I have never owned an electric tea kettle like this. I am used to the plastic ones you get at the dollar store that my mom used to use…
I made a huge decision that had been in the works a long time. About a month ago I got rid of the microwave. I think it wastes energy, but more than that it was making me a lazy cook…and since we are also trying to move toward an off grid lifestyle it needed to go.

I kept meaning to get a kettle but didn’t do it and then a few weeks ago …read more

 
What does this have to do with tea?
Nothing.
Coffee?
Nope.
I know alot of you who read Kettle and Cup are homeschoolers.  Fellow homeschoolers.  With the jumpers and mini vans to prove it, right? So as  long as you can give me the secret handshake I will share this cool link with you.

O.k..we have a great sunny day and alot of window shopping to do.
One of my favorite things about the Internet is the ability to window shop with out spending a dime, any time I want night or day.  There are antique stores, auctions sites, and craft malls all available at my fingertips. YAY!  No driving, no parking, no crowds!
I was at the thrift store yesterday.  This has to be my favorite place to pick up props for my blog images.

O.k..now that I have my work out of the way, I want to head out for some serious shopping. You guys know that I am not getting any commission off of this, and not recommending anything, right?  It is just window shopping.

Nearly everyone I talk to knows what a brown betty teapot is but not many know about the Yixing teapot, and that is sad.
The Yixing teapot is a beautiful pot, made of a special clay that comes from the area around Lake Taihu, in China. The clay, because it is made up of

 
I have been using gold filters in my coffee and tea things for years. I like them alot because, well, I am cheap. They last for a really long time, and I hate paying money for coffee filters all the time. Plus, with as much coffee as we drink we probably would cause the deforestation of the entire pine forest in East Texas. In a week.

Thierry Mugler, creator of the fragrance,Angel, is scheduled to release a new cologne for men in mid-April.  I think I am looking forward to this one….
AngelMEN Pure Coffee will use a new CO2 technology, what-ever the heck that is,  to extract “natural notes” directly from Columbian coffee beans. The scent includes  musk, patchouli, cedar, and vetiver. The company says that they formulated it to give a sense of “caffeinated energy”.

So, here we are, what, 9 days away from the big day? If you have given absolutely no thought to what you want to get for the love of your life you could end up getting something that is unimaginative, boring, and uninspired. Do you really want to do that?
Nope, you don’t. Why? Because you want to be known as the most romantic person ever. You want your Love to write about you on the walls of every public restroom in the state…you want them to gaze at you adoringly, you want them to …

I spent the entire day yesterday, with the exception of putting dinner on the table, sitting next the fire, coffee in hand and my Christmas present, Home to Holly Springs by Jan Karon, in my lap. I have two chapters to go as of this morning and when I get done here I plan to wave to my family and head back to the fire and the chair. Christmas, to me, is best with a new book and a cup of hot coffee…My husband, being the insightful man of God that he is, also saw fit to …read more

Teapots are an art form. I think they always have been to one extent or another but with a renewed interest in tea and tea things I think they are better than ever. Here are some of my favorites from around the web…

From The Krinkle Collection
All Teapots 

Christmas Lodge by Fitz and Floyd
 Table At Home

Candy Cane Tea Pot
The English Tea Store 

Merry Christmas Teapot by Sandy Clough
Amazon 
O.k..Chef Kyrie and i had to stay home from church because she has..can you believe it? POISON IVY, so we are going to catch up on our Christmas baking.