Taking time to savor the moment with a pot or cup of tea has always been something I have enjoyed in my day. Over the years, I have enjoyed the preparation of putting out a proper cup of tea for friends, with fancy favorite dishes and small bites. Sometimes I just pop a mug, quick in the microwave to make a single cup to enjoy by myself. My family has learned I rarely make something warm to drink without a nibble on the side. They have also learned to enjoy the nurturing moments of a warm cup and a moment to chat.

The Lipton Green Teas in flavors of Red Goji and Raspberry, Purple Acai and Blueberry and White Mangosteen and Peach are the perfect flavors for a break in the day. I have been a black tea girl for quite some time, but the nutritional benefits of Green Tea have caught my attention. And, the fact that Lipton Green Tea has less caffeine than black is also appealing.

All three of the Lipton Green Teas were lovely and soothing to drink. The fruit flavor was complimentary and did not overtake the mellow Green Tea flavor. Had they not shipped to my door, I might not have tried them. Lipton Green Tea will now be my afternoon go-to.

A simple sugar cookie is the perfect thing to nibble in between sips of any tea. Because Valentine’s Day is right around the corner I made heart-shaped Nutmeg Sugar Cookies. I jazzed them up with pearl colored decorating spray.

Nutmeg Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups Flour

1/2 tsp. Salt

12 Tbs. Unsalted Butter

1 Cup Sugar

1 Egg

1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Creamer

1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

Decorating Spray

Directions

Sift together the flour and salt.

Beat the butter on high speed for 2 minutes. Reduce to medium speed, slowly add the sugar and beat for 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go. Add the egg and vanilla creamer, beat for additional minute.

Stop mixing and add half the flour and the nutmeg. Beat on low speed. Add remaining flour, 2 minutes.

Divide dough into 2 equal parts, wrap in plastic and chill 2 hours to 2 days.

Remove dough from refrigerator, let sit for 5 minutes. Roll out on a lightly floured surface.

Cut dough with cookie cutters and bake on parchment at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes until golden on the edges.

Transfer to cool for 5 minutes.

Spray with decorating spray, if desired.

Here are my tips for enjoying tea ~

1. Invite a friend for an afternoon teatime.

2. Surprise your kids with an after school teatimesnack.

3. Take out some small snack or cookies to nibble on.

4. Pull out your favorite cup or pretty dishes just for fun.

5. Take time to savor a simple moment with tea daily.

Here is a treat! The first 3 people who comment on this post will get their own box of Lipton Green Tea shipped to their door to try for themselves!

Tea is a ritual that has been around for ages. It can be a time to replenish yourself and be a great break in the day. I plan on continuing the tradition ~ how about you?

How do you enjoy your tea?

Now that I have shared what I would pair with these refreshing Lipton Green Tea Superfruits, I want to know, how do you enjoy your tea?

Share your tea time must haves for a chance to win a year’s supply of Lipton Tea, a tea kettle, a tea box, a mug/saucer set, a travel tumbler and a $50 gift card to Amazon.com!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Lipton Green Tea Superfruit. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.

I wandered around Pier One and a few other stores looking for tablescape inspiration.  I had it in my mind, for my mom’s birthday dinner I wanted a couple new runners for the table to run horizontally instead of vertically.  But, the problem with my idea was the price point.  Table runners average between $25-$35 dollars a piece.  So, in order to pull off the look I wanted, I’d have to drop around $60.  Not in my budget.  But, I always find, that “being broke, inspires creativity.” I hit JoAnne’s Fabric store, hoping for something to inspire me.  Look what I found!

Craft stores and fabric stores are carrying large spools of “ribbon” for about $10.  I saw in AC Moore, they used these spools of ribbons to create inexpensive wreaths.  But, my ideas jumped out at me.  This spool of ribbon would become table runners!  It was a perfect color to go with the flowers I had bought, the late summer theme and had small threads of gold running through it for a little bling. I was able to get two “runners” out of one spool.

Then I laid a bamboo runner, I already owned, vertically across the two new ribbon runners.  I love to build my tablescaping in layers with a lot of textures and colors.

See these chargers?  They are actually bamboo, eco friendly, disposable plates.  But, guess what? I’ve been using them as chargers for about 2 years!  I love the natural wood texture and I think I bought a pack of 12 for about $5 (at a yard sale…someone had a huge stash of unopened packs.)

On top of the chargers, I placed my blue and white dinner dishes.  My mother in law picked these plates up at Marshalls.  No two patterns are the same.  (Just how I like it!)

The other thing I love to do for table decor, is place flowers in unsuspecting containers.  These are antique sugar and tea containers.  They are both a little chipped, one is missing it’s lid, but I love how they look on the table.  I bought the flowers at Trader Joe’s for about $10.

I picked up the green in the leaves of the flowers and added my apple green napkins from Pottery Barn, that I picked up in the clearance section for about $2 a piece.

Now, when I got those napkins on clearance, they only had 6 and we were seating 8 this evening, so I added two different colored napkins and placed them at either end of the table.  One of those place settings was for my mom.  My 14 year old son made these name cards.  My mom is known by her drama students as The Queen.

On top of the bamboo runner, I added these newspaper place mats I picked up in a market in Manila, Philippines, for about $.25 a piece.  Then I placed my hurricane candle holders on top, filled with a collection of wine corks we’ve been saving for years.  The vintage gold glasses were given to me by Terrill when she moved out of state with her family.

My personal tip for tablescaping, is use lots of layers and textures…oh, and don’t be afraid of using color.  What are your tips for setting a beautiful table?

Many of you have heard the expression in decorating, “bring the outside in” to breath life into your home’s rooms.  Well, recently I tried the reverse, bring the inside out.

The other day (before our recent historical Minneapolis heatwave) the day was mildly warm and sunny.  The kind of day where summer greets you with possibilities.  The flowers in my garden were just starting to show their potential.  The lilacs were wafting lovely scents in the air.  This was no day to be working inside.

Much of what I have to do is centered around my computer and my phone.  Sometimes I forget that doesn’t mean I’m stuck inside on a beautiful day.  For a refreshing change of scenery I took whatever I needed, which wasn’t much outside to a “office space” I created in my garden.

Having everything handy was essential to making my space comfortable.  I brought a refreshing drink, a small vase of flowers, my computer, phone and my notebooks.  A clear plastic tumbler with a few polished glass rocks leftover from a table centerpiece project became a holder of pens, pencils, and highlighters.

My new “office space” refreshed me and dare I say, made me happy.  And, sometimes that is all you need to put a little “whistle” in your work.

“When you change your point of view, your views bring about a change in you.”  ~George Alexiou

We’d love to hear your comment ~ What have you done lately to “refresh” your working space?