Tea with… Mrs. Evans + Devon Scones Recipe!

A cozy Q & A with the author of this blog!

What does a typical day look like in your life?

I am usually up early. I’m not an early bird so its hard but I love being awake and doing some art while the house is still and sleeping. Then I go through my flylady routines, which run like clockwork at this point and I’m so thankful. They allow my day to start stress-free. (The key is really my evening routine setting me up for success in the am.) Then its off to school where I teach art all day which is super messy and fun snd exhausting! I get my 10,000 steps by 3:00! I skip breakfast (weight management is more challenging as I get older) but have lunch at school and then tea when I get home. I rest and recoup so I can make dinner with my hubby and eat with our kids if they aren’t working or at a school event. Then hubs and I walk our dog (if the weather is good) and have time to talk to each other. I exercise. (Since I have an undiagnosed form of arthritis I find being very active really helps to alleviate my pain.) Then I do my evening routine which is absolutely key and read until I fall asleep which doesn’t take long!

What does an ideal day look like?
An ideal day looks like the one above except I would be home making art in the studio all day or playing house in my giant dollhouse (my home, hee hee) instead of teaching at school. But I still love school!

What do you use to fill your creative well?
Everything in my home. I am a collector at heart and love to look at my pretty things and toys , arrange them and paint them. I love to “play house” and decorate my home and enjoy it and I love movies! (All kinds-except for sad movies!)

What do you feel holds you back?

Unfortunately these days its my arthritis. I’m 42 and have had flares since high school. I’ve been battling it in my back now for the past 18 months. I’ve had some really bad days. I have a great family dr. who looks after me and a pain specialist who did ablations on my nerves. Before that the pain was debilitating. I wasn’t sure I could even go back to work this school year.

Most doctors I’ve seen don’t know what is wrong with me and a lot of them don’t seem to care about finding out so it can be really depressing. I want to continue to fix up our house and work and be active. To have those things taken away by chronic, debilitating pain can be really heart-wrenching. Thats partly why I haven’t blogged in a while. I wasn’t in a good place going back to work as my last ablation procedure was 4 days before school started, but I am doing so much better now. And I am proud to say I haven’t touched opioid drugs for any of this pain journey.

What do you feel pushes you forward?

My God, my family, my house, my students! Ibuprofen and caffeine!

What art have you been making lately?

A lot of art inspired by Quartz mountain. I just got back from my yearly professional development workshop there and it is so beautiful. Thanks to my back doing better I was able to hike every day.

What house projects have you been working on?

Recently I’ve been winterizing our windows which includes repairing storm windows and reglazing and painting some of our wood sashes which got really wet a few years ago. I’ve also been touching up the edges of the front porch that see a lot of water and still working my way around the exterior scraping and painting when I have time and I feel good. This summer I finished our butlers pantry interior which was a mess after water damage from an incorrectly installed gutter downspout. It was a big job including removing wallpaper and patching smooth plaster so I put it off a while!

What school projects are you working on?
I’m strarting my journey to earn my national board certification this year as it will mean a sizable bonus for me every year I stay in my home state. Its fascinating and I’ve been tweaking my teaching a lot and seeing a lot of benefits for myself and my students!

What are you looking forward to in the fall and winter seasons?
Im looking forward to scary movies and changing leaves in October; to sage green pumpkins, candles in the windows, tea by candlelight, and great food in November; and to our Christmas tree, candlelight church services, special time with my family and a cosy Christmas in December. Oh, and Im looking forward to practicing hygge self-care!

How do you do that?

I put together a hygge basket with my book I’m currently reading, a warmer, a candle for the season, my travel art supply kit, a movie list, and a treat snack. I also make little nests around the house where I like to sit with a blanket close to a fireplace with my tea on a table and our dog close by.

Got any new recipes for us to try?

Yes! Hubs and I went to Colorado this past summer and I got some Devon scones from a British grocery store in Colorado Springs. We loved them so much I hacked the recipe (took me about 4 tries!) Here it is:

Heywood & Padgett Devon Scones

Pre-heat oven to 425 F. Bake for 18 minutes.

2 & 3/4 Cups flour (save 3/4 C for dredging)
1/2 Cup sugar
Pinch salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
8 Tablespoons or 1 stick unsalted butter
3 Tablespoons grape jelly

2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 Cup milk

Dredge the grape jelly in the 3/4 Cup of flour; cut it into the flour like butter, then set aside.

Mix all other dry ingredients together in a medium bowl, cut in the butter, then add in the jelly mix and mix gently.

In a separate small bowl mix the eggs, vanilla and milk together. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms. Do not knead.

Flatten the dough to a 1” circle and using a 2” round cutter cut out the scones. Mix 2 teaspoons of milk snd 2 Tablespoons of sugar and brush over the top before baking. Bake at 425 F for 18 minutes. Enjoy!

These scones are so sweet they don’t need jam, just a little clotted cream. And that is exactly how they were- and yes they had bits of grape jelly in them! When we figured it out we couldn’t believe it!