Tea Time and Spring Flowers

One of the our daily highlights is having Afternoon Tea

Yesterday afternoon with fresh cut Fragrant Daffodils from our garden with fresh Camellias.
On my side table with the beautiful Hand Crocheted Lace topper.
A gift from dear Susan from the blog: Ava Grace's Closet and you ought to visit this sweet blogger friend!
My other dear blogger friend Celia M. High Heeled Life & Resilientista would very much approve of this Self Care Moment!

Healthy Living and Relaxing with Green Tea, Mixed unsalted Nuts, Seaweed (Costco) and Rice Cake from Whole Foods Market.

A close up of that healthy portion...

Believe it or not, two of our feline brothers LOVE each a piece of Seaweed and Bandido-boy also eats one or two Cashews!
In reply to blogger friend Jim from The Road to Parnassus I have added these photos from the type of Green Tea used...

Organic Green Tea
A Blend of Sencha & Matcha

My photos got taken with very dark weather so that's maybe the reason the tea looks strong...
Having fresh flowers is one thing but the lack of sunshine for good photography is often another!

Thanks for visiting!

Related post:

{My Rice Cakes FIT in this Dutch Rusk Tin} | previous post showing you my Rice Cakes...
{Meaningful GIFT from The Fairmont Empress Victoria} | previous post showing you the table topper...

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{The Year 2016 Is Ending...The Resilientista Planner}

It is a sunny day today but rather cool.

My final days for 2016 are not as planned, fighting a bronchitis.

But still, it is a time for reflecting 

Great ingredients for happy days...

Sunshine

Fountain pen

The Resilientista Planner by friend Celia, just click the link!

Tiny Baccarat vase with fragrant Cashmere Bouquet (Clerodendrum philippinum) from Logee's, just click on picture below this vase. 

And COFFEE...

Well, I certainly had all the right ingredients and almost forgot to make this photo... having my coffee almost finished!

Never mind; not everything can be perfect all the time...

Wishing you a happy ending of 2016 and a very Happy New Year 2017!

Thanks for your visit.

{GIFT from High Heeled Life @Resilientista}

FINALLY... I manage to post about the incredible gift from Blogger Friend Celia M. High Heeled Life & Resilientista 

She offered this Luxurious Beauty Bag from Canada's High End Department Store Holt Renfrew...

Bloom into Spring with a Luxurious Beauty Bag Give-away was her post about this International Give-away.

On Friday, June 3, just before we left for Atlanta to attend my Apple One to One session, the mailman delivered it! 

High End Beauty Bag in leather with a scarf attached to it and filled with luxurious gifts at a $ 240 value...
It sure made me blush!
THANK YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH DEAR CELIA M.!

Look at the beautiful gift wrapping...
Makes one's heart beat faster!

Celia M. does believe in Angels, like I do and she used this incredible card...
I was in heaven!

After carefully removing the beautiful gift wrapping I was delighted to also find her NEWLY DESIGNED & PUBLISHED
'The Resilientista Planner'
The Resilientista Planner - Reveal!!! & How to Get a FREE download ←click hyperlink to get your very own.
Make sure you follow Celia M. High Heeled Life & Resilientista and Celia M. Resilientista
click both of the above hyperlinks

This is a half year planner for 2016...

Now, let's have a peak inside this Beauty Bag...

WOW, need to start that soon when my nose has stopped peeling off skin from my bad cold this past week!

Feeling so very pampered...

What a lovely Masque Collection!

Here I have to admit that all my life I've never indulged in anything like this...

Living a very frugal life, making do with our budget did not allow for it.

Looking at so much luxury for my skin did create butterflies in my belly...

Pictures made on top of the bed at the Hyatt House Miami Airport where we had 3 free nights for points...

This is: 

Molton Brown

Delicious

Rhubarb & Rose

Bath & Shower Gel

Made in England

Turmeric & Cranberry Seed
Energizing Radiance Masque by Kiehl's

Cilantro & Orange Extract Pollutant Defending Masque by Kiehl's
All this will be heavenly!

Laura Mercier - Foundation Primer * Hydrating

Sisley
HYDRA-GLOBAL
Hydration
Intense
Anti-Age

CHANTECAILLE
Magnolia, Jasmine and Lily Healing Emulsion...

Guerlain
ABEILLE ROYALE
Honey Nectar Lotion

CLINIQUE
Repairer anti-gravity eye cream

DARPHIN
Stimulskin Plus
Anti-Age Global

And to top it off:
Signorina eau de parfum
by Salvatore Ferragamo.

THANKS A MILLION SWEET FRIEND!

{Friend Celia M. ~ Living My High Heeled Life - Beauty Bag GIVEAWAY}

Long time friend and a blogger I admire, Celia M. is having a FABULOUS Beauty Bag GIVEAWAY! 
Her vision is to create a virtual world, where women can come together to support and inspire each other to live their Resilientista Life. Just enter FREE, by signing up tot the top/right for RESILIENTISTA's VIP by clicking on this link.

The Goodies: Mascara Volume - Yves Saint Laurent; Orchidée Impériale The Cream- Guerlain; Base Coat - deborah lippmann; the cream - Clé de Peau; tinted moisturizer - laura mercier; Gold Dust transformative mask - Oribe; fruit and flower acids mask - Chantecaille; Custom-repair serum - Clinique; perfume - Hermès

Great value!
~ 
See link below post about this incredible lady that survived a near fatal accident and recovered from brain injury. 
Such a feisty girl and she must have been brilliant before as she still leaves many of us behind; the way she is now. 
~
One to admire - no doubt!
Let's support her in her efforts for getting where she is now and doing so much for others that face(d) the very same...

All goodies arrive in this adorable beauty bag!

So don't wait: click an the above RESILIENTISTA link and enter.
~

GOOD LUCK!

Related link:

{"A Blogger I Admire" - Celia from High Heeled Life} | previous post mentioning her near fatal accident and healing from brain injury

{Drunken Spaghetti}

Wow... since I published that post about my Apple Addiction, we lost completely our Internet connection. 

What a fate, not being able to do anything for some 24 hours!

But today it got repaired, there was a kink in the cable that entered the home and we got a replacement. 

SO HAPPY!

Tonight I prepared a very simple but delicious recipe from dear friend Celia M.'s Resilientista in the Kitchen. 

DRUNKEN SPAGHETTI...

Yes, this pasta got cooked in red wine!

TRY IT!
Recipe link was gone but here on my Pinterest you can find it anew!

It was really delicious, topped with grated Pecorino cheese from Trader Joe's and paired with arugula and an olive and white balsamic dressing.

The spaghetti I used was Quinoa and we both loved its taste!

Above link from Resilientista gives you the link to the recipe.

Thanks again Celia M. from Celia M. High Heeled Life - Resilientista; you always have such very special recipes to share with your readers.

{My 22nd Birthday as an American!}

YAY, I finally, after full 7 days could call my Dad in the hospital in The Netherlands!
One of my brothers did turn around and made sure that Dad's package of TV, Radio and Telephone got hooked up. 

He had been deprived of this for SEVEN full days.

The good news is that his heart seems to have been just OVER STRESSED.
Dad is like my husband Pieter a very hard worker and he'd been doing some physical jobs prior to all this.
Prayers got answered and after this medical test, through the vein in his wrist, things look positive and we hope that he can go home on Saturday!

Now his Australian Brother and other elderly choir members can call him as well.
At least he has a very happy American daughter!
~ 
Thank you all for your sweet comments during this very difficult time for both of us.
My Dad in The Netherlands still does not know anything about his real heart condition.
On Wednesday they were supposed to check it out but there obviously was an emergency with another heart patient and the cardiologist had to postpone Dad's procedure.
They have planned that now for Thursday...
BUT there still is no phone connection! It is available at the hospital for EACH patient but needs to be hooked up and then of course relatives and friends need to be informed about the direct number.
Also my uncle in Australia, Dad's younger brother is being cut off from any contact, as well as all those living long distance that can't be there in person..
Let's hope that soon they will start using their brain and heart as Celia from Celia M. High Heeled Life & Resilientista so well wrote on my FB Timeline.

BUT...

December 3rd is my 22nd Birthday as an American Citizen!

Photo is from September 12, when we went to the Dublin Theatre...

My hair is shorter now.
Being an Escada fan, I'm wearing an all black Escada outfit; Spanish style pants, top and sandals.

Related links:

{Today I turned 17!} | previous post by me
{December 30, 1993 U.S. flag flown over U.S. Capitol for both of us!} | previous post by me
{1993 Today, the American Flag was flown for both of us...} | previous post by me
{ME, Turning 20 on December 3!} | previous post by me

{Royal Ontario Museum}

Dear Friend Celia had arranged a visit to the Royal Ontario Museum for us on Monday, June 8.

It could not have been better arranged as it was a rainy day.

Talking about a very modern concept for architecture, the ROM is an example.
The modern 'crystal' addition, designed by Polish born and US raised architect Daniel Libeskind, has been merged with the existing, turn of the previous Century Royal Ontario Museum.
You can read more here: Our History | Royal Ontario Museum
And about the design here: Michael Lee-Chin Crystal 

Just before we left to the ROM, this was the weather.

From our room at Hyatt Regency Toronto on King we could only see half of the CN Tower...

Showing the side and front of the original ROM.

Husband Pieter standing in front of the Rotunda...

The Rotunda with the four bands, symbolizing the four corners of the earth. It comes together with the eternal knot and it says: 'THAT - ALL MEN - MAY KNOW - HIS WORK'

Incredible Mosaic!

Blogger friend Celia M. High Heeled Life & Resilientista arranged that her friend Janice did meet us inside the crystal entrance.

Around 13:45 it still was raining.

After enjoying the ROM for 3 hours and 45 minutes, we walked to the Park Hyatt Toronto just across the street for going to The Roof Lounge on the 20th floor, from where we also had a great view onto the building.
Another great tip from friend Celia!

Restoration work going on.

The ROM is quite a futuristic building in this Toronto city setting.
I will show you later something from the exhibitions.
Thanks for your visit!

Related links:
{Brunch in Toronto with Blogger Friends I Admire} | Previous post by me

{Brunch in Toronto with Blogger Friends I Admire}

Where the time finally comes we will meet with two more Blogger Friends that I admire!

The lovelies: Celia M. High Heeled Life & Resilientista  and Susan Liberatore  from Ava Grace's Closet .

The waitress was so kind for taking this photo of all five of us.
From the left: Lovely Susan, me, Celia and her lovely Mr. G. and my Pieter...
A table of many languages!

Sweet Celia, had made ​​reservations for all of us at The Hazelton Hotel  in Yorkville, Toronto's hotspot.

We were seated in the rounded area, center of photo, Where the famous ONE Restaurant | The Hazelton Hotel  is located.

The Hazelton Hotel is a member of The Leading Small Hotels of the World.

Delicious Chicken schnitzel for brunch ...
Indeed:  ONE RESTAURANT We deliver ... The See and be Scene and delicious food by Canada's Most Celebrated Chef MARK McEWAN.

Bragged enough!
But so well deserved and we're grateful for having both had the opportunity to be here.
Thanks to Celia who had returned from Paris only two days before ...
Jet lag or not, she was there; all smile!

Such BLISS that was for finally meeting in the flesh ...
Celia is one blogger friend I've already mentioned before as a Blogger I Admire.
She survived what should have been a fatal accident, some 9 years ago.

Susan was caught in traffic and arrived a little bit later.
This spunky Mama of 3, is another incredible lady!
Indeed, two Blogger Friends I Admire.
Only too bad that little Ava was sick and could not join her Mama...

A very lovely Sunday Brunch together; thank you once again Celia & Susan - we owe you big!
If you ever do come to the South East of the USA; we will reciprocate.
We both are very happy we did add Toronto to our trip !!!
Stay well and happy Celia and Susan, Until we meet again  ♥♥

Related links:
{Arriving at Hyatt Regency Toronto on King} | previous post by me
{Port Huron, MI - Meeting with Blogger Friend I Admire} | previous post by me
{Livonia, Michigan - Meeting with a Friend Blogger I Admire} | previous post by me
{Our Grand Hotel Mackinac Island Michigan Afternoon Tea} | previous post by me
{Mackinac Island Flora} | previous post by me
{Mackinac Island Carriage Tours} | previous post by me
{Patriotic & Romantic Mackinac Island} | previous post by me
{Shepler's Mackinac Island, Michigan Ferry} | previous post by me
{505 S Huron Avenue, Mackinaw City, Michigan} | previous post by me
{Delta Annual Companion Certificate Flight to Detroit, Michigan}  | previous post by me