Imperfect = Perfect 'Tea Day'

Today for Tea Tuesday

I'm having several large glasses of iced tea with lemon,

in between lots of iced water.

Why you may ask?

 My husband and I have been working on our new 'imperfect' patio, :)

using two different kinds of bricks, and rocks.

I say 'imperfect' because that is the way I like things.

Sort of like my art!  :)

I have to hold my husband back a bit

from making things soooo so perfect.

But that is the way he is,

and has to be, for his job.

I wanted the patio to look like it had been here since the 1970's,

when the house was built,

so when things got a little 'imperfect'

I said "okay, that's perfect!", and he just smiles.:)

I had this bright idea (which made it that much harder)

 to put a spiral in the middle of it.

(I do love spirals),

but I like the way we had to fill in with smaller rocks

here and there.

This patio extends our large back porch

and measures 12 feet by 15 feet.

This is where we will sit at our round umbrella covered table

while we grill and enjoy the evenings.

We've spent a total of about 4 days,

(taking siestas in the heat of the day when it's 95 degrees),

working on this patio.

I am really sore today, (ouch)

using muscles I haven't used in awhile I guess. :)

Now we just have to put some sand mix in between the

bricks and rocks, to finish it off.

The last thing to do is build the little arbors over

each of the two entrances.

I just couldn't wait to share what we did!

Whew!  Almost done!

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Breadbaking dance

"[Breadbaking is] one of those almost hypnotic businesses,

 like a dance from some ancient ceremony.

 It leaves you filled with one of the world's sweetest smells...

there is no chiropractic treatment, no Yoga exercise,

no hour of meditation in a music-throbbing chapel,

that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts

 than this homely ceremony of making bread."

                                                       ---M. F. K. Fisher, ‘The Art of Eating’

  My breadbaking adventure has taught me a lot.

I haven't made bread from scratch in years,

(I usually just buy artisan bread, or at times

make my own in the bread machine)

so this was fun.

I was not discouraged

 even though my first loaf didn't turn out well.

(It was like a ton of bricks,

and very tough.

Not good)

I wasn't sure if it was something I did

 (oh no, it couldn't be THAT!... wink)

or maybe it was my homemade starter below,

(No...I'm sure I made that right too)

or maybe it was the recipe I used.

(that's got to be it... of course...teehee)

So I picked out another recipe,

a 'no knead' recipe at that...

and used my homemade sourdough starter as before,

and got busy again.

The second loaf is like heaven!

Just let me know if you want this no-knead recipe.

Now, I'm off to enjoy a slice of my bread...

with butter, and a glass of iced green tea with lemon.

“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods;

 and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.”

---James Beard (1903-1985)

Visit Kimmie for Tea on Tuesday.

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Tea and Books go together

A Vintage Tea Party

by

Angel Adoree

is the next book on my list of books to buy.

I also recently ordered

Centering..in pottery, poetry and the person

which was recommended to me by Cheryl Dolby.

Visit her blog to see what books she herself has written,

( I think I have them all )

and to see the sculpture and other beautiful things

she creates.

 http://healingwoman.blogspot.com/

Happy Tea Tuesday!

This morning I'm reading

while I am having a cup of

 gunpowder black tea from India.

The little tiny rolled balls of tea leaves

explode when the hot water hits them

and exposes the large tea leaf.

  

Don't you think tea and books go together?

What are some of your favorite books?

I'd love to add them to my list.

Visit our host Kimmie at

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

and the rest of the tea bloggers

for more great Tea Tuesday posts.

Each one has unique and beautiful things to see

and to read about.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

'Querencia' --- Tea Day

Happy Tea Tuesday!

The past few mornings,

I have sat out by the garden,

drinking tea and reading.

A friend of mine recently let me borrow a book

by an author I had not heard of....Steven Bodio.

http://stevenbodio.blogspot.com/

The book is called

 'Querencia'.

The word 'querencia',

 I have learned,

is hard to translate.

It is a place....

it is a feeling....

all in one.

Mainly it is where you feel safe and good.

Animals have querencia,

and so do we.

Click here...

http://www.quia.com/files/quia/users/sax1/Academic/Querencia-Essay-Assignment.pdf

to read a very good description of the word

and to find and describe your own querencia.

To me it is a metaphysical concept

of wanting to feel safe in something,

whether it be a physical place,

or something you do,

like writing, art, etc.

Where do you find your

querencia?

Is it in people, places,

or something else?

 Come visit  all the Tea Tuesday bloggers

and our host Kimmie at

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

You can find your Querencia if you...

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Ruby Sipper Tea and a Watercolor

Happy Tea on Tuesday!

Tea day with our hostess Kimmie and friends

is full of great blogging fun!

Why don't you join us?

Last week when my sister visited

we went to one of my favorite places to eat...

The Tango Tea Room...(it takes tea to tango)

all vegetarian food, wonderful teas and more.

Here I am having their

Riby Sipper iced tea.

------

I've been practicing my watercolor landscapes.

Here is one that is ready for critique

at my watercolor class on Wednesday.

What have you been doing to...

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Tea Day Musings

 Every morning

I've been having a cup of Yerba Mate,

and for Tea Tuesday I think I will do the same.

My husband painted my wire tea cups

that I found at the thrift store.

I'm using them as candle holders today,

but I know they will have many more uses

around the house.

I've been in the garden this week,

as the beautiful weather draws me outside.

One of my new plants is this Rio Dipladenia.

As midday brings warmer temperatures,

I go inside and enjoy my new organized studio space.

This week I designed a bookmark for myself,

using Photoshop.

 The red dragonfly is part of one of my paintings

of the real red dragonfly that I saw once.

Then I added some quotes.

By late afternoon, each day,

 temperatures drop once again, and

 my husband and I sit in the yard,

watching the birds,

laughing and talking about our days,

 about getting older,

and just about life in general.

I did catch this photo of a little hummingbird.

We have probably a dozen or more around the feeders.

Time spent in the garden

is like therapy...

 Creating art is like therapy.

Having a balance of being alone,

and being with others

is important to me.

 All these things in my life

 have brought me to the conclusion that

I need to....

  ...let people know how much I love them much more often

... let family and friends know how much they mean to me

                                    … put words to my thoughts, and to slow my thoughts down
                                                              … let go of the past
                                            …accept where my life's choices have brought me
                                                          … just be in the moment

and if only in my solitude and my thoughts...

 to just...

Savor the Day!

Yvonne



'It's Raining Outside' Tea

Happy Tea on Tuesday to all!

Well, it's actually still Monday,

but heck, it's raining outside,

so here I am.

Today I'm having some herbal tea

from Zen Granny.

You can find Zen Granny on Etsy.

I wanted to share with you some tea items

that have come into my possession recently.

 My sister, Lanette, gave me

a saucer style green bamboo cast iron tea pot. 

She found it at an estate sale.

It is missing the infuser,

but otherwise in great condition.

Cast ironware heats evenly,  retains heat well,

 and is praised worldwide for its beauty, strength, and superb quality.

 This teapot is used for brewing only,

is enamel inside to prevent rusting,

 and should not be used directly on the stovetop to heat water.

Historically during the mid 19th century

as infused tea drinking became more popular in Japan,

tetsubin or cast iron teapot evolved from being a kitchen item

to being a status symbol used to serve tea.

 Many nobles cherish their teapots as treasures

and are kept in the family for generations.

Now...do you see the tea cups?

Do you see what they are made out of?

I found these wire mesh tea cups while thrifting.

Right now they are still a bit rusty,

but I plan on painting them.

These will be a practical yet fun way to decorate.

They can be used to hold candles, teabags,

packets of sweetener, floral arrangements, or small plants.

If you would like to join us for Tea on Tuesday,

visit Kimmie at

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

or just go by and read what the other

tea bloggers are blogging about this week.

While it's raining outside, I'm going to

paint, drink some tea,

 read, catch up on my favorite blogs,

and just....

Savor the Day!

I hope you do too.

Yvonne

Green Tea Leaf Office/Studio

Happy Tea on Tuesday all!

Green tea leaf....

that is actually the name of the wall color

in my office/art studio now.

My little space got so crowded

I had to make a change.

It's still a work in progress, but it's getting there.

 It's nice to have a pretty yet functional space to work in,

and not spend too much money on a redo.

   

This is my 6 foot long work table,

in a location with good light

 and I can get all the way around it.

These curtains came from my living room,

and so did the stained glass piece.

This is the view from my computer chair now,

instead of looking at a wall.

Much better!

This is the wall I used to face,

now it is to my left.

The watercolor is one I did awhile back.

It is called, 'He Brought me Flowers'.

The wall sticker below it

is one I got from my friend Karen.

It says, 'Friends are the flowers that bloom in life's garden'.

 I found this hidden away in a little shop,

got it for almost nothing,

and I love it.

A pretty plant will go in it this week.

Another wall sticker from Karen,

 below the window, that says,

'Every day is a gift.'

Close up of curtain tie back.

I used raffia from an old garden hat band,

and a bird button I won in a blog giveaway.

So, that's it for now.

Still lots to do. 

I'm just taking my time, no hurry.

I'm sitting here drinking my yerba mate tea this morning,

thinking of just how to organize everything.

I cleared out the closet, put in drawers and shelves.

I also have a new 9 cubbie shelf unit,

 a piece of insulation covered with fabric making it my design/inspiration wall,

 a dry erase wall calendar,

stackable files on my desk, plus a file cabinet that my printer sits on.

I have a basket for recycling paper under my desk.

 I must be careful not to overcrowd my room again,

and keep things that I will use.

Everything else is going to be donated to Goodwill.

So...hope you are having a good

Tea on Tuesday.

Join me for tea every Tuesday...

and see what all the other tea bloggers are up to

 by visiting Kimmie at

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

Getting organized,

having a cup of tea always helps me...

Savor the day!

Yvonne

Mariage Freres--best tea in the world

If I ever make it back to Paris,

I will have to stop in the place

where the 'best tea in the world' is made.

A place called Mariage Freres.

http://www.lasplash.com/publish/FoodAndBeverage/cat_index_paris_food/Mariage_Fr_res_-_The_Best_Tea_in_the_World.php

They put out a book a few years back called

The French Art of Tea

You can find it at Amazon.com

"The simplicity of the tea-room

and its freedom from vulgarity

make it truly a sanctuary

from the vexation of the outer world.

There and there alone can one consecrate himself

 to the undisturbed adoration of the beautiful.

Nowadays industrialism is making true refinement

 more and more difficult all the world over.

Do we not now need the tea room

more than ever? "

Having tea makes me slow down...

water coming almost to a boil...

waiting for it to steep...

stirring... stirring...

sipping...

Ahhhhhhhhh!

Join Kimmie and all of us

Tea on Tuesday bloggers

for tea, won't you!

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Mint tea and a potager

I've been unplugged for about a week,

because the weather has just been gorgeous.

Spring is here!

I've been outside digging in the dirt every day,

planting my flower beds and

preparing my garden beds.

I'm a bit late on that but,

drought plus wildlilfe plus no fence equals no garden.

So, for the past few weeks we've been working on putting up a fence

to take care of that issue.

I usually like to plant vegetables, herbs and flowers

all together,

like an old fashioned potager garden.

I've been sitting here this

Tea on Tuesday morning,

drinking my mint tea,

in my vintage tea cup

(a tea cup swap gift)

thinking of what I will be planting.

I love different kinds of mint,

and putting a sprig or two in my tea is wonderful.

So mint will surely be in my potager garden this year.

Potager Garden Definition: (pronunciation: puh ta zhay)

a garden that combines both edible

and ornamental plants;

 a vegetable garden that is utilitarian in nature

 but designed with beauty in mind.

I love the idea of a potager garden.

 I will make use of the herbs and flowers

as much as the vegetables.

 

Now I'm thinking of a name for my

enclosed yard/garden.

Photos to come later of the fence

and my 'moon' gate.

 

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Tea Tuesday Creativity

Happy Tea Tuesday!

 I love to fill my own tea bags

with purchased bulk tea,

or my own tea blends.

Tea balls and tea strainers are all good,

but sometimes tea bags are just quick and easy,

and good to take on the road with you.

I buy my empty 'press and brew' tea bags

from Mountain Rose Herbs.

I filled some bags yesterday with Yerba Mate.

Then I needed a container to put my newly filled tea bags in....

one I can travel with easily, if I choose to.

 I love to recycle, so

for my tea bags

I recycled a small tea container I already had,

( just about anything will do ).

Decorate the container with whatever you happen to have on hand...

 (I had some bits of decorative paper from a previous project )...

and finally, put a label on the container.

 (I used a scrap of yarn to tie the label on,

so it's easy to change out ).

 You may want to add a date on the label too.

 The green sticker at the bottom says,

"Enjoy the simple things in life".

While preparing and drinking my tea,

I will think of this quote for the day.

This quote was in my paper scraps,

but you could print out any quote you choose

 and add it to your new container.

Get creative!  Have fun!

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Tea happiness times 3...

I was trying to come up with a title for this
Tea on Tuesday post,
and thought of the words
'tea happiness'.
So I googled those words,
and what did appear,
a great tea blog called
Tea Happiness.
Go visit and tell her Yvonne sent you.

My own tea happiness today comes in the form of
a new tea I found, and what is on their web site.

http://www.peaceicedtea.com/

What is unique about their site is that

they are looking for artists and musicians,

so you may want to check it out.

Another 'tea happiness'

comes from my sister Lanette.

She purchased a white blouse

with a white lace overlay,

at the thrift store.

She soon got a bad stain on it.

Her friend Vicki suggested

that she tea dye it.

So she did and is very pleased with the results.

Here is her tea dyed blouse.

You can't see the old stain at all.

Lanette told me she used about 10 black tea bags

and let it sit overnight, then rinsed with cold water.

She believes she will get even more use out it now.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Starry Night Tea and Renoir

I'm off on a road trip,

but have scheduled this

for Kimmie's Tea on Tuesday.

Yes, I took my tea along with me.

I'm having  Starry Night Delight tea

by Zen Granny.

You can find her on Etsy.

Her name is Debbie Gibson,

and happens to be a friend of my sister.

 She makes wonderful tea blends

from her own herb garden.

I thought this tea was fitting,

because our road trip includes

the McDonald Observatory

at Ft. Davis.

The night sky in west Tx. is like no other.

By the time you read this,

I will be headed home

 after painting 'plein air',

 in beautiful west Texas.

The Chisos Mtns. are beautiful

this time of year,

and Santa Elena Canyon is always gorgeous.

The ride from Lajitas to Presidio

is one of the most beautiful in the U.S.

 I so enjoy the beauty of the desert and mountains.

We stayed at

Upstairs at the Mansion

in Terlingua.

The book I have been reading

in this desert quiet,
while enjoying my Starry Night tea, is

Luncheon of the Boating Party

by Susan Vreeland.

It was on the NY Times Bestseller list awhile back.

A book that looks into the Impressionist movement

of the famous artist Renoir's time.

Quote by Renoir....

"The work of art must seize upon you,

wrap you up in itself

and carry you away.

It is the means

 by which the artist

conveys his passion.

It is the current

which he puts forth,

which sweeps you along

in his passion”

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Tea with Lemon Photography

Happy Valentine's Day to all.

Herbal (my own mix) tea with Lemon, my all time favorite.

Happy Tea on Tuesday!

For Valentine's Day I'm having it

 in a tea cup that my husbands great aunt painted

back in the 1980's.

No hearts,

but pretty flowers are on it.

Yep, tea with lemon...

I thought I would Google those words

and see what happened.

Well ....

I happened upon a website called

Tea with Lemon Photography.

I went to take a look

and noticed she makes altered books,

drinks tea, sews, loves photography and more.

My kind of blog.....

http://www.teawithlemonphotography.com/

Hope your day is a happy one!

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Odd Tea Day

Happy tea day!

Kimmie's blog

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

is where you can visit for more tea Tuesday posts.

As you may know,

my blog has many enchantments,

fragments, and oddments.

Today's tea fits right in.

Odd can be a good thing,
don't you think.

This is a certified organic by OCIA iced tea called

 Sweet Leaf,

 out of,

wouldn't you know it,

Austin, Texas. :)

 The flavor I bought is

mint and honey.

It's very delicious and refreshing.

On the front of the label it says,

'premium green tea leaves

 infused with spearmint and real honey'

But what is odd, but fun, is what it says on the back...

OUR STORY

"We found this great flavor while traveling through Morocco on bicycles. 
Our folks weren't very excited about the semester of class we missed,
 but at least we came home with the most delicious tea recipe ever...
and a couple of kilim rugs for our college apartment.

When we first started,
we brewed our tea in pillowcases
and filled each bottle by hand. 
We've grown since then,
but we're still inspired by Clayton's granny, "Mimi,"
who taught us never to use ingredients we can't pronounce. 
We hope you have as much fun drinking our tea
 as we have making it."

Enjoy, Clayton and David

 Pillowcases?  Odd but I guess it worked.
Too funny!

THEN under the bottle cap is

Grannyism #44

PUPPY LOVE IS REAL TO PUPPIES

I love that!

Do you read your tea boxes, bottles, tags, under caps, etc.
like I do?

It's one way to slow down and...

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

P.S. BTW...Another 'oddment' in this post is the clay art doll in the photo above.

I did not make this one, and I'm sorry
I can't remember the local artist name who did make it.

This little piece is odd but cool.
I get inspired when I see her,
and I guess oddments like these help me to.....

Savor the Day!
 Yvonne

Understanding Beauty and Truth Tea

Japanese proverb---

If man has no tea in him,

he is incapable of

understanding truth

or beauty.

Happy Tea on Tuesday everyone!

My sister and I had lunch

at a wonderful Asian restaurant.

 I enjoyed a pot of

Jasmine tea,

while she had some green tea.

Both very good and healthy.

The food was delicious too!

 Green tea is the variety

which keeps the original colour of the tea leaves

without fermentation during processing.

So I drink a lot of green tea.

Jasmine tea is one of my favorites...

but then again I have so many favorites.  LOL

Scented tea, like the jasmine tea, is made

by mixing fragrant flowers

in the tea leaves

in the course of processing.

The flowers commonly used for this purpose

 are jasmine and magnolia.

There are many others I've used in my own tea mixes.

I would love to try magnolia one day,

but haven't found it here locally.

Hope you give new tea flavors a try

and...

...visit Kimmie and others for more tea posts.

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Morning Dew Tea

Happy Tea on Tuesday!

While on our anniversary trip,

we stayed at El Rocio B&B

which means

The Morning Dew.

Lovely place down in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

Warm weather, and just a short drive south.

I enjoyed some green tea while there,

and took it on my morning walk,

along with a fresh picked orange.

We saw birds of many kinds,

and they love the citrus as much as we do.

Here is a kiskadee enjoying his breakfast,

and to the right

you can see a clay colored robin.

I also saw a chachalaca and paraque,

which are now added to my birding life list.

I walked a labyrinth on the property.

It is said that walking a labyrinth is a right brained task,

that involves intuition, creativity and imagery.

Our cottage, Casa Jardin,

had nice touches like this hand made quilt.

Loved this unique woodpecker door knocker.

Then we saw the little hobbit type meditation room.

Below shows a bit of the green, lush gardens outside our door.

Love the colors of the stucco walls too.

The rusted metal 'spirit lady'

that says

'Live in the Light'

was one of my favorite pieces

of garden art they had on the grounds.

Visit Kimmie for more tea posts.

You never know what you will find there.

Kimmie has lots of unique things in her Etsy shop too.

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Wise old owl tea

The wise old owl sat on an oak,

the more he saw the less he spoke,

the less he spoke the more he heard,

why aren't we like that wise old bird?

We have a great horned owl who visits our backyard

quite often, and I spied him again this morning.

 Happy Tea on Tuesday everyone!

Since I haven't been able to photograph my local owl

when he visits, I thought I would show you

 my new little snowy owl ornament I bought.

My DH and I will be putting up the tree tonight,

and he will be this years addition.

Isn't he cute!!!

 I'm having Egyptian Mint green tea today by

Zhena's gypsy tea and I'm enjoying it

in my 'snowman with birds' mug I found last year

(while thrifting of course).

I hope you are having a good day.
We finally got some cooler weather again,
down to the 50's.  But still no rain for us here...
it got close, but never made it this far south.

Glad you stopped in, and to read more tea posts

visit Kimmie at

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

Kimmie also has lots of great creations in her Etsy shop.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Time to Relax (recover) tea day

Now I can relax,

or is it recover? LOL

It's been a very busy but accomplished Thanksgiving weekend.

On top of a wonderful Thanksgiving day,

my art show yesterday was a great success.

(keep scrolling for pics of the show)

So today I'm resting up and having

Yogi Kombucha green tea

with all my Tea on Tuesday friends,
just a bit early, but hey, that's okay.

What a beautiful day!

As you can see I've already got my

Christmas mug out as I look out the window,

at our sunny 32 degrees.

It's feeling like Christmas!

My Yogi tag this morning says,

"Delight the world with compassion,

kindness and grace."

My sister and her band had a great Christmas performance

at the Texas Theatre yesterday, and I was lucky enough

to show and sell my art to a sold out crowd of about 300, at this event.

This is my sister Lanette and I before the show.

I had 4 tables full of art of different kinds,

and floor easels for my bigger watercolor pieces.

My husband Gene built all 12 of my easels, floor and table top.

He also built the wooden risers for my art dolls.

The risers were 6 inches square,

varying heights, and painted glossy black.

They sure set the dolls off nicely.

He is so supportive in my art,

and so helpful, especially when it comes to

my shows. 

I could not do it without him.

I can't love him enough.

This old Texas Palace theatre, where the event took place,

 was recently remodeled and is just beautiful.

The band performed a wonderful show.

It wasn't just music...it was much more.

One nice thing was...

 they told the story of some of the old traditional

Christmas songs they sang.

Some very interesting history behind the songs.

Here they are singing A Soalin'...

one of my favorites.

What a wonderful way to kick off

the Christmas season.

Thanks to all who came!

Savor the day!

Yvonne