The Crickets Are Singing

It is not summer until the crickets sing.

~ Proverb

Summer Solstice is today.

It is the day when the light shines the longest.
The Crickets are singing so it must be summer!

It's also time for iced tea.

This was in the June Texas Market subscription box.
Mango Black is from a company I wasn't familiar with.
A little research and I found out that Hello!
 is from a subscription tea box company
called My Story Tea.
(Just what I need -- another subscription box!)
I'm really enjoying the Mango Black tea iced.
There are four 1 quart pouches in the pack.
It arrived just in time for June - the official iced tea month.

It's raining and will probably rain for several days.
While it isn't a tropical storm, after Hurricane Harvey last year,
everyone is a bit nervous to have it rain and rain and rain.

Mina is keeping me company.
She is making biscuits and chewing on her favorite blanket. 

I think she is completely bored with the rain!

Wishing YOU well and much joy.



Little Things Thursday

Share Your Cup Thursday

Mosaic Monday

Keep In Touch

Stay Cozy

"Winter is the time for comfort,

for good food and warmth,

for the touch of a friendly hand

and for a talk beside the fire.

It is the time for home."

~ Edith Sitwell


I was greeted by this poem when I opened my January
Texas Market Box. 
Even the Gulf Coast of Texas is having winter this year.
I've given up trying to save the tropicals.
There will be a lot of planting in the spring!

Back to the Texas Market Box!

I've been subscribing to the Texas Market box for several years now.
I've never been disappointed with the contents.
Always something I've not seen before and fun! 

Here's how the Texas Market folks describe their service:

"My Texas Market is a subscription-based delivery service that sends  carefully curated packages filled with small-batch, artisan items from  farmers’ markets and local Texas businesses to customers each month.   Our purpose is to expose consumers to great new products and companies,  offer vendors a new market, encourage the support of local artisan  businesses, and simply share our love for the Texas farmers' market with  people who might not be able to enjoy it in person."   
     

Stay Cozy Coffee Mug (or in my case a tea mug)
From Mugg + Co in Dallas, TX

Handcrafted Coaster by Gaston Made in Dallas, Tx.
"Enjoy a modern, handcrafted coaster made from scratch in a wood shop by local business owners Alex and Emily. They've been featured in West Elm. Their handmade home goods can be found at Gaston Made."

Hot chocolate for the Cozy mug!
Hot Chocolate Cocoa from CocoAndre Chocolatier in Dallas.
"warm up with a cup of hot cocoa made with a blend of dark and milk Belgian dark chocolate this winter. Andrea Pedraza and daughter Cindy create pure chocolate confections that serve to make sweet memories."
Visit their shop at Cocaandre.

I didn't remove the Royal Vanilla Moisturizing Cream and Lip Balm
from it's packaging. I wanted to give you an idea of how things are shipped.

From Hooga Organic Skincare in McKinney, TX
"Hooga is a family of skincare products that are specially formulated in a very natural and organic way. These products were born from the idea of healthier, simpler and essential way of life.

The Hooga Royal Vanilla Moisturizing Cream is ideal for a deep, powerful or overnight moisturizing session. This new formula combines avocado and olive oil with the lovely aromas of vanilla and a hint of tangerine.

The Hooga Lip Balm will protect and moisturize your lips." 

Their products can be found at Hooga Skin Care. 

That's it! 
My January Texas Market Box for January.
It will definitely help keep me cozy this winter!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!
Stay warm and cozy on this MLK day.

Amaze Me Monday
Keep In Touch
Make It Pretty Monday
Mosaic Monday
Share Your Cup Thursday








I received no compensation for this post.
I just really enjoy My Texas Market!

Irish Drinking Team

With St. Patrick's Day coming up
I've joined the official Irish Drinking Team
with one of my favorite drinks ---
TEA! 

The tea I've selected for the month of March is one of

 the Literary Teas from Simpson And Vail.  

The Literary Tea Line is a collection of blends that were created with a specific author in mind.
The teas vary from a black tea blend to a flavored herbal blend
and each is inspired by the authors' works and lives.

I filled the Belleek teapot with Simpson and Vail's Walt Whitman Tea Blend.
Simpson and Vail's Walt Whitman Tea Blend is inspired by his beautiful nature imagery in Leaves of Grass, especially the poems he wrote about roots and herbs. In one of his memoirs, Whitman describes a man who "express'd a great desire for good, strong green tea." This blend in an earthier and more mature variation of Simpson and Vail's Lemon Ginger Green Tea. It combines an unobtrusive green tea base with the earthiness of ginger and eleuthero roots (ginseng) and the sweetness and acid bite of lemon (with lemongrass, lemon peel, and lemon flavoring)."

From Simpson and Vail:

"Walt Whitman was born May 31, 1819 to a house builder and his wife in Brooklyn. He was introduced to the written word at the age of 12 when he began working as a printer's apprentice. There, he taught himself to read and devoured the classics. When the printing house burned down, Walt taught for five years until he decided to pursue journalism. The first edition of Leaves of Grass, a rough self-published volume of only twelve poems, was printed in 1855. Whitman would continue to revise and reprint Leaves of Grass until he died. Though his contributions to poetry are considered some of the most important in American history, Whitman did not enjoy success in his lifetime. He spent much of his life struggling to get by with only a meager clerk's wage to support himself as well as his mother and invalid brother. An 1882 edition of Leaves of Grass finally afforded him enough wealth to buy a house in Camden, New Jersey where he would work on Good-Bye, My Fancy until his death in 1892.

(Surprise! I share my birthday with Walt Whitman!)

May you always
walk in sunshine.
May you never want for more.
May Irish angels rest their wings
right beside your door.
~ Irish Blessing

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

No Place Like Home 

Tuesday Cuppa' Tea

Bernideen's Tea Time Cottage and Garden Party

The Earth Laughs in Flowers

The Butterfly Iris are blooming in my garden.
It is very difficult to underwater or overwater this Iris.
Perfect for Houston weather where it is either too dry or too wet!

They look quite pretty dancing in a light breeze under the sunny skies.

"Earth laughs in flowers."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm joining the lovely Karen and Mya for Sun Lit Sunday.

The Leaf Is One With Other Leaves

" This leaf is one with the other leaves:

with the branches, the trunk and the roots of the tree;

with the clouds, the stream, the earth, the sky and the light of the sun.

If one of these elements were absent,

the leaf could not exist."

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

I'm joining the lovely Karen for SunLit Sunday.

Wishing YOU well and much joy! 

Leftovers

I just finished Trader Joe's Peppermint Pretzel Slims.
Thin, cruchy thin pretzels with a creamy coating and peppermint sprinkles.
Boy, were they good! 
I figured if I listed them here in the Land of Blog perhaps I would remember them for next year! 

I still have some TJs Mini Gingerbread Men -- gingerbread cookies with white fudge icing.
Also very good.

I'm really not a big lover of shortbread, but I loved the Santa tin -- especially the reindeer running around the bottom. 

Friendly Village by Johnson Brothers is one of my favorite patterns. 

I love that I can use this pattern from November into the winter months. 

When Johnson Brothers was founded in 1883 by Frederick and Alfred Johnson, their goal for the Staffordshire pottery was to produce an earthenware called "White Granite," which is marked on many early pieces as "Semi Porcelain." It was a great material for dinnerware because it looked like china but was as tough as ironstone. However, the firm would become the most famous for its transferware like Friendly Village.

I'm always on the lookout for more pieces to add to my small collection.

I'm enjoying my leftovers from the holidays, including Comfort and Joy Tea by the Republic of Tea. 

It is black tea leaves blended with spices and fruit. Yum! 

"Who would then deny that when I am sipping tea in my tearoom I am swallowing the whole universe with it and that this very moment of my lifting the bowl to my lips is eternity itself transcending time and space?"
~ D.T. Suzuki

I'm joining:

No Place Like Home.

Bernadine's Tea Time Cottage and Garden Blog Party

Wishing YOU well and much joy! 

5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...

I'd Like To Wish You A....

"So, I close
my eyes
to old ends
and open 
my heart to
new
beginnings."
~ Nick Frederickson

(The original image is from Dharma Crafts. I tweaked it a bit.)

Words of Wisdom

Words of Wisdom: Living is Not Enough

“Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”

- Hans Christian Andersen, The Complete Fairy Tales

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

I Couldn't Resist

Sometimes it good to NOT listen to oneself.

I told myself that I would not buy/look at any newly made teacups.

Then I went to Homegoods with one of my sisters-by-choice

and there it was ....

This beautiful black and white toile/transferware trio.

I couldn't resist.

Square Plate and Cup and Saucer with floral design and birds!

It is called Adelaide Grey by 222FIFTH.
Tea tastes wonderful in this cup and I had a nice salad on the plate.
Perfect.

In addition, I had a couple of wonderful mail calls.
Bigelow had a give-a-way on Face Book.
They gave away tins filled with Constant Comment to celebrate 
their 70th anniversary.
I have fond memories of drinking Constant Comment.
My mother and I would visit with a good friend and her daughter at least
once a week and drink Constant Comment -- and read tea leaves!
They also included a sample of Green Tea with Pomegranate
(delicious).

The other mail call was from Angela at Tea With Friends.
She gave-a-way a fun teapot tea strainer and a tote bag.
A girl can never have enough tote bags.
She finds the most wonderful tea things.

I've had a tea-riffic time!


“I take a few quick sips. "This is really good." And I mean it. I have never tasted tea like this. It is smooth, pungent, and instantly addicting.

"This is from Grand Auntie," my mother explains. "She told me 'If I buy the cheap tea, then I am saying that my whole life has not been worth something better.' A few years ago she bought it for herself. One hundred dollars a pound."

"You're kidding." I take another sip. It tastes even better.”
― Amy Tan, The Kitchen God's Wife


Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Thank you to the hosts of:
Mosaic Monday

Teatime Tuesday
Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

Celebrating the Pansy

I love Miltonia orchids.
For me, they are charming and irresistible.
They bloom profusely.
Miltonias are often called Pansy Orchids because of their flat-faced,
open flowers that resemble pansies in shape and markings.
Richly colored, fragrant flowers.
From the time that the flower bud on the stems open,
they remain in bloom for 4 to 6 weeks.

**

I thought sharing the Miltonia orchid was the perfect time to share

another new to me teacup.

It was sent to me for my birthday from another of my sisters-by-choice.

This sister is my Saurian sister -- we both love dragons!

And, we both love pansies. 

This is Spring Melody by Queen Anne.

Queen Anne is a fine quality china produced by Shore and Coggins,

Staffordshire potteries in England from 1911 to 1966.

This is beautiful fine bone china that is very translucent when held to the light.

The background is pure white, and the design is a bouquet of pansies

in colors of purple, pink, blue and yellow.

The teacups are footed and there is gold trim on all the edges and handle.

She also sent me Persian Nectar tea from Serendipi Tea.

Persian Nectar is organic Indian black tea with

organic peach flavoring.

YUM!

A little treat with my tea today.

Key Lime Pie cookies from Oreo.

Oh, my! 

***

Thank you to the hosts of:

Mosaic Monday

Teatime Tuesday
Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

Wishing YOU well, much joy and a wonderful cup of tea!

When the world is all at odds

And the mind is all at sea,

Then cease the useless tedium

And brew a cup of tea.

There is magic in its fragrance,

There is solace in its taste;

And the laden moments vanish

Somehow into space.

And the world becomes a lovely thing!

There's beauty as you'll see;

All because you briefly stopped

To brew a cup of tea.

~William Gladstone

(Thank you to Marilyn at Delights of the Heart for the poem.)

Why Be In A Hurry?

Did you have a nice holiday weekend?

Hot dogs and hamburgers?

No hot dogs here, but I did have a turkey burger 

and some delicious macaroni salad and a beer (or two).
I watched the 4th of July festivities on TV .. beautiful!
How do people stand being out in the heat??!!

I have taken the red, white and blue buntings off of the balcony.

The Uncle Sam windsock has been replaced by a bright red flag

with a large sun, cactus and red pepper ...

a colorful message that the HOT summer has arrived! 

**

TeaVivre sent me samples of their Spring Green Teas.
I love the TeaVivre packaging ... really sealed!
The first one I tried is La Shan Yun Wu.
Opening the package I could immediately smell the tea ...
sort of a roasted spinach odor.

The dried leaves have an interesting texture.
Really dark green.




I like brewing the TeaVivre samples in my little red pot.
Perfect size for the sample and it has its own strainer.
I can lift it out, drink the tea, and steep another pot if I like.






I brewed the tea for 5 minutes.
Such a pretty light green color.

It has a chestnut flavor ... not overpowering and slightly sweet.

I haven't put up all the indoor holiday decorations yet. 
Why be in a hurry?!

You can see what the leaves look like after one brew.

Still delicate looking, but they really open up. 

TeaVivre said this was a good large mug tea,

so I got out one of my new mugs.

This is one from a set of four given to me on my birthday

 by another of my sisters-by-choice.

She knows how I love my tea and the birds!

I have a tea quote for you:

“As far as her mom was concerned, tea fixed everything. 

Have a cold? Have some tea. 

Broken bones? There's a tea for that too. 

Somewhere in her mother's pantry, Laurel suspected, 

was a box of tea that said, 

'In case of Armageddon, steep three to five minutes'.” 

― Aprilynne Pike, Illusions

Wishing YOU well, much joy and a wonderful cup of tea!

Thank you to the hosts of:

Mosaic Monday

Teatime Tuesday
Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

Happiness Is

"Happiness is the main object of our aspirations, whatever 

name we give to it: fulfillment, deep satisfaction, serenity, accomplishment,

wisdom, fortune, joy or inner peace, and however we try to seek it: creativity,

justice, altruism, striving, completion of a plan or a piece of work."

~ Matthew Ricard

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Hyacinths For The Soul

If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft

And of thy simple store two loaves of bread alone are left

Sell one, and with the dole,

Buy hyacinths to feed the soul.  

~ Sa’di

In one brief period of sunshine, I caught the sun before it disappeared again.

Warmth, peace and calm inside.

Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Thanks, Kim!

A big thank you to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

The Sun Has Not Disappeared Forever

The sun came for a visit.
It brought spring time temperatures
And pink mornings.

Pink Sky in the Morning

Mina in her sun puddle.

The sun is only visiting for a few days.

Cold, wind and rain come back this weekend.

We'll have to remember the words of Arnoud Desjardins:

"On days when the sky is grey, the sun has not disappeared forever."

Wishing YOU well, much joy and a sunny day!

Thank you, Kim.

Thank you to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

Still Hanging On

This gerbera daisy is still hanging on.
It hasn't gotten the message that it is winter
and it's COLD!

"Flowers are those little colorful beacons of the sun from which we get sunshine when dark, somber skies blanket our thoughts." 

~Dodinsky


Wishing YOU well and much joy.

Thank you to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

Sun Lit Sunday

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark;
the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."
~Plato

A big thank you to Karen for hosting Sun Lit Sunday.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Wednesday Words

"To know the Way is to know where to go and how to get there."

~ Tseng-tzu

Butterflies and Flowers

The butterfly counts not months but moments,
and has time enough.
~Rabindranath Tagore

Butterflies are self propelled flowers.

~R.H. Heinlein

If nothing ever changed,
there'd be no butterflies.
~Author Unknown

"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly,
"one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower."
~Hans Christian Andersen



Today I'm joining the lovely Judith for Mosaic Monday.

May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun
And find your shoulder to light on,
To bring you luck, happiness and riches
Today, tomorrow and beyond.
~Irish Blessing