TEA AND SCONES AFTERNOON-- WISH YOU WERE HERE!

After a lovely time visiting with my daughter yesterday morning, we went to lunch in the charming town of Danville, California. Afterwards, we came home and I made a batch of homemade scones. You see, my granddaughter requested a tea party after she got home from school, so of course I had to bake the scones. They were lovely and delicious, served with whipped butter, strawberry jam and mock devonshire cream. I added fresh strawberries to the fare, along with red velvet cupcakes. A few minutes later, Mia, a friend of my granddaughter's, came over and I served her a scone and a cup of tea. After that, my grandson came in on his way to a basketball game, and grabbed two scones to eat on the way. Finally, my other granddaughter's friend Liv pops in and I served her a scone and a cup of tea as well. I thought there would be three leftovers for breakfast in morning, but alas, they were our dessert. All in all, the scones were a hit, I'm happy to say. Yes, it was a lovely scone afternoon. Wish you had been here!

HOW WAITERS READ YOUR TABLE

I liked this post explaining server psychology. After reading it, I now know how to act in order to get the best service. You can read it yourself to get all the tips, but a thought occurred to me; it is good etiquette to be considerate of your server. By treating them with respect and attention when they are trying to serve you, they will usually give outstanding service. I like to pretend that I'm the server and treat them like I would like to be treated. After all, dining out should be a lovely experience for everyone. Bon appetit! Here's the link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204909104577237152011781364.html

HAVE A LOVELY DAY, FRIENDS!

Where ever you are, what ever you're doing today, how ever you're feeling, I pray you have a lovely day. God bless you!

5 TIPS TO FIND CHEAP GAS PRICES

I found this to be a helpful link for those of us seeking the most bang for our buck! Hope it helps a few of you to save a little money when it comes to finding the best gas prices. Good luck! Here's the link:
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/breakout/5-tips-cheap-gas-prices-171526885.html

LOVELY LADY

I was so inspired by this article, inspired and saddened at the same time. I've always liked Dame Judi Dench and loved every movie she's made--so far. She's battling losing her eyesight at the moment and my heart goes out to her. At the moment, I'm spending time with my mom, who's 87, and talking at length about the issues she's facing as well. What I've discovered is if you spend your time productively, doing what you love, aging is not an issue. Aging is just another day in the adventure of life. May your day today be a lovely adventure! Here's the link I think you'll find inspirational.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/dame-judi-denchs-eyesight-battle-689976

VISIT FROM A SCOTTISH QUEEN

Please click on Queen of Tea Celebrity Author Interviews and join us for tea and a chat with Queen of the Week, Fiona McDroll. Have a lovely Monday, friends!

LET'S REST TODAY!

Are you like me? I get up in the mornings raring to go (after my coffee of course)! I can't wait to check my e-mails, Facebook posts, and spend a few moments with God, asking Him to direct my path for the day. Well, you may or may not do the last thing I do, but I highly recommend it to keep sane. I read a quote by Talli Roland that said, "Authors work every day." It's true! We can't seem to turn our minds off with all we have to do, writing, publishing and marketing our books. But here's the deal (and I've seen this happen to people), if you don't take a break at least one day a week to kick back and rest, the rest of the week is nothing but stressful work and you will burnout. So today, worship the Lord if you're a believer like I am, or at least take a break and do something to relax. If the words in the photo I've shown above is true, then take a break today (Sunday) and enjoy the rest; you'll feel renewed and ready to face a new week of opportunities. Have a lovely (and restful) day today!

PARENT ALERT!

"Now, go brush your teeth and get ready for ..." Whoa, parents! If your children are using spinbrushes (or any other electric toothbrushes), you may want to read this. For 39 million toothbrushes to receive an FDA warning, you may want to pay attention. Picture a little child (dressed in snugly pajamas) stepping up to the sink, squeezing toothpaste on their toothbrush, turning it on and inserting it into their tiny little mouth. Lovely scene. But wait! After loosing control for just a few seconds, the brush attacks (through no fault of it's own) and damages your child. Please be responsible and oversee these precious little ones. Thanks for listening!


http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/news/20120217/fda-warning-on-39-million-electric-toothbrushes

BIG NEWS!

  Okay, here's the big news--soon we'll be saving 30 (count them, 30) calories with the new Snickers, M&M's etc. coming out. I just don't know what to say! The only time I may eat such a thing would be Halloween, and that's if there's leftovers from the Trick or Treat bowl. But at least they're trying to help us slim down, right? And really, I think that's lovely! 30 calories, 30...! Here's the news link.
http://www.kare11.com/news/article/962511/18/Candy-bars-MMs-going-on-diet

EXERSISE TIP

 Okay, these is not pictures of me on the beach! I read an article this morning that finally agreed with my way of thinking about exercise. Small bursts of activity throughout the day seems to be just as effective as prolonged sessions. Every half hour (I set the timer on my microwave) I get up from my computer and do a chore (put in a load of laundry, unload the dishwasher or make a bed). I reset the timer for another 30 minutes, sit back down at my computer (writing my mystery novels) and go at it until the timer goes off. At least I know my blood is circulating this way and it's a lovely thing to get my chores finished without really thinking of them as chores. They're more like exercise sessions. Very efficient! This way, I get to write (which I love) and the work gets done. Another side benefit is I don't have time for snacking, so doing the brief spurts on a timer helps me keep my weight down as well. Life is good! Do you have tips on exercise? I'd love to hear them. Oh, here's the link if you want to read the article. http://nyti.ms/wlTYfi Have a lovely day!