In Time For Tea

I love to give books for special occasions or no occasion ...
To kids and adults.

I heard about Chimpanzees for Tea by Jo Empson in the 
Afternoon Tea Across America group I belong to on FaceBook.

Vincent's mother sends him to the store with a shopping list.
She wants him to be home in time for tea.
Along the way Vincent loses his shopping list.
He tries to remember everything on the list 
and comes home with some unexpected items.
But he is in time for tea! 
Great illustrations and lots of fun.
I think it will be a wonderful birthday gift for the little girl next door.







I decided I wanted to be in time for tea, too.
I was especially tea thirsty and got out one of my favorite oversized tea cups.

The perfect Tea Time Teacup.
It is part of the Leonardo Collection.
Designed in England. 
More fun!

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

Home Sweet Home

Make It Pretty Monday

No Place Like Home

Mosaic Monday

Tuesday Cup of Tea

This and That

1. I made a new friend last week.

His name is Bruno.
He belongs to a friend of mine.

Bruno is a three month old Mastiff.
He is a big teddy bear in a dog costume.
Like my kitties, he loves to have his chin scratched.


2. I'm working on another baby blanket.
Using my favorite pattern again.
It is quick and easy and looks complicated.
You can find the free crochet pattern here.

If I finish with time left before the baby shower,
I might try making one of these:

These little gems should be a good stash buster!

3.  I had a birthday at the end of May 
and all of my sisters-by-choice spoiled me.
They know all about my love for tea and I hit the jackpot.

One of my sisters is an accomplished needlepoint-er. 
She always has a project going on. 
The pillow is from her.
Perfect for her tea lover sister.

I love the Rosina teacup.
Very different with it's fluted tulip cup shape and high handle.
The saucer is fluted,too.
The blue design is very delicate.

The teacup sits on a Serendipi-tea Tea Box full of chocolate tea.
Sounds decadent, doesn't it!

Serendipi-Tea is a World Tea Awards Finalist for the Best Tea Brand.

4. In Musashi's Garden the plumeria is blooming.
Perfect timing: the gardenia just finished.
The garden has gone from one glorious scent to another.

5. When I put the crochet hook down,
I pick up Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick.
I heard an interview with Philbrick on NPR.
I enjoyed it so much, I decided I would have to read the book.
It isn't exactly what I would call Summer Reading,
but it is a fascinating look at the American Revolution,
especially George Washington and Benedict Arnold.
With luck, I'll have it finished by July 4. 


Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Five on Friday

Home Sweet Home

Hop Hop Hopping

The Easter Bunny is getting ready for the big day.

 The arrival of the Easter Bunny
 must mean Spring is hop hop hopping down the bunny trail!

Time to find the bunny teapot (a World Market find years ago).

While looking for the Bunny Teapot,
I pulled out the Rosina Iris teacup.
I must be prepared for spring!

In the spirit of the season,
I'm going to keep my dust bunnies as decoration! 

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

Remember,
Every Bunny
Needs Some Bunny
Sometime.

No Place Like Home

Bernideen's Tea Time Cottage and Garden Party

Tuesday Cuppa Tea
Tea Cup Tuesday

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

It Makes Decision Making Hard

There is a lot going on in February.

College Basketball will be ending and College Baseball will begin.

*

It's the Chinese New Year.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

(Mandarin for Happy New Year)

It is the Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival.

The date changes every year as determined by the Lunar Chinese calendar.

This year is the year of the Red Monkey.

Found on Elephant Journal and Pinterest

The monkey is intelligent, smart, wise, curious, energetic, impulsive, inventive, hyperactive, cheeky, strong minded and vigilant. Red monkeys are problem solvers and work well within group environments, while retaining their individuality.

*

I love this time of year.

Tulips are abundant at the grocery stores.

Daffodils appear at TJs.

It makes decision making hard.

Should I buy tulips or daffodils?

I decided to get both.

*

Mardi Gras is coming to an end.

Fat Tuesday is around the corner...

the last big party of the year before lent.

To celebrate I bought a small king cake and it is delicious.

Instead of the usual cinnamon interior, I got cream cheese.

YUM!

A King Cake is a type of cake associated in a number of countries with the festival of Epiphany at the end of the Christmas Season.

Here on the Gulf Coast it is associated with the pre-Lenten celebrations of Mardi Gras/Carnival.

In the southern United States, the tradition was brought to the area by colonists from France and Spain. 

The King Cake comes in a number of styles. The most simple, said to be the most traditional, is a ring of twisted cinnamon roll-style dough topped with icing or sugar, usually colored purple, green and gold (traditional Mardi Gras colors) with food coloring. King cakes may also be filled with additional foodstuffs - the most common being cream cheese, praline, cinnamon or strawberry.

Finding the baby in the cake is said to bring good luck and you must supply the King Cake for the next years party.

*

At the Kitchen Table

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

I'm joining:
No Place Like Home
Bernideen's Tea Time, Cottage and Garden Party

February Is Here

February has arrived.

Did you say Rabbit Rabbit on the first?

It is a common British superstition which states that a person should say or repeat the word "rabbit" or "rabbits", or "white rabbits", or some combination of these elements out loud upon waking on the first day of the month, because doing so will ensure good luck for the duration of that month (from Wikipedia).

Or, in Downton Abbey fashion, did you say Bad Harvest?!

*

The snowmen that I've been looking at every morning in January have been replaced.

I love Emma Bridgewater and it's so much fun to bring out my heart teapot and mugs made by Emma. Emma Bridgewater is a British ceramics manufacturer founded in 1985, owned and run by Emma Rice nee Bridgewater and Matthew Rice. Noted for their polka dot design among others, Emma Bridgewater specializes in pottery with motifs drawing on techniques stretching back over 200 years. The company is one of the largest pottery manufacturers based entirely in the UK, with all of its products made in its factory in the city of Stoke-on-Trent. Emma started the company when she went looking for a birthday present for her mother. She wanted to buy and cup and saucer but couldn't find anything she liked, so she created her own. And I'm sure glad she did! 

Every one should have a tea mug that says Peace and Love and Tea!

I have some Rose Petal Tea by the Republic of Tea that I think will be a very nice way to start the month of February. 
It says its a "Tea for The Queen of Hearts".
I don't know about being the Queen of Hearts,
but I am the Queen of this house!

"This royal tea blend has the light spice of delicate, young rose buds and petals atop the sweet fullness of China Black Tea. This Victorian tradition is perfect served in fine china cups for kings, queens, friends and loved ones."

I think it will taste very good served in my Emma mugs, too!

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

I'm joining:
Sandi at No Place Like Home
Tuesday Cup of Tea

Bernideen's Tea Time, Cottage and Garden Party

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! 

I Need It To Keep Me Warm

I realized that, as much as I like Emma Bridgewater,

I didn't have an Emma Christmas mug.

So, I got myself an early present and have been using

the mug and my Portmeirion Holly and Ivy teapot

all month, drinking Harney and Sons

White Christmas Tea

(a blend of white tea, almonds and vanilla).

When I'm finished drinking White Christmas,
I get to start on my new teas.

My BGD (beautiful god-daughter) and her handsome knight
sent me Fearrington House Afternoon Tea.
It smells so delicious: Black China Tea
 with carmel, grapefruit, and lemony bergamot.
Plus, Fearrington House Jam:Raspberry, Star Anise, Thyme.
The Fearrington House is one of their favorite places for a romantic get-a-way.
Looking at it in the magic of cyberspace --
it looks like a wonderful spot for tea and belted cattle gazing! 
You can check out the Fearrington Village and Inn here.




More tea!
Liliuokalani tea from Serendipi Tea:
Organic China Black Tea, Safflower Petals, Orange Blossoms, 
and Tropical Fruit Flavor.

Taylor Maid Farms: Pacific Coast Breakfast - Organic Yunnan Black Tea.

There is a cold front blowing through.
I'll need all of this tea to keep me warm!

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Thank you Martha for hosting
Tea Cup Tuesday.

Thank you - Tuesday Cuppa Tea.

Thank you Bernideen
for Bernideens Tea.

Thank you Sandi for hosting
No Place Like Home.


 

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

Tin Roof Teas

I really enjoyed my visit to Raleigh, North Carolina

to see my BGD (Beautiful God Daughter), her handsome fella

(AKA The Kids) and to attend their confirmation.

One afternoon, BGD and I set out to find Tin Roof Teas

and boy, did we find tea!

BGD is a coffee drinker, but she was a good sport 
and tasted all the samples of the day.




I think BGD liked Pineapple Mimosa Fruit the best.
My favorite was Arabian Night.
We enjoyed China White Monkey and to be fair,
it was a warm day so the cold tea was really good!

There were rows of tea and colorful teapots, tea mugs, tea bag holders.
All sorts of tea utensils. 
I didn't get a picture of the tea bar where they make their own blends.




Matcha sets, more pretty tea cups and 
they have wonderful tins and ceramics for storage.
If all else fails, and you don't find any tea that you like,
perhaps some chocolate will do!




Be sure to visit Tin Roof Teas if you are in the Raleigh, North Carolina area.

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

Big thanks to the hosts of:
Mosaic Monday

Teatime Tuesday
Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday