Short and sweet

Too much adulting today. I came home, put together two jigsaw puzzles, and relaxed with a cup of tea. Glad life is getting back to normal.

Green tea with mandarin orange and jasmine:

Tea Sandwich Tuesday: Ham and Pineapple Tea Sandwiches

Seems like my grocery store has finally restocked the vegan deli ham slices again. I'm really waiting to find the Tofurky one, but no luck so far.

Ham and Pineapple Tea Sandwiches

One package vegan deli ham slices
Thinly sliced pineapple
Vegan honey mustard
Vegan mayonnaise
Cilantro

On one slice of bread of choice, thinly spread mayonnaise. Tear off cilantro leaves and dot over the mayonnaise. Layer this with a couple of slices of vegan ham, followed by the sliced pineapple. Spread the mustard on the second bread slice, and top the sandwich. Slice into desired shapes. Serve. Enjoy!

I enjoyed mine with a green tea with ginger, cinnamon, peppermint leaves, and rose petals.

Tea for crisis management

How many times have I said tea is the answer to everything? Several? I'm not alone. A woman I know from England once told me her mother insisted this was true - no matter what the problem, tea was the answer. Mostly, I think, because tea isn't a drink you can sip while standing. It really requires you to sit down and savor. Otherwise, why drink it?

Today all crises will be handled with white tea with cinnamon, orange peel, cloves, allspice, ginger, lemongrass, and lime.

Tea with dinosaurs

My daughter used to work for our science museum, and, as expected, loves science with a passion. While it is common to see little boys excited about dinosaurs, my daughter is excited about them as an adult. Her wife gave her an enormous pink T-Rex for Valentine's Day. Two things I'm sure she will never outgrow - dinosaurs and stuffed animals.

So naturally today I am drinking a black tea with vanilla and hazelnut in a mug she gave me.

Tea after gardening

I had posted on Facebook recently how I am hesitant to let people know I'm a Master Gardener, that one look at my seriously neglected yard was enough to convince anyone I must be pathological! I shared this along with a photo of my scratched arm, after wrestling with an angry and sorely ignored fairy rose. I'm still not even done with the trimming she needs, but I'm getting there. She is such a feisty rose - don't let the sweet little blooms fool you!

But I will say, unequivocally, it feels really nice to be back out in the yard working with my plants. So many were lost after the last hurricane, and I've never truly gotten back out there to fix things. Poor excuses, yeah. But I'm out there now. So much work to do! And even though the little fairy was fighting me, grabbing my clothes, piercing my skin, being generally difficult, I could almost hear her sigh of relief that I was making her life a little easier.

Afterwards, I come inside, and you guessed it, have some tea.

What could be better than a green and white blended tea with strawberries, roses, and plums?

Tea and sleep

Earlier, I talked about chamomile and insomnia, and I stand by it. Chamomile is a really excellent tea for helping one sleep. But if you aren't having issues with insomnia, any herbal tea is a great way to ease into bedtime.

I have a large collection of herbal teas. Mostly I used to buy them for my kids when they were little, so they could share in my joy of tea. Kids have enough energy to spare, so I never wanted to give them caffeine. Which is funny, now, that I think about it, because all of them love coffee, which has much more caffeine than tea! Anyway, as they grew up and I was left with all that herbal tea, I was concerned it might go to waste. I was never much of an herbal tea drinker.

But then, the proverbial light bulb clicked on. I knew my tendency to drink tea throughout the day was probably contributing to my difficulty in falling asleep. So now I make a habit of having a mug of an herbal tea at night. I like to read before bed, so sipping something warm and delicious while I do just seems like the perfect way to end my day.

I hope you'll try it, too.

Cinnamon Apple Spice in a sweet farm themed mug:

How it feels

People who don't drink tea just don't get how drinking tea feels. After that first sip, I can feel my body relaxing, my breathing slowing, my pulse and blood pressure going down. No, I've never actually tested this. It's just a sense. It's a peaceful pleasure.

Today it is an herbal tea with spearmint and peppermint.