Pumpkin Pink

This is called "Pink Porcelain Doll Pumpkin" from Plains, Texas.  I found them at Central Market in Houston - $9.99 each.(PLU# 3631)  For every Pink Pumpkin purchased, J&A Farms and the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation will make a donation to breast cancer research.

Saturday, Sunday Work in Progress

Butterick 5744 Version II - I redrew and narrowed the neckline flounce.   Got ready to cut out this afternoon and discovered I had not prewashed the fabric and lining!  All those Wednesday Work in Progress pictures, showing said fabric nicely folded and it never dawned on me that it was folded just a little bit too nicely and unwashed?!   So, after this post, I will cut out and progress!

And then the day came. . .

Thursday Tea Time

This week - The Republic of Tea - Silk Route Tea Blend -  "Ginger Chocolate Black Tea"

Cost:  $11.99 at World Market.  (It's a World Market Exclusive.)
Number of teabags:  50, so you feel better about the price
Caffeine:  Yes
Type of tea:   Black
Steeping time:  5 minutes
Add ins:  Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Chocolate Unsweetened Almond Milk and a packet of Sugar in the Raw makes it even chocolate-y.  And my favorite option is with a splash of Coffee Mate Natural Bliss "Sweet Cream."  Very nice.  No other sweetener needed.  Whew!  Save a carb where I can.
Teabag fragrance:  Chocolate, with a bit of spice.

Brews to such a pretty, dark
chocolate-y color!

Ingredients:  Black tea, natural chocolate and ginger flavoring, sweet blackberry leaves and ginger bits.
Opinion:  This is worth the search!  Thank goodness there are 50 bags and you only need one to get that yummy chocolate color and flavor.  The ginger just gives it a bit of a kick and warms it up a notch.  
Rating:  4.75 Only because it is a Limited Edition and takes a bit of an effort to find at World Market (I found it in their Austin store).

Hanging Around Fall

Remember the wreath and Fall decorating supplies I found at the Dollar Spot at Target from last week's Wednesday Work in Progress?  Here are the results of a little fun with a glue gun!

I attached (pinned) this to the kitchen curtain valance

A Fall touch to the tall lamps on the living room bookcases

What I'm Liking...

Yoplait Light Pumpkin Pie Yogurt!  

YUM!  On sale at Target this week for $2.  This actually tastes good!  Nicely spiced, more like a pumpkin pudding and not artificially tasting.  You will find it in what I call the seasonal/limited edition case opposite the main dairy section.  It made a perfect dessert last night for me.

90 calories, fat free, 80mg sodium, 16g carbohydrate, 10g sugars, 5g protein (!), Vitamin A 15%, Calcium 20%, Vitamin D 20%, Phosphorus 10%.

Netflix Stars - The Hunger Games

4.5 stars!   Suspenseful.  Violent.  And even funny in parts.  An unrealized story, but with great potential for cinematic follow-up.   I haven't read the books, and so I didn't know how this would all play out in advance.  Loved the costuming and special effects.

Fall For Tulips

Fall is ablaze in color!

Aren't these tulips from Central Market gorgeous?!

Fall Bliss

"Each leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree"
- Emily Bronte

Happy Fall!

Isn't this cranberry fairy pretty?!
From the Michael Miller Fabrics Fairy Collection a few years ago.
Cicely Mary Barker was an artist in England in the early 1900’s who created and published the beautiful Flower Fairies books for children.

Alabama Theater Trader Joe's Grand Opening in Houston Texas

Trader Joe's finally opened their second store in Houston in the old Alabama Theater.  They refurbished and kept many of the art deco architectural styles and the movie theater theme throughout.  Yay Trader Joes'!

They used the style of the marquee!

Movie screen and take on Texas flag - clever!

You can see the Texas stars, the movie chairs in the balcony and other film touches.  So glad they restored the ceiling medallion!

My bounty!

Lots of teas to review for Thursday Tea Time!

They gave away free recyclable grocery bags!

Here's the other side!

Friday Flowers!

Friday Flowers - Trader Joe's Grand Opening!

Today was the Grand Opening of Trader Joe's in Houston, Texas in the old Alabama movie theater!  I love how they kept the movie theater theme going throughout the store.  I think I found a new hangout!

What I'm Liking. . .By the Graham

Absolutely loving these Honey Maid Peanut Butter Grahamfuls!  I found them at Target at the checkout endcap for around $2.29.  120 calories, only 15g carbs and 3g protein, with 1g sat fat and 10% calcium.   I now keep a pack in my purse for when I start to get droopy -- and no crashing afterwards.

Thursday Tea Time - Namastea!

This week - Tazo - Lotus, Om and Zen

Cost:  Around $3.50-$4.00 at Target.
Starbucks also sells the Zen in tin box  of 15 sachets for $6.95 and also a box of 12 K-Cups.
Number of teabags:  20
Caffeine:  Lotus - No
Om - Yes
Zen - A little
Type of tea:   Lotus - Green
Om -   Green and black
Zen - Green
Steeping time:  3 minutes
Add ins:  Lotus - Plain, and with honey, perfect!
Om - Plain, honey, even CBTL Vanilla Powder couldn't salvage this.
Zen - Plain or honey, I even tried the CBTL powder
Ingredients:  Lotus - Naturally decaffeinated green tea, natural lotus flower flavor
Om - Organic darjeeling green and black teas and natural flavors of cucumber and peach
Zen - Green tea, lemon verbena, spearmint leaves, lemongrass and natural flavors
Opinion: Lotus - This had a very pleasant, flowery scent and brewed to a nice amber color.  Not a lot of zip to this, but if you are looking for a subtle tea to sip, try this.  Very light and clean, best to drink by itself.
Om - Cucumber?!  What was I thinking?  You couldn't even taste the peach.  It wasn't even a cucumber taste, just oddly grassy-mysterious vegetable flavor and scent.  And what an odd aftertaste!  No matter what I added.  I dumped it down the drain.
Zen - This is the green iced tea Starbucks sells.  I love this iced. I was curious to try it hot.  I was not that impressed.  It was, Okaaayyy.  I have so many other teas (understatement) which I like better hot than this.  Iced, it is still a winner!
Rating:  Lotus - 3
Om - 0
Zen - 4 - iced, 2 - hot

Wednesday Work In Progress - Fall In

Fall decorating via the Target Dollar Spot - $1 each (the mini wreaths are 2/$1).  I'll post the pictures later this afternoon!

Today's Favorite iPod Workout Song

Josh Johnson - "Peace (Nightsong 1) - 3:52
A very nicely paced slow song for swimming and skating.

Sew Purple!

Check out this computerized sewing machine available at Costco right now -- the Brother XR1300 - for only $169.99 (Item #654242).  Not a bad deal at all!  (No, I did not get it - tempted, yes.)   Pretty, too with the light purple accent color.   Look at all the stitches you get - 8 buttonholes, plus a bartacking.  Mirror-imagining ability, too.  Lots of quilting and decorative stitches, pretty cross stitching ones, too -- some I don't even have my Viking Husqvarna 1100.  This would be a great regular machine or a back-up/class/traveling machine.  (Hmmm...)

Consider the Lilies. . .

"Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."   Luke 12:27 (KJV)

I found these at Central Market.  I overheard the clerk call them "Casablanca" lilies.  That intrigued me --   Casablanca!  The label wrap, which I so carefully saved, but forgot which went with which, said one was Double Surprise and the other Roselily Belonica.   (I'm guessing the pink one is the Roselily)   They smell wonderful and look beautiful!

That's Life

No Fry For Five

When I was walking out of the Rec Center after my morning swim, I saw a poster announcing the "No Fry For Five" Challenge for September.  You can visit the Shape Up Houston website to register for prizes if you pledge to not eat any fried foods for five days of the week.   Or just try and follow along on your own.
(Sounded A LOT better than signing up for  racquetball - yikes!)

That includes french fries and chips -- oh, oh.  That could be a toughie.  But you do get two days a week to enjoy and for good behavior.  It's all about balance and never saying never, right?

I'm going to do it - the Rec Center had these wrist bands at the front desk  if you promised to sign up online.  I know it sure helped me when I went grocery shopping afterwards - pausing and then walking right by the chip aisle!