Put On The Kettle! It's Time To Celebrate! I Just Found Out That I Have Been Nominated For An Award.

 

I found out today that I have been nominated by one of my readers for my blogging work here in Metro Vancouver where I live. I have been give the honor of being one of VancouverMom.ca's top 30 Mom Bloggers. I am so excited to be honored this year and I am looking forward to the Gala Event which will be held at an exclusive boutique in historic Gastown here in Vancouver in June.  I understand that there will be a vote for Vancouver's Top Mom Blogger and prizes for this event and I am really loooking forward to it. I promise to post more about this event when I know more. If you would like to read the write up they wrote about me please visit VancouverMom.ca by clicking here.
I am off to make a celebratory Lemon Tea!
Thank you for stopping in for a cup of tea and I will be back with more cozy mysteries later!
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Some Like It Witchy, I Most Certainly Did...

In my life time there has only been one other series then the wish craft mystery series that has bewitched me so completely.This book arrived at my door just before 1 pm today and I started it at 1:30 it is 8:29 now. To say I could not put this book down is putting it lightly. 

Three pots of tea and a cat to accompany me, this was one of my favorite stories in this series. I felt transported from the first paragraph and like I had just dropped in on an old friend. 

I was lucky enough to be selected to read Heather Blake's newest Wishcraft Mystery which arrived today ahead of the copy I had pre ordered months ago and I sat down and got started and finished in just a few hours. There is so much in Heathers characters that the reader can relate to, route for and emotionally invest in. I laughed, I cried and I was sad to say good bye, until next time, the way any visit with a good friend should be. If the Wishcraft Mystery Series is one you are not familiar with I promise you will be bewitched and transported to The Enchanted Village and you are not going to want to ever leave. 
Some Like It Witchy comes out tomorrow May 5th 2015 be sure to get your own copy by clicking any of the links here below.
The Book Depository , Amazon, Amazon.ca,
Chapters/Indigo Canada
Thank you for joining me for A Cup of Tea and A Cozy Mystery. As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

On My Table And In My Cup This Week April 26- May 2nd

 

This has been a very long feeling week. Sunday was my 40th birthday and I celebrated with my husband & boys and extended family heading to our Science Center, Telus World Of Science and then to The Old Spaghetti factory in historic Gas Town. The Science Center and Lunch were fantastic and a great way to spend my birthday. I spend most of the week enjoying Paris tea from adorabelletearoom.com this black tea with currant and bergamot has moved to the number one spot on my list of black teas. I also enjoyed Serenity Now from Davids Tea thanks to my friend Daniela.

 I was thrilled that my Tea Time Magazine arrived and with it the published letter I sent in about them featuring my favorite Royal Albert Pattern

 Thank you to my friend Laine Barash for this stunning photo of my letter in Tea Time Magazine along with her own china, she and I share many similar tastes.

Inspired by her photo I tried my own version of that photo with my favorite poem by Patricia Neeley-Dorsey called Country Living. This week I baked muffins and carrot cake. I did not get to the tea time squares and bars like I had hoped to. My week had lots of "Plot Twists" to it, I hope to get to them in the coming two weeks.

We had some wonderful rain and hail showers and Squirrel the cat had the right idea about how to spend the damp and cold morning. I am still reading and loving Hooked on Ewe by Hannah Read 65 more days until this lovely 2nd book debuts.

My sister gave me a sugar bowl candle for my birthday that is Earl Grey scented and handmade by Kelly Robinson of Vintage Charm Home Decor.

It is very beautiful and a great addition to my table.

 

 I was pleased and surprised to receive and Advanced Reading Copy of Caught Read-Handed from Terrie Farley Moran and I am thrilled to have contributed the recipe included at the end of this story! I hope you will all enjoy it. 65 more days until it is released as of today as well.

 

I was able to enjoy my tea in my new tea mug from my boys that says Keep calm and Embrace on, in the Sunshine yesterday, while opening my mail. I was relieved and beyond excited that Lemon Pies and Little White Lies finally was delivered by Canada Post from The Book Depository! Canada Post seems to like to hold my pre-orders from Ellery Adams and Lucy Arlington. I am just thrilled it has arrived. To order your own copies please click here. I must remember to pick my mail man up a coffee card to thank him for constantly checking on my missing orders for me!
Thank you for taking time to join me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery this week.
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Heading To Malice? Take Me With You!

Today many wonderful authors and super mystery fans are off to Malice today. I only recently learned about Malice, this conference sounds amazing. Offered to mystery lovers and authors alike this three day convention in Washington DC offers mystery fans the chance to get up close and personal with several of their favorite authors. As I see many of my favorite authors and fellow Facebook cozy mystery fans regularly on Facebook I want to wish them safe travels. I see many of them posting that they are heading to this annual spring event today and send my best wishes and hope that they will have a fantastic time. Living on the West Coast the cost of going to Malice is very high for me but perhaps I will have to save my loonies and put this conference on my bucket list!
To learn more about Malice please click here. I can not wait to see the photos and hear the stories from this weekends event. If you happen to be heading to the conference, tell them all I say hello!
With you in Spirit! Thank you for joining me for this quick cup of tea.
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

It's My Birthday! I Celebrated It With Friends and Family at Adorabelle Tea Room In Steveston BC, Canada

So today is my birthday. Last weekend my sister Stephanie surprised me with a surprise birthday tea party at the Adorabelle Tea Room and Gift Shop in Steveston BC. The tea room was once the 1925 Court House for the Village of Steveston. The tiny tea room is located about an hour from where I live and is one of the smallest tea rooms I have ever been in.

The menu was set for our party of 12 and this tea room can only seat 20 and has a strict 1 hour and 15 min turn over policy to accommodate those hoping to get in to experience for themselves this cozy little tea room.
The sandwich layer had a lovely Waldorf Chicken Salad, The perfect egg sandwich and a salmon sandwich which my mother in law loved (I don't eat fish do to a shell fish allergy) Also on the bottom tray a savory muffin with bacon and chive cream and a cheddar and herb cracker that was made in house. The scones were delightful and the desert tray was enjoyable. The item that stood out most on the dessert layer was the Earl Grey Shortbread that was simply perfect.
I had their Adorabelle Paris Tea which is a black tea with Currant, Bergamont and Caramel and I have had two pots of this tea every day since. I purchased three bags of 80grms of their tea for $25 while in their gift shop and see myself driving out there to purchase more shortly. I have to say this is in my top 5 favorite black teas ever.

The tables were all painted a creamy white color and they matched the felt tea cozies that adorned everyone's pretty pink personal teapots.

In their gift shop they have a lovely wall with mounted teacups and saucers, it was very stunning. The shop offered bags of their house tea selections, mugs, handmade tea items and soaps.

The tea room and shop is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11-5 pm. To find out more or to book yourself in for tea please visit their website by clicking here.

 Once home from the tea party I actually made a pot of the Paris tea and set myself a pretty table setting featuring some of the lovely gifts my wonderful friends and family gave me.

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I had a wonderful time visiting this tea room and it was a great place to go with my young nieces as well they had a great kids tea menu and was the perfect location for our girls day out.
Thank you for joining me today for A Cup of birthday tea and today's post. As with my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

On My Table And In My Cup This Week April 19-25th

I have had a very busy week this on my table and I am so thrilled that the mail man brought me an advanced reading copy of Hooked on Ewe by Hannah Reed. I loved her first book in this new series and I am doing a happy dance to get to read it 75 plus days early! This is book along with the new Garden Tea Pot from my father are the gems on my table this week.

 It was also Mr. William Shakespeare's birthday and death day as I understand it this past week and I am amazed at the impact that his words and work still have today. The above is my cup of tea and acknowledgment of the celebration of his life. 

 

I ordered The Seafront Tea Rooms from The Book Depository recently and though not a cozy was drawn to the book by the cover and the title and I am looking forward to reading this one. 

I also had a selection of my tea and recipe books out this week. As well as my very soggy cat, one of my sons tried to "help her get over her fear of water" by attempting to bathe her Thursday night. New rule in the house no trying to Baptize or Convert the cat...

Searching for the perfect square recipe to try out next week I laid out a few favorite cookbooks

I shall share that recipe with you one I find exactly what I was looking for.

 In my cup this week I found a heart. A young friend of mine named Ahmie who is 15 is battling cancer, I think about Ahmie, her mother and young sister and light a candle each morning. In their updates it is clear that Ahmie's hospice care is filling their days and through it all the family continues to live more in one day then most of us do in our life times.

If you would like to learn more about Ahmie and her family please visit Operation Love For Ahmie by clicking here.
So do share with me what was on your table and in your cup this week?
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery.
As  with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Great Book, Great Series! Grimm's Furry Tail by Kathi Daley The Third Book In The Whales and Tails Mystery Series.

I finished Grimm's Furry Tail last night. Kathi Daley is one of my favorite Authors. I swear the woman must never sleep, every time I turn around and am looking for something to read she has another book coming in out in one of her fantastic series, all of which I read and enjoy.

I loved the three books in this series for so many reasons. Kathi is great at providing her readers with intriguing story arcs as well as characters you can really get behind and support. Personally I loved this series because it happens so close to where I live here on the West Coast an there are not too many cozies set in the Pacific North West. I also love the idea of a Cat/Book/Coffee sanctuary, long lost loves and friendships and families that stand the test of time, of hardship and of joy.
If you are looking for a warm and friendly series with a bit of murder mystery and fantastic characters check out Kathi Daley's Whales and Tails Series which is being sold as a box set on Amazon for your Kindle (or Ipad app like mine) for $2.99 Click here for more information.
Thank you for joining me here for A Cup of Tea and A Cozy Mystery Review.
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com