Oh, darn I missed Wednesday tea with you Lass. I checked yesterday a couple of times and didn't see your tea post yet; so I had a cup of mint hot chocolate around 5pm. Did you get your decorations out yet today?

Today, I'll have tea in the afternoon when I get back from bell ringing for the Salvation Army. Mom and I volunteered for the 2pm. shift, brrrr, well at least it's only for one hour and we will be inside the market. Although we will be standing at the exit in an area between the inside automatic door and the outside one. If the market gets busy people are going in and out those doors the whole time and all the cold air blows in on us. Well, it's for a good cause!

Schoolhouse- I forgot to put Thursday tea! LOL I posted that last night, for today's tea.

You and your mom are wonderful, to be volunteering to help with the Salvation Army. Stay warm and I'll see you when you get back :)

I'm "teaing" early today because I need to go shopping for more ingredients for baking this afternoon. I need to get holiday gifts done!
Schoolhouse, thank-you for volunteering with the Salvation Army! I love the bell ringers.
Today I was at our Friendship Center at church where I garden at least twice a week with our parishioners who are diagnosed with a mental illness. We've been preparing holiday gifts for purchase, and getting thank-you's ready for our donors. The men (right now, only men) in this program learn so much, it's amazing to hear how they've often gone from rather "concrete" inner city lives and often isolation during untreated mental illness to growing green things with a group of friends. We are now packaging up collected and dried seeds to send to donors. It just blows these guys away that you can grow stuff from one seed! They take a bag of veggies home every week from the garden and also grow the flowers for the church altar. Because not everyone gets to see family for the holidays, I always try and give each gardener a bag of home baked goodies of some sort for Christmas day.
Do you know this year we began making tea blends out of our herbs! I've been showing the men how to do it. Then we consult with our nurse, who is very knowledgeable about herbs so they know if they can have that tea (and how much) with the medications they take. It's been wonderful for them to take a cup of catnip tea before bed.
Right now I am drinking a Trader Joe's tea that is "new" and so delicious! Duchess grey tea has hints of lemon bergamont. I nibbled on a new cookie recipe I made up: sunflower butter and cranberry chock full sunflower seeds and chopped cranberries with a cranberry glaze. Very healthy (and gluten free) although, yes, a bit odd. But good.
I'm sitting here with my new kitty, Panda. We adopted her all the way from New Jersey on Thanksgiving! She's precious and such a sweetheart. My new shadow.

I'm waiting for the kettle to boil. Will have Lady Grey again, can't help it's my favorite. "Duchess Grey Tea"? with lemon bergamont? Lady Grey has bergamont tea with orange and lemon peel and blue cornflowers. Before we left the market after bell ringing, I bought 4pc. of carrot cake to bring home, so I'll have a piece of that with my tea this afternoon.

It's only 15min.after 4pm. and the sun is getting very low in the sky already, will be dark soon.

The kettle is on, I'm busy wrapping gifts so they're ready to go, mail, by bus, some will be picked up and some delivered. I just have one more gift to buy and then Whewwwww I'm done. I'm looking forward to a mug of orange pekoe and a couple of Berry Green Tea Biscuits, I really liked the Blueberry and Brown Sugar biscuits hope these are as good. It'll soon be time to put the tree up and do some christmas baking, unfortunately I have to do the baking last minute or there's nothing left when christmas rolls around. Found a good recipe for a smoked salmon mousse, with a dab of hot pepper jelly and a crisp cracker, soooooo yummy.

SMOKED SALMON MOUSSE

1 lb. soft cream cheese (500 gr.)
1 156g can of smoked salmon (we use St. Jean's, it's also their recipe)
1/4 tsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. Dijon mustard
Pepper
2 tbsp. chopped green onions
2 tbsp. chopped parsley

Blend all ingredients in a food processor. Put into an attractive dish and decorate with thin lemon wedges and parsley, serve with crackers. If you prefer a more subtle flavor, reduce the amount of salmon.

Annette

Annette- That sounds delicious! Thanks for the recipe.

GGG- That's so wonderful...I have so much admiration for people who work with others and help them feel more a part of society. I bet every one of those men look forward to your home baked treats and special teas. How thoughtful :)

Schoolhouse- I've got to try Lady Grey, I know it's your favorite.

I'm having my favorite, Earl Grey, with some applesauce coffeecake I made this morning. It was so good, when it's warm, but still nice with tea. Pretty much the recipe out of BH&G cookbook, with a little nutmeg and cloves added to the topping...and a little frosting. I use healthy applesauce (no corn syrup) so the frosting gives it a little sweetness :)

Just stopped by after a long day of errands. Hoping to catch you again another time!

I keep forgetting to tell you, I was browsing Pat Catan's yesterday and their racks of tree ornaments. Guess what I saw? A silver ornament in the shape of a tea bag and it said "Earl Grey" on it! There was "Green Tea" and another but I forget what it was; but only one "Earl Grey" left. I think it cost $6 and probably 5" tall, but I'm not sure as Pat Catans is pretty cheap; I had just enough cash in my wallet to buy materials for a gift I'm making so had to pass up the ornament.

Maybe I'll go back and see if it's still there, if it's very inexpensive I just have to have it.

Oh my gosh! Here they are. I just googled and found them, these are the same ones at Pat Catans. Reg. $6.99 but they are on sale here.

http://www.amazon.com/TEABAG-ORNAMENTS-GLASS/dp/B003WNHERO

Here is a link that might be useful: tea bag ornaments

Well, this wasn't the link I copied. There was a different page showing them sold individually not as a set.

Blondie- So glad you stopped by! We'll be here next Thursday, same time, so we hope to see you then :)

Schoolhouse- Nice ornaments. I never thought about tea accessories for Christmas ornaments, but think of all the little tea cups and tea pots you could use with them...very cute!

Hi Ladies! Sorry that I am a whole day late for tea, but have been busy. My sister came for a visit and we decided to do a little Christmas shopping yesterday. I did manage to snap a quickie photo of our morning tea though! I also baked some eggnog snickerdoodles to share with you.

All those different 'grey' teas sound delish, I love lemon and bergamot. Earl Grey is one of my favs. Will check our tj's for the Duchess Grey. The smoked salmon mousse recipe looks yummy--may give it a try my DH would love that. Thanks Annette! Schoolhouse, love the idea of the tea ornaments. It's wonderful of you and your mom to volunteer for the salvation army--good on you. GGG the sunflower cranberry cookies sound enticing. LL the applesauce cake sounds wonderful--got a recipe?

Happy Holidays everyone!

;-) XX Becky

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I almost bought a box of Walkers Shortbread last week, and I can taste those Snickerdoodles. Your tea looks delightful, the snowman just cute as can be. Happy Holidays to you and yours, too.