Be Still Sundays

This is pre-posted. I pray that you've had a wonderful day in the Lord. Take some time to be still this week and hear His quiet, consistent, loving voice.

TO THE TUNE OF TEA TUESDAYS #30

Though I don't have regular access to a computer right now, I'm glad that the Lord allowed me a chance to make it to the library on...TUESDAY!! It's my day to do my tea post! Yea!! I like all of the days I'm allowed to post, but today just happens to be a day that I can think of something I've already done or studied or can easily talk about and welcome you to try what we discuss for yourself. When its tea day, I can type out familiar or fun things pretty quickly, and don't have to spend a lot of time studying and rushing to get it done at the library because someone may be waiting in line to use the computer. Whew!!!


Well anyway, I want to invite you to have a tea bath. It involves 4 steps total, but you can do all or 1 or however many you want to try. This is pretty easy and it's pretty relaxing.


First you'll want to save your green tea leaves that you had in your cup this morning or the night before, and place them in cheesecloth (this will keep the leaves from clogging your drain or sticking to the sides of the tub), or, you can use fresh green tea leaves. For added scent and if you can get hold of some, add rose petals. I like to do this AND add powdered milk for a "green tea milk bath." You can go one "worth it" step farther and place all of these ingredients in a bowl and add essential oil or fragrance oils of your choice. Place the cheesecloth or bag in the tub while your hottest water is running (as hot as you can stand it so that everything can "steep"), wait about 5 minutes, mix your water around (your bath may be tinged a pretty emerald green--none of this will hurt you unless you're allergic to one of the ingredients), step in, lay back, and relax!


We're not finished! I forgot to mention that you need to have made yourself a warm, refreshing, inviting cup of your favorite tea first. Take it into the bath with you. Make sure to have it in a pretty cup. That just enhances the whole experience.

I would have already taken my real bath first, so as to remove all the oils and dirt from my skin, so that by the time I'm ready for my tea bath, it's just a pleasurable soaking experience. You just soak as long as you like and then rinse your body with warm water when you're done. Pat your body dry, then, and here comes the next or third step, rub and/or sprinkle luxurious green tea products on your body to keep it moist and supple. There are many products out there to choose from. I can't recommend one. I'm not sure if what these products really tout as benefits work, but again, it will enhance your whole tea bath experience, so why not?!!


Oh yeah!! Did I mention that you should find some great soy (in light green color, of course) or green tea candles to place around your precious bath? Well, it'll be worth finding some. This will definitely set the mood. There are many many choices for green tea candles like there are green tea bath products out there too. As a sweet thing to do for your daughter or husband, draw them a green tea bath (hubby might not care about the scent or the rose petals). They'll love it and the effort you put into it. Even my boys, when they were young, enjoyed just plain old milk baths. Maybe I'll do another post one day with green tea bath and milk bath recipes so that you can have many alternatives to choose from.


I wish I could do pictures for this post, but again, I'm at the library, and I can't save and post them to my blog. Oh well, just use your imagination and then let it take you to a warm, relaxing bath.


Have a great green tea day today!!

I KNOW YOU'RE WONDERING WHERE I'VE BEEN!

To all of my precious readers, new and old, I would like to explain to you where I've been and encourage you to keep checking in with me.


My home computer is no longer running, so I've done everything from go to a precious friend's house to blog and look at other things I need, to go to the library, which is where I am now. I will have my computer running again, hopefully in a couple of weeks, or I will be trying to make more visits to our local library. No, going to the library a few more times than I usually do a week isn't convenient, but it's better than not having access at all. I'm also looking into getting a laptop, but only God knows whether we'll be able to afford that or not. We'll see.


Please be patient with me. If you don't hear from me for a few days at a time, I am still out there, just not able perhaps, to make it to some place with computer and/or internet access. The funny thing is, not many days after I went to a friend's house to do my last post, her computer went out too. With her, she believes that she had previously gotten a virus or bug on her computer and neglected to take care of it until it fried her hard drive. So now, I can't even go to her house which was not 5 minutes from mine. Oh well...:)


How Do We Get There From Here? is still a viable, up and running blog so, don't take me off of your "visit list" or put me out of your mind if you enjoy visiting here. I'm glad you find my blog interesting enough to stop by. I always say that I am surprised but so humbled by that. There are so many great blogs out there. Thanks for being so loyal (or just plain curious about me) up to this point. Hopefully the Lord will allow me to continue.


You'll be hearing from me soon. Have a wonderful day today!!

TO THE TUNE OF TEA TUESDAYS #29

Tea lovers and ones that should be, let's talk about one of my favorite kinds of tea this week...MATCHA!! I love it!! Now I know I say that about all of my favorite teas, and yes, there are many, but matcha is so versatile. It enhances vanilla ice cream's flavor (and obviously changes its color to a beautiful mint or emerald green), it tastes great cold or hot, it tastes great lightly sprinkled on cold fruit, oh the possibilities are almost endless! At the end of this post, I'll give you a website to go to where you can order some of the best matcha (although there are many companies out there that probably sell a great product) and get great recipes for it. Google matcha recipes too. You'll find many great ideas that sound so delicious.

So, you want me to explain matcha a little more? Sure. I hope I give you reasons to try it. "Matcha, or powdered green tea, has a wonderful aroma, silky froth, and rich, mellow taste. High quality Matcha such as ours (the company Hibiki-An, where I get most of my Japanese green tea), is not bitter but smooth and mellow. As one moves up the scale toward the top grade of Matcha, the color becomes a more vivid green and the flavor becomes even more noble, smooth and mellow.Matcha is made from new tea leaves that have been carefully grown under diffused sunlight for 20 to 30 days before they are harvested, steamed and dried. Much Theanine, which is the source of its sweet mellow taste and noble aroma, is created in tea leaves by diffused sunlight. The dried leaves are then ground with a traditional stone mortar and pestle, called a Hikiusu.Unlike tea leaves, where one drinks an infusion made from the leaves, Matcha is consumed in its entirety, so you can directly ingest the whole beneficial constituents of Matcha."

I've mentioned this website before, but I will give you the link again here (I don't get any free tea, incentives, or anything for mentioning these people. I just love them and their tea is some of the best. I like to recommend quality products when I come across them. Their prices are reasonable too.). Go to http://www.hibiki-an.com/. Click on "matcha" in the list of tabs on the left side of the screen. Also click on "recipes" to find many delicious recipes for not only matcha, but other kinds of tea also. Tea isn't just great alone in the cup. It goes pretty far. You can get really creative.

If you've had matcha before, tell me how you like it and what other ways you've tried it, if any, besides just smooth and frothy from the cup. If you have never tried it, comment and tell me if you think you'd like to and in what way. I think that matcha is a neat way to start trying green tea, especially if you're one who has tried it from the bag or loose leaf and have decided that you really don't care much for it. Its powder form will allow you to make it as strong or mild as you'd like, it has a rich flavor, you can add milk and cinnamon and/or vanilla or whatever you'd like to make it appealing. Like I said before, the possibilities are almost endless.

Have a great rest of the week. Delight in your tea breaks or start having one!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Sorry this is up so late, wonderful readers. I've been really busy and not able to get on the internet. There is no Mommy Mondays post today, unfortunately. Hopefully, next week. But for now, join me as I let you in on my late Monday evening, in my Day Book. You can peek in on others at Peggy's place (http://www.thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/). Peggy created this precious meme. You can even do your own Day book. Join in.

For Today...September 29, 2008

Outside my Window...I'm at a friend's house doing my daybook, so I see a comfy swing on the porch calling my name (we don't have one at home). It's on a balcony, on a hill, and it looks so peaceful out, even though it's starting to get dark.

I am thinking...that I am glad to be here with my friend and her children. I'm at home when I'm here. We talk, eat, relax, and the reason I'm on the computer at her house is (and no, I'm not being rude and ignoring them while I do this) because mine is not working at home. Everybody here is watching TV right now, giving me time to work on this and other things I needed to do on my computer, but couldn't.

From the learning rooms...earlier today, our learning rooms were mobile, as we had things to do throughout the house today, so we kind of moved around. Thank God we're at home and can be mobile as needed.

I am thankful for...friends who have computers when mine isn't working (lol), Friends who love me enough to let me come to their house any time, Friends who are gracious, and loving, and kind.

From the kitchen...my friend made spaghetti and meatballs for her family and invited me to eat. If I hadn't been full from what I had already made and eaten from my kitchen (seasoned pinto beans in the crock pot spooned over a bed of rice with seasoned green beans on the side), I would have gladly joined them.

I am wearing...navy blue capris, white, leather tennis shoes, and a white t-shirt with my husband's name on it.

I am reading...the book of John and a study on the women in the Bible.

I am hoping...to get everything done on the computer tonight that I need to, not knowing when mine will be working again.

I am creating...crafts, notes, and other things to go with our study on Ancient Greece. We are loving this history lesson. We're even making clothes to model that the women wore back then.

I am hearing...the TV in the background. My friend's family members are watching shows together.

Around the house...things have a soft glow cast on them. My friend has a lovely, well-maintained home. Right now, she has lamps that are casting a soft glow on things here in the living room. It makes the room feel comfy.

One of my favorite things...is doing this daybook. I really enjoy slowing the pace of my life down and doing this every week. It helps me stop, look around, and appreciate things around me. It helps me to remain content. It helps me think of God, friends, nature, work to be done, my schedule, etc.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...Help my 9 yr. old with projects, Wednesday morning classes, a few errands, and finally finishing laundry tomorrow. I'm also hoping to finish writing a "talk" I'm doing in Oct./Nov. and finish my Greek lessons.

I don't have a picture thought to share today, but I pray that each and every one of you has a very blessed and wonderful rest of the week.

Pensieve's Poetic License w/ a Cinquain-Autumn theme

Robin at http://pensieve.typepad.com/ has given us another license to wax poetically. I love it when she gets a chance to offer this challenge. Poetry, although I'm not nearly the best at it, is passion to me. I also love reading the other entries that are listed with Mr. Linky at her site for the PPL opportunity. You should click on her link and check them out.

Robin offers PPL to anyone, whether they consider themselves seasoned poets or brave first-timers. You'd be surprised how easy some forms of poetry are to write. Anyone can do it. Everyone should try their hand at it at least once. Below are my feeble attempts at a cinquain. Go to Robin's place for more details on PPL and how to write a cinquain. This offering, the theme is Autumn.

Autumn

dry, crackly

cooling, ending, coloring

excited about the hues, but the blues sets in

Seasons

Autumn

Summer's tail end

fast approaching--Wait! Wait!

Less light, shorter days sadden me.

Fall's here.

Who can tell I'm a late Spring/full Summer person?! I know. I'm in a small minority. Don't be surprised. I've always been the "different" one. ;)

THANKFUL THURSDAY

“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”~ Romans 6:4 (ESV ~ emphasis Iris')

Iris, at Sting My Heart (http://www.eph2810.com/), has come up with a wonderful thankful theme and list today. She talks about "change." Oh, sometimes, to some of us, this can be a dreadful word! Who likes change? But think about it. If the caterpillar never underwent change, how would we be able to cast our eyes upon the beautiful butterfly? Aren't our lives as Christians similar? For all of you who have already given your lives to Christ for eternity, let's imagine the caterpillar was our pre-saved state. Let's imagine that we gained the knowledge that our life was spotted, tarnished, ugly, sinful, we were unable to change it, out of control, etc., whether we appeared to be moral caterpillars or not. Something should tell us that we were in need of a major change. So we agree that change needs to happen. Like the caterpillar goes into a cocoon, we go into prayer, asking the God of second chances to do what only He can do--change the old creature into a new one. We go into prayer one way, and like the metamorphosized (changed) caterpillar now turned butterfly, we come out another way, something beautiful, something that will never be the same as it was before, our chains of bondage from sin are gone. We've been set free. We've been rescued from death to life. We've been ransomed. Our tarnished surface is polished. Our inward stains have been washed by the blood of the Lamb.

"Thank You Jesus for change!! If it had not been so for me, I'd be destined for an eternal hell, permanent separation from You. I would be useless for the Kingdom, even now as I live on earth. Good morals or not, I could never see You face to face, as these character traits can't get me to heaven (good character is just the outward manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit because of salvation). I would have no eternal rewards. You would never be able to say to me, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Even as a moral human being, all of my good works would be counted as filthy rags. But oh faithful and good God, not so for me. Because of the miraculous change that I underwent in my prayerful cocoon, because of your loving me and pursuing me first, because I answered, because I realized that I'm nothing without You and You're everything to me and for me, some day, I will go from this life to eternal life with You. I will, like the butterfly, get to try out my new body and live eternally sinless. I will behold the beauty that is You, Lord. Thank You Abba Father." Well now, CHANGE is good!

For the sake of Iris's theme, I used change, because we are new (or changed) creatures when we are redeemed by the blood, but let's look a little deeper. Are our lives changed or EXCHANGED? In all actuality, our lives are exchanged with Christ's. We exchange our lives for His. We willingly give ourselves over. Jesus paid it all and in return, we give it all--our lives for the paid ransom. It's like an exchange done at the agreed upon meeting spot in a kidnapping--the person for the money. Picture the kidnapper shoving the person toward the person with the suitcase full of money, and at the same time or simultaneously, the person with the suitcase shoves it over to the kidnapper. "I'll give you what I have in exchange for what you have." Jesus went from life as a man to death on the Cross in exchange for our sins. He took our sins upon Himself. In exchange, we earned freedom. In salvation, we give our lives to Christ, He gives us eternity and life with Him. "Thank You Lord, for the EXCHANGE! What a gift!!"

These are the things that I'm thankful for today. What about you? Click on Iris' link above and see what others are thankful for as well.