Fun Friday: Tag Preparation

Teaser for Next Week

Grace, Melody, both

Hey, Melly! Did you collect all the book character names?

Yep. All folded and almost all in the bucket. Why? Did you want to change yours?
Nah! It was hard to narrow down my choices, but I'm happy with them.
Yeah, me too. Especially after seeing who everyone submitted. 
A few "face palm" moments? (giggles)

Yeah! (giggles)
Some of these questions are interesting.

Yeah, will be fun to see who gets pulled out of the hat as answers.
Yeah! (laughing) You know, you better count to make sure Rascal hasn't eaten any.
(laughing) Will do!

Come back for the tag reveal and results!

If someone asked you to choose 4 book characters, who would you choose? Guess what, we're asking, please leave a comment with your 4 book characters below. 😇

Best wishes,

Tea Review: Clipper

Thirsty Thursday #25

Clipper Tea (Love Me Truly Infusion)

Hi! Back in September Sassafras from Treasured Friendships with a Flair sent us a beautiful cake and four teas to try. I grabbed one this morning and it just happened to be the one Grace suggested we try first! 

Why the pink on first? Well, it's a mystery tea. The only writing on the beautiful pouch is the brand logo - Clipper: natural, fair, and delicious.

The aroma is not strong, but it's kind of spicy. I'm betting on a green tea of some sort.

Okay, so after pouring the water over the bag, I'm now thinking a white tea or herbal. You know what? While this is steeping I'm going to search the net!

Here we go, Clipper Teas. I don't see anything similar on the green page. Hmmm, infusions? Yes, I think this is it. Organic Love Me Truly Chai Infusion. 

Still not a lot of information. If I zoom on the box it says, "Cinnamon chai organic infusion for some well deserved me time." (giggles) 
[Timer beeps]
Done! Well, it got a little darker and I can smell the cinnamon.

First sip is plain. (sips) 

Not bad. Not too strong or too weak. Flavors blend well together. I can get the cinnamon, but this is not spicy like we - Americans - have come to think of chai. 

Second sip with a bit of white or table sugar. (sips) 

Makes the brew sweeter, but doesn't do anything much with the flavor blend.

So if you're looking for a slightly exotic, mild and relaxing blend the Clipper Love Me Truly infusion is a good one to have on hand. 

Thank you for sending it to us, Sassafras!

Xyra's Notes

• We steeped for 4 minutes; may have been able to let it go longer.
• Definitely would not re-steep this bag.
• Slightly sweet on it's own, but does stand up with table sugar and would probably be good with agave or a mild honey. I do not suggest a heady honey (like buckwheat or even straight clover) as it will completely change the balance of flavors.
• If you are interested in trying this tea, The Clipper "Where to Buy" page mentions Amazon.

So glad you stopped. Come again soon!

Note: Tea Time with Melody Q is not affiliated with American Girl or Clipper teas. As mentioned above, the tea featured was a gift from a friend and/or fellow blogger. the review is unsolicited and comprised of our own opinions, thoughts, and words. All links are provided for educational and informative purposes. No purchase is required or suggested to enjoy the post. 

Grace's Rainy Day

What to Do on a Rainy Day?

Play Dolls, of Course!

Hi! It's a really strange weather day. Poured this morning. Then the sun was out, while we were in school, of course, and by the time we got home it was overcast and dreary again. Since I finished my homework during study hall, I grabbed three of our dolls.

Then I remembered the new outfits we found in the Barbie section at our Walmart. Chococat is a big favorite in our house. Hello Kitty is right up there as a fave, but in these situations a Chococat item is rare. We found two and snapped them up. First, we have a high-low tank top.

I LOVE this and wish it were my size. (giggles) 

Rebecca tries it first. The arm holes are a bit big, but otherwise it looks cute.

I'm not as fond of it on Holly. It shows off her funny neck.

The back opens almost all the way down so it's really easy to put on and take off. I love how the pattern goes all the way around.

I wasn't sure it would work for Felicity since her shift doesn't come off, but I like it. Makes a cute jumper. Side note for our friends reading in the UK: in the US a jumper is a sleeveless dress that goes over another blouse. What you know as a jumper, we call a sweater or pullover.

This other dress came with a cat ear headband.

Doesn't it look cute on Felicity?

The other dress also has a Chococat tote bag.

Cool, huh?

Holly gets to try the dress first. It's not bad. Reminds me of Nanea's holoku dress...kind of.

She's wearing the entire ensemble. I'm not sure I like the pink bag with the turquoise dress.

Rebecca looks cute in this outfit.

I like the ears on her too.

Okay, so this dress is slightly disappointing because the pattern does not go all the way around.

Felicity gets to try it last. I like it over her shift.

The color makes her green eyes pop.

So what do you think of the new additions to the mini wardrobe? Which is your favorite item?

À bientôt!

Note: Tea Time with Melody Q is not affiliated with American Girl, Barbie, Hello Kitty, or Our Generation (Mattel or Battat or Sanrio). All the products featured in the above post were purchased with our own money for our collection. No purchase is required or suggested to enjoy the post.

Book Review: Meet Cecile

Meet Cécile

by Denise Lewis Patrick

Breaking News...

This is Lanie Silverleaf out and about looking for opinions on the book Meet Cécile. These two recently read the book, let's get their thoughts.

Your name?
I'm Kirsten.
I'm Grace.

Kirsten what are your thoughts on this book?
I loved this book. It was similar to book one, Meet Marie-Grace, but from a different point of view. So we get the answers to the question, "What was Cécile thinking when this happened?" 
And you, Grace?

This reminded me of Josefina's journey into Santa Fe and meeting Americanos. It's interesting to see how New Orleans was a large melting pot of people and culture.
Thank you, Kirsten and Grace. I see two other people. Let's see if we can get their thoughts? Hello, I'm Lanie Silverleaf. You are?

Lea.
Melody.
And have you read Meet Cécile?
Yes. I enjoyed learning about the free people of color and how successful the Rey family was. It's not something we're taught in school.
Melody?

Mean girls and people seem to be all over the place. Cécile handled them well; especially at the Children's Ball.
Thank you. I see two more people we can talk to. Your names, please?

I'm Kaya.
I'm Haley.
What are your thoughts on the book Meet Cécile?

Cecile helping Marie-Grace get familiar with her heritage really made me think about the best way to treat new people. Sometimes we aren't so nice when our expectations aren't met about them knowing as much as we, ourselves do. Plus Cécile's parrot is a riot!

(giggles) I love how the parrot repeats things. Too funny. But I also liked learning the French words like pain perdu for what we call French toast. But my favorite part was the Looking Back at New Orleans in 1853. It's a bit of history we don't get in Social Studies class and the pictures and illustrations helped me visualize the story.
Thank you. 

And there you have it; opinions from the street on Meet Cécile by Denise Lewis Patrick. Find it at your local library.

Xyra's Review
Meet Cécile by Denise Lewis Patrick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What a great book! An interesting concept in this best friends series.

In book one we met Marie-Grace and experienced her first few months back in New Orleans including the moment when she makes a new friend named Ceclie. In this book we get to see Cecile's life and then the moments she meets Marie-Grace from her perspective.

What makes it so interesting is that we get to see how different their home lives are, but also see their friendship bloom and grow.

Also very interesting is seeing how life could be for free people of color during the 1800s. The history aspect is very important to me. Seeing the glimpses of life during the early years of the US makes me appreciate the current amenities I have more.

Have you read Meet Céclie? What are your thoughts? Please comment here. To join a bigger conversation on the book check out the Say Hello to My Little Friends Book Club post.

Happy reading!