Tea in a Japanese Tea Garden

Alabama has a Tea Garden? By golly, it does. Tucked away in Monte Sano State Park, the Tea Garden was built by and cared for by volunteers. Robert Black brought it to life in 1988 and it was renovated in 2017. Located in Huntsville, Alabama Monte Sano means “Mountain of Health” and this serene little…

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Beachin’ Tea Party

My Mom loves the beach. It must be an inherited trait because so do her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. For the most part we’re a family of water lovers. We’re also very lucky because we have some of the best beaches in the world at the Florida Panhandle within a six hour drive. Soft white…

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To The Moon!

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, here’s my man on the moon tea towel.

 This is a special event and one wants to pause and recognize what a great achievement this was; especially when you consider they did it with slide rules not computers.
 I live in Huntsville Alabama,…

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Happy Birthday to the Queen!

Queen Elizabeth turns 93 this year officially today, on the second Saturday of June. Well, isn’t that an odd way of putting it, you ask. Yes. Yes, it is. But that’s the life of a royal for you. She was born on April 21, 1926 which makes her 93 years old. (Here at Civili-tea we…

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The Complete Guide to Throwing The Perfect Tea Party

  Here’s the complete guide to throwing your perfect tea party.  How to make it easy?  Two words:  Plan and organize! Six weeks before: Create theme. (What) Set date & place. (When & where.) Make guest list. Names or at least the number of people. (Who.) Book caterer, if needed. Five weeks before: Buy invitations…

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Mother’s Day Tea with a Southern Twist

We had a lovely Mother’s Day Tea with a Southern Twist. Menu Savories Pimiento Cheese – every good southern party must have pimiento cheese. Cucumbers with fresh, local strawberries, Belle Chevre goat cheese, and watercress. Watercress is an herb that grows in the wild throughout the South. Shrimp and Grits – This was an experiment…

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Tea with The Bride to Be

Wedding season is heading our way which means wedding showers are too.  An afternoon tea with friends is the perfect way to shower your bride-to-be with best wishes and happiness. Party Theme Once you have a theme everything starts to fall into place.  Our party theme was “A Day in the Park” since the wedding…

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Huntsville Coffee & Tea Festival

The first ever Huntsville Coffee & Tea Festival was held on March 24, 2019 at the Roundhouse. The place was jam-packed with scads of coffee and tea lovers flocking in to taste new brews. TEA (AND COFFEE) EXHIBITORS The booths were filled with some new and enterprising businesses on the leading edge of the growing…

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BYOTC Party

Sometimes you just luck into something special. I attend an annual women’s retreat with some amazing, accomplished women.  It’s always a great treat to carve out some time to spend together. We’ve done this for many years so they know by now that I’ll make tea for them. I enjoy sharing my tea and getting…

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Sip for Peace

The International Tea Sippers Society presents a righteous idea that I am happy to share with you. Sip for Peace! Now that’s an idea worth passing on! O.K. They have our attention but what do they mean? Here’s what it means – All during January the organizers of the “Sip for Peace” campaign ask tea lovers…

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