Signs of tea in Tennessee

Later this morning, I'll be heading home from a brief trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, with my friend Gina, and we once again had a great time of R&R with much fun shopping and dining. After I mentioned that I had always wanted to photograph one of the pretty mimosa trees we saw, we passed by a country road packed with them. She asked if I wanted to stop and get photos, and of course I said yes!

We have some mimosa trees in Newnan, but I don't happen to know the property owners. These were near a cabin rental agency, so I had a feeling there would be no problem in our traipsing around a bit. I asked Gina to let me know if she saw any bears while I was focusing on the flowers, which is ironic since the big news in Newnan last week was that there had been a bear sighting, with video proof of the bear climbing over someone's backyard fence.

The Tennessee bears stayed away while I studied the fluffy pink flowers, and imagine my delight in discovering that the dried flowers can be used to make an herbal tea! 

I didn't make any mimosa tea while I was in Tennessee, but I did find a new variety in a little country store, this "Slightly Sweet" Mudd Valley Peach Sweet Tea made with cane sugar. The whole bottle had just 140 calories, and I sipped it over the course of two days. It had a wonderfully peachy flavor, and I greatly enjoyed it.

We had decadent brisket burgers at the new Bobby Jack's BBQ restaurant, and as soon as we were seated, my eye went to this vintage Lyons' Tea sign. So I had quite a few fun tea sightings in Tennessee, and in my next post, I'll tell you about the new loose tea I discovered, a variety that I found so absolutely bizarre that I just had to try it!

Victoria salutes our nation's historic birthday

A few years ago, I came to the conclusion that I could no longer keep all the magazines I'd been hoarding, so now I tend to donate or share more of them than I keep. This July/August 2026 issue of Victoria magazine, though, is a keeper. While I've seen blue teacups on the cover before, I don't recall them ever featuring US flags there before, and I thought it was a charming tribute to the nation's 250th birthday!

Inside, blue and white wares are prominently featured. Here, I learned that Mottahedeh makes picnic sets of tin plates. I've known of their fine china for years (my husband once gave me one of their rose figurines), and I think I would enjoy having a set of these plates to use outdoors.

A blue-and-white collection always catches my eye, and this one certainly did. I don't believe I've ever seen blues and whites that didn't pair beautifully.

And this all-white kitchen with display shelving? Swoon. That's definitely my cup of you know what! So if you're looking for some leisurely weekend reading as we approach the July Fourth holiday, I am happy to recommend this issue of Victoria.

The Ryl Co. Teas from Aldi

 

I almost don't trust myself to buy ready-to-drink teas any more, as I tend to impulsively purchase those that turn out to be sugary ones and then regret it. But this time, friend Susan B. recommended an RTD tea she found at Aldi, a tea with zero calories and sugar, so I was interested!

I decided to try the watermelon and peach flavors, and I was delighted to find that the first ingredient is actually tea! These are sweetened with stevia leaf extract.

The peach tea had a refreshingly light peach taste, the watermelon tea did indeed taste like watermelon, and I would definitely buy these $1.89 teas again as an occasional treat. Have any of you tried them? Or other flavors of Ryl Co. tea?

Father’s Day fun and a great new place to shop!

On Saturday, my family gathered at my sister’s to enjoy hot dogs and hamburgers in honor of Daddy and the other dads in our family. And in a bit of great timing, I happened to be headed back home just in time to visit the grand opening of Sewell Market Co., located in the building once operated as Sewell Manufacturing Co. in Bremen. My area of West Georgia is sometimes known as the “Textile Trail” because it was home to so many clothing manufacturers—Sewell’s was still stitching men’s suits when my family moved to the county in the seventies—as well as manufacturers of textiles like carpets and chenille bedspreads. I would occasionally pass by this long-closed old building and wonder if it would ever be used again. Happily, it's back in business.

I walked in the doors and thought, “Oh, wow!” There’s a small coffee area to the left, but I did my usual route in an antique mall and started on the right and worked my way through. I’m glad I did, because the prime real estate along the far-right wall is devoted to displays featuring the company’s sewing history. 

I loved this wall with its old photos. Daddy had asked me to call him after I visited and let him know if he and his lady friend should stop by, and I told him yes, I think they would like it. Daddy doesn’t like to see a lot of new stuff in antique malls (neither do I, usually), but this is by design a mixed-use operation, and I think they will enjoy the history as well as the antiques.

Some things I thought you would enjoy seeing include these blue dishes …

Vintage linens.

And some silver-plate wares.

What did I come home with? Just two things from this quick visit, a vintage heart-shaped pan  and a rosy textile they described as a handkerchief, but I think it’s really a vintage tea towel. I greatly enjoyed my first visit to Sewell Market Co. and noted that because of its blend of old and new, this will be a wonderful place to shop for Christmas gifts.

And of course, getting to celebrate an early Father’s Day with my dad made the day extra special!

A precious neighborly gift

One afternoon this week, I was sitting upstairs working at my computer when my neighbor Meredith called. There was something she wanted me to have, and she was sending her four-year-old to my door with it, and he had just reached my driveway. She said it wasn't wrapped and that she was watching him carefully, that they were having a lesson in trust. "You or him?" I asked, and she said, "Both."

I immediately went downstairs, opened the front door, and there stood her sweet little guy, Ellison, holding this beautiful Nikko teacup and saucer for me! A) I nearly had a heart attack and B) I loved it. Still on the phone with his mom, I told him, oh, you need a hug for that and said "Great job!" or something like that. He hugged me and said, "Miss McWae, you so funny." I'm glad he thinks so!

And then I stayed on the phone with his mom and learned that this teacup came from a tearoom once owned by her aunt. The tearoom was actually part of a ministry that supported efforts to fight the trafficking of women, and Meredith knew I liked roses and wanted me to have this teacup. The pattern is called "Precious." Now isn't that just the loveliest of gifts? 

Citrus Berry Tea from Trader Joe's

Does your town have a Trader Joe's? Mine doesn't, but one opened in nearby Peachtree City around Christmas last year. I always liked Trader Joe's when I visited one when out of town, but man, it was madness when I visited the local one at Christmas. There's nothing I want or need so bad that I'm willing to endure crowds of shoppers. But the other day, I had time to drive over there, and I was glad I did. I found some flavored sparkling waters, a tasty curry chicken salad, and this tea, along with a few other goodies.

This Citrus Berry Tea is an herbal tea and contains orange peel, lemongrass, blackberry leaf, and strawberry flavors, among others. I was surprised not to find raspberry in the ingredients, because that's what this tasted like to me, and I loved it! It's a unique blend I haven't come across in any other herbal tea, and I will gladly buy this again.

Also, a friend had recommended a new bite-size treat, these mini dark chocolate peanut butter cups. They are fabulous, and I limit myself to eating just two a day if I'm craving something sweet. I enjoyed my shopping trip to Trader Joe's, and I'm so glad the crowds have died down!

Readying for the red, white, and blue

It was time to switch that red-white-and-blue plastic tablecloth I’ve had on my table for a few weeks and set up the nicer fabric one, which I may leave out all summer. I found a few new goodies at a local antique mall on Saturday, so I was inspired to work on my table scape for the next time my young neighbors come over for tea.

This ruffled basket I found looks so 1980s to me, but the ’80s are having a moment, it seems, and I do love ruffles…

So I decided this would be good for holding things like straws and the red-white-and-blue paper napkins I keep forgetting to buy.

I think I’ve collected about a half-dozen vintage patriotic plates, but this latest one’s blue trim made the center design stand out.

The tablecloth is one I found back in February while visiting Monroe. I’d really like for every decoration I own to have flowers on it if possible. And apparently, even for the Fourth of July, it’s possible.

This clear oval Bicentennial plate is one I bought in the mountains last fall, and it will be perfect for holding the three little boxes of raisins that I always give my young friends as their teatime treat.

And the blue floral plates aren’t quite the right color of blue and needed a little softening, so with a cream-colored dessert plate on top and miscellaneous blue teacups alongside, I think they’ll work just fine. (The only other time I used these blue plates was for a breakfast tea to celebrate the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, so it’s been a while!) I do enjoy decorating a themed table, especially when much of the décor consists of things I've already collected.

Peach Mango Refreshers from Twinings

It's always fun to discover a new type of tea from Twinings, and these "Refreshers" caught my eye at the grocery store this week.

They were a little pricier than regular tea bags—$6.99 for a box of just five packets, about the size of cocoa packets—but I had to try them. Peach Mango sounded like a fun flavor, and Twinings is a brand of tea I've always enjoyed.

Until now. I am sorry to say that this tea was a big disappointment. I made it with twelve ounces of cold water as directed, but the result was a weak beverage that tasted like it came from a watered-down version of flavored-water packets I sometimes buy. Also, the peach bits remained hard and didn't much taste like peaches. When I transferred this tea to a stainless steel tumbler later on, the bits were always an unpleasant surprise coming through the straw. Also: This tea had a weird aftertaste. Coming in at a decent 60 calories per serving, the drink ingredients include "Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Dried Peach Pieces [Ascorbic Acid & Citric Acid to Protect Colour], Natural Peach and Mango Flavours with other Natural Flavours, Natural Flavour, Honeybush Extract, Xanthan Gum." Is honeybush the only "herbal tea" in this drink? No matter. I wouldn't buy these again, and I'm predicting they won't be on the shelves for long. It's clearly time for me to go make a pitcher of real tea!

A delicious new snack cake

I love-love-love to bake cakes, but now that it’s just me, I pretty much need to have an “occasion” to bake a cake so that I don’t either a) gobble the whole thing or b) let it go stale before I can finish it. So major holidays, family birthdays, the occasional church event … those are cake-baking occasions. But then I saw a recipe in Our State magazine that, once again, I had to try, and it was the one-layer Banana Mayonnaise Snack Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting.

My friend Susan B. in North Carolina gave me a subscription to Our State last Christmas, and I am so enjoying their wonderful features and photography and recipes.

This photo of the cake had me drooling, and I was very happy when mine turned out just perfect and even looked like the magazine photo. As the article points out, since the main ingredients in mayonnaise are oil and eggs, it rather makes sense that mayonnaise makes a great cake ingredient. The cake reminds me of banana bread but with a much lighter texture, and that peanut butter frosting? Boy, is it good. And you don’t have to be a magazine subscriber to get the recipe, as it’s online here. Let me know if you make it and love it as much as I do!

Some birthday month wrap-up treats

Last week, some girlfriends and I met for lunch at our local Chicken Salad Chick, and to my surprise, I received some lovely birthday gifts, including a new tea-themed puzzle and a new tea I'd never heard of!

This darling puzzle, a gift from my friend Beth, is titled Potted Teapots, and it is so pretty. I have been slowly cleaning out a spare bedroom that I want to decorate with a Blue Willow theme, and look what's in the bottom-left corner of this puzzle—a Blue Willow teapot. I love using puzzles as artwork and think this would be nice to give a pop of color to the room, and since this puzzle has just 500 pieces, maybe I can actually finish this one.

My friend Paige came bearing what looked like a wine bottle carrier, which sort of threw me, but inside was a thermos of hot water so that we could all try the tea that she had discovered, this Butterfly Boba, a green tea with butterfly pea flower and pineapple! This is from Pinky Up, whose loose tea I've tried before, but I'd sure never heard of their tea bags with tapioca pearls in them.

This tea, tinted blue from the butterfly pea flower, had a natural sweetness to it that I just loved, and of course anything with pineapple in it gets bonus points. It was so fun getting together with the girls, and to enjoy an impromptu tea tasting as well was simply delightful!

A gadget that was a nice idea, but …

So I'd been waiting till I had a free afternoon to try the new ice cube trays I got at Target last weekend. I'm drinking lots of iced tea now that it's gotten so warm, and I loved the idea of having cute little flower-shaped ice cubes in my glass. I wasn't sure what the flip top on the lid was for. To release the ice cubes, I guess?

The set of two trays was just $6.99, so why not give it a whirl, I thought.

Each cavity looked plenty deep to fill with water.

Well, first, it took me a while (and almost cost me a fingernail) to pry that lid off and fill the thing. I suppose I could have just filled it by opening that flip top, but nothing *said* to do that, and besides, I wanted to fill it where I could see that the right amount of water was inside, not overflowing and making an ugly ice cube (like a cookie that spreads during baking and loses its shape). And once the water froze, I must tell you that getting these suckers out was hard! I couldn't pry the lid off, and I finally just punched a few of the silicone wells from the back side, stretching the thing like a balloon until I finally popped the lid. I filled a glass with the ice cubes, and … Well, I wasn't impressed.

I added some blackberry tea I'd cold-brewed in the fridge, thinking that might make the ice cubes show up better, but no, they didn't. This was a nice idea, but maybe I'll make some sort of craft project with these molds instead!

Road Trip Tea Review: Sprite + Tea

It’s time for my annual Road Trip Tea Reviews, my critiques of those questionable bottled teas that I try each summer so that you don’t have to! Saturday, I stopped for gas at a local convenience store, and since I would be gone a while and hadn’t paused for lunch, I went inside the store for a snack. Here’s what caught my eye, not-so-attractively styled in the front seat of my car.

Some of you may remember that trend a few years ago of getting a bottle of Sprite and steeping a tea bag inside of it. The result was just so-so, Sprite being way too sugary a drink for me these days, but I was curious when I saw this ready-to-drink version and had to give this new variety of Sprite a try. And it tasted like … sugary Sprite with some tea in it. (You know how they say that the definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing while expecting different results? I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.)

And that snack cake? I am ashamed to admit that I paid nearly three dollars for this thing. Have you ever been cleaning out the pantry when you found that, wedged in between the beans you never cooked and that flavored oil you never used, you came across a wayward Hostess snack cake from the late nineties? Well, that would *still* have tasted fresher than this cake, which lured me in with the words “Hershey’s” and “Limited edition.” Couldn’t finish the drink or the cake. And before I went home for the day, I headed to the store and got a nice big bag of Pink Lady apples so that I won’t be tempted by “snacks” like these the next time I’m out and about!