I don't quite remember when I fell in love with tea but I do remember the most special moments of me drinking tea. I was eighteen years old and I went to live with my biological mother for four months. I had just met her months earlier and it was awkward for both of us. She and her ex-husband lived a very quiet life in Boulder, Colorado. He was a professor at one of the universities and she was a housewife. After years of drug addiction and being in and out of jail, she deserved the break. I was homeless so she and her husband agreed to let me come live with them. Each evening my mother and I would find a spot in the living room with a cup of tea and a book.

Now, years later, I'm a self proclaimed tea expert. I start each day with a wonderful English Breakfast tea to get me going. As the day progresses, who knows what wonderful tea I will crown queen. But for sure, I have at least three cups of tea a day. And yes, when I can, I have tea everyday at about 3:00 P. M. I love to invite my friends over for tea and cupcakes and so far everyone thinks it’s a delightful experience. I am always in search of the best blend of tea. Yes, I’m a tea snob, I prefer loose tea but I do like some bags also. I have learned not to judge a book by it’s cover. Some bags can be quite nice. And yes again, any Diva knows, what you drink your tea out of is very important.

Tea for me is a way of life. It's wellness for the mind body and spirit. Here, I will explore every expect of tea possible, with a high concentration on wellness. I will review the best teas, the best places to have tea, the best ways to brew tea, the best tea accessories, what tea goes best with what foods, and the list goes on and on. I plan to share my passion for tea with you. And I've been told, nothing I do is ever boring so be prepared to go on this tea journey with me.





RLT Collection Tea Ball Frosted Clear Beads!

Mint Medley by The Persimmon Tree Tea Company

About This Tea:

Until recently I had never drank Peppermint Tea made with loose leaves. And Honestly, I will probably never go back. The freshness of loose Peppermint Tea cannot be denied. When I open the can of Mint Medley, From The Persimmon Tree Tea Company, I feel as if I stepped into a garden of peppermint leaves. It is a perfect blend of organic peppermint and spearmint leaves grown in the US.

Mint Medley has become a favorite and I find myself reaching for this tea tin almost everyday. It is great for on-going nausea. The health benefits and endless. It relieves muscle aches, headaches, migraines, stress. And now that it feels like someone is sitting on my chest and I have a mean cough, I'm sure it will help to relieve some of this congestion in my chest. Mint Medley has been in my tea cup more than any tea as of late. It has really helped with my winter cough, congestion related to this bout of pneumonia. You can read my full review on The Persimmon Tree Tea Company Mint Teas.


RLT Collection AIDS Awareness Tea Ball!




Welcome to my world of books! As an pre-teen books changed my world. I fell in love with the writers of the Harlem Renaissance period and the more I read the more I wanted to read. The fiction of this period was powerful and empowering all at the same time. It spoke to my own degradation and gave me hope for a better tomorrow. It gave me purpose for my own life and the courage to fight the good fight and never surrender.

I love to read! Inside a book I escape into someone else's life. There is something wonderful about turning to the next page of a wonderful story. Something intoxicating about the smell of the book and the story it brings to life. Reading brings me joy, and these days with my health in the balance, I find solace in my books.

I spent hours in my bedroom sequestered with the door closed reading the classics from the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes, Larsen, Hurston, Wright and Baldwin. Books became my escape and my salvation. The fiction of this period was powerful and empowering all at the same time. It gave me purpose for my own life and the courage to fight the good fight and never surrender.

Reading is the one thing that the pain of my life could never take away from me. It was the thing that helped to make it better. And even today, living with AIDS, books continue to be the safest place for me. It’s the one thing that belongs to me that AIDS cannot take away from me.The RLTReads book club will be books that I choose. It’s me sharing a part of me with you that has nothing to do with AIDS. It’s actually in spite of AIDS.

The RLTReads book club will be books that I choose. It’s me sharing a part of me with you that has nothing to do with AIDS. It’s actually in spite of AIDS. I have read hundreds of books from many different genres and I will pick the best of my reads over the years. I warn you, it will not be exclusively white or black, male or female, fiction or non fiction, it will be all of them.

I’m so excited and I’m grateful to everyone who wants to be a part of this venture. We already have 110 Book Club Members. You can email me @ RLTReads@raelewisthornton.com. The Twitter hashtag is #RLTReads. We can make this book club as wonderful as we want to make it. Who says that Oprah has to have the only ownership to a wonderful book club?

This Month We are Reading In My Fathers House by E Lynn Harris


Read along and join our discussion July 19th at 7 pm CST







For more Tea with Rae "Vlogs" Click here to visit her youtube channel

Saturday, June 23, 2012

The Colors of Flowers!

Pictures I've Taken On My Morning Walks!
I typically begin designing a new collection for RLT Collection months in advance. I'm usually inspired by one strand of gemstones I spot while perusing. I never know how it's going to shape up, and then I sit at my design board and magic happens. I love love love designing a full collection! It's like being re-born all over again. 
Jade!
I get fresh flowers, honestly, whenever my budget can handle it. However, in the summer months I have the good old Farmer's Market where the prices are great and I get a few new bunches for my home every Saturday, unless I'm on the road or something. I never would have thought that my love for flowers would have inspired my latest collection, but it did! Here you go! The Colors of Flowers! Summer 2012 RLT Collection! Click Here For Full Collection!


Ghana Glam!
Keeping with my motto, A Bracelet For Every Woman, I have something for every woman. Every, personality and every price range. I also incorporated some of my signatures designs into the collection. Yes there are Imani bracelets, featuring crosses and of course, there are RLT Signature designs, featuring the 3 center stones in the front of a bracelet. The number three is so significant in so many cultures, and it also represents the RLT in my name.
Imani Bracelet
 I also designed some bracelets with beads imported  from Brazil; the Fun and Funky Brazilian Resin Bracelets and also wonderful beads from Ghana that adds an ethic twist to the collection. 
There is something for everyone, but for sure you will find the different colors of flowers!! I tried my best to keep the prices as low as I could. I understand that the economy is bad and I wanted to give you a chance to pick up a bracelet or two from the The Colors of Flowers! Summer 2012 Collection. 

Bone and Angelic Crystal! I wear almost every day!
In The Summer Collection you will also find Agates, Jade, Pearls, Mother of Pearls, Amethyst, Bone Bling and No Bling, but for sure, there is a bracelet for every woman in The Colors of Flowers! Summer 2012 Collection!

RLT Signature! Amethyst and Freshwater Pearls!
Agates!

I hope that you will check out my Summer Collection and spread the word. Honestly, my bracelets help to keep me afloat, especially in the summer months when speaking is farrrrrrr and in between. Some days I be on my last dime, #ForReal and then I get a bracelet sale...  I am grateful for every customer! Thank you!!!

at 7:55 AM
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