One of my goals for the blog this year is to have more “chatty” posts. As much as I share with y’all – from the garden to the chickens to the books – sometimes there are things that don’t fall neatly into those categories. Or I’ll have a thought that just isn’t enough for a full post of its own. I’ve seen some lovely posts on other blogs that fill that niche, usually tied to a particular day, and debated tagging along. After further thinking, and brainstorming, I decided to take a slightly different approach and Tea Time was born. Drawing from afternoon teas as a form of socializing and the phrase “spill the tea” {which makes me giggle}, my hope for these posts is a place of chatting and sharing, and further building the sense of community.

I’m sure we can all agree that January has been a weird month. From the chaos on the international and national level to the extreme weather to the hiccups and speedbumps of everyday life. It’s been cold, it’s been wild, it’s been a lot at times. But friends, we are making it. Might not always feel like it, but we are. And there are still beautiful things, moments, in the world if we look for them. That looking is what gets us through, and I’m so excited to join Elisabeth’s FIG Collective this year. If you’ve been around awhile, you may have noticed I try to find beauty wherever I can, so I’m excited about the *challenge* to find something that sparks JOY and GRATITUDE every day.

Speaking of the weather, having dodged the icy bullet of Winter Storm Fern, they’re forecasting more snow starting overnight/lasting all day tomorrow. This time actual snow, which would be lovely. Not looking forward to the continued cold temperatures and even colder windchills, but at least they’re not as bad as some of my Northern friends. I hope y’all are staying so warm and safe! These Southern bones can’t imagine doing Winter the way y’all do.

I’ll admit to being a nervous chicken momma, but they seem to be navigating the cold okay. The boys have a few places on their combs that could possibly be light frostbite – but one of the accounts I follow on Instagram said {and I am paraphrasing} “we all have chickens with some frostbite right now, the fact that you care says you are a good chicken parent.” That made me feel so much better, and she also said most slight frostbite heals itself. Pepper has already proved how remarkably resilient chickens can be, so I’m learning to trust the process. This weekend will be the next big test of their {my!} endurance, with not only the potential snow but windchills near or below 0. I’m giving them extra pine shavings to make sure any drafts are blocked up, and hoping the strawbale wall holds up its end of the bargain! They will also be getting lots of extra black soldier fly larvae to help fuel their warmth-generators. I keep reminding myself “they are tiny furnaces in down coats,” because did you know a chicken’s normal body temperature is 104-107*?

Okay, I’m sure we’re all tired of feeling cold at this point, so how about a distraction or few? Another thing I want to do more of this year, and feel like these posts may be the perfect spot, is share posts I’ve enjoyed from other bloggers. These are listed alphabetically, because Librarian habits die hard.

• Leslie over at Books are the New Black has undertaken the most amazing project: embroidering icons on a sweater! I love the way this looks, and can’t wait to see what her finished sweater. I’m also now debating whether I want to try something like this …
• Pam at Read Bake Create shared her 2025 Reading Google Map, and I am mesmerized! This is such a fascinating look at what you read, and even though I’m trying to streamline my tracking this year – I totally started a map of my own.
• Erin shared a list of the books she read in 2025 with cats on the cover, on her blog Still Life, with Cracker Crumbs, and I can’t help smiling. Bonus share: her family has just added 2 of the cutest kittens ever, and I am so glad she’s sharing pictures with all of us!

And that’s all she wrote, for today at least. I look forward to seeing how these posts grow and evolve, and I’m sure it’ll be a little different every time. Sometimes long chats, sometimes quick info dumps, sometimes pictures and others links.

Not to sound like a broken record, but: stay warm and stay safe!