May The Fourth Be With you

It is May the fourth and in my family that is Star Wars Day. This year on my brithday I binged watched the Mandolorian, ( not sure how to spell) with my oldest son and then I found these cups and saucers that were plain at the dollar store. I added some free SVG clips which I printed on my cricut joy and made the perfect cups and saucers for my Star Wars loving niece in London England, but I had to try them out before I sent them.

I made these on Saturday and they were a labor of love. I made one with "The Child" aka baby yoda and then on the back of each of them this...

While they are not perfect they are perfect for me and I hear my niece in London England is pretty excited to see them. I made these using the Cricut joy, permanent vinyl and some free SVG patterns. They are not dishwasher safe, as all good china should be :) nor should they go in the microwave. 
I had so much fun making these and debuting them today for May 4th. I hope that you can add a little Star Wars Magic into your day.
Thank you for joining me for a cup of Star Wars themed tea and a Monday morning check in.
I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com 

Early Morning Thoughts in The Dark

As I write this I have been up more than and hour, its still black as night and just after 5 am here on the West Coast. I woke from a fitful sleep and decided now would be as good a time as any to get up. Just the cat and I this morning surrounded by birdsong and anticipation of the daily news. 

My sister in London is up, she messaged me about an hour before I got up wondering if I was up, that would have been just about 3 am. Our daily conversations are quick, few sentence statements about the world and the virus that has many of us safe at home.  For those of you who don't know I am in Canada, on the West Coast, my sister is in London England. As of yesterday more than 26,900 people in the UK have died from Covid-19, in Canada, a country so much larger, we are at 2,996.  The numbers are staggering and very much disheartening as much as vastly different. 

I have been taking comfort in being home, safe at home, yet constantly in a state of panic. From one moment to the next, I can feel comfortable and happy and completely at a loss.  The constant state of anxiety and heightened awareness gnaws at the back of my neck and the pit of my stomach. It robs me of the gift of the present and steals from my tomorrows. On the times I do venture out, the anxiety gives way temporary to the task at hand, yet the very act of going out, putting everyone at risk, is unbelievably outwardly normal looking. For a second, being in the car seems normal. Going to the store, despite the lines, feels somewhat routine, yet on the way home the knowledge that things are far from normal and guilt for even the simplest trip grips at me.

I try not to check the news every hour, but it is hard to refrain. I busy myself with crafting and projects I have always wanted to try but never found the time. But distraction is only a temporary relief. I was for the last 6 weeks worried about being at home, worried about the people in my community, my home and family. Now I am worried about going back, out into that same community, back to work, back to the unknown.  I feel like we are at war with an unseen entity, fighting blindly and unmatched in weaponry. I wonder if this feeling will pass, or if this unsettled new way of being is our new normal.

I feel a little like this fairy jar I made, safe and warm inside, looking out at a world in a shroud of darkness, waiting to be let out.

Hoping your feeling safe at home, and that sharing these feelings are more of a time capsule of a glimpse into what it truly felt like to live through the pandemic and survive to come out on the other side of it.
Thank you for allowing me to share and for joining me for these early morning thoughts. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Sunday Morning Breakfast Birthday Tea...

It's my birthday today. I started my day with nod to my childhood. When I was very young my mother would set up a blanket in the middle of the floor and leave me a picnic of fruit loop cereal, a cup of milk covered with a plate and a new doll. My mom died ten years ago and it is funny what you remember and what you miss. So in a nod to the wonderful memory, I ordered Fruit Loops with my groceries this week, made my self a cup of tea in my Queen Anne Birthday Teacup and set up Bath Time Barbie, which my best friend sent me for my birthday. I felt the love surrounding me as I sipped my tea, ate my Fruit Loops (which still taste like I remember) and played with my new doll.

The thing about  my birthday is I share it, with my twin nieces Cadence and Hannah. They turned 13 today, they live in London England and I was able to get their gifts of to them in time and looks like they both enjoyed them from the photos I saw on Facebook this morning. I saw them last in October, they are both much taller than me now, I hope that in time I can get over to see them again. 

My cat Squirrel came to join me at the table as she normally does first thing shared her love and cat hair with Barbie and I.

I have been playing with my new Cricut Joy and made myself a little nightlight, I have to perfect my cutting still around the handle but I love how this turned out. I got the little light at the dollar tree and am planing on doing other crafts through out the day.
I hope wherever you are today that you find time to sit and sip some tea, turn off the world, craft, garden or play. Thank you for joining me here and I look forward to sharing more with you again soon.
I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Rainy Saturday Share...

Good morning from my kitchen to yours, this very stormy day. The rain is falling so heavy and I am emjoying the sound of the water filling each of my plant pots, hitting the stairs and bouncing of the pavement stones.

I have made muffins from a mix, the same ones my mom would make me on days like this, and as I write this post I am on my third, with peanut butter.

In times like this it is amazing to take the quiet moments and savor them before turning on the news, the world and the hustle and bustle of just staying home. I wanted to share a bit about myself this morning. I have ADHD, diagnosed not just saying it because it is a catch phrase. Sometimes my ADHD is a huge benefit and sometimes, like in the photo below it can be a bit of a shock...

In times of excitement and in times of stress, from the time I wake up to the time I hit the pillow my mind, is constantly racing. I am so used to it that I often don't notice it, unless I am making tea...
I have to remind myself to slow down and remember that this ritual demands 100% of my attention. Most of the time, I catch myself and remember, however this week, on more than three occasions, the classic distractions of life got my full attention and my tea did not. I found more than ten tea bags in my pot three times this week. I was wondering why my tea was so strong and this was why, I know exactly how I did it, put three in the pot, turned the water on to boil, added three more to the pot, got distracted, water boiled, put three tea bags in the pot, poured the water in....had the tea, looked in the pot and realized I had added nine and missed one when I cleaned it out.  Anyway I just thought I would share that with all of you, funny and sad, but don't worry I did not waste the tea. Just enjoyed it and watered it down with more hot water throughout the day.

May your Saturday be calm and your teacup be full. Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea on this rainy Saturday and some self deprecating humor. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Tea-a-storic Times call for Tea-a-storic Maeasures... A Roary The Tea Rex Story By Karen Margaret.

This is Roary The Tea Rex. Roary is feeling very isolated at the moment because things are not quite the same as they were a little while ago. A very serious virus called the Covid-19 Virus has all the grownups, kids, dinosaurs and unicorns very concerned. In order to keep as many people safe as possible, people are being asked to stay away from work, schools, daycare centers, their grandparents their friends and playgrounds.  Working together to stay home and keep people safe is the best thing people, unicorns and dinosaurs can do. Unless you are a first line worker like, hang on this is a long list....Grocery Store Superheros, Doctors, Nurses, Hospital Staff, Janitors, Garbage/Recycling People, Post Office Workers, Pharmacists, Police, Fire and Ambulance Drivers and Paramedics as well as Bus Drivers,  Chefs and Delivery people, who are all doing the best they can to keep us all safe and well. 

Roary is keeping busy, but Roary is feeling a bit sad not seeing in person, friends and family. But Roary had a plan...
The weather is really nice in the back garden and the grown ups say as long as you stay in the garden you will protect yourself and your friends. So Roary had a plan to have a tea party. Roary set the table with a very spring like table cloth, got out the tea pot, two plates and two cups and saucers. Roary Placed the cups, plates and saucers on the table and the cream and sugar. A beautiful bouquet of flowers was just what the back garden tea party needed for a pop of color. Roary was getting very excited.

Roary filled each cup with the teapot, 

Placing one cup and saucer at each place... but something was still missing.

Roary was almost ready, but missing their best friend Frankie...

So Roary asked a grown up to Face Time Frankie, and the two friends enjoyed a nice visit and a lovely tea party, in the garden and still kept each other safe, neither friend felt lonely today.

Roary and Frankie would like you to know that if you liked this story, we would love you to share it with someone you love. 

Remember make a cup of tea and connect with someone you love and miss today. 

I would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com