Tea Tasting and More...

Dropped in at Julieanna's yesterday for their monthly tea tasting and some chitchat. Susan, from Over a Teacup, always has a lovely presentation. Yesterday was a rooibos iced tea, or a black mint flavored tea, with mini scones and strawberry cake.

Part of the conversation was a discussion on the upcoming construction at Julieanna. They are planning to put in a kitchen, and rearrange a wall to accommodate seating for tea parties. I know I will be dropping in for tea!!!

Of course, one can't go to Julieanna without browsing, and inevitably, buying!!!! She has everything from teapots, teacups, windchimes, teacup bird feeders, upcycled china, jewelry by Julie, loose leaf teas, and antiques.

Yesterday, I noticed something I had been looking for for a long time, at a reasonable price, and I had to get it! I call it a sewing box - but I am sure there is probably another name for it. The liner looks a little newer than the box itself, and a couple of the jars need to be replaced - but it's mine!It measures 17" x 31" when closed.

One of the jars is kind of neat - it says "hospital size- for hospital use only". Pockets, jars and spool pegs- very cool!!

I also could not resist the calabash pin cushion from Hawaii!!! One can never have enough pin cushions, altho' I am approaching overload at this point!

I even managed to get a few Father's Day goodies at the adjoining bait shop - how convenient was that!!!

If you are ever in Broadway, be sure to check out Julieanna's, and sign up for their mailing list,(join their FB page too) so you won't miss out on the tea classes, tastings and special sales.

'Tangling and Doodling the Day Away............

Got a pair of tiny little moleskine notebooks - by mistake I got ones with lined pages. Little sketches won't work with lines, so they will be for quotes, thoughts and zentangles.

Here are a few so far..........................

This first one shown, is one that I did last night, and is similar to one I saw on Shelly Beauch's blog this morning! Even tho I don't know her, we must have been channeling each other!! How funny!

They are endless. I won't bore you with them all today!!! More another time!!!

Ponder This.......................

I recently subscribed to an online newsletter from  The DAILY OM (Thanks, Patty!)I thought today's email was well worth passing on. 

We live in a world where we sometime think what we say or do does not matter. There are days when I sometimes feel that I am but one teeny fish in a huge, over populated, and sometimes polluted pond. LOL

I have always believed the choices we make, not only affect ourselves and our own daily lives, but, unbeknownst to us, can have a ripple effect, touching the lives of people we may never meet.....that, of course, has not stopped me from making some really wrong choices in my day to day living, at times!!! I guess some of us need a reminder to think before we act, myself included!!

Below is today's email from The Daily Om- some food for thought for today:


"All motive and action affects the cosmos in some way. The principle of cause and effect is the truth that allows us to change ourselves and the world around us for the better. However, this same universal law is also at work when change is not at the forefront of our minds. Our intentions flow forever outward in the form of energy, affecting both the people closest to us and billions of individuals we will likely never meet. For this reason, we should strive always to speak, think, and behave with great thoughtfulness and compassion. The virtues we choose to embody can inspire joy and integrity in the lives of countless people, whether we touch their existence directly or not.

The influence we wield is infinite. In an effort to internalize our conscious understanding of the nature of cause and effect, we can never truly know how our thoughts, emotions, words, or actions will manifest themselves on the larger universal stage because it is likely that the furthest-reaching effects will fall outside the range of our perception. We can only look to the guidance of our conscience, which will help us determine whether each of our choices is contributing to humanity's illumination or setting the stage for unintended troubles. When we are in doubt, we need only remember that the cultivation of altruism inevitably leads to a harvest of goodwill and grace. Motivated by a sincere desire to spread goodness, we will be naturally drawn to those choices that will help us express our commitment to universal well-being. Nothing you do, however minor or mundane, is ever exempt from the rules of cause and effect. From the moment of your birth, you have served as an agent of change, setting forces beyond your comprehension into motion across the surface of the earth and beyond. You can exert conscious control over this transformative energy simply by examining your intentions and endeavoring always to promote peace, positive energy, and passion in your ideas and actions. While you may never fully comprehend the extent of your purposefully heartfelt influence, you can rest assured that it will be universally felt."

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming - Tea on Tuesday

I have not been drinking too much tea of late - except for some sweet southern tea with my lavender syrup!!!

I recently purchased a Health Master blender - this is the GREATEST thing ever!! It could probably blend concrete if need be! I have been having smoothies every day. I prefer the ones with tons of fruits, but my daughter made one the other day, from a recipe in the Health Master book.

It is made with green tea- and is kind of yummy!! Here's the recipe - and I'm sure it is doable with just an average blender or juicer, if you slice up the fruit in small pieces.


GREEN TEA MELON COOLER

2 cups green tea cold
1/4 honey dew melon ( we have substituted mango - equally good)
1/2 cucumber
1 apple cored and peeled
1 cup ice
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In keeping with tea on Tuesday - a friend found me this vintage tin and a teapot drip catcher at the thrift store- thanks, Linda!!!

Be sure to visit out other ToT participants- see Kim's blog for a list- and please join us every Tuesday - all are welcome!!!!

****And, be sure to drop in to Jane Monk's blog for a birthday month giveaway of a fab zentangle travel mug- perfect for tea!!!*****

And, now, we take a moment for this brief commercial break..........

 I am, as a rule, pretty apolitical, but today I am pretty pissed off!! This BP/Obama oil fiasco has really got me riled.

What is wrong with this picture?? 54 days into this oil disaster, and Obama's administration will not allow Belgian, Dutch and other foreign vessels with oil skimming abilities who want to come in and clean up the oil to do so - due to an antiquated Jones Act! The act was put aside during Katrina- WHAT IS THE HOLDUP HERE!!!!???? 54 days is more than totally unacceptable!!!!!! If you haven't heard about this on the news, google this Jones Act and express your disgust!!!!

 Oil soaked pelicans- photo courtesy of IBRRC (which I believe is an international bird rescue  group)

'Tangles and Sketches

Been fooling around with pencil and pens, and here's what came out of it:

The last one is a collage for the Sketchy Card swap- 2 of diamonds.

This latest zentangling was inspired by 2 books I recently ordered - if you have never zentangled, or if you have been zentangling for a while, like I have, these are a great source of inspiration! They are both by the wonderful Sandy Bartholomew . Be sure to visit her blog!

Cacti and Snakes................

It's time I paid attention to my other blog!!! Read all about it here

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