Christmas Tea Party

A rustic box, flowers and a string of lights

The past three weeks have been a whirlwind of activity!  While the art studio has been put to great use, there haven't been any paintings in progress.  The watercolor palettes are tucked away in the refrigerator for a while longer.  My parents spent two and a half weeks with us; what an incredible joy to have them here for my birthday, Thanksgiving and a special Christmas Tea.  If you haven't read previous posts, my exercise ball and I had a misunderstanding.  After a fall to the floor, my pelvis and tailbone needed some recovery time.  My parents arrived just when I needed them most, making it possible for me to keep up with several commitments.  They kept this house busy with activity, cleaning, repairing, organizing and decorating.  I just can't thank them enough!

Last time, I shared the making of seed packets to share with my table guests at the annual Christmas Tea at our church.  I've been planning my table decor since September but had to make some adjustments to those plans.  Simplicity and ease were now more important than ever.  Thankfully, most of the hard work was behind me.  I just needed to set up what I had envisioned in my head; whether it would look like I imagined, I needed to see for sure.

"The grass withers and the flower fades 

but the word of our God will stand forever!"

Isaiah 40:8

That was my inspiration for this table decor.  As I mulled over what to share this week, I thought that it might be fun to share the process of putting all the separate elements together.  Hopefully, you'll find this fun and interesting.  I believe home decor IS art.  My sister claims she doesn't have the same talent I have but I disagree.  Her home is just lovely and her ideas are fantastic.  I draw so much from what she does with every room of her home.  She doesn't know how much I quietly observe and gather ideas from her.

Tea, Hollyhocks, and Kittens

I'm a little quirky...it sounds so much better than weird.  

So maybe today's rambling will make you feel a little more normal.  My topic for today is to share a few things about me that most people wouldn't know.  I've loved tea for many years now but just recently began enjoying iced green tea.  When I'm in my usual routine, I'm drinking a smoothie in the late morning.  After lunch, I often switch to iced green tea.  Sometimes I add a little stevia to give it a bit of sweetness.  It took me a while to develop a taste for green tea.  It's got so many health benefits that I didn't give up and now I enjoy it.  Did you know there's flavored green tea?

In Great Falls, Montana there's a little shop on Central Ave.  In Cahoots For Tea (the shop's name)  sells loose tea and all the tea accessories you could wish for.  You can buy the teas by the ounce and the flavors are wonderful.  It's just a great little splurge to pick up a few ounces of a favorite like Picasso Blue or a new one like White Raspberry Champagne.  The green teas I have enjoyed most are peach and pomegranate.  I transfer the tea leaves from the little zip top bag to glass jars.  I store the jars in a cupboard away from light and heat.  It's easy to remove the label from the plastic bag and place it on the jar.  The little metal infuser holds quite a bit of tea but only a teaspoon makes quite a bit of tea.  When I make my tea, it's super concentrated so I just need to add a little to the top of a glass of iced water.  So the concentrated tea is kept in a glass jar in the fridge.  It takes up less space, no need for a full pitcher.  It's quick and easy to add to a glass without all the prep every time.

My other favorite drink this summer has been iced water with mint leaves and a squirt of lemon juice.  The fruit and herb infused waters are popular now as an alternative to carbonated soda.  Just one or two mint leaves, given a gentle twist, give the water fresh mint flavor.  If you decide to add mint to your garden, note that it spreads like a weed!  I'm going to need to plan how to bring some live herbs in over the winter.  Fresh herbs are worth it!  So for a spin on drinking more water, try lemon (or lime) and mint!  I've also tried cucumber slices and that's surprisingly delish, too.  These combinations are easy to do and I feel so much better without soda.  While I'm working on drawings or paintings, it's too easy to pull out the snacks and candy...I've got quite a sweet tooth.  Sometimes I forget to drink my water and keeping these drinks close at hand helps so much.  

Changing topics... I've got to get this out there...

I stalk other people's flowers.  

There.  I said it.  I feel a little creepy about it and hope other people don't bat an eye BUT I think I'd be suspicious of someone walking around the neighborhood with a camera like I do.  (Click on Continue Reading below left...)