~ A Tea for Mother and Me ~

Please come with me,

I think I see,

A beautiful tea,

for Mother and me. ♥

Of course, my mother isn't with us anymore...in fact she has been gone for 24 years and  I still can close my eyes and just SEE her sitting in one of my new black and white chairs.

She would have loved them.

 I think my first love for black and white came from her 

and my Aunt Lillian.

And, Mom dearly LOVED having tea. 

She grew up DIRT POOR and I do mean POOR. She was the daughter of a share cropper in East Texas and they "didn't have a pot to pee in", as she would say. :)

 She strived to have nice things all her life.

She loved garage sales and thrift stores with a passion...

I am pretty sure that beautiful coffee/tea pot in the background came from

one of her thrifting days.

She was so good at everything she did...
including sewing.

She collected lots of white ironstone...
and she loved anything vintage.

She decorated her home with her sewing and thrifty finds and did a magnificent job of it.

 She really liked blue and white, too, and she would have loved these

thrifted dishes I found last year at the SALVATION ARMY THRIFT STORE.

She was such an awesome cook and SWEETS were her forte .

Her Brownies were so much better than mine.

She taught me to cook a lot of things but I never made it to HER level of deliciousness. 

I'm serving her recipe for Brownies and slices of fresh pears.....one of her favorites.

 At this very moment, I can't locate HER recipe but it is
THIS one, I think.
Mother always iced her brownies with a Fudge icing.

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• (IF MY AUNT LILLIAN was making them, she always 
• dabbed a bit of VANILLA  behind  her ears.)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) 
• MY UNCLE OTIS lived in Calif. and he would send us a 
• big box of the BEST walnuts every year.♥

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; gradually stir into the egg mixture until well blended. Stir in walnuts, if desired. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the brownie begins to pull away from edges of pan. Let cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares. 

*MAY I JUST STATE HERE.....these brownies went into the freezer as I had
made them BEFORE the DIET FROM HELL swooped down on us.* ♣ ♣ ♣

 This is such a cute pattern, with it's pretty blue and white, tiny flowers....

and the ruffly edges make them so delightful.

Many times when I find thrifted dishes, the creamer and sugar bowl aren't with the set.

Aren't these little things just so stinkin' cute ?

Here's MOTHER and ME...

we were sitting atop a fence rail, watching a CALF BRANDING that day.

My hair had already turned WHITE so I kept a blond color on it for several years.

Too much trouble and I finally gave in to silver hair.

Mom, bless her heart, still had her dark dark hair when she passed away.

She was only one month, to the day, into her 71st year....waaay too young to go.

Heart problems.

She liked to travel more than anyone I've ever known.

She traveled with us and with friends and she did get to see so many of the places she wanted to see.

She and I had planned a bus trip (her idea) thru New England but we just didn't get the chance before she became so ill.
I can't help but be sorry for that.
She would have loved it so.

There's always things you regret doing or NOT doing in life.....I wish we had planned to go sooner.

 Sometimes, Mom would call me at work and say,

"Jeanie, stop by on your way home...I have a pot of red beans and a chocolate cake

for your dinner."

(I am almost too sad to finish this so will make it quick.)

Thanks so much for stopping in today and having .....

TEA with MOM and ME     

I MISS MY MAMA...
Love to all, bj   

joining in the fun with

LET'S DISH
VINTAGE THINGY THURSDAY
OPEN HOUSE
TIME TRAVEL
FULL PLATE
THURSDAY FAVORITE THINGS
TASTE THIS THURSDAY
FOODIE FRIDAY
TICKLED PINK
HOME SWEET HOME FRIDAY
INSPIRATION FRIDAY
VINTAGE INSPIRATION
SWEET TOOTH FRIDAY
FAVORITE THINGS FRIDAY
POTPOURRI FRIDAY
THRIFTY THINGS FRIDAY
PINK SATURDAY

SEASONAL SUNDAY (Mother's Day)

X0X0 <><