Halloween!

Dear reader:

I interrupt your regularly scheduled "Teapot of the Day" post, in order to say...

IT'S HERE!!!

Yes, the Halloween issue of "Country Living" arrived today :) (I'm not excited at all. Really.) I actually look forward to this issue like you wouldn't believe. "Country Living" is my favourite magazine, though "Home Companion" is a close second, and it can always be trusted to do right by my favourite holiday.

You have to understand: I don't really save magazines. They're for enjoying for a while, and then for passing on to others, or for recycling. The Halloween editions, however, are special. I save them. Period. It's always a lot of fun for me to settle in on a weekend in mid September and get out all of my Halloween magazines, a fresh legal pad, and a stack of my favourite pens, and begin planning for Tallulah's annual Halloween party. Ooo, I can't forget this book, also great for getting me in the Halloween spirit, and also a "Country Living" publication:

As I'm sure some of you can relate, those planning sessions are half of the fun for me. Yes, I am incredibly nerdy. If you're just now catching on to that fact, then you MUST be a new reader ;)

Anyhoo, I'll be back tomorrow with your teapot of the day. For now, I'm off to make a pot of tea and settle in with my new "Country Living". Oh, and this weekend, with its rainy forecast, is looking like the perfect time to begin planning :)

Kimberley

Okay. So it's hideous.

I freely acknowledge it. Oh, not the shape of it, which is quirky and fun. It's the rotten, blotchy paint job. But my mom loves it. You'd think that offspring would eventually grow out of the I'm-going-to-give-a-hideous- handmade-gift-that-I-think-is- lovely phase, and that parents would grow out of thinking that these pitiful efforts are works of sheer genius.

A-hem.

I made this for my mom when I was 25 *cringe* I was looking for a Mother's Day gift, but, being recently out of graduate school, I had very little money. There was a pottery painting place in the town where I lived and once I saw the teapot I thought that I'd hit up on the perfect idea. After all (in case you've not yet figured it out) my mom loves teapots-- even though all of her other teapots have now been cruelly abandoned in favour of the Chamomile Teapot.

In all fairness to myself, I thought it was going to turn out well. I liked the way I'd done the swirly pattern and the dots. It wasn't until after it was fired that the blotchiness showed up, but by then it was too late to back out as I was getting on a plane the next day. I reluctantly handed it over, and my mom seemed to genuinely like it. Of course, that COULD be because she wasn't wearing her glasses... :)

In any event, I call it the Madhatter Teapot, and it lives with all of my mom's other teapots. I hope that you've enjoyed gazing upon it's endearing ugliness :)

Kimberley

I remember...

Today my workplace held an assembly to commemorate the 6th anniversary of the deaths of those who died on September 11th. Several of us were asked to share our memories of that day, based on the prompt "I remember". Here's mine:

I was working as a librarian at a university in North Carolina in 2001. On the morning of September 11th, one of my colleagues told me that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center and that authorities thought that it was a terrorist attack. I remember so clearly saying, “What? How ridiculous. It’s tragic enough as it is, why would people SAY that?”

About a half an hour later, CNN’s website reported the second plane crash, and the fact that it was deliberate was obvious. I remember calling my parents, just wanting to hear their voices. I remember doing what I always do when something bad happens: finding ways to distract myself from the sheer horror of it all. I asked my boss for permission to set up televisions throughout the library so that our community could keep informed. All of the big news websites were crashing under so much traffic, and I sought out alternative sites that had begun posting updates, and I sent these to faculty.

I remember at the end of the day how I wanted a mocha, and I remember thinking, “How can I possibly want a mocha? How shallow am I? What is wrong with me?” It wouldn’t be until months later that I’d realize that it hadn’t been the mocha I’d wanted at all: what I’d wanted was to do something normal and mundane. I’d wanted to be around people, not alone in my apartment with CNN.

Finally, though, I WAS alone in my apartment, watching the towers crash over and over, listening to the sounds of screams and sirens, and I started to cry. I cried until I threw up, until the only thing left inside of me was grief.

I share this with you not because I think it's particularly well-written, but because I want to mark this grim date here on my blog, which has become important to me. I want to actively remember those who have died and continually remember their families.

This is not a political blog and I don't intend to make it so. I honestly don't even like discussing politics because I'm on the other side of the fence from too many people that I love, and I don't like arguing with them. I just wanted to take a moment to share my thoughts and feelings.

Thanks for reading,
Kimberley

The Chamomile Teapot

So my mom's addicted to chamomile tisane. Yes, it's true. Anyone have the number for Herbals Anonymous?? :) The poor woman brews up several dozen pots a day (ok, maybe that's a SLIGHT exaggeration) and seems to have forgotten that she has any other kind of tea in her cabinet. All of mom's other teapots seem to have been forgotten, as well, in favour of this cheerful little thing. I swear this is the teapot shape upon which the Disney animators based Mrs. Potts-- doesn't the top look like a mob cap??

The pattern is pink "blue willow". My mom and I are both crazy about blue blue willow and we both use it as our everyday dishes. Mom happened to see this piece of pink blue willow and knew it would go well with her strawberry plate. Their permanent home is the kitchen counter near the window, where the teapot holds all of the chamomile tisane that one tiny woman can drink (and that's a lot!).

Here's to you, little pink willow teapot! You help make my mama happy, so you're alright by me ;)

Kimberley

Wishes not granted!

Don't bother rubbing it 'cause no genie lives here. It's not a lamp, and it's not even Middle Eastern :) It is, in fact, from China. Welcome to the second feature of the "Teapot of the Day" series.

I spent fall semester of my senior year of college in China. It was an amazing experience, and at the end of three months I came back to the U.S. with some Chinese language skills, an intestinal parasite whom I would eventually name Irwin, and a dozen teapots. Oh, there were various other souvenirs in my bags, but the teapots were the biggies. I bought them all on one trip to Yi Xing and paid MAYBE $15.00 for the lot of them. On my first trip to Teavana I spotted a Yi Xing teapot for sale and almost keeled over at the price tag, which was around $50.00!

I remember spending the day in the dusty, hot market with my face twisted up in a wince from the way the vendors would bang the teapots and cups together to show how strong the vessels were. I also remember learning about one of the most fascinating characteristics of Yi Xing pots: if you use the same tea in them for several decades, eventually you don't have to add leaves, just hot water. Something about the property of the clay causes it to retain the essence of the tea. It's fascinating tidbits of information like this that get me through the day sometimes, honestly; they help me remember that this world really is magical, no matter how rotten it seems.

Anyhoo, I kept three of the Yi Xing teapots for myself, gave two to my mom, and gave the rest to family and friends. This one was one of my favourites, and it was nice to see it again. I hope that you've enjoyed seeing it, too :)

Kimberley

Announcing the "Teapot of the Day" series

After all of the excitement of last night's dinner party (details below), I was drowsing over my morning tea when I was inspired to begin a new series called "Teapot of the Day". My mom and I both have extensive collections, and since I know that there are a lot of tea freaks out there, I thought y'all would enjoy it. TEA FREAKS! I KNOW THAT YOU'RE OUT THERE! THIS IS FOR YOU! :)

I'm starting with my mom's collection, and this particular pot is one that she bought the last time we were in England. It is one of my favourites: everything about it, the shape, the colours, the proportions of handle, spout, and body are just lovely. It's the one I use when visiting, and it always makes me start the day with a smile-- hey, I never said that I was complicated :)

Friday afternoon I drove up to visit my parents' for the weekend; it was my dad's birthday-- happy 69th again, Daddy! (Note: yes, I am 33 years old and I still call my paternal unit "Daddy". I am from the South. This is completely normal here, so don't adjust your monitor ;) ). As part of the festivities, we had dinner at my aunt and uncle's house Saturday night, chomping down on a gi-normous pan of my uncle's amazing veggie lasagna. It's one of my favourite dishes and Paul kindly loaded me up with a couple of huge containers to take home. Paul is officially one of my favourite people, not only because he is so respectful of my vegetarianism, but because he firmly believes that I deserve the lion's share of the leftovers :) And that isn't because he thinks I'm a bad cook... or is it??

In addition to all of the good food and catching up with family, one of the best things about family gatherings on my mom's side is the dogs. We all love dogs, we all have dogs. We like to take our dogs places, and dress them in snappy outfits with appropriate accessories. Whenever there's a family gathering, there will be dogs, who are, after all, family. On Saturday night, we had five canine people in attendence (due to the vagaries of Friday afternoon Atlanta traffic, I wasn't able to bring Lucy and Kira, or the count would have been seven!). These canine people were: Bailey, the half chihuahua/half daschund; Annabelle, the teacup chihuahua; Elford, the pug; Mandy, the boxer; and Daisy, the half boxer/ half who-knows-what. Each of them spent some time in my lap that night-- yes, even the boxers :)

I was happily reunited with my own hounds a couple of hours ago, and after bestowing tons of affection and apologies for leaving them, they kindly gave me permission to work on plans for the upcoming gatherings on Tallulah's social calendar. Those gatherings are: the inaugural Sunday Night Supper, an autumn tea party, and the annual Halloween party.

Sunday Night Suppers
I actually had this idea last year, but just never got around to making it happen. Here's the how and why of this idea: This is Atlanta. It is rare to meet anyone who is actually from Atlanta. Most of us have no family and no roots here. I believe that roots and family are important, so I had the idea to have a once-a-month potluck here at Tallulah House where we could share some good food and conversation, and maybe play some board games (don't tell Chris-- he hates board games). In the process, I thought, maybe we could all put down some roots and build an extended family. The first SNS is at the end of this month, and I'll be sure to post some pics and tell you how it went.

Autumn Tea Party
Remember my recent trip to the tea room? If you do, then you may recall the beautiful rock sugar that I brought home. I was inspired by its colour to begin planning an outdoor tea party, where I could use my Hull pottery and autumnal linens. Bear in mind, though, that in Georgia it could be November before it's cool enough to have tea outside, so who knows when this will happen ;)

Halloween Party
This is an annual tradition at Tallulah House, and this year's theme is Nightmares & Fairy Tales (I mentioned it to Chris as a possibility early on, and he got stuck on it so there ya go!). Detailed planning has begun in earnest, though I haven't yet decided on my costume. It's so weird that I love dressing up so much, and yet my Halloween costume is usually a last-minute thing. More details on this annual event to follow.

And so ends this rambling missive. Clearly, I shouldn't go so long between posts :)

Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by,
Kimberley

We work hard...

guarding the living room...













... the bedroom...













... the deck...


























... and the living room...

(sometimes we wear special helmets-- I hate my mommy)




Raaaaaawwwrrrrrr!