National Hot Tea Month - January

And just like that, happy new year turns into the last day of January. We close out the month of January, National Hot Tea Month, with a few of our favorite tea themed quotes. 

"If you are cold, tea will warm you;

If you are too heated, it will cool you;

If you are depressed, it will cheer you;

If you are excited, it will calm you."

-William Ewart Gladstone







"Enjoy life, sip by sip, not gulp by gulp." -The Minister of Leaves

“The spirit of the tea beverage is one of peace, comfort and refinement.”  -Arthur Gray

"There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be diminished by a nice cup of tea." -Bernard-Paul Heroux

“Tea time is a chance to slow down, pull back and appreciate our surroundings.” -Letitia Baldrige

"Come, let us have some tea and continue to talk about happy things." -Chaim Potok

“Making tea is a ritual that stops the world from falling in on you.” -Jonathan Stroud

May Peace Prevail

 

Memorial Day - with Remembrance and Respect

And I'm proud to be an American,

where at least I know I'm free.

And I won't forget the men who died,

who gave that right to me.

~Lee Greenwood

Memorial Day!

"Our nation owes a debt to its fallen heroes that we can never fully repay." -Barack Obama

Happy Fourth of July!

Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all!

By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.

~John Dickinson

Memorial Day - honoring the fallen

We remember the brave young men and women that fought 

so valiantly for our country and the freedoms we all enjoy today. 

Herbs and Flowers for Anniversaries

In celebration of their 50th Anniversary, our parents compiled this list of flowers and their symbolic meanings by gleaning through their collection of Victorian Language of Flowers dictionaries and through their many years of marriage!

Bertha & Byron Reppert, May 19, 1945

Happy May Day!

May Day celebrations are held all around the world. One enchanting little tradition involves secretly putting a pretty bouquet of fresh spring flowers on your neighbor's doorknob. If they discover you doing this, they must give you a kiss! What a sweet little tradition! This lovely little nosegay includes smiling pansies, sweet lily-of-the-valley, a petite spring tulip, and lovage greens. This delicate little bouquet is in an embroidered hankie that has been folded and neatly pressed into a cone. A satin ribbon, with two bows is attached to the hankie in order to hang it on the door.

(This blog post is a reprise from May 1, 2010.)

Pink! Words... Teacups... Actions...

Almost all words do have color and nothing is more pleasant than to utter a pink word and see someone's eyes light up and know it is a pink word for him or her too. ~Gladys Taber

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Wishing you . . .

A green, growing garden,

A good cup of tea,

A day touched by sunshine,

And warm memories.

Standing Tall, Silently Weeping. . .

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

Author: Emma Lazarus

The Tea Kettle

Teardrops of tea
glide down the kettle
Don't cry - 
we'll make each other feel better.

-Terri Guillemets

Happy Veterans Day!

Remembering our Veterans today - and every day. 

Thank you for your service to our country!


Rosemary (for Remembrance) surrounds one of Marj Reppert's artistic creations,
Remembrances (tm) of Rosemary Remembrances II Jim Thorpe, PA

Election Day! Please Vote!

Sweet Inspirations

Teresa was very busy preparing for the Michigan adventure. In addition to the Tea and Chocolate presentation on the first evening of our trip, she prepared these colorful tea shaped inspirational notes to be shared each evening. Teapots and teacups and quotes to ponder, Teresa added her special creative touch to this trip.

"Tea purifies spirit, removes anxiety and nervousness, brings ease and comfort, an dis conducive to meditation." Author unknown.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do." Mark Twain

"Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer." Anonymous

"Why do we close our eyes when we pray, cry, kiss, dream? Because the most beautiful things in life are not seen but felt only by heart."

"A true warrior, like tea, shows his strength in hot water." a Chinese proverb

Home, Sweet, Home!

Home, the spot of earth supremely blest,
A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest.

~Robert Montgomery

Happy Memorial Day!

On this day, and always, we remember the fallen soldiers 

that gave their lives so that we may be free. 

Forever grateful.

Tea Quote

Find yourself a cup; 

the teapot is behind you.

Now tell me about hundreds of things.

-Saki (Hector Hugo Munro), "Tea"

Happy Thanksgiving!

For flowers that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;
For song of bird, and hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!
                            ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lavender Labyrinth

A labyrinth is a single path that one walks to meditate or prayerfully consider spiritual or personal concerns. It is among the simplest forms of focused walking meditation. Along the path, one contemplates the issue, when you reach the center of the labyrinth you rest and listen to guidance from the Supreme Being and on the journey out the answers or spiritual growth should develop. This lavender labyrinth at Carousel Lavender Farm was recently planted but as this fragrant lavender labyrinth fills in, it is going to be such a fragrant and relaxing walk.