Category Archives: Tea

Hot Tea Month Blog-A-Thon ~ Week 4

Click on over to the Hot Tea Month Blog to join in. The answer to this weeks question could take a few posts but I’m going to keep it short and sweet…

Week 4: January 24-30
Whom have you met because of something related to tea? Share something about this person and how your relationship began and blossomed.

Tea has brought Ruth at Scrabblequeen into my cyber world. It’s been fun to get to know about her through some of her interesting outings and travels. It’s fun to see how knitting and tea are paired in her life and my friend Willow’s life. I love to see more of the world through my bloggy friends experiences…

I met Willow through blogging and we have shared many a cup of tea together. It’s been good to be friends in person with a fellow blogger. Our friendship has blossomed through our walks, our chats over cups of tea , praying for each other, and sharing the blogging experience together. We met the lovely lady that owns Tranquility Tea Room on one of our tea outings…

I was introduced to Cori G’s blog Brambleberry Cottage (although her blog used to be called Gingerbread Crumbs & Co.) during  LaTeaDah’s Tea blogathon. Cori and I were able to meet over a cup of tea at the Corner Bakery in Brea. I have enjoyed Cori’s sweet spirit through her blog. Here’s a post about our meeting. Cori’s graphics are very impressive!

My sister and I really enjoyed getting to know the owner of Madame Fifi’s Tea Room in Bothell ,Christine, just a little bit. She really was a gracious hostess. Unfortunately she had to leave this business behind… We were able to enjoy a few tea outings there before she closed shop…

I mentioned LaTeaDah from Gracious Hospitality and I’ve enjoyed reading her blog over the last couple of years. She has been to some fun tea rooms that she shares about on her blog along with hosting some great tea experiences.

Tea alone is good therapy but tea with someone else is wonderful therapy and I’m old enough and honest enough to admit I need therapy~

 

Hot Tea Month Blog-a-thon ~ Week 3

Click on the image to get to the Hot tea Month blog…

Week Three: January 17th-23rd
Our topic for week three of the blog-a-thon is:

“If I could have my own Tea House this is how I would run things…..”

If I ran my own tea room I would want it to be a wonderful experience for anyone who walked through the door. I would not want my guests to feel hurried or ignored so I would limit my tea room to one seating a day. That seating would be for a group of 6 to 12. I might consider two groups of 4 or 2 groups of 6. It would only be open on Saturday. Hey since we’re being hypothetical I have the freedom to plan unrealistically. My tea room would not make any money but I would be happy at the end of the day. Everything would be fresh and made to order. The food would be something that people would remember. Everyone’s tea would be served hot for every cup they sip. Cups would not be dry for longer then a few seconds. My guests would be treated well and their experience would put a smile on their face.

Hot Tea Month ~ Favorite Teas

This is week two of Hot Tea Month blog-a-thon. Click on over to the hot tea month site to join in the fun. A big thank you to Scrabblequeen for hosting the event!

Week Two: January 10th-16th

Tell us about your favorite teas. Do you prefer black, green, white, red, or “herbal”? Do you like added flavors such as fruit, flowers, vanilla, chocolate, or spices, or are you a “purist”?

For a quick cup of tea I generally enjoy tea steeped with a tea bag. If I am going to steep loose tea I enjoy a good Earl Grey or English Breakfast Tea or a Russian black tea called Czars tea.

I always have to make sure I have good ole Lipton tea bags around for my family especially my brother Leonard. Some of my sisters have moved on to herbal teas. When I was younger I put lots of sugar and milk in my tea. These days I drink most of my hot beverages black with no sweeteners.

I found this really good tea in these cool muslin bags at a local grocery store at a close-out price. A Russian blend of China, Ceylon, and India teas with natural scents of bergamot, lemon, lime, orange, mandarin and flowers. What a description :0)

This is my daughter in a flat we rented in Scotland enjoying our welcome tea tray that was left for us.

I very rarely go for more fruity teas but I do experiment once in a while. This tea cup and tea was a gift from my son and his wife and I’ve enjoyed the variety of teas from this box.

If I want something hot at night I generally will go for the herbals. My first choice is usually Chamomile.

When we go out for tea in a larger group we will usually get a pot of Earl Grey, a pot of some fruity tea like Peach, and choose something different like lavender or anything we haven’t tried before that is different from our usual. It’s fun to experiment with the group.

I’ve developed a nagging cough that hopefully will depart in the next day or two in the meantime as I write this post I’m enjoying a hot cuppa Lady Grey to soothe my throat. It’s interesting that if I’m ever sick I always think of hot tea not hot coffee. Of course if things get really bad there’s that other British remedy…

Have a good week enjoying your tea, whatever flavor or variety you choose!

Tea Things Tuesday!

We started a little tradition last year during Thanksgiving Weekend. On Friday after Thanksgiving the girls head to Goodwill to shop the sales in hopes of finding some little treasure for real cheap and then we go out to eat. Last year we decided on tea at a favorite spot of Lana G.’s and mine but since that time our sweet tea shop changed hands and we’re not impressed with the new establishment. We were hoping to continue the tea tradition after Goodwill shopping. Well I’m so happy to say a new Tea Shop has opened in Downtown Bothell and we have reservations for 11:45 on Friday after Thanksgiving and Goodwill. Yippee! We hope all the usual suspects will be able to come!

My girls Katie and Laura. Aunt Letty and Katie. Aunt Lana G! and Katie. Lana G! and Ellen b. My DIL Laura and her mom Pat.

 

I’ll take lots of photos from the new spot Three Cups of Tea and show you all in December…

Happy Tea Things Tuesday to you all. Please visit Kim at Shabby, Pink and Pretty for more Tea Things…

 

 

Tea Things Tuesday ~ Moss Rose

Time to visit Kim at Shabby Pink & Pretty for Tea Things Tuesday

In 1973 when I was on a singing tour in England I decided to buy my very first Tea Set. I chose this Royal Albert pattern called Moss Rose. I really loved the shape of the teapot and tea cups. Dear and I were married in 1974 and in 1976 when we were at a replacement china shop in Windsor, Canada we bought a dinner set to go with my tea set.

I now have service for 12 of this pattern and some nice serving pieces, too.

 

Tea Things Tuesday ~ Blue

I’m joining Kim at Shabby, Pink and Pretty this week for Tea Things Tuesday. Click on over and join in the fun.

This is a photograph of a window through a mirror of a great Tea Shop that has since changed hands and changed decor. I miss this Tea shop and the owner who was a gem.

 

These are a few of my blue tea cups and saucers.

Blue Danube Tea Pot

There’s just something about Tea things that call to me. Hope you all have a lovely Tuesday wherever you may be…

 

Family Tea with Mosaics…

Half the ladies in my family met for tea yesterday in Fullerton, California. We had the Senior member of our family(my 85 year old mom) and the youngest member of our family (my 1 month old Grand Niece) in attendance.

These are my sisters, my mom and our Grand Niece Avery.

The venue was the Spring Tea Garden in Fullerton, California. We were treated well during our time there.

Avery was born on September 17th…

Make sure and visit Mary at The Little Red House to see more of Mosaic Monday…

 

It’s in the 90’s and We’re Going to Tea!

The Sisters…

 

Southern California is having a weather event and we are HOT HOT HOT. Back in April my family planned a nice afternoon at the Rose Tree Cottage in Pasadena for my mother’s 85th birthday. It was a disappointing day for my mom because she fell on an uneven sidewalk when she arrived and had to spend the afternoon and evening at the hospital instead of having tea.

My mother giving us some words of wisdom at her birthday tea two years ago…

We decided it was high time to get together for tea again and thought we’d have some nice Fall weather for our get together. Well it’s Fall but we are having some summer weather. This time my mom, all my sisters, a SIL, nieces, and little grand niece are gathering in Fullerton. We’re praying for an accident free day!

“Such items, if properly prepared and portered, jingle and tinkle, twinkle and shine, as if to announce their approach, and all the cups and saucers, the silver spoons and the sugar bowl, the steaming hot water and the shining strainer, the teapot and the plate of delicate sandwiches – all seem to combine and say as one, “Let your worries cease for now; the world is aright again!” And in the welcome pouring of the tea and the delightful crunch of the cucumber and cress sandwiches, not to mention the promise of the coming cakes and the possible surprise of strawberries and cream to follow, all else is held at bay: the past is forgotten, the future does not exist, and all is peace. ”

Toad Triumphant ~ by William Horwood

William Horwood has written sequels to The Wind in the Willows called The Willows in Winter and the book this quote is from called Toad Triumphant.