Lynn Cahoon's Santa Puppy

Oh my gosh did I ever enjoy Santa Puppy. It was not at all what I expected! So much better! This Christmas themed novella is the perfect holiday read. Short, sweet and really well written. The story will tug a bit at your heartstrings but in a really good way. I love this series and it was easy to picture the entire setting, the characters and even taste the cookies! I am totally using the recipe at the end of this story too! It is out now and you can find Santa Puppy by Lynn Cahoon as an audible download on Amazon by clicking here ( I am not an amazon affiliate, I just really like this book)

'Twas the season of Christmas, and all through South Cove, California, Santa is working overtime to deliver a special gift....

Jill Gardner has volunteered her Coffee, Books, and More to host a Christmas adopt-a-pet party. Among the potential forever friends is a male terrier named Baby, whose owner died of a heart attack. With few clues to go on, even finding the name of Baby's human is a daunting task. But there's no challenge too big for Jill this holiday season.

Playing Santa's Little Helper, Jill is determined to find out what happened - and to fulfill a long-time coming Christmas wish....

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

Tales From The Tea Shop...The Magic of Scent Memory,

Welcome to Tales From The Tea Shop...
I have begun collecting stories from my customers, in the Tea Shop and wanted to share them with you. I believe there is Magic in the tea shop and some of that Magic is what I wish to share with all of you.  Above is a photo I took in the shop on Halloween.  For those of you who may be new to my blog, I work at a Tea Shop called Murchie's and I love it.  I love the atmosphere, the customers and the location. Here is just a bit of why....

In the absence of memory recall, desire and scent memory are stronger than dementia.....

On Monday afternoon at the Tea Shop, I had a lull in customers, I was tidying and straightening the shop, when the automatic button to the front door was pushed, the door chimed signalling the arrival of a new customer. I greeted the lady as she struggled with her walker to come through the door. Over the threshold she came, unsteadily into the shop. She took a deep breath and smiled. I welcomed her and offered her a sip of one of the two teas we had on sample. She lowered the seat on her walker and made herself comfortable as I presented her with the sample cup.

"I don't know if you can help me, but my memory is not kind and I have the beginning stages of dementia. I was just moved to an assisted living facility and I am not sure how much longer I will be able to come out on my own, I nodded gently to her and offered any help I could give her.
" I am desperately searching for a tea I had as a young woman, I don't remember the name of it, but I think it is grown on a high mountain and I would love to find that tea again."
I told her how I loved a challenge and asked her to make herself comfortable while I brought over some of our tea tins. I was determined to find her the tea she was looking for.
I started with our Ceylon Tea, bringing it to her and with shaking hands she reached for the tea tin, inhaled and shook her head, "No that is not it",
I then went for our Keemun tea, presented her the tin and again she accepted it, took a deep breath and shook her head, "Not it either but I think closer some how."

Undeterred I had an idea and grabbed our Murchie's Afternoon Blend, I passed her the tea tin and again she accepted it, took a deep breath and looked at me, "This is not it but I think it is in here!" She smiled then said " Oh is this pointless?" I assured her it was not and picked the fourth and final tin from the shelf confident that had found her tea. I presented her with our Darjeeling Finest Tea Tin, again we repeated our now set routine, She took a deep breath, and then another, this time she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said "That's it!"
She began to tell me her story with a tear escaping from her now sparkling eyes. "My mother took me when I was quite a young girl to a very Fancy Tea Store like this, I was so impressed that they new my mother by name and my mother and I sat and had tea, she ordered me this tea and I felt quite grown up, until I tried to add milk to my cup and my mother corrected me! She was adamant that I have the tea without the milk, she said 'You will lose the flavor of this beautiful tea leaf!' So I have drank my tea black all these years. What is this tea called please?"

I told her it was our Darjeeling Finest Blend Tea and she said "Now I remember, Darjeeling!"
"I would like to buy some of this tea, I don't have a kitchen anymore but I do have a kettle and pot in my room, the tea they have is dreadful."
I went to our tea wall and pulled the sampler pack of 10 down for her and brought it to our counter. She fussed with her purse and then paused, "Oh no, I just realized a tea like this is going to be very expensive! I assured her she had nothing to worry about and that our sampler packages of 10 were $4.75, she was more than thrilled and took out her purse to count out her money. When the purchase was rung through and the deal complete I offered her a bag for her tea and she responded by saying "No dear thank you, I should like to hold this close, in my own hands. She thanked me for my help and as she made her way to the door, she turned, smiled and said, "Thank you, you have made me very happy, I am going to go now and fix myself a proper pot of tea"

She was one of many customers I had that day, but one that stuck out for me as a true gem. There is magic in this tea shop, I watched as the very sent of our Darjeeling tea transformed my aging customer, into a young woman, through the sent of the tea, she was transported back to a happier time, one she could vividly share and remember. This touched me, in a way that will stay with me and I hope you. Her memory might be going but her sent memory is strong, and now with each sip of her tea, it lives again.

Thank you for joining me here 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

Karen's Snowflake Shortbread

I love to bake. Shortbread is one cookie I learned to make and store in logs of batter in my fridge so that when someone stops by I can pull it out and slice and bake some while the kettle boils. This year I decided to add one of my new favorite holiday teas that we have at Murchie's to my dough and the result is spectacular.

In order to make these shortbread I had to pull out my coffee grinder give it a good wipe down and added 1 tsp of the Snowflake tea, (You can use any loose leaf tea you think would pair nicely, such as an Earl Grey Tea, just make sure you grind the tea leaves finely). Our Snowflake tea has coconut and Almond with black tea and is on its own quiet something to sip, I paired a pot of the tea to go with the shortbread and it was to die for!

Here is the recipe:
1 cup of softened butter
1/2 cup of icing sugar
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp of  loose leaf tea of your choice (mine was Snowflake from Murchie's) ground finely

In a mixer place your butter and whip it until it is light and very soft, add your icing sugar and continue to whip it to combine. Slowly add your flour 1/2 cup at a time, making sure to check that it is absorbing into the butter before you add more.  Final step is grind your tea leaves, add them to your batter. Mix together until it is all incorporated.

Tear off some parchment the size of your cookie sheet and place it on the counter, spoon half the dough onto the parchment paper and log roll it, I form mine into more of a square and mold it with the paper as I go. Repeat on the remaining dough. Place them in the fridge to harden up for at least two hours.

When you wish to bake them, preheat your oven to about 350 pull out one log at a time and slice the cookies to your desired thickness, I did mine 1/2 inch thick.
Place them on a lined baking sheet and bake until the edges start to turn a light golden brown. Cool slightly and then place them on a pretty plate and make yourself a cup of tea in a beautiful cup and enjoy!

Think you might like to try Murchie's Snowflake Tea? Click here for the Murchie's Website. 

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

A Scandal in Scarlet by Vicki Delany

I finished A Scandal in Scarlet by Vicki Delany last night. I really enjoy this series. I found that in this one I was not able to guess the killer and that for me is the best. I love the way that Gemma, the main character, is written. A book store attached to a tea room is very appealing to me and I loved this particular story. It was happy/sad and cozy all at the same time. If you are a fan of Sherlock themed mysteries, that read and feel like a modern day Sherlock and Holmes story come read this! I love the cover as well.

Sherlockians will delight at the latest charming installment of national bestselling author Vicki Delany’s fourth Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery.

Gemma and Jayne donate their time to raise money for the rebuilding of a burned out museum—but a killer wants a piece of the auction.Walking her dog Violet late one night, Gemma Doyle, owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop, acts quickly when she smells smoke outside the West London Museum. Fortunately no one is inside, but it’s too late to save the museum’s priceless collection of furniture, and damage to the historic house is extensive. Baker Street’s shop owners come together to hold an afternoon auction tea to raise funds to rebuild, and Great Uncle Arthur Doyle offers a signed first edition of The Valley of Fear. Cape Cod’s cognoscenti files into Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room, owned by Gemma’s best friend, Jayne Wilson. Excitement fills the air (along with the aromas of Jayne’s delightful scones, of course). But the auction never happens. Before the gavel can fall, museum board chair Kathy Lamb is found dead in the back room. Wrapped tightly around her neck is a long rope of decorative knotted tea cups—a gift item that Jayne sells at Mrs. Hudson’s. Gemma’s boyfriend in blue, Ryan Ashburton, arrives on the scene with Detective Louise Estrada. But the suspect list is long, and the case far from elementary. Does Kathy’s killing have any relation to a mysterious death of seven years ago? 

This one is out November 13th and you can find it on Amazon by clicking here. 
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery review. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Mug Rug Sunday...

My Aunt Margot, made me this lovely mug rug in the spring and I had it on my table yesterday. Mug rugs are wonderful little placemats not much larger than coasters or can be as large as you would like, their purpose is to give you a pretty place to put your mug or teacup and perhaps a light lovely snack.
My aunt is a quilter and hers is really special to me, it has pockets you can slip a tea bag into as well.

These are lovely gifts to make and give and fun to pick up at craft fairs. They are great for scrap busting as well. Here are some of my favorite free patterns incase you wish to make your own.

This one from love to sew.com 

This is a great tutorial and pattern idea The sewing loft blog 

Beyond Sock Monkeys has a great tutorial as well. Click here to see this very simple quilting project. 

I hope you have a lovely Sunday! Happy Sewing! Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a tea time craft idea. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

The Murder Chronicles...

Thursday, I came home to my second envelope from The Murder Chronicles. This is a subscription service that sends you a mystery to solve, through the mail. (Don't worry it does come with an answer sheet!) I love getting this and having a case to solve! It is so easy to bring with me and pull out to read when I can. Solving it in my own time, a lot like carrying a cozy mystery with me and armchair sleuthing it!  As this is my second envelope I am looking forward to exploring it this weekend and getting to know the case, each envelope has the story, clues and excitement!

My first one had me stumped and I love that the solution is included so that when you have it figured out or you are totally stumped you can check and see if you are on the right track or if you have the case in hand solved!
This is a great gift idea too for mystery lovers, armchair sleuths or someone who needs a cool surprise in the mail! You can order them once, every three months, click this link to learn more.   

Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a look at some truly fun mysteries through the mail. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

NANOWRIMO Starts today!

Today is the start of National Novel Writing Month and it is time to be brave, pick up the pencil and start writing. Okay you can type it too but sometimes its easier to get the ideas down on paper first.  This is the third year I am participating.

Something making it more special this year is that my son the reluctant reader is also participating! His classroom teacher and Education Assistant sent home his NaNoWriMo goal sheet, I want one too now!
When I told him I was doing it as well, he said "Why did you not sit down and plan your novel with me? We could do it together. " I love his faith in me!
I plan to at least attempt to write each day.

I am planning on attending at least one Nanowrimo event and this one is put on by my sisters in crime chapter! Space is limited so if you are local and you want to come email morganticharlotte@gmail.com 

At work today I put together a small display for Nanowrimo! Our Book Lover's gift set, $19.95 has No 10 tea, Murchie's Tea Bag Rest, Library Tea, Editors Blend, some festive napkins and a great tea tin! I also love the book mugs
I am off to write, wondering if these words count towards my writing goal?
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a look at this years Nanowrimo launch.
I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com