Zephyr Hill

A Family Blog

Tea Time With My Children

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Tea time is something we like to do at least a couple of times a week. And no, this is not Buckingham Palace! Sometimes “tea time” just means cookies and juice. But quite often, the children and I do brew a pot of tea and have something fresh-baked from the oven. The idea is just to get together for a little bit of refreshment and conversation before the hustle and bustle of dinner preparations and Daddy’s return from work each evening.

After winning a prize package from Mountain Rose Herbs, I got to try something new for tea time! Mountain Rose Herbs was founded upon the principles of sustainability and ethical stewardship, and all of the lovely teas, herbs and spices they sell are organically grown, fresh and full of flavor.

Jackie at Mountain Rose sent a bag of Fairytale organic tea leaves for our prize. All of the Mountain Rose teas are fresh-packed, so when we opened the bag a delightful symphony of fragrances greeted us, thanks to calendula, chamomile, red clover and hints of lemon and mint.

Our prize package also included a leaf-shaped tea infuser which rests on the rim of your mug. We used our two new strainers to brew a cup of tea for everyone. From my very first sip of Mountain Rose tea I noticed more freshness and flavor as compared to commercial herbal teas. Smaller batches which are freshly packed really do make a difference!

You can see from the photo above how the tea nest strainer works, as compared to the traditional ball infuser. If you love to brew fresh tea leaves, or have a tea lover in your life, this unique infuser would make a great gift and is just $9.50. You can choose either the leaf or vine design.

A big “thank you” is due to Mountain Rose Herbs and The Little Hedgehog blog for this giveaway which really added some fun to our weekly tea time.

I can’t wait to go back to Mountain Rose Herbs and try more of their tea blends. With names like Marigold Embrace, Dawn’s Delight and Evening Repose, there are surely good things in store.

Won’t you stop by the Mountain Rose Herbs website and see what beautiful things you can find? And don’t forget to like their Facebook page, too.

Do you and your family enjoy drinking tea? What are your favorites?

Happy sipping!

Women: Have You Ever Said “I Could Never Do That!”

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things I’ve said this about and where I stand

Baking Bread

Cloth Diapering

Making Our Own Clothes

Having a Big Family

On one hand, it’s been popular in modern times to tell women “You can do anything!” and yet how many women respond to a challenge with the words “I could never do that!” Surely there has to be a balance between knowing our limitations and meeting new challenges.

Quite often, when I tell someone that I have 5 children (update…now there are 6!), or that I home school, or that we raise and butcher our own meat, or that we cloth diaper, etc. etc. they will respond like this: “Oh, I could never do that!” Of course, this is not meant to be a criticism; they are just saying they think they can’t do it for one reason or another.

That response always brings to mind a saying I heard once from Dave Ramsey: “It doesn’t matter if you think you can, or if you think you can’t. You’re right!”

That is to say, when we think we can’t do something, then we generally won’t do it.

But the fact is, there are a lot of things we COULD do if we only put forth the effort, educated ourselves and made conditions ripe for the adventure. If we would “set the stage for success” then saying “I can do this” would be much easier.

Despite the many things I’ve undertaken, I am still very guilty of this way of thinking sometimes. Like many, I fear the unknown. I keep saying I’d “like” to bake all of our bread and sew clothing for my children, but I’m not taking any steps to make those things happen.

Another saying I love: “If it is to be….then it’s up to me!”

Here are some leaps of faith I’ve taken and the outcomes that resulted. It’s good for me to look over this list from time to time for encouragement. The fear of failure is usually a lot worse than the outcomes we imagine (and that rarely happen):

1. I got married. Yes, this counts! It’s a big leap to commit yourself to one man for the rest of your life, till death do you part. The outcome? Ten years together so far – and the security, comfort and happiness this brings. And did I mention all the beautiful children?
2. I started using cloth diapers. One day I just quit buying disposables, so I was forced to go “old school.” In came the prefolds and diaper pins and covers. The outcome? Lots of money savings. Some failures and foibles along the way as I learned what worked best. Four years later….here we are. I’m one of the biggest cloth advocates you find anywhere!
3. I started budgeting. Actually, this is something my husband and I do together. And it’s hard. But it works. Do I like having restrictions on spending? Not really. Do I like looking at the budget every month and going over the numbers with my husband? Hardly! Do I like that we’re not living from “paycheck to paycheck” anymore? YES! Do I like that we don’t overdraw on checking anymore? YES! Do I like that we finally have savings AND a growing emergency fund? YES!

What are some things you keeping saying you can’t do, and what are your reasons? What would it take for you to go ahead and try?