Tea Party Tuesday ~ Memories with my sister, Paula

My sister, Paula came to visit on Thursday and 

stayed for the weekend.  

I took her to my FAVORITE Tea Room

called, The Mad Hatter Tea Room.

For a look at the tea room, visit their site by clicking Here!

Here are some memories for 
Tea Party Tuesday this week.

It was a lovely spread!

They serve so many wonderful treats for their
4 course tea service, but my favorite is their
pecan chicken salad! YUM 
The salad is made with pecans, chicken, craisins, green pepper
and a "secret spice".  Very Tasty Indeed!

Another fun twist was that I had recently made 
some fun cupcakes for my neighbors son's birthday and
she surprised me with a gift certificate to the Mad Hatter!

This lovely cup was just calling my name, so I
obliged and snatched it up!

I love you Paula!!

 The recipe I share with you this week is 
one of making memories:

Take a spoonful of time,
mix it with a dash of compassion and love.
Snuggle for 10 minutes and life will taste
pretty darn good if you ask me!


Sharing with:

TEA, INSPIRATION & TABLESCAPES:

Rose Chintz Tea Time Tuesday

Martha's Favorite TeaCup Tuesday
Tea Cup Tuesday at Artful Affirmations
Tuesday Cuppa Tea at Antiques and Teacups 

Tabletop Tuesday

A Return to Loveliness

Pink Saturday

Bernideen's Tea Time Blog 
Tablescape Thursday

Tea Party Tuesday - Dill Scone Bites

Hi ladies!

Tea Party Tuesday this week is going to be

short and well...savory! Truth is, I'm tired!

We got a new puppy this weekend. 

Ruby Mae 

She is so cute, but having her around is 

like having a new baby! So if you have any
SAGE advice on dog training, PLEASE leave me a comment.

Don't ask...it is a LONG story. Truth is, I needed
something to smother and cuddle. 

 So this week, I will share something easy, quick

and oh so tasty!

DILL SCONE BITES

These would go GREAT with a nice slice

of hard boiled egg or your favorite egg salad if you choose.

Don't forget to enter the Egglands Giveaway

by clicking HERE!

The giveaway closes on the 29th!

For the Dill Scone Bite Recipe click HERE!

I am reading my first Tea Shop Mystery

by Laura Childs, Death by Darjeeling, and

I just LOVE it. In fact, I brewed up a warm 

cup of Harney and Sons Darjeeling just to

really get the full effect, HA!  Do you like Cozy Mysteries?

If so, any favorites to put on my list?

Guess what!?! 

My sister, Paula is coming for a visit this Thursday!

I am so excited. I need some family around me so bad. 

Well, I hope you have a great week. I am excited to share

some fun St Patrick's Day inspired treats this week. 

Sharing with....

TEA, INSPIRATION & TABLESCAPES:

Rose Chintz Tea Time Tuesday

Martha's Favorite TeaCup Tuesday
Tea Cup Tuesday at Artful Affirmations
Tuesday Cuppa Tea at Antiques and Teacups 

Tabletop Tuesday

A Return to Loveliness

Pink Saturday

Bernideen's Tea Time Blog 
Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons - Friday Craft and Food Linky 

CRAFT/RECIPE AND SWEETS BLOG PARTIES I OFTEN LINK TOO:

Mouth Watering Mondays, Melt in Your Mouth Mondays, Mingle Monday, Made it on Monday Sumo's Sweet Stuff Made by You Mondays Making the World Cuter Mondays Motivate Me Monday  Dittle Dattle Amaze Me Monday  Mangia Mondays Mix it up MondaysTUESDAYTrick or Treat Tuesdays Crazy for Crust Confessions of a SAHM Delicious Dishes Cupcake Tuesday Let's Do Brunch Tempt my Tummy Tuesday Mandi's Tasty Tuesday Topsy Turvy Tuesday Handmade Tuesday Tasty Tuesday Tip Me Tuesday Time Out Tuesday Get Your Craft On WEDNESDAYMrs Fox's Sweets Party  Lil' Luna Ginger Snap Crafts  Whatever Goes Wednesday Wow Us Wednesday Look What I Made Wednesday What I Whipped Up Wednesday  Whatever You Want Wednesday Wow Me Wednesday This Chick Cooks THURSDAYTastetastic Thursday Sweet TemptationsTablescape Thursday Artsy Girl Sweet Treats Thursday Sweets This Week Thursday Show Your Stuff House of Hepworths Brambleberry Cottage FRIDAYPinterest Party Fun Stuff Fridays Freestyle Fridays Tidy Mom Inspiration Friday Feathered Nest Friday Bacon Time Friday Party Sweet Tooth Friday Show and Tell Friday It's a Hodgepodge Friday Weekend Wrap Up Flaunt it Friday Sassy Sites Friday Fun Fridays Unfolded Food on Fridays Friday Flair Foodie FridayWEEKEND Show and Tell Saturday Sweets for a Saturday So Sweet Sundays The Girl Creative Sundae Scoop Pink Saturday

The Tablescaper ~ Seasonal Sundays 

A Special Thank You

 A special note to my sister, Paula

Dear Paula,

Paula, I just had to let you know in an extra special way, how grateful I was for all those cupcake picks you made and sent me for the holiday fundraiser at St Andrew. You knew how busy I was and how much I wanted to make the table special to raise money for this wonderful school. I will never forget waking up to all those pictures you sent me from your phone and how completely speechless I was at what you and Jocelyn did for me. 

Between studying and taking my boards, working and and all the other things life has to offer me these days, I was a TAD overdrawn. But also, like you, I can never turn down a chance to help others. Thank you for stepping in and helping me....I really, really needed it. 

You know this is my favorite saying and you have heard this before; but it bears repeating. The truest meaning in life is to plant a tree under whose shade you do not expect to sit. 

Thank YOU for planting a tree for me when I needed the shade.

I love you from the bottom of my heart.

Trisha

Now you see them, now you don't...cuz they all sold OUT!

Fall Inspired Cupcakes

I made these awhile ago

for the St Andrew Fall Festival

Cake Walk and wanted to share them!

Besides the autumn poets sing,
A few prosaic days
A little this side of the snow
And that side of the haze.
~Emily Dickinson

The one red leaf, the last of its clan,
That dances as often as dance it can,
Hanging so light, and hanging so high,
On the topmost twig that looks up at the sky.
~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

I was happy with how they turned out! 

And a BIG THANK YOU

goes out to my sister Paula 

for the awesome cake stand seen here and 

many other posts recently ~ I love it!

Sharing with: YOU!

Lemon Crunch Parfait with a Garden Tea

We made it to my parent's house yesterday.

It is so good to be home. 

My mom's house is like walking into a 

Victorian Tea Room.

That delights you with it's outdoor

whimsical flower garden.

My sister and niece arrived tonight as well.

Life is good!

Paula made an AMAZING Peach Sangria

For a printable recipe click Here.

And I made delicious Lemon Crunch Parfait's.

For a printable recipe click Here.

This morning my Mom and I set up Tea in her Garden.

She got the Teapot while we were in 

Savannah, GA...to be honest I saw it first.

But as a GOOD daughter, I conceded the prize!

She might tell a different story...HA!

I hope you enjoy your weekend.

Bella would like to have tea too!!!

I am having Tea and Parfait's with:

Pink Saturday

The Tablescaper

StoneGable

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home 

Bernideen's Tea Time Blog  

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum  

Tablescape Thursday

Pink Friday

Tatertots and Jello
Feathered Nest Friday  
Home Sweet Home 
Made by you Monday ~ Skip to my Lou 
Joy of Desserts!  
Sweet Indulgences Sunday 
Savory Sundays ~ The Sweet Details  

Happy Birthday!!

This is a Happy Birthday post for my two sisters.

One whose birthday is actually today!

One whose birthday was on April 12th and I was out of town and couldn't blog.

Remember these pictures ladies???  Oldies but goodies.

I love you both dearly.

For your birthday pleasure I thought I would give you the gift of laughter...

"I get the bathroom first."

"Why did you give me that dirty look?

"Are you really going to wear that?"

"Whatever"

"I was just KIDDING."

"Can't you take a joke?"

"Are you serious?"

"Have you talked to Mom today?"

I bopped around the internet for a witty and heartfelt quote to cut and paste in here but actually the relationship of sisters is not something that can be summarized by a tidy collection of pretty words. 

I think of it like the wind at times...calm...gusty...tough when you are on a bike going up hill into it and awesome when you want to sail.

When I feel my sisters presence I touch on these emotions...

Gratitude

Safety

Acceptance

Unconditional Love

And they love me even if I am afraid of Royal Icing.

And if my sugar cookies blob out and don't keep their shape.

However, I have found a fix for the blob thingie  - check out the recipe for sugar cookies in my recipe link, bookmark it...you won't be sorry.

Unfortunately I had to use up some old cookie dough I had in the freezer for this batch and they were blobs...but a quick fix is to recut the cooled cookie with the cutter to sharpen the shape like I did above!

To be honest I am not very skilled at using royal icing YET, but it is something I really want to master.

I had to make this FAST but FANCY so I used some left over strawberry lavender buttercream (for recipe click HERE) and canned chocolate frosting for the bottom of the cupcake **gasp**.

Then I simply used a wilton 22 open star tip to pipe the drop flowers and a wilton size 3 to pipe the chocolate border. I filled it in using a wilton size 10 open round tip and VIOLA....sprinkled with a little "pixie dust" and add a "cherry" M&M on top...now THAT was Fast...but Fancy.

I wipped out two dozen of these in less than 15 minutes.

Too bad my sisters do not live in Minnesota so instead, the church carnival will get the labors of my love today!

Love you guys!! xoxoxo

Also, Happy Birthday to a dear lady who has the most beautiful blog called The Tablescaper. Check it out by clicking HERE!

~ This is my life in a cupcake cookie to celebrate my two sisters who continue to get older each and every year! HAHAHAHA!! 

Gustav Klimt Cupcake for Mother's Day ~ Mother and Child

I love art. 

One of my favorite artists is Gustav Klimt made famous for "The Kiss"

Another one of his well known works is called Mother and Child.

Here is my adaption, cupcake style.....

And here is the print....

So peaceful.

I am pretty happy with how it turned out, considering I did it on a whim.

This is for my mom, Jan, who is truly a priceless masterpiece.

Klimt doesn't have anything on YOU, Mom!

This is also for my two sisters Paula and Marla who are wonderful mothers.

From Left...Paula, Marla and Me!

And for all my friends both near and far who are mother's in one way or another....Happy Mother's Day.  This one is for YOU too!


**For those of you who want to know how I made this:
     1.  Print Klimt picture
     2.  Trace onto wax paper
     3.  Roll out colored fondant
     4.  Cut your wax paper tracing into a "puzzle"
     5.  Lay pieces of the "puzzle" on colored fondant and cut out with exacto 
     6.  A nice trick is to freeze rolled fondant briefly ~ cuts without tearing
     7.  I used wilton premade flesh tone, brown and black
     8.  Americolor markers save the day again for the outlining
     9.  Small flower sugar decorations colored with edible marker
    10. A dusting of pixie dust is always good!

You can find the pixie dust and Americolor markers in my SWEET BOUTIQUE ~ click on the link in my header.

Linking up to these GREAT sites..

Sassy Sites!
Miss Spenser's Tea Cup Thursday
Tidy Mom ~ I'm Lovin It!
TaterTots and Jello ~ Weekend Wrap Up Party
Someday Crafts ~ Mother's Day Party
Sweets on Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies Blog
Sweet Tooth Fridays!
Made by you Monday ~ Skip to my Lou ~

Cupcake Inspiration

I would like to introduce you to the next Cupcake Artist Extraordinaire, my niece and Goddaughter, Jocelyn:

Deepest thanks to my sister, Paula, for taking these pictures for me - they are just priceless.

You see, they live in Arizona and me...I live in Minnesota.  We may be separated by many miles but our hearts are always together. 

I recently sent Jocelyn a cupcake decorating kit. I wanted to share the fun of cupcake decorating with her. 

She was excited.  That made me happy.  

Look at that intense piping technique!  She is a natural!!


She made some amazing designs and I am honored to post her first gallery here on Sweetology....

 Just Perfect...like her!

TAAAA DAAAAAA!

She did a GREAT job. 

Cupcakes are fun for me.  I am so glad I stumbled upon the joy of cupcake decorating as a diversion from life's curveballs.

I know that my cupcakes and this blog are not anything glamorous or fabulous but that is ok by me.  I started this blog as a way to catalog my creations as an archive for my daughter Sophia to have someday.

I am happy with the journey thus far.

I can not tell you the feelings I had when I viewed these pictures of Jocelyn baking and decorating cupcakes with her mom.  The smile in her eyes melted my heart.

And to know that I played a small part in this happiness fills me with such gratitude.

To be mindful and do for others without the expectation of what you will get in return is a life truly lived. 

I am lucky to know this.

This is my life in cupcakes, thank you so much for reading!

I love you Jocelyn.

~ Trish