Time Flies!: August 2016

August 30, 2016August 29, 2016 / saraletourneau / 25 Comments

Welcome to the latest edition of Time Flies! It’s my version of a monthly update, where I recap the past month’s accomplishments and articles, share news and random things from my offline life, and hint at what may be coming in the month ahead.

I’m starting this post with a confession: While I’ve managed to keep up with my own blog-writing, I’ve been so burnt out from the past month’s busyness that I’m struggling to keep up with reading other blogs or replying to comments. I’ve also been dealing with stress from (without going into too much detail) expected and unexpected sources. Some days were great, but others… Yeah.

Bilbo faints

I hope this is temporary, though, since I still have one big event around the corner: My friend’s wedding (the one where I’m a bridesmaid) is this coming Saturday. Maybe once things calm down and I have some time to rest and regroup, I’ll feel some semblance of my normal self. But I just wanted to let readers know what’s going on, since you guys deserve my honesty.

But I really can’t complain. August was an awesome month on its best days, and it ends with much that I’m grateful for. This will make more sense as this post goes along, so let’s start with…

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Tea Time at Reverie: Longbourn Wedding Tea from Bingley’s Teas

March 20, 2016March 20, 2016 / saraletourneau / Leave a comment

Happy first day of spring, everyone! How about we celebrate the start of a beautiful season with a tea of promise – a wedding tea? In fact, Longbourn Wedding might be my new favorite from Bingley’s Teas. Check out today’s Tea Time at A Bibliophile’s Reverie to find out why this sparkling white tea is so delicious.

A Bibliophile's Reverie

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”

Ah, marriage. It’s the revolving point of Pride and Prejudice. Many of the unmarried characters in the story, including men like Mr. Darcy, feel some kind of social pressure to make that ultimate commitment. Plus, everyone in the Bennet family has different reasons behind their marriage choices, from lust and convenience (Mr. and Mrs. Bennet) to love (Jane Bennet) and mutual trust (Elizabeth Bennet). But in the end, Lizzie and Jane become engaged to their ideal partners – which means it’s time for not one wedding, but two!

So, how do we celebrate such a special event here at Tea Time? With tea, of course! This brings us to our next sample from Bingley’s Teas. Named after the Bennet family’s estate,

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The Liebster Award 4.0

January 23, 2016January 21, 2016 / saraletourneau / 33 Comments

Back in September (which seems like forever ago now), Rona at Tea with Polly was kind enough to nominate me for my fourth Liebster Award. (Thank you, Rona!) It’s taken me a while to get to it because of the holiday craziness offline and the end-of-year posts I wanted to get out. But now, I finally have time to start catching up on awards again. (Yes, I still have others to do. It’s a little embarrassing…)

Btw, if you’re a fellow tea lover, I highly recommend you follow Tea with Polly. I’ve been part of Rona’s readership for a while, and have found some delectable-sounding teas and herbal tisanes I want to try as a result. 😉

Here are the rules for this round of the Liebster Award:

Link back to the person who nominated you.
Answer the questions given to you by the nominator.
Nominate up to 11 other bloggers.
Create 11 questions for the nominees.
Notify all nominees via social media and/or their blogs.

Let’s get started, shall we?

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Tea Time at Reverie: Sweet Jane Bennet from Bingley’s Teas

December 15, 2015December 15, 2015 / saraletourneau / 3 Comments

It’s our last Tea Time of 2015! Today’s is also an appropriate choice for the holiday season, a black-and-green tea blend named after the kind yet reserved oldest daughter of the Bennet family from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Read more about Sweet Jane Bennet from Bingley’s Teas at A Bibliophile’s Reverie!

A Bibliophile's Reverie

“Oh! You are a great deal too apt, you know, to like people in general. You never see a fault in anybody. All the world are good and agreeable in your eyes. I never heard you speak ill of a human being in your life.”
Elizabeth Bennet to Jane Bennet, in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”

No one can deny that Jane Bennet is a sweetheart. The eldest sister of the beloved Bennet family from Pride and Prejudice, she’s kind, soft-spoken, and patient, an optimist who sees the best in people. Maybe it’s no surprise that Jane caught Charles Bingley’s eye – she’s an angel, in both demeanor and physical beauty.

What would an angelic character’s tea taste like, then? If you ask Bingley’s Teas, their answer would most likely be Sweet Jane Bennet from their Jane Austen Tea Series. This blend of black and green tea combines…

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Tea Time at Reverie: Sanctuary T’s Serenity Herbal Tea

July 16, 2015July 16, 2015 / saraletourneau / Leave a comment

New tea review is up at A Bibliophile’s Reverie! Today I’m tasting Serenity, an herbal blend from NYC’s Sanctuary T. If you’re a fan of chamomile, lemongrass, or peppermint – or, even better, all three – then consider giving this soothing tisane a try. Also, find out which historical fantasy novel I recommend to go with it!

A Bibliophile's Reverie

Not everyone considers herbal teas to be… well, teas. But whether it’s rooibos, honeybush, or other goodies, you can’t deny that an herbal blend infuses hot water the same way that black, green, oolong, and white teas do. Plus, some of my favorite teas happen to be herbals. 😉

We’ve been happy to include such tisanes in our Tea Times here at A Bibliophile’s Reverie. Today’s is no exception. Serenity is our last sample from Sanctuary T in New York City, and it’s just as heavenly as the description says. Read on to find out more about it!

The Basics

Photo courtesy of Sanctuary T

Sanctuary T’s Description:“M-F getting too hectic and stressful? This tea can’t add more hours to the day, but it will make your day slow down for a moment. With its refreshing, flowery blend of peppermint, lemongrass, jasmine, lavender and chamomile, a cup of Serenity…

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Freelance Article Round-Up: September 2014

September 30, 2014November 11, 2015 / saraletourneau / Leave a comment

Welcome to this month’s Freelance Article Round-Up! If you read last month’s, you might have noticed something different about today’s. See the logo above? 😀 What do you think?

Freelance Article Round-Up is a monthly series (or bimonthly, depending on my freelancing schedule) to keep you abreast of the articles I’ve written outside of this blog. I’ll also offer a glimpse into the coming month’s assignments and other exciting happenings.

Here’s what I’ve been up to since the July / August Round-Up. Continue reading →

Feature on 27 Good Things, Plus a New Tea Review

July 16, 2014 / saraletourneau / Leave a comment

27 Good Things has been kind enough to invite me for their ongoing feature series! In this article, I recommend four good things to read, four good things to watch, and three good things to use. Click here to read the article at 27 Good Things.

Also, some of you may know I’m writing tea reviews for A Bibliophile’s Reverie. I’ve really enjoyed it so far, and my latest review for the blog went live last week. Click here to read my thoughts on Teavana’s ToLife® White Tea.

Coming Soon: Come back tomorrow for the latest installment of my novel-writing series, “Chronicling The Craft”!