Beautiful Teasday!!

Hello my tea loving friends! Yes, it's here again-Teasday! You are all wondering about last week's trivia question and here's the answer: If you overboil your water, what happens is you rapidly boil out the oxygen in the water. The oxygen is a necessary component for enabling the tea to taste as it should when steeping. If you overboil your water, your tea will taste flat. Interesting huh? So only let it boil a few seconds and your done! The winner of last week's trivia, by random number, is......Karen! Thanks for playing! Your tea will be sent out soon.

Have any of you seen the book, Vintage Vavoom? There are some really beautiful vintage finds in there as well as very interesting ways to use your antiques. I really love this book. I read a chapter in it the other day that was talking about tea and I thought it was just so true for us tea lovers. The story was about how everyone should have that "one spot", you know the one you look forward to getting in when you've had a long day. Maybe it's a big comfy chair with the perfect pillow. You know you can go there and sink down in it's luxurious softness and prop your feet up while waiting for your tea kettle to whistle. I imagine it as a cloudy, rainy day and you've got your tea, your comfy spot, and a favorite magazine like Teatime fresh from the mailbox to look at. Yes, these are small comforts, but these are moments I really look forward to. I think because they are so rare that they become so valuable. In a world of ringing phones, crying babies, bills to pay and dinner to cook, it's nice to know in the back of your mind-your comfy spot is waiting for you. Everyone needs a place like that. Drop us a note and tell us about your favorite place to enjoy your tea. So here's next week's trivia question. The winner will be chosen by random number:

When is your preferred Tea time each day?

I look foward to hearing from you. I wish you all a wonderfully relaxing tea time in your perfect spot!

Hugs,

Lori

A lovely read

I was pleased to get an email from the The Linen Cupboard in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom this week. She was letting me know that she had featured the Ivy Leaf's beautiful tea strainer on her blog. Naturally, I was thrilled and visited her blog. I was so impressed with her home keeping ideas and helpful information that I added her as I place I will visit often. She writes very well and has a wonderful post right now about how to brew the perfect pot of tea. I recommend you pay her a visit. I think it is one you will enjoy.

By the way, our first week of the book club is here. We are now starting chapters 3-5 P&P.

See you Teasday! Don't forget to answer the trivia question. The trivia question is always in color if you do not have time to read the whole post, but you want to enter. You should be able to find it quickly.

Cheers!

Lori

Teasday Musings...

My thoughts for this Teasday are to inspire you to make memories with your china. I read that Erma Bombeck said one time that she wouldn't own anything if it wasn't going to be used. I had a habit of hording items that I was scared of breaking or chipping etc., but after I read that years ago it honestly changed my life. What's the point of having beautiful china if nobody ever has a memory of it other than seeing it behind glass in a china cabinet? I would rather have a chipped china plate with the memory of family dinners than a perfect one that was never loved. My everyday china is some I got at an estate sale that is over 85 years old. It has crazing and maybe a chip or two, but I love the history behind them. You can tell they had been loved before. I also have one pink willow plate. Every night at dinner my daughter wants to make sure she is getting the pink one. I know when she is older, she will remember her special plate. She was with me when I bought it. My mom and I have a special routine of making a pot of tea every Sunday afternoon. We use her expensive china out of her china cabinet. Ever since we started doing that, I look at that china so differently now. I used to just admire it as simply china. Now, I see special times laughing and talking with my mom. Yes, you may break something, but keep in mind it's only things. You can't replace people or the memories you share together. You can always replace china.

I hope I've inspired you to open that china cabinet and start making memories that will be sure to be handed down. The memories you make will be far more important than the value of the china.

Here's this week's Teasday trivia question:

What happens when you overboil your water in the tea kettle?

Last week's answer was "fine" or "course." High quality teas are always harvested with fine plucking. The winner is Peggy! Thank you for commenting. You will be getting a sample of one of our delicious teas!

Have a beautiful week everyone. Take the time to make a special memory and then share it with us. We'd love to hear about it.

Wishing you joy~

Lori

Come join the book club!

I decided to start a Jane Austen book club on my jewelry blog and I thought I'd welcome all of you to join me. I love Jane Austen and all of her books, but I never feel like I read as much as I'd like. I'm starting with Pride and Prejudice and will read slowly at 2 chapters a week. I will blog about it there next Friday. If you'd like to join, just comment on the blog. Enjoy your tea and a book by Jane Austen. See you there!

Here's to a beautiful Teas-day.

I love Teasday. It's the day I get to really indulge my love of tea by stopping by the tea shop, browsing around and finding beautiful things to showcase for you. Whether you live nearby or far away, I think you will enjoy seeing all the lovely gift items and tea accessories the Ivy Leaf offers its customers. By way of our etsy shop, you can purchase your tea items directly from this blog. I have chosen some exquisite pieces to add to the etsy store this week. The first is a gorgeous silverplate tea strainer with the most amazing detail. It comes in a beautiful velvet giftbox. The second is a silverplated sugar and creamer set with a silverplated tray. It is unbelievably rich in detail and is the utmost in tea finery.

On to teasday trivia. Last week's trivia question was answered correctly. It was the Camellia Sinensis. By random number, the winner is Christine! Way to go girl! Thank you for being a regular player. We appreciate each and every one of our visitors. You will be getting a sample of Heaven's Perfect Peach!

We have been talking about cultivation and types of tea, so in that same note, next week's trivia question is:

There are two terms for plucking tea leaves. What are the two names for plucking two leaves and a leaf bud and three or more leaves and a leaf bud?

Did you know that the Ivy Leaf's signature blend is London Lady? It has a good flowery and malt flavor with hints of strawberry and lemon.

Enjoy your favorite tea today and really savor the moment. Turn on some soothing music and just spend a little time for yourself today. It's so nice to recharge and refresh your spirit.

With a warm heart,

Lori

The secret life of tea

I saw a program on Discovery that was all about tea the other day (A Lyon in the kitchen) Did anyone else happen to see it? It was so interesting. He was cooking with tea by infusing the flavors into the rice. It sounded delicious. Before I go on any farther, let me answer last week's trivia question. The answer was, a tea "ceremony." Thanks for participating with our "Teasday trivia!" I'll reveal the winner at the end.

Anyway, Robin also gave me some material about the history of tea and there is so much information there for me to learn. For example, did you know that all tea comes from one plant? Shocking if you didn't already know that. The process is what makes the different flavors of tea. On average, a tea plant will live and produce for 100 years. Only half of it's leaves will be used and harvested in it's lifetime. The crop taken from the tea bushes consists of young leaf shoots and the unpoened leaf bud. These are rich in caffeine and the organic compounds that are responsible for the smell and taste of the tea. Oils are also used to make flavored teas such as Blueberry Delight and French Creme Brulee. Here is next week's trivia question:

What is the name of the plant that tea comes from?

If you haven't visited the etsy shop before, click on the words "Ivy leaf tea" under the photos on the left. It will take you directly to our etsy shop online. You can become a member of our tea of the month club and have delicious teas to sample sent to your door, or shop for your favorite flavor. We will be regularly adding to the shop with tea cozies, books, my tea jewelry and more.

And now for last week's winner....It was Karen! Thank you. Please send me your address and I'll send out your tea to you. The winner was chosen by random number since we had no correct answers.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. We love having you visit.

Happy Teasday,

Lori

Thank God for America

Happy Independence Day! I'm proud to be an American.

Enjoy your fourth of July and remember those who are serving and have served our country for our freedom.

God Bless the USA!!!!!

Social Graces

It seems like forever ago that manners were always taught and expected. Children would be corrected by any adult within earshot of a child not saying "yes ma'am" or "thank you". Now it almost seems like a lost art. Movies, television and even society in general have changed the order of things from what it should be into something altogether different. Children say what they please to adults showing no respect and especially very little manners. I am no authority on the subject and struggle to teach my children every day. The sad part is that it is not expected of them by the public in general. Even adults do not seem to live a life of gentility like the generations before us. There was a certain air of respect for each other even among strangers. If you watch period dramas (my favorite) you will notice a stark contrast in the attitudes of the way they behaved toward each other. Men respected women and showed kindness. They were on the whole, gentleman. I do not believe women should be demeaned by men, but I think we lost more than we bargained for by gaining more independence. Men do not treat women the same a lot of times out of fear that they will be ridiculed for treated them as weak and neady. On the subway in New York, I saw a pregnant woman standing while men were seated right beside her. A woman actually stood and gave up her seat. How sad. The point is, we are losing our social graces and the only way to get it back is to start teaching it again. It is such a gift to pass on to the next generation. I highly recommend the book, "Social Graces". (You can find it in our etsy store or at the Ivy Leaf.) It really helps teach the art of manners and how important treating others as you would want to be treated.

On to teasday! Yesterday I was late in posting. I apologize. The winner is Christine. Thank you! I'll send your tea to you. Enjoy!

Here's our next trivia question:

What is it called when a tea is scheduled for longer than an hour?

Ivy leaf news~ coming soon to the esty shop is tea cozies! They are gorgeous! We have black cameo toille, blue/yellow and red/cream. Look for them soon.

Have a wonderful week everyone,

Lori