Mint & Simple Syrup

The other day, I met my friend Amy for lunch, and she arrived bearing a lovely and most unexpected gift: a bunch of fresh mint and lavender from her garden!

It was arranged so prettily that I commented on the "bouquet," and Amy confessed that she once worked in a florist, so perhaps that's where she learned to style things so well. I naturally told her I would be going home and enjoying them in my tea, just plopping a bit of each into a glass, and that was quite delicious.

But after several days, I realized I haven't made a simple syrup for iced tea in years, so since summer has officially arrived, that's what I did. You simply pour a cup of water and a cup of sugar into a saucepan, bring to a boil, then stir until all the sugar crystals have dissolved. I also added a handful of the fresh mint and let the mixture cool before straining out the leaves. Served with some plain old black tea, this makes a wonderfully minty addition to your summertime sipping!

And remember that covered cream pitcher I bought for $1 at a garage sale last month? It's such an elegant way to store the simple syrup, and I'm so happy whenever I spot it in my fridge. I don't usually sweeten my tea, but once a summer? I think it's definitely worth the splurge!

Summer 2025 Flea Market Décor magazine

I was at the grocery store recently and came across the new issue of Flea Market Décor. This is a magazine I have bought off and on through the years, and this pretty garden setting with a pink tablecloth and green chairs and glass water pitcher and teacups on the table was right up my alley. And did you note the chandelier, which appears to be hanging from either a tree or the sky? It features clear glass teacups, so that was pretty cool too.

Teacups feature in many of the photos. I like the juxtaposition of this feminine ruffled tablecloth and teacups with the rustic tables and old watering cans. Charming!

Here, I was impressed by the pairing of strawberry-themed pieces and Jadeite. Perfect!

Finally, I was inspired by this pairing of white wares and Old Glory. I don't have a lot of red, white, and blue décor, and it didn't really dawn on me to fill in with plain white pieces. So I got lots of ideas from this issue of Flea Market Décor, and I think some of you would enjoy it as well.

Snore & Peace Tea

My friend Paige, the flight attendant, came home the other day with another fun new tea for me, this one called Snore & Peace from Clipper Teas. She found it when she ran inside a grocery store in Amsterdam and thought I would enjoy the tea because of its name.

Although I've heard of Clipper Teas before, I rarely come across them at T. J. Maxx or in shops, so I was delighted to receive this box of tea bags as a gift!

And the tea was great! Although I sometimes like chamomile tea in the evening, it can have a slightly bitter aftertaste, but the lemon balm and lavender made this blend mellow out quite a bit, and I've been enjoying it at bedtime. What a lovely treat, and I'm especially honored that a friend thought of me while grocery shopping in the Netherlands. 

Sweet (tea) memories and Father's Day

In my family, any holiday gathering, at any time of year, is going to involve a pitcher of sweet tea, and this weekend’s Father’s Day celebration was no exception.

It’s especially meaningful to me because sweet tea is something I always associate with Daddy. He went to work on the assembly line at Ford Motor Co. in Hapeville, Ga., at a young age and retired there 30 or so years later as a supervisor. Every night, he would pack a lunch for the next day’s commute to work, and that always included a big thermos of sweet tea along with whatever sandwiches and chips he ate. At 86, he golfs several times a week and still plants a big garden, raises chickens, and continues to bake delicious birthday cakes for my sister, me, and the rest of the family! 

Rhonda had barbecue and brisket, baked beans and cole slaw, and I contributed carrot salad, chips, and …

The Pioneer Woman’s Strawberry Poke Cake (super easy and quite moist; the recipe is here if you’re interested).

I enjoyed celebrating the dads in the family, particularly my own, and the other fun thing was that I got to play with my brother-in-law’s newest addition to his man cave, a Ms. Pac-Man game!

Some fun new teas I'm sipping

When my tea friend Susan sent me some goodies for my birthday last month, she included some delightful new teas, and I have been slowly sipping my way through them. She found these charmingly packaged Tea Party Collection teas at Aldi, and I shared them with my little tea friends from the neighborhood, who were as delighted as I knew they would be! I liked the fruity flavors of the ones I tried—Raspberry Cookie and Lemon Macaroon—and they liked theirs too!

I was even more intrigued by these yaupon teas she sent, many of them thoughtfully labeled by hand! (I'm so impressed when anyone takes the time to handwrite anything anymore. The gift of time means more and more to me with each passing year!) The yaupon tea I tried last night was the Dark Blend from Yaupon Brothers American Tea Co. in Florida, and I enjoyed its slightly earthy flavor so much!

Once I emailed to tell her my package had arrived, Susan thoughtfully replied with a photo of the beautiful packaging from the ASI Mindful Mint American Yaupon Tea, from the Yaupon Tea Company based in Savannah. According to their website, "Yaupon is a tree that grows native in the southeastern United States. The native tribes of the area made a stimulating tea from the Yaupon leaves, as it was revered as traditional medicine. Yaupon is the only caffeine source native to North America. Yaupon contains anti-oxidants comparable to blueberries, has chlorogenic acid, polyphenols and flavonoids. Yaupon also contains theobromine, the alkaloid found in dark chocolate. Yaupon’s taste ranges from a smooth black tea to a light green tea." Have you tried yaupon tea before? It's been years since I'd come across any, so I was super happy that Susan was kind enough to share these with me!

A straw poll

I would like to have a word with you all about straws, if you please. Now, I love the stainless steel Lilly Pulitzer tumbler I purchased a few months ago, and as a result of having it, I'm sipping more water and iced tea, but it needed a straw, and the only reusable straw I had on hand was a red-and-white-striped Christmas one, and the mismatched straw-and-tumbler ensemble bugged me so much that I headed to T. J. Maxx in search of other straws. Good night, I had no idea there were so many straws to choose from these days: stainless steel, hard plastic, glass, and they also come with cutesy stoppers, rubber and plastic sippers, cleaning brushes, and a partridge in a pear tree. Ultimately, I dropped a whopping $2.99 and came home with these, mainly because I thought the tips of them would be a close match to the color of my tumbler, and indeed, they were.

However, sipping through rubber just felt weird! I think I was expecting the cold hard plastic that I had been sipping from before, but these were the only matching straws I had, so I gave one a whirl, and I’m used to it now. It's held up nicely for several weeks, so we'll see how long it lasts.

Since I rarely used straws before, I can't exactly say I'm saving the planet by using these, but I do believe that I'm drinking more water, and that's a plus. So here's my question. Do any of you have reusable straws? What are your thoughts on them?

Teatime Pillow Talk

One of the nice things about having had a tea blog for the past eighteen years is that I have accidentally created a tea journal for myself. So when I wondered, "Have I ever had a teatime pillow before?" it was easy enough to type in "pillow" in the search bar and confirm that no, I have not. I've found a few mini pillows that were more like ornaments or cutesy decor, but a real pillow? Nope. So when I saw this one last week at Rockin' B, a local antique mall, it was a no-brainer that this needed to come home with me. 

This feather-stuffed pillow feels new (nice and sturdy) and there's no musty smell at all, so I'm assuming this is a piece someone either bought at a good price to resell, or else they got tired of it and were ready to pass it on. At any rate, I love the chain-stitch embroidery on it, especially the Mason jar of sweet tea!

When I looked up the image on Google Lens, it said the pillow was made by Envogue, and I found the same design on a cream-colored background and not the watery blue-green color I bought. I would have bought that one, too, if I'd seen it, but I'm happy to have started my tea-themed pillow collection with this one.

Dolly and Dollar General

I stopped by Dollar General for a few last-minute toiletries before my trip to the mountains last weekend, and I couldn't help noticing that DG had some adorable Dolly Parton kitchen wares for sale. Do you like Dolly? I guess I've been a fan my whole life. I liked her in her country phrase, I loved her in 9 to 5, and when she lost her husband recently, I had Dolly on my prayer list, so I suppose "widowhood" is one of the few things Dolly and I have in common. (I note with interest that she says she's staying busy and that while she misses Carl, she tries not to dwell on it too much. Same, girl. Same.) Anyway: Dolly has tea bag holders at Dollar General!

I thought this one was cute, and if you look closely, you can see the iconic Dolly butterfly logo. Dolly's name is all over the place in Pigeon Forge since Dollywood is nearby. I went there when the park was still known as Silver Dollar City, so I probably need to go back sometime and check it out under Dolly's leadership. Her brilliant instincts as a businesswoman have long impressed me. I'm still astonished that she said no to Elvis recording "I Will Always Love You" because she would have had to give up the rights to the song. Since Whitney Houston went on to record it years later, making lots of money for Dolly, that ended up being a brilliant move, didn't it?

And I adored her in the movie 9 to 5, which is why this Cup of Ambition tea bag holder is my favorite! These were just $1, and they're apparently quite sturdy. The young man who checked me out dropped them both into the bottom of my bag, and when I heard the clank, I took them back out to check for chips, asked for a couple of plastic bags to wrap around them, and they made it safely home. They may just be $1 purchases, but hey, it's Dolly!

A fudge sampler and teatime miniatures

Are any of you fudge fans? I sure am, and when I go to the mountains or Mackinac Island or anywhere known for its fudge, I can’t resist coming home with some. I’m allowing myself only one piece a day of this fudge, which is from the Apple Barn in Sevierville, Tennessee, and of course I'm having it with hot tea since that complements the sweet taste so well. Sevierville, by the way, is perhaps even better known as the hometown of Dolly Parton!

While antiquing in Pigeon Forge, I was happy to come across a booth that had some old issues of Miniature Collector magazine, and this $2 find was one of my favorite “souvenirs” of my trip. I briefly got interested in miniatures back in the early nineties and read a few issues of the magazine back then. After discovering that a new crafting friend was once a miniatures dealer, and after seeing photos of her elaborately decorated dollhouses, I’ve been thinking about decorating a small room box with teatime miniatures. For that reason, this issue with “Tea Time!” on the cover caught my eye.

And oh, all the miniature teapots! I think I’d like to make my own out of modeling clay, but I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled when I’m thrifting and antiquing in the days ahead.

Can you believe someone decorated a miniature tea trolley? This magazine is from February 2001, so most of the advertisers have long since gone out of business, but I looked on eBay and was pleased to see that miniature tea trolleys are still available.

Check out the lemonade set here, which looks right at home among all of that beautiful wicker.

And aren’t these ladies delightful on their own wicker set? I found this whole issue just so charming to peruse. Are any of you into dollhouse miniatures?

A beautiful weekend in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Although I've traveled through it and over it quite a few times, I don't think I've stopped in Tennessee in years, so when my friend Gina asked me a few months ago if I would consider joining her for a trip to her cabin in the Smoky Mountains, I was all in. We went to church together years ago and have kept in touch since, especially since we've both lost husbands in the past few years. She has been a huge source of comfort to me, so I knew I would enjoy traveling with her.

Plus, seeing God's gorgeous creation is always a balm for my soul!

This is us about to leave the cabin after our long weekend.

Gina and I are both crafters, so we enjoyed visits to a scrapbook store, antique stores, some delicious home-cooking restaurants (which happily prepared Arnold Palmers for me), and my favorite, the Moon Pie outlet and bookstore!

A bunch of geese had arrived at the same time we did, and they weren't a bit camera-shy!

You never know what you'll see at an antique store, but at this one, I saw an old mirrored tray that someone had embellished with vintage costume jewelry. Those of you who've read my Junkin' Jewelry mysteries won't be surprised to hear that I plan to let my heroine make some of these trays the next time I write about her!

I came home with quite a few new goodies, which you'll hear about in the days ahead, but after Gina and I returned home on Sunday and I unpacked from the weekend, I settled in with a cup of tea and a mini Moon Pie in the Birthday Cake flavor. It was the perfect purchase to end all of the birthday shopping that I did in May!

Recommended Reading: The May 2025 Issue of "Our State"

Back when I was a local magazine editor, one of the tips I learned early on was to go outside my coverage area and read magazines from other states to get inspiration for story and layout ideas. One magazine I always enjoyed reading was Our State from North Carolina, but it's not sold anywhere locally anymore, alas. For that reason, I was more than a little excited when tea friend Susan in North Carolina sent me a package of birthday goodies that included this magazine!

I was most excited to see the famous Edenton teapot included. History lovers may be aware that in 1774, some Edenton women signed a letter vowing to boycott British tea to protest the Tea Act of 1773, and "this is considered one of the first known acts of protest organized by women in the colonies," according to the magazine.

There's also a piece about the monthly Japanese tea at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham.

And I've never even heard of Lazy Fox Lavender Farm, but doesn't it look wonderful? If all this sounds like your cup of you know what, you can order individual copies of the magazine here.

An Avon teatime figurine I simply adore!

As I've mentioned before, I was an Avon Lady in college, and if memory serves, I joined just so that I could get a discount on the Scarlett O'Hara figurine they had just come out with. I got my makeup at cost, and I believe I had only one regular customer, a secretary in the Fine Arts Department at West Georgia College, so my commissions fluctuated based on how much Kay needed that month. I haven't had an Avon Lady in my neighborhood in years, but I still have great fondness for the Avon brand, so it was no surprise that I bought those two old Avon figurines at a yard sale earlier this month, one of them featuring bunnies at teatime. Imagine my surprise when this matching figurine landed in my mailbox last week!

Margie in California had emailed to say that she was sending me something, and I had no idea what it was, but I am always touched that some of you readers have become such kind correspondents over the years, so I knew I would enjoy whatever it was. And it was this charming figurine with a bunny Avon Lady at tea! I mean, how truly perfect!

I love that the base says, "Which shade do you prefer?" Do you remember those tiny little lipstick tubes Avon had? (Do they still?) I loved those things and sometimes ordered them just for myself, so this was a fun memory courtesy of the new figurine. But what made this gift even more special was that this figurine had belonged to Margie's mother, who once worked as a … (can you guess?).

Avon Lady! Margie sent me this photo of her late mother, Carol (born at Christmas, thus the name), and I love everything about it. Her lovely mother, the professional attire (I want those shoes!), her well-stocked Avon Lady bag, and of course the faux fireplace (those are highly collectible now!) and the vintage Santa décor in the background. To say that I am touched by the gift of this figurine is an understatement. Margie believes this was some sort of award that was only available to Avon Ladies, which makes it even more special. Next Easter, you can probably expect a whole vignette centered around this darling Avon Lady and her friend!

And I think I'll name the friend Margie.

Today, we remember …