A To Z April Blogging Challenge Theme Reveal

Today, is the great theme reveal for next month’s A to Z Blogging Challenge! If you are asking yourself what I am talking about, then it is time for me to direct you toward the wonderful organizers of this month-long blogging event, that happens every year for more information. But if you want the condensed form of what I am talking about, its if the following.

For the month of April – with the exception of Sunday’s – participants pledge to blog about something, corresponding with the day’s letter, starting at A, working ourselves through the entire alphabet. Participants sign up here, and either decide to blog about random things that come to mind, or choose a theme.

Which brings me to today. Those of us who are choosing a theme, post a little bit about our chosen subject today. So, I am going to get right to it:

 

Yup, I will write for the  entire month about Tea-leaf reading symbols, tea rituals, and related information. No worries to my regular readers, who might not be  interested in the subject, I plan on continuing my usual posting, in addition to the A to Z blogging challenge – even if that means I have to do double work.

Here is the schedule for each day of the A to Z Challenge, and it’s corresponding letter:

So are you planning on joining us for this adventure? If you are, are you choosing a theme this year? For those of you who are participating, leave your blog link in the comment section, so I can come visit you throughout the challenge!

See you soon!

Claudia

 

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

 

Making Money On Zazzle – Are You A Part Of A Blogging Community

I can not overstate the importance of having a well-designed, creative blog to promote your products, and as a part of doing so, joining blogging communities is a must.

Blogging communities allows you to interact with fellow bloggers, as well as potential customers – and yes, your fellow bloggers are your potential customers – increase traffic, build readership and connections, and potential opportunities such as guest blogging. Because of these benefits, I compiled a list of 15 blogging communities you should check out and connect with.

Top 13 Blogging Communities:

1. BlogEngaged
2. Kingged
3. BizSugar
4. DoSplash
5. Blokube
6. Inbound
7. ManageWP
8. Indiblogger
9. BlogCatalog
10. Blogher
11. Blogster
12. FuelMyBlog
13. SocialBuzzClub
Happy Blogging!

 

Check this out: 

Romantic Pink Teal Watercolor Chic Floral Pattern iPhone 6s Cases – $22.91
from: Redbubble

Hey, I Designed You A Mug – Now Fill It With This

So you purchased yourself a designer mug, supporting independent artists with your choice. Good for you. We, the creatives behind these designs thank you. But now what? It is a specialty mug, so just pouring in some darn old coffee from the grocery store would not be fitting. No way. These cups ask for something special.

No worries, I did the work for you and found some really wonderful coffees and teas you should fill that special mug with.

Jacobs Kronung Coffee
This coffee is tradition and perfection in a cup. There is simply not a better roast out there, that does not cost you an arm, a leg and your first born. I grew up on this stuff, and it is the standard by which I hold each other coffee. Sorry, Starbucks, your coffee taste like pee water compared to this.

JO – Organic Fair Trade Coffee, Medium Roast
My favorite of the Fair Trade Coffee’s out there. Stick with the medium roast of this brand for best results. While it is not as fine and sophisticated in flavor as the before mentioned German coffee, it is still the best I could find so far in its category. And while drinking it, you can really feel good about yourself for being a responsible consumer (again).

Teekanne Rosehip and Hibiscus Tea
I simply love this tea, its tart, refreshing taste, even if you drink it as a hot cup of tea (which I prefer.)  It is my go to cup with a few cookies as part of a quick afternoon break. It tastes fruity and light, though I recommend to add your favorite sweetener, on its own it can be surprisingly sour.

Teavana Pineapple Berry Blue Loose-Leaf Tea
No list that includes teas is complete without having a pineapple flavored addition to it. At least that is my opinion. Hey, don’t knock it until you tried it, this tea is hot and cold a wonderful treat. Cheaper than a Hawaiian vacation.

Moonstruck Classic Hot Cocoa
Wintertime is hot chocolate time, and I prefer the classic, no fancy added flavored version of hot chocolates. This creamy, deep flavored, elegant milk chocolate cocoa mix does the trick here. It is a wonderful way to wind down a busy holiday day, and no December evening would be complete without it. I would recommend to get extra. Especially if you are a chocoholic like I am.

Now savor that hot (or cold) stuff!

Have a wonderful day!

Claudia

 Disclaimer: The above post contains affiliate links.

This Week’s Mission – Not Get Overwhelmed, Stay Organized, And Semi-Sane

“I Am Not Crazy” Cat Greeting card by Avalon Media http://goo.gl/EUEkjO

A little crazy never hurt anyone, I don’t mean DC’s Joker-crazy, I mean out-of-the-box weird, with a dash of creative colorfulness. But in all of that craziness that we (my hubby, my kids and I),  have to find a way to  balance all of what we want to accomplish AND still have a life, by not  adding even more to our ever-growing list of to-do’s. With more ideas than there are hours in the day, a limit has to be set of how much we can take on.

I think, without Evernote and Nozbe,  I would be lost forever, especially considering that my handwriting resembles that of a doctor, so it’s pretty much useless for me to keep handwritten notes.

So what is on the agenda for the next few days?

• publish an interview I conducted with a very creative fellow Designer on Zazzle (you can check out his store “SwissToons” here)
• getting ready to move, which  means getting rid of most of our stuff (I am going to write another blog post about our decision to start all over)
• create more designs, specifically focusing on home decor, cell phone cases and cards for both RedBubble and Zazzle
• get even more familiar with the few more companies I will be working with here – and introducing them to you all.
• make a list of things I need (and want ) to get, once we actually arrived in Las Vegas.
• write at least 7 more flash fiction stories – some of them I will publish here,  others will be exclusive for the upcoming collection
• implement and write about the ton of social media and business info I have come across over the last few weeks and months
• publish some reviews (not just about books)

Behind the scenes, we still have to run our transportation business and homeschool our children, but those are the musts that are consistently a part of our daily activities, our non-negotiables. The former is our main income source, and the latter: education – well I could write an entire book about the importance of educating our college-bound kids.

Sounds like a lot? Yup, but somehow we always seem to manage to make it all work, just as long as I promise myself not to take on anything else. That is something I am very bad at. I want to do everything, and I want to do it now. But the scripts and urban fantasy series have to wait this week, even though I wish I could dive into any of them.

Question:

How do you keep yourself from overwhelmed? What do you do to unwind, and get away from it all?

I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day!

Claudia

P.S. I highly recommend to you all to check out our affiliate Nozbe! The best productivity tool I have come across. I organize all of my business and personal projects using this program!

Fast Five Friday – 5 Favorite Novels Read In 2014

A Fast Five Friday Blog Post

2014 was filled with many great books, so narrowing it down to just 5 favorite novels is not quite as easy as it might seem. Even though I did not keep track of how many books I have read, I know they were plenty.

Here are the 5 Novels, that stick out in my mind the most:

1. Beneath The Veil by Megan Hart

This book surprised me completely in it’s intensity, and even though I read (and reviewed) it in March, I am still raving about this novel to anyone who is willing to listen. Strong characters, well defined plot, and not one boring minute, I would highly suggest that you read this book. (read my more detailed review here) 

2. The Keepers: Declan by Rae Rivers

The best paranormal series I have read in a long time! I thoroughly enjoyed every book in this series, that contains Witches, and those who love and protect them, but I am featuring this book “Declan”, because it was the first one I read, thanks to Netgalley, who allowed me to review it, pre-publication. If you love paranormal novels as much as I do, Rae Rivers is your Author. (read a more detailed review of the book here)

3. Hyde by Lauren Stewart 

An urban fantasy, that I could not put down, written by an Author who writes also Young Adult books – this book is all grown up, and does not hold anything back. A new, unique Jekyll and Hide story, nothing like I expected (read my original review of the book here) 

4. Storm Front by Richard Castle

Yes, the Richard Castle, fictional character in the series Castle. What a surprise this book was! I did not expect to find such a fast paced, humor-filled spy novel, that worked as well as it did. Whomever actually wrote this book is really good! (read my original review of the book here)

5. Parker’s Passion by Sabrina York

Now for some fun at the end, I am throwing in an erotic romance that is not exactly for the faint at heart, but contains an interesting story line, that many books of this nature lack. While it is slightly rushed, it is the best book in the genre I read this year, and that is the reason I included it in this list. (read my original review of this book here)

I am grateful to be a part of this interesting blog hop, “Fast Five Fridays” and hope to connect with many of the participants.