National Hot Tea Month

January is National Hot Tea Month.  Until a couple of years ago my hot drink of choice was hot chocolate. Then I stumbled on a series of books written by Laura Childs called the Tea Shop Mysteries.  Each book in the series had a title with a different type of tea.  I love this series and have read everyone of the books in the series and can't wait for the new one to come out in March.  Oops got a little off kilter there.  Anyway, after reading these books..I decided to try hot tea.  I have always been an iced tea drinkers but I never cared for it hot.  I'm not a fan of sweetened tea either.  I would rather have it without sugar.

I am now an avid hot tea drinker!  I love it!

After a trip to the Teavana store in the mall, I fell even more in love.  So many teas to choose from not to mention tons of tea gadgets and gizmos.  My favorite teas from Teavana are the White Ayurvedic Chai, the Maharaja Chai, and the White Chocolate Peppermint.  I really didn't know what to do with the loose tea leaves until a lady that worked there introduced me to the Perfectea Maker.  Everyone should have one of these!  It was so easy to make my tea that I started drinking it all the time.  It is my version of a morning cup of coffee.  My wonderful husband also bought me a Cherry Blossom cast iron tea pot and a set of 4 cast iron tea cups with saucers.

I tend to go a little overboard on buying more tea bags before I run out of the ones I already have.  I've noticed that I also lean more toward the spicy tastes rather than the fruity tastes.  Although, my husband bought me a set of 96 tea bags from Hickory Farms for my birthday last year and my new favorite tea is Earl Grey.  There is just a hint of orange that makes it taste so good.

I usually like to drink a caffeinated tea during the morning and afternoon and then a decaffeinated tea (green or herbal tea) in the evening.

I have not experimented with blending teas together.  Maybe someday when my life isn't so crazy.

 If you have never drank hot tea before and would like to start with one, I would either recommend the Earl Grey or a Vanilla Chai.  If you are a tea drinker, tell me what you favorite is, maybe I would like to try it too!

Now if I could just find a little tea shop like Theodosia Browning's Indigo Tea Shop where I can go for lunch and a nice cup of tea that would just be perfect!

My Perfectea Maker

My Japanese Cast Iron Tea Pot

One of my favorite book series

Fresh Thyme

We have a new store here in the Metro-East, it's called Fresh Thyme Farmer's Market.  It has only been open for 2 weeks.  I did go on opening day, but it was crazy and I didn't look around too much.  Today a new ad came out so I ran out there to purchase a few things.  Still busy but not as crazy.

This market is all about being healthy.  It carries organic products, gluten free products, dairy free products, good for the environment products, tons of fresh produce, as well as items you can purchase in bulk.

I love the way the store is laid out.  It looks so pretty and colorful.  Their meat department has the most awesome looking meat.  I haven't purchased anything from the deli yet because it is very crowded around there.  They even have a department where they may their own different varieties of juice.

My family has started eating better for the most part.  I think I am going to be that person that does 80% healthy food and about 20% regular food.  I still like some of the box food for convenience.  I don't see shopping at this store for all my grocery needs but maybe venturing out once a week when the ads come out seems like a good plan.

One cool thing about Fresh Thyme is that their new sales ads come out on Wednesday.  If you shop on Wednesday you get the sales prices for the week before and the current week. It's called "double ads Wednesday".  Yay for me since I scored those 97 cent strawberries again.

Today they had some really good prices for their meat.  This was the whole reason for the trip.  Their grass fed beef, chicken, and pork were all on sale.  I paid $15.00 for 5 lbs of beef and my local grocery store had 3 lbs for $21.00.  I bought some of their chicken breasts too.  They were huge!!!  I had to cut them in half.  I spent $10.00 on chicken and after I cut the breasts in half and put them in the freezer.  I figured I have 4 or 5 meals with chicken alone.  Not too bad!

The store does have some buy one get one deals too.  I took advantage of this deal and bought some organic salad dressing.

Another favorite of mine that this store carries is the Immaculate brand cinnamon rolls.  These are delicious.  They are huge and they don't have the yucky stuff in them. A little treat for the girls who don't have school on Friday.

Only bad thing that happened is I forgot the soy sauce.  :(

If you haven't yet, check out this store. The prices might be scary for some people but you have to have the mind set that it's better quality food for your body.  If nothing else, shop the ads only.  I really like it and hope it will help me stay on track with the healthy eating.

Eagle Days

Today our family did something we have never done before in the St. Louis area - we attended the Eagle Days on the old Chain of Rocks Bridge.

During the winter, the Middle Mississippi River Valley is home to the second largest population of Bald Eagles in the continental U.S.  

We saw the birds off the old Chain of Rocks Bridge that connects St. Louis County, Missouri to Madison County, Illinois.  The bridge was closed to traffic in 1968 and in 1999 was renovated to a pedestrian/bicycle bridge.  It also used to be part of the historic Route 66.

Being that I am both terrified of bridges and any type of fowl, I really surprised myself by wanting to take the girls to this activity.  The weather was perfect for spending time outside in January and getting the girls away from the T.V. and computer.  Even though my terror level was on red!

I think the girls were more excited to be walking across the Mississippi River rather than looking for Eagles.

They do have volunteers with high powered binoculars fixed on the Eagles so you can see them.  The girls brought their own binoculars along with daddy's and got to see two of the Bald Eagles.  They were perched up on the tree branches over on the Missouri side of the river.  We also got to see them fly over the river looking for food.

The girls also got a bunch of free things too!  They got a reusable bag, coloring book, bracelet, Eagle mask craft, and a water bottle.

It was neat to go and see the Bald Eagles!  I think they are a beautiful and majestic bird.  Just wish we could have seen them a little closer.  It's always fun making memories with the family and today was a new one to put on our list.

Days of the Year

A couple of days ago, while we were driving in the car, my youngest asked me "why don't we do the special days anymore?".  Two years ago, I decided to try to see what each day pertained to and have the kids go along with it.  I wrote it on a chalkboard in the kitchen each morning so the kids would see it when they woke up.  They were always eager to see what it was.  Unfortunately, my chalkboard fell off the wall and never made it back up, so we didn't finish out the year. I don't even think we made it to April. :(

Today, I decided to see what the day was about and start over with my kids.  I clicked on my usual website and thought, "I really don't want to write these down" and "I really don't want to have to remember to look it up each day".  The laziness in me coming out.  As I was going to exit out I saw a website www.daysoftheyear.com; funny days, weird holidays, and celebrations of 2015!  It was so cool!

At the top of their site, they have what is being celebrated that day! FYI today is Strawberry Ice Cream Day and/or Hat Day! I don't like hats so I may just have to run to the store for some strawberry ice cream.  They also have posted what is being celebrated for the upcoming days!  They had pictures for each day, too.  That way I can know what is coming up and not have to look it up everyday.

Better yet, they have a Facebook page!!!  Since I'm always on Facebook, I can now have the days right there on my post.  Anything that is easier for me is great!  Maybe this time I will keep up with it for the whole year.  

If you want to do something new and fun with your kids try celebrating these crazy days.  You don't have to do it everyday.  Some days may not have anything kid related to celebrate.  If after two years, my 7 year old is still remembering it, it must have been a good memory for them and one I need to keep up on.  

Just so you know, tomorrow is Appreciate a Dragon Day!  I think it might be a good time to have a family movie night and watch How to Train Your Dragon 2!

Ruler Food Store

A while back a new food store opened here in the area called Ruler Foods.  Ruler Foods is a division of Kroger.  The majority of the products sold there are an off brand or Kroger brand, but you will find a few name brand items throughout the store.  I never want to visit a new store right when it opens because there is usually many other people checking it out too and then it gets crowded and crazy. I don't really like crowded and crazy.  Today we were out of a few things and my hubby mentioned that I should try out the new store.

The parking lot only had a few cars in it when I pulled in so that was a plus already.  Of course, I'm sure people did all their shopping last weekend when they were calling for bad weather again.  That didn't happen.  Again.

You do have to pay for your cart, 25 cents, but you get it back when you return your cart.  Just like at Aldi's.  You also have to bring your own bags or you can buy theirs for 10 cents a piece.  They are plastic but they are big and can be reused.

The store was really clean and spacious.  The aisles were nice and wide.  I went up and down each and every aisle without ever having to get out of the way of someone. All the products on the shelves were nice and neat.

I thought they had a great selection of food.  I found some things there that Aldi's does not carry and I have to buy them at one of the major supermarkets.  Some of the things I found there that I can't get at Aldi's were unsalted Saltine crackers, canned sliced potatoes, colby/jack cheese squares for my daughters lunch box, and midget sweet pickles.  It was worth the trip just to get those few things for a cheaper price than at the supermarket. The prices fluctuated in comparison to Aldi's.  Some of the prices were the same, some were cheaper, and some were more expensive.  Some of the things I got that were cheaper were frozen mixed veggies for 89 cents and grapes for $1.99.  I bought apple juice for my youngest and it was the same price as Aldi's.

I have not tasted any of these products yet, but I'm sure they are just as tasty.  We used to shop at Kroger all the time when I was living at home and the store was in the area.  We had a lot of Kroger and Cost Cutter brands in my mom's kitchen cabinets.  My husbands first job was as a bagger at Kroger.

I will visit the store again and buy some other items to test out.  It was a nice experience and if you have a Ruler Foods in your area, I suggest you give them a try, too.

No Super Bowl Party for me....again

I am a huge football fan!  I have been watching football since I was in single digits.  Dad and I used to watch the games on Sunday afternoon when I was younger. Or listen to the St. Louis Cardinals on the radio while doing the dishes. (Yeah, now I'm dating myself by talking about the football Cardinals).  The only time I disliked football is when a game would run long and push back Walt Disney World on Sunday nights.  Don't mess with my Escape to Witch Mountain!

 My team of choice is the Dallas Cowboys.  They have always been my favorite.  I've been watching them since Tom Landry was the coach.  I had posters of Troy Aikman in my bedroom at home and in my dorm room at college. I even had my high school American History teacher nickname me Dallas.  I've seen them play a few times.  Once at Soldiers Field against the Bears, and a couple of times here in St. Louis against the Rams.  I got tickets to the Cowboys/Rams game for my Anniversary this past year!  Still need to get to Arlington, Texas to see them on the home turf.  That is a dream that I can hopefully fulfill on day.

Well, tonight Dallas lost to the Packers so my season is over. My family from Wisconsin is loving it though. Could blame the refs for a rotten call but then again Romo was sacked 3 times.  No Super Bowl party with gray and blue for this household.  They did have a good season and have gotten farther than they have in recent years but I was hoping for an all the way.  Sigh. Maybe next year.  I seem to keep saying those words every January.

Now that Denver is also out of the running for the Super Bowl, (one of my favorite Cowboys was traded to the Broncos this year Ware 94), I will be watching the Super Bowl for the commercials.  The one time of the year no one goes to the bathroom or talks during the commercials.

Only 97 days until baseball season!   I am a huge football fan but an even bigger Cardinal baseball fan!

Wednesday treat recipe

I've written a post about my Wednesday treat for the girls a couple of years ago.  For those of you that may not have read it:  Every Wednesday I try to make my girls a special dessert type treat because they get out a half hour early than normal days.  This way it's a fun something for them to look forward to mid week and it's a time when I get to bake.

I wanted to share this easy and yummy recipe that I found on pinterest.  They are called Nutella Crescent Rolls and they are perfect to make on a very cold and windy January afternoon.  The recipe can be found at www.partyfood2go.com, if you want to see pictures of each step. Or you can go to my Pinterest boards and look up Wednesday Snack Ideas for the link.

Need:
1 tube 8 oz. crescent rolls
Nutella
powder sugar

Instructions:
Place rectangles on cutting board and spread layer of Nutella.

Separate each rectangle into triangles and cut them in half.  You will end up with 16 very skinny triangles.

Roll each section up, starting from wide to skinny.

Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 11-13 minutes.  Cool. Sprinkle with powder sugar.

They are so yummy, you will immediately want to make more.

Enjoy!