it's always tea time...which is always better with ranunculus

isn't spring time lovely? the windows finally open, pages of books flutter in warm breezes,
birds chirp at each other as i sip my tea, ella sings to me as i clean, and my flowers turn toward the sun.

hopefully there will be lots of page-turning for me today. i need to get through this novel
so i can write, write, write, and then move on to my final novel for the semester: mansfield park.

spring is indeed lovely.

i am mightily content with our new home...

i am definitely in love with our new home in utah.

though our home is bare

i have enjoyed drinking tea with friends who have come to say hello

and we have found a strange comfort in hearing the dryer hum

as it warms our bed sheets.

i'm trying to completely embrace the peace in all its simplicity...

as the move has yet to happen.

we are back in california for our last week.

am hoping to head out to the coast

one last time

as the hills are erupting with a spring green.

easy lunch

i'm having one of those
i-will-eat-anything-even dry bread with honey-just-to-avoid-cooking weeks.
do you ever feel that way?

usually when i get in one of these cooking ruts,
i try to have some bolani on hand.
i buy this delicious afghan traditional food at
my farmers' market.
they've got a yummy spinach filling and
we spread jalapeno jelly and lentil curry on top.
mmmmmm.

and we pair it with some tea.
it's the perfect little meal.

what do you eat when you're in a cooking rut?

saturday morning tea

saturday morning tea, originally uploaded by Ann Marie Whittaker.

wishing it was saturday again so we could be lazy and slow

good morning tea

why is it that this morning my body did not cooperate?
woke up 4:30am.
did some writing.
then time for yoga...
but all of a sudden my bed and sleep were irresistible.

so i'm mixing up my routine to fight off
the urge to curl back up in bed.

tea & blogging before yoga practice.
maybe that will help clear my head,
and keep me warm enough to want to change out of
comfy pj's and into cold, unwarmed yoga clothes.

mmmm.
let's hear it for the warmth of tea,
tea with peppermint, rosehip, spearmint,
osmanthus petals, rose petals, rooibos, apple, and ginger
all mixed together and beautifully called
"on the waterfront."

all photos by me. september 2009.

the best tea house is in san anselmo

ceej and i left early saturday morning...
good thing we didn't head out for san anselmo any earlier
because we would have been too early to try this lovely
car garage-turned hip organic tea bar.

i was pulled in by those warm sofas, pretty pictures, and wood chairs.
mmmm.
not only was the decor cozy,
but so was the tea...just what i needed to send me straight into fall.

it is certain that when you come to visit us we will make our way through the charming little town of san anselmo, and we'll stop by to get some organic tea...any kind you want.

you can take home your own mix: bag or tin.
after finishing my cup of tea (with whole milk goodness)
i purchased my own tin.

won't you be happy to join me?

photos by ceej and me. september 2009. san anselmo, ca.