Making Space

Photo by Ana Martinez

“When tea becomes ritual, it takes its place at the heart of our ability to see greatness in small things. Where is beauty to be found? In great things that, like everything else, are doomed to die, or in small things that aspire to nothing, yet know how to set a jewel of infinity in a single moment?” 

~ Muriel Barbery, The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Hello, fellow tea lovers - Wow, my blogging has slowed dramatically!  There are a number of reasons, but one is that I am making space for some new things in my life. My tea studies in Chado continue to grow and delight me, and I have recently begun a journey of facilitating writing workshops. Tea and writing are such good friends!

I will continue to blog, though less frequently.  I love hearing from you and appreciate your participation in this conversation about tea and life around it. Thank you!

Light and Shadow

Present Light

~Charles Ghinga

If I could

hold light

in my hand

I would

give it

to you

and watch it

become

your shadow.

I've been thinking a lot about light and shadow, how they support and usurp one another, constantly sharing and shifting. Light that warms us, feeds us, burns us, blinds us, that we both seek and hide from. Shadow that cools us, invites us, hides us, scares us, that we both seek and hide from. I'm trying to be intentional about their roles in my life and writing, labeling neither good nor bad. Just like the sun and moon each have a role to play, so do light and shadow, no matter how literal or metaphorical we get.

10 Year Anniversary and Giveaway!

This photo represents my tea journey: From British to Chinese and Taiwanese, to Japanese. 

The flower represent my husband's always-present love and encouragement.

The photo also represents friendship, family and adventure, as the things here
are gifts from loved ones or treasures from travels.

10 years ago today, I began this journey into blogging.  The little secret is that I did it as a work project, because I needed to develop training on blogging, and first I needed to learn how!  ;-)  What I didn't know is that I would stick with it for a decade and that I would make wonderful friends along the way.

I also didn't know how my tea life would grow and thrive. I started with a primary interest and business related to British-style tea. Over the years, tea took me on a journey of discovery into the leaf itself and its manifestation across many cultures - Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese. I have had the great privilege to travel to many of these countries in pursuit of tea. I look forward to learning so much more! Truly, tea is a remarkable way to learn about our one precious world.

I am humbled and ever so grateful for tea's influence in my life, and for yours.  Thank you for reading and commenting. 

To celebrate, I'm hosting a giveaway!  Just leave a comment and I will enter you into a drawing for tea, poetry and a surprise!

Watermelon Radish and How I Write a Blog

Watermelon Radish

Way back in 2005, when I started this blog - Wow, really?  Has it been that long?! - I thought first about the message I wanted to write and then maybe added in a photo that kinda-sorta fit.  That was before I dove down the DSLR camera rabbit hole. 

These days, I just as often start with the photo and then craft the message.  That doesn't mean the message has taken a back seat.  Rather, I've thought in generalities about what I want to say much earlier in the timeline.  When I'm taking photos, my mind sees potential story threads to match the experience I'm shooting.  Back at my desk, I let the images weave that thread together with the other parts of the story.

And then...

Sometimes I just have an image that I want to share.  Like the watermelon radish above.  This picture makes me SMILE every time I see it and I wanted to share it with you.  There is a story here:  The DH grew these.  Sometimes they have a spicy bite and sometimes they don't.  And I love them for their cheery colors. 

If you write a blog, how do you go about crafting your stories?  And do you sometimes post photos just because?

Thank You, Welcome and Tea 101

I've been blogging for over seven and a half years, and some of you have been reading all that time.  I want to say THANK YOU for sticking with me!  This blog and my life - around tea and in general - has grown in ways I never imagined when I began. 

I've had a flurry of new readers lately, and to you I offer a warm WELCOME!  Please feel free to leave your comments, these brighten my day.  No tea experience necessary.  ;-)

I love getting questions from readers and I've been inspired to start a new series, Tea 101.  I'll post on occasion about this topic to share the fundamentals of tea as I understand them.  I hope you'll enjoy!

My blog readers vary greatly in tea preferences, experience and interests.  This keeps things interesting for me.  I hope to offer you an occasional something of interest, to encourage you to try a new tea or brewing technique, to find a tidbit here that inspires, to have some fun and to learn about tea along with me.  There is always more to learn about tea!

To begin, here are a few older posts you may enjoy exploring:

• If you come to this blog with an interest in Afternoon Tea, click through these posts. 
• Go here to read about tea rooms/shops I've visited.
• Interested in the Japanese Tea Ceremony?  Read more.
• Want to learn more about tea in China or India?  Follow along on my totally amazing tea trip.

Cheers!

Honored to be Featured - Teaist Blog

Happy Monday!  I've been featured on the Teaist's blog in an interview.  Check it out!  I'm very honored. 

We'll See How It Goes...

I'm enthusiastically, but realistically, joining National Blog Posting Month with plans to post every day in November. Though I have good intentions, my work life is super-busy right now and I simply might not make it happen. Having accepted this, I'm OK if I don't get an A+. This is really metaphorical for me - and timely. I've been learning this lesson my entire life, it seems! I think it's seeping in.

Here's to all of us who accept challenges, even when we know we might not make the goal.
Cheers!

Planning Ahead

NaBloPoMo - November is the original National Blog Posting Month. The idea is that you post on your blog every day for the month. I've done it the past two years. I'm considering my availability for this year. You can find more info here. NaBloPoMo has expanded beyond the original November month to be available any time of year. Join up whenever you like. And, my hat is off to those bloggers who post daily as a habit!

Halloween - I like to dress up for Halloween, but I'm not sure if I will this year. I may just settle for a walk around town to be entertained by the college students. If I do dress up, it will be a last-minute affair. Those are often the best costumes!

Christmas - I used to refuse to discuss Christmas before Halloween, but as I've moved into more of a crafting mindset, I realize that homemade gifts take time! So, I plan ahead! This year, I may not make as much by hand because of some time constraints, but I'm trying to find local gifts. In addition, here's something I'm drooling over. I've mentioned it to Santa (always my Mother): 2010 Datebook by KellyRae.

What are you planning for the holidays?

Web Roundup

I've found some great things on the web lately, and I thought I'd share.

Recessionistas. A friend sent me this link, b/c she thinks it fits us! We LOVE going to consignment stores and resale shops. I very seldom pay full-price for any clothing. And, if I can find a gem that's second-hand, well even better for the planet! Buffalo Exchange rocks!

Restyling clothes. On the same note as above, I love how the author of the Angry Chicken blog restyles clothes. Just brilliant! I've yet to try this, but I'm on the lookout for a potential.

Fat Quarter Month. Sew, Mama, Sew! is running a month of Fat Quarter projects and related info. A fat quarter is a different way of cutting the fabric and can be useful in many situations. A fat quarter is 18 x 22 inches, instead of 9 x 44. Read this for more info.

Philigry. I don't know how to knit, but Philigry inspires me nonetheless!

Spooners. Do you know what they are? I didn't, but I think they're fun!

Don't drink this before a drug test. In bizarre news....just read it yourself.

Now it's your turn. I'm in the mood to go exploring. It's COLD outside and I'm feeling a bit cooped up (tho I did go for a great walk yesterday in 18 degrees). Help me beat the winter blahs by leaving me a fun link to check out, tea-related or otherwise.

Serendipity, Panettone, and Holiday Tea

Serendipity was the word that Katie entered into my giveaway contest, and so I had to choose her as my winner! I doubt that Katie knew, but Serendipity Teas is the name of my tea biz. (And that's a story for another day.) So when I saw her word, it made my heart glow. Congratulations Katie! I will ship the holiday cards out soon!

I was at TJ Maxx last night and I picked up this panettone box. I'd just read about these Italian holiday cakes, but have never had one. It's good! I had it for breakfast today. The texture reminds me of a sweet roll, tho the cake itself was very lightly sweet. I'm glad because that allowed the dried fruit to really shine. The cake was a little dry - I should have sprinkled with water and warmed. I had the panettone with a very nice cup of Harney & Son's Holiday Tea (black tea), blended with citrus, almond, clove and cinnamon.

Wow! and Skirt

Wow - I got more comments yesterday for the giveaway than I've ever had before! Thanks to Sew, Mama, Sew! for the grand idea and to all those who played! I am having such a ball reading all the one-word holiday wishes! I will announce the winner tomorrow.

In the mean time, here is the skirt I mentioned a few days ago. The fabric is corduroy. It's Butterick pattern 3134 and I'm LOVING this pattern! I made view B, the blue one on the left. The skirt went together easily for me. I think I'm getting a little better at understanding patterns. Still, it seems like they leave things out, like finishing the inside edges! Oh, well. Thank goodness I have good sewing coaches who teach me well! And I promise to blog about something tea-related soon.

Endings and Beginnings

Endings: I took yesterday off from blogging, as a reward for successfully completing NaBloPoMo, where I blogged every day for a month. It's fun and it's tough! My hat is off to those of you who do so regularly. I'm a frequent blogger, but I like to be able to take some days off, too. And to those of you who did NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), may you be published!

Beginnings: I have a new job at work. The job itself excites me. I also struggle with the fear that it's too big of a job - can I keep it within the bounds of time that I give to work, and no more? That is my task - to keep it right-sized and reasonable.

*image from corbis.com

Drum roll...

And the winners of my tea sample giveaways are:

Lady Katherine
and
Melanie

I had such a great response, I decided to pick two winners. I'll be in contact, ladies, and congratulations! Thanks to everyone who joined in! And here's a sneak peek at December 3rd - I'll be joining in the Sew, Mama, Sew! giveaway, too...so check back!

It's been a quiet weekend for me. It kicked off Friday evening with a virtual tea party, which I will blog about later this week. Then I spent yesterday mostly doing nothing. I didn't make it to the dance class, sigh. I just wasn't up for it. I've been fighting a cold. I also spent much of today napping in the sun, like a solar cat. As much as I wanted to take the class, I needed a quiet weekend more. Fortunately, I'm feeling better this afternoon.

Lucky Girl and Giveaway!

Thank you!

I am a very, very lucky girl! Yesterday, I won not one but TWO blog giveaways! This is really exciting and the gifters are so generous!

A special, heartfelt thanks to Marilyn at Delights of the Heart who shared this amazing fuzed glass trivet. And also to Lynn at Frivolitea for this very fun set of Crafty Girl note cards. Congratulations to both women, who are celebrating major blog milestones!

In truth, at first I felt guilty for winning two blog giveaways, and on the SAME day! But guilt is an an energy-sucking emotion. It's not productive nor where I want to spend my time. So instead, I focused on extending deep gratitude to these women, and thinking of how I could continue this theme of sharing. So I am hosting my very own blog giveaway! Between now and Saturday, leave a comment on my blog and I will enter your name in a drawing to win a sample of three fabulous teas! I will announce the winners on Sunday, Nov. 23rd. You will get to pick from several choices (including herbal, green, oolong and black).


By the way, I skipped my herbal infusion theme yesterday, but I'll get back to it on Thurs.

In gratitude,
Stephanie



*images from corbis.com

A Month of Blogging

Today starts NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month), so I'll be blogging every day for the month of November. Wahoo! I'm looking forward to it! I participated last year, and this year I'm a bit wiser. I have a plan for some theme days. I believe these will make it easier on me; they'll act like guideposts and give me a focused topic. The themes are:

• Mondays - Herbal infusions
• Wednesdays - Living simply
• Fridays - Self portrait (aka Narcissism flipped)

In between, I'll be blogging about whatever my heart desires. :-)

I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

NaBloPoMo - Are you ready?

November is not that far away, and I'm staring to think about National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo). For the month of November, many bloggers commit to posting every day. I did it last year, and it was both harder and more fun than I imagined.

I'm signing up again this year! Are you in? (You don't have to sign up at the official site to be part of the fun. You can do it on your own, if you prefer.)

New header!!

I've got a new header! It's made of some of my favorite tea party photos. Three of the four shots are mine. Thanks to Sweetcakes for the other.

Let me know what you think! I'm still deciding if I like the color text or would prefer black.

My 3rd Blog Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to my blog! Today is my 3rd blog anniversary! Since the first, I've published 521 blog posts. I've learned a lot about blogging along the way, too.

Here are some of the things I've learned:

• I enjoy blogging more than I ever dreamed!
  
  
• This blog is a place for me to share my truths. I must write first for myself, tho never forgetting I have an audience.
  
  
• There are certain skills to blogging; knowing how to use the technology well, writing in a very conversational and open style.
  
  
• Blogging friendships take work, just like face-to-face relationships. You must nurture them or they will die.

What have you learned from or about blogging, either by reading or writing a blog? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

The Finish Line

To the best of my knowledge, I've blogged every day in November! Wahoo! And I only had to cheat with fluff content a couple of times. Participating in National Blog Posting Month was much more challenging than I anticipated. I'm a frequent blogger by my nature, so I thought it would be no big deal. What I realized is that the days I don't blog are as important as the days I do! They give me ideas and passion to write more. So now I will return to my frequent - but not every day - blogging. I hope you come back!

A special thanks to those of you who visited, and especially those who left comments!

NaBloPoMo

That stands for National Blog Posting Month, and I'm in. Thanks to Anna for making me aware of this! I'm committing to post EVERY day for the month of November. Read more here:

http://nablopomo.ning.com/

Think this sounds tough? It's nothing compared to what the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) folks are doing - writing a Novel in a month!

I'm feeling prolific today - two posts in one day - wahoo! Cheers!