Halloween and Pumpkin Teapots

A few readers have asked me where they can find Halloween Teapots and where I got mine. Honestly I lucked out last year and found the one I loved for years at a charity shop!

I actually only spent $6.99 on this lovely! But here are some Etsy and On line finds you may like just as much.

I found this one on Etsy from a shop called Sweetlarianescloset offered at $15

Not a Pumpking but I love this set and this is a great price offered on Etsy from Cybersweet at $45.00 

Not on Etsy but from a website called Collections Etc. This lovely Harvest teapot is offered at $14.99 click here to view the shop and listing.

On Amazon.com this Spode Havest Pumpkin will set you back $38.99 click here to view it

Or this Nantucket Home Harvest Pumpkin Teapot which is offered on Amazon at $19.99

Or this one from Winrose on Amazon.com for $39.95

If you are looking to add a Pumpkin or a Halloween Teapot to your collection, keep your eyes out at your local kitchen shop or thrift store or you can check out any of the links to the teapots shown above!

If you have a photo of your own  Halloween teapot you want to share with me that I can share with others please email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Thank you for joining me for A Cup of Tea and A holiday teapot! 

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

3 Books I Saw On Pinterest That I Want To Read Based On Their Title And Covers!

So while I was brought up being told "not to judge a book by it's cover" I have found that when choosing a new to me cozy mystery and author this has been my best practice! With Halloween just around the corner I am really into the Paranormal Cozy Mysteries and set out to see if I could spy some I series I have not yet read!
I wanted to get out and go book shopping but my local book store doesn't carry anyone who is not top seller and I have to order my books from The Book Depostory to get the best price and free shipping so I was browsing Pinterest and found Three I can not wait to read!
The first book I came across that I want to read is this one by Jennifer Harlow. It was the cover that grabbed me and then the title truth be told. Here is the write up on the book from The Book Depository... "Mona McGregor's To Do List - Make 20 13 potions/spells/charms- Put girls to bed- Help with Debbie's wedding- Lose 30 pounds before bachelorette auction- Deal with the bleeding werewolf on doorstep- Find out who wants me dead- Prepare for supernatural summit- Have a nervous breakdown- Slay a damn demon- Fall in love..."
This one is in my basket at The Book Depository ready for me to check out as soon as I get paid this month! Click here to order it and read it with me!

Next up is this one who's very busy cover caught my eye! The White Magic Five and Dime looks great too!  "Much to Alanis McLachlan's surprise, her estranged con-woman mother has left her an inheritance: The White Magic Five & Dime, a shop in tiny Berdache, Arizona. Reluctantly traveling to Berdache to claim her new property, Alanis decides to stay and pick up her mother's tarot business in an attempt to find out how she died. With help from a hunky cop and her mother's live-in teenage apprentice, Alanis begins faking her way through tarot readings in order to win the confidence of her mother's clients. But the more she uses the tarot deck, the more Alanis begins to find real meaning in the cards ... and the secrets surrounding her mother's demise"  This one looks good too! Click here to learn more about it and read it along with me! 

The third and last one as my cart is now over $30 in cozy costs for this order is Ghostly Paws by Leighann Dobbs, "Middle age can be murder ... At least that's how it seems to former crime journalist, Wilhelmina Chance, whose near-fatal accident has given her a strange side effect ... she sees ghosts. After a messy divorce sends her fleeing back to her hometown of Mystic Notch, nestled in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Willa finds herself haunted by the tenacious ghost of the town librarian who insists Willa solve her murder. Luckily, she has lots of help, including a quirky cast of small-town characters, the cat she's inherited from her grandmother, and her best friend, Pepper, who claims her herbal teas can work magic. But just when Willa thinks she's discovered who the killer is, she finds out that things are not what they seem in Mystic Notch, and the case takes a strange turn that has Willa adding even some of her long-time friends to her suspect list. Can Willa find the real killer in time to keep the magical balance in Mystic Notch on the side of good, or will evil prevail?"
This one looks right up my alley as well! To learn more about this book or to order from The Book Depository please click here.

I am looking forward to putting these books on my table soon and if you have read them or have  a series to recommend to me please leave me a comment below or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com
I am off to finish this cup of Earl Grey Tea, Enjoy your day!

A Cup of Tea and A Cornbread & Soup Recipe

Yesterday I used the Ham bone from Sunday night dinner at my in laws to make Split Pea Soup from All Recipes.com while the soup simmered I set off to try my hand at baking cornbread in a cast iron skillet.

I borrowed my neighbor and friend Jennifer's cast iron pan to try this recipe out. I had asked for recipes on my Facebook page and my southern friend, Author Patricia Neely-Dorsey directed me to a few that looked amazing. As I have a problem with Lactose I altered the recipes I was sent and created the yummy cornbread shown above.

 To make your own you will need:

1/4 cup of margarine or butter

1-1/2 cups yellow cornmeal

3 tablespoons of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 cup of lactose free cream

1/2 cup of water

1 large egg

Step 1- Pre heat your oven to 450 degrees. Then over medium heat place your cast iron pan and melt 1/4 cup of margarine or butter. In a medium bowl place your cornmeal, flour, baking soda and baking powder then salt.
Step 2- Mix the dry indigence and add your cream and water, stir in and then beat in your egg.
Step 3- Pour your batter back in to your cast iron pan and place in the oven. Bake until the sides of your cornbread are golden brown. Remove from the oven and place on heat proof surface, allow to cool 5 mins then cut and sever with a cup of tea or a great soup recipe and the perfect Southern Poem!

I really enjoy Patricia's poems and the poem shown above is my most favorite! To learn more about Mississippi's Goodwill Ambassador and amazing Poet please click here.  
The good thing about making soup yesterday is that I have lunch ready for today!
Thank you for joining me today for a cup of tea, a slice of corn bread, bowl of soup and a great book of poetry! I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Owl Themed Tea Cozy's

I have had the pleasure of being quite cold this weekend, we are getting back to our normal rain and damp weather and I am thrilled, I actually turned the heat on yesterday! My thoughts turn to warm and cozy rainy afternoons and a bit of online shopping. I came across thess Owl  patterns on Etsy that I just had to share. First up shown above, from a shop called YarnKneedlesandThread is an adorable owl cozy! $5.46 is the cost of the knitting pattern and I aspire to be good enough to one day knit this cozy! Click here to view the shop and pattern listing. 

If you are better with one hook give this pattern a try! Offered by Shazzaknits for $3.55 this is a very cute tea cozy as well! Click here for this pattern listing.

If you are like me and prefer to sew check out this cute owl tea cozy pattern! I love that the owl holds the tea bags and spoons! This is not a down loadable pattern so you would have to wait for it to arrive in the mail but is is so cute I don't think I would mind too much! Click here for this pattern listing from  Gabby's Quilts and Supplies Etsy Shop pattern offered at $6.50 plus shipping.
These would make lovely gifts for the Owl and Tea Lover in your life!
Thank you for joining me for A Cup of Tea and A Cozy Mystery today! I would love to hear from you and see what you make if you get one of these patterns! So please email me at karenmowen@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

Eva Gates Booked For Trouble A Library Lighthouse and Apartment, I am ready to move in!

I stayed up late last night to finish reading Booked for Trouble by Eva Gates. This is the second book in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series and a very enjoyable read. This book picks up where the first one By Book or By Crook left off and this summer based story was the perfect long weekend read. The story focus on main character Lucy who has moved to live and work at the Bodie Island Lighthouse as a librarian and gets the added bonus of living on site! How wonderful would that be!
In this story her mother visits from Boston and stirs up a whole mess of trouble for Lucy.

Lucy who has become quite settled and adjusted in Outer Banks has no desire to return to Boston and marry to please her mother. As in all cozy mystery stories a Murder occurs and Lucy and her mother get tangled in the story. Lucy fights to not only stay in Outer Banks and build her life at the Lighthouse but also for her relationship with her mother.

This is a good read, story about mothers and daughters and life all wrapped up in a cozy mystery.
To find out more about the Lighthouse Library Mystery Series and Eva Gates please click here. 
To order a copy of Booked for Trouble from the Book Depository (Like I did with free shipping) please click here. 

To order the first book by Book or by Crook please click here.
Thank you for joining me for A Cup of Tea and A Cozy Mystery Review. 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 August 29th to September 5th

New on my table this week and just under the wire is Eva Gates latest Lighthouse Library Mystery. I  love lighthouses as much as I love witches so this is a wonderful series in my books. This one is not paranormal just a really fun read. I am excited to continue reading more of this today! To find out more about this Eva Gate's Lighthouse Library Mystery series please click here. 

Yesterday I went to the PNE here in Vancouver and picked up the most wonderful Mini Doughnuts. A tradition here and pretty much what I ate for dinner last night is what you see in that bag! Waiting for me along with Eva Gates book was The Witches Spell Book I ordered also from the Book Depoistory. I love this little book and it looks great on the table and packs well in my purse! Click here to learn more about this fun little book. 

These little doughnuts were still warm when we brought them home and paired really nicely with my Earl Grey Tea....still dreaming about the doughnuts thrilled it is only once a year or they would be a very bad habit for me!

Also on my table this week from www.dragonmoon.ca I ordered this cast iron cauldron in the shape of a teapot with a Celtic symbol on the front. I love this little teapot! I also ordered some Lavender Sweet Grass for Smudging. It smells delightful. There are some truly wonderful items on the Dragon Moon website for witch enthusiasts like me or practicing pagans. This is a Canadian Shop and it ships world wide. I was happy to find it and their customer service is fantastic.   

I finished Carol J. Perry's book Look Both Ways this week as well and I am just thrilled to have been able to get an ARC of this book. Out in November this is a great series!

This long weekend marks the end of summer for us and school starts on Tuesday. What a wonderful summer we have had and I am amazed at all we have seen, all that we have done and all that I have had the pleasure of reading. I am delighted and amazed as I look back as well this summer as to how much this page has grown. I am so thankful to have each and everyone of you join me for A cup of tea and a Cozy Mystery each day. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Cover Art For Gone With The Witch From Heather Blake And A Ghost Of Potion Out This October 6th! Two Great Witch Series To Love!

In 242 more days Heather Blake's Wishcraft Mystery Gone With The Witch will be released. I was so excited to see the cover art and now to share it with you. While there are so many wonderful fall releases I am looking forward too this one on pins and needles!

 Heather Blake also writes another Witch series I love and pre ordered the latest installment Ghost of a Potion due out October 6th. This is a great series and centers around cousins and family, with crazy aunts and wild adventures this one is a series not to miss either!

You may have noticed that I love Witch themed mysteries and if you are ever wondering why my love of witches comes from my exposure to the show Bewitched growing up and finding so many wonderful authors who write fantastic mysteries about strong witches has been a delight in my adulthood.

When I grow up I would love to be part Samantha, Part Endora and a healthy dose of Aunt Clara....
but back to the books...

There are so many wonderful books already written in both these series that you could spend the next few weeks catching up before your pre orders arrive!
To Pre Order A Ghost of A Potion with free shipping From The Book Depository and 10% off at time of publishing please click here.

To Pre Order Gone With The Witch out this Spring also with Free Shipping From The Book Depository an 10% please click here

To learn more about Heather Blake's Series now on sale at The Book Depository please click here.

To learn more about Heather Blake/Webber Books visit her website by clicking here.