Sapphire Jubilee

Hello all!

This week the Queen of England and the Commonwealth is celebrating the longest reign of a living monarch in her country. They are celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's 65 years of reign with the sapphire jubilee. We thought we would honor this momentous festivity in our way by having a spot of tea.

The reason I found this occasion worth noting and celebrating is because I admire the Queen so dearly. Upon a closer study of her you will find commitment and duty at its finest. She is extremely disciplined and well poised. Inheriting a job you can never retire from would be a daunting task, but not for Her Majesty the Queen. With a smile and a wave she proudly represents the head of Her people's land, and land abroad, of a legacy so refined it would make anyone take notice.

We selected some light sandwiches, various fruit, cakes, and sweets for our celebration. Placing in fresh flowers, books, and magazines added an opportunity for celebratory conversation in the Queen's honor. We also added in blue accent color to represent the sapphire achievement. Finally, we chose some cinnamon tea from The Greenbrier to add to the charm. Our tea was quite lovely and we had a jolly good time. Here is to a wonderful 65 years of reigning to the Queen, with more wonderful years to come!

God Bless and God save the Queen,
Trina

Saint Patrick's Day 2016

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

Being of Irish decent, St. Patrick's Day is an unofficial holiday looked upon as a wonderful time in my house. It has been celebrated in the United States since the late 18th century, but what is the day all about? Well, that’s the best part. Saint Patrick was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. As legend would have it, Patrick was converted to Christianity and used the three-leaved shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to Irish pagans. He used a piece of nature as a training aid to instill the cause of God causing green to become synonymous with the day. It is said that he converted thousands to the cause of Christianity. The day eventually integrated into festivals, parades, eating, and the much consumption of Irish alcohol and liquor. You won’t find too much Irish spirits in our house but you will find us celebrating the way we like to - with tea and treats! Finding a lot a lot of green décor and some tea items sets me up for the day. I even had some fun with putting a green mustache on my tea cup. However you decide to celebrate your Saint Patrick’s Day, I hope the luck of the Irish is with you and please don’t forget the Christian faith it’s rooted in.

 

God Bless,
Trina

The End of the Downton Abbey Era

Hello Everyone,

In honor of the very last episode of Downton Abbey, I have set up a plate of treats and tea to celebrate this wonderful show's ending. It is a definite must to enjoy this event in a Downton Abbey-style by having tea, a ritual that bound society together. In true Great Britain-style, a pot of tea brought comfort and support during many times for the Crawley family. It is only fitting that I should do the same to close the chapter on the series. Whether you can identify with the upstairs or downstairs characters while enjoying your tea milk-in-first, or milk-in-last (a historical practice of upper class or lower class way of having tea), I am sure for other fellow Downton Abbey enthusiasts, these characters have edged their way into your life as they have mine. This historical fiction series has followed the aristocratic Crawley family and their downstairs staff, and has kept my family entertained every winter. We have watched this family have a host of problems, many of which we can relate to today. We have also very much enjoyed the time period clothing, history, and cadences that went along with the time period. I hope that everyone in the show has a happy ending, especially Barrow and poor Edith! So as you tune in tonight, brew a cup of tea with me as we usher Donwton Abbey's final episode in by giving a toast to our favorite characters. Oh, and don't forget the tissues, goodbyes are never easy!

 

Thank you for entertaining us Crawleys, we will miss you!
We bid you farewell,

Trina

Giveaway Winner Announcement!!

Hello Friends!

As you may have noticed, we had a giveaway open this past week. We wanted to give back to our blog followers to say that we appreciate you. We also wanted to celebrate reaching 3000 page views, which to us is unheard of! So a huge thanks to each and everyone of you that continually return back to our page to support us.

Now that the giveaway is closed, it is time to announce our winner! I used this free random selector online to choose the winner to insure an unbiased selection. Drum roll please.

The winner of our giveaway is...

JILL STAGGS

Congratulations!!!! Thank you to all that participated! I hope everyone has a very blessed Christmas Eve, and be sure to check back tomorrow for our Christmas Day post!

Merry Christmas Eve,

Tilly

Santa Tea

Hello Everyone,

It is undoubtedly the most exciting time of year! It’s when every child has that certain glimmer in their eyes and one thing on their mind: what to put on the ole list to Santa Clause! Every child has that image in their mind of that jolly old soul who will bring them goodies and fill their stockings with treats. So why not take this enchanted Christmas theme and turn it into a lovely tea time to spend with your child. With just a few Christmas items you have laying around you could make up perfect tablescape that would make a perfect lifetime memory and tradition. While serving tea you could tell Christmas story’s and write out a letter to send to Santa. What an inviting time you would have! Cupcakes and cookies would be a wonderful thing to serve and that’s the exact treat Santa would love. If your child does not like tea, no problem, just serve whatever they like in a teacup. It’s the memories that counts and believe me drinking anything out of a tea cup makes it more fun.

I found this very inexpensive Santa teapot at TJMaxx but you could use any teapot you have laying around the house. I placed a tree ornament around a plain white teacup and it really made it pop with Christmas. I just gathered up a few items I already have lying out to decorate for Christmas and made a wonderful display to have a good holiday time. I hope this inspires you to want to have a childlike time for Santa inspired tea.

God Bless,

Trina Belle

Whimsical Pumkin Teapot

Hello Everyone,

I just returned home a few days ago from a much needed trip at the Amish Country.  Its a trip we usually take a couple times a year but have not been able to in the last year. Thus I was so excited about going. Its a place where you can fill your day with going from one antique store to another without end.  It is just amazing how many antique stores there are.  What that mostly means for me is the intoxicating search for tea pots and tea cups, and the and Amish Country never disappoints. The question is not if I can find any, but how many can I fit in my vehicle? Although I found quite a few good treasures, I decided to feature this whimsical cheery yellow pumpkin tea pot. It was a little bit more expensive than I wanted to invest in a seasonal tea pot and I am not sure where I will store it, but I could not resist.  I actually did place it back on the shelf for a few moments (out of some faint attempt of self-control) but then around the corner fate happened. I found this beautiful yellow and gold tea cup that just needed a whimsical tea pot to make a seasonal tea encounter wonderful.  So, back I went to collect the tea pot, and then to the cash register to check out.

The yellow kept making me think of lemons, so, I decided that Lemon Lift Black Tea would be perfect.  Its a distinctive blend with just the right amount of lemon and a dash of spice.  A little bit of lemon added to the top of this hot tea was perfect. I wanted something easy to go with my tea and decided on the usual choice of cupcakes.  Cupcakes are easy to make and definitely easy to find in any grocery store.  I didn't feel like whipping any up so I decided to pick some up at a grocery store after my son's futsal game.  My husband trying to be helpful packs up all my bags and puts them in the vehicle for me.  Upon arriving home, I discovered he had placed my cupcakes into the vehicle on their tops.  Needless to say they were not very pretty anymore.  I was able to salvage three and throw some sprinkles on top to cover the imperfections.  Because I was able to salvage a few cupcakes and my husband was really trying to be nice, I let him off the hook pretty easy.  Overall I was very pleased with this fall teatime especially since we only have a few more days before the Christmas fever takes over.

 

 

God Bless,

Trina Belle  

Psalm 46:10 | Be Still And Know That I Am God

Hello Everyone

On my way home travelling a few months ago I made the usual stop to eat at Cracker Barrel. Instead of patiently waiting on my food to arrive, I slipped out and thought I could occupy my time better by shopping. I love shopping to find the perfect treasure to bring home with me as a reminder of my time away. That’s when I found this beautiful linen embroidered with the scripture of Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God". It was the last one they had and I knew that it would be perfect to use not only for a perfect tea napkin, but to provide inspiration.  

In this fast paced life that is constantly filled with distractions, disappointments, and mindless chatter, it is next to impossible to be still. Because of this it is so easy for the world to rob the peace and joy and break down the communication between ourselves and God. As our souls yearn for God, this busyness yields a disconnect in our spirit, and an internal war ensues within us. As our minds begin to race with life our focus begins to shift from knowing God is in control to wondering why we must endure suffering. God becomes a distant glimpse while we become engulfed in the present reality of our problems. Instead of being tuned into what God has for us, this distance ensues a narcissistic cycle of constant discontentment and self-pity.

It is imperative in this secular world that we simply stop and take time to be still and meditate on what God’s design and plan is for our life. Knowing God in a deep intuitive way allows us to detach ourselves from our circumstance and rest upon who he is. Understanding that in the difficult times in our lives he is strengthening our inner man that we may endure the hardships of life and like Job say’s, “Though he may slay me I will rest in him”.

It is one of my life long struggles to drown out life and simply be still and know God for who he is. So, as my tea linen inspires me to work upon my deficiency and grow stronger in the faith, I pray this post inspires you to do the same.

God Bless, 

Trina Belle

Halloween Tea

Hello Everyone,

It's Halloween, the festive time of the year where old traditions of celebrating the dead come alive.  The last day of October is where we attend costume parties, decorate our houses with spooky jack-o-lanterns, light bonfires, and tell scary ghost stories that send shivers down anyone's spine. But most notable and prevalant attribute about Halloween its the treats! Its the one holiday a year where candy is King and the sugar level in every household raises by an infinate amount. So what does that mean for any tea lover? It means its another opportunity to set up a festive and inviting place to celebrate with a Halloween tablescape and some hot tea with treats.

I started off with a perfect black tea pot that could be found in any witch's kitchen for a brew of some sort, and a matching black mug that could hold a delightful potion of tea.  Next, I placed an apothacary full of candy corn topped with oreo Halloween themed cookies.  A plate full of orange and green cookies with a couple of cake pops make the sweet menu official.  A couple added items for extra ambiance and I am ready to begin my Halloween treat. 

Here is to hoping to inspire you on this spooky day to stop and take some time to enjoy your sugary treats with a spot of tea.

 

 

 

God Bless,

Trina Belle    

Pumpkin Spice Tea | Review

Hello friends,

When they say pumpkin spiced everything, they MEAN pumpkin spiced everything. In more recent years pumpkin spice as a flavor has taken over during the fall months. I am not a strong connoisseur of the pumpkin spice flavor, but with the growing hype surrounding it, I decided to give it a whirl. A picked up Bigelow's Pumpkin Spice Black Tea (from my local Walmart), which claims to be a Hearty Spiced Tea. After letting it brew, I added in some sugar. Here is the result!

 

 

One of my first thoughts was that it was much better than I had originally expected. It quickly began to smell and taste of nutmeg and pumpkin pie. The ingredients for the tea are black tea, natural pumpkin flavors, cinnamon, licorice root, clove, ginger, and pumpkin flake. After reading the ingredients I realized one of the flavors I was tasting was the licorice root. The tea is gluten free and includes an average of 30-60 mg of caffeine. Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this tea and happy with my purchase. I hope this encourages you to try something new as well!

Happy Steeping,

Tilly

Autumnal Picnic | Easy How To

Hello friends,

With the arrival of crisp, cool air, comes the arrival of the leaves changing colors. I love to be outside this time of year to take in all of the beautiful colors. One way I enjoy fall weather is through putting together, and delighting in, an outdoor picnic. Picnics are pretty easy to put together, therefore I thought I would let you know what I include in mine.

The first thing one should do when picnicking, is to find the perfect spot! Since it is fall, it is always good to pick a spot with plenty views of the changing of leaves.

The first item I obtain is a basket. This one is a Longaberger basket, but you may use any type of container to place your things in. I next grab a blanket to sit on. I love using plaid or flannel blankets as they truly embody the fall atmosphere. The next, and perhaps the most important item, is something to drink. Here I have water and Pumpkin Spice Black Tea to steep. However, any other tea, coffee, hot chocolate, etc. would work just fine! Going along with something to drink, is something to drink with. I simply grabbed an autumnal mug and placed in the basket. After deciding which drink will keep me warm, I decide on snacks. Because I have such a sweet tooth, I opted for a bag of dark chocolate with pomegranate flavor. I also threw in some apples to complement the fall season. Finally, I grabbed a book to read! For this day, I took along The 5th Wave (so far its good).

The last step in enjoying a picnic, is to relax and relish in the fall foliage! I hope this inspires you to go outdoors and do the same! Since the leaves change and fall so fast, one should take advantage of the beautiful colors while they can.

As always, thank you for stopping by,

Tilly

The Teacup | A History

Hello Everyone,

“The mere chink of cups and saucers tune the mind to happy repose”  - George Gissing

    

There is nothing like the enjoyment someone can receive from owning and using the perfect tea cup.  Perhaps it’s the fond reminiscences of conversations during tea time with friends, or the memories invoked by a perfect day antiquing, that makes a tea cup hold a special place in your heart.  Each tea cup in my home not only holds a special story and pleasurable memory, but is considered a beloved collectible.

Like anything else, the tea cup has quite a history. Their history began in China as a simple and handle free vessel.  When tea became popular among the Europeans in the 17th century, they found it quite intolerable to hold a steaming hot cup. So the addition of a tea handle was born and became an integral part of teatime. They first used silver as the handles, but they seemed to also hold heat. This became a problem with the holding of the tea cup. Next came a wonderful solution through changing the silver to porcelain in the 1600’s. However, porcelain did had some draw backs as well. This is why an influential lady started adding milk in the teacup before the hot tea was served. Tempering the tea in this manner made the tea cup better to handle and kept it from cracking.

Now that teacups could be handled easily, they became integrated into society for not only a pleasurable experience for relationships, but status also.  In the 19th century, the tea cup took on another role as a collectible. They found their way upon display shelves and used as gifts and keepsakes. They became little pieces of art that could intrigue anyone’s interest. They have become a vital part of culture and deeply rooted in family tradition. Whether the expanse of your tea cup collection is large or small, expensive or modestly found at an antique store, the repose found in them is the same. I hope, like me, you find some comfort and enjoyment out of using a variety of your own teacup collection to ensure the legacy of the teacup endures to the future generation.

God Bless,

Trina Belle

Breakfast with a View | Beachside Tea

Hello Everyone,

After being so busy this summer, my family and I were able to catch a last minute get away to my favorite place, the beach.  With only one day to plan and pack everything, I was unable to prepare for having tea on our trip.  So, once we were there, and the rush was over, I found it quite unacceptable to live a week without tea time.  My first priority became finding an antique store and talking my husband into taking me there to find tea items. There is something special about the look and feel of being in an antique store scouting for that special treasure that will surely bring many future cherished memories.  I found the perfect store a half hour away in Conway, SC, and the moment I stepped into the store, I knew I would find something perfect! I was able to find the sweetest white teapot with small blue and gold design, I grabbed it up immediately and set off for a teacup to accompany it.  It took some searching, but there it was, the prettiest pink and white tea cup ever.  I was set and ready to check out, get back to the beach, and have teatime.

The view from our condo was amazing and setting up these new and special tea dishes was the icing on the cake.  Every morning I would get up and indulge in this wonderful atmosphere.  I was even able to take it all the way to the beach one morning.  I was a little timid thinking I would get some strange looks but none came.  People simply walked by and minded their own business while I arranged my tea setting.  There was nothing like combining my two most favorite sounds in the world; the crashing of waves against the beach and the sound my teacup makes when I set it on its saucer.  I hope this inspires you the next time you travel to add a little tea time to your adventure.

 

 

 

 

God Bless,

Trina Belle