Category Archives: Garden/Tea Time

The Colors of Summer/A Garden Tour

Posted on August 11, 2022 by Marcia Ren

It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a home-grown tomato. -Lewis Grizzard Hello, sweet friend… I hope you are doing well… I have been working a little more in my garden… deadheading those things which have become overgrown and completed their cycle…. I’ve found myself outdoors much more… relaxing…. enjoying those simple pleasures of life… which of course always includes a cozy little garden… 🧑‍🍳What’s Cooking🧑‍🍳 It’s rewarding to walk outside and get vegetables from your own garden. I owe this luxury to Joe since he’s the one who planted everything! The zucchini has been abundant and … Read the full blog post →

Posted in Garden/Tea Time, Our Cottage, What’s Cooking? | 4 Comments

☕️ Join Me For an Afternoon Tea 👛

Posted on August 3, 2022 by Marcia Ren

When one says Tea Time we hear Me Time -Aura of Wellbeing Hello, sweet friend… I hope you are well… If you would like to host an afternoon tea…and yet not sure exactly where to begin… I hope today’s post inspires you… To host a tea experience of your own… Outdoors or in…small gathering or large…a simple tea or perhaps more extravagant… It’s all up to you…and whatever your little heart desires… Happy August… 👩‍🍳 What’s Cooking… I decided to prepare a few tea sandwiches myself along with a super easy recipe for chocolate covered strawberries. CUCUMBER SANDWICHES Ingredients 1 English … Read the full blog post →

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Summer…A Return To My Garden…🌻

Posted on June 22, 2022 by Marcia Ren

My goal is to make the world more beautiful one plant at a time… Read the full blog post →

Posted in Coastal Living, Garden/Tea Time, What’s Cooking? | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

A No-Bake Summer Dessert

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Marcia Ren

“A party without a CAKE is just a meeting.” – Julia Childs Hello, sweet friend… June has arrived! warmer weather… gardens in bloom… and visions of all things summer are dancing in my head… a perfect time to feast on this delicious summer delight. 👩‍🍳 What’s Cooking… A Berry Trifle Ingredients Lemon Glaze ¼ cup sugar ¼ cup lemon juice ¼ cup water ¼ teaspoon almond extract 1 14 ounce prepared angel food cake Cream Cheese Filling 16 ounces cream cheese2 (8 ounce packages). softened ⅔ cup sugar 2 cups heavy whipping cream Fruit 4 cups blueberries 4 cups strawberries sliced Instructions To make the lemon glaze, whisk together sugar, lemon juice, and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. … Read the full blog post →

Posted in Coastal Living, Cooking, Garden/Tea Time, Our Cottage, What’s Cooking? | 6 Comments

Downton Inspired/A Battenberg Cake

Posted on May 18, 2022 by Marcia Ren

“I do think a woman’s place is eventually in the home, but I see no harm in her having some fun before she gets there.” – Dowager Countess Hello, sweet friend… I hope you are doing well… Joe and I are heading out of town for the weekend. I am looking forward to this little getaway since it will include a movie date to watch the new Downton Abbey film ‘A New Era’. In anticipation of this excursion I ordered the Downton Abbey cookbook and selected a recipe to prepare. I love the cookbook and plan on baking more recipes … Read the full blog post →

Posted in Cooking, Garden/Tea Time | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

How To Host an Autumn Tea🍁☕️

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Marcia Ren

“There is no joy in life unless you share it”-anonymous Hello, sweet friend… Fall is here… And I’m excited! Today I thought I’d share with you how to prepare for a small harvest tea. I will be using only those items which I currently have to create a simple yet elegant tea… You can do this too! I hope this post will inspire you to host one of your very own during this wonderful autumn season. *Other traditional English finger sandwiches include roast beef, sliced ham, chicken salad tea sandwiches, tuna salad finger sandwiches with capers, tuna salad finger sandwiches with … Read the full blog post →

Posted in Coastal Living, Garden/Tea Time, Our Cottage | 2 Comments

Summer Splendor…

Posted on July 29, 2021 by Marcia Ren

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” -Henry James Hello, sweet friends… While July is coming to an end… Our garden is coming more alive… This month has brought the joy of traveling again and a few other activities which I have enjoyed… however… I have been most grateful for the many moments and opportunities spent in my garden… Sunny days… and beautiful blooms helping to refresh as we celebrate the season… 👩‍🍳 WHAT’S COOKING? This week I gathered blueberries from our garden and posted a photo on Instagram … Read the full blog post →

Posted in Coastal Living, Cooking, Garden/Tea Time | 6 Comments

Six Years Later & A Garden Tour…💕

Posted on July 15, 2021 by Marcia Ren

Life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. – Leonard Nimoy Hello, sweet friends… This past weekend Joe and I shared our home in a local garden tour… and six years ago (on the same weekend) we had made the biggest move of my life… moving from California to the Oregon Coast…. Reflecting on these past years… I’ve learned that changing the direction of your life is a bit like growing things from seed… Those early ideas dreams can be compared to early seedlings… some just don’t develop at all… others grow … Read the full blog post →

Posted in Garden/Tea Time, Our Cottage | 8 Comments

Music…My Father…and…The Piano🎶

Posted on June 17, 2021 by Marcia Ren

  “Dads are most ordinary men turned by love into heroes, adventurers, story-tellers, and singers of song.” -Pam Brown Hello, sweet friend… These past few days the weather has been beautiful… I’ve been enjoying the garden…  The ‘Doris Day’ roses Joe planted in memory of my father’s 100th birthday… are blooming beautifully!  That being said…and with Father’s Day just around the corner… today I would like to share a re-edited post written several years ago…dedicating it to my father a.k.a.… ‘Captain Ed’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Original post published June 2015   One of the reasons I love to blog… is that I … Read the full blog post →

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Retirement…10 years later & A Mini Summer Garden Tea…

Posted on June 10, 2021 by Marcia Ren

To Do…1. Plant a Garden✔️2. Bake a Pie✔️3. Read a Classic✔️4. Shop all Day✔️✔️ Hello, sweet friends… Today marks the 10th anniversary of my retirement. Similar to those 30 years of teaching…these past 10 years have been an exciting adventure …and the years have sweetly flown by… Now come and join me as I share how I spent the day…

Posted in Garden/Tea Time, Our Cottage | 6 Comments