Don't Miss This Giveaway!

You do not want to miss this Doll Diaries giveaway!

To conclude Camp Doll Diaries and head Back to School in style, Doll Diaries is giving away the American Girl Back to School Wardrobe!


Yes, I said that right! Check out the details here.

You need to tell them about your first doll, favorite doll, or main wish list doll. I talked about why I love Kaya'aton'my, the original American Girl.

Best wishes!

#dolldiariesamericangirlbacktoschoolwardrobegiveaway

A Lovely Surprise

The Elegant Blogger Award!

This is really cool! TL of AG Girl just awarded us the Elegant Blogger Award. Thank you so very much!

This is how it goes:

THE RULES

• When you receive the award, link back to keepcalmandsparkle1099.blogspot.com and the blog that nominated you (AG Girl) 
• Display the award button in the post
• Answer all of the 12 questions given in this post (Do not make your own questions)
• Nominate 12 bloggers
• Notify them that they have been awarded

THE QUESTIONs

1. What made you decide to start blogging? My best friend introduced me to her niece's doll blog - Hanna's Hangout.
2. What is your fashion style? Varies by day. Mostly laid-back casual, but I love to dress up too.
3. What is something none of your followers know about you? I collect sunglasses.
4. What are some of your blogging goals? 4 sponsors, never ending post ideas.
5. Where is your favorite place to shop? Target, Maurice's, AG,Bath and Body Works 
6. What would your ideal amount of blog followers be? 150+
7. What are your talents? Singing, baking, planning events, writing short stories, playing lacrosse, photography (novice level)
8. Are you a leader or a follower? Little bit of both
9. What is one of your favorite quotes? "God is Love."
10. Do you have a favorite book or book series? The Bible, the Harry Potter series, The Twilight saga, The Cat Who series, the list continues on...I LOVE to read!
11. Out of all of the synonyms for elegant, which would you describe yourself with (smart - stylish - dressy - graceful - dainty - fine)? Smart, but I think I rotate - some days I'm stylish and others I'm graceful.
12. What is your favorite flower? The carnation. 

Oh, I answered these from Xyra. However, Melody was nominated. So here are her answers:

1. What made you decide to start blogging? Reading Hanna's Hangout.
2. What is your fashion style? A mix of everything, but I lean toward preppy.
3. What is something none of your followers know about you? Not sure.
4. What are some of your blogging goals? A sponsor.
5. Where is your favorite place to shop? American Girl  and yard sales
6. What would your ideal amount of blog followers be? 150+
7. What are your talents? Modeling, baking, playing lacrosse
8. Are you a leader or a follower? Little bit of both
9. What is one of your favorite quotes? "Not my daughter you b..."
10. Do you have a favorite book or book series? Harry Potter
11. Out of all of the synonyms for elegant, which would you describe yourself with (smart - stylish - dressy - graceful - dainty - fine)? Dainty
12. What is your favorite flower? The carnation.

Nominations

It seems that a lot of the bloggers I choose have already been given this award by others, and since I'm not quite sure how tag backs work...I have two lists. One of those who have already been designated Elegant Bloggers and those who have not.

 

Hannah & Iman of Hanna's Hangout

TL of AG Girl

Amaya of Fun with AGFan

Jan and Zoey of AG Doll Play

Christina L of ~Simply Dollightful

Hanna of The Super Dollies

 

Claire of Carrot and Claire

Bess of Bess's Bits of Treasure

Lilly of Pretty Lilly an American Girl

N of Paper Doll World

Nora of The Doll Wardrobe

Rhonda of Living a Doll's Life

Kayla of AmericanGirl01 

 

Book Blogs

Lexxie of (un)conventional Book Views

Wendy of the Midnight Garden

I know we've left someone out. Please don't be offended.

   

Green Tea & Scones

Emergency Baking!

What is emergency baking?

That is when you don't have time to make something from scratch and don't have enough cash handy to go buy something. Usually it also means you have a mix in the cupboard begging to be baked. Check out how our morning started.

I'm hungry. Who wants scones?
*sleepy murmurs and yawns*
I'll help.
Thank you, Kaya. Grab an apron and wash your hands.
What are we making again?
Scones.
Which recipe?
Ummm, we're going to use this mix.

Tastefully Simple...berry good...sounds good. How 'bout we check out the variations.

Hmmm, no vanilla yogurt. We can use plain. Dried cranberries...yes, yes. Chopped nuts; no. Why don't we try adding some old fashioned oats.

Everything is ready.
Okay. Mix is in the bowl. Add the yogurt.

Done.
Now the other additions.

Mix it up.

Wow! This batter gets stiff. It's almost like AP Cake.
Yeah. I'm tempted to dig in, but folding is the best here.

There we go. All mixed together. Now make a circle 1 inch think on the stone.

Looks good. 

 I'll sprinkle the sugar on top so they sparkle.

Now we'll pop it in the oven for 15 minutes. Kaya, pick a tea for today.

How about Numi Gunpowder Green?
Oh, that's nice! Haven't had that in a long time. I've put the water on.

Is that the timer?
Scones are done!

They look and smell yummy.
We need to let them cool. Why don't you prep the tea cup.

Ready when you are!
Water in and...

 Ready to steep.

Time to cut the scones.

 Wow! They look nice.

Ready for breakfast. 

I hope we don't eat them all before the others get up.

*laughing*
Thank you for your help today.
You're welcome. It was fun.

[Note: The Tastefully Simple Berry Good Scone mix has been retired from the product line. There are other great quick mixes at your local grocery store. However, if you have time to make your own, check out these scone recipes from TeaTime Magazine. In the near future we will introduce you to "desperation scones."]

Have a great day!
  

PS. The other day we mentioned Octavia Tea Company and forgot to give the website. Sorry about that.

PPS. We've been told about a correction to a January post. The one in which we talk about Sister Stereo's Mimi (also a green tea post). The Fleisher Art Memorial is not in Scottsdale, AZ, but is right here in Philadelphia, PA.

PPPS. We haven't forgotten about the other festival recipes. We want to show them to you as well as provide the recipe. They will turn up when you least expect it.

End of Summer Holiday

Labor Day is Just Days Away

Some went back to school earlier this month; some earlier this week. Others are still preparing to go. That's where we are.

Key: Melody, Kaya, Kirsten, Lanie, Xyra

Have you seen Kaya and Lanie?

No. Oh, wait! They're over here.

 Hey, what are you two up to?

 Just enjoying the lazy day.

 Yeah, it's really nice her by the tree. Of course, I'm thinking of all the stuff we need for school too.

That is coming up soon!

There is so much to get ready.

  Let's talk more on the porch.

Ah, my favorite chair. I'll miss it when we're in school.

Who's up for some back to school shopping? 

We are! 

Have a great day!     

Back to Tea Time Part 2

Two Leaves Earl Grey

This morning Xyra grabbed the Two Leaves Earl Grey tea bag for her morning tea. She over steeped it, which is relatively normal in our house when it comes to getting ready to run out the door. It tasted good. It was smooth. However, she forgot it was the Two Leaves Earl Grey until she got home and saw the torn plastic pouch where she left it on the stove. That means it’s just not a strong Earl Grey.

Loose Leaf

Yesterday we showed off the many forms of tea including a glass filled with a loose leaf blend from the Octavia Tea Company. This is their Chocolate Mint Rooibos.

The ingredients include rooibos (“red tea” see a previous post for more information), dried apple, vanilla chips, chocolate, organic peppermint, and natural vanilla flavor.

We did try this. It brews nicely and has a nice aroma. The flavor was relatively nice. It was better than the previous chocolate tea we reviewed. There isn’t any artificial sweetener added. However, it was more vanilla than chocolate. Sadly, while we do like most tea flavors, vanilla is one we don’t like that much. It does merit a second try.

Serving Tea

When enjoying your favorite brew, you really should have a nice tea set. These are what we have on hand.

First, the My Life pink set we used in January.

It comes with a tea pot, sugar bowl, creamer, 2 cups, saucers, spoons, plates, and napkins.

It all fits in this tea box.

Yard Sale Tea Set(s)

These next few we found at a local yard sale. All are porcelain or ceramic.

This one has dark blue and pink flowers. It has 3 plates (one was left inside by accident), 2 saucers, and 1 cup.

Very pretty. They are market Stromeeker Corp on the bottom.

This set has pink flowers.

It came with 6 plates, 2 cups, a sugar bowl with lid, and teapot (without lid).

It’s really pretty and marked Battat on the bottom. Since there are two designs we think it’s two different sets in the same design. Battat is the company that designs for Target and the Our Generation line.

This little set is really cute. The pieces were thrown in with the other two sets and included 2 plates, one cup with a broken handle, and a teapot (without lid). There are no markings on the bottom.

They are really cute. The pot can actually double for a creamer for the bigger set.

Do you have a tea set? If yes, tell us what kind or send us a picture. melodyq2000@gmail.com


Have a great day!