Teatime Favorites

Recently, I came across this lovely magazine at Sam’s Club, which is a great place to buy magazines at 30% off the publishers price.  It is a special commemorative edition in celebration of the 10 year anniversary of TeaTime (one of my favorite publications).

There are ideas for table setting, including Mother’s Day, Summer Splendor, Autumn Flair, Christmas Tea, Pretty In Pink, Stars And Stripes, and much more.

There are articles about teapots, teacups, tea infusers, tiered trays, tea towels and tea napkins.

Also included is information on types of tea, preparing tea, and how to properly store your tea.

Numerous teatime recipes from past issues of TeaTime Magazine will definitely be helpful in preparing a delicious afternoon tea.

“What better way to make memories than to gather around a beautifully decorated table laden with delicious food and tea?”

-Lorna Reeves, Editor

National Stress Awareness Month

Here are a few tips, from our friends at the American Heart Association to lower stress and help our hearts and minds:

Talk with family and friends!
Catching up with people is good for your head and your heart.

Work some daily activity into your life.
We can’t all do marathons, but we can get our heart rate up a little bit each day.

Laugh more!
Seriously, it's good for you!

Pace yourself instead of racing yourself.
Work out a plan so that you can do the most important things in the day.

Get enough sleep!
Sleep deprivation makes us less efficient and more stressed. And it gives us those circles under our eyes. To learn more stress reduction tips, check this out.

Of course, my favorite stress reliever is a nice hot cup of tea (maybe Tower of London blend by Harney & Sons) and a good book.  How about you – how do you cope with stress?

Happy Earth Day

Green Tea Herbal Soap

Have you tried any of the Earth Therapeutics products?  I found this Green Tea soap at Ross.

It came in a clear plastic box that contained three individually packaged soaps.  The exfoliating formula is for all skin types and is organic, cruelty free and vegan.

The first thing I noticed was the wonderful, fresh, hint of citrus smell.  My whole bath smelled lovely from the opened soap sitting in the dish.  It did lather well and had an unusual texture from the little pieces of rice bran embedded in the bar – quite pleasant.

I’m sure the vitamin C, E and green tea polyphenols will be very “skin saving” as it says on the box.  If you can’t get to a Ross store, you can buy this soap online at the Earth Therapeutics website.

Waiting for Kaleigh

My younger daughter’s first child and my fourth grandchild is due sometime in May.  Kaleigh will round out the group to include two girls and two boys.

The baby shower was a lot of fun.  Her hubby dropped in on his work break, just in time to take part in the tummy measuring game.

We enjoyed lots of yummy dishes, but the highlight had to be the sweets. 

This adorable cake was made by her talented mother-in-law and the cupcakes by her sister-in-law.

Another diet downfall were the luscious chocolate covered strawberries and dark chocolate truffles. 

Now, it’s just a waiting game, with the thought always in the back of my mind “please don’t go into labor while we are away in Charleston”.

Tea is a cup of life.

A trip to Michael’s yesterday to buy some much needed paper cutter blades turned up some cute tea items.

These items are all from Mary & Co. by Mary Engelbreit.

The inside of this spiral bound journal has lined pages and a row of teacups at the top. The tag on the tea bag reads “Oh Happy Day”.

The smaller notepad with its own folding pen is just the right size to tuck into your purse.

I liked the way the letters on this stamp leave lots of room for coloring in with watercolor pencils, etc.  Also, each item was only $1.50.  Perfect for tucking into gift bags, or for surprising your tea enthusiast friends.

 

book giveaway winner

Sarah V you’re the winner of “The World in Your Teacup” book.  Please send me an email with your mailing address and it will be on its way to you soon. 

“The World in Your Teacup” book giveaway

I reviewed The World in Your Teacup back in January 2011.

I’m not sure if one can have too many tea books, but sometimes keeping track of them is a challenge.  This is not the first time that I’ve come across a title in my tea library with a duplicate copy.

If you would like to win this duplicate book giveaway, just leave a comment on this blog post by Saturday evening at 6pm.  I will draw a name and mail the book to a winner within the United States.