Tea Themed Giveaway Winner!!!

As always, I'll cut straight to the good stuff!!!

I squealed out loud with glee when I drew your name, Laura!!!!!
THE WINNER IS THE LOVELY AND ONE OF A KIND LAURA B. OF "THE DAILY DODO" BLOG!!!

I wish so much that I could send an identical set of goodies to each and every one of you who entered.  You are all so sweet!  As my hand was in the drawing tin, swishing the pieces of paper around, I was hoping for each name in turn, because I love you all!

But I can't, as much as I want to.  If you didn't win, don't forget that there are giveaways on this blog pretty often, so keep trying!  I think the next one, I will come up with something that is 5 or 10 of a small gift.  That way, more people get to feel special and it creates variety in the drawings.  We'll see!

Congratulations, Laura!  Your package will be on it's way to you next week!

Tea Themed Giveaway!

I am so blessed.  Seriously.

I have a dear friend (who wishes to remain anonymous), who does not have her own space in the blogosphere, but who regularly delights in the comments and goings on of you who read The Modest Peacock that I share with her.  She says you are some of the highlights of her day! (I'm looking right at you, Muskoka River, Square Tooth Girl, Feathered Nest, Daily Dodo and all of my Snail Mail related blog rollers!!!)

A fellow tea drinker like me, she has asked to partner with me and contribute items for a Tea themed giveaway to celebrate the signs of spring that are popping up here in the South!!!  Isn't that the sweetest thing!  Of course I said yes!!

Together, we are offering a goody package that will have the following items in:

• One Old Country Roses by Royal Dalton Demitasse teacup and saucer set
• One box of Twinings Tea - Variety set (Eng. Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, Lady Grey, Earl Grey)
• One package of Biscoff tea biscuits
• One box of Pims raspberry tea cookies
• One jar of Sweetwater Creek Farms local wildflower honey
• One tin of sugar cubes
• One box of International Delights French Vanilla creamers
• The current issue of Tea Time magazine
• One custom, one-of-a-kind beaded stretch bracelet, made by yours truly
• One set of notecards by Pooch and Sweetheart and a cool pen

All tied up with a fancy ribbon and signed with x's and o's!!!

Just leave a comment below to be entered in the drawing!  I'll select the lucky winner at random on Friday, March 22!  Don't forget to send your friends over as well!  "Tea for two" is twice as nice! ;)

Winter Makes Me Sleeeepy!

Anyone else feel like this guy at 6 a.m., after being awake til 1?  Yeah, me too!  I'm off to find the caffeine!!!!

(Anyone else love the charge noise that gives away that Wall-E is made by Apple? :) I'm such a geek.)

I Have The Most Awesome Best Friend EVER

So apparently we had mail last Saturday that included packages, because when a guest came to the front door (that we don't ever really use ourselves) yesterday, there was a little stack of post sitting on the bench.  Really need to communicate with the delivery person about that.  ANYWAY.  My best friend of 20+ years sent me THIS:

I about fell over, I was laughing so hard!
In case you haven't discovered the wonderfulness that is the Hyperbole and a Half Blog, here is the post from whence this tea bling comes.  (Read it, I'll wait.)
I hope Allie is doing well and recovering from her battle with clinical depression.   The internet misses her dreadfully (as do I).  In the meantime, we at least have the archives of past H&AH to keep us laughing.  She is hilarious!
I'm going to fix a cup of caffeinated, sugared up tea in my new mug to give me a blast of energy and then take the Cute Gremlins to the parp park to play while it's blue skies and sunshine out!  Happy random Monday in the middle of February, everyone! :D

Keep Calm And...

Following a random thread of thought down a rabbit hole, I found these gems sprinkled across the internets.  Which are your favorites?  I rather love them all. :)

The original sentiment

My Own "Steamboat Shenanigans"...Sorta. (Part 1)

     PART THE FIRST: An Evening With My Friend's Friends and Tea For One.

Yes, "Steamboat Shenanigans" is a Steam Powered Giraffe song!  Did you even have to ask?!  I haven't listened to the radio in a little over a month.  SPGs 3 CDs are just in constant rotation, streaming through my headphones/car speakers/iTunes.

     There has been a LOT going on here in the last couple of weeks; it's been difficult to juggle everything, and blogging has had to take a little bit of a backseat while I get stuff sorted.  But I did want to share my recent trip to Savannah with you...
   
     About 5 minutes after I published the Wed, June 6 post, I packed a bag and drove down I-75 South and 116 East to go visit my good friends Bobby and Nikki.  They live within about a 20 minute drive of Historic Savannah Proper.  (I am 14 shades of green over this!! LOL)

Isn't it pretty! (Source)

     Nearly the moment I arrived, Nikki whisked me away to a get-together with some of her colleagues for an end-of-the-school-year celebration (she's a science teacher).  It was so much fun!  They had a "Wine and Whine" bit, where everyone gets a glass of wine (I don't drink alcohol, so I had a glass of Glaceau Vitamin Water) and you write your gripes on strips of paper and put them in a bucket.  They get mixed up and the bucket gets passed around and people randomly read them out loud, find out who wrote it, commiserate sympathetically and then raise a toast to dealing with the issue in a positive way with good wishes for better days to come.  It was so funny when my few were read, because I was the only non-teacher there and everyone knew instantly which belonged to me ("19th Century corsets are bloody difficult to sew and even harder to wear" and "Don't you love when the sleeves won't set in properly?!" etc, etc).  Everyone was very nice, and we had a great time. :)

     Thursday morning dawned humid and rainy, but that didn't dampen my spirits any.  I dressed in a flowy skirt and ruffled top (I get tired of jeans and "Mommy clothes"!), and set out for Savannah proper.  From Nikki's, it's more or less a straight shot, and very soon I found myself searching for parking along Bay Street.  I parked in the horseshoe curve behind Emmet Park, fed the time-keeping machine to ensure my van would still be there when I returned (by legal means, at any rate), and set off with my iPhone Maps App in hand.  The little blue tracking dot glowed cheerfully through the drizzle as it directed me up and over a few blocks to a place I've been wanting to visit for well over 5 years now:

The Savannah Tea Room

(Sorry for the bad iPhone pic- was trying to
juggle an umbrella and my purse too!)

     Every time before now that I've wanted to visit, either we didn't have time, or they were closed, or something.  Finally, I was marking it off my bucket list and treating myself to an early birthday brunch.  I was seated in a comfy wingback chair at the fireplace.  Being as it's summertime, there was a wrought iron tea light holder in the fireplace rather than an actual fire.  (Though I bet that's cozy in winter!!)  I was asked whether I had a favorite tea and upon my answer of Earl Grey, the server recommended their specialty house blend called "Savannah Grey".  It has a double helping of bergamot and a hint of lavender.  I readily agreed, adding an order of crumpets and fresh fruit to it.  In a few moments, everything arrived and it was just scrumptious!  The crumpets were especially lovely, since Publix stopped carrying them and I can't find ANY close to home!

Lovely blue and white china and a darling
mini white cow cream pitcher.

The lighting was terrible, so it's all grainy, but
here I am in the cozy chair! :)

My view opposite.

     After tea, I purchased 2 ounces of the Savannah Grey blend to take home, and a few postcards that featured an artist's rendering of the front entrance.  Two of them I know will definitely be going to friends in England.  The other couple... not sure yet. :)  

Stay tuned for part 2 (which actually features the "steamboat" reference)!

Attitude of Gratitude

Welcome to the first day of the A-Z Challenge!!!  It's going to be a great month, full of fun posts!
As it's also the 1st of the month, my A entry is all about attitude today- An Attitude of Gratitude!  Here is my list of things I was grateful for in March:

• 3.31- A few hours with husband home. And that he has a job. Even though I really hate it right now. I'm grateful that he has one.
• 3.30- Making a phone call that ultimately saved us a lot of time, hassle and gas money
• 3.29- Tea at the Vineyard Cafe in Marietta Square
• 3.28- Good friends bringing their kids for a play date
• 3.27- Novacaine
• 3.26- Fun shopping by myself and getting supplies for Lucy Jane
• 3.25- Getting to snuggle with husband before he had to leave for another week away. I sleep so much better when all of my family is at home together.
• 3.24- Spending all day at the zoo with my family
• 3.23- My Grandmother, who has a birthday today
• 3.22- Clean jeans
• 3.21- Cute Gremlin #4 is 4 years old today!
• 3.20- Sewing time and Things Accomplished
• 3.19- Good things showed up in the mail. :)
• 3.18- Church with my whole family. Also thankful for prayer warriors
• 3.17- HUSBAND IS HOME!!!
• 3.16- Parcels from England that contain bath salts, which made everything else smell heavenly! (including the mailbox!)
• 3.15- Today I'm thankful that I'm not Julius Caesar. He had it pretty rough.
• 3.14- PI DAY!!! :)
• 3.13- Really, really, really awesome dental hygienists. And pain killers for the migraine I sported later in the day
• 3.12- Nimble fingers
• 3.11- Getting to spend time playing Nancy Drew games with my kids
• 3.10- Getting my Nikon out again after a 3 month hiatus and photographing the evidence of Spring all around me.
• 3.9- Nice receptionists who treat me with respect and courtesy when I decide to act like an adult and make a dental appointment.
• 3.8- Being given the chance to enter a giveaway to WIN new patterns on the internets!!! :D
• 3.7- The magic of ordering new patterns on the internets!!! ;)
• 3.6- An amazing day out at Marietta Square!
• 3.5- The gentle whirring sound of my sewing machine
• 3.4- 50% off coupons
• 3.3- Spending time with friends all day long
• 3.2- Straight pins
• 3.1- Getting some much needed sleep

52 Weeks of Mail: Week 4

First the incoming:
Look what's arrived in my mailbox!

On Tues, Nov 2, I got a letter from a penpal in Nashville TN (who, incidentally, could be my twin in interests and personality), and a letter from a penpal in OH.

Along with her super cute letter, my Nashville friend sent me 2 seasonal teas to try!

And the letter from my Ohio friend had wonderful characters drawn on it!

On Wednesday the 3rd, I got this wonderful postcard of the Little Black Sambo story from Bev Sykes over at The Penpal Project.  The postcards came from a restaurant in Santa Barbara, CA as a set of 8 with one telling the story and the other 7 illustrating.

When I was little, I had this version of the book:

I loved the part about how the tigers chased each other faster and faster until they all melted into butter.  I think it's a shame that the book was given such a negative stigma with/involving racial slandering.  I thought it was wonderfully told and illustrated and, as I was a child, I never understood any of the controversy of it.  I have that copy still, packed up in my storage somewhere from our last move.

And now here is the outgoing:

Today I sent out Misty at Confessions of a Pen Thief's giveaway winnings, a letter to my OH penpal, a letter to a penpal in MO, and a postcard to help a student project.

I copied this about the postcard project from Bev Sykes' blog (see link above with Sambo postcard):

"His school is collecting postcards from around the country and around the world for their diversity/international day in the early spring.  It doesn’t matter if they get multiples from each state, they're just trying to rock the class's world with the amount that Hunter can bring in!
     So, if you wouldn’t mind sending a postcard to him, that would be great, I know we have people EVERYWHERE!  Before taking them in to the school Kelly plans to put them all out together and take a picture, she says she’ll be sure to share the picture when they’re done. There is no set deadline, but she's thinking if you can do it between now and the end of November that would be best.


Hunter Johnson
8443 Sand Point Drive West
Jacksonville, FL 32244


Feel free to share his address with any friends and family you may have in other parts of the world as well, the more the merrier!"


That was all for Week 4.  Write more letters, and I will see you at the mailbox!

Tea For Three

I had my dear friend Michelle and her teenaged daughter over tonight for tea.  We talked costumes and photos and all kinds of creative goodness.  :)  Here is the table I set for us:

On the rectangular tray: Fall snack cakes, sliced angel food cake
(to go with the strawberries and whipped cream), apple slices.
One the blue plate: Pumpkin bread.

Top: Turtle chocolate mini cupcakes with caramel filling
Bottom (counter-clockwise from left): Apricot pastries,
chocolate topped orange Pims, fig newtons, pumpkin scones.

Our tea was a variety of black teas from Twinings: English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast, Earl Grey and Lady Grey.  We're looking forward to having tea again next week! :)

Tea Time!

Happy Thursday, Dear Ones.

Just a quick "Go Here Thursday" post today, as I've been working on the housework and laundry and getting dinner for the children all day.  Being a mom is awesome, but it's also exhausting!
Getting to it, then-

Instead of a place to visit, today's GHT is a recommendation for something I get a year's worth of for Christmas, from my Aunt:

July/August 2011 Tea Time Magazine*

I first found Tea Time by absolute chance, in early Sept of 2010, as I was taking a short cut through the book/card/magazine aisle of the grocery.  Tea Time is bi-monthly, so it was the Sept/Oct issue on display and what caught my attention (aside from the GORGEOUS china pattern) was 1) Ideas for a Pink Ribbon themed tea and 2) Tearooms to visit in Southeast England.  I'd been pining for my trip across the Pond and while I knew it would be many months before I could go (and it is many months still), I keep a running list of things I'm interested in possibly seeing when I do finally get to go.  Here is the china that was featured on the cover of that issue, by the way.  It's called "Dhara" by Phillipe Deshoulieres

So so so pretty!

I shop with a list.  If it's not on the list, or we don't absolutely need it, it doesn't go in the cart.  But that day I did something I don't normally do - I clutched the magazine to my chest like I'd just discovered buried treasure, hurried to the check-out, and bought it.  To say that it was worth my $5.00 is a gross understatement.  Each and every page is a complete mental vacation on one hand, and such an inspiration on the other.  For months afterward, I have found myself making shopping lists, mental notes and all sorts of lavish future plans for hosting tea parties that feature the exquisite things I found in those pages.

Being the fall issue, there was an abundance of information on hosting Mystery/Detective themed teas.  There is even a recipe for an unbelievably cute cookie shaped like magnifying glasses!

How cute is that?!

Other recipes in that issue include (but are not limited to)

Parmesan-rosemary Scones

Curried Squash Soup

Goat Cheese and Tapenade Sandwich Stacks

Roast Beef and Horseradish Tea Sandwiches

Bacon and Roasted Garlic Arancini (risotto balls)

Pear Cheesecake Bites

There is also this yummy goodness, called "Sugarplum Dobosh Cake"

Oh my Lands, Y'all!  Seriously!

My Aunt had been gifting me a subscription to Southern Lady Magazine - which I loved.  Tea Time is made by the same people who make Southern Lady.  After my Sept/Oct issue find, I unabashedly begged her to swap to Tea Time for Christmas.  She graciously agreed and thus far I am the super proud owner of half a dozen issues, each one seemingly more beautiful than the last!

One thing that I love about the magazine's layout is that it isn't just randomly thrown together.  The content always changes, of course, but there are distinct section headings that I adore:

Lorna Reeves, the Editor, shares a letter to her readers in Editor's Letter.

Readers share back with Dear Tea Time

There is a Tea Events Calendar, which features tea events in several states. (sometimes much to my chagrin.  Like the July/August issue I got yesterday that features the 4th Annual Jane Austen Festival in Louisville, KY. I wanna go!!! [but can't this year] :P)

There is a sort of "best of" merchandise page called Necessary Things that features cool products.

The Perfect Cup gives advice on how to make a great cup of tea, from the type of water you use, to caffeine content choices and more.

Turning The Tables shows ideas for place settings, decorating, themes and more.

Tea Wares highlights a particular item and gives a history and information on it.  Teapots, different kinds of spoons (tea, iced-tea and sugar, to name a few), tea infusers and teacups have all been featured in the issues I own.

The Tea Diaries is a one page personal story from a contributor that tells of tea time memories with mothers or daughters or grandmothers, birthday teas, girl's day out, etc.  Sort of like the "Chicken Soup For... " stories, but always about tea. :)

The Fine Print is a page devoted to books that feature tea.  Tea dictionaries, histories, mysteries, fiction, etiquette, handbooks and recipe books.

Of course in every issue, there is a Recipe Index, Advertiser's Index and Reader's Resource pages where you can take what you've seen and go get it/do it for yourself! :D

And peppered throughout these constants is an endless parade of articles (usually themed for the season) and photos and recipes.  The November/December issue features a full out Dickens themed tea for Christmas, replete with roasted goose, chestnut stuffing and plum pudding!!! Sighs of happiness.

Please GO HERE: to the Tea Time Magazine Website where you can get a subscription, plus check out all sorts of extras and online only recipes and features.

Also, living in the south, I was so pleased to see this page of the website devoted to taking tea in Atlanta!

If you are an Atlanta local like I am, you could also use that as your Go Here Thursday! :)

Enjoy.

*All photos, except for the Dhara china, belong to Tea Time Magazine.  The Dhara china photo was found here.