Herbal Tea from the Garden

Occasionally, I treat myself to a cup of herbal tea from my own garden.

I pick a handful of raspberry and blackberry leaves, as well as some mint and lemon balm. Rinse them well and brew a pot of tea. I like adding a bit of honey from my dad’s apiary to my tea. I get an organic, delicious, and fragrant drink. I also find it very calming.

Take a look at my new teapot. I found it at TJ Maxx. I love the little birdie design. Also, it has a big opening, so I can fit my hand inside, which makes it quite easy to wash.

The tea cup was a tourist souvenir that I brought home from my visit to Copenhagen, Denmark a few years ago. I bought it for a dollar at a flea market there. I love that darling tea cup.  

Tea Time Tuesday

It’s been quite a while since I joined Tea Time Tuesday link parties. Today I gladly join Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage for tea.

Things are quite hectic around my house now. The weather is spring-like (though we are supposed to have some rain tomorrow) and I’m busy with lots of cleaning, decluttering, and organizing projects. I didn’t have much time to treat myself to a quiet cup of tea.  

But today I want to share pictures of a charming tearoom in Krakow. I went there during my visit in Poland last September.

I was drawn to it because of its beautiful décor. I haven’t seen such amount of flowers anywhere before. There were real ones in pots and vases, dried and faux ones in pretty arrangements, flower prints on the tablecloths and flowers painted on the walls. And, of course, teacups, saucers, teapots, and napkins also had flowers on them!

And what kind of tea did I have? I flower one! It was a mix of wild rose hips, hibiscus, and some other flower ingredients. With my tea, I had a slice of delicious honey cake.

If I lived in Krakow, I would probably visit this lovely place each week!

Tea Time Tuesday

It’s been quite a while since I joined Tuesday Tea Time link parties, which are always so much fun to participate in.



So today I want to share a charming little teacup from my collection. I bought it at a flea market in Copenhagen when I went there on a short vacation a year ago. Even though I bought it in Denmark, the cup itself is from Germany. The lady who was selling it had the entire dinning set, but I only bought one cup.



I love its sweet flower pattern on the saucer and the same one inside the cup. The colors are a bit faded (especially inside the cup), but that’s the charm of it.



Thank you for stopping by and if you have a moment, please visit these tea parties and their gracious hostesses.

Martha's Favorites @ Martha's Favorites,
Tea for Two @ The Plumed Pen,
Teacup Tuesday @ Artful Affirmations,
Teapot and Tea Things @ Silken Purse,
Teapot and Tea Things @ Breath of Fresh Air,
Tea Time Tuesday @ Rose Chintz Cottage,
Teatime Tuesday @ Lady Katherine Tea Parlor

Tea in the Garden

I have a beautiful tree in my front yard that is in full bloom now. What is unique about this tree is that its blooms start purple, then turn lilac and eventually white. Unfortunately, I don’t know its name. Perhaps someone can help me to identify it.



I thought I’d better find a moment to enjoy the splendor of my tree before its blooms fade out. Having a cup of tea by the tree is a perfect way to do so, especially since I have a new tea cup to enjoy as well.



I received this tea cup for my birthday. It traveled all the way from Denmark. Made by Royal Copenhagen, it has “Blue Fluted” pattern that was adopted back in 1775.





What a delight to relax by this tree with a cup of tea, a slice of banana bread, and some grapes.



Thank you for stopping by and if you have a moment, please visit these tea parties and their gracious hostesses.

Martha's Favorites @ Martha's Favorites,
Tea for Two @ The Plumed Pen,
Teacup Tuesday @ Artful Affirmations,
Teapot and Tea Things @ Silken Purse,
Teapot and Tea Things @ Breath of Fresh Air,
Tea Time Tuesday @ Rose Chintz Cottage,
Teatime Tuesday @ Lady Katherine Tea Parlor

as well as Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home.

Tea with Linzer Torte Cookies

One of my favorite blogs is Stone Gable. And one of the reasons I love this blog is because its hostess Yvonne often posts interesting recipes. I once made her sour cream scones (which were so delicious), and now I tried another recipe from her blog – Linzer torte cookies.

My husband has been asking me to try to make Linzer torte for some time, but all the recipes I found seemed too complicated, so I put his request on hold. Then Yvonne posted the recipe for Linzer torte cookies, which didn’t sound too difficult, so I was eager to try it.



The other day, I made them! Unfortunately, my cookies didn’t turn out as beautiful as Yvonne’s (I will need to buy special cookie cutters), yet they were very delicious.




I thought since I made the cookies and had about sixty minutes of quiet time while my toddler napped, I would treat myself to a cup of tea. I used the tea cup and dessert plate that I got from my mom. And this bouquet of burgundy chrysanthemums was a present from my husband. I certainly enjoyed this little treat of tea and cookies and quiet sixty minutes.



The link parties I'm joining this week are:

Martha's Favorites @ Martha's Favorites,
Tea for Two @ The Plumed Pen,
Teacup Tuesday @ Artful Affirmations,
Teapot and Tea Things @ Silken Purse,
Teapot and Tea Things @ Breath of Fresh Air,
Tea Time Tuesday @ Rose Chintz Cottage,
Teatime Tuesday @ Lady Katherine Tea Parlor.

I Made Scones

Not long ago, Yvonne at Stone Gable posted a recipe for sour cream scones. Her scones looked so good and the recipe sounded so easy that I thought I should definitely try to make them. And I did! They turned out so good!



What is more, just the day before, I made a batch of strawberry jam (I have frozen strawberries stored in my freezer, so I can have fresh jam any time I want). These sour cream scones with homemade strawberry jam accompanied with a cup of tea were so delicious!



Thank you, Yvonne, for this great recipe.



Today, I am joining Tuesday Tea Parties:

Martha's Favorites @ Martha's Favorites,
Tea for Two @ The Plumed Pen,
Teacup Tuesday @ Artful Affirmations,
Teapot and Tea Things @ Silken Purse,
Tea Time Tuesday @ Rose Chintz Cottage,
Teatime Tuesday @ Lady Katherine Tea Parlor.

I am also linking to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday @ Blessed With Grace.

Thank you for visiting my blog. Have a wonderful week!

The Beginning of a Teacup Collection

In my dining room there is a shelf that has been empty for a long time. I just couldn’t come up with anything to display there. But then I thought it would be nice to fill it with pretty teacups. Hence, these three cups are the beginning of my tea cup collection.

They aren’t any special in terms of their origin, but they are special to me because I got them from my mother. She had the tea set for decades, but now this is all that is left.

The cups now occupy my shelf, but I do intend to use them often. Pretty things should be used and enjoyed, and not merely displayed. Don’t you think?









Today, I am joining Martha at Martha's Favorites for Teacup Tuesday. Check out her blog to see what interesting mustache teacups she has in her collection.

Mama Takes a Break

Usually, when my son takes a nap during the day, I spend that time doing the house chores. Today, however, is different. Today I’m taking a little time for myself.
I am going to enjoy the tranquility of the house with a cup of tea and a book about her majesty Rose, which I checked out from the library a few days ago.



For my little tea setting, I am using the doily that I recently crocheted.



This is the only fine tea cup I have. Actually, I have eight of them; they come from the only fine china dining set I have.



It would be nice to have a little sweet treat with the tea. A few Raffaello coconut candies would be perfect.



A red rose from my garden to decorate my little tea setting. It is not as beautiful and perfect as the ones in the pictures in the book, but it is still lovely and smells wonderfully.



I guess I’d better put away the camera and enjoy my tea and the book before my toddler wakes up.

For the first time, I am joining Tea Time Tuesdays at Rose Chintz Cottage & Inspirations and at Lady Katherine Tea Parlor .





Also, if you like handmade stuff as much as I do, you might want to check my announcement about Handmade Monday here.