Tasha Tudor Day

Tasha is one of my few heroes that are not women of Faith.  Her lifestyle reminded me that most of how I live my life is made up by my choice of how I spend my time and resources.  I have long admired her choice to live a self sufficient lifestyle and to do so with such charm.

Each year I have been choosing simpler days as health and finances make small my world.  I have come to realize I can have a good life within those boundaries.  Actually, I'm finding forced simplicity as well as forced frugality can be blessings as they set options... and too many options are overwhelming.

My most recent goal towards simplicity is to manage technology a little better.  I do love my computer, itty bitty iPod, DVDs, Kindle, Facebook, and texting.  My life is not interesting enough to Tweet.

For various reasons (which I will write about at another time), I decided I had to cut back computer time.   I now have a few days a week that I keep the computer off most of the day.  I find I still have plenty of time to write and read but there is less chance of stopping by the computer to "check something" and realizing an hour had gone by with the distractions.

Tasha taught me if I want to live a life surrounded by Beauty, I do have to make choices that often go against what the rest of the world considers important.

I have chosen to take my hours back to read a novel, write real letters, admire the deck flowers, walk the gravel road to the mailbox, bake bread, chat with a kitty, and spend what is left of limited energy and income on a creative endeavor.

I think Tasha would be pleased that I celebrated her birthday with tea and Victoria.  :)

To see how other bloggers celebrated Tasha Tudor Day, visit Clarice at the beautiful Storybook Woods blog... here.

A belated Tasha Tudor Day

Tea for two

Today was just the gentle melding of minutes into hours which I needed.  Except for one small errand this morning, the van has been parked and my hours were all my own to cook and clean and spoil Miss Victoria as she expects.  Blissful days are not those which have nothing to do but those in which I feel a little more in control of the doing.  :)

Today around noon-ish I set up tea on the deck.  Not a proper tea time with scones and dainty sandwiches but a pot of tea made from apple mint grown in our garden to be followed by a very healthy turkey and cheese sandwich on whole wheat (which does not appear in the picture).  We have come to love the apple mint tea so much, we don't mind if it takes over the herb garden (after transplanting other herbs, of course).

So... what is it about this little celebration that honors the memory of Tasha?  Well... of course there is tea time and what I have read about her love of the art of taking tea.  The flowers are just a tiny reminder of her gorgeous garden.  The Victoria magazine?  It was through Victoria that I came to learn so much about Tasha that I admired.

I have had some ask me why Tasha is one of my favorite inspirations when she in no way claims the Christan walk.  To be honest, she was a little daft in her talk about past lives and such (in which we would most likely smile and pat her on the shoulder... reminding ourselves creative people are a little odd).

But I didn't look to her for theological information or Bible study, what I admired was the way she chose to live her life.  She chose... simplicity instead of 20th century hurry... real rather than fake... handwork over mass marketed cheap imitations... gardens and country over pavement and busy streets... to stop and smell the flowers... tea time with real teapots and cups as opposed to the drive-thru at McDonald's... beauty over ashes.

I love things that are real instead of the man made Styrofoam version of life.  I am not in a position to make such an overwhelming lifestyle change but I can look at Sasha's life and choose to do those little things... the important things... to add real-ness to my life... to add Beauty and Grace and to acknowledge the "old ways" which are the "good ways"... while not giving up indoor plumbing.

Yes, some could (and do) say it was more weird than romantic the way she lived her life.  But as a person who has found myself swimming up the proverbial stream against society as a homeschooling mother... I don't think she was weird at all. 

She made a decision to live life surrounded by that which made her happy and by doing that... made those of us who love her work full of joy as we read and watch and ponder and delight in the beautiful artwork and gardens and home.

In past years I have used Tasha Tudor's birthday as a day to reflect on my own choices in life and to take time to do that which I love.  I can assure you that the time spent sitting on the deck sipping apple mint tea, eating lunch, reading Victoria and The Valley of Vision, and texting my daughter (who offered me scones and tarts vicariously)... in the rare 70 degree temperatures... with beautiful flowers and a favorite happy yellow teapot... it was pure Bliss.  (The patient went back inside to a softer seat.)

I enjoyed celebrating Tasha's birthday belatedly (I completely missed Julia Child's birthday this year due to busy-ness).  Do visit Clarice's lovely blog to see how others celebrated the day... here.

What Tasha teaches me...

 Time does seem to go faster the older we get!  It does not seem that long ago we were celebrating Tasha's birthday.  I celebrated Tasha earlier today with a morning tea on the deck.

I used the whimsical tea cosy purchased while thrifting last year as well as a delicious tea Stephanie brought back from England for me.  It still tastes great a year later!

I love this vintage china pattern, I have about six luncheon dishes and two cups/saucers in it.

Tea goodies were cheese and Pepperidge Farm cinnamon bread toasted with butter spread on it.  (I must have a protein with a carb.)  It was such a nice break before accomplishing some garden work.

Why would I celebrate Tasha's life... because she was such an inspiration.  Oh, I know... she was not a perfect person but then again (and this will come as a surprise to you, I am so certain)... neither am I.  :)

Tasha's lifestyle went against the flow of modern life.  She decided she enjoyed the old ways so that would be the life she lived.  Now, I am not in a position to live such a life completely nor would I want to... given circumstances to which I am bound.

However, I can look at what I admire about Tasha's life and surroundings and incorporate them into my own day-to-day living... such as...

...gardening, cooking from scratch, tea time, making things with our hands, surrounding our life with beauty, creating, and simplifying our days, not being afraid to spend time alone, enjoying the soft light of an oil lamp, giving attention to furry family members...

... making an art of my life.

I follow Tasha and Proverbs 31 by stocking up in the harvest for those times food is not plentiful... whether circumstances are national, local, or I'm broke... I can always bake or fix a simple meal.

Like Tasha's example, I continue to learn as I get older.  This year I am growing herbs I haven't before and drying them for the winter to come.  I always wondered why chefs raved about thyme until I grew my own... where have you been all my life?

Oh yes, you were the dried and tasteless ground leaves in the overpriced plastic container.  Live and learn... and that is what I plan to do.

I will continue to learn from Tasha about the simple things and the value they had to our modern life.

Continue the celebration of Tasha Tudor day at Storybook Woods... here.  I am off to peruse Tasha's cookbook again.  :)

Saturday is Tasha Tudor Day at Storybook Woods

Just a reminder.  :)

If you do anything special to honor Tasha's birthday, write about it on your blog and then share it at Storybook Woods... here.

If you don't have a blog, you can leave a comment on Storybook Woods Saturday to share what you did for Tasha's memory. 

It has been fun in past years to see the creative way individuals and families celebrate Tasha.

Tasha Tudor Day

I can't believe it is almost time for Tasha Tudor Day again.  This year has truly gone by in a blur.

If you haven't "celebrated" before, Tasha Tudor Day is sponsored by Storybook Woods and you can find more information.... here.

One decides how they want to celebrate Tasha's birthday and then shares about it on the Storybook Woods blog.  I'm not certain what I'm going to do this year.  Pondering...  I think it will have something to do with a tea party.

Tasha Tudor Day

I just adored Tasha. I never met her in person. I expect our politics have little in common... or our religion for that matter. So why did she have such an impact on the way I live my life?

Because she was True to the way she wanted to live and took joy in simplicity, beauty, tea time, home, family... those very aspects of life I love.

I don't think I own any of her books at the moment or the videos produced about her (although I've checked them out from the library and they are lovely). However, I have often perused the library books and watched the videos over and over (and over).

Part of me wishes I could live such a life, the small part of me which still believes there is a Hundred Acre Woods, Kermie and Miss Piggy lived happily ever after, and there will be no weeds in my garden next year.

When reality sets in, the realization comes that there is no way hubby and I could live such a life no matter how sweet it seems in the pictures. I have many physical limitations and he is allergic to... everything. :)

However, it is possible for all of us to reflect on Tasha's life and her work and write down a few aspects we particularly find interesting... to look at the pictures and ask ourselves what is lovely and what calls out to us as something we want to incorporate into our own lives (realizing, of course, she was far from perfect... but aren't we all?).

So, being a pondering type person, I thought for a long time about those things in Tasha's life which I could incorporate into mine.

A little list inspired by Tasha...

• Tea time in the afternoon
• Lanterns lit in the evening
• Candles at dusk
• Long skirts in the closet
• Aprons on a hook
• Stew simmering on the stove
• Real veggies and fruit
• Glass, stoneware, vintage tin
• Growing vegetables
• Flowers and flowers and more flowers
• Old books
• Family
• Friends

Pick one... just one creative aspect of Sasha's life... and add it to yours today.

ADDED: I completely forgot to add the link to Storybook Woods. If you join in with a post for Tasha Tudor day, leave a comment at the "Home" Tasha Tudor Day post.... here.

Don't forget Tasha Tudor Day!

Tomorrow, August 28th, is Tasha Tudor Day which is sponsored by the Storybook Woods blog.

There are many ways people participated last year. You can plan a Tasha tea with your kids, review your favorite Tasha books, show pictures of your garden like Tasha's, or just chat about how Tasha inspired your life.

For further information, go here. Included in this link are posts regarding last year's Tasha Tudor Day. Last year we left a comment on the Storybook Woods Tasha Tudor Day post on August 28th if we participated.

I love this blog all year round. :)

Tasha Tudor Day

If I had the time, I could wax poetic about how much I loved the work of Tasha Tudor. Many pages of my original scrapbook are full of articles about Tasha and pictures of her beautiful home and surroundings.

Tasha lived her life as many of us only dream of living. The only person I know who comes close to Tasha is my friend, Jewels. :)

My favorite Tasha book "memory" happened many, many years ago when Stephanie was but a toddler. I was shopping with my mother (whom I still miss dreadfully) when I purchased Sasha's illustrated book of The Night Before Christmas. I remember telling my mother that this was Stephanie's favorite illustrator and mom being quite amused that I thought a toddler would have a favorite book, much less an illustrator.

Obviously, she did not know her granddaughter. Later she would not be laughing as Steph not only loved books but images, illustrations, and all things beautiful.

I thought of that long ago shopping trip when I heard Tasha had passed away... a mental photo in a life that has passed by quickly... of a day when three generations of ladies in my family was touched by the work of Tasha.

I don't remember exactly but I can almost assure you Mamaw took the two of us to lunch at a favorite cafeteria where she allowed Stephanie to order mac and cheese, green beans, and red Jello. I am certain she would have told me she would order a piece of pie if I would... as she always did when we went out.

Tasha, Stephanie, and Mom... it doesn't get much better than that.