Tea time, part 2

All that blogging I did yesterday about tea made me want to hit the local thrift store, just in case there were any other cool cups or pots or what have you that would pop up.  Thrift stores really are some of my favorite places.  Often times, as long as you are patient and have an eye for quality, you can find some really nice treasures amongst all the stuff people throw away.  Some of the most beautiful things I own, be it jewelry or china or clothing, have come from thrift stores.  Growing up poor, they were necessities; they helped my mom stretch the dollars to help make it through the month.  As an adult I appreciate them even more.

Anyway, I've been thinking to myself lately that I really needed to find myself a creamer for my tea.  It makes no sense to brew myself an entire pot and plunk myself down in front of the computer to write or the television to sit and knit, and then have to get up twenty times to get a splash of milk for my teacup.  So when I went browsing yesterday I made sure to check the dinnerware section to see if anything turned up.

The creamer on the left is Avon and matches my teapot for herbal and green teas, down to the tulip embellishing the handle.  The one on the right is Myott out of Straffordshire, England.  I paid about $4.75 for both creamers and now I have some lovely options for drinking my tea!  I also snagged a bottle of Hero Black Cherry Jam which is out of Germany to go with the Irish soda bread I baked last night.  Yum yum!

Halloween - Before the madness...

 The annual Halloween party given by my family in California kicks off at 8:30 this evening so everyone is puttering about the house cleaning, assembling, visiting and watching really bad horror movies.  I have busted out my camera and taken some preliminary shots of the festivities.  I can't wait for tonight; my costume is retro-rific!

The Halloween Cake, during the final stages of assembly

Detail of the cake.

Detail of the cake.

Terry, proud creator!

The cake is awesome!  Terry always does an incredible job creating a new Halloween-themed cake every year and this one is so detailed.  I had to share some shots of her mad creativity!

In the retro vein, I had to take a couple shots of my friend Richard's incredible Art Deco era bar!  I just about fell over in envy when I saw it.

Shot of the entire bar. The side wings and table top swing out all at once.

A portable bar on the top along with other antique and Halloween goodies.

Closeup of the swing out wings and table.

Stay posted for more incredible pics!

Where to Eat in Tucson: Planet of the Crepes!

 Well, actually this is less of a where than a what 'cuz the "where" changes frequently!  Planet of the Crepes is a food stand that moves around and about the Tucson/Marana/Mt. Lemmon area.  I discovered them when they parked across the street from my work and since I've never had a crepe before, I had to try it...Lord almighty!  It was one of the best things I've ever eaten.

  First crepe I tried was a smoked duck breast with havarti.  Second, the mushroom, goat cheese and tomato crepe.  I am dying to try their sweet crepes.  Then again, I don't know if my waistline can take it!  Actually, though, they are quite light.  The crepes are thin but moist and succulent wrapped around the awesome fillings.  The come served up in a complex wrapping of wax paper, stiff card-stock-like cone then a thick napkin around the whole lot so busy office people on the go can grab their lunch without getting it all over them.

That's my crepe.  About, oh, 30 seconds before I inhaled the whole thing!  Sweet lord.  The melt-y goat cheese and the pesto and the mushrooms?  Divine!

To snag one of these luscious lovelies for yourself, you have to track 'em down first.  Follow this link to their Facebook account here to get updates as to where they will appear next.  They also have a Twitter here.  You've got to get some of this!