THOUGHTS ABOUT FIBROMYALGIA

Thoughts About Fibromyalgia

Fibro has this way of invading every aspect of one's life.  I have over time learned to manage my life around my Fibro but even still some days I get so frustrated that I have to live my life as I do.  I so want to be able to jump up, get dressed and spend the day doing normal stuff.  I want to go out shopping during the day, go to lunch with friends and just feel normal.  Instead everyday when I wake up there is a process to get to the point where I can actually interact with the world.   If I do rush it and jump out there, I physically get sick and usually end of vomiting.  I know that is gross but it is part of my life.  I never tell anyone what I had to go through just to get out of the house, it is to embarrassing.  So everyday I wake up and it takes me several hours to "pull myself together".   I have to start taking meds. at 6 am and then rest and take more meds. and inch my way out of bed.  If it is very sunny I simply can not tolerate the light.  If it is hot, I can not tolerate that either.  If I smell anything it turns my stomach.  If there is a loud noise, that too makes me sick.  If someone asked anything of me, I am unable to help them out.  It is very crippling. I love my blog because it is a place where I can share the "good" things in my life but I can't tell my story without talking about my Fibro.  My Fibro is a big part of me and who I am and how I live.   I am blessed in so many ways and I know that there are so many things worse than Fibro.   Still I long for the person I use to be when I wasn't so tired, things didn't make me so sick, I could think clearly and I had a so much to give.   I am still a very giving person but I am limited. I am limited by my Fibro, it colors my world and some days I simply wish it would just go away and I could have me back, the way I use to be.

I miss the world.....

I use to know, Fibro changed my life..

See you soon with a new pink tutu skirt I made from one of my daughter's dresses.  
I love to recycle....

 Hugs, Beverly

MY PINK CRATE

My Pink Crate

Like Me On ModCloth!!!


Works great for our Afternoon Tea!

Tea Anyone?

Since last year I have been swooning over the Glitterfarm Organic Glamour Crates.  You can only order them twice a year, once in the Spring and then again in the Fall.  So this Fall I decided that I had to get one for myself.  So I choose a pink one (of course) although I did have a hard time not getting the blue one.  When it arrived this week, my Eric brought it upstairs to me and although he could not understand, I was delighted.  He saw a pink wooden box but I saw my beautiful pink crate.  I was so excited and I could hardly wait to take some pictures.  This weekend I got around to doing just that, here is my crate. 

With my Vintage Hand Painted Bavarian Porcelain
and Vintage Paper Mache Bunnies.  Notice the sweet Salt and Pepper Shakers. 

With my bear and more Vintage Hand Painted Bavarian Porcelain.  I love touches of blue with pink roses. 

With my vintage Pixie Doll

My Bavarian Porcelain Again. 

I was not paid or compensated in any way for featuring my new crate.  I am simply happy to have it in my collection of things that I love and I wanted to share it. 
If you are interested you can find the crates at:

GlitterFarm.Com


Me and My Husband

My husband was off from work for the entire month of October.  We had a fabulous time being back together again.  He goes back to work on Monday and I will have to get use to that but it sure was fun while it lasted.  It is so good to have him home with us again.  

On our way out to dinner. 

I made this photo for Eric. 

And a few more photos of me.

I will be back very soon with more Limoges and Crafts. 

Have a Beautiful Fall!

Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

Welcome and Thank You 
to all my new 
Followers!

#24 LIMOGES CHOCOLATE POT

#24 Limoges Chocolate Pot

I felt it was time to post another beautiful piece of Limoges from my collection. Fall has arrived and soon Winter will be on it's way.  So with thoughts of colder days and the Holidays ahead, I decided to share a beautiful Limoges Chocolate Pot. 

During the winter months there is nothing that warms you up like a sweet delicious cup of hot chocolate.  In today's world that is when we reach for a packet and mix it with hot water or warm milk.  Now image having that warm cup of a chocolate from a beautiful chocolate pot.  The Victorians would place real chocolate in chunks into a beautiful pot and then pour in warm milk.  The chocolate would melt and mix with the milk.  It was usually served to the children in the mornings to combat the cold and warm them up as they began their day.  

  

I love the soft blue and delicate pink roses of this beautiful chocolate pot. 

I think I will have to try making some Hot Chocolate in the old Victorian way this winter. 

Marked 

Elite

L

France

See you soon with a new post showing off my 

Glitterfarm Organic Glamour Crate. 

Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

Woo Hoo!
My Chocolate Pot was featured on:

SALSA RECIPE AND THE GARDENS BY MOONLIGHT

Salsa Recipe

And

The Gardens By Moonlight

Salsa Recipe

There are two things I love - Pinterest and a good recipe that leads to my creating something totally fabulous.  I love Chili's salsa and with this in mind I set out to find out what was in their fabulous salsa.  I wanted to make my own at home for my Eric.  So like any Pintetrest lover I searched Pinterest and I found a recipe that said it was Chili's Salsa.  Skeptical as I am with these things, I read the recipe and decided on what I thought would work to make a comparable salsa and off to the grocer I went with my hubby.  

I had tomatoes on my mind but more than that I needed green chillies, cumin and garlic.  This is aside from the fresh jalapenos and onion.  So I spent a little time looking through all the canned tomatoes and I choose Rotel tomatoes with green chilies and stewed tomatoes with jalapenos, cumin and garlic.  How lucky for me that they actually had this mix.  Yes, I could have added the cumin and garlic but this made it super easy for me.  

I love fresh jalapenos so I opted to dice some up by hand along with diced onions,  I then drained the cans of tomatoes into the dish I was using and I diced them up as well by hand.  I added everything back into the tomatoes juices and I was finished.  Then came the true test, we tasted it and it was beyond any expectations I had, just delicious.  This is perhaps the best salsa I have tasted in a long time.  I knew I had to share it with my blog friends.  I totally recommend this recipe.  If anyone tries it please let me know what you think.  

Salsa Recipe

1 14.5 oz can of Stewed Tomatoes with Cumin, Jalapenos and Garlic

1 Can of Rotel with Green Chillies

 (You can choose from Mild or Hot)

1 Large Fresh Jalapeno

1 Small Yellow Onion

1 Dash of Salt (if you prefer, I left this out)

Strain cans of tomatoes into dish 

that you are going to use for your Salsa

Dice tomatoes really well and place back into juice

 (I hand diced all mine ingredients 

but you could use a food processor).

Dice Jalapeno and onion

Mix together and serve or place in refrigerator 

to let all the flavors meld together. 

Delicious

Now isn't that easy and oh sooooo good. 

My family loved the salsa and that makes me happy. 

I made my salsa in one of my vintage dishes.  This is the Pink Gooseberry Pyrex dish. Isn't it lovely!

The Gardens By Moonlight

As most of you probably know by now my husband returned home from a year long deployment.  Our 18th Anniversary was October 7 and he bought tickets for us to go to The Gardens By Moonlight.  It was a Jazz Concert that was held at The Botanical Gardens here in San Antonio.  As it turned out it was one of the hottest and most humid nights of the year but we still went.  We left early due to the heat but for the time we were there, we enjoyed our outing.  We listened to really good music, tasted some great foods and I had a glass of wine. The best part was we were together again. It was dark but we did get a couple photos of us together.  

He also got me a beautiful pair of  Amethyst Earrings.

I am a happy girl again!

Here's to Happiness For Everyone!

Hugs, Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

UPDATE

Did you notice my PINTEREST buttons when you hover over my pictures?  If so and you would like to add your own Pinterest Hover Button to your blog visit my new blogger friend Karen. 

Sew Many Ways
How To Add A Pinterest Image Hover "Pin It" Button

Let her know Beverly at Tea Cottage Pretties Sent You. 

SOME COCONUT ICE AND THE BRONZE STAR

Some Coconut Ice
and
The Bronze Star

Coconut Ice

Hello everyone, I am so happy to be back blogging again.  I hope this post finds everyone doing well and in good health.   As promised I finally got around to making my coconut ice.   I had been wanting to make this so that I could share it on my blog for some time.   I love coconut ice and by making it yourself you cut out all those processed additives that are not so good for us.  

Here is what you need

1 Cup of Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 Cups of Powdered (Icing) Sugar - Sifted

2 Cups of Dessicated (Dried) Coconut
1 Red Food Coloring (I used 3 drops)

Sift the powder sugar into a large mixing bowl.   Add the can of sweetened condensed milk and mix.   Next add the coconut and mix well.   Spread wax paper inside square pan and layer half the mix into the pan.   Then add food coloring to the remaining mixture and mix the color evenly into the mixture.   Then spread the rest of this mixture on top of the white layer in your square pan.   Place in the refrigerator for several hours until it sets up.   Slice into pieces and serve. 

I used cookie cutters to cut mine into hearts and stars. 

If you want to make it without the milk, here is a great recipe from AllRecipes.Com

The Bronze Star

As many of you know my Eric (husband) was deployed and serving in another country for the last year.  He has been home now for almost three weeks and I must tell you I am a happy girl.  It is so nice to have our family back together and we have been enjoying our time together.  Deployments are never an easy thing but somehow the pain of separation fades away once your loved one returns home to you.   For Eric and I it is always like new love all over again.   We want to be around each other all the time, we go everywhere together, we date, we cook together, and just laugh and talk and have so much fun getting to know each other again.  Okay so we are really like that all the time anyway but it is so good to have him back home. 

My Eric is not one to brag about himself.   He is a very humble person in that respect.   Matter of fact he was awarded The Bronze Star for his service while deployed.   I knew about this when it happened and I asked him to be sure to bring it home with him.   Once he got home I had to ask him to let me see it.   He got it for me and he gave me The Bronze Star.   I was so excited that he gave it to me.  He said, "you know sweetheart, I can buy those and as many as I want any day" and I said, "yes but it would not be the one you were awarded while there and it would not have traveled with you from there to here".   I am so proud of him that I wanted to brag (just a little) for him because he never will.   So here is my Eric's Bronze Star and in the last picture you can see were I pinned it onto my British Lulu handbag.  Hey, it matches....

Remember October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Here is a recent photo of me and my Eric.   Everyone always picks on us because they say they can never get a good photo of us because Eric is always kissing me.  Something about having a camera pointed at us makes him want to kiss me.  

I will try to get more photos soon. 

I hope to be back soon to show you my new skirt.  I want to make a tulle skirt in blue for me and a purple one for Tiffany.   If everything goes well, we will share our new skirts with everyone.   If I never mention it again, well you will know it did not work.  :) 

See you very soon,

Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

MY PRINCE HAS RETURNED HOME!

My Prince Has Returned Home!

It was a very tense week from the 16th of this month till the day my Eric came home.  As hard as a year long deployment can be, the trip home can be so nerve racking.  Waiting for everything each step of the way from phone calls that they have started their journey home, delays, broken planes, weather, making it to the USA, delays again, and so on.  Then finally you get the phone call you have really been waiting for and you have a day (today) and a time, in our case midnight (maybe).  Who cares, it could be 3 in the morning, you don't care as long as they get home.   

I made it to the Welcome Home Ceremony location and put up our banner.  

Then we waited again.....

June Waited...

Tiffany Waited....

The band played from time to time.  My girls had refreshments and June met some new friends and played air hockey and we waited.  You listen and watch for signs that they are on their way.  You text and watch your phone for word.  Then I got the text I had been waiting for and he said we are headed that way.  We entered the room and found our seats.  Then we anxiously waited for them to march in and for our first glance at our loved ones.  

In the photo below you can see the banner I had made for my husband.  The pictured has been blurred on purpose to respect others privacy. 

I was sitting in an area right where they passed as they entered so I easily picked out my husband as he walked by me.  I wanted to run and grab him but we can't do that, we must wait yet again.  So we waited and I honestly can not even tell you what was said other than I heard "dismissed" and ran.  I could not find him anywhere among the soldiers and I was getting nervous. Where is he?  The I saw him walking away from me with his back to me and I ran to catch him.  I touched him and he turned around and saw me standing there and somehow we had our arms around each other and seconds later our girls almost knocked us over.  Then after hugging our girls, he realized we did not even kiss and he stopped and said let me kiss your mommy and so we kissed.  

My Prince had finally after a very long and hard year returned home.  And all was right with the world once more.  

I will be back blogging soon and I promise to get my coconut ice up soon.  A very special thank you to all my friends who helped me make it through this extremely hard year.  For all my blogger friends that helped me get through each day.  I am thankful for all of you and your friendship made a big difference for me.  Not just with this deployment but even with my chronic illness.  You are my inspiration, you give me friendship and your support is priceless.  

Welcome to all my new followers and thank you ever so kindly for joining us here at Tea Cottage Pretties!

Sorry I did not have a picture taken of Eric and I, 

we were to busy holding hands and kissing.....

Coverage of Re-Deployment

Video of Re-Deployment

Here is a recent photo of us
 although it was not taken the day he returned. 

See you soon, 

Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

GETTING READY AND MORE EARRING CARDS

Getting Ready 

 And 

More Earring Cards

 For the past week or so, I have been super busy.  Why you ask?   Well I am getting things ready for my husband coming home.   I can't say when but soon he will be home and I am super excited.   Actually I am beside myself and I can't believe that he will soon be home.  He has been deployed in another country for a year and I am so thankful that this deployment is almost over.  I can't tell you how wonderful it will be to have my husband home.   I do not have much to share this week unless you are interested in house cleaning and running errands all over town.   I did manage to make a couple more earring cards this week.  I decided to organize all my earrings so I pulled them out of their little boxes, draws and little hiding places. I decided to make one card with my name and one with my husband name on them.   

Here are all 3 of my earring cards together.

Image compliments of 

The Graphics Fairy

If you want to know how to make these beautiful earring cards visit my post here:

Fabric Dolls - Us Dolls

And

An Earring Card

Here is a close up of the sweet little girls on these cards. 

Notice how I arranged the earrings on the card to dress up the sweet little cherubs. 

I love these little cards and I plan to make a few for Christmas Gifts.   Maybe even put a special pair of earrings on one for my (oh, better keep that a secret).  

What I like best about these is it is such a sweet way to organize my earrings and now I won't be losing them and digging to find them.  Who knows how many pairs of earring I have lost over the years.   Now I can clearly see them and choose a pair to wear.

 LOVE IT!!

Me Dancing and Oh So Happy!

These are photos my daughter took of me for my husband. 

I will see you soon my friends!

If some time passes and I haven't posted anything new,

 you will know I am otherwise busy and very happy....

Till next time, 

Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

FABRIC DOLLS - US DOLLS AND A EARRING CARD

Fabric Dolls - Us Dolls 

And a 

Earring Card

Us Dolls

A couple of weeks ago I made the cutest fabric doll from a vintage paper doll.  I made her to go into my jewelry box and to hold a few special vintage brooches that I own.  You can see her here: Once Upon A Paper Doll. I really love how she turned out and making her made me think of other ways I could use printer fabric and so I had this idea that I could make US DOLLS.

 I wanted to make fabric dolls of myself and my girls.  I started by first selecting photos to use and I put them in a photo editor and worked on them until I had something resembling a paper doll of each of us.  Once I got them just the way I wanted them I put them into one image and made a sheet of three dolls.  I printed them out to make sure they looked good and then printed them on to fabric paper.  Once I did this, I layered them with 2 layers of batting and a canvas fabric backing.  I stitched around them (single stitch) and then I cut them out.  Once I had them cut out I zigzag stitched around them and then I went to work adding all sorts of the details to them.  

Us Dolls

Now when my husband comes home, I intend to make an Eric doll to go with our US dolls.  Every girl needs her Prince. 

Here are some more photos of our Us Dolls. 

These would be great Christmas tree decorations.  You could take photos of your family members, especially the children, each year and add them to your tree.  You could even print on the canvas fabric on the back and put the name and year.  These would be great gifts as well.  The possibilities are endless, just imagine....

You can add any embellishments you like to these and make them your own.  I added a pink bow, teacup and crown to me.  Then for Tiffany I used a glass owl and a bow in her hair and a rhinestone heart button for sparkle.  June got a kawaii (that's Japanese for the cuteness) deer and a bow and of course a rhinestone heart button as well.  

Just let your imagination take over and think what you could do with this idea.  I LOVE technology and the ability to manufacture things from home. 

Earring Card

So while I was working on this project, I had something else on my mind.  I love The Graphics Fairy and recently she posted an adorable perfume label and I so wanted to use it for something.  I am still working on my jewelry box; it has become a labor of love.  I needed something to put my earrings on and I thought this label was perfect. 

Here is the label and a link to The Graphics Fairy's fabulous, awesome, stupendous, treasure trove of a website, if ever there was one. 

The Graphics Fairy

Please please don't use this image.  Simply click on The Graphics Fairy to go to her site and please give her credit if you decide to use this image for any projects.  I just wanted you to see the graphic.  

To make my earring card, I simply printed out the image and ironed it on to a plastic grid (these can be found in the craft section) and added a bow.  The print fabric was the iron on type so this worked great.  Also, you have to be careful not to melt the plastic grid.  I used a small towel over the fabric and grid to make sure I did not melt it.  You can punch holes through the plastic grid in the openings. 

Here is my new earring card with my earrings on it.  I love how it turned out and I made 2 more graphics so that I will have them for future earrings. 

Earring Card Featured at
Le Chateau Des Fleur

Thank you Isabelle for such a wonderful compliment.

Want to see how I made the bird earrings and the rose earrings?  Visit my post about them here:
Antique Porcelain Upcycled Jewelry
and 
Goodies That Sparkle And To Wear

Here are my Us Dolls and my Earrings Card at home in my Jewelry Box!!!

I had a lot of fun making both the dolls and the earring holder.  Next I will be making some Coconut Ice.  Be sure to come back and visit us here at Tea Cottage Pretties. 

Happy Crafting, 

Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties