Are You Free to Take Some Tea?
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May I inquire discreetly: When are you free to take some tea with me?
~The Beatles
I’ve always loved a good cup of tea. That’s why, when my friend, Amber, at Strocel.com suggested that we all “show her our stash” of tea, I positively jumped at the chance!
I am an avid tea drinker. Okay, truthfully, I don’t really discriminate; at least not in genre, I drink coffee, tea, cocoa… it’s all good. Additionally, as my hands are always cold; a hot cuppa fits the bill quite well. I do, however, have my favorites; and some which I just can’t stand (so they linger, like, forever, in my cabinet). I’d say I’m a 8-cup-a-day drinker; though, it’s not always caffeinated (lest you have a picture in your head of me zooming around like a moth on a porchlight with a cup of something gripped firmly in my jittering hands). Not always. Ahem.
For quite some years, my penchant(s) for tea drinking – and collecting – have collided in a most haphazard way in my kitchen cabinets (always just right out of reach; honestly, I don’t know WHY I’ve never, ever, moved my tea to a more convenient location!), 'til 'round about 10 years ago, when drinking and collecting merged in a more seamless way, and Adam and I opened an online tea shop – selling one of our favorite hot beverages: chai (though, truth be told, much of my tea at home & at work is bought from the tea shop at our grocery store, and I don’t drink as much chai as I once did; preferring the simplicity of a nice, plain, green as I've gotten older. Ahem, again.). [ps: Amber has assured me that owning a tea shop does not disqualify me from participating in the Big Tea Show-Off. But, in all fairness, I felt I did need to disclose that little fact.].
And now... on to stats. And PICTURES!
In my office stash, you can find:
10 boxes of tea
1 can of tea
Many random tea bags & tea k-cups
In my stash at home, you can find:
19 boxes of tea
2 cans of tea
A nonsensical number of random individual tea bags
This pic can perhaps best be described with: O_o
In our warehouse stash… maybe just a pic will suffice:
So... I love tea. And I love people who love tea. I could drink it all day & night; and often do. My kids love tea, too. And, I’m convinced tea keeps you young. And keeps you happy. Or, at least, it keeps you warm. And that counts for something.
Here’s to a Happy New Year, and happy tea drinking!
Sunday Spark: This Week's Awesomeness
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Asparagus!
I love asparagus! It’s a winner in nutrition. Per cup: Vitamin K (55.7mcg / 70% DV!), Vitamin A (1013 IU / 20% DV), Folate (68.7mcg / 17% DV), Vitamin C (7.5mg / 13%), Iron (2.9mg / 16% DV), Fiber (2.8g / 11% DV), Protein (2.9g / 6% DV)... I could continue. The thing about asparagus is that it can be tricky to prepare, serve, and make appealing to children with its tendency towards stringiness or bitterness. I’ve tried several different preparations of asparagus to make it more child-palatable. Small pieces, added to stir fry seem the most likely to be eaten. But I love eating it by the stalk, and want my kids to enjoy this as well! So, last night, I went simple & just tried tossing it into a pan with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and about a tablespoonful of dark brown sugar & water. Covered, and sauteed for ~10 minutes until tender. The kids loved it, and Adam & I did as well. It was sweet with just a bit of sour to balance it out, and super tender! So if your children are shy about asparagus, you might want to give this simple “recipe” a try!
(Okay, I'm not a food photographer, but trust me, this was yummy.)
Scala & Kolancy Brothers!
This week I discovered Scala. If you saw the movie Social Network, you may remember the girls’ choir version of Radiohead’s Creep in the trailer… that’s Scala. I’ve been surfing YouTube & iTunes like a maniac looking for more by them this week. I’m hooked. It’s a mix of chorale voices (awesome) with 90’s alternative rock (also awesome); sometimes a cappella, sometimes with piano. Think: Sinead O'Connor, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Nirvana, Bjork... pared down to its essentials, hauntingly performed, how can you beat this?
The Value of Being Not-Awesome!
Amber at Srocel.com posted this more than a week ago, but it’s still on my mind (and I subscribed to email updates, so I’m still getting the inspired comments to her post). Amber talks eloquently and honestly about her feelings on blogging frequently, even if you’re not sure that what you’re posting is “awesome”. She says, “The other big thing I’ve learned through blogging, and really through everything that I’ve tried, is that the way to get better at something is to show up.”
(Amber, who is, awesome)
I commented at the time, that I usually only manage about one post a week, because I’d read somewhere that you only ever want to give your readers MORE, not less – you know, basically an aim-low approach, as not to disappoint. I do find that I often wait and wait until my post is “just right” before posting; and sometimes, in that wait, I end up not posting at all. Maybe the moment has passed, the thing I was blogging about didn’t seem so important. Sometimes, it’s because I’ve lost interest, or I’m just not sure that it’s awesome enough. Through repeated visits back to Amber’s post (because her readers leave such thoughtful comments!), I am coming around to the point of view that maybe more is better. Even if the more is less. There are several bloggers whom I read every day where I’m just so glad she posted SOMETHING, even if it’s not something I’m that interested in, or agree with, because the act of reading content in a voice I enjoy is… enjoyable. Inspiring. Relaxing. Not sure I am ready to make a commitment to daily blogging yet, but her post certainly was thought provoking. If you find yourself often with your finger hovering over the publish button, you might want to
give her post a read.
Roller Skating!
Adam & I took the kids roller skating this Saturday.
(First time standing in skates... note the death-grip)
It was the kids’ first time, and our first visit to the skating rink in… (wait for it…) ~23 years. Yeah. The fact that we’re old folks aside, this was the most fun I’ve had in a long time!
(Yes, I'm skating backwards, photographing myself. Yes, I'm a hazard to the roller skating population at large.)
Perhaps what was best about the whole adventure was the fact that it had a distinct air of timelessness about it. The place was the SAME place we’d been to as kids, it still looked the same, the rental skates were the same brown & orange, they even played (some) of the same music (okay, they didn’t play In the Air Tonight, but they DID play Michael Jackson. I was satisfied). There were still a handful of people who were amazing skaters, some teenagers who hung out in groups in the middle of the rink, newbies clinging to the sides, and loners hanging back on the edge when the DJ switched to the “slow songs”. They even hosted a round of Hokey Pokey. And yes, I remembered how to spin & jump on my skates. I also fell (once). Overall, I highly recommended this as an afternoon family outing!
(Our 3yo skating by himself!)
The kids both started off without ever having been on skates in their lives, to within about two hours skating independently – and loving it!
(Skating with Dad - no hands!)
Also? Skating is a FUN way to exercise (and I'm not one who typically uses those two words in the same sentence). Now, I just need to buy my own roller skates. Seriously.
So... What was awesome about your week?
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Every man regards his own life as the New Year's Eve of time.
~Jean Paul
The end of the year is unusual, how it makes you think about time. Of course, we’re always thinking about time – how much we have of it, how much more we wish we had. But on December 31st, the way I think of time changes. Every other day of the year I think of in terms of 24 hours… actually, more like 18 hours – the time when I’m awake in a day (a day of when do I set my alarm to wake, when do my children wake, when do they go to school, and I to work, how many things can I check off my list in my day before picking my children up from school, what projects can we finish or how many games can we play in the time before I have to start preparing dinner, what activities can fill the time before bed, do I have enough time to write while Adam bathes the kids, I can’t believe it’s getting so late and the children aren’t asleep yet, should we work on finishing a project, or should we read or watch a movie and relax and would you look at the time, I’m only going to get 5 hours of sleep tonight… before waking up and doing it all over again. And again).
But then comes New Year’s Eve. The one day in the year that carries a definitive end point – and not just the end of a day or a month, but the end of a year and, for this year – of a decade. Time on New Year’s Eve becomes less of a loop, and more of an explicit period. This year. Next year. What have you done all year? All decade? What will you do next? It’s a time for both reflection and renewal.
(Source: Flikr Artist: Robbert van der Steeg)
Today we spent cleaning, organizing, and finishing projects not completed. And, as the day draws to a close, we have come to the realization that we tend to do this every year – without really planning: we just fall naturally into completing things left undone, tackling jobs left “til tomorrow”, and at the same time, thinking about big things to come. New Year’s Eve is just another day, and yet, the promise of a new year – a new start is so tangible, it motivates us to tie up loose ends and look excitingly ahead to the future. It’s a time to make amends with things unsettled in your mind, reflect on the good events, dust old cobwebs – real and figurative, and muse about what lies ahead.
I’ve made New Year’s Resolutions in the past. But this year, instead of a numbered list of things I resolve to achieve I’ve decided instead to think of things I’m most thankful for in this year, and what promising thoughts and hopes are on the horizon of my 2011:
~ I’m grateful for my children – their beauty and brilliance and their very being is my constant reminder to try harder and reach further.
~ I’m thankful for my husband – his steadfast commitment to happiness and peacefulness in our relationship and connection with our children along with his passion for his work and self-betterment is inspiring.
~ I’m grateful for my blog – it’s helped me rediscover my passion for writing – which had been somewhat lost and shuffled to the bottom of the pile of things to do throughout my life, but is now making it’s way back forefront.
~ I’m thankful for my readers, twitter followers, and facebook friends – knowing people read what I write helps motivate me to keep writing.
(Three of us watching the countdown to the new year. The 4th of us was sleeping.)
I strive this year to stay positive, be more peaceful and forgiving, and reach towards the me that my children already see – with their clear, unbiased, and unconditionally loving eyes.
And, I hope for peace and satisfaction and health for everyone in the new year. Happy 2011!
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A stitch in time saves nine.
Time flies when you’re having fun.
Time & tide wait for no man.
Time after time.
It’s a question of time.
How many songs, sayings, stories, idioms are about time? How often do we recognize the existence of, and lament the amount of, time in our lives? I will find myself nostalgic about times past, and hopeful at times to come. I look at my ever-growing children and almost daily am faced with the reality (and fear) that time is fleeting. And, there is the always-present weighty feeling of never having enough time to do what I want to do. Like write. I just finished having a twitter conversation with a writer-mommy (@inkgypsy), about having such a strong desire to write, and this far-off feeling that I really want to be a writer, yet feeling that I didn't have the time to do it. She suggested setting a goal for what I want, make the time for that goal, and the rest will follow.
I like this idea. Certainly, taking some action, however small, towards my goals is better than mourning the lack of time, fretting over how overbooked I am, how many directions in which I am being pulled, complaining about how late I go to bed, how often my children wake, or how early I’m awakened, or how my to-do list keeps growing, and my would-like-to-do list as well, and how the latter never sees the light of day because I struggle to find the time to get everything done on the former. Pining over times past, when I felt I had so much more time (yet, did I really manage it any better back then?) and worrying over how will I ever be able to find the time to do the things I want to do, when I have all this stuff I have to do. And on an on. In my fretting over trying to find time, I’m losing time. It is certainly better to take a step towards productivity, and a step away from self-pity.
Oh, big self-perpetuating sigh.
It's really true, isn't it? Getting the things done that we want to; it’s not about finding the time. It’s about deciding what it is that’s really important, and then choosing to rearrange your schedule to accommodate those things. Making time for those things.
So I have decided that instead of mourning the passage of time, I will seize the day. Or, more succinctly, when I feel that spark of something I want to do or get done, I’m going to do it. If I can’t do it that moment, I’m going to make a specific plan to get it done, and then… find a way to put that plan into action. and here I am, at 1:30am on my laptop. Writing because I needed to, and I’m so tired of listening to myself complain about not having enough time to do the things I want to do... so I made the time.
You know, even if I keep the complaints only to myself. My inner monologue matters! What I think, I become. What I want to do, I will get done.
So no more yearning for missing time. What’s the point of yearning for time, when it’s right here? The act of troubling over losing time takes time itself. I’m tired of it. I’m going to take each moment as it comes, and make the best out of it.
There’s no time like the present. Right?