Staying Stocked with Supplies

Taking Stock and Stuff

Hi! Good to see all of you today! What do you think of my new glasses and hat? 

I loooovvvveee them. They go perfectly with this outfit. (giggles)

Planning

Do you make lists? We do. 

When you have 11 dogs, 8 cats, 3 rabbits, 2 horses, a calf, goat, llama, and monk seal to care for it's best to make lists to keep track of supplies.

Sometimes it would be great if we could take Starburst with us to help carry everything.

I wonder how many odd looks we'd get if she walked through the door. (giggles) Anyway, the other day we needed cat food and headed out.

At the Store

We always stop to look at the reptiles. This chameleon turned to look at us. I wonder if his cousin is the famous private eye Leon Chameleon?

The bearded dragons were really on the move and made me laugh.

How many bearded dragons do you see? there may be more than you think. (giggles) We visited the birds and small animals too, but didn't get any photos. Booooo. Maybe next time.

Cat food aisle! Yay!

We pulled quite a few cans from the shelf. 

Leaning tower of cat food! (laughs) When we what we needed we checked out and headed home.

Bloopers

Okay, this is a strange picture of me, but doesn't Starburst look adorable?

Do you have pets? If yes, what kind? If no, and you could have one, what would you like to have?

À bientôt!

Tea Review: Novel Teas

Thirsty Thursday #13 Plus Plus

Novel Teas

Hi! I'm going to veer off our normal review style; I hope you don't mind. 

The brand is Novel Teas and what makes it special are the tags. Each tea bag tag has a quote or something literary written on it. That's also why I'm chose this outfit; I was feeling a bit Austen-ish. (giggles)

Anyway, we've already used 2 of the bags, but are keeping the tags - for now. 

The bottom is the one from today. The top one is hard to read, it is a Japanese proverb that says, "If you believe everything you read, better not read."

You get 24 tea bags. 

What kind of tea is inside?

English Breakfast blend ceylon tea. One of our favorite blends; a go to if Earl Grey isn't available.

It has a lovely amber color and warm aroma.

It tastes good plain.

But I find it better with a touch of sugar and milk. Mmmmmm.

Thank you, Lady Grey, for this bit of whimsy for our tea collection. The tea tastes great and we get nifty little reads while it steeps.

Plus

Solid Oak, Inc. Steampunk Utensils
I'm also here to tell you about these great utensils! 

Xyra entered a giveaway at Mommy's Doll Club and was chosen to receive two sets. They are from Solid Oak, Inc. and are the perfect size for our needs. If you look back at the photos you can see two of the spoons with our tea things.

Thank you Mommy's Doll Club and Solid oak, Inc. for these great additions to our collection.

[Xyra aside: The primary purpose of the utensils is the creation of steampunk jewelry. I do not believe they are truly food safe. However, the spoon is the perfect portion size for the amount of sugar we put in our tea.]

Plus Plus

Finally, I get to model again. Flo sent us this beautiful dress. 

Perfect for Jane Austen fans. We all thought of Lainey D when we saw it! Don't the blue stripes and sash bring out my eyes.

I added the neckerchief, tights, shoes, and necklace. Oh, we didn't take a photo of it without the neckerchief! Sorry, Flo! The neckline is beautifully square, but I felt a bit bare. (giggles)

The sash can be tied in back with long ends or around front like I have it.

Well, hope you enjoyed today's Thirsty Thursday Plus Plus post. Raising a cuppa in your direction!

Stop again soon! Have a nice day!

Note: Tea Time with Melody Q is not affiliated with American Girl; Novel Teas; or Solid Oak, Inc. The entire post is composed with our own, honest opinions, thoughts, and words. All links are provided for educational, informational, and navigational purposes. No purchase is required to enjoy the post. should you be so inclined, the links will make your search easier.

Rest in Peace Mary Tyler Moore

Sad News

Yesterday a star left the earth to shine in the heavens. Mary Tyler Moore passed away at the age of 80. We have seen her on The Dick Van Dyke Show - she's awesome as Laura. We can clearly hear her, "Oh, Rob!" in a great range of emotions. And the Mary Tyler Moore Show...the way Mary Richards' character grows...just awesome! We've also seen A Change of Habit with Elvis. And Xyra saw Ordinary People. 

Thank you for sharing your talent with us. You will be missed by many!

Much love,

Lanie's Movie Review: Hidden Figures

Saturday's Adventures

First Stop: Movie Tavern

Xyra had a free ticket to Movie Tavern and asked us who would want to go see a movie with her and Nonna. I jumped at the chance. Especially when she said which movie they were going to see...Hidden Figures. It's all about the human computers that used to be the main way scientific calculations were completed and checked before mainframe computers were created and popular.

We arrived at Providence Town Center and actually found a parking spot on Market Street close to Movie Tavern. 

It was a quick walk to the theatre and Nonna was waiting for us inside.

Just outside our theatre was a poster for the upcoming live action Beauty and the Beast. I hope we get to see that too.

We took our seats and looked over the menu. We ended up sharing abucket of popcorn and the margarita flatbread.

Then the movie started and WOW! We talked with Professor M before seeing it to be prepared for how much of it might have been Hollywooded up. Some times "based on true events" can be very loosely based. One of the really cool things about this movie is that it made me want to learn more about these women and the human computer corps. So when we got home I pulled out my laptop and hit the NASA website!

Hidden Figures

Photo from Hidden Figures official movie site

The movie is based on the lives of three African-American human computers: Mary Jackson, Katherine (Goble) Johnson, and Dorothy Vaughan. All three were employed by the NACA⧿that is not a typo⧿Langley Memorial Aeronautic Laboratory West Area Computing section and had skills beyond belief! If you watch Big Bang Theory, think Sheldon Cooper, but female and 100% less annoying. Speaking of Sheldon, Jim Parsons plays one of the trajectory group where Katherine is reassigned.

So we give the movie 5 stars because it was moving, well acted, and incorporated historical footage to support the events from the movie.

However, we hope you do your own research too and learn more about the women and others like them. Women who were and are brilliant and skilled in the field of mathematics, engineering, and science. So check out the links too.

Links

NASA Links

Mary Jackson (article) (bio)

Katherine Johnson (article) (bio)

Dorothy Vaughan (bio) (feature)

Smithsonian Link

The Story Behind Hidden Figures

Movie Links

Hidden Figures (IMDB) (Official Movie Site)

Have you seen any great, inspirational movies? What is your favorite? I rank this one up there with October Sky.

Second Stop: American Girl King of Prussia

After the movie we headed to the King of Prussia Mall an the American Girl store. It's a pop up and is closing soon. I'm glad Melody got to see it when it was full. Now it seemed really sad. It was super busy. Lots of girls waiting to have their hair done while their families looked to pick up a few other goodies. There were quite a few things available, but not much from our wish list. First, I checked out the glasses.

Then Gabriela's dance studio.

This tent is much closer to the one Xyra and Franz have for trips to Coolspring.

Finally the dolls. I really liked Kaya, but we will have to wait on her.

Nonna was lucky and found a lovely 54 to take home to her family.

What would you have chosen? Hope you had a nice weekend.

See you again soon!



Note: Tea Time with Melody Q is not affiliate with American Girl, Hidden Figures, 20th Century Fox, Movie Tavern, or NASA. All links are provided for educational and informative purposes. No purchase is required to enjoy the post.

Tea Review: Elmwood Inn Kentucky Blend

Thirsty Thursday #12

Elmwood Inn

Kentucky Blend

Hey, Mel! Let's make this Kentucky Blend tea.
You bet! This is one of the Tea Maestro's. I've been looking forward to this one. 

I love the label on this tin. Reminds me of a library.

Really good brewing or steeping tips on the side; that's always a plus.

Ooo, looks nice. Smells good; check it out!

[Takes deep breath] Wow!

Okay, we're warming the green pot and I have the tea measured in the infuser.

Xyra says the water is ready. Pour out the warming water and get ready. The instructions say steep 3 to 7 minutes; I'm setting the timer for 4.

[Time passes; timer beeps]
Done! Let's pour into the clear pot to see the color.

Sounds like a good idea!

Oh, look at how rich the color is...and the aroma...(sighs)
You're right. It smells fabulous! I wonder...

What?
I don't want to say. Let's try it and I'll tell you later.
Okay. First sip is always plain.

Wow! This is fabulous!

Ooo, yeah! Warm and earthy, but not too earthy.

Now I wonder...
What?
Well, if it needs anything added.
(laughs) That's exactly what I was thinking earlier.
As I think back to the Coffee and Tea Festival Philly, Mr. Richardson suggested it plain. For our readers we should really push on in regular review fashion.
True. So second sip with a touch of white sugar.

Hmmm, well, not bad if you like your tea sweet.

Yeah. The sugar seems to take over.

Okay, now sugar and milk.

Um, no.

Not horrible, but I've lost the earthy notes.

Our final take...this tea blend is wonderful!

Perfect on its own with nothing added.
Let's take some to the others!
Sure thing!

Xyra's Notes

• The Elmwood Inn site notes the Kentucky Blend is a combination of "fragrant and robust Chinese teas."
• You can resteep the leaves, but I found more than one resteeping drastically reduces what I consider the "comfort" level. The "ahhhh" accompanied by a relaxing of the shoulders and a small grin.
• I accidentally oversteeped this blend once. If possible, do not go over the suggested 7 minutes; it gets slightly bitter.
• My first sip was taken with a hint of trepidation as the only teas I've enjoyed plain are usually oolongs. Blacks seem to have an edge that needs softening. This Kentucky Blend does NOT. That sip was accompanied with a "wow" very similar to Melody's and an immediate text to another tea lover that she must try this blend!
• Side note: We did not steep in the glass pot and show off the dancing leaves because the lid to the pot fell and shattered. :-(

Best wishes!


#ElmwoodInnfineTeas
#CFTPhilly

Note: Tea Time with Melody Q is not affiliated with American Girl, the Coffee and Tea Festival Philly, Elmwood Inn, or the Tea Maestro (we did enjoy meeting Bruce Richardson and regularly read his blog and articles in Tea Time Magazine). The tea reviewed was purchased for our collection. The review is unsolicited and comprised of our honest opinions, thoughts, and words. All links are provided for educational and informative purposes. No purchased is required to enjoy the post. if you are so inclined to check it out, the links will point you in the right direction.