Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Countdown

A lot of people have been asking me how I'm doing these days.  It could be the bags under my eyes or the strange bump that's appeared on my cheek bone which someone suggested might be a bite.  Great.  Another thing to think about in the wee small hours.  Are there any poisonous spiders in the Pacific Northwest? Will I feel better or worse if I know the answer to this?

Okay, thank you for asking.  Here's how I'm doing.  Last night I dreamed that Hilary Clinton begged me to cater a Lutheran Wedding.  There were meatballs involved.  That's how I'm doing.

We have set the date for Opening!  I'm not telling you when that is!  Mainly because the minute I do something else will happen to push it back another week.  Stainless steel seems to figure prominently in the latest delay ....

I will tell you I am putting together a supremely talented TEAm of Mavens and Bakers.

The kitchen floor is down (it's ugly, I hate it) the sexy fireplace is in (it's gorgeous, I love it) and the painting will be finished this week (I have no idea - you'll tell me when you see it.)

In the meantime,


 Well, kinda, sorta. 



Friday, June 8, 2012

Color Me Confused

Remember the '80s?  We were all getting our colors done.

I was Autumn.  I was told that yellow is not a good color for me, which is fine as I don't particularly like yellow - or summer, come to think of it.  But I was also told to stay away from blue, orange, grey, black, pink, purple, turquoise and beige.  Which left me dark brown, rusty red, olive green and white.  Is it any wonder that I'm color challenged?

If you read about the trials of getting the outside of the building painted, brace yourselves, because it's all downhill from here.  We officially moved on to the interior this week, and Bob and Kevin have already demonstrated an unbelievable amount of patience, tact and restraint.
All my desperate attempts to find a color - any color - I didn't hate.

Really, I think these two could moonlight as marriage counselors.  I'm not naming names (and neither are they) but it has been known that couples come to blows over paint color selection.

Fortunately I learned my lesson from the exterior paint episode and made sure Dan was involved in the final selection - even if it did involve endless variations on the shade of beige - which, as we already know, is NOT my color.

On a more positive note, the Mexican Beach Pebbles are in and the courtyard garden is officially done! Here are the Before, During and After photos so you can judge for yourself.




It turns out math is not my strong point either as I miscalculated how much 3 tons of pebbles would cover.  I was a little short and had to stretch them which meant filling my pockets on every beach walk. and staggering over to the courtyard afterwards.  But Leo has earned a place right up there alongside firemen and cowboys in my book as he's sending me the needed extra pebbles (another 100 lbs.) for free. All the clotted cream you can eat Leo!







 
















 














 


 
The World Tea Expo in Las Vegas was as wonderful and weird as ever - wonderful to be among so many people excited about tea, and to taste fabulous teas from all over the world, including New Zealand (who knew?)  Those clever Kiwis have been quietly cultivating some fabulous teas in Middle Earth.  I gave them the secret Antipodean handshake so hopefully we'll be one of the first in the U.S. to carry their teas.

Other new and exciting products have been ordered, including tea infused chocolate truffles, which, like all the teas, I made sure were going to be good enough for you, my adored future customers.


The weird part is, well, Las Vegas itself, which I wrote about after last year's Tea Expo (click here if you want to see my photos.)  We actually had a record temperature for the 1st of June - 107 degrees.  In 3 days I spent probably a total of 30 minutes outdoors, and that involved getting from one air conditioned space to another. 

Next week we'll be advertizing for CelebriTea Bakers and Future Tea Mavens (FYI, men can be mavens too)  so things are really getting close.  The sofas and chairs have arrived, the sexy fireplace goes in next week, the cabinets will be installed the week after, the kitchen equipment is being mustered and Hilary's room is disappearing.



But back to paint for a moment.  I want to know who it is who comes up with paint names. Perhaps it's where all the B.A.s end up in this dismal job market.  Fair enough, there are a few names that have some basis in reality, especially when they tack on a helpful hint like Woodstock Tan or Revere Pewter.  (American History major?)  But who looks at a color and thinks "That is most definitely Interlude.  And that one strikes me as Pensive." (Eng. Lit/Poetry major?) They're all beige to me, and guess which one is going on our walls?  Stay tuned!

And I'll finish with this shot of the front of the store.  If you click on the photo it will enlarge and you might be able to see what that yellow poster is all about .....

Okay, maybe you can't read it - but here's a hint:  "Would you care for a glass of champagne after your tea?"