A wonderful new tea book: "Special-Teas" by Linda Weiland

A lovely e-mail came the other day from Linda Weiland, who so kindly offered to send me a copy of the tea party book she was inspired to write following her mother's passing. Having recently lost my own mother, I was of course intrigued by the book's topic as well as its inspiration. Now, having read the book, I knew I had to share it here because I believe many of you will be as blessed by it as I was! Linda writes that her beloved mother, Lois Glenn, "had a gift for making special occasions beautiful." Well, clearly the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree. "I honor her memory," Linda says, "by displaying some of her crystal and china dishes in the following pages, and praising her example to me." With help from daughters Katie and Amy, Linda has compiled a unique book of tea party ideas, menu and recipe suggestions, and best of all a devotional book that will leave you encouraged and wanting to read more!

Just when I think there's nothing new in the world of tea books, a new one comes along to surprise me. I have another book titled "Special Teas," two words, but this one is "Special-Teas: Ten Themed Tea Parties to Nourish, Refresh, and Inspire Your Soul." Linda obviously puts a great deal of thought and love into her tea parties. Those featured in the book range from this Garden Par-Tea to a tea for your daughters, a tea for yourself, a tea to encourage your girlfriends, and several tea ideas that would be fabulous for anyone hosting a women's group tea. (I cannot say this strongly enough: If you are in any kind of women's ministry and host teas, do yourself a favor and get a copy of this book, pronto!)

This page is from the chapter on Sereni-Tea, hosting a tea for yourself, which I think is a terrific idea. I absolutely love how the photo of the open Bible and the snack plate goes perfectly with the scripture verse! The well-written, thoughtful devotions were so encouraging, and as soon as I finish this blog post I am headed to copy some information from this book into the prayer notebook I keep. I can't say that a "tea" book has ever inspired me to do that before, but this one did, and I feel so blessed that the author herself sent it to me. There's so much to love about the pleasures of teatime, and the incredible new "tea friends" I meet along the way are absolutely the best part! (Go here for more info and to look inside the book!)