It is one of those things…my readers, while may not be quant-i-tea are certainly qual-i-tea.

So first, once again, thank you for loyally reading.  I appreciate it.  Many of you have linked to me on your own blogs, and I appreciate that, too.

Cindi Bigelow contacted me some time ago, and sent me a wonderful assortment of teas.  Maybe you remember the reviews and images.  They were just beautifully presented and delicious.

Well, she also linked to Kettle and Cup on the Bigelow Tea Blog.   It is in the blog list.  Yay!

So I feel kind of princesslike and special today. 

image:maryeaudet

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They are still letting me write it, I am still going to be doing  all of those amazing reviews, cool coffee and tea recipes, and snarky Starbucks sarcasms that I always have.  No worries!

Just here.  Same blogs on the blog roll, same odd and offbeat posts.  Different look.

So, I will be coming back in a bit to continue with the reviews of Silver Joe’s Coffee, and then we will be moving on to other things…

Iced Tea season is coming up …You guys in the North are probably unaware of it…but it is almost Spring!  The trees here have budded, the Bradford Pears and Quince are in flower..I even saw some bluebonnets yesterday.  And it is raining.

If it is raining in Texas it must be one of the two days of Spring that we normally get every year.

Adagio has some new teas, as does Teavana…so see?  Lots to talk about.

If you are wondering, yes Simply Home Remedies was retired.  But, I will start discussing medicinal teas here as well, they are teas right?  So,  don’t go far…As always, you don’t want to miss a minute of it.

Image:SXC

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I seem to have lost a client over the holidays, considering that I have an outstanding invoice yet to be paid I am guessing that I have an open slot in my busy week.

This is bad on one way because it is, of course, money we are talking about but it has left me some time to look around.  And tonight, when I would have been writing….that is just what I did.

And yeah, the teacup image again…but I think I did o.k. on this one and it is one of the few that won’t totally embarrass me when you read about the blog I found!

I found this incredible blog with incredible photography.  You know, if you have read Baking Delights at all that I love food photography, although I have a long, long way to go.  The site that I found was tea images, as well as some others, and just beautiful.  The name of the blog is Another Tea Blog.  I don’t think it is another tea blog at all…it is a wonderful, amazing view of tea.

My tea and coffee images here have been very uninspired, and I think on many tea and coffee blogs the images could be described as….uninspired.  But Alex (a fellow Texan, by the way   ) has created images that are very inspired!  They have inspired me to do better, anyway.

So, head over there and drool over the artwork.

image:(c)maryeaudet 2008  all rights reserved

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If you have homeschooled very long you probably know who Cindy Rushton is.  I have kept up with her books and thoughts on homeschooling for a really long time…always found them to be helpful..Then she started branching out..and I began writing as well..and I could not keep up with her as well as I had before.

She has posted an exerpt from her book on her blog on how to get started with tea.  It is a cozy read and there are some great ideas as well as ecouragement for those of you that feel like you just don’t have the time or the stuff!

TEA-riffic Tips  is today’s MUST READ!

And once you get over to her blog..you are going to get lost..so be sure to have a cup of tea (or coffee) poured before you head over there.

Image:MaryeAudet

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It seems to me that those of us who like to “take tea” also enjoy a good mystery.  I am surprised that no one has yet gotten a half million dollar government grant to research the link between the two but there you go.  It is a strange world in which we live.

So, when I saw a particular tea alert in my email about a mystery author I had to check it out..and now….sigh..I am hooked on the website.
The site is a cooperation between several lady mystery writers and they discuss everything from tea parties to historical accuracy in your writing. I love it.

So, this afternoon, grab a cup of tea and a cookie to nibble on…because you really can’t eat a cookie when you are taking tea..you must nibble it… and sit down for a great read at The Lady Killers.

Image:Morguefile 

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You know, it is funny..I never know whether I should make an announcement on one blog or all of them!

Marc and I have the awesome opportunity to work with Cory and Kerri Aldrich on the Marriage Actually Blog.  You have heard me talk about Marc and not you can get the chance to meet him!

He should be posting a little later today (when I clear the computer) so run by and tell him “hi!”

Image:Morguefile

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As I was surfing on Saturday I found not only a new roasting company but a new blog. Both are entitled Muddy Dog Coffee.

You know, you would never get away with those types of names for tea, would you? Ugly Mug, Muddy Dog…

“Clarice, I just adore your hat. Would you care for another cup of Muddy Dog Earl Grey?”

“No, thank you Alice, but I would love to try some of the Ugly Mug ti kuan yin”

See, it does not work. But for coffee? It is great! Anyway, I have added Jim’s blog to my blogroll on the side and encourage you to check it out.

Hey, he likes horses….or maybe I should say, HAY, he likes horses…so he is o.k. i n my book.

I will be getting some coffee from him soon, so be on the look out for a review.

Oh, the dog? Just a random puppy.

Image:Morguefile

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Three Doors Down is Marriage Actually with Cory and Kerry Aldrich.

If you want to laugh…check it out..If you want thought provoking posts about marriage..check it out..

Marc and I have been married 28 years..some years awesome..some years unique..but all of them great.  Still, there are things I don’t know, things I haven’t thought about  and things that I may need to change my mind about. Part of a successful marriage is continuing to educate yourself about your marriage and your mate.  Marriage Actually helps you do that.

Image:Morguefile.com 

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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 

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I am curious about how many of you know about Fair Trade items and whether that is an important factor in your decision to buy a product. Where do you spend your coffee/tea dollars and why?

I am sitting here in my office, drinking my Saturday morning coffee. Heavy cream, stevia, custom roast….out of my favorite cup. An online friend sent me this cup about 10 years ago and it is chipped, faded and stained, but I love it..although it is probably time to get a new cup. I have lost track of her, and her life, over the past several years but the cup connects us and reminds me to pray for her.

In the background the little kids are watching cartoons. The noise from the den can be overwhelming when I am trying to think, because the den is attached to the office by french doors. The rooms flow into eachother…one of the oddities about an old house. You wouldn’t put the rooms like that in a new house.

It is a sunny, 60 degrees today, and the older kids all have plans. Shiloh is heading out to look for fossils, Ethan and Matt are riding bikes over to friends’ house…Marc started a part time job with Home Depot so he is gone until this afternoon…My daughter and her husband are chatting in the other room. This is Saturday here, totally laid back and relaxed. I have made donuts for breakfast, the bread for lunch is rising in the warm kitchen.

Black coffee is for the weekdays, busy, hurried, intense. Saturday’s coffee is always luxurious, languid, and luscious.

Saturdays I have a chance to blog surf…catch up, so to speak, and read new blogs. Here are some I found interesting today.

How Can I Recycle This asks what the best use for a used teabag is..with some interesting answers

Tea Party Girl discusses table settings. How often do you do that? Me? Not often enough, unless you count tossing the forks in a heap in the center and screaming “Food’s HOT!”

Tea on Tap reviews an Organic Shui Xain that sounds fabulous to me

Hayley at Coffee Helps has a hysterically funy post about her cat. And snow. And the importance of gallantry and the defense of honor. Warning…coffee/tea spew alert with this one.
The Coffee Detective finds the best coffee makers under $100.00, if you are in the market for a new coffee maker you might want to check that out.

Have an awesome weekend. I leave you with this thought from Dave Barry:

It is inhumane, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity. I bet this kind of thing does not happen to heroin addicts. I bet that when serious heroin addicts go to purchase their heroin, they do not tolerate waiting in line while some dilettante in front of them orders a hazelnut smack-a-cino with cinnamon sprinkles. ~Dave Barry

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