Monday, July 14, 2014

T Stands for Tuesday is ONE today

Today we're having a party.
T Stands for Tuesday is one year old today.  It's time to celebrate.

But while we're in the partying mood, I want to remind you of a few things about T Stands For Tuesday.

I know many of you have been here from the beginning and know I'm NOT about rules.  But I want to reiterate what T Stands For Tuesday is all about and what it stands for.

This is what I wrote one year ago:
What qualifies as a T Tuesday post?  First, let me make it abundantly clear that you do NOT have to drink tea.  And, you do NOT have to photograph your image(s) on Tuesday.  You can take your photo(s) any day of the week, then link your post here.
I went on to explain:
You can talk about anything, enjoy any drink, create a recipe, show journal pages, flower arrangements, encaustics, your favorite pet (which Bleubeard would love), sewing, altered book pages, a shopping trip, a day at the beach, visiting a museum, shoveling snow, skate boarding, combing your hair (you get the idea), and any photos, as long as you can relate them in some way to a T Stands For Tuesday drink.
Don't know what to post?  Have a story to tell, but don't have a tea cup handy? Haven't been anywhere?  Haven't done anything special this week? Don't have a life?  Well neither do I.  So, here are a few ideas.

Stick an empty glass, mug, or cup some place and take a photo.  Photograph one morning, afternoon, or evening when you had a cup of something to drink.  Relate the story you want to share to something drink related, even though there's no mug, cup, or glass nearby.  If you are at the beach, relate T to how the water reminds you of a cool drink.  If you are shoveling snow or making a snowman, relate how you would love to warm up with some hot cocoa.  ANY story can be twisted to relate to T Stands For Tuesday.  In fact, I think those are the entries that will inspire you the most.

Also, to clarify:
Some of you are going to ask why I'm posting on Monday afternoon.  Most of my internet friends live in different places than I, which is in the central time zone of the US.  In the real scheme of things time zones, we are toward the end of the 24 hour day.
And that, my T Stands for Tuesday friends, is why I post every Monday at 4 pm Central Time, and it's also the end of my rant.  Let's get this party started, what say?

And although this isn't my FAVORITE T Stands For Tuesday post, it was one I really enjoyed.
Today's T post begins with this book some of you may have seen me review last Friday for our monthly Artful Readers Club. (Editor's note: this post was originally photographed and published on September 30, 2013)

In case you didn't see the review, the book is called Writing Home and was written by Cindy Leferle.  It has many (over 90) short essays on home, women working, and various other stories most of us can relate to.


Since this is T day, I was intrigued by an essay in the chapter called Kitchen Duty entitled "Just My Cuppa Tea."  I thought the essay was quite appropriate and it had me agreeing as I read each word.

LeFerle provides a bit of history lesson by explaining (as most avid tea drinkers know)

tea originated in the Orient (please ignore the kitty toys under the table),


was first imported to the British Isles (thank you Annette aka Voodoo Vixen for gifting me with everything tea related shown in this photo),
 
then to the US, where it was heavily taxed. LeFerle then reminds us why tea has lost favor in this coffee obsessed world.  According to LeFerle
As most of us recall from our grade-school history classes, it was heavily taxed by the Monarchy and eventually incited the boisterous Boston Tea Party of 1775.  Since then, our country (please note: LeFerle is referring to the United States) has harbored a stubborn preference for coffee (page 108).
She further contends that coffee is quick and all-American, easily being consumed in disposable cups, many of them, in my belief, more than likely styrofoam.

LeFerle admits tea is not easy to prepare.  It requires "that we sit down long enough to assemble its various accouterments (page 108)."  Take these strainers for example.  They go by several names, such as tea balls, strainers, and infusers.  One is needed any time we use tea leaves.

To further quote LeFerle
Drinking tea entails a fussy battery of saucers, spoons, bags, lemon wedges, and pots with lid, not to mention the optional milk, honey, or sugar (pp 108-9).
All that fussing for something that begins with a bit of hot water may be why most waiters don't care for tea drinkers.  Per LeFerle, waiters think
we're a high maintenance bunch and would rather not be bothered with our hot water refills (p 109).      
Show your high (or low) maintenance today and link below.  Your photos don't have to be taken on Tuesday, but they should be somehow T related.  Art, books, stories, or even a good pot of tea will be memorable when you link below and are visited by your fellow T community.


I hope you found a T Stands For Tuesday post that was memorable for you.  Let's truly celebrate today.  So, follow the "rules and guidelines of T Stands For Tuesday," then link below, please.  There might even be a little something-something in it for one lucky linking participant.  After you link, Bleubeard and I will be by to visit, as well as many other T Stands For Tuesday participants who are partying today.  After all, it's a reciprocity thing!


27 thoughtful remarks:

Ohhh Snap said...

Happy One Year! My pets are perilous with beverages and are determined to be un-photogenic today so tell Bleubeard I will try another day. That is a lot of lovely beverages, and I look forward to many more : ).

Robyn said...

Happy Anni! I love any excuse for a party! Fun info too! I love the flowered tea service.
Many happy returns, and see you on Tuesdays!

Linda Kunsman said...

Happy 1st birthday!!!! I am ever so glad to have found you (through Patty S:)and enjoy each visit. Love this post and esp. that English flag dish. Happy T day and thank you for being such a wonderful and entertaining hostess!

Rebeca Trevino said...

wow!
a party, tea stories, a book and some beautiful tea dishes . . .
who knew. Happy Birthday T-Tuesday!

dawn said...

Happy Anniversary Elizabeth and Bleubeard!! So exciting!! WOW, what a great post this is, so fancy and full of tea cups and fun. YAY!! I have been craving a root beer float for days now and love seeing yours here. Maybe I will treat myself this weekend to one.
Thank you so much for a great year with you and your friends here. I'm so thankful and blessed for you and each of them. Such wonderful and sweet ladies all of you are. Feels just like home when visiting and sharing our weeks.
I linked up a old favorite of mine and hope you like seeing it again too.
Enjoy the day and all the festivities from everyone.
hugs and love!!

p.s. I made a mandala today and have a neat T post for next week. LOVE LOVE the SOC colors this week and will share them later this week.

Denise Price said...

Happy T-iversary, and thanks for the trip down memory lane! I'm so glad that I can share the civilized tea-drinking ritual with the T-day group most weeks. :) Thanks for all the work you do to get the linkup posted every Tuesday.

Bridget Larsen said...

Congratulations on 1 year.

hahaha my husband will laugh if I tell him I am high maintenance because of my tea fetish hmmm. I wish I could drink coffee it would make it not so boring for me.

Love the tea story and how kind of Annette to gift you all those tea stuff to you.

Would you kindly email me your email and snail mail to my email bridget.larsen@gmail.com I think I've been writing to another Elizabeth thinking it was you.

Thank you, I may surprise you someday

xoxoxox

Bridget in Australia #4

Bridget Larsen said...

p.s. you didnt tell us how this T meme started?
Bridget in Australia #4

dawn said...

Hello again, just want to say I'm glad you enjoyed my favorite post. Funny, I usually start thinking about fall by now but not this year. I'm soaking up every last minute of summer hoping it will keep me warm all thru winter when it comes, lol.

I'm already having fun seeing some of the old posts being shared today, such a neat idea this was, so thank you.

~*~Patty S said...

Happy Anniversary dear E!!!
Thank you for keeping things rolling so beautifully with all of your fun twists and sharing.
Thank you taking us down memory lane and for reposting the guidelines too.
Here's to another year of T fun!
oxo

Anonymous said...

Sweet anniversary post. Love the reposts. Have to check out that book, how did I miss that one. A root beer float sounds good about now with this soggy humidity...is that breakfast food? Blackberry dye...what a great choice...and a nice piece you made from it too. xox

Halle said...

Happy Anniversary!! It was fun looking thru all the old posts trying to figure out which to re-post. But then decision time came...geesh, that was hard. I had 4 favorites but didn't want to bore everyone with all. :)

Darla said...

Happy Birthday here at the T Party. It was a great year, lots of fun meeting other bloggers.

Darla

Craftymoose Crafts said...

Happy Anniversary T Tuesday! It has been so much fun meeting and getting to know everyone.

Enjoyed the look back you posted, Elizabeth! As always, you set a beautiful tea party table!

Divers and Sundry said...

Happy Anniversary! and thank you for all your hard work. It's so much fun for me, and I appreciate it :)

I like your pick for favorite post. Variety! There's so much variety! :)

Cindy McMath said...

Happy birthday to your Tuesday challenge! I know it must take a lot of work and imagination to keep things going for 52 weeks straight and there must be days you would rather do something else, but I also know your loyal followers appreciate it.

You will find a clue to yesterday's ICAD technique in today's blog post - I think it will all become clear when you read it! :)

Krisha said...

Holy Smokes! I almost forgot to leave YOU a comment!!! I was jumping around the linked blogs, and walking down memory lane.

It was really a fun year of T-Days, thanks for drawing us all together. Many new friendships were created by T-days, like ours and dozens more, just by serving up a cup of tea! So here's to an other year.....CHEERS! (sip, sip)

Eliza said...

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY TO YOU AND BLUEBEARD ELIZABETH

Give the putty tatt a sardine to celebrate and some yummy cake for you. I would fly over and join you if I could, maybe one day I will.

I so love your journal pages too, I suggested to someone who was de-pipping cherries that they should put the stain on card and look what you have done put it on material with the blackberries.

Love that china you have on display it is so rich in colour and pretty. Thanks for going through the explanations of the lack of rules, I find it quite funny in a way. I do like the challenge of finding the 'T' but that is something that I am going to do for myself, I think you understand the behavior behind that for me....... anyway must get to bed at a reasonable hour as I am playing with ElecTriciTy tomorrow for the charity and need some beauty sleep. Talk soon.

Hugs Eliza

Dianne said...

I scheduled my post for early Tuesday morning and still ended up a bit 'late' to the party 'cause I didn't link up--better late than never. getting ready for house guests today, so I may be late visiting everyone too! Love that tea pot and the British tea things...AND that you're so flexible on the 'guidelines' for T Tuesday! hugs to you, and enjoy the celebration!

froebelsternchen said...

Happy first birthday to
T Stands For Tuesday...
I think I will join the fun in the second year ...
since I doesn't drink any coffee since THREE weeks now ( I am so proud of myself) it maybe is a party for me ...
always visited Patty and saw her post therefore - but never thought about participating ..
for whatever reason...??

xxx
Susi

Ariel said...

Happy Anniversary Elizabeth and Thank you so much for T stands for Tuesday where we all can come together and share our interests.
I really enjoy visiting your posts, especially the ones with your dining experiences.
Wishing you a lovely week. Hope we all get to celebrate this entire week.
Hugs
Susan

Ariel said...

One more thing: I tried to find your mail id but failed. Please do send me your id so that I can send you a mail on this Anniversary-:)

Hettie said...

Happy Birthday to You, Happy T Day to you, Happy Birthday have a T Day, Happy Birthday to you!
Great post Elizabeth and I just LOVE the tea party tea pot. It is soooo cute.
So glad I didn't miss today, though I am late!
Hugs
xx

Hettie said...

PS not being here last week I didn't know about the sharing a special post. As a relative newbie I hope you don't mind if I don't this time round...maybe I will do Patty's end of year one instead.
Hugs
xx

Nan G said...

Happy Anniversary!
Love your party drink today! One of my faves, root beer floats! You are such a gracious hostess, Elizabeth. I sure enjoying visiting every week. Have a wonderful day!
Hugs Nan and the Girls

Rita said...

I'm sorry. I always post and then go hook up with the link and I forgot all about the favorite posting. I never look backwards--or rarely--when it comes to blogging and I'm not sure I ever had anything memorable to say, anyways--LOL! If I wasn't so anal I would post on Monday night in order to not be the last or near the last every Tuesday, but I just can't post on a different day and I am used to blogging sometime after I get up in the morning and am not a fast mover or writer--hehe! So, I shall probably continue to be one of the last posters every week, but I do so enjoy the group and am glad you put up with me and my boring thermal coffee mug. :) Thanks for doing this, Elizabeth!!

Kirsty Vittetoe said...

Happy Birthday T!!!!! Many more to come!!!!