Snow, Blogs, and Tea Bags

Yesterday was another home-bound day, and even though I enjoy the cozy indoors, I must admit I'm starting to get cabin fever [but not enough to go outside just yet!].

Below are two photos I took from inside my house.  That's hubby snow blowing our driveway. It was a frigid -02 degrees F with a windchill of -15 degrees F.  The phrase "Baby it's cold outside" is an understatement! Temps are supposed to start warming up to 23 degrees F on Thursday - a heatwave!

The second photo was taken from the family room door wall.  You can see the depth of the snow piled up on the patio table and A/C unit.  Doesn't Mother Nature know that Christmas is past, and we don't want snow now?!

I think my tea and blogging friend, LaDonna, from Gracious Hospitality blog should receive honorable mention for being the longest blogger of those I follow. She began blogging in 2005!  Below is her blog banner.  She is also the moderator of a tea e-group, Afternoon Tea Across America, that I belong to.

In 2008 she hosted a 10-week Hospital-i-Tea blog-a-thon. I wasn't blogging then, but wasn't that a great idea, and I liked her creative topics:

• Decor-a-Tea/Incorporating tea into home decor
• Litera-Tea/Sharing tea in literature
• Teacup-a-Story/Favorite teacup and story
• Stitches-for-Tea/Stitching for the tea table
• The Sweet-and-Savory-of-Yummy/Sharing a tea recipe
• Dressed-to-a-Tea/Dressing for Afternoon Tea
• Crazy-for-Teapots/Sharing teapots
• Favorite Tea Rooms
• Creative Afternoon Tea table settings
• The White, Green, Black and Herb of Tea

I thought tea "bags" was one of her categories, but it was a creative post of Linda J's.  It got me thinking about my tea bags/totes and I gathered mine together for today's post.  Do you have a tea bag collection?

My first tea bag came from Magnolia & Ivy when I attended their tea room conference in March 2002.  It was made in Sri Lanka - how fitting is that! 

My second tea bag was given at the American Tea Society conference in October 2002.  I blogged about it here.

When I attended the Take Me 2 Tea Expo in March 2003 [now called World Tea Expo] I received my most durable tea bag.

In November 2004 I attended Southern Lady's Celebration, "A Weekend of Tea and Roses" and got a nice tote.   I also bought a tea-themed evening bag at one of the boutiques that was hand-painted by Phyllis Hoffman DePiano's mother.  The price was $30. 

I previously blogged about my teapot purses here, so I won't include them in this post.

A tea friend made the personalized tea bag below.

My son got me this tea bag at a tea shop while visiting Alaska. 

Below a souvenir tea bag from the Charleston Tea Plantation.  They use "green" bags instead of paper ones.

Two "green" tea bags that I purchased at TJ Maxx and Trader Joes.

So there you have it.  I guess I'm a tea bag lady!

Blog Reading During the Snow Storm

I've been home bound during Michigan's cold, snowy weather, and have been blog reading to keep occupied.  I have the highest praise for bloggers who have blogged for several years.  I won't celebrate my second blog anniversary until the 24th of this month, and there are days when I struggle to find new, interesting content to share.

For inspiration I turned to my friend, Linda J's blog, at Friendship Tea.  Below is her blog banner, which you will recognize if you follow her blog.

Linda started blogging in 2008, so I went back and re-read her entire first year of  blogging. I enjoyed seeing the antique/vintage china teapots, teacups, and trio sets she added to her collection; her lighted ceramic tea house collection; her family trip to England, Scotland and Wales [which was filled with Afternoon Teas]; her US travels and tea room visits; her tea books and recipes; and so much more. Her 2008 Kentucky Derby posts inspired me to add a Kentucky Derby tea to my list of theme tea parties, as well as the possibility of coordinating a fundraiser Christmas Tea where the tablescapes are auctioned off.  Thanks, Linda, for your blog, and five years of loyal commitment!  

My friend, Angela, at Tea With Friends has been blogging since 2007, and below is her blog banner.

I just finished reading her blog's first year of posts, and enjoyed her antiquing outings [which were always accompanied with great finds]; book and magazine reviews; tea product reviews and where to find the products; sewing/knitting and other craft projects; lots of recipes; and additions to her tea-themed collections.  Thanks for your amazing creativity, Angela!

Blog reading is as much fun as curling up with a good book!   All the blogs I follow are tea-themed, but no two are alike, because each has the personality of its author.

Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage has been blogging since 2008 and she hosts Tea Time Tuesdays. Her tablescapes are always beautiful, and it's fun learning about life on Prince Edward Island.

Ruth at Antiques and Teacups began her blog in 2009 and she hosts Tuesday Cuppa Tea. Her blog is filled with wonderful information about antique/vintage china [usually teacups] and fascinating history about all things British. 

Bernideen's Tea Time blog began in 2009 and she hosts Friends Sharing Tea every Tuesday, and in the summer months it changes to Tea in the Garden.  Beautiful tea-time tablescapes, recipes, home interior pictures, and photos of her garden are featured on her blog. 

These are just five of the 25 wonderful blogs that I follow.  A complete listing can be found on the right side bar.  Everyone has been blogging longer than me, so I'm the new  kid on the blogging block! ;-)  During the winter months I'm sure I'll have opportunity to read everyone's archived posts, and I'm looking forward to the inspiration and entertainment they will provide.  

Stay warm and cozy, and drink lots of tea!  

Downton Abbey - Season IV

I read up on Downton Abbey before the opening episode of Season IV aired on PBS last night, and thought you might enjoy a few snippets from the book.  

The first character to take on life was Cora, Countess of Grantham.  Julian Fellowes [creator/writer of Downton Abbey] was reading, To Marry an English Lord - a book about the young American heiresses who had flocked to England to marry into old English families during the Victorian era.  He couldn't help wondering what life was like after their marriage, and that's how Cora's character began to evolve.  It was a natural progression for her husband, Robert, Earl of Grantham, to follow, and the others took shape after that - each with their own dramatic function.

Wouldn't you love to have a tea tray brought to you in bed every morning like Cora?  ;-)

[Internet Photo]

When the series first began [Sept. 2010 in the UK, and Jan. 2011 in the US], no one imagined that the show would become the highest-rated drama in the 40-year history of PBS.   An audience of 7.6 million tuned in when the show made its debut on ITV in the UK.  Downton now airs in 200 plus territories, making the Crawleys and their servants familiar to an estimated 120 million people around the world. Phyllis Logan [Mrs. Hughes] said when a London radio DJ started a men's fan club for the show, and all the rufty-tufty booted men started joining, she knew the show appealed to men as well as women.

Below is an earlier cast photo of Downton Abbey, with Highclere Castle, a real working estate located on the Hampshire-Berkshire border [near London], in the background.  If it has a resemblance to Westminster, it's no coincidence, because it's the work of architect Sir Charles Barry, who also designed the Houses of Parliament. 

[Internet Photo]

Aside from the architecture, the castle has opulent eighteenth-century rooms with tapestries, pictures, furniture, and silver, crystal, and china accessories.   The library, being less formal, is the heart of the house where the family frequently gathers for tea. Julian Fellows says, "Every generation gets one room more right than the others, and the Victorians perfected the library."

Downton Abbey dinners [pictured below] are usually served on a traditional Spode dinner service purchased by the prop department.  Mrs. Patmore would have used a lot of classic French recipes, notes the show's food economist. 

[Internet Photo]

I love seeing the Edwardian costumes and millinery worn in the series. And there's lots of romance both upstairs and downstairs since the show is equally balanced between the Crawley family and its servants   Downton Abbey has something of interest for everyone.

There are lots of tea scenes in the episodes - both upstairs and downstairs.  

[Internet Photo]

Most of the below-stairs scenes are filmed at Ealing Studios in London, since they no longer exist at Highclere in their original state.  

 

[Internet Photo]

Masterpiece Theater welcomed Downton Abbey Season IV on their website with the following description:  "Joy, Jealousy, Tears, and Tea."   Tea truly soothes all of life's emotions! 

I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of more Downton Abbey books from Barnes & Noble, but the Behind the Scenes at Downton Abbey was very enjoyable and enlightening.

I purchased the 423 page e-book, Abbey Cooks Entertain by Pamela Foster, and signed up to have her blog posts sent directly to my e-mail  in-box.

The yummy Yorkshire Pudding Canapes pictured below is just one of the recipes I want to try.

Downton Abbey teas have been ordered from Republic of Tea, so my theme tea is starting to come together.  English Rose is a tisane of Rose, Raspberry and Hibiscus, while the Grantham Breakfast is an organic Assam with ginger root. Republic of Tea also has a Downton Abbey Estate Earl Grey tea which they've blended exclusively for Cost Plus stores.

[Photo courtesy of Republic of Tea website]

 Season IV of Downton Abbey is off to a great start!

Sunday Reflection...

"The New Year lies before you
like a spotless track of snow.
Be careful how you tread on it,
for every mark will show."

*  *  *

Below is my daily commitment for 2014.

"Father, I will  live for you today.  I will dedicate my time, my energy, my passion, and my resources to you.  I will seek to add one quality that will make me more like You today, and I will seek to eliminate something in my life that doesn't please you.  I will strive to be more conscious of You in my life.  I will endeavor to be more appreciative of the blessings I receive from Your hand, and I will look for opportunities to show You honor in the way I deal with people and in the way I react to situations I face.  I will strive to end everyday a little more closer to You than I began."

~ authors unknown ~

May God bless your week!

January is Hot Tea Month

What hot tea is in your cup this January morning?

This is the view outside my bedroom window this morning. It's cold outside.  Presently -01 degrees, and if we're lucky it'll get up to a high of 13 today. Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea is tasting very good!

What books or DVD's are you nesting with?

I'm enjoying my Downton Abbey books and DVD's, and looking forward to the opening of Season Four this coming Sunday night.   I foresee hosting a Downton Abbey tea in my future!

MSU Wins Rose Bowl Game!

Last year at this time I was sharing pictures of my son, Steve, and daughter-in-law, Sharon, while they were in NYC celebrating their 20th Wedding Anniversary.

This year I'm sharing photos of their trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl game.  They are elated with their alma mater's win!  They're as passionate about MSU football, as I am tea!

Below they're enjoying California's sunny skies, wearing shorts and shirtsleeves.  They better enjoy it, because they're coming home to 15 degree temperatures and snow in Michigan!

~ Tailgating ~

~ One hour before kick-off ~

~ Jeremy and Steve ~

MSU wins 24-20!  My boys are happy!  

Meanwhile, back in Michigan, celebrating with tea and toast!

Happy New Year - 2014!

As I watched the ball drop in New York's Times Square last night ushering in the new year, I was filled with joy and anticipation over the possibilities this new year holds. I wish everyone a year filled with God's blessings and peace.  While no one knows the future, I think it's safe to say tea will be involved!  ;-)

~ From the Teapot Calendar ~

I love the tea table information that is included on each month's page.  January's is dessert forks.

I  have a couple sets of vintage dessert forks [unpolished], as well as some newer ones.

January's Quote

"My dear, if you could give me a cup of tea

to clear my muddle of a head I should

better understand your affairs."

~ Charles Dickens, Mrs. Lirriper's Legacy, 1864