Believe Is An Action Word!

Believe. It is a verb,an action word,did you know that? I think I knew that but I never really understood it until I was a parent. "Believe: to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing" 

Rose Hill Designs

Believe is such a great word that blankets the Christmas season brings magic and hope and if nothing else a pep talk about the holidays. Such a busy time, self inflicted for many of us but indisputably the most crazy time of year for schedules, end of year activities, teacher gifts, parties and then there is the entire crazy Christmas shopping rush. Believe can be what you need it to be. For some it is a holy word, some it is a word that invokes magic, some it invokes nostalgia for some it is a battle cry, for me it is a pep talk word. Believe that you can get through this, that you have got this and that this insanely busy, crazy, and wonderful time will soon pass.

Grab a cup, grab a cozy and ride the storm of believe with me this holiday season. Thank you for joining me for A Cup of Tea and a Cozy Mystery today.

Autumn Reflections and Inspiration From Facebook

The above is a meme that crossed my news feed and brought a smile to my face last night. Not only did I feel it had relevance in my own life but I think it pretty much sums up every single one of my favorite cozy mystery main characters, okay maybe not Charlie from The Cat in the stacks mysteries but really it could apply to him too.

September is one of those times of year I feel the most excited and the most anxiety, followed quickly and closely by Christmas. I feel like I am swept up into a "vortex' called September and before I know it is new years day and I have felt like I just blinked.  But with all this stress and anxiety there is a healthy does of excitement and inspiration. I have to remember to take time for that second cup of tea, that deep breath and change the way I see the difficulties I feel coming my way. Easier said then done but I try. Like my favorite photo of my tea I think I ever have taken and shared shown above. "Holding of the weight of the world one cup at a time"

 Heather Stillufsen  of Rosehilldesignstudio.etsy.com  is one of my favorite artists and I have purchased several of her cards as they personally move and speak to me in a way I never felt before. Her design above embodies that feeling of excitement and anxiety that I feel with the start of each September.

One of these days I am going to have to splurge and pick myself up one of her journals! I have a great selection of her cards I would love to frame and hang up they are so very motivating and inspiring. You can see them daily on Facebook by clicking here  or check out her Etsy shop by clicking here.

This time of year I do love reading a good paranormal cozy mystery anything with Witches or Ghosts, I love reading them year round but especially when Halloween approaches. I loved Carol J. Perry's Caught Dead Handed, The entire series is wonderful!

If you are looking for a funny paranormal read do check out Tonya Kappes Ghostly Grave  I really had a great laugh with this one.

Heather Blake has two really great paranormal cozies and One Potion in the Grave is currently on sale for $1.99 Click here for your deal on the kindle version! 

There are so very many more wonderful paranormal cozies to read this Autumn and some wonderful Autumn releases. So while there may not be a whole lot of Roses to stop and smell there is a whole lot stolen moment for The Ritual of Tea ...

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

The Quest For The Perfectly Matched Tea Strainer For My Old Country Roses Tea Set

This morning I logged on to Facebook and was so excited with a few of the posts I saw. I am a creature of habit and love my on line community. I am always so very excited to see the posts from my friends in the East who get up 3 hours before me so there is always some really great posts. This morning in addition to the wonderful post from Heather Stillufsen in the image shown above was a photo of something I did not know I had always needed and at the same time never knew excited!

Someone posted this Old Country Roses Tea Strainer and now I do believe I am on a Quest  to obtain and enjoy this amazing piece! Now where do I find it?

So a quick search of Ebay and my hopes are slightly dashed as the first one I see is $476.00  Canadian!

More in my price range however is the New Country Rose tea strainer which I can order on line and it is on sale for $19.99 you can click this link to see it. I am slightly disheartened to the lack of a handle on this one so I will not rush out to get it just yet. 

I am now placing it high on my wish list of unattainable items next to the tea pot to match my Petit Point set! (roughly the same cost!) but hey a girl can dream!

Keep your eyes out for me though you never know what you may find at a tag or yard sale or thrift store! Just keep me in mind!

I hope you have a wonderful day I am off to finish my pot of tea. Thank you for joining me for A Cup of Tea a Cozy Mystery and my dream wish list!

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 

A Special Surprise At My Door

Life has a way of surprising you in the most difficult of times.This beautiful candle teacup & saucer arrived at my door yesterday with out much notice or fan fair, smack dab in the middle of a complicated and tough day. A simple brown box containing the very encouragement and thoughtfulness of character one could only hope for in a friend. Arriving unceremoniously and with out even a card inside indicating who the sender might be!This was a true cup of tea, candle and a cozy mystery....What a lovely treat someone had in store for me.  I am so thankful to the lovely person who sent this my way and to whom I feel truly grateful.

 In my very hectic and busy life I treasure the quiet stolen moments in the sea of chaos. About a year ago I started to hold myself accountable for the moments I choose to take for myself, which is really how and why my tea photos started to appear on line. You see I made myself a promise to start the day in a positive and as stress free way as possible. To do something nice and something beautiful just for me. Too make sure I would be accountable for the effort I put into it every day I took photos of what I was doing.  I got up early, made myself a pot of tea, lit a candle and enjoyed the very peace and quiet that I craved in the day but only could find before the day started. Pretty soon this ritual became habit and the photos were making a difference in not just my day but I would come to learn some months later, a difference in other peoples lives as well.
Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to comment, share and let me know you like what I do. It is now not only for myself and my own happiness that I continue to do what I do with my photos and book reviews.

This morning along with my cup of tea may I share a favorite artist from Etsy. I have been buying her cards for a year now and if you take a look at her studio you will see why. I wish I could draw the way she can and I love how she can capture my very thoughts and heart with each drawing and sketch.  This was the first card I ordered from her and it spoke to me and affirmed my belief in what I do. Check out Rosehill Design Studio and this card on Etsy by clicking here.
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea this morning and thank you for allowing me into your homes and allowing me to share what I am passionate about.
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