Jasmine Fancy

Last night was one of those tough nights as a mom. I came home from "Girls Night" at 10:00pm to find my youngest awake on the couch. Her dad said she just woke up crying uncontrollably and wouldn't settle back down. So, I rocked her for a bit until she settled down and got her back in bed. A few hours later, she woke up crying yet again for no discernable reason. And then a couple of hours after that, it was the same thing again. Eventually, I gave up and just brought her to bed with me.

Needless to say, I was exhausted this morning. I had to break out the Stovetop Espresso maker and make a serious cup of coffee this morning. Well, it's afternoon and that caffeine is long gone. So, I thought it might be a nice time for a cup of tea. Since I am out of PG Tips, I decided to break out the porcelain teapot (isn't this one cool?) and make some loose leaf tea. I had just enough Peet's Jasmine Fancy for one cup of tea. It's been so long since I had it that I had forgotten how good it was. There is something so nice about a cup of loose leaf tea...especially when it is Peet's!

Photo Source: Peet's Coffee & Tea

British Tea - PG Tips & Typhoo

Every once in awhile, something brings me such delight I just want to share it with others. So, from time to time, you just may see a post that has nothing to do with our children or life in our little village. Yep, it may just be about something that I love. As I get older, I'm realizing the importance of surrounding myself with things I love...finding joy in even the simple things. Like a cup of tea. Excuse me, a "proper cup" of British tea.

If any of you have been to Great Britain, you probably know that those Brits love their tea and they're pretty darn good at producing it. Now, years ago I didn't really drink tea very often except for the occasional Good Earth tea. Then, I went to France and found an English roommate (or "flatmate" as she called it) named Janice. A couple of months after we moved into our cute little apartment, her parents came to visit and brought with them some "proper English tea". They brought a wonderful tea called Typhoo that came in these groovy little round teabags. It was soooo much better than anything I'd ever had at home! Now, by this point, Janice had become addicted to the strong French coffee, so she only drank the tea occasionally. So, that meant that there was that much more tea for me! I think I drank quite a lot of tea that year...especially since our apartment could get so cold in the winter. I have many fond memories sitting around the kitchen table with Janice or our friend Carmen warming our hands on hot mugs of tea! (Here is a picture of me and Janice when I saw her four years ago during a visit to London.)



At some point, Janice introduced me to another brand of tea called PG Tips. I can't remember if it was after her trip home for Christmas or when she visited me in the States. But, I do remember being enchanted by their cute pyramid shape! And the taste! Oh, the tea tastes so good...especially with a splash of milk and some sugar. And according to their packaging, it is England's #1 tea!

Now, since my return to the States, I went back to college, started working, and became addicted to Peet's Coffee. So, for the most part, coffee has replaced tea as my drink of choice. But, every once in awhile, I get nostalgic for those carefree days in France and long for a cup of tea. Years ago, I discovered that World Market carried Typhoo, but now I don't live close enough to one to buy it on a regular basis. Our fancy, schmancy grocery store does carry decaf Typhoo at $5/box! But, I haven't purchased any since that is a bit on the spendy side and it doesn't have caffeine...and I need my caffeine. However, a couple of months ago, I was at another locally-owned grocery store in town and discovered that they carry PG Tips! At only $3.50 for a box of 40 tea bags, it is a deal compared to American teas I've seen at the store. True, it's not as cheap as Lipton, but I'm willing to spend the extra few cents because I love the taste (and memories) so much. So, now when I have a quiet moment when the girls are napping, I'll pull out that little box of PG Tips and fix myself a "proper cup of tea".

Lucie & The Beco

After weeks of waiting, my Beco Baby Carrier finally arrived! You might remember me talking about deciding to purchase it on an earlier post. It arrived two weeks ago just as we were returning from a trip to Santa Barbara. I quickly unloaded the car, put Ella down for her nap, and busted it out of the package.

At first, I was a little overwhelmed by all of its straps and buckles. But, they do include a DVD with it to demonstrate how to wear it properly. (On a side note, I was thankful for the DVD for other reasons – I wanted to hear how they pronounced "Beco"! I wasn’t sure if it was beak-oh or beck-oh as I’d been pronouncing it. For future reference, it’s beck-oh. Moving on…) So, I got down to watching the video and once Lucie woke up from her nap I tried it out on her.

My first reaction? Am I wearing something? I think what shocked me was that Lu was right up against my chest. With the Baby Bjorn, there were straps between us and her arms went through specific holes. Not so with the Beco – it’s just a layer of fabric on my chest, and Lucie can pull her arms right up to her face if she wants. She seems to enjoy it and has fallen asleep almost every time that I put her in it. Overall, it IS a very comfortable carrier. I feel much more balanced than with other carriers, and it is easier to maneuver around.

One temporary drawback is that Lucie still needs to be in the built-in infant pouch. The pouch itself is a great thing – it helps her sit higher in the carrier. But, it does require laying her down to get her into the pouch…not the easiest feat when you’re in a parking lot and your front car seat is slanted. But, I’ve managed it…it just takes a moment. At the rate this child is growing, she’ll be out of the infant pouch in no time. At that point, I can put her in while standing up.

So far, I’m really pleased with the purchase. I use it nearly every day, so I do think I'll get my money's worth. It’s great for walks, shopping and even around the house. The other night Lucie wanted to be held, and I needed to get dinner on the table. So, I popped her in it and swung her around to my back so I could cook without worrying that she'd get hurt. It worked well.

Lucie seems to enjoy it -- I swear, she smiles when I take it out. She just knows that she gets to be next to Momma for awhile. And, she almost always falls asleep after I put her in it...as you can see in the picture above.

Mother's Day Gift Idea: Peet's Coffee

It was almost ten years ago that I was introduced to Peet's Coffee and Tea. Back then I was a typical starving college student at UCSB and had just returned from a year abroad. In the year that I was gone, Peet’s had arrived in Santa Barbara, and my sister Jessica and her hubby Bryan had become addicted to the stuff. They had recently relocated two hours north of Santa Barbara and no longer had access to Peet’s on a regular basis. So, although I did not usually drink coffee, I became their supplier. Each time I went to visit them, I would bring a pound or two of Peet’s coffee beans in exchange for my sister’s homecooked meals. I’m not even sure how it happened, but somewhere along the way, I changed from a simple supplier of coffee to a Peet’s coffee drinker.

Unfortunately, we don't have a Peet's here in town. But, we usually stop at the store in SB when we're down there for a cup or to pick up some beans. For those not close enough to a store, Peet's is available online and provides fairly quick shipping. I don't often order online because I hate to pay for shipping. But, until May 6th you can get free shipping on a $40 purchase if your order includes something in their Mother's Day collection. So, if the mother in your life enjoys quality coffee or tea, consider giving the gift of Peet's! To view their Mother's Day collection, go here. To take advantage of this offer, enter coupon code 8MDGWEB in your cart at checkout. Details of this offer are available at www.peets.com