Where do I keep it all?

After seeing some of the participants to The Tablescaper's "Where Do I Keep it All?"  I decided maybe I do have some things I can share.  Most of my dishes are wrapped in paper, in the bottom of this china cabinet above, or even under a bed! Not possible to take pictures of those!  My Old Country Roses china and a few special items are stored in the china cabinet, above, in the dining room.

Here are a few things stored on a shelf in the master bedroom:
 
 I love these delicate fine china tea cups!
  Here you can see the detail of the shelf:
 

These plates are hanging on the wall near the shelf:


This muffin stand holds some of my yellow rose tea cup collection:

Now, on to the kitchen, this Longaberger stand holds tea cups I use most:




I also store tea pots and tea cups on top of my kitchen cabinets. Looking toward the cabinets, left to right:


The middle set of cabinets (over the stove and microwave.)

I'm short and not a good one to take pictures of these high places. You can also see how high the ceilings are!

Close-up of the tea pots in the center:
 

The right side:

 I hesitated to do this, but since others are doing it, so will I! Here's the inside of my cupboards where some of my crystal is stored!

This is our "everyday china" (Yellow Fiesta)

Our "everyday" glasses:

 So, there you have it! An impromptu showing without any rearranging.  What you see is what you get!!

My Dilemma

I usually don’t do many blog posts about personal things in my life, but today I would like to share what is on my heart. This concerns one of my greatest loves - taking tea! Please stay with me, I need your help!

Do you like change?

I have noticed more and more people are doing less blogging and even ending their blog. I have slowed down due to a long vacation, and some “life issues” but I still have several ideas (and items) for more tablescapes. I finally find some beautiful yellow (amber) goblets that I had been looking for! Didn’t need them, just wanted them! They were only $3.99 each! Here's a peek, see the etching:

A lot of changes are going on. I don’t really like change, do you? I get comfortable in my life and resist any change. I don’t even want my daily TV schedule messed with! I have enjoyed several daily TV shows for years now. I’m so sorry that Oprah’s daily shows have ended. I’m also sad that Regis is “retiring” from his show soon. I have been a big fan of both of these shows for years (since I retired.) A few other celebrities have also “retired” or plan to. I’m sure (I hope) they will be replaced by someone we will also enjoy.

One of the biggest changes in my life has been with having to change my eating habits, having to give up my beloved black tea, and my chocolate, among other things!! This is the diet I must follow due to health issues. I love black tea, and miss it!!!

I started drinking tea when I was a teenager. I’m a Southerner and also love iced tea, sweet tea! I love black tea, have never cared for green tea or herbal teas. The tea kettle was also on the stove!

I always started my day with a cup of hot tea, I drank iced tea for lunch and dinner and often had a cup of hot tea with my husband at night.

Yellow rose teapot, a gift from my husband!

I adore tea rooms, and tea parties. I started a monthly tea party group in our neighborhood which lasted for several years. I love all things tea, always on the lookout for some new tea item, or new tea blends.

I have a pantry full of different teas!

Every trip we've taken I would buy new loose teas. Friends gave me teas as gifts.

I collect tea cups and tea pots, especially those with yellow roses and have them displayed throughout our house.

Above: Yellow rose tea cups (a few in my collection) displayed in our living room

Teacup Cottage painting by Thomas Kinkade, in dining room

Yellow rose tea cart displays some of my yellow depression glass collection

Guest room has a tea pot on the bed tray

Another tea pot in the guest room

My kitchen is decorated in a tea room décor of tea pots and tea cups.

Above: Very high shelves, between kitchen and dining room.

Top of refrigerator

Tops of kitchen cabinets

Canisters in kitchen (see the tea room!)

I collect tea books, tea cookbooks, tea magazines!

A sampling of my many tea books

A few of my many tea cookbooksMy favorite cookbook from a favorite tea room, Magnolia and Ivy:

Tea magazines

I’m setting the stage here so you will know just how much I have loved tea! It has been a large part of my life!

Due to health issues I have been advised to stop drinking black tea!!! Yes, this is a fate I’ve never expected and having a hard time dealing with it fully. I’ve tried to learn to like green tea and herbal teas, to no avail. They just don’t taste right to me. I hope someday soon I can find a tea blend that I can drink and enjoy. I also can not drink anything with caffeine, this makes it even worse, and harder to find another tea.

If you are wondering why the doctors took me off tea I’ll explain. Five months ago I had an attack from a half-inch kidney stone. I had complications and was in the hospital a week, four of those days in ICU. The side effects and complications lasted over six weeks after the stone was smashed and passed. I had claustrophobia and panic attacks and insomnia for weeks after. Needless to say I never want to go through that experience again

There are ten top things a “stone former” shouldn’t eat: Spinach is the number 1 villian. I’m sure some of you spinach haters wouldn’t care if you couldn’t eat it, but I love fresh spinach salads, and spinach artichoke dip, and spinach stuffed shells!!

The other no-no’s I shouldn’t eat: strawberries, (all berries), sweet potatoes, nuts, beets, but the worse ones for me was to give up the black tea and the chocolate. I have loved my tea, especially at tea parties and tea rooms!.

Oxalates and calcium are the causes of forming kidney stones in my case. The foods listed are very high in oxalates.

The ten top foods/drinks that cause kidney stones. Black tea is on that list. Chocolate, berries, spinach, nuts, beets, strawberries, sweet potatoes, celery and rhubarb are on the list of no-no’s. All very high in oxalates. There’s a lot more things I shouldn’t eat as well, but the top ten are the worst.

There are three columns of what to eat to prevent kidney stones. First column has the absolute no-no’s. Second column has things you can eat occasionally. Third column has what you are allowed to eat. I heard Bill Cosby say once that the only diet that really works is: “If it tastes good, don’t eat it!” LOL! Sometimes this seems to be true!

The doctor gave me these orders plus I researched it on the net and found about the same info. I also ordered an excellent book from Amazon.com written by doctors in NYC, it is “No More Kidney Stones” by John S. Rodman, M.D., and R. Ernest Soas, M.D. My doctor highly recommends this book.

If you have any suggestions of a good decaffeinated green tea or herbal tea I might like, please let me know! I really miss my tea, especially hot tea! I have adjusted to no chocolate a lot easier than having no tea, and I was also a very big chocoholic!!

I don't like change!! Do you? I miss going to tea rooms and having all the tea time foods and desserts. I miss having my tea kettle going!

If you have any suggestions and/or recipes for me to try, please share them with me! Keep in mind I can’t have black tea (or caffeine) chocolate, nuts, all berries, or peanut butter.

I can have citrus fruits, but no citrus peels, and no parsley. I can have peaches, bananas, lemon desserts, coconut, caramel, butterscotch, and sugar cookies.

I know there are worse things to deal with than this, but this is where I am right now and it’s a hard situation for me at this time.

Thank you for your interest, if you have any questions, please ask. If you know anyone who has or has had kidney stones you may want to share this info with them. The kidney stone diet is relatively new. I’m willing to try it as I never want to go through that again!

This is what I have now when I have hot tea:

Since I like lemon in my hot tea, this is one green tea I can tolerate (with lots of sugar!) Nothing like my black flavored teas, but okay.

I saw this recently on somebody's blog and can't remember who. If it's yours, let me know and I'll give you credit!

Blessed are those who thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled

Whatever the flavor your tea,

God can still mightily pour out

To refresh another in need.

My favorite tea cup, it's a small tea cup and saucer and keeps tea hot longer. My sweet friend, Judy, gave it to me!

I'm also linking to Lady's Katherine's Tea Time Tuesday. Click on her name for more!