The 1.5 oz canister of Biodynamic Heirloom Chamomile steeps 36 cups of tea. However, I like my nighttime tea strong so that it can replace my melatonin and urge me onward to bed early for some deep zzz's. This tea did not disappoint. I poured just about 9 oz of boiling purified water over 2 round (love round tea bags) unbleached tea bags. I steeped the full 7 minutes with a glass dome over the top so that my tea would still be steamy when I was ready to sip (hey - we crank the A/C high here in South Florida in June!). I added honey just before sipping. Ahhh...breathe in the health.
My husband and I have made a habit of enjoying hot tea before bed. We chew on some fennel seed while the kettle boils for our steamy tea. Often I will make him green or white tea. I drink whatever tea I fancy at the moment.
One night, I substituted The Republic of Tea Biodynamic Heirloom Chamomile for him without telling him. He mentioned while he was sipping this tea that he really liked our tradition of drinking hot tea before bed. He mentioned how good this tea was. I did not tell him I swapped out his old usual green or white for a sleepier version. I smiled when we headed off early to bed and soon after heard him snoring.
Best of all, (and even better than inducing a sleep state) this tea is grown on a small 100-acre organic garden at the base of the Italian Alps. Someone went to a lot of trouble to make sure this tea was truly organic (and it is!). As if that were not enough to make me want to stock my entire tea box with Biodynamic Heirloom Chamomile....while we were sleeping, these tea leaves were being harvested at night when their essential oils are at their peak. Kind of an ironic twist on an amazing tea. Someone in Italy is working hard long into the night to provide me and my hubby with a tea that can send us to bed early. Mmm -- this tea is the only sleepy tea for me!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from The Republic of Tea. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Are you a manufacturer of a product or currently market a service? Christina will review it!
Email christina@wordsofgrace.info with product name, description and manufacturer's suggested retail price along with any other information relative to said product.
You will receive a response via email within two weeks if product will be reviewed. Please note not all products will be considered reviewable. Please do not send products without prior consent.
Note: Products sent for review will not be returned. Product submission authorizes consent for said product to remain in sole possession of recipient. No monies shall be exchanged for product submission nor permission granted for reviews prior to submission. Reviews shall remain effective and in full force at sole discretion of blog administrator and/or authors related to http://www.christinawillreviewit.blogspot.com.
Hope. If I had to describe this fictional account which helped me to understand human trafficking, the word 'hope' would be the very best word to describe Barbed-Wire Butterflies.
Elani Benjamin's (main character) journey into a hellish existence helped me to become more passionate about praying for those who have lost their freedom - whether due to sexual trafficking or an existence in a sweat shop. I was educated and introduced in a gentle but riveting manner into the very real tragedy called human trafficking. The author described this atrocity through the eyes of one girl who was taken captive. Her will to survive was splayed with hope. Hope was what inspired her to create beautiful butterflies made with the most visible symbol of her captivity - barbed-wire.
Without being a spoiler, I was cheering, crying for her and touched by her willingness to be brave despite the the odds of her escape. I thoroughly enjoyed witnessing her risk her own safety by befriending her cell mates and "den mom" and then the hero. Her friendships and faith in God are what kept her from losing her mind. She was blessed. Oh that many, many more would manipulate barbed-wire!!!
The author is clearly a faith-filled woman of God, but this book I believe is for secular as well as the Christian market. The faith message was subtle yet so powerful. I thought of the little girl in the red coat in Schindler's List whose red coat danced in front of a sepia toned background. Elani had hope. She clung to that hope.
I reflected often and wondered if I had ever been placed in that position, would I have the will to survive, the hope, the strength to endure? Personal reflection and conviction for taking my own freedom for granted at times were two other takeaways (besides the reminder of our choosing to have hope in all situations).
Halfway through reading Barbed-Wire Butterflies, I joined a human trafficking prayer group at Calvary Chapel Boca Raton. We meet Sunday morning at 8:00 am before service. I am moved to tears as we lift up men and women we do not know and may never meet. We pray not just for their freedom and their safety, but their salvation. We realize that someone somewhere may just be waking up from a hellish nite only to relive it all over again - and again - and again. Praying is what I can do. And hopefully more people will read Jessica Kristie's Barbed-Wire Butterflies and be inspired to get angry about the injustices and begin praying.
I was so inspired. I will never be the same after reading Barbed-Wire Butterflies. There is so much work to be done.
Author Of:
Jessica's Advocacy blog: http://jessicakristie.com/advocacy/
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Jessica Kristie for the purpose of review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Are you a manufacturer of a product or currently market a service? Christina will review it!
Email christina@wordsofgrace.info with product name, description and manufacturer's suggested retail price along with any other information relative to said product.
You will receive a response via email within two weeks if product will be reviewed. Please note not all products will be considered reviewable. Please do not send products without prior consent.
Note: Products sent for review will not be returned. Product submission authorizes consent for said product to remain in sole possession of recipient. No monies shall be exchanged for product submission nor permission granted for reviews prior to submission. Reviews shall remain effective and in full force at sole discretion of blog administrator and/or authors related to http://www.christinawillreviewit.blogspot.com.
I followed the directions on the canister to make hot and cold tea. Holy yum! I preferred the cold tea. Living in South Florida, I am always looking for a refreshing way to hydrate without plain old boring agua by itself. Yes, I also drink plenty of lemon water, but I often have a craving for a sweeter, tastier drink- a change from the same old same old.
What I really appreciated about Republic of Tea's Superflower Watermelon Tea was the subtle flavor of sweet blackberry leaves. I do not like my refresher beverages to be too sweet. This tea had the perfect balance of tart, citrus and slightly sweet.
I also appreciated the inclusion of Stevia, which is a wonderfully healthy sweetener. The taste of watermelon was not as present as I had anticipated, but I viewed this as an opportunity to add a chunk or two to my cold tea instead of my usual slice of lemon.
I know this is kinda silly, but I was surprised to find round tea bags in the canister. Fun! Since this product is only made with sustainable ingredients, I know I can reuse the tea - paper and all, in my worm factory for vermiculture. Thanks Republic of Tea, for not using staples or a string. Less work for me to prepare the red wiggly worm daily meal. Less waste too.
There are 36 tea bags in the canister. The canister is reusable. It is so pretty. The canister has already become a fixture in my kitchen on a bookcase. It sits amongst the seed packets from my garden. I celebrate this product for so many reasons! This is a new product and $1 of each tin purchased will be donated to Action Against Hunger..
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Republic of Tea. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Are you a manufacturer of a product or currently market a service? Christina will review it!
Email christina@wordsofgrace.info with product name, description and manufacturer's suggested retail price along with any other information relative to said product.
You will receive a response via email within two weeks if product will be reviewed. Please note not all products will be considered reviewable. Please do not send products without prior consent.
Note: Products sent for review will not be returned. Product submission authorizes consent for said product to remain in sole possession of recipient. No monies shall be exchanged for product submission nor permission granted for reviews prior to submission. Reviews shall remain effective and in full force at sole discretion of blog administrator and/or authors related to http://www.christinawillreviewit.blogspot.com.
The good folks at The Republic of Tea have graciously provided a comprehensive list of recipes we can test drive with tea! Tea is so wonderful for us to drink - - - so why not make a recipe with tea? Recipes.
Check out their fabulous gift shoppe and consider ordering tea today. $1.00 from every order goes to a wonderful charity. Also, their tea is Non-GMO, Fair-Trade Certification, Gluten-Free Certified, USDA Certified Organic, and Kosher Certified.
A Freebie For You.....
Are you a manufacturer of a product or currently market a service? Christina will review it!
Email christina@wordsofgrace.info with product name, description and manufacturer's suggested retail price along with any other information relative to said product.
You will receive a response via email within two weeks if product will be reviewed. Please note not all products will be considered reviewable. Please do not send products without prior consent.
Note: Products sent for review will not be returned. Product submission authorizes consent for said product to remain in sole possession of recipient. No monies shall be exchanged for product submission nor permission granted for reviews prior to submission. Reviews shall remain effective and in full force at sole discretion of blog administrator and/or authors related to http://www.christinawillreviewit.blogspot.com.
Perfumed Letters, an anointed work by author Robin T. Smith was a pleasure to read each morning.Each day I read a new account of God's love for me. This book was beautifully illustrated and subtitles were helpful in summarizing each section. I love a parallel and this book's parallel was perfume and God's love. Scripture was included throughout. The author's writing style was clearly encouraging, positive and passionate.
Miss Robin Smith loves God and His Word and is gifted in sharing through example God's love for each woman. I easily became emotional on page eight when she shared Scripture and inserted several women's names into the verse. I found this powerful and personal and sensitive. I have to admit, I added my name a few times to what she shared. This writing style helped me to become part of this journey into Perfumed Letters.
My favorite quote was found on page 10, " Your objective is to be proactive, and not reactive: Find out who God is in order to know who you are. This cannot happen by purchasing a necklace with a cross on it or imitating a celebrity. I can take it one step further. You will not find out who God is by believing every word of a preacher alone. Yes, for every reference to Scripture verbal or written, verify that it is indeed true. Get a Bible and read it." Amen! This was the direct exhortation with an encouraging spirit that I applauded.
A story stuck with me in which she was traveling alone with her infant son. I was convicted and will assist others more than I have in the past as a result. I can always offer to do something for someone within reason, especially in an airport. There were so many personal stories throughout Perfumed Letters which encouraged, inspired and exhorted me to be a more loving, Christ-centered and fragrant follower.
I highly recommend this book and will refer to often. I read it as a devotional, but it would be wonderful for a woman's Bible study book as well.This was a wonderful tool for sharing with a non-believer as well - the perfect pairing with a bottle of perfume for your mother, sister, friend's birthday. I hope to read more from Miss Robin T. Smith.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Are you a manufacturer of a product or currently market a service? Christina will review it!
Email christina@wordsofgrace.info with product name, description and manufacturer's suggested retail price along with any other information relative to said product.
You will receive a response via email within two weeks if product will be reviewed. Please note not all products will be considered reviewable. Please do not send products without prior consent.
Note: Products sent for review will not be returned. Product submission authorizes consent for said product to remain in sole possession of recipient. No monies shall be exchanged for product submission nor permission granted for reviews prior to submission. Reviews shall remain effective and in full force at sole discretion of blog administrator and/or authors related to http://www.christinawillreviewit.blogspot.com.
I reviewed the eight sessions of the DVD in the "See" portion of the Leadership box before reviewing the participant book and leadership guide.
Since I am a visual person, my eyes celebrated the fact right away that this study was to be a beautiful setting in which we would journey into God's Word. The teaching took place in a shabby chic style coffeehouse chapel setting. The beauty of the light, stained glass and the bottles, cups and saucers were highlighted. Each session began with this type of visual tour. Artistically done, I was instantly inspired and ready to glean from each day's teaching. Joseph was the main character in this study but so many life lessons and Truth was mentioned in each session.
My favorite session was Places. I actually watched it twice. The second time I watched it with my husband. He agreed that Jennie Allen was wonderfully expressive and on fire for Jesus.
Clearly, each day was the anointed day for me to tune in to her teaching. This study was anointed and I do believe was and still is bathed in much prayer. I just know from my own personal time with the materials that God had already entered the process. I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit within the first few seconds the DVD began.
The speaker was humble, direct and honest. I have not witnessed a Bible teacher (public figure in print and video) with her passion and transparency in a long time (if ever!).
For once, I have to say that I am at a loss for words to describe how blessed I was to be entrusted with a review. I have learned so much and have so much respect for this teacher. I reviewed the study book and the cards that would be introduced in a small group setting. I regretted not having had attended her study at my church. This study needs to be at every church where the Word of God is spoken!
One mini criticism I had which was even more minor after watching the study was the repetition of the word 'feel' on the cards and on the back of the study book for the participants. I run far and fast away from the 'feel' word. The back of the book asked, "Do you feel restless? What if this feeling weren't a bad thing? This feeling could be a longing, ..." I get it. And we do need to appeal to others feelings to lead them to Christ. We need to know our feelings will lead way to faith. And faith was the order of the day in Restless. It was not based on emotions, but the Word of God.
Lastly, I have a confession to make. I wanted to be in that room with Jennie Allen! I wanted to be next to that sweet sister she hugged at the end of one of the sessions and be close enough to see the tear fall down her cheek. I like that she admitted she does not like small talk and she wants to be real, even though being real costs and hurts. I want more from her! I would love to be her friend, to be cheering her on and sharing a cup of the coffee she served with the creamy heart in the center. She was cool, beautiful, humble, passionate and everything I aspire to be! Of course, as she stated, she was not a 'Beth Moore' ha ha!
We all need to be who God designed each of us to be. However, a hero of the faith such as Jennie Allen surely is someone I would want to befriend - and so, I shall pray for her ministry and follow her blog and to hopefully continue to review her Bible Studies! Though she is quite young in years, her wisdom will hopefully lead her on to be the Titus woman that this generation is so sorely lacking.
Jennie Allen, be blessed and be well. Preach it, sister!!
For more information and to order the kit and book visit Jennie Allen's website.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Shelton Interactive. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Are you a manufacturer of a product or currently market a service? Christina will review it!
Email christina@wordsofgrace.info with product name, description and manufacturer's suggested retail price along with any other information relative to said product.
You will receive a response via email within two weeks if product will be reviewed. Please note not all products will be considered reviewable. Please do not send products without prior consent.
Note: Products sent for review will not be returned. Product submission authorizes consent for said product to remain in sole possession of recipient. No monies shall be exchanged for product submission nor permission granted for reviews prior to submission. Reviews shall remain effective and in full force at sole discretion of blog administrator and/or authors related to http://www.christinawillreviewit.blogspot.com.
