A To Z Blogging Challenge: Tea Leaf Reading Dictionary “A”

Welcome to the A to Z Challenge for April 2016! My theme for this year is Tea Leaf Reading Symbol Dictionary – yes, I know this is a mouthful. I find tea a wonderfully fascinating beverage that is a part of many aspects of my life for me – healing, enjoyment, divination, meditation and ritual. I hope you enjoy taking this journey with me, as I bring to you a little bit of information I hope you can find useful.

Tea Leaf Reading Symbol Dictionary:

Letter A:

Abbey: An abbey is a favorable sign, declaring a freedom from anxiety and a peace of mind.  You are questions, or to get out of sticky situation, then this symbol will mean that help is on its way.

Acorn: Acorns are (as are the trees from which they derive from) a symbol of strength and perseverance. While your endeavor might grow slow and steady, rather than in a quick suggestion, it will be a lasting success from which you and people in the future can benefit from. Because Acorns are the seeds from which the tree will spring from, it also means that you are still in the beginning stages of your adventure, so be patient, and steady.

An example of a wide mouth cup with saucer that is perfect for a Tea Leaf Reading Available on Amazon

Aircraft: If it pointing toward you, then an unexpected news or an unexpected travel is on the horizon, If it points away from you, then there is likely to be no favorable movement in the situation, proceed with caution

Anchor: An anchor is an overall positive sign. You are in the right place at the right time at this very moment, exactly where you are supposed to be. Take a close look around you to find opportunities and hidden opportunities in your present situation

Angel: Angel are the messengers of love and joy. Always embrace the Angel symbol. If you see this symbol showing up in many locations besides this reading, you should be more open to guidance, the Universe is  trying to get your attention.

Apes: someone has a hidden agenda in your life. Watch out for those who are manipulative and deceitful.

Apples: apples are great sign to see in your tea leaf readings. They point to steady health, happiness and fortune. The apple contains within the pentacle, the symbol of magick, making it a powerful fruit that despite its general appearance holds a powerful punch. So do not be deceived by what might look like a simple occurrence, it might make the difference you have been looking for.

Apple tree:  apple trees indicate a chance for the better.

Arc: a very protective symbol. It signifies the love protection and care of someone who is really deeply connected with you. You are cared for.

Arrow: be aware of the arrows direction in your reading. Unpleasant news might be on their way – usually from the direction the arrow is pointing at

Axe: You have the power to overcome any difficulties that stand in your way if you are willing to put in the effort needed.

Throughout this series, I will be teaching you a little bit at a time about how to do a reading, what is important to remember when receiving a reading, and just general information about tea, and the related subjects. I hope you will stay with me throughout the entire journey.

I am blessed to have you as my readers.

Claudia

P.S. The above post contained affiliate links. See Disclosure page for details.

 

 

 

7 Things I Learned While Writing A Book About Tea And Mindfulness

Disclaimer: The following post includes affiliate links to our Sponsors – Amazon and Creative Life. 

When doing research for any project, it is very interesting to see what kind of crazy, wonderful and sometimes disturbing facts can be discovered. Thankfully, I have not run across anything disturbing, so I am happy to share with you a few little tidbits of information that you might find as interesting as I have, about the subject of tea. I will share some insights about mindfulness in an upcoming blog post.

Tea and your bones: 

Studies indicate that phytochemicals in tea, such as flavonoids, may protect against bone loss: Regular tea drinkers have higher bone density than non-tea drinkers.

Crazy for Kombucha? 

What it is: Sometimes called mushroom tea because of the microorganisms that float in it and form a mushroom like shape this fermented form of sweetened tea with a funky vinegar taste is made with live bacteria and yeast and often fortified with B vitamins.

Proponents say this ancient Chinese drink has medicinal benefits, namely that it boosts the immune system, prevents cancer, and aids digestion and liver function.

My Favorite: Hibiscus Tea:  

A recent study revealed that hibiscus teas contain a number of different antioxidants that may help to protect against cell-damaging free radicals. These teas also may help control high blood pressure. You can find hibiscus in such teas as sour tea, red zinger tea, or sorrel tea.

Do You Like Olives? 

People in Italy enjoy an olive leaf tea made with the leaves of the olive tree types Manzanillo and Mission. So now you can drink your olives too!

This tea should keep you warm: Butter Tea 

Butter tea is a Tibetan tradition, made with Yak Butter, black tea and salt. It has gained some following all over the world. Not my cup of tea.

“Happy Tea” will be available May 2016 on Amazon.

Questions:

What are your favorite teas? And what are the craziest facts you know about tea?

Have a wonderful Day!

The above post is a part of the following blog hops:

Thankful Thursdays

Thankful Thursdays Link Up # 40

No Rules # 167

Inspire Me Wednesday 

Share With Me 

Gratitude, Coffee And Staying Motivated

Coffee Poster

Welcome to our weekly coffee share session. I am always looking forward to seeing you. Come on in, the  coffee is hot and fresh, but I also got tea, and some vegan cranberry chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, if you want some. Help yourself.

If you were here with me I would greet you with a smile, and tell you how grateful I am to have a quiet home at the moment. Half of the family is doing their own thing, so the noise level is way down. My head is grateful too, as I need space to think, quiet company and one on one conversations, rather than music or television in the background. Makes it easier to focus on what is important. You would probably notice my gratitude journal on my table. Do you write in a gratitude journal on a regular basis? Today I mentioned my family, the cool breezes of the last few days, the great lunch I had yesterday with my hubby, and of course, coffee.

Never Quit

If you were here with me, I would ask you if you are working on your dreams and goals, and how you stay motivated. Is it easy for you to stay on track with your goals, or do you have to drag yourself to take the necessary steps? If you are dragging, I would ask you what your reasons behind your goals are. A great why helps to pull you along, even when the day is tough.

What is your biggest, most outrages dream? I would share it with you – owning a home in  Hollywood Hills is mine – and hope you would share your dream with me. No dreams are too big, too outrageous if you are willing to work for them. I am. Are you? What are you doing right now to make them happen?

As you can tell, I love helping others reach their goals and dreams. A part of me is always going to be a motivational life coach, even if I have given up my practice a few years ago (it has been that long already? Wow, time flies when you’re having fun). Maybe that is the reason why I love helping other designers, creatives and writers succeed. It’s my thing, I guess.

What are you currently reading? Are you reading something that can help you along in your career, or business? Gary Vaynerchuck’s Crush It is currently on my Kindle. I am a fan of Gary’s videos, if you have not heard about him, I suggest you check him out. Very motivational.

I am glad you stopped by and we had a chance to talk. If you get a moment, check out all of the other participants of the Weekend Coffee Share and those who post as a part of the Celebrate The Small Things Blog hop. They would appreciate your visit.

See you next week – oh, but please feel free to drop by anytime. I always have something to share!

Blessings

Claudia

 

Celebrate The Small Things – Rose Edition

White Rose by Claudia H. Blanton

Hi,  everyone! It is time again to celebrate all that we are thankful for. Please stop by to say hi to Lexa Cain, our wonderful host of the “Celebrate The Small Things” Blog Hop. As always, it is time to share our gratitude, and I hope you will join us!

What am I grateful for this week?

I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to express myself creatively via my art this week, working mainly with flowers, but other subjects as well. I find roses to be my favorite flower to work with. It has been a lot of fun!

Lotus In Blue by Claudia H. Blanton

I am grateful that a very unique Asian supermarket opened its door in our neighborhood. Their vegetable and fruit selections are enormous, and as vegetarians and vegans our family goes through a lot of vegetables. We are so excited about that. (well, we are foodies, all of us. We used to own a restaurant, so there is no getting us away from food).

I am also grateful that we had a couple days of cooler weather, even though it is back in the mid 90’s, at least we had some heat relief for a brief moment.

What are you grateful for this week? Why not write about it, and share your link with us here. Blessings!

Claudia

5 Things I Am Grateful For Right Now – A Celebrate The Small Things Blog Post

Simple Beauty – Fall Leaf Small Square Tile

available on Zazzle

After missing a week of posting a “Celebrate The Small Things Post”, I am glad to be back participating in the wonderful blog hop, hosted by Lexa Cain. I hope you will join us, which you can, by simply following this link.

What am I grateful for this week?

1. I just found out that they are making a second installment of  the movie John Wick. Surprisingly the first movie was pretty good, and my son really enjoyed it as well, especially considering that the main character makes an appearance in on of his video games. And if you like action movies, you can not go wrong with a Keanu Reeves movie.And I do like action movies.
2. It is only a few more days until my favorite Author – Kay Hooper releases her new book “Fear The Dark. It is a part of her series around a special FBI unit, who’s members have special paranormal skills. If you like suspense and the paranormal I highly recommend her books (not her romance novels though).
3. It is supposed to get cooler soon – yay! It had been 10 degrees above normal in the already too hot Las Vegas, so I am looking forward to days in the 80’s rather than the 100’s. Until then, I am staying indoors – well mostly.
4. The cute little noises my dog is making in her sleep right now. She is dreaming and as usual, she  dream-barks. Sounds more like a little puppy, than a full grown dog, which makes it even cuter.
5. I have been working on my Fall collection of designs on Zazzle and they are turning out to be actually pretty cute! I love Fall colors, and I think I managed to capture some of that beauty. I am proud of those designs.

Now it is your turn – join our blog hop and tell us what you are grateful for. And do not forget to visit all of the other beautiful peeps who are participating in this group of Gratitude!

Blessings!

Claudia

Gratitude Post – Hug Edition

                                                    Hugs by Claudia H. Blanton

 

As I am sitting here this morning, trying to think of what  I am grateful for, I must admit, I was taken out of the momentum, by losing my connection and having to crash my computer. It was easy to practice gratitude from the point of preparation, but moving through the unexpected occurrences and annoyances of living here, and dealing with issues I would not have to deal with, where we still living in Tampa, undid the state of mind, I so carefully constructed for myself.

But is that not a part of life, wanting to stay in the moment of gratitude and appreciation, staying upbeat and following the laws that govern us to be happy in the now, even when life happens?

Inhale Love, Exhale Gratitude

Within the moments of disruption is a chance to practice our vibrational alignment  to gratitude, a fact alone that we should be grateful for. The lesson within is important – no matter what the perceived reality is bringing toward us, we can stay in a constant stream of appreciation.

In that sense, that is what I am –  this week, this morning grateful for – the chance to practice my alignment to gratitude and through that to what I seek.

– What are you grateful for this week? Why not share it with our blog hop and connect with us via our wonderful host Lexa Cain! We are looking forward to hearing from you!

Blessings

Claudia

Weekend Coffee Share – Let Me Tell You About This Book

Smart Squirrel Reading a Dictionary by

funnaturephotography

If you would come over to my house for a cup of coffee, I would offer you some cinnamon rolls. We found some vegan ones from Amy’s and they are really, really good. You might not be vegan, but I promise you, that you will not be able to tell the difference between them and the regular ones – expect that they are actually better, and hot.

I would then tell you about a book that was a weird but good read. What would you think about a story where a woman who works with serial killers is haunted by a dead convicted serial killer (who might be innocent), and worse – she is in love with him? Talk about an impossible situation, but that is exactly what happens to Charlotte Stone in the book “The Last Kiss Goodbye“, a steaming hot book (I am talking between the main character and the dead serial killer, yup, you heard me correctly). I swear you would like it, even if you think you do not want to start reading another series. Well neither did I, but this one is worth plunging into. You just might have to plunge yourself into a cold shower afterwards, and wish you had your own ghost to haunt you. Just maybe not one that was convicted of killing several people. I could do without that part. (Oh, and the book was written by Karen Robards)

I would tell you then, that I am sorry I won’t have time to go out to dinner this week, but I would invite you to come back next week. There is a really cool cafe I want to take you to. I promise not all of the food there is vegan, but they do make some mean waffles.

 See you then!

P.S. Why not check out all of the other blogs participating in the Weekend Coffee Share? You can find them here! 

Celebrate The Small Things – Writing Edition

“Today I am Grateful for…” Gratitude Journal by positivephrasesgifts

This week’s gratitude list includes a lot of things about writing.

First of all, I am grateful that I was able to plan out some blog posts for the next few weeks on topics I am interested in sharing with you. Because I am writing now for three sites (my design blog, my motivation/inspirational blog, and this one), the topics range from staying motivated even when time to follow your dreams are limited, to  some exciting features and interviews with artists and creatives which are writers, print on demand artists or  otherwise interesting people who are putting their creativity out there.

I am grateful that I had a chance to connect with them all and am happy to be of service to them while sharing their talent with the rest of the world.

I am grateful that we are living in the US, where it is okay to express ourselves through our creativity with an amount of freedom that is not granted in many parts of the world. Many bloggers, writers, journalists, and artists are jailed, disappear or were killed for their art. We can express ourselves safely and openly. For that, I am grateful.

I am grateful for the creative writers that work on the television shows that are coming our way this season. We are entertained by their wit, and sometimes depth, as they make us forget for a short while our own lives and emerge ourselves into the lives of their creation. Making television shows “take a village”, and I am awed by their talent.

Oh, and I am grateful that this morning the internet is back on. Had a little problem with the connection but the cable company came out and fixed it. Very grateful for those helpful people!

What are you grateful for this week? I am looking forward to connecting with you – and if you have not joined in with this wonderful group of bloggers, you really should – just simply add yourself to the blog hop list on our hosts – Lexa Cain’s – blog, and we will make sure we will stop by!

Have a great week!

Claudia

Taking Chances – A Celebrate The Small Things Blog Post

 

Courage by SimpleStrongWords

Welcome to my weekly Gratitude post – part of Lexa Cain’s “Celebrate The Small Things” blog hop. Why not join us?

Taking chances takes courage. Sometimes it takes moving outside of one’s comfort zone, putting yourself out there, no matter what, even if it means whatever the endeavour it can fail.

I have been wanting to create a design and lifestyle blog for a while. This week I am celebrating my first post upon it. Does it mean that it will succeed? I don’t know, but at least I can try.

Trying new things, and following through on a commitment also takes courage. I celebrate my children’s decision to eat differently, ethically. My daughter is vegan, my son turned vegetarian a few months ago. Both of these choices take commitment and conviction. I am proud of their consciousness of how to live a more positive life.

I celebrate the beginning of September, which always means to me to switch gears toward the Fall and Winter seasons. Even though I love heat, I love the colors and energy of Autumn, and even though this year, I will not be seeing much of that in person (Las Vegas is not known for the foliage, lol), I am emerging myself into the design and creativity that this season brings with it.

What are you celebrating this week? Have you accomplished something that you want to share? Join the blog hop here! 

Blessings

Claudia

A Moment Of Gratitude – A Celebrate The Small Things Blog Post

Las Vegas aerial view taken from a blimp by DanitaDelimont
Poster is available via Zazzle

It is time again to join Lexa Cain for her weekly blog hop “Celebrate The Small Things” You can join this ever-growing list of gratitude practitioners there. Remember, when you look close enough, you will always find something to be grateful for.

This week I am grateful that our move is now in it’s final stages, and we are actually getting on the road on Tuesday. I am looking forward to finally moving out of here, and toward the West, something we all have been looking forward to for a while now. Las Vegas, here we come!

I am grateful that I am getting better at moving efficiently and in a more organized manner. This will come in handy in the near future again, our stay in Las Vegas is limited to about 6 months. So, basically as soon as we unpacked, we are going to re-pack. I better have that down to a science by then!

I am grateful that I have chosen to take the next few days off, and that I am flexible enough to do so. It is so much harder when your schedule is dictated by a typical job. I am glad that I am in charge of my own schedule.

I am grateful that found some baby pictures of my daughter, I did not remember we had. Somehow they got mixed in with some tax papers (I don’t know how that happened), but they are adorable, and put a smile on my face. I can’t wait to tease her with them later on today.

Speaking of pictures, going through all of our stuff, I also came across my own basic training pictures. Now there is something to scare the kids with. Is it a bad thing to be grateful for having been hurt bad enough in basic training to receive a medical discharge? Well, I am, because it brought me to this time and place, something that might have never happened would I have actually been physically able to stay. I guess it is possible to be grateful for torn ligaments and improper medical treatment after all. Was not that much fun when it happened, though.

What are you grateful for this week? I hope you take the time to write a blog post, and join the hop, or create a list in your journal. Gratitude is a practice that should be held sacred by everyone, no matter which spiritual background or the lack thereof  one comes from.

Have a great weekend!

Claudia

P.S. I will not be a part of next weeks hop. Monday will be the last day I will be on this blog until end of June. See you in July!