Spotting tea in unexpected places

I just love being surprised when I discover "teatime" in an unexpected place. This weekend, that place was Staples, the office supply store. Can you guess what this is?

If you guessed a journal, you would be correct. Journals are very important to my writing life, and I never seem to have enough of them. I usually have at least three or four extras on hand in case of emergency, and a writing emergency is simply having a new idea that requires its own journal!

This one is nice and thick, and I was pleasantly surprised such a nice quality journal was just $12.99. Even the young woman at the checkout admired it, asking where in the store I'd found it. (The gift section, where they have some really lovely things.) This new journal is absolutely perfect for the notes I'm about to start making in preparation for next year's Saturday teatime project, which is still in the planning stage. It's very, very different from anything I've ever done here before, and I can't wait to start!

I also like to look through the calendars when I'm out shopping in late fall, and this mini calendar (about 7 x 7 inches) features quotes by Karen Kingsbury, an inspirational author several friends have recommended to me but whom I've not actually read yet. Still, I liked the look of this $2.99 calendar, and when I flipped it over to see the images on the back …

… I realized this was just my cup of you-know-what!