again.

Crustless Cheesy Broccoli Quiche

1/2 stick of butter (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cups milk
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard
5 eggs
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup frozen broccoli

1/4 cup chopped green onions (I didn't have, but we would like them, so I'll put them on next time.)
1/4 cup real bacon bits
6 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Stir in flour; cook, stirring until bubbly. Gradually add the milk; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens. Remove from the heat; set aside to cool, about 15-20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine cottage cheese, baking powder, salt and mustard; set aside.

Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Slowly add the cream cheese, the cottage cheese mixture and the milk/flour sauce. Fold in the cheddar and Parmesan cheeses.

Butter casserole dish. Put broccoli in bottom. Pour in egg mixture. Sprinkle the top with chopped green onions and crumbled bacon. Arrange tomato halves, cut side up, around the top. Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes, until puffy and lightly browned. A knife inserted into the center of the quiche should come out clean. Let rest for 15 minutes, serve.

Makes 8 servings.

My Missionary Vase

Isn't this a pretty vase? Or is it rightly called an urn, since it has the arms on it? I'm not really sure... but it's the perfect size for long-stemmed roses, so that's what I use it for when my husband brings me a wrapped bouquet.

In 1996 I was awarded District Missionary President of the Year for the Kansas District of the Church of the Nazarene. I hadn't even known there was a such an award, so I was completely blown away when they called my name. My pastor had nominated me. Apparently the award is usually something beautiful from one of the mission fields, and this brass vase comes from India.

What is unique about it is that when I first got it, it was all one color, the gold. Over the years the background part has darkened, while the etched part remained gold. I have often wondered why.

And that's my Show & Tell for this Friday! Visit Kelli's House to tour more Show & Tells.

Thursday Thirteen - Edition #21 - "I"

Continuing with my alphabet theme, here are 13 things in my life that start with the letter I:

1. Ice cream. Homemade vanilla with fresh strawberries... mmmm...
   
2. Idaho. My favorite state. Good thing, huh?
3. Independence. I'm grateful for the freedoms we enjoy in America!
   
4. Illinois. I lived there for a few months when I was a baby. I have no recollection of it at all, but I have visited there several times since!
   
5. Indiana. Where I met my husband, at Bible college.
   
6. Individual. I am amazed at how each person God has ever created is one-of-a-kind!
   
7. Inspiration. Naturally God's Word inspires me, but I have been blessed at the inspiration I find in other Christians' blogs. Thanks for sharing!
   
8. Interests. I have more than I can keep up with. Life is just interesting!
   
9. Internet. I have always enjoyed libraries and researching, and I'm old enough to appreciate what a convenience it is to have so much information at our fingertips!
10. Interstate. A quick way to get from here to there, but not nearly as much fun as the back-roads. (There is no north-south interstate in Idaho. The quickest way to get to Boise from here is actually to take the interstate west into Washington and then curve back around southeast through Oregon to get back to Idaho! Weird, huh?)
    
11. Iowa. Where my parents were married.
    
12. Island. My husband's name, Lyle, means "of the island"... "L'isle"! Just a fun little bit of trivia.
    
13. Ivy. I have a philodendron plant that I bought with a dollar my Grandmother sent me for my 6th birthday. It is 30-something years old, and still thriving. Isn't that neat?
    

Another Tag Game

Let's see...rules first.

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

What I was doing 10 years ago: Getting ready to move from Kansas to Idaho. Selling our house, and packing. Who knew it would be nearly 10 years before we would buy another house?
I was also mothering preschoolers. My children were 5 and 2. How could 10 years possibly go by so quickly?

Five things on my to-do list today:

• school work with my kids
• unpack some boxes
• work for 4 or 5 hours
• teach homeschool biology lab at 6:00
  
• host a Bible study at 7:00
  

Snacks that I enjoy:

• popcorn
• crackers and cheese
  
• cold cornbread
• boiled peanuts
  

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

• help the missionaries
• share with my family and friends
• buy a place out in the country, with a porch and a fireplace!
  
• travel, lots of travel!
  

Three of my bad habits:

• checking my email compulsively
  
• going barefoot (broke my little toe once because I didn't have shoes on!)
• reading a book when I should be sleeping (late at night)
  

Five places I have lived:

• Robert, Louisiana
• Mulberry, Arkansas
• Lima, Ohio
• West Plains, Missouri
• Eldorado, Kansas
  

Five jobs that I have had:

• nurse's aide (for 3 months only where I quickly learned I was not nurse material!)
• bank teller
• children's librarian assistant (I loved that job!)
  
• homeschool advisor (currently)
• wife and mother (offers the very best benefits!)
  

Five people I want to know more about (A nice way to say TAG!)....

• Denise at Denise's Blog
  
• Farrah at Light in the Sphere
  
• Laura at Glimpses of Our World
  
• Martha at The Going Blog
• Rachel at A Romantic Porch