Cozy breakfast

Lately, Zephaniah (8) has been waking up earlier than usual. (This may also be another sign that spring is on the way.)

When he gets up early like this, he always finds me cooking breakfast in the kitchen. On this particular day, I was making French Toast.

Zephaniah immediately ran to the bathroom to wash his hands. Then, he grabbed his dinosaur apron.

After I tied his apron for him, he picked up the spatula and checked the French Toast cooking in the cast iron skillet.

“It’s not ready yet,” he said to me. He didn’t even say good morning! Lol! ๐Ÿ˜‚

So, for breakfast we had homemade French Toast, eggs, turkey bacon, grapefruit slices, and tea. The kids now LOVE having hot, herbal tea with their breakfast.

Well, except for Zhen (13). She still doesn’t like the way tea tastes. ๐Ÿ˜

It makes me happy that I have passed on my love for tea to the children. I think that one day Zhen will change her mind about liking tea. I told her she just needs to find the right blend. That’s how I fell in love with it.

I discovered a small business owner who makes the best tea blends I have ever had in my life! After that, she converted me into a tea lover. ๐Ÿ˜…๐Ÿซ–๐Ÿ˜

I love how our mornings have transitioned into a cozy rhythm of cooking a homemade breakfast and sipping tea together.

๐Ÿ’œXO


Happy Friday

Three things to reflect on in honor of September 11th.

I’ll Put the Kettle On

I can now say, “I’ll put the kettle on.” ๐Ÿ˜Œ๐Ÿซ–โ˜•๏ธ Honestly, I’ve always wanted to say that, as I’m obsessed with British TV series, especially Masterpiece on PBS.

Last night, Travis bought me a whistling tea kettle. I was pretty geeked about it because I’ve never had a tea kettle that whistles when the water is ready. ๐Ÿ˜†

I used to have a Breville Tea Maker that my sister gave me about 10 or 11 years ago, but it stopped working a few months ago.

But a whistling tea kettle is just so much more fun!

The new tea kettle Travis bought for me. ๐Ÿซ–

Since my Breville broke down, I had just been boiling water for my tea in a small pot. ๐Ÿ˜‚ I needed something a little more efficient now that the kids want tea in the mornings (following in Mom’s footsteps ๐Ÿฅน๐Ÿฅฐ).

This morning, when I heard the tea kettle make the whistling sound, I excitedly called the kids to the kitchen to check it out. Lol ๐Ÿ˜„ They thought it was pretty cool, too!

“Fancy a cuppa?” โ˜•๏ธ

Here are a few moments from today.

๐Ÿ’œ XO

Zaya (5) helping me clean the tea kettle. She was just as excited as I was about the new kettle.
A House Sparrow and a Junco sitting beside each other on my patio fence. You can also see another Junco in the hanging pot feeder.
Zephaniah (8) watching the birds through the window at the bird feeders.
This afternoon, I stopped by the pet store to get some more bird food. ๐Ÿ˜„
Cute little guyโ€”a Bearded Dragon I saw at the pet store.
Today’s Lunch: leftover stir fry chicken. ๐Ÿ˜‹
Travis and Zephaniah putting together the new kitchen table we thrifted.

โ€œDrink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves.โ€ โ€” Thich Nhat Hanh