All that and a cup of tea

Chai, sweet, spicy, and way too often found in a hermetically sealed box.

This weekend my mother and I found a lovely tea shop near my favorite thrift store, Hidden Treasures.
Tea Source has two locations in the Saint Paul area. One on Cleavland near Ford Parkway, and one in Saint Anthony Village. Lovely shops, with more types of tea than you can imagine. I thought it smelled great, and enjoyed a cup of Pink Iced Tea with real hibiscus leaves. Karkaday for you who have been in the mid-east.

Note; These are not Hibiscus flowers, they are Azaleas, but they are pretty and they are pink, and I have no hibiscus blooming in my yard.

Mother had a nice cup of Chai, with a real cardamom and a much fuller spice flavor than one can get from a box. We found the secret: A separate spice mix, steeped in sweetened  condensed milk, to be added to the fine Assam black tea. We bought it, and what a great way to make tea! You won't burn the milk, and all the flavors are real!

Next challenge is my own spice mix. (Especially since I'm sending the Tea Source tins home with mom)
I know there will be cardamom in it, and probably ginger and cloves. What are your favorite tastes in tea?

And the winner is....

My random number Generator spit out the winning number: 444

M Hoch Drei! 

Apples for my baby.. she loves to put them in and out and in and out of a basket...

My humble bag will soon be flying across the big pond to Germany! 

Thanks to everyone who visited! I've had a lot of fun this week!

OK, why didn't anyone else notice that the 20th is Thursday??

The Big Giveaway is nearly over!
My original post said it would end on Friday, May 20th. well, the 20th is Today, Thursday!

So I'm closing comments tonight at midnight, right between May 20th and Friday.

Since I happen to be in vancouver for the weekend, I'll be really nice and close it Pacific time.

This has been the most fun on a blog I've had yet! Winner will be posted on Friday, May 21.

The Big Giveaway!

I've been meaning to do this forever! The people over at SewMamaSew finally got my intentions in gear.

Here's what's up for grabs...

Burlap basket: size large. This one's a big 9inx9inx9in! You could put a pile of books in here to keep you company. Several skeins of yarn and a large work-in-progress would fit nicely, and look better than stuffed into a plastic bag! If you live in a warmer climate than Minnesota, take it to the Farmer's Market for a large meal's worth of veggies!

The upcycled burlap from my favorite coffee shop is lined with a blue and white ticking that I inherited from my Great-Grandmother-In Law. I've only made one this size.


To enter the drawing, leave a comment about what you would put in this basket, along with your name and your e-mail address. Entries will close on Friday,  May 20th. One lucky winner will be chosen at random.
I will ship internationally.

Head on over to SewMamaSew for more great giveaway links!
.

Is it Green, or just lean?

Little J turns 7 years old today! He's been pedaling around on a little 16in bike that was handed down from big brother, and probably picked up at a garage sale before that. Not that it didn't work, it was a fabulous bike, but he really was getting a little long-legged on it. OK, he looked like the big kids who ride 20in trick bikes.

So we found him a new 20 inch bike that should last him well into middle school, if not high school. (depending on his growth rate and current fashion) Doesn't he look happy! This pic was taken a full hour before school and it's only about 50 outside!

Here's my rhetorical question: Is it any greener for him to ride the bike, as the bus goes past with his classmates riding? He takes the bus in the snow, but is switching to riding his bike.

Now, it's never a bad thing for him to ride, obviously it's good exercise. There is a great path from the end of our street all the way to school, and crossing guards. He gets home faster than the bus when he rides, and has made a new friend in the bargain. Yeah for warmer weather!

Silent Sunday

Today I have no voice, zip, zilch, nada.
Church was a challenge, because people talk to you there and expect you to respond. I couldn't teach or participate in a class. No singing either.

The rest of the day was a lot like this. I like Silent Sunday!