Cups of Tea 7/4-7/10

A leisurely Sunday has finally arrival and oh, how I have longed for it to be here. Hopefully you too are gearing up to slow down during your last day of the weekend.

Today’s Cups of Tea revealed, after I had compiled them, to have a bit of a lavender theme.  Whether it be in regards to honey, drinks or Provence – lavender is indeed on my mind.  Along with the beautiful ideas and images of July in Provence are two sources of inspiration and motivation.  Before you begin to peruse though, make sure to cozy up with your favorite cup and a lovely drink of choice.  Enjoy and have a perfect Sunday.

 

1. The Benefits of Honey

Sarah of Haute Design has an extraordinary talent for finding and sharing images and photos with her readers that are a true delight to the reader’s eye.  The best part, however, is that along with every grouping of images, I always tend to learn something new or see things in a more beautiful perspective.  This particular post was no different as she shares the benefits eating honey can have on one’s pollen allergies.  Have a look.  I think you’ll find it very interesting.

2. Speaking of Lavender

Sunday Suppers  again has shared a beautiful presentation and no doubt delicious to the taste recipe with their Lavender Lemonade.  So simple, have a look at the recipe by clicking on the header or the image below.

3. Healthy Can Be Delicious

I recently discovered The Healthy Apron, authored by Erin, a nutritionist who continually shares information in a very positive-body-image sort of tone.  This particular post was the first one that grabbed my attention because as we all know the pressures abound in the media, in society and thus in our own minds to pay attention to that lovely number, forever trying to decrease it.  This is a great article with links to even more informative posts to help you change your focus.

 

4. A Lavender Dream

Back to lavender.  Vicki Archer of the blog French Essence  recently shared a peek at her home in Provence – not the house itself, but her garden and her adjacent neighbor’s driveway.  I almost couldn’t believe it was real.  The image below looks like a photograph of that “someone's home” that never really exists, if you know what I mean.  This is gorgeous.  She shares a few more pictures, so if you’d like to take an even closer look at as she puts it the “purple haze” click on the image or the header.  

5. Something to Ponder

A blogger I have been thoroughly enjoying getting to know through her posts lately is Piper of Daily Diva Dish.  She expands on the particular quote below by Sarah Ban Breathnach in a very thought provoking way.  Have a look. (And the image is so uniquely gorgeous.  At first I thought the model was wearing a boot, but it looks to be a black stocking and a black pump – oh la la indeed!) 

“Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities.  It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend …

When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present – love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure – the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.”

~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

Images: (1) Wet Behind the Ears (4) Source