Practicing Patience

The lot closing has been pushed out again (to January 17th). Apparently, the woman selling the lot inherited it along with her sisters. One sister recently died and the other has Alzheimer's. That sister's son needs to be power-of-attorney so he can sign off on selling the lot. We continue to wait for the paperwork to be finalized. Our realtor indicates we could walk away, but we do want the lot, so we'll wait.

I'm trying very hard to be patient about this. It's very easy for me to get frustrated and think this will never happen. That does nothing but get negative thoughts brewing in my mind, unhelpful chemicals chugging through my body, and frustrated energy flowing in the universe.

Today I'm choosing to be patient. I will be patient tomorrow, too. And so on. This is not an easy one for me, but it's what I'm doing. I'm also choosing to practice non-attachment and be OK if this lot deal doesn't go through. My happiness in the world is not tied to this lot.

Thank you for your continued good wishes! I do hope we end up with the lot, but if not it will be OK. I'm definitely learning about myself with wonderful chances to put into practice qualities I want to manifest. That's the biggest benefit.

Synchronicity...or Crawl Space Teapot

Check out this narrative from a guy who found a teapot in his crawl space. It's a pretty "mind blowing" story. Hang in there though the end, as he digresses, but eventually brings it all together.
(Thanks to MT, Teamailer, for the story reference!)

http://www.actionsquad.org/crawlspace1.html

A Cup of Christmas Tea

A Cup of Christmas Tea, by Tom Hegg

Listen to the touching poem read by the author, here.
My Mom gave me the book a few years ago. It's one of my absolute favorites.

Cookie Exchange

I attended a Christmas Cookie Exchange recently and it was very fun! Each person brought 1-2 types of cookies, and we left with a wide assortment. :-) The only problem has been not gobbling them down at one sitting.

We also had a kitchen gadget exchange. That was fun - and I came home with Bob the Builder cupcake toppers! Here are a few photos of the beautiful cookies.


The hostess's marvelous creation - gingerbread reindeer (an upside-down gingerbread man).









The lovely cookie table




















My teapot shortbread cookies. Butter, sugar and flour - what could be better?

More Eco-Friendly and Socially Responsible Gift Ideas

From my last post on this topic, I had a few great suggestions from readers. Thank you!

Heifer projet http://www.heifer.org/
Provides animals that can support a sustainable food source (e.g., milk/eggs) to impoverished families.

• Heifer envisions…A world of communities living together in peace and equitably sharing the resources of a healthy planet.
• Heifer’s mission is…To work with communities to end hunger and poverty and to care for the earth.
• Heifer's strategy is…To “pass on the gift.” As people share their animals’ offspring with others – along with their knowledge, resources, and skills – an expanding network of hope, dignity, and self-reliance is created that reaches around the globe.

Ten Thousand Villages http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/

• Ten Thousand Villages provides vital, fair income to Third World people by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America.
• Ten Thousand Villages works with artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed. This income artisans earn helps pay for food, education, health care and housing.

Keeping Tea Hot

I don't like cold tea (when it's supposed to be hot). Actually, I'm luke-warm toward iced tea, too.

Here's how I keep my tea hot. It works tremendously well! It's a teapot warmer and you can find them at various tea stores and with a simple search online. I'm using a beeswax candle below because I don't like to burn the petro (regular) kind - especially near food.

Another tip: Use a small cup and pour out only a little tea at a time.

Auntie Ms Tearoom

I'm very fortunate to have made the acquaintance of a group of women that enjoy traveling to area tea rooms! Last Saturday, we visited Auntie M's Tearoom in Franklin, IN (just less than an hour away from my home). Eight of us carpooled through the serpentine and very scenic Indiana backroads to our destination.














It was a sunny and temperate day, and I was struck by the beauty of the barren corn fields in the afternoon sun. That winter image of fallow fields is one that so clearly whispers to me, "Midwest." It is one of my favorite views.

The conversation on the way was very connecting. We talked about life, its joys and sorrows. It's an honor to share the truth of another person's life....and in doing so, to learn more about my own truth.

Auntie M's serves lunch and afternoon tea, and is available for special engagements. There is a small shop in the front with tea-related items and the restaurant to side/rear of the building.

We enjoyed the high tea (afternoon tea)...tea, fresh fruit, assorted sandwiches, sweet potatoe chips, and scones with jam and cream. Two items are especially worthy of comment. 1 - The sweet potatoe chips are round slices of sweet potatoes, deep fried and sprinkled with powdered sugar. They are incredibly yummy! 2- The scones were like none I've had before. They were cooked in muffin tins and were lighter than I'm used to having. They were also yummy.

It was a lovely afternoon and I look forward to the next one!

ADHD

A Dear Hubby's Dilemma.....

My life partner is the most environmentally-concerned person I know. I love that about him. And sometimes it makes me laugh. Take this morning....it's Tuesday Recycle Day. The recycling truck comes about 6 am. The recycling is supposed to be curbside by 5 am. Most people put out the recycling the night before. Not us.

The DH gets it ready the night before (nicely sorted into like groups) and gets up at 5 am to put out the recycling so that it doesn't blow away or get wet. (Wet cardboard is against the rules, according to the city recycling authorities.)

However, the plot thickens....we've noticed that it very often rains on Recycle Tuesdays. So, the DH doesn't put out the recycling because it would get wet. He waits, thinking there will be a break in the weather, hoping he will still be able to get it out before the truck comes. (This is now ~5:20 am.) He has been staking out the neighbor's recycle boxes -- with wet cardboard and unsorted other contents. As he waits, what does he see? The recycle truck pulls up and dumps in the neighbor's recycling. The DH has a dilemma!

To top it all off, they don't put the recycling in different bins. The DH notices they dump it all together and crush it in a plain old dump track. So, there's glass shards, wet cardboard, crushed plastic, newspaper and aluminum cans all together.

I joined the DH (commiserating on the floor of the living room) this morning. He greets me with these words, "I'm going to City Hall to find the truth. Do they really recycle, or do they take it to the landfill? And what's the deal with the wet cardboard?" It makes me laugh because this will become an adventure, I'm sure.

Pecan-Stuffed Dates

I had a reader ask for the Pecan-Stuffed Date recipe that I referred to in a recent post about a tea party. This recipe is soooooo incredibly simple! It's also healthy, and I plan to include it in a recipe book that I'm preparing on healthy tea party foods.

Pecan-Stuffed Dates

Buy a bag of pecans and a bag of pitted dates (long, intact ones - not chopped).

Slice the pecans in half, lenth-wise (so that they resemble long slivers). Lightly toast over low heat.

Slice the dates in half (not-lengthwise, but like a grapefruit) so that you have two shorter segments, each with a hole through the center.

Stuff the pecan into the date. I like for the pecan to show on both ends. You can do this prep the day before serving.

About 10 minutes before serving, warm the pecan/dates over low heat. You want to soften the dates and get the sugars moving just a bit. It takes 10 minutes or less.

Serve warm. Enjoy!

I just read some not-so-great things about toasting nuts. I'm wondering if I toast them under 170-degrees, if the health benefits are retained? I also use them in cooking a lot. :-(

Tea Party Photos

I was blessed last night to be joined by six of my women friends for a tea party at my home. I was also blessed that my team covered for me the night before, so that I could prepare!

A special thanks to the DH for making the scones and all the other help.

Here are a few photos. The menu is at the bottom.








Luminarias, a carry-over from my NM days















Tea table







The centerpiece is floating cranberries and candles.






Menu:

• Savories: Pecan-stuffed dates, cucumber sandwiches with rosemary butter, dried fruit-cream cheese sandwiches, and Welsh rarebit
  
• Scones: The DH's healthy scones (whole wheat, flaxseed meal, oatmeal, currants) with Devonshire cream and homemade jams
  
• Sweets: Sweet stilton cheese with candied lemon peel, chocolate truffles from the Chocolate Emporium and blonde brownies

A Thief's Bounty

I'm a thief, and my team at Big Company are accomplices!

Last night, two of my sweet co-workers filled in for me! I was supposed to teach a class from 8 - 11 pm my time (to students in Asia), and two folks covered for me so that I could have the evening free. This was a very wonderful gift, as I'm preparing for a tea party at my house tonight.

I spent part of the time thieving! I took my trusty hand clippers and stole some holly branches from a bush in front of a building downtown. I am an ethical thief, if there can be such a thing. I chose carefully which branches I would remove. I only took holly branches from the back and side. No one will ever notice, I tell myself!

Here is the result of my work. If Big Company every decides to live without me, maybe I have a career with FTD Floral!


I'm calling this time last night my "Martha moment."
Here's how to create this.

1 - Go and steal some pretty branches from your neighbor's pine tree and a public holly bush. (The neighbor won't mind b/c she's coming to the tea party. The only people that might notice the missing holly are the smokers, and that's if they drop their cig and are crawling on the ground looking for it.)

2 - Dig out your cake plate and attach a Styrofoam floral ring (green) to it with florist clay.

3 - Stick the green branches around the floral ring, all facing the same direction. Think of making a crown. I found that using a blunt, rounded chopstick to poke a hole in the ring made it a lot easier to insert the branches.

4 - Add the holly berries to fill in and show color. (Did I mention that wearing gloves might be a good idea? Both the pine branches and holly are prickly!)

5 - Add more greenery to fill in the gaps.

6 - Cut a piece of green florist foam to the right height for the middle riser. (This will hold a candle.)

7 - Position a pretty candle on top of it, and stick it on the foam with double-sided tape. (So it's less likely to fall off and start a fire. This was the practical addition from the DH.)

8 - Stick pretty things in the riser block so that you don't see much of the Styrofoam.

9 - Place in an appropriate spot in your home and enjoy. Oh, and you may want to light the candle. I forgot that part for the photos!

Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas

I'm going to post ideas for giving holiday gifts that are kind and gentle to our planet.

This is my first post, and I'm hoping my very smart and eco-minded friends will chime in and make additional recommendations. I'll post these at least once/week between now and the big X day.


Idea #1: Adopt an Acre or a Reef
Check out the Nature Conservancy's site that explains how you can save an acre of rain forest from development or help protect fragile coral reefs. Both start at $50. While that might be a bit pricey on a single budget for someone like your boss, I think this would make a delightful group gift!

Welsh Rarebit

I am trying out a few recipes this week, in anticipation of a small tea party I will host next week. One I tried tonight is called Welsh Rarebit. It's basically a fancy/spicy grilled cheese. Both the DH and I found it to be quite tasty. I would recommend a nice green salad as a side. See photos below.

This recipe came from the Totally Teatime Cookbook (a gift from NM Tea Lover). According to the author, "..there are unsubstantiated reports of a Welshman who returned home empty-handed from a hunting expedition - hence the grilled cheese sandwich for dinner."

This recipe makes enough for 5-6 English muffins, split into halves. It's very cheesy. Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 teaspoon mustard (we used spicy mustard, and more of it)
1/8 teaspoon white pepper (we used black)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3/4 pound sharp cheddar, grated (~3 cups)
5-6 English muffins, split and toasted

Preheat your broiler.
Combine eggs with mustard, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce in food processor until blended. Add cheese and process to form thick paste. Spread mixture over cut surfaces of English muffins. Place on a baking sheet under broiler, until melted and beginning to brown (about 10-12 min). We also sprinkled them with dried Parsley after they were done.


Muffins with paste, before going into broiler.

The finished Welsh Rarebit

My Woodpecker Moment

I was walking yesterday toward the site for the big Thanksgiving feast the DH was helping to prepare. (We served almost 80 people!) I was using the walk to get myself centered to deal with preparing tables and food for so many people. (It was at our church and since we're a "green" congregation, we used real dishes and flatware instead of paper/plastic.)

It was about 60 degrees, sunny and no wind. An absolutely delightful day and my walk was marvelous. I had just noticed a number of blue jays pecking around under cover of a brush pile. Then I noticed a bright red cardinal (one of my favorite birds). About this time, another bird swooped in front of me. It was a pileated woodpecker. These birds are beautiful and big! It was such a special moment! I stood there in awe for a minute.

Here are the specs on these birds. They're found in the Eastern US and along the West Coast.

• Length: 15 inches
• Very large (crow-sized) black and white woodpecker
• Prominent red crest at rear of head
• White throat
• Entirely black body plumage at rest except a white line that extends from bill down sides of neck to upper flanks

I'm Thankful For...

• This moment - sitting on my porch with a steaming cup of ginger tea (tisane) and typing this post!
• A patient life partner (the "DH" - dear hubby)
• A family that loves me intensely
• Mom, who taught me to be an independent woman
• Technology that makes my far-away friends seem not so far away
• Smart, efficient, creative, fun and kind co-workers
• Health
• Dancing (especially the Lindy Hop!)
• Every time someone chooses to walk, bicycle, carpool or take public transit instead of driving a car
• People who pick up their dog's poop from sidewalks, parks, other public places and especially my yard
• That the DH is a good cook
• Flowers
• Do-nothing days
• The wonderful blessing of working from home
• Times of clarity when I can put my ego (being right) aside and focus on being happy
• Chocolate, cheese, bread and tea
• Afternoon runs on sunny winter days

Been Workin' Too Hard

Today when I shut my computer down, I'm committing to NOT turn it back on for work purposes until Monday morning. I need to say it and be accountable, or I'll end up sneaking a peek over the weekend. That's a slippery slope (and a danger of working from home).

I'll let ya know how it goes.

Nov 24 - Buy Nothing Day

From the Buy Nothing site (Adbusters):

"Every November, for 24 hours, we remember that no one was born to shop. If you’ve never taken part in Buy Nothing Day, or if you’ve taken part in the past but haven’t really committed to doing it again, consider this: 2006 will go down as the year in which mainstream dialogue about global warming finally reached its critical mass. What better way to bring the Year of Global Warming to a close than to point in the direction of real alternatives to the unbridled consumption that has created this quagmire?"

List of Current Teas

Here is the list of my current teas. If you are interested in placing an order, send an e-mail to stephw7@sbcglobal.net. Teas in green are on sale.

Thanks!
Stephanie

Current List of Teas
All teas are $2.50/ounce (plus sales tax), unless otherwise noted.
All teas are from estates that have been audited for social responsibility by the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP).

Black Teas

• Angel's Dream - Flavored with maple sweetness, blackberry pungency.
• Out of stock - will be reordered in next batch. Apricot - Scented and flavored with natural apricot oil and rind.
• Chai - Black tea flavored with cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and a secret spice. Normally $2.75/oz - on sale for $2.50/oz.
• Chocolate Mint - An after dinner tea. Chocolate mint is a base of black Ceylon that has been infused with the chocolate mint herb. Best taken solo or with a smidgen of sugar. People either love it or hate it. One customer uses as potpourri.
• English Breakfast - Traditional British favorite. A blend of several black teas.
• Ice Wine - Tea that is scented/flavored with Canadian Ice Wine. Heavenly with chocolate!
• Earl Grey - This uniquely-flavored tea gets its distinctness from the natural oil of bergamot (a Mediterranean fruit).
• Lady Londonberry - A favorite among Serendipity Teas customers! Hints of strawberry and lemon.

Decaf

• Black Currant - Intense black currant flavor. A best seller even among those who don't mind the caffeine. - $2.75/oz.

Green Teas

• Jasmine with Flowers - A green Jasmine tea with Jasmine blossoms. One of my favorites.
• Gen Mai Cha - Also known as popcorn tea or brown rice tea. This tea is a specialty Japanese green sencha blended with fire-toasted rice. The rice gives a nutty aroma and subtle taste to the blend.

Pu-Erh

Pu-erh tea (pronounced Pu-Air) is for serious tea drinkers! This black tea is famed for its medicinal properties. The leaves come from the Yunnan Dayeh variety of tea tree - which is purported to be closely related to the original tea tree of pre-glacial times. The tea leaves are picked, rolled, withered in the hot sun, after which they are steamed and pressed into cakes. The steaming process generates some moisture and when compressed (without drying) into the cakes, in the course of time the tea takes on a musty and earthy character. Pu-erh that gets somewhat moldy before it naturally dries is considered the best. Pu-erh is then stored for years. Interestingly, the taste of pu-erh becomes more mellow with age and perhaps more acceptable to the western palate.

• Pu-Erh Beeng Cha - A pu-erh cake tea made from 7 layers of pu-erh and compressed. This Beeng Cha is 2 years old. - $3.00/oz.

A Healthier Pie Crust

The DH has created a healthier "press-in" pie crust that I wanted to share with you. I'm anticipating a few of you will be cooking pumpkin pies over the next few days. Cooking with the DH is an experience in artistic expression. He's a very good cook; a very intuitive cook. I'm a not-so-great cook (at least that's a convenient excuse) and I'm very literal when it comes to recipes. Learning to make something that the DH has created is a bit of a challenge for me. :-) The DH patiently attempted to quantify his amounts, but these are still a bit shaky.

Here's the health scoop on this pie crust. It's made with whole wheat as its base and includes oats and flaxseed meal (heart-healthy), plus whole flax seeds (for visual appeal), sunflowers (for taste and texture) and cornmeal (for texture - can replace with whole wheat). The DH also uses olive oil instead of lard, Crisco or butter.

Don't expect your Grandma's flaky crust. Think of this as a crunchy granola base. The sunflowers add a really nice nuttiness. I actually prefer this variety over its white-flour cousin, but this variety may not be for everyone.

Below is a photo that shows the crust. We used a spring form pan for the pie so that we could remove the outer edge and feature the pretty textures in the crust. The pie looks slanted, but it's my shooting alignment that's the problem.















The DH's Healthy Pie Crust

1 + 1/8 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 + cup sunflower seeds (the plus denotes an area where the DH added a little more because he just "felt like it needed it")

1/16 cup flax seeds (whole)

1/4+ cup oats

1/4 cup flax seed meal

1/4 cup corn meal

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup milk (or soy milk or water) - may need a little extra

Mix dry ingredients well, then add oil and milk. Mix together with a fork until it's the consistency of cookie dough. May need to add a little extra milk. Form into 2 balls. Press into pie pan. If using spring form, make a wall around the edge (see photo). Add your pie filling and bake per pie instructions.

Notes:

1 - The crust could easily be made Vegan by replacing the milk with soy milk or water. (The DH uses water sometimes and I can't tell the difference.)

2 - If you are using a springform pan, fit a piece of parchment paper (lightly greased) to the bottom before pressing in the pie. This will help you remove the pie from the bottom of the pan.

Sunday Paper Tidbits

If you still have Sunday's paper, look closely through the national advertising flyers. There's likely a coupon for 50-cents off a box of Lipton's new pyramid teas lurking somewhere in all those flyers. The teas have landed in grocery stores here in the Midwest. Not sure about futher west. I'd really love to hear your thoughts on these teas! I've only had a chance to sample one. Will write more on my experience in the near future.

Also, in yesterday's Parade there was a discussion on the health/heart benefits of chocolate. To reap the reward to your heart, you need to consume dark chocolate that is at least 60% cocoa. I'd also recommend organic. More info on chocolate and heart health. Before you get too excited, remember that chocolate packs a very high caloric value for its weight. So think in terms of small bites - one small piece of dark chocolate a day!