West Elm Owls

I don't normally post about things for sale, but is this the cutest butter dish ever? Yes! It's only $16 (plus free shipping!) at West Elm (http://www.westelm.com/). I drove by their Emeryville store a couple of times when the mom, the daughter and I were at Ikea. I absolutely LOVE Ikea. I'll have to post sometime about my two favorite Ikea purchases. Next time I go to Ikea, I'm going to swing in to West Elm and get me a owl butter dish. Wellington would absolutely LOVE this.

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As special proof of just how much Wellington would love these owls, take at look below. A year ago, while waiting for Wellington, I was in search of some kind of countertop container for my tea bags. Since we brew tea every morning, we need our tea bags within easy reach. When I happened on this lovely, perfect, vintage tea pot with an extra wide mouth I decided it was just the thing. It was prestine! With not a single crack! It was only $8 at The Hospice Thrift Store on Diablo Road in Danville. Don't let the name fool you. They have a lot of great vintage finds! (And the nicest people work there, too.) For instance, this little yellow vintage bowl was purchased there also, but just two weeks ago for less than $2 (they were having a 20 percent off sale).Are they so perfect together? Unfortunately someone (we won't say who) was making tea a few weeks ago and dropped the teapot lid on the granite countertops. Being the mother, I couldn't cry. Plus it wouldn't change anything. The lid was broken and that was that. But only in three pieces! So I glued it together with Crazy Glue and almost never even think about it. Just once a day when I make my morning tea. And sometimes when I'm cleaning the kitchen. And just now when I took this photo. But really, almost never besides that. Poor daughter. She didn't mean to, it slipped. She's only 21.

This afternoon we had the most glorious lunch. It was porridge made with honey and raisins and cranberries and topped with bananas and walnuts and a little brown sugar. Incidentally we have this for lunch about three times per week. Sometimes five. YUM! (It's called "oatmeal" in the states, by the way. But some of us are English by marriage and so we say "porridge".)

At Wellington this morning, we're trying very hard to relax and enjoy ourselves. Some of us have to work tomorrow. With that in mind, we have done nothing but eat oatmeal - oops PORRIDGE - and read. And write in the blog after coming across these owls. We had a fire and we have a kitty cat who is almost 15 years old, so there was nothing for it but a whole morning of relaxation. If the sun comes out long enough we're going to see what's sprouting (which will undoubtedly be nasturtiums) and maybe walk downtown. That's life in Wellington.