Flowering Friday- Time to Get the Spring Colors!

Happy Friday!! I love being able to end the week on a happy, pretty note! I put these together early in the week when it was gloomy and rainy outside (which is some of my favorite weather, just sayin') and I love that I was able to bring some bright color into our home!

This week I, once again, used both Roses and Tulips in the arrangement. White Cottage Roses and some bright Pink and White tipped Tulips take the front stage in our home. This is a very simple arrangement and is currently the only flower arrangement in our home. I have really been loving the Tulips and having Tulips in the arrangements. I feel like it starting to bring Spring in :)

Tea Time Tuesday

As I always say, it's my favorite day of the week! I love that I have been able to incorporate a second love and passion into this blog. Today I have another review, however next week I am going to show you some of my tea storage (which just keeps growing!). 

Today's review is interesting. In my original outline for this post, my review was not all that great. I did not care for this tea at the outset. I really had high hopes, but it just wasn't seeming to work out. However, I wanted to try one more option before I wrote a bad review, simply to say that I tried everything. It turns out that maybe that's all it needed!

Tea: PG Tips Green Tea Vibrant Mandarin Orange. 

I have liked green tea, it is how I normally start my morning and daily tea drinking. I have only had the Tazo Zen Green Tea, which is my favorite and a green tea I rarely not drink in the morning. However, I love orange anything and PG Tips has always made great tea. I figured I could not go wrong with this tea! 

The smell is fantastic. The mandarin orange takes over and smells delicious. Based on the smell alone, I would have recommended this tea to anyone who liked oranges and tea. However my first couple cups of this tea were far from good. Honestly, it tasted like hot water. The flavor did not pull through with tea like I thought it would. I was very disappointed. I tried it a couple different times and no change. I had a friend try it as well, and she said the same thing, it tasted like hot water. I figured hey, I'm not a total green tea kinda girl. I usually only have one cup of it and it is the Tazo blend. I came to terms with the idea of that. 

On Friday, while talking to my friend (and taste testing another green tea, which will be reviewed later on), I decided I would give it one more shot and this time I would add something to it. I wasn't sure what it would be, but I would try it with something. This is kind of a big deal for me. I usually never add anything to my tea. If I have straight black tea, I MAY add a little cream, but generally I just drink straight tea. I really wanted to give this tea every shot that I could.

I paid close attention to my steeping time for the tea and then added some honey to the tea after it was done steeping. This changed everything! Now, I always pay attention to steeping time, however I usually go a minute or two over the recommended time, however for this particular cup I decided to be exact. The honey added a hint of sweetness to my cup and allowed the orange flavoring to come through in the way I think it should have originally. It tastes quite a bit better! I am so glad that I gave  this tea another chance and switched up my normal!!

Monday Morning Quick Tip!

Good morning everyone!! It's a new week and a fresh start! This morning my quick tip to you has to do with the mail and the incoming box that I talked about last week.

I feel like a lot of people I talk to and a lot of what I have seen has to do with when paper comes in to the house it gets put anywhere and does not get sorted through. Thus, paper piles up everywhere. Usually the mail is one of the last things you get before walking in the door after a long day. At that point, usually all that is wanted is comfy clothes, a comfy couch and some food. I personally come home and have to just sit for a while before I am really able to do anything. Mail and other paperwork normally gets put on the first surface that you come in contact with right? Then it stays there until you can deal with it, no matter what "it" is. It could be junk mail, bills, paperwork, anything.

When you get the mail from your mailbox, the first thing you want to do is throw away any junk mail. Ask yourself, is this something I need? If not, trash (or shred) it goes. This should already clear out a number of pieces of paper. If you are not ready to deal with the paperwork and bills, in the incoming box it goes. The incoming box (as we talked about last week) should be somewhere right off your entrance.

By doing this extra simple step, you should see a lot less paper coming into your home, as well as a single location for the paper that does come into your house. Remember, the incoming box should be emptied once or twice a week depending on what your needs are.

Transformation Sunday- Kid's Room

I have a new post to bring you this week! Transformation posts are all about transforming and changing spaces. These posts will included before and after pictures of recent projects and a little information on what went into the transformation. 

This project was a really fun one for me. This room is being transformed into a kids lounge room. It will eventually have all of the gaming devices for the kids, will have the books they read, games, an art center for the younger one and just a generally lounge room for the kids to hang out in. What they originally had was not working for them. The biggest thing was just feeling cluttered. Everything was spread out all along the room in various spots and just feeling full of stuff. 

To start, I had the family bring all of the books that were throughout the house to this room. This creates one space for books to go. When I got there, we started pulling books of the shelves and sorting into piles based on age range for the books. We then cleaned up the shelves and started moving furniture around. By separating the unit out, the space was able to be used more effectively. It created a "larger" looking room and space. It really opened the room up. 

The finishing touches are going to be curtains, pictures and a few more accessories. Also, the gaming consoles will be finding their own home in the cubbies below the tv. 

Tea Time Tuesday- Another good Tea!

Good morning everyone!! It's once again my favorite day because I get to share my love of tea with you! Today I have a tea review for you, this time it is a loose leaf tea.

English Tea Store is an affordable favorite tea shop of mine. They always have excellent tea and the description and reviews are generally spot on. This particular tea is no different. I originally ordered it because it was black tea and had fruit flavoring. I have discovered that I really do like the fruit flavored black tea (or black tea or flavored black tea). This tea is the Pomegranate Rosehip Black Flavored tea. English Tea Store lists the tea as sweet, tart, and fruity with hints of rose hip (http://www.englishteastore.com/loose-leaf-tea-pomegranate-rosehip.html). 

First Impression: I smelled this tea (as I always do) and my first thought was "OMG it smells like chocolate flavored fruit". I'm not kidding...I was a little worried. I even had my husband smell the tea to make sure I wasn't crazy and he agreed that it did smell like chocolate. I have not tried any sort of chocolate tea and am not really sure how I would feel about it. So, I was very worried when I put some in a tea bag and steeped it in my hot water. Once brewed, the tea still smelled like chocolate. I will say, this tea is very light and airy. I do like the tea quite a bit and continue to drink the tea. That being said, it definitely has hints of chocolate taste when you drink the tea. I feel like it is more of a "hint" of fruit flavored chocolate taste. I don't think it's an overwhelming taste, but it is definitely there. 

Final Opinion: I do really like the tea and will continue to drink the tea. However, I will probably not order any chocolate flavored tea, because this tea has let me know that it is not my most favorite taste. 

Monday Morning Quick Tip- An Inbox System

Good morning everyone! Happy Monday! Let's get the week started off right!

This morning I am going to quickly talk about an "inbox" system. I firmly believe that everyone needs a "catch all". This is part of the catch all system. I have a sort of tray that I put paper in (picture included below). Anything that comes in to the house, that is paper and needs to be handled goes in to this tray. If it doesn't belong in the tray, chances are it doesn't need to come into the house (aka it goes in trash or recycling). I go through the tray twice a week (although this you can customize this based on your own needs). Mostly what goes in this tray are order forms, invoices, things for the blog or business, and cards. I then go through twice a week and sort through the tray to put everything where it needs to go.

This is something that I highly recommend to anyone I talk to or work with because a lot of time, things just go places. They go wherever there is room for it (or in some cases, where there isn't room) and it gets lost or overlooked. This system helps to handle that and if you put it somewhere where you see it constantly, you are going to want to empty it out and handle what has been put in it. This is a temporary place to put things that you do not have a chance to handle right at the moment you get them.

Flowering Friday- Hydrangea's, Roses, and Tulips

Good morning! I am so happy that it is Friday! Another week is drawing to a close and it's time for the weekend!

This weeks flowers are very special. Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers and so when I have the option to use them, I take it! I also love that I am still able to use the roses from last week and simply spruce them up with some Tulips.  Blue is my favorite color and I love the pair blue and white  in just about anything.

The hydrangeas are currently sitting on our dining room table and there are not any other flowers that I have paired with them in the vase. For me, whether I put additional flowers in a vase really depends. This is a unique situation as I originally was going to put some Baby's Breathe in with the hydrangeas, but at the last minute I decided not to add them in. The hydrangeas look great on there own, so I decided to have all three bunches in together.

 Then, since I still had the Baby's Breathe left to use, I decided to take the tulips and put them in one of the mason jar containers from our wedding with some baby's breathe in the background. I absolutely love how this arrangement came out!

Finally, I took the last few tulips leftover and put them in with the roses that were still around from last week. It spruced up the roses and looks really great on our corner table. I also am able to now get some more time out of the roses.

*Photo's by Memories in the Making Photography

Tea Time Tuesday- A quick Tea Review

Good day to you!! I am so loving this Tea Time Tuesday! Today's post is going to be a tea review of a tea that I love and that is affordable and easy to buy!

Twinings Blackcurrant Breeze.  Twinings is an easy tea to find in grocery stores or a World Market store and you can't go wrong with any of their tea blends. This particular tea is described by Twinings to have a strong fruity aroma and sweet and tangy taste. Here is the real deal: the aroma is definitely strong, but more of a musky smell rather than fruity. The taste however is incredible. This tea is a really good early afternoon tea (it is currently the middle of the afternoon as I write this and I may or may not be having a cup :).

Yum!! (p.s please ignore the chip in my cup) I have had a blackcurrant black tea blend before as a loose leaf version and I didn't care for it as much as the Twinings blend. My friend and fellow tea lover actually loves the loose leaf variety better than I do. I just prefer the Twinings blend.

Final review: the smell may be strong, however the taste is amazing. I continue to drink this tea frequently and it is one that I recommend to both the seasoned tea drinker and the first time tea drinker.

Monday Morning Quick Tip

Good morning!! It is time for the quick tip of the week!

This weeks quick tip is...to write everything down. You are more likely to remeber something if you actually write it down (and I don't mean put it in your phone, although that does work for some people). I prefer to have a small notebook with me as I write things down throughout the day. I also have a planner that I use as well in addition to my notebook. My planner normally stays at home on my desk and I transfer notes and appointments back and forth between my notebook and my planner. I have included a picture below of some of the notebooks and planners that I am currently using and have used in the past (a full review and further information will be written). 

So make sure that when you make an appointment or something comes to mind, that you write it down!

Note: I do not currently use every notebook pictured above!

Flowering Friday

This week is full of firsts!! Today is the first post for Flowering Friday! These posts will be all about flowers. I will discuss getting the flowers, different arrangements and what to do when they start dying. I will also touch on the weeks flower arrangement in our home. Flowers are usually my finishing touch on any main room after re organizing and decorating or designing the room.

This week I kept it simple with some roses. I always love to work with roses, because I feel that they are timeless and a good subtle way to add a soft beautiful touch to a room. They are reasonably priced and will work well on their own or with other flower. This week I only did the roses, which was unusually for me, but I like how they turned out.

My favorite roses are the English Cottage Roses, which are in this arrangement along with some other colored roses. I chose the orange and red colored roses because I feel like they are bright, warm and welcoming during the cold winter months.

*photo's by Memories in the Making Photography :) 

Tea Time Tuesday...

I know, I know, I know...it's Wednesday, not Tuesday...

So, I was going to start Tea Time Tuesday next week as I will have a new tea to review, however I really want to share this particular tea shop that I have found and fallen in love with!! In general, tea time Tuesday is going to cover all aspects relating to tea, whether it is actual tea or simply tea products, shops or other related items. I am sharing this post today, instead of Tuesday, because I have been thoroughly impressed by this particular company. I was impressed by the tea they produce, but also by their customer service.

Tea For All Reasons (http://www.teaforallreasons.com) is such an amazing shop! I would say half to three quarters of the loose leaf tea that I own comes from this store. It also produces two of my all time favorite teas, Dowager Countess and Catherine's Blend. I was originally impressed when my friend came in with the Catherine's Blend tea and let me try a bag. It was such an incredible blend and I knew in that one cup that I needed more.

They have the website I linked above (click on shop) and an Etsy Store (https://www.etsy.com/shop/TeaForAllReasons). It doesn't matter which shop you go through, the prices stay the same although I think the web shop may have some more items. The prices may seem a little high, but this tea is totally worth every penny!! The bag of tea also does last for a while (a 2 oz bag lasted me for quite a while!).

The other reason I highly recommend this store, as if the wonderful tea wasn't reason enough, is their customer service. They are truly customer oriented! When I ordered off of Etsy, they sent me a message just to check in and let me know my order was on the way. I just recently purchased a larger amount of tea from them and Marsha immediately sent me an email to say thank you and then a later email to let me know that they weren't able to get it out that day, but would the next day!! When I ordered form the webpage, I originally had ordered when they were on the Christmas Break. I knew that it would be a little while before the tea was shipped out and I was ok with that. A couple days later it had shipped (while they were still on a Christmas Break)!!

I honestly have nothing bad to say about this company and love them! If you are a tea drinker or lover and are looking for something new to try, check them out!!

Monday Morning Quick TIps

Welcome to the inaugural Monday Morning Quick Tip post! I am very excited to start bringing these posts to life and to share my passion with you! This first post is going to seem almost like common sense, but a lot of times I feel like this is really where it all starts...

Have you ever looked at your office (home or work) or your garage and said to yourself, "I really need to go through everything and clean it out"? Or maybe you looked at your closet (which could be overfilled) unsure of what to wear and how to find a good outfit. You may have wanted countless times to organize and clean out, but have never fully completed the task. It can be so overwhelming to look at everything that needs to be gone through and put away, that the task may not even get started before it is stopped. Or, you can convince yourself that the space it working well already the way it is (which it really could be).

This morning's tip is to START SMALL. Start with one section of a larger room. If you are looking at your office, make a goal that only one small section of the office is what you want to achieve in a certain time period.  If that is clearing off the paperwork and clutter from your desk, then that is what you want to achieve in the time set aside. However, make this goal reasonable and specific. Instead of "clearing off the paperwork and clutter from the desk", choose to "file necessary paperwork and shred/toss unnecessary paperwork". This type of goal is a perfect one to list as a weekly activity. Or, if you are looking at your closet, start small by organizing shoes, accessories, or short sleeve tops.

You may now be thinking, this was kind of a common sense tip that doesn't add much to what you already know. However, a lot of times I have seen people try to completely re organize a room in one sitting and quickly become frustrated that they don't seem to be accomplishing anything. They don't always remember that if you start small and do one portion at a time, you will see the improvements and be less frustrated at the end of the project.