Mood Board Monday: Tea Time May Be My Nerdiest Obsession

I take my tea very seriously (read here why). On cold rainy days like today (or sunny warm ones) tea time is my perfect ritual to focus and center, because if there is a such thing as a “Christmas person” I am not her. I find this time of year depleting and hectic and I’m ready for it to be over.  My tea is a bit of liquid courage to handle all the Merry Christmases and Happy Holidays.  I’m such a Scrooge, but at least I’m aware of my Scrooginess (laughs to self). Here are my favorite tea making accoutrement (and, no they weren’t Christmas gifts): 

AN ART NERD'S NIGHT IN

Daughters of the Dust--

one of my to ten movies of all time!

A breakthrough movie by Julie Dash

I'm a HUGE BarbaraO fan♥
She is a co-star in the film &
plays the role of "Yellow Mary"

Gotta have my tea!

If I was going somewhere tonight, I would take a cue from BarbaraO's understated and eclectic glamour: bangles, coiled rings, classic white blouse, and ikat scarf; I improvised the rest :) 

Button Front Tops by Asos
Platforms by Fergie

TENDING MY MOTHERS' GARDENS IN A ROOM OF MY OWN: A Time to...

I never watched my mother or grandmothers get harried over New Year’s Day, in the way that I have over the past few days. Their only requisites were an immaculately organized and well stocked home with pots of greens and black-eyed peas cooking—no sweat! Unlike my wise foremothers, my energy levels have ebbed and flowed frenetically as I plotted my next move for 2012. My plan has to be on paper by December 31!

I continued to make lists and organize, only to make more lists and reorganize. My energy was of the destructive variety: the kind that uproots harvests before they’re ripe and struggles to plant seed in frozen ground. My turning point was anxiety that manifested physically my chest. I took a moment to collect my calm with my  Henri Bendel Vanilla Bean Candle and a cup of (decaffeinated!) Zhena’s Fireside Chai. Breathe…in 1,2,3,4,5; out 1,2,3,4,5

My ancestors recognized the power of seasons, so New Year’s Day didn’t cause them to lose their cool. They weren’t distracted by human demarcations on their life goals, because everything had its own time and season. I felt my own seasons shift in June, and again radically in August.

"To everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven..." (Ecclesiastes 3:10, AMP)

I let all the articles and posts about resolutions get to me and make me feel as if what I was doing (my list of thirty-two things to accomplish before I turn thirty-two) wasn’t enough. All those articles and posts I’ve collected are pretty awesome, but I’ll file them away for the start of my next season.

AN ART NERD'S NIGHT IN

Waiting for me in my Netflix queue are a documentary Radiant Child: Jean Michel Basquiat (Tamara Davis, 2010) and a movie Basquiat (Julian Schnabel, 1996.). Before snuggling up with my University of Wyoming Snuggie (GO COWBOYS!) and Coconut Chai, I’ll be whipping up some caramel corn by one of my favorite dessert chefs Gale Gand.