Welcome to my tea party! First, I would like to thank Jan and Tom’s place for hosting this event.

I thought we would visit on the porch and enjoy the sounds of the birds and maybe catch a little breeze.

Would you like some of my rendition of Berger cookies? They are a famous, secret Baltimore recipe that people just seem to  get addicted to.  These are not exactly the same but they are very good!   And just as addictive.

I have chosen  Teavana’s Azteca Fire tea.  It is unusual but I like it because it holds up well to chocolate and other strong flavors. It tastes of chocolate, fruit and smoky chilis.  It is wonderful with cream.  Yes, cream!

Would you like a cup?

We are very casual here, I suppose it has to do with having a large family and raising goats and chickens.  We just do a lot of things which get us dirty.  Most of our tea parties are spontaneous, which means grabbing a few cookies,  brewing some tea, and relaxing with good conversation. We never seem to lack for that here!

Once in awhile I plan for a tea and it looks something like this:

I like to get my mothers vintage Salem china out, as well as the milk glass and  vintage linens.  Cut roses from our garden complete the table setting.  I usually scatter rose petals across the table as well.

While I do like doing this for guests, I also like to bless my family now and then with special treatment!   All of our kids love tea, and have their own definite likes and dislikes.  I think that children will learn to appreciate what thy have the opportunity to experience, so it is good for them to be exposed to fine foods, antiques, and great art and literature. It builds something deep within them.

I hope you have enjoyed our time together, for more tea parties go on over  to Jan and Tom’s Place.   I think they are expecting you.

Banner:Jan and Tom’s Place, used by permission

Images Marye Audet 

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Summer is here. I keep thinking that I am going to free up some time to sit and enjoy life but the more I work to free up the time the more I have to do…if you are feeling the same way just take the time off and sip some iced tea on your porch.  Relax.  We all need to learn to live!

If you care about Fair Trade, Organic, and sustainably grown coffee (and you should!) checking Coffee and Conservation on a weekly or bi weekly basis is the best place to keep up with serious news about the industry.  I know I try to get over there at least twice a week to see what is happening.  I always learn something I did not know!

Jim over at Muddy Dog Coffee Blog has a great post on the famine conditions in Ethiopia. His company has decided to donate a portion of their profits to support EthiopiAide. Hats off to them in this altruistic venture!

Did you see the movie, Calendar Girls? I cracked up all the way through it..The funniest part was when Marc looked seriously into my face and said, “You would SO do that.” Well, there are some other ladies willing to bare it all for a good cause. Women Kona Coffee Farmers have produced a calender to enlighten us about the false advertising associated with coffee and Kona coffee in particular.  Check out the whole story at Eat. Drink. Better.

This is a little scary but did you know that Wrigley’s Doublemint gum has a Kona Creme gum out? I despise gum..I hate watching people chewing it.  But if you are desperate for coffee this might do the trick.

So it is hot.  Summer is here.  The kids are dripping popsicles all over the kitchen and you need a break.  Check out this Coffee Ice Cream with Espresso Brittle Swirl from Cooking with Coffee. I’ll take two.  To go.

I found At Home with the Farmer’s Wife blog through Vee, at A Haven for Vee.   Her blog design is fantastic! I will be reading this one alot, I can tell.

Brenda is having an open house for her son at Coffee, Tea, Books and Me.  She has an amazing menu planned..check it out and wish her well!  She has had a busy week, I figure she is drinking gallons of coffee over there!

I love thrift store shopping. In fact, yesterday I went to pick up a few things and ended up with a whole new wardrobe (we are on our way back to our home church and I needed to get my look up to par! We have been very casual for the last few years . Anyway I found some awesome things, which I will share on another post..but look at these adorable crocheted scrubbers that LaTeaDah found at her thrift shop!

Finally, The Tea Lady at Tea Time Tales posted something that touched my heart.  I understand her frustration with people who just would rather grab a cheap brand off the shelf than good quality from a local business. Read her post entitled Mediocre Minds and add your prayers to mine for her success.

O.k..

I hope you enjoyed today’s tour of the Internet. Have a great weekend!

Image (c) Marye Audet 2008 

Post from: Kettle and Cup

.I know that you guys probably don’t realize it, so enamored of my wit and coffee/tea meanderings are you, but there really are other blogs out there about coffee and/or tea. Some of them are pretty good.Man Seeking Coffee posts reviews about his favorite roasters, coffee, and coffee hangouts. The current one is about a place called Cafe Grumpy…which I find hysterically funny. I suppose it is because of the Monty Python style mental image that I get from the name..(.Remember the Spam, Spam, Spam, Ham, & Spam skit? )..so the mental picture of John Cleese as the barista at Cafe Grumpy made my day.

No life, here.

Julie Fletcher leaves some of the best comments anywhere. I can get into a whole comment conversation with her and laugh when I see that a post has 52 comments and 26 of them are hers..(I exaggerated, poetic license). Her blog is called, Not Enough Coffee and, altho it is often NOT about coffee, it is always entertaining.

Cooking by the Seat of My Pants blogger, Jerry, posted extremely important information today. It is…National Irish Coffee Day! . This is a blog I really enjoy and have followed from my food blogs, Baking Delights and Apronstrings & Simmering Things. Always something interesting to read! And really, I would not have known that it was one of the most important days of the year, you know, had I not read it.

So, get yourself another cup, sit down and surf for a bit.

And I want to leave you with this thought, it suddenly occurred to me… Isn’t the phrase “Relax with a cup of coffee” sort of an oxymoron? Wouldn’t it be better to say “I am going to twitch uncontrollably with a cup of coffee”?

Just wondering.

Post from: Kettle and Cup