Tuesday Tea and National Bubble Bath Day

I started my morning with the latest addition of Tea Time Magazine. I love this publication and am so excited and inspired with each issue. I love the Pink Teacups on the front and was inspired to pull my Aynsley one down off the shelf for this mornings me moment and tea.

 I was thrilled to see that Author Sarah Fox's new book Wine and Punishment was mentioned in the magazine! This is on my TBR pile right now! Click here to learn more. 

 Tuesdays in the tea shop for me is tea tin filling day and boy is it one of my most favorite things about working here. Filling the tea tins and the store with the most amazing aromas, this one is our Spa Blend and it tastes as beautiful as it looks. I even brought in my sewing scissors for our ribbons which I was pre cutting for our products today, I thought it was fun to tie some left over on the end of my scissors, just a touch of whimsy...

One of my favorite authors Lorna Barrett, shared that today is National Bubble Bath Day, now that is a day I can get behind for sure! I know what I am going to do later today, I will stop and pick some up on my way home from visiting my dad in hospital tonight.

I found this amazing site http://www.myhealthyhomemadelife.com/relaxing-flower-milk-bath-tea/ with a great recipe for a Flower and Milk bath, I have made these before and I love the idea of making this as part of Bubble Bath day, the Milk does foam so I am counting it as a win and I love the idea of adding tea or flowers to the bath.... Click here for the recipe from My Healthy Homemade Life. 

Thank you for joining me today for a quick cup of tea and a great way to celebrate and include tea in your everyday life. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Rainy Day In The Tea Shop, Murchie's Afternoon...

(Photo from my instagram account this morning, click here to find and follow me) 

Today is January 3rd and I am safe and warm in my tea shop, sipping Murchie's Afternoon Blend from my favorite cup and saucer in the shop (I bring my own from home, I maybe moving in one cup and saucer at a time). I am watching and listening to the rain fall as I eat my lunch in a very quiet shop.  Over the last few weeks the shop has been full and busy, but the rain today has slowed down our foot traffic and only a few die hard customers have made it through my doors. 

I have lots to do in the shop so I am not un busy, but I wanted to share a little story of my own from the tea shop about our Murchie's Afternoon Blend... 

Some of you may know that I live in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Growing up we made trips to Victoria B.C. which is an Island off the West Coast Of Canada and about 2 hours away by Ferry. When I was a young girl I went with my grandmother to a very old and famous hotel called The Empress. This hotel is just steps from the inner harbor in Victoria and moments away from the equally impressive parliament buildings. On one very special occasion, one of a handful of times in my lifetime, we had tea at the  Empress Hotel. That was the first time I ever had Murchie's Best (then called Empress Afternoon Blend) Tea. For me it is one of the most iconic teas Murchie's makes. This blend of Ceylon, Keemun and Darjeeling teas has an effervescent quality and a clean rich taste.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Empress,_Victoria,_BC.jpg

Years later (about 19 actually) my grandmother was dying from bone cancer and she lived in Ontario which is about 3,000 miles away, from where I live. I went to Murchie's and purchased the tea now called Murchie's Afternoon for her and mailed it so that she could again enjoy that tea. My grandmother passed away 5 days after my first son was born, almost 18 years ago now. It is nice to have this tea memory and to know that the recipe has not changed even though the name and packaging has changed, the taste is still perfection. 

You can find Murchie's Afternoon Blend on the Murchie's Website by clicking here. 

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