Come Sit Awhile

Come sit awhile.

Let the dappled sun coming through the window warm you on a winter day.

Dream the dreams of JOY and envelop you with Delight.

Sip your tea.

Savor a small piece of chocolate.

Pamper yourself.

Pick up a book and read with abandonment.

Do you take time to do this for yourself?

What could you add to the list?

What book is delighting and capturing your attention right now?

The book I am finding fascinating is The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery.

It takes place in Japan in the late 1800's.

For those that are intrigued with the Japanese tea ceremony,

you would particularly be captured by this story.

I am half way through the story and can't wait to know how it ends.

Do you ever cheat and read the last couple pages to see how it ends?

Oh it is tempting, but I will wait.

So pamper yourself soon, make a date and stick to it.

Maybe this weekend?

Yes, the weekend is here, have a good one, dear friends!

Winter Happiness

In winter I look for color and light.

These are touches of color I have found in the month of January.

Some are in a greenhouse, but still blooming in winter.

Light is found in burning candles and twinkly Christmas lights.

Often as I drink my morning tea I burn a candle or two to add light to a dreary morning.

I hope just these happy flowers make you smile today.

What makes you happy on a dreary winter day?

Tea for each Season

Springtime teas for me delight.

Looking forward to some new Darjeelings.

Morning tea time gives reason to rise.

Oolong are sublime in any season, but the new growth
of Spring just makes me smile.

The season of thankfulness and family celebrations delights.

The season of giving and receiving with sweets to enchant

is the season I celebrate with a robust tea such as puerh or my favorite Yunnan Gold.

Often I see the comparison in celebrating with tea

to those that celebrate with wine.

There are seasons of growth and seasons to celebrate.

Seasons of JOY and Seasons to sit in quiet reflection.

Do you celebrate the seasons of life with a special tea?

or maybe a glass of wine?

How do you celebrate each day?

Portland's Japanese Gardens

 Having a membership to the Lan Su Chinese Gardens gave us

free passes for the month of January to Portland's Japanese Gardens.

 Sunday afternoon the sun was shining and a perfect addition to celebrating

a birthday in the family.

 We ventured out to the gardens and delighted in seeing

the koi in the pond.  The littlest of us was enchanted by them.

 The daphne was beginning to bloom and add color to this gorgeous garden.

There were little ones all about enjoying the out of doors

with all the splendor of the garden.

While friends in other parts of the world are under snow and freezing temperatures,

Portland has had a touch of spring.

One thing that has amazed me about Oregonians is that they know to immediately

step outside and enjoy a sunny day because tomorrow the rains will come again.

Who knows we may even be buried in snow in a few weeks.

Each day brings a surprise and we are always ready to celebrate it.

I think this is a good way to celebrate life,

be ready for the surprise and jump in with both feet.

Monday's Quotes

It's liquor is like the sweetest dew from heaven.

~Lu Yu

Note:  The teacup is from my grandfather's china of Violets and Daisy's, Haviland.

And a Good Time was had by All

Sunday is my "live-in gardener's" birthday

and the celebration began today.

Our daughter took us to tea and it was pure delight.

 The birthday boy and our sweet daughter.

 It was a Winter Tea at Deepwood Estate in Salem, Oregon

The table was decorated perfectly for winter.

 The tea was their signature rose hip black tea.

 The scone was Oatmeal Raisin Cinnamon.

 The savories were Stuffed Mushroom on Polenta with Balsamic Drizzle (my favorite),

Blood Orange and Fennel Salad, and Roast Beef and Arugula Tea Sandwich.

 A peek as we toured the house through one of the gorgeous stained glass windows

in the solarium.

 The sweets were Lemon Meringue Tart, Peanut Butter Pie Parfait,

and Chocolate Chip Blondie.

Walking through the grounds is always a treat.

This is the carriage house.

What a treat and an adventure on a dreary Winter day.

Birthday celebrations are always a perfect time for tea.

Surprise + Delight

Each season when I visit the Lan Su Chinese Gardens in Portland,

I am surprised with what I find and delighted.

This was fruit of the pomegranate, which did delight me.

Recently when I was walking through my local market where you can often find me,

a sign caught my eye above the jewelry store.

It said surprise + delight.

I have thought of that often since seeing that sign.

It doesn't have to be a piece of jewelry to delight me.

It doesn't even have to be anything with a price tag.

But little surprises such as seeing this pomegranate fruiting

or sitting by my breakfast window watching the hummingbirds feed

are just the surprises that delight me.

 I do love surprises alot and as you can probably tell

I search for those small things that surprise + delight.

What little surprises delight you, especially ones without a price tag?

Signs of Spring

 Hellebore

 Do you see it?  The first little crocus to open it's little face.

The first camellia to shine!

January seems a bit early for Spring to start showing it's face.
But searching for Spring in the Winter is what helps me survive the dark days.
So with much JOY and DELIGHT this week when I went searching
my heart did a happy dance.
For small signs that the earth was coming alive were tucked here and there in the garden.
Do you search for signs of Spring in the Winter?
I know, it's a bit crazy, but I love it when I start seeing it.
So for me today, I will dance in the foggy morning
as I rejoice in the first signs of Spring.

A Flower in my Cup

 Leaves unfurling.

Fully opened.

Flowers in a teapot delight my heart.

Teavivre offers many different choices of flowers for your teapot.

This particular one is a jasmine green tea.

It comes in a tight ball, but when submerged

in the warmth of the water it blooms into a beautiful display.

The teapot also came from Teavivre,

as I used my $5. off coupon and have been wanting this little

glass teapot for a long time, I am delighted!

Isn't it pretty?

I am loving it for displaying the beautiful blooms of tea.

What is delighting you today?

If you would like a $5. off coupon just leave a comment

saying so.  Make sure I have a way to connect with you.

Check out www.teavivre.com to see what might delight you.

Monday's Quotes

Photos taken at the Lan Su Chinese Gardens right after Christmas.

Two quotes by Martin Luther King Jr.:

I have decided to stick with love.

Hate is too great a burden to bear.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness;

only light can do that.

Hate cannot drive out hate;

only love can do that.

Tea Time

In the throes of recovery tea has not tasted that good to me.
I decided I needed to take a different direction than going to my favorite blacks;
so tried something lighter.
Sipping from my cup this morning is a Jasmine Oolong from Bingley's Teas.
Oh, the softness of the jasmine along with a lovely oolong just made it alright and delicious.
The softness of this tea just warmed my heart and made me happy.
This is definitely the tea for me right now and so thankful to have it in my cupboard.
Visit my friend at Bingley's Teas for teas inspired by Jane Austin.

http://www.bingleysteas.com/

Hope in the Garden

You probably are saying, why is she showing us dirt.
It's not a pretty picture.

Venturing into the garden yesterday look what I found!

On Facebook I try to share a picture from my garden each day,

so I was looking for what was new this week.

There they are!

The beginning sprouts of crocus!

Can you believe it?

The middle of January and there they are.

I am more than excited.
Beauty and color will soon return to the garden.
Are you spotting signs of HOPE?

Grateful Jar

On the first on the year many were sharing a jar to put beautiful thoughts.

I decided this would be a great way to focus on the things I am Grateful for.

So here is my jar, fairly empty;

but I must say as I begin to feel better Gratefulness is going into this

jar and into my heart.

There is so much to be Grateful for this year

and #1 right now is the power of healing and coming back alive.

What are you Grateful for today?

Sunshine through the Window

I would love to share with you the spectacular teas I have tasted recently

and the adventures into the out of doors,

but for today what is touching my heart is the sunshine through the window,

the orchid that started blooming while I was in the hospital,

and Joey by my side savoring the sunshine.

It is the little things in life when noticed that bring a smile to our faces.

Oh and just finally feeling so much better.

Whew!  That was a rough week.

It felt good just to pick up the camera this morning.

Have a good day and sip tea and keep warm.

Room with a View

Last week when I was laying in my hospital bed I had the most beautiful view.

As the sun came up the nurses turned my bed so I could watch the sun rise

over Mt. Hood.  Isn't this amazing?

Thinking of my word "Grateful", I could only feel that word strongly

as I was Grateful for the special nurses that would take the time

to show me the beauty outside my window.

I actually called my husband and asked him to bring me my camera for this shot.

I think it is the little things in noticing what we notice that can make our heart "grateful"

and feel the JOY and delight of each day.