Gift Giving

A favorite Shaker song, which I have framed on my wall in my office is Simple Gifts.  It was written
by Elder Joseph Brackett and is considered a dancing song.  I sometimes use the words dance, dance where
it says turn, turn.

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd,

To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come 'round right

I love these words and the tune is lovely too.

Earlier this week someone sent me a list of gifts we could give for the upcoming
holiday season that support our local businesses.
I have given this a lot of thought and wanted to share some of the gift ideas here.
Here is my list for today, though more could be added to it as we go along.
Please leave comments on other ideas to be added to the list.

1. Gift baskets of locally grown produce
2. Make a gift that someone would love
3.  Support a local artist or musician by buying their art or music
4. Gift certificates:
hairdresser or barber
massage
local restaurants
oil change at a locally owned shop
cleaning lady for a day
5. Your time to take someone shopping or serve a special meal
6. Tickets for the local car wash
7.  Tickets for a special event
8.  Books from a local author or purchased at a locally owned book store
9. Tickets to do yard work or mow someones lawn in the summer
10.  Driveway plowed on a snowy day
11.  Make a donation to a local charity in your friends name

OK, your turn.

Don't forget to leave a comment on Monday's give away too.

Maybe the winner could make tea cozies for gift giving.

Seeking Beauty in Everyday Life

 From cherylrichardson.com

The Purpose of Living

This morning I made myself a cup of tea and settled into the sofa to review some of the episodes on Charlie Rose last week.  I found an interview with Joan Didion, author of A Year of Magical Thinking and her new book Blue Nights.  As I watched their conversation unfold, Charlie asked this acclaimed writer a powerful question: "Joan, what do you live for?"  As I watched Didion take her time to thoughtfully consider his question, I waited for her response to such a loaded question.  The first words out of her mouth were:

"I live largely for certain small moments.  Moments of great beauty in the world..."

I took a deep breath, pressed pause, and stared at the television set.  Wow, I thought, that about sums it up for me.

To me, moments of great beauty can include an unexpected visit from a deer in the back yard, the eye-to-eye deep connection felt with a loved one, or the exquisite pain of sadness experienced while saying goodbye to something or someone I love.  These are the moments that stay with me, that touch me deeply.

Toward the end of the interview, Charlie asked another powerful question: "When you look back over this life, would you have done anything dramatically different?  Again, Didion carefully considered his question before she answered. "I would have spent more time appreciating those small things."

What a way to start a Sunday - considering such questions.  So, I ask you:  What do you live for?  What are your moments of great beauty? And are you appreciating what you live for?

****************

Each week on Sunday I receive Cheryl Richardson's newsletter.

If you notice in my header it says

"Seeking Beauty in Everyday Life".

When I read this from Cheryl I knew I had to share with you.

I hope you enjoyed it.
Go out today and notice the great beauty around you. 

PS - Oops! This was my post for Tuesday, but it came up early.
Enjoy for an extra day!
Don't forget the give away mentioned on my first Monday post.

Sewing Patterns for Tea Lovers

With the upcoming holiday season I thought I would mention
my business.  I don't often mention it, but have the link on my sidebar.
I have had several comments recently on this blog asking where to
find my sewing patterns for tea lovers.  Because the request came from
Anonymous, I am responding here.
If you like to sew gifts for the holidays or other times during the years,
Marmalady's has 8 great sewing patterns including a pattern for the
above tea cozy.  Next year I hope to add more patterns to the line.
You can find the sewing patterns, plus other tea lovers gifts at:
www.marmaladys.com

Thanks for visiting me there and everyday
here at Delights of the Heart.  I love hearing from
you and having you visit. 
Just as a thank you, if you leave a comment
today on this post I will send a sewing pattern for
this cozy to the name that gets drawn on Friday morning. 

Neighborhood Walk

Often I visit other blogs and enjoy the walks in your neighborhoods.
I walk in my neighborhood about 4 times a week, but become
complacent to what I see.  Yesterday I took my camera along
just to share my neighborhood with you.  I hope you enjoyed it.

If you are in the neighborhood come on by for my Holiday Sale today and tomorrow.
There will be some good prices on Jam, Books, and Teapots.

Green Tea

Helen Gustafson wrote The Green Tea User's Manual,
which was published in 2001.    What I am sharing today is from
her book.  Helen was the tea buyer for Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California
and was instrumental in much of the early education in the tea movement.

Green tea has become increasingly popular in the United States, drunk not only
for its delightful taste but for its myriad health benefits.  Many think there is only one green
tea, but indeed there are many different types, such as:  Gunpowder, Sencha, jasmine, roasted
teas, simple green teas, and the popular Japanese Gen Mai Cha, made with popped rice and
green tea.

A quote from her section in the book on The Joys of Green Tea:

When the water boils for the first time,

something akin to the eyes of a fish appear on the surface

and a faint hissing sound can be heard.

Then the gurgling brook develops

with a string of pearls round the edge

This is the second boiling.

Then the turbulent waves appear:  this is the third boiling.
quote by Lu Yu in A.D. 780

Most green teas taste best when the water is somewhere in the Fish Eyes (160-180 F) through
String of Pearls (180-190 F) range.  Experiment with green tea varieties and temperatures
and I do believe you will find delight.

Dreaming

Thanks for suggestions yesterday for surviving the darkness of winter.
One thing I like to do is dream of traveling to warm places.
I think this year I will make a collage of
those places and collect pictures on Pinterest
of warm places to travel to.
Then maybe a trip will come along,
but for now I will dream.

If you traveled to a warm place, where would it be?

Golden Days before the Darkness

One thing you might not know about me,
I am a girl of sunshine.
Growing up in California
I lived outdoors.
Right now I am enjoying the glowing
golden leaves of Autumn,
but too soon the time will change,
the days will be shorter, and
we will not see many signs of the sun.
I start burning candles for some extra light
and I have thought of getting a light box.

How do you make it through the dark months?
What do you do to bring sunshine into your life
and keep a smile on your face?
I really want to make it through the winter more graciously,
so any tips would be appreciated.

Happy first day of November!
This photo was taken recently at the Lan Su Chinese Gardens.
Tea at these little tables always gives me a smile.