A new chapter begins …

 

Well, I think perhaps I’m ready to get back to blogging, but first, I just wanted to say a huge thanks to those of you who have sent cards, texted, messaged, or commented about Alex’s passing on April 10 (or as I like to refer to it, his “moving to Heaven,” as I believe that is a more accurate statement of things).

Alex had been living—and living pretty well—with reduced heart function for years, but about two years ago, in the summer of 2022, I nearly lost him. His heart function dipped, and he went into cardiogenic shock and spent several weeks in the hospital, finally coming home with a small but entirely mobile pump that infused heart medicine 24/7. At the time, I mentioned his hospitalization on this blog but didn’t camp out there (this was a tea blog, after all). Also, while we knew Alex’s prognosis was not good, he said he wanted us to try to live life as normally as possible and not be all “woe is me” during whatever time he had left. At first, we didn't believe that would be very long at all, and yet the Lord graciously gave us nearly two more whole years together! We would enjoy two more trips to Wisconsin to visit our grandsons and countless day trips together, seeing our Georgia granddaughter and grandson and exploring some fun new sites. Each night, we took turns praying and thanking God for his blessings that day. There was *always* something to be thankful for, even in the midst of his heart failure.

The photo above was from a Valentine’s tea at Tea Leaves and Thyme here in Georgia many years ago. It’s not the clearest photo, but I like it because it captures the way Alex made me feel, and I like that it shows his wedding band. Maybe we’ll get to enjoy tea in Heaven together once I get there. I miss this lovely man, who was truly the best earthly friend I ever had, more than I can say. But I wanted to start this week off by acknowledging my loss as well as the kindness of you friends, which has already brought me so much comfort. And next time, you can expect a more typical tea-related post here!

An update …

Friends, my husband's hospital stay ended with him moving to Heaven, and while I'm very, very sad for me, I'm overjoyed for him and know I'll see him again. Just wanted you to know it'll be a while longer before I'm blogging again, but so many of you have become true friends over the years that I wanted you to know. Please remember me in your prayers!

Here's his obituary: https://www.mckoon.com/obituaries/Alex-Mcrae/#!/TributeWall

Taking a blog break

Friends, my husband, Alex, is in the hospital, so I'll be taking a blog break for a bit. Hope to be back here again soon!

"Women with coffee or tea"

I do love a good vintage photo, and this week, I came across a real gem on the Library of Congress website. It's titled "Women with coffee or tea," and I'm saying it's tea because those sure look like sugar tongs that the lady on the left is using, and I think you're more likely to use those with tea than coffee.

I don't know what charms me most here: the tea urn, the crocheted tablecloth, the ladies' dresses and hats, or the teacups.

What do you notice?

A teacup fragrance plug!

On Monday, my friend Kathy, who often texts shopping alerts, notified me that Bath & Body Works had a teacup-shaped fragrance plug, and I hightailed it over to my local shop to see if they had it. They did!

Now, I've never had a fragrance plug and don't even know how the things work, so for the first time in my life, I actually *asked* for a B&BW employee to help me with something. (Back when stores used to offer customer service, B&BW was known for having a dozen of their employees assault you with fragrance samples and sales announcements the moment you walked in the store. I kinda miss it.) The nice young lady knew right where these were—much appreciated, as I was in a hurry—and she explained that it also required a refill.

So I got the "Queen Charlotte's Tea" refill because a) I liked the name and b) the liquid was a pretty turquoise color. The helpful young lady said, "Wouldn't you like to smell it, though?" I guess she could tell I was new to this sort of thing. "Um, sure." Happily, I liked my choice!

This gadget is apparently part of the Bridgerton collection for B&BW, but I've never watched the show and have only the vaguest notion of what it's about, but I don't mind that. I have a beautiful home fragrance toy in the shape of a teacup!

A magazine perfect for tea lovers: "Spring Baking"

Honestly, I can't remember the last time I was inspired to purchase a magazine full of nothing but recipes, but when I saw the lavender madeleines on the cover of Spring Baking the other day, I had to get it!

This magazine definitely met my rule of "must have at least three things that immediately catch my eye." First up: these Phyllo Apple Roses. I've seen rose-shaped treats like this before, but this recipe sounded quite doable, so I'm going to give them a try soon.

And Two-Bite Lemon Tarts? If those aren't designed for a tea tray, I don't know what is.

Are you a fan of honey? I am. And drizzled honey? Yes, ma'am! So this recipe for Honey Tea Cakes with Mascarpone (and crushed waffle cookies on top!) appealed to me as well. If you like baking your own treats for teatime, I believe you would enjoy this issue, no foolin'!