YOU CAN'T BOTTLE THIS...

PRECIOUS CARGO

Make friends, call friends, visit friends, gift friends, stroll with friends, listen to friends, support friends, and gather with friends. Make more friends.
If they are willing, put crazy, silly, funny hats, crowns, and tiaras on their heads. Laugh a lot. Take pictures. Get giddy….

We all have so much to do these days, but making the effort to stay in touch with our friends is a gift we give ourselves. Today is the beginning of the Christmas rush (at least for me), yet, I took time out of my demanding schedule to drive over the river and through the woods to a dear friends house for our annual Christmas Tea. She set aside time out of her even busier day, to prepare a wonderful luncheon for us. I brought her a special gift and she gave me a homemade Holiday Greens Basket and a gift certificate to Rishi tea…the company I raved about a few blogs ago. I feel so blessed. Connecting with friends and keeping tradition is like being the richest person in the world. As a matter of fact, as I admire the lovely holly berry arrangement she made just for me, finish gobbling the homemade Danish pastry she sent me home with, and think about how she honored our tradition and our friendship, even though one of her children was home sick, and her husband is preparing for surgery in the morning, right now, I am!

Since I am seeing more friends and family this week, I think I will return that eye cream I just bought. The balm of friendship is more effective than anything I can buy.

Tea Time

Miss Pekoe
Tea is one of the healthiest beverages in the world! And my friends don’t call me Miss Pekoe for nothing. I started drinking organic white tea over ten years ago. I continued because not only did I enjoy the entire brewing process, the taste, and the relaxing effect, but, my skin started glowing. So, now I can declare…,
“Why go for a nip or a tuck when you can sip tea from a cup!” There I am (above) in a real tea house praying to the Tea Gods to keep our cups warm and full!

White tea will help relax you and have a positive impact on your skin. This is a delicate (low caffeine) tea, and therefore you don’t want to use boiling water, allow it to cool for a minute or two before pouring. Follow the instructions and step into a whole new world, even for ten minutes a day. If looking, feeling, or staying young is something you seek then give White Tea a try. For those who may feel a little stressed out, or overwhelmed…. keep in mind, the ritual alone of preparing such a fine brew is enough to reap some health benefits. You can not be uptight while preparing loose leaf tea. Tea transports you to another time and place, or keeps you mindfully present if that is your intent. You may not be able to fly to Paris but you can buy a box of Hediard (black) tea (served in the most fashionable and exclusive places in the world) and feel famous. One of my teapots has Chandeliers on it. Using it makes me feel so luxurious and I forget that the word laundermat is still in my realm of living. Purchase a porcelain cup and saucer from Home Goods and carry on!

I also recommend Rishi Tea Company. You can trust that you will be getting only the finest leaves. Most of us don’t think about soil, climate and altitude when buying tea, they do! They also consider how it’s processed. They even have teas that come with a guide book with maps and photos showing where the tea originates. They elevate tea and tea drinking to a whole new level.

Another outstanding tea company is Upton Tea Imports. Their enticing catalog describes each tea in detail. They have an enormous/eclectic selection including Holy Basil Purple Leaf. Right now I am relishing their Christmas (Mélange Noel) tea. I buy it in bulk and store it in my empty Santa Claus Tea Tin (I bought the expensive Santa Blend from Hediard and now that it’s gone, each season I fill the can with Upton’s similar (less expensive) version. This treasure is composed with vanilla, orange peel, rose petals, black tea, cinnamon and cloves. I share it with friends and family all month long.

There is a fantastic tea that actually helps with weight loss and concentration, and happens to be my personal favorite. We’ll talk about that one soon. I speak from experience, over twelve years of daily sipping. I know that fine loose leaf tea truly is a little bit of heaven in a cup. If God is a drinking man/woman, I imagine there is tea in his or her cup.

I have to run... I am being beckoned with a whistle from my tea kettle!