I hope your week has been awesome!

We have been having temperatures in the 100s and more scheduled for next week.  I think it was 103 today.

You have to love these bog, old houses though.  Seriously, even without the air conditioning the design creates great circulation and it rarely gets above 85 in here.  Very do-able with ceiling fans and lots of ice water.

I can’t believe that I posted a giveaway yesterday and no one commented! What in the world is wrong with you people?

Just kidding. Anyway..this is a reminder about that ….so check out the Kettle and Cup giveaway, it isn’t hard to enter.

Slashfood is one of my favorite blogs…Check out this video for how to make tea syrup to make tea sodas.

If you like to write and LOVE tea, or HATE tea and need to be converted check out the Felicitea contest.  You get free tea just for entering…Hurry it is only until July 31.

O.k..These guys did not get the memo from the kidney stone guys.   According to this study drinking tea may be healthier for you than drinking water…Maybe it isn’t the tea that causes kidney stones at all..maybe it is the BUBBA glass?

Mmm…Black Tea Spring Rolls made with Lapsang Souchong just sound amazing…

Karen has 20 Ways to Save on Coffee on her blog… Great ideas!You have to check out this Passion Fruit Rose Iced Tea at Dolce Dente

La-Tea-Dah has to be on of the most social ladies I know and she is at it again on her blog…she is sponsoring a summer blog hop…nothing formal, just a chance for a quick visit with friends.

In Australia they are beginning to use the fruit of the coffee plant as part of a skin care regime for more youthful looking skin….

And..it was only a matter of time until someone came out with juice based on coffee berries… 

That’s it for me.  I cleaned house today and it just feels so good. I bought a scented candle to celebrate…but Marc is working late tonight and I am wiped out…so I am off to relax and beg one of the kids for a foot rub.

Have a great weekend!

Image:Marye Audet 

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Well guys, it has happened.  The Starbucks where Marc and I go is closing.  There are no other coffee places here, except another Starbucks with crappy service so I guess our coffee dates are about to take on a new look..I am not sure what thought.

So how was your week? I am hugely busy. I told Valli that I was riding a hamster wheel this summer and I am..you would think that I would be experiencing rapid weight loss rather than rapid waist loss. : /

I have some cool news to share, hopefully I can share all of it next week….so don’t miss it because it is…seriously…cool.

Can you believe this? A policeman threatened slower response time to a Starbucks if they did not give him free coffee…What does he think this is, 1920s Chicago?

So, the stupidist altercation in history occured in a DC area coffee shop.  A coffee shop refuses to sell iced espresso and some guy orders it anyway.  Then when he can’t get that he orders espresso and a cup of ice..and testosterone begins to build to nuclear proportions.  This was on the East Coast.  I knew it wasn’t in the south because it would have gone something like this:

I can’t get iced espresso?

No.  But here, how about some sweet tea and a cookie? On the house!

Oh by the way, be warned..the article has some rather vulgar  vocabulary in it..They obviously DON’T drink sweet tea.

Here is what we have always known…Researchers think that the aroma of coffee relieves stress. No? Really?

Try having your coffee in a special spot, and make your home into a restful summer retreat…Great idea but I will have to ship the kids off somewhere first.

Next time you are having a tea party try these lavender tea cookies from B More Sweet.

Hey, remember Creamsicles? Heaven of Tea has instructions on how to blend teas from Teavana into an orange creamsicle blend…

Beverly, from How Sweet the Sound, hosts a pink Saturday every week..I actually planned to do it for several weeks but then it is Saturday and I haven’t sent her a link..sigh..Still it is fun seeing all of the pink everyone is finding.

I fell in love with these Rose Jam Covers at Storybook Woods.  I miss crafting!

I posted two recipes on Baking Delights this week,, one for plum and white tea scones and one for the plum curd to go with them….it was fantastic!

The teapot is one of the things I found antiquing with Marc last week. I love it!

Have a great weekend!

Image:Marye Audet 

Post from: Kettle and Cup

I did not say pea-brain!

I am not that mean. A few days ago I got a press release about a new feature on Samovar. They are doing a Tea T.V. Series to increase people’s understanding and knowledge of tea culture.

According to Jesse Jacobs, “This project is about propagating tea culture, because tea culture is about two people connecting, and creating peace, sip by sip. And what better way to create peace and make a difference in the world, than to have a cup of tea with a friend. ”

It looks very well done! Kudos to them!

Image:MaryeAudet

Having a cup of tea with a friend is one of life’s best things. Even if it is a long distance cup of tea, with each of you on the keyboard, a cup of tea makes a difference doesn’t it?

Just get in touch with a friend and invite them for tea on the porch..and catch up with each other. Friendships are a luxury that should be indulged in often!

Post from: Kettle and Cup

SO, Chris got home yesterday afternoon and we are having a great time catching up.  He has been attended to with great devotion by Kyrie (youngest daughter)and  Amanda(granddaughter), who seem to be vying for his attention. At the end of the month he will be headed overseas for three years.

Don;t forget to register to win free coffee! I have changed the rules a bit .  You only have to leave a comment and then post about the giveaway on your blog. It is still dedicated to Marc, though, so you can wish him happy birthday in the comments!

Vee shares three links for blog events on A Haven for Vee.  They look like great fun!

At Tea in My Cup, Alice has some beautiful cucumber cups filled with crab. Just perfect for a bridal shower tea or nearly any other kind as far as I am concerned.

Gracious Hospitality has not only a new attitude (LOL!) but a fantastic post on the past and how it inspires us.

So, when you head to your local  Starbucks are you after brand recognition as badly as a teen that is determined to wear Ambercrombie and Fitch (or whatever?)  Dr. Chen says that you are! See if you agree.

What if you could have your espresso anywhere you happened to be? Now you can with Handpresso!

You have to know that I am extremely patriotic. My dad was military, my husband was military..I was military…my oldest son is military..and if you are married to a Marine of any age you understand that Marines, retired or not, take patriotism to a new level.  You also have to know that I am probably one of the most conservative people on the planet. (STOP LAUGHING). However when I read that Dunkin Donuts had cancelled ads that they had Rachel Ray do for them because in the ad she was wearing a scarf that seemed similar to the ones that Muslim extremists wear….well I will be honest. I am laughing. Still. First of all, I would like to encourage all Muslim extremists to drink Dunkin Donuts coffee.   I am quite sure that after the first sip or two they will quickly and quietly leave the country, feeling that surely there is nothing worse they can do to us than that. Second. Well, can we please stop sucking up to every single opinionated group of people?  Seriously.  The ease with which we in this country get offended is crazy. It is amazing how much we seem to WANT to be offended.  There are a lot of things that offend me. Violence.  Abuse. Prejudice. Ignorance. I am offended when I can’t evict a tenant that has not paid rent since February because she has it tangled up in the red tape of the court system, knowing how to use the system. (True, we may lose an investment home over this.)  I am offended at the hunger in my world.  The waste that goes on in terms of finances and foodstuffs.  Check out the dumpster behind your grocer sometime. Rachel Ray in a scarf does not offend me.  If I have to squint to make her look like a militant radical extremist Muslim then I have too much time on my hands….

ahem…carry on….

Have you been drinking pesticides? Here is another reason to head for the organic coffee!! Fumigation….EWW!

Kevin, a t Closet Cooking, is one of my favorite food bloggers.   He visits me at Baking Delights once in awhile.  His images are incredible.  Anyway he has some green tea macarons that you have to see to believe. Just wow.

I was checking out Stash and they have this oh-so-cute Scottie Dog tea for one set.  I fell in love with it on sight.

Have you visited TeaChef at Adagio? Lots of recipes using tea.  I am licking my lips over the tea glazed Irish Pound cake!

O.k..I am heading out. I won;t be doing the shopping post today because I want to spend some time with Chris. See you next time!

Image: Marye Audet through Meez.com

Post from: Kettle and Cup

I think that is my favorite image this week.    If only that table looked like that all the time!

How was your week? Mine has been super busy.  I feel like I have neglected the blog!  I have not visited much, not because I don’t wish to visit but because I have been so overwhelmed with my to-do list.  I hope to be visiting again soon.

I have a backlog of posts that I have notes for but we just spent so much time at the VA this week I couldn’t post them.   W will be camping out there a bit next week, too. Neurosurgury consult, pain clinic, labs, new CAT scan…sigh…Marc’s pain level had gotten quite intense and we are trying to find the correct amount of pain killers balancing between making him comfortable and knocking him completely out.  If you pray, please do. This has been a difficult time.

On to fun things.  Grab your tea or coffee…choose something from the tea table to nibble on and  let’s go.

First stop for me this morning was Christie at Charm & Grace.  She wrote about an interesting tea that she attended with her mother at her local library.  The images she took were beautiful and who could resist a bring your own cup, Jane Austen tea?

Swaps are fun.  Here is a loose leaf tea swap.   You will need to email the hostess if you don’t have enough feedback points and get special permission, bit for this? Probably SO worth it.  If you do it please post about it and let us know what you got!

Modern Princess knows how to make real southern sweet tea!

Jane Goodall and Green Mountain Roasters unveiled a new coffee this week, Tanzanian Gombe Reserve Coffee. The coffee is grown in an area where the farmers are very poor.  As they have cleared land a group of chimps has become isolated and unable to move off the small wild area they inhabit.  This coffee is designed to bring attention to the problem.

O.k..I am late on this..BUT if you hurry you can still get it.  In honor of Fair Trade Day (today)  True Blue Coffee Roasters is offering 15% off coffees through TODAY.  Check it out…The coupon code is   fairtradeday

They have an Ethiopian Sidamo for 9.99 and shipping seems to be just 4.99 for your order.  You better get there before I do because I plan on checking out alot of these!

Check it out…7 uses for leftover coffee grounds!

More Fair Trade Day celebrations!  Green Mountain is offering 20% off purchases of 10 ounce bags of Sumatran Lake Tawar, Kenyan Highland Cooperatives, Colombian Fair Trade Select, and Mexican Decaf Huatusco Cooperative .  Website/phone orders only.Promocode is:

7200-2242

Larry’s Beans has a coffee break Kit for Fair Trade day…

15% off Bundle of Love from Peace Coffee with this code: WFTD08  Coffee and chocolate, what’s not to love?

Mother’s Day is tomorrow. If you can, spend some time with your mom.

Oh, and as a last lingering little bit of eye-candy, check out Storybook Woods’ baking pantry…sigh…

Have a blessed Sunday!

Image:MaryeAudet

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Welcome to SATURDAY!

I drank enough coffee while writing the Baking Delights Edition to be able to be cohesive here. There is some amazing and disturbing news in the coffee world this morning..so..grab a cup and….Ready?

The Oregonian reports this morning about something that really ticked me off. Yep, even more than someone asking em if I want coffee and giving me a cup of Folger’s Crystals…or asking if I take cream and handing me a little packet of white powdered substance…..Apparently the Unlimited Coffee Co. is an all purpose sort of place..laid back hangout for your caffeine fix during the week, you can also handle your mail from a little postal shop in the back, but on Sundays it’s rockin with Jesus at the Road to Damascus church which meets there. The church has a sign under the Coffee Shop sign..

So apparently the postal guys told the owner to take the church sign down because of the separation of church and state. Someone had complained.

PUH-leeze. If you don’t want to go there because a church meets there on Sundays and you might possibly get a jab from the Holy Spirit, then don’t…but can we stop stretching the definition of separation of church and state to the point that the government is involved in some serious persecution? Note to the government…Back off, Jack.

Hawaii has decided NOT to ban genetically altered coffee. All I can say is that I am glad Hawaii is an island.

I cracked up when I got to Oh My Stinkin Heck written by Heather. Awesome post on how to groom a coffee addict..the only issue I have with it is now that I have several coffee addicts in the house…I end up with an empty pot WAY too often.

Rocky Road of Love and Other Great Recipes has a recipe for a coffee italian soda…yum.

The Joke Shop has a great list of ways to know you are coffee addicted.

Tea Party Girl is always a gracious read and she has 7 Tea Party FAQs that are a must read before your next tea party.

If you are a history buff, and for some reason many of us are, Somewhere In Time is a blog/website I have found through Rita, who has both commented here and emailed me. Fascinating reading.

Check out this story about Victorian Tea Parties. It was amazing that our ancestors got anything done when they had so many rules to memorize.

Now..ALL of the blogspot blogs seem to be down this morning so I am assuming google is having an issue. MOST of the blogs I check regularly are…you guessed it..blogspot.

So…I am done for the day…Have a great weekend, and don’t forget to turn your clocks forward here in the States.

Image:Morguefile.com 

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Today it is cold and rainy and dreary…and did I say cold? A couple of days ago the thermometer was pushing 75 and today it is in the low 40s with a drizzle.

But at least I have my coffee! So, surf with me. It’ll be fun. I am a little rushed to day as it is my granddaughter’s 7th birthday…so much to do!

Craft Leftovers has a cool pattern for a make your own, re-usable muslin tea bag..Great for the environment as well as using up those sewing scraps.

So, apparently drinking tea is helpful at keeping arteries clear, at least for women. Now if they could figure out how to deal with the plaque that builds up on thighs…….

Women who drink tea may be protecting themselves from a build-up of artery-clogging plaque, so lowering their risk for heart disease and stroke, findings from a French study suggest.

Slash Food is a favorite site of mine. They posted a video that ask (and answers) the age old question, “Does it go with tea?”. This video checks out Boston Cream Cupcake with a Kensington Breakfast Blend.

I found a new blog this morning called, Tea Rose. I enjoyed the pictures from the Valentines Tea, and It is just all around a beautiful and gracious site.

If you take lemon with your tea at a restaurant you may (or may not ) want to read this.

Finally, a gadget worth having…This machine can tell good coffee from bad. Imagine the time you can save.

Whoohoo..another cool gadget. Starbucks is working on a program to allow you to order coffee right from your iphone or ipodtouch

This Black Currant Tea Poundcake Recipe looks fantastic.

Have a great weekend!

Post from: Kettle and Cup