blood orange sky

"it will have blood, they say;

blood will have blood".

william shakespeare

i was a little obsessed with

blood oranges this spring,

and when our book

"the secret keeper"

talked about blood orange tea,

i had to try it!

it was really good!

i got it from here

http://www.republicoftea.com/cranberry-blood-orange-fair-trade-certified/p/V00600/

i think the blood oranges themselves

are so pretty!

"of all that is written, i love only what a person has written with his own blood".

~friedrich nietzsch

i thought

"blood orange marmalade"

looked and sounded 

delicious!

but the tea was definitely

good...

especially for summer... 

“you are in my blood. i can't help it.

we can't be anywhere except together”

hope you have a great day!

(we will revisit

blood oranges when we read this

in september:)

can't wait!

she is local!!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16104353-blood-moon

bye...

more later...

“It's a terrible thing, isn't it, the way we throw people away?”

“But it is human, is it not, to long for that from which we are barred?” 
― Kate Morton, 

The Secret Keeper

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

the following information was taken from

here

THE SECRET KEEPER 

This picture of a Tunbridge Wells farmhouse was one of a few that sat on my pin board while I was writing The Secret Keeper

1961: On a sweltering summer's day, while
her family picnics by the stream on their
Suffolk farm, sixteen-year-old Laurel hides out
in her childhood tree house dreaming of a boy
called Billy, a move to London, and the bright
future she can't wait to seize. But before the
idyllic afternoon is over, Laurel will have witnessed
a shocking crime that changes everything.

Dorothy and Vivien, as imagined for the endpapers of the Mantle, UK edition

2011: Now a much-loved actress, Laurel finds herself overwhelmed by shades of the past. Haunted by memories, and the mystery of what she saw that day, she returns to her family home and begins to piece together a secret history. A tale of three strangers from vastly different worlds--Dorothy, Vivien and Jimmy--who are brought together by chance in wartime London and whose lives become fiercely and fatally entwined...

i loved this book...
it was so good...

here is my review from goodreads

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to the audible version of this book and I thought the narrator was fantastic! At times I thought the long way was taken to get to the point but at the end realized that was the perfect way to tell this story. It reminded me of those old WWII movies. The pacing of the end was brilliant and I absolutely loved Jimmy. He was so unbelievably lovely and heroic. Vivian was mysterious and fragile and Dolly was so likable and frustrating and at times so hard to read. I loved it! It will make a great movie!

View all my reviews

i would have loved to get together and talk about this one...

i would have served...

Discussion Questions
1. Each of Kate Morton's four novels are securely anchored in their strong sense of time and place. In The Secret Keeper, World War II is a rich and realistic environment–close enough for memory but a long way from our twenty-first century lives—which allows the author to show both the frailty and courage of human nature. Discuss.

2. The rusted-on loyalties of family members to each other are key in this novel. Do you think Dolly's feelings of unease about her own family contribute to her love of playing make-believe?

3. Laurel had never thought to ask her mother about her life before Dorothy met Stephen Nicolson. And it's impossible for Dolly to imagine Lady Caldicott being young and beautiful wearing those glorious dresses now going musty in the dressing room. And Jimmy's dad loves to tell his stories of the past. How is ageing portrayed in The Secret Keeper?

4. Many readers have commented on how extremely likeable Jimmy is–how has Kate Morton developed his character to make him so?

5. Do you think that The Secret Keeper's characters live the lives they deserve? Were you satisfied and surprised at their various outcomes and their influences on each other?

6. Once you understood Dorothy's reasons for committing that violent action at the end of chapter one, did you find any moral ambiguity in her behaviour? Did she really have a choice?

7. Everyone has their secrets. The Secret Keeper, some more than others! Do you think Laurel is justified in upturning her mother's carefully laid secrets? When is keeping a secret within a family justified?
(Questions issued by publisher.)

maybe had some of these while we talked 

drank

blood orange tea...

mom...

you will love this book!

p.s.
on baby watch for baby boy thomas:)

bye...

more later...

a misst ye sae muckle!

a misst ye sae muckle!

means 

"i missed you so much!"

we should totally have a scottish tea!...

maybe some of this...

 what i learned about 

"scottish breakfast tea" 

is that it is one degree stronger than 

"english breakfast"...

and one degree weaker than 

"irish breakfast":)

seriously fascinating 

right?...

we should have it with scottish scones...

what i learned about scones is that there really is no difference between scottish and british...

i made these with currents and also made some with blueberries...

both were fantastic...

however,

they weren't super pretty:(

i guess i need practice:)

the scottish prefer

confectioners sugar sprinkled on top

and the british prefer sanding or granualated

sugar...

and the scottish prefer their clotted cream to be runny and to "soak" the scone...  

whereas the british prefer 

"soft clotted cream" 

to run gently down the sides...

"lang may yer lum reek"

live long and prosper

guid eenin!

good evening!

bye...

more later...

holly golightly and the london fog

if you want something fun to do on a rainy afternoon...

try this.....

watch "breakfast at tiffany's and sip a london fog:)

here is a look at the opening scene (my favorite scene:))

all the stuff in between is delightful and beautiful...

(i think she might be the only women in the world who could get away with those adorable bangs)

and the end....

well...

have a look...

and i think that george peppard looks like chris pine...

or tony dinozzo on ncis...

it's a treat to watch and once again, new york looks like the most amazing place to live...

Holly Golightly: You could always tell what kind of a person a man thinks you are by the earrings he gives  

you. I must say, the mind reels.

Holly Golightly: A girl can't read that sort of thing without her lipstick

`````````````````````````

the london fog

a london fog is a vanilla black tea latte...

i prefer to make mine with hot cinnamon spice tea from 

harney & sons 

it is available at barnes and noble...

their tea bags are beautiful and the tea is delicious...

(black tea has the highest amount of caffeine of all the teas but it still only has 20% of the amount found in coffee)

first you brew the tea...

then steam or heat 2 tablespoons of 1% milk (skim milk does not froth well and there are only 6.7 calories in one tablespoon of 1% milk)

then add a splash of half and half...

i sweeten the milk just a little and then froth it and pour any liquid into the tea and spoon the foam on top...

then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar...

(if you want to sweeten the tea use a little turbinato or raw sugar)

this delicious latte has less than 40 calories and tastes amazing..... 

and my favorite toast is a raisin bagel from winco (they are the best, small and dense)

toasted, with butter and homemade raspberry peach jam...

now this was a great way to spend a rainy afternoon....

bye...

more later... 

strawberry cuppa chocolate

As featured on NBC Today Show as the top 10 Skinny Foods all dieters should try.

Decadent chocolate paired with a hint of strawberry in this seductively delicious cup. Rooibos, or red tea, provides the base in which these two flavors mingle. Sipping this delicious dessert tea together may inspire a long and loving life for you and your sweetheart.

this tea...

so yummy....

check it out here

Caffeine:

Rooibos (Red Tea) is naturally caffeine-free. More about caffeine.

Steeping Instructions

Steeping red tea is easy. Simply heat fresh, filtered water to a rolling boil. Then pour water over tea and steep for 5-7 minutes if using a tea bag or full-leaf.

Ingredients

Rooibos, carob, cocoa kernels, chocolate flavor, strawberry flavor, sweet blackberry leaves and bourbon vanilla beans

Calories

0

Country of Origin

South Africa

all i have to say is...

if you want chocolate and you don't want calories...

try this..

bye...

more later...

robyn's teapot

robyn was the grand prize winner of our giveaway and she recieved her package and sent us a picture. yay!!!

she also sent this message:

The sample herbal tea was delicious!!
Thanks!!
Robyn

she also mentioned that there is a teavana in san antonio, tx, where she lives and she is headed there for more tea!!

hope you all are enjoying the book...

it's supposed to rain here this weekend and i am going to be watching "singin' in the rain" so watch for the movie review or if you have nothing to do watch it too! gotta love gene kelly:)

make some kettle corn...at last count 4 of us got the whirley pop since cindy's recomendation and i have to tell you, they are the bomb. real kettle corn in 3 min.

they have them at bed bath and beyond.

so check it out:)

bye...

more later...

(this site has more whirley pop recipes)

makinzy's teapot

look who had a birthday...

makinzy was one of our winners in the giveaway.

she won a package of blueberry bliss tea.

she also got this beautiful teapot for her birthday and sent a picture. the meaning of the monkey is "quick witted and full with energy".

nice one kinz:)

looks gorgeous with your countertops...

I got nasty habits; I take tea at three. ~ Mick Jagger

bye...

more later...

p.s. if you were a winner and recieved your loot, send us a picture (or if you got you a great teapot, i would love to see it and what it signifies:)

earl grey white

white tea: (less then 1% of the caffeine of coffee)

white tea has the highest amount of antioxidents while having very little caffeine.

earl grey white is a modern turn on the world's most popular tea.

this lighter and brighter earl grey has uplifting apricot nuances and tartly orange flavor from elite bergamont.

all balanced with a smooth infusion of superior white tea.

white tea promotes detoxification and body hydration and may support healthy skin and complexion.

remember, tea counts as pure water consumption:)

goes great with the cookies i made and froze last month!

bye...

more later...