Tea For Two at Camellia Rose Tea Cottage

Recently, when my friend, Debbie, came from New Jersey to visit me for a week, we spent one  afternoon having tea at a lovely tea cottage not too far from the house in Hooterville.     Although I had heard about the Camellia Rose Tea Cottage and seen it featured by several bloggers, this was my first time there.  It did not disappoint!

Our table was by one of the windows and the window sill was filled to the brim with crystal candlesticks, silver pieces, tea pots and tea cups.  So pretty!

Debbie and I both have a mutual love of pink roses so I guess it was quite fitting there was a bud vase of  pink roses on our table.

The table setting was lovely…old silver, pretty rose patterned china, pressed glass water goblets, and  a beautiful crocheted piece was layered over the tablecloth.   An old photograph placed under the glass added  vintage charm. 

The selection of fresh brewed loose leaf teas at Camellia Rose is so extensive, Debbie and I had a difficult time deciding which teas we wanted to try.   In the end, we sampled three different pots of tea and loved them all!

The  broccoli cheddar soup, served in a tea cup,  was to die for;  the BEST I have EVER had!

We were served a three tier curate with tea sandwiches (on the middle tier), fresh baked blueberry scones  and southern style Devon cream (on the bottom tier) and a sampling of three types of yummy little desserts (on the top tier).

Every corner of the Camellia Rose Tea Cottage is just oozing with charm.

Notice the high ceilings and gorgeous, thick crown moldings!

This  feminine vintage  dress was displayed in one of the windows.

Whimsical fairies hung in another window.

The gift shop/boutique offers an assortment of tea-related items for sale.

They also sell some beautiful candles, hand-made soaps and toiletries.

This  crystal and silver powder duster caught my eye.   It was so elegant!

Oh, hello!  (Thought I’d try my hand at a self-portrait in the gift shop mirror.)  Camellia Rose is located in the historic Bank of Plant City building and in this photo you can see the original tile floors that date back to 1919.

 

Even the Powder Room at Camellia Rose is pretty!

 

 

Afternoon tea at Camellia Rose Tea Cottage was so special.  There is nothing like a good cup of tea shared between good friends!

 

The Camellia Rose Tea Cottage is located in historic downtown Plant City, Florida which is approximately 30 minutes east of Tampa. 

Sweet Tomatoes' Broccoli Salad

According to my blog stats, one of the most frequent searches that lead people to my blog is the  Sweet Tomatoes’ broccoli salad recipe I posted right before Memorial Day two years ago  so I thought I would post the recipe again and participate in the Home May’d Recipe party going on over at Southern Hospitality.

In the past year, I have made this recipe many times.  It’s quick, easy and it always gets rave reviews. 

Here’s my original post from May 2009…

I have a delicious recipe to share with you this week.  If you are going to, or hosting,  a Memorial Day get-together this weekend, it would make a wonderful side dish to add to the menu!

First, a little history about this recipe …

Here in Florida, we have a restaurant chain called Sweet Tomatoes.  These restaurants  are also in approximately 14 other states so some of you may have eaten at one.  (You can go  here and type in your zip code to see if there is one close to you. )

For those of you who have never been to a  Sweet Tomatoes restaurant, it is an all-you-can-eat salad buffet featuring fresh vegetables, salads, made-from-scratch soups, muffins and breads, and hot pastas.

One of my favorite salads is their broccoli salad, which I am told is called “Joan’s Broccoli Madness,” so recently  I went searching the web for a copycat recipe.

The list of ingredients is fairly simple:  fresh uncooked  broccoli, red onion, bacon, cashews, raisins, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar and sugar.

Because it was more economical than buying a box of raisins and a can of cashews, I elected to use a pre-mixed Trail Mix instead.  It contained the cashews and raisins  the recipe called for but there was also a variety other nuts and seeds in it, which I liked.  When I make this salad in the future, I will definitely use the Trail Mix again but I also want to add some golden raisins. 

Chopped broccoli, red onions, crispy crumbled bacon and the trail mix…

Mix in the dressing, chill and enjoy. 

Mmmmmm…..

At first, I thought this recipe might be rather labor intensive with all the chopping.  However,  I had everything all chopped up in minutes…even before my bacon was done cooking in the microwave.   It truly took minimal effort to make this broccoli salad and it was just as yummy as what Sweet Tomatoes serves.  It has definitely earned a spot in my file of favorite recipes!

I’ll be making it this weekend.    Be sure to let me know if you try it!

JOAN'S BROCCOLI MADNESS SALAD

Serves 6 to 8

FOR THE SALAD:

1 bunch fresh, raw broccoli, washed and cut into bite-size pieces

1/2 cup (4 to 5 strips) cooked bacon, crumbled

1/2 cup dry roasted cashews **

1/3 cup raisins **

1/4 cup fresh red onion, finely chopped

FOR THE DRESSING:

1 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Place the salad ingredients into a large bowl and gently toss till mixed.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until smooth. 

Add dressing to salad, mix well, and chill. 

**Note:  in place of  cashews and raisins, I substituted  about 1/2 package of “Nuts, Seeds & Raisins”  Trail Mix by Planters.

Resuscitation of an Ancient Ironing Board

Even though I’ve still got  painting,  furniture arranging and accessorizing to do, pictures to hang, a partially done front porch,  another bathroom that needs remodeling, and more than a couple boxes to unpack from the move to the house in Hooterville, I recently decided to take a break from all those bigger projects do a little makeover on my ironing board.

I got married eons ago…waaaaay back in 1972 when avocado green, harvest gold  and burnt orange were the popular colors.  One of the wedding presents I received was an ironing board with orange legs.  

Over the years, I’ve changed the cover several times but it was in dire need of being replaced again.   (Tell me, how does the cover manage to get scorched but not the fabric that’s being ironed???)  In fact, with scratched legs, and 2 missing rubber caps on the feet, the whole ironing board was actually looking more than a bit  rough and ragged. 

For quite a while, I’ve been thinking about  buying a  whole new ironing board…one with pretty white legs…but after all these years, the frame of this one is, believe it or not, still structurally sturdy and stable  so my penny-pinching thrifty self just hadn’t parted with the money yet.

While browsing in  TJMaxx recently, an ironing board cover jumped right into my shopping cart.   It’s  predominately shades of aqua, teal and hot pink. 

As soon as I put the  new cover on the old frame, it became immediately apparent how badly those orange legs clashed with the cover.  Now in reality, nobody sees my ironing board but me  and I guess it’s not the end of the world if the colors of your ironing board frame and cover don’t compliment each other  but I wasn’t willing to look at those ugly orange legs another day.  Thirty-eight + years was more than enough for me!  ;)

I turned to the ultimate, CHEAP  fix-all…spray paint…in a lovely shade of pink called “Watermelon.”

 

This was a quick, easy, fun, and inexpensive  little project.  For the nominal cost of the cover, 4 new rubber feet and some spray paint, I’ve now got an ironing board that is both pretty AND basically good as new.  It should last me another 38 years… give or take  a few. 

I’m probably going to be away from the computer for the rest  of the month.  Next week the “pink and girly” guest room is having its first guest…a very special guest!  She arrives Tuesday and will be visiting me for a week.    We’re going to have so much fun!  After that, my hubby is taking a couple weeks off from work so we can accomplish some of the projects that still need to be done around the house and barns.

See you soon!

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Sometimes It Pays To Be Indecisive

Earlier this week, while I was checking out the HomeGoods store closest to the house in Hooterville,  I spotted a cute wooden bench.  I’m still working on decorating our bedroom and I’ve actually been considering putting  a small scaled bench on  the  short wall next to one side of the bed.

The price tag was $149.99…not a bad price by any means, but still a little more than I wanted to pay, particularly since the dark wood finish was going to require painting to fit in with the light and airy beachy look I’m going for in the bedroom.   The  finish on the bench also had some cosmetic “boo-boos,” which didn’t concern me in the least because  I was planning to paint it anyway, but inasmuch as it wasn’t perfect,  I considered asking if they could do any better on the price.  At best, I just assumed they would probably only knock 5 or 10% off the price so I didn’t even bother to ask.  I just decided to pass on it.

Well, as I’ve so often done when there is something I am indecisive about, once I was home I continued to think about the bench and how perfect it would be for where I want to use it, so yesterday I decided to make a trip back to HomeGoods.  I had made up my mind I definitely wanted it and was prepared to pay full price for it… if it was still there. 

I made a beeline straight for the spot where it had been sitting a couple days before and my heart sank when it wasn’t there.   I scanned the furniture area and spotted it several aisles over.   As I got closer, I realized it now had a big red CLEARANCE tag on it…

$99.99 

SOLD…to me!

Sometimes I get so aggravated with myself when I can’t make a quick decision but hey, I’m a Virgo…through and through to my very core.  Before a Virgo plunges into anything and makes a decision, they need to take their time to analyze, analyze and REanalyze all the facts, know all the details,  consider all the pros and cons.   As a rule, we Virgos are NOT impulsive people.  Fortunately for me, this is one time this frustrating Virgo trait  really paid off,  saving me $50.00!

The bench really is  the “purfect” size for where I wanted to use it and it will be the “purfect” place to toss the decorative bed pillows at night.  (I don’t like  throwing them on the floor.)    Interestingly, Bitty, our calico kitty,  didn’t have any problems deciding she liked it.  She has given it her seal of approval!

Now that I’ve made the decision to buy the bench,  I just need to make a decision on  what color I want to paint it. 

Bitty suggested lime green…like her eyes.

A Creative Slump… And Birds Do the Craziest Things!

I think I’m definitely going through a creative slump and it is spilling over into my blogging, as evidenced by my lack of posts lately.   All of the endless remodeling/decorating decisions and DIY projects in the past year and a half on the house in Hooterville, not to mention the packing, moving and unpacking,  have left me feeling like I’ve hit the wall.  Hard.

I have been working on a few little things but nothing that seems creative, pretty  or significantly worthy enough to share.   Posting about getting 2 new cabinets and a ceiling fan hung in the still unfinished laundry room or the new dust ruffle I bought for the bed seems so lame…and boring.  I can’t even seem to muster up enough creativity to  coax my camera into taking any pretty pictures. 

Sooooo…what’s a blogger to do?  I thought I’d share an interesting little discovery I made this week. 

Warning:  no pretty pictures or decorating inspiration below.  :(

When we bought the house in Hooterville, the garage did not have a door.  Actually, it still doesn’t.  We have bought one but with all the other projects and renovations going on, my hubby hasn’t had a chance to install it yet.  In the city, this would pose a security risk but out here in the country…apparently not so much, so the garage is open 24/7.

In the back left corner  of the garage is an entrance to the house  (with the door that I haven’t had a chance to paint yet).  Just a few feet from the door is an old refrigerator we use mostly for chilling extra drinks.

 Whenever bottled water is on sale for dirt cheap, we usually stock up.  We go through a lot of water during the hot summer months (plus it’s always good to have extra bottled water on hand  through hurricane season), so next to the refrigerator sits multiple cases of bottled water (and a case of Dr. Pepper). 

Stay with me here.  I’m actually going someplace  with this.  ;)

On top of the stacked cases of bottled water is an open case.

Much to my surprise, I discovered a bird’s nest in the open case a few days ago.  I thought this was such an odd place for a bird to build a nest.  But maybe not.  At least it’s out of the elements. 

There are no eggs in it yet but it is definitely an active nest because if there is too much activity around the back door or refrigerator,  Mrs. Bird (a small sparrow-like bird) flies out and startles the bezeebers out of me.  I’ve been trying to get a picture of her but every time I think to go out with my camera, she’s not in there.

Needless to say, in an effort not to disturb her too much, I guess we won’t be drinking much bottled water during the next month or two while we wait to see if she raises a family in there.

Have you ever found a nest in an odd place?

My Mission: A Pretty Southern Front Porch

Other than painting the exterior doors, sprucing up the outside of the house in Hooterville has taken a backseat to other, more pressing projects.

Across the front of the house is a nice size covered porch.

Although I still have a million and one projects left to do inside the house and there are still more moving boxes that need to be unpacked, I’ve got a bee in my bonnet to start fixing up the front of the house, especially the porch area.

This is my inspiration photo.  Love this!

 original photo source unknown

I see  several definite similarities between my porch and the one in my inspiration photo....long and narrow, brick house,  shutters, and columns… so I think it would be relatively easily achieve the same type of look. 

The heck with all the unfinished inside projects.  I’m a woman on a mission!   I’ve decided that starting this weekend, my current projects include:

• a whole lot of pressure washing
• painting the porch ceiling a pretty shade of light blue  (Did you know blue porch ceilings are an old Southern tradition?  There are numerous theories as to why...  fooling spiders and wasps into thinking the ceiling is the sky, to blue being a color of good luck, to the color extending daylight, to scaring away evil spirits.)
• painting the shutters black
• a fresh coat of white paint on the columns
• stain or paint the concrete floor
• find pretty wicker furniture and cushions
• a new outdoor ceiling fan
• plants and flowers

Hopefully, we will be enjoying our hot summer evenings with a cool drink on a pretty, Southern-inspired front porch.  What is your favorite way to spend a summer evening?