5 New Teas I found on my trip...

I was in Washington and Oregon over the weekend and I picked up 5 new to me teas. In Washington at the Cup and Kettle located at 819 Front Street Leavenworth Washington I picked up two lovely new teas, the first I have almost gone through the whole 2 ounces and that was the Cranberry Cream, tea, I am thrilled to know that this shop will ship as this is one I should have bought way more of!

You can call them at (509) 548-8327 to find out more but do if you live within driving distance stop in for sure. The second tea I picked up there was the Princess Grey which is a very floral Earl Grey that I loved the scent of.

I was thrilled on this latest trip to make it into the Stash Tea store on Mississippi. The store was beautiful and more than I had expected. I love their loose leaf tea line and picked up three new to me blends. I first selected The Portland Pride Blend. Love the new packaging and even though I don't normally like a white tea this one had a lovely scent and is a quite floral scented tea, I think it will be lovely chilled. I loved the Macaroon I got in store as well, it was the size of a hamberger...

I also picked up the Double Grey Portland Fog, though the temps were in the 90's when I was there it was hard to imagine Portland ever getting bad weather, it was the name first that caught my eye and the double dose of bergamot that sealed the deal. Thrilled to have picked this tea up which is perfect for the afternoon and to look forward to for the fall.

Their Mellow Moments Tea I also picked up in store, I have not seen this one in store locally and the name called to me. I am looking forward enjoying this one in the early evening. I feel so lucky to have been able to indulge in these shops this weekend. If you find yourself close to either of these stores do try to make it in! You won't be sorry!
Thank you for joining me here today. I look forward to sharing many cozy moments with you with my up coming reviews.  I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

A Trip To Oregon and A Review Of Kate Dyer-Seeley's Pacific Northwest Mystery Series!

For the last week I have been traveling, a bit of a cozy adventure get away with my husband, to Portland Oregon. This week long get away was a delight and I am thrilled to say it was full of trips to the book store and lots of time reading in the hotel room to beat the 40 degree (80's for my American readers).

Oregon has some amazing book stores and on our first night here I went to the Book Bin in Salem (South of Portland) to meet and listen to author Kate Dyer-Seeley (AKA- Ellie Alexander). While my cozy best friends have all read her work for me this adventure was brand new and I tracked down her books at the book stores down here to read on our trip.

 I had intended to read the Bake Shop Mystery series but it was the way that Kate talked about both her series that endeared me to the Scene of the Climb her first book in the Pacific Northwest Mystery Series.  This is the first book in a three book series with the 4th book coming out in December. I finally tracked a copy down at my 6th book store and second Powell's books location.

Portland, Oregon, is the perfect fit for someone like Meg Reed. It's a city with a small town feel, where she can crash on the couch of her best friend Jill, now that she's graduated from journalism school. . . But a girl needs a job, so Meg bluffs her way into writing for Northwest Extreme magazine, passing herself off to editor-in-chief Greg Dixon as an outdoor adventure enthusiast. Never mind that Meg's idea of sport is climbing onto the couch without spilling her latte. So when she finds herself clawing to the top of Angel's Rest--a two-thousand-foot peak--to cover the latest challenge in a reality TV adventure show, she can't imagine feeling more terrified. Until she witnesses a body plummet off the side of the cliff. Now Meg has a murder to investigate. And if the climbing doesn't kill her, a murderer just might.

You can order your own copy of Scene of the Climb from The Book Depository with free shipping by clicking here.

I truly enjoyed reading this on my trip. Being in the state it was written about made the book even more alive. The characters are well developed the setting, theme and mysteries are so good and so well researched that you can tell that this story is written by someone who truly loves and grasps the feel and energy of this state. I was very impressed to meet Kate and delighted by her humor, talent and energy. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the great outdoors, and to anyone who loves the great outdoors from the comfort of their reading chair like I do! I really enjoyed main character Meg and her friends, I can relate to her less then athletic abilities and her clumsiness. I believe that this is a series I will happily read and enjoy for many books to come.
To learn more about this series please click here for Kate Dyer-Seeley's Website. 

On a tea note, Stash tea is located in this area and I may have filled my bag with lovely teas to enjoy, shown here is one of the new to me varieties I chose while in store. Lavender Tulsi was a lovely herbal tea, refreshing and invigorating this tea is made with Tulsi (Holy Basil) and lavender like its name and it does taste like heaven!

Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Letting Go Of All The Things That No Longer Serve You

I saw this quote this weekend, "Let go of all the things that no longer serve you" and a light bulb went off in my head. I have been feeling overwhelmed of late with an over abundance of mess and clutter of not only my things but my families.  I spent most of yesterday re organizing my two youngest boys rooms, removing items such as clothing they have outgrown and old. crusty and used muffin wrappers my youngest one seems to have either been storing for a science project or simply to make me crazy. I also began to tackle my craft area (also known as a hoarders dumping ground) I have amassed so much stuff that I can not even begin to tell you how "not creative" it made me feel.

The thought of decorating for the holidays, which I usually do around the middle of November was not something I have been looking forward to and yet it is usually my favorite part of Christmas, well the lead up and not the actual day is my favorite. I am actually one who starts taking down my tree and decorations on Christmas Day evening after returning home from my in laws for dinner. Usually by "boxing day" I have everything boxed up and on it's way back to the garage.

I made some serious headway on my crafter's pile and manage 1 1/2 garbage bags of items to donate. Now if I could find a second wind to finish the job that would be great!  I know that I will have to make time later this week to continue what I have started. I am anxious to share my newest Snow Babies, which my husband has been buying me since we were dating and still gives me one every year. Sunday I came home to find he had taken our three boys to purchase this years and it is so cute I am going to share it later this week once I find the surface of the table that is.

One of my favorite teas year round, not only do I hoard craft supplies, I also hoard tea and I love Stash Tea's Christmas Eve Tea, it is herbal and very calming.  I may just go make myself a cup and will go back to stalking the mail man whom I hope will have a new book for me to read very soon! So I shall leave you here, lighter then I was yesterday and hopeful that tomorrows mail holds a very special book I ordered. Thank you for joining me for A Cup of Tea and A Cozy Mystery. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Stash Tea! A Welcome Surprise At My Hotel And In My Cup!

Stash Tea has long been a favorite of mine and I was thrilled to find such a great selection in my hotel!

Stash Tea is located in Oregon and if you have you ever wanted to try I can highly recommend these 4 flavors and their Christmas Morning Tea is my most favorite I highly recommend it!
Next trip through I need to stop here!

Stash Tea Retail Store (Tigard, Oregon)

Regular Hours:11 AM–6 PM, Monday-Friday 
11 AM–5 PM, Saturday & Sunday 
See our holiday hours» 

7250 SW Durham Rd, Bldg J 
Tigard, OR 97224 USA 
503-603-9905 
800-547-1514 
Fax: 503-684-4424 
retail-store@stashtea.com 

Off to another bookstore now and hopefully to find a new tea! Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery today!

As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com 

Tea Snails and A Cup of Tea, Yes This Is A Real Thing!

I first heard about tea snails a few weeks ago and ordered them right away. If you have never heard of the tea snail and you are a tea bag enthusiast this is the accessory for you!

These little silicone tea pets fit along the rim of your favorite tea mug and you loop the string of your tea bag around their shell to stop it from slipping in your cup or worse, your tea steeping and dripping out of your mug via the strings of your tea bag.

These are very easy to use and make great gifts for tea lovers! Perfect to slip into an envelope or birthday/holiday card and fun to use at the office.

 

 These little friendly helpers are very affordable I picked them up on Ebay for 20 cents each including shipping. I did have to wait a few weeks but these are totally worth it. Click here for the Ebay shop I purchased the tea snails from.

In case you may be wondering what teas is in my cup with the "Cup of Joy" tag, the tea bag is Stash Tea's Christmas Eve Herbal Tea which I hoard in November/December when it goes on sale.

  This tea is a "caffeine-free blend of mint and sweet spices, perfect for a moment of peaceful reflection".

 I drink it year round and really love the taste you can purchase it year round on the Stash Website in loose leaf or bag. Visit their website by clicking here.

Thank you for joining me for A Cup of Tea.

As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com