I have a new blog which you can find here:

You may be wondering why I have started a new blog. There are several reasons.  Since the Charm & Grace web magazine is published seasonally, it isn’t updated frequently and isn’t a great place to put new and fresh content. This blog is greatly personal in nature… featuring my artwork, my travel snippets, and my personal feelings about this or that… the posts here can tend toward wordiness, lengthiness, or complication. I wanted to have a place to share little bite sized flourishes of loveliness about all sorts of things and to be able to post even more frequently than I would post them here on my more personal blog. I also wanted to “test drive” the features of a “ready made” blog from one of the major blog hosts. So Charm & Grace Cottage — via Blogger — was my answer. I am hoping to have something short and simple, yet fresh and new each day to inspire and promote creativity.   So if you enjoy those kinds of things, drop over for a visit.  The door to the cozy Charm & Grace Cottage is always open, the tea kettle is on and waiting for you.

I have been working hard at the drawing board again, and you get the first look at my fun.  This is the UK pavilion at EPCOT.  It is a really lovely spot with lots of English delights such as Twinings teas, Burberry cologne, shops with nutcrackers and dolls, and lots of shortbread.  There’s a fish and chips restaurant and pub settled at the edge of the World Showcase Lagoon.  And, in the lovely garden area of this pavilion is a bandstand where you can find a band called The British Invasion playing Beatles tunes. 

This is such a wonderful spot to wander through as you make your way around EPCOT’s World Showcase.  Here are the actual photos.

As you may have guessed by now, I am working on a series of vignettes from EPCOT’s World Showcase.  There are ten countries showcased around the waters of the World Showcase Lagoon.  Among these are Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Morocco, Japan, the U.S.A., Italy, Germany, Norway, and Mexico.  I will be making my way around with my pencil and paper.  And this fall I will get to be there again in person… 

Oh my sweet bloggy friends… you all gave such thoughtful answers to my mystery drawing, and I couldn’t keep you in suspense any longer.  Vee from A Haven for Vee commented that she would love to be in EPCOT.  Miss Peach of Miss Peach Meowz said she thinks it is the wilds of Canada, and Lorrie of Fabric, Paper, Thread said that it looked like it could be from her neck of the woods (also Canada.)  Then Experiment_627 (DIS) hit the nail precisely on the head (I wouldn’t expect less from a fellow Disney lover), “The Canada pavillion at Epcot! Mmmm, Le Cellier filet…. “ 

Yes, it is Walt Disney World’s Canada pavilion in EPCOT.  And now I will tease and tantalize you with some photos from our trip last year. 

These are the gardens which greet you as you are coming into the Canada pavilion, and they are patterned after the beautiful Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC.

The centerpiece of EPCOT’s Canada pavilion is a replica of the Château Laurier hotel in Ottowa.   This is an aesthetically majestic piece of architecture, and it houses the real treasure of this part of EPCOT, the wonderful Le Cellier restaurant. 

This restaurant is nestled in the bottom of the beautiful chateau and is fashioned to look like a wine cellar… hence the name Le Cellier. 

This is the famous pretzel bread that so tantalizes restaurant-goers at Walt Disney World that they cannot help themselves and must go to Le Cellier.  Seriously, it is some of the best bread you have ever put in your mouth.  But with or without the pretzel bread, I suspect Le Cellier would still be the most popular restaurant at EPCOT.

Then there are the wonderfully flavorful appetizers like this dish of Prince Edward Island mussels below.

But the true piece de resistance for me…

… is the Mushroom Filet Mignon.  It is just one of several steak dishes for which the restaurant has become so popular.   But, lest you think that is all they have to offer…

… now that is SOME MORE fabulous s’more!  And then there’s…

… the vanilla and maple creme brulee sampler.  Scrumptiously delicious (is that redundant?  Not where this dessert is concerned!)

As you can see, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  Thanks so much for all who joined in the mystery fun.  I hope to have another picture for your mystery enjoyment very soon!

I am a real sucker for a good mystery (particularly if it’s an English mystery… but that’s another post for another time.)  Well I am no Agatha Christie, but I have been having some fun at the drawing board again and thought I’d invite you to play along.

The sound of a grand waterfall, the sight of a rocky crag, tall totem poles, an old trading post, the scent of beef tenderloin grilled to perfection…   where are we?  I’ll give you a hint:

Still don’t know?  Here’s one more hint:

An old post holds a subtle clue. 

Think you’ve got it?  Leave a comment with your guess if you’d like, and we’ll see who the real Miss Marple is around here!

In honor of Mother’s Day I thought I would share about a wonderful outing my mother and I attended together recently.  Our local library sponsored an event they called “Afternoon with Jane.” They advertised it as a time for tea with Jane Austen and asked us to bring our own teacups.  My mother had been given a lovely floral tea set by her stepson who had found it and thought of her.  Being very delicate and beautifully decorated, they were just perfect for the event.  She used one with rose petals, and I used one with dogwood blossoms.  We walked into the room at the library to see many people of all different ages… both men and women, young and old… and all with such interesting and varied teacups.  We were treated to our choice of loose teas which consisted of Earl Grey Creme tea, a Caribbean tea flavored with coconut and strawberry guava, and English Breakfast.  Along with tea we were treated to  apricot scones accompanied by clotted creme, fresh lemon curd, and strawberry preserves.  After we had all filled our teacups, gotten our scones and made our way to our places, the lady who runs a local tea room talked to us about the history and heritage of tea.  It was a very interesting and informative talk, and she even told us how to naturally decaffienate our own tea!  We also learned about loose tea as compared with bagged teas.  And she discussed the differences between green tea, white tea, and black tea. 

Once she was finished, the local president of the Jane Austen Society talked to us about the traditions and practices of Jane Austen’s era.  He was very well read and knowledgable about all manner of things relating to Austen and her era, and he even took the time for discussion and to answer a few questions.  It was a really lovely afternoon, but even more so because I got to have a tea party with my mother.  

:)  I love you, Mama.