T.Kettle Tea : Advent Calendar Review

I know what you're saying...

It's not Christmas.

True!  While I'm sitting here anxiously awaiting to open the first door on my Bird & Blend Halloween calendar I thought I should offer an update for the future holiday season!  I've pretty much been mute on this blog page for several months and really enjoy sharing in a new/old way what I've been up to.  I really loved catching up with everyone in this format last Christmas so maybe this is a hint as to what's to come... 

T.Kettle is a Canadian "born and owned" tea company.  Their website states their priority is wellness combined with flavour and great tea.

T.Kettle opened in several of the abandoned David's Tea locations and I was pleased to have another Canadian tea retailer easily accessible.  That was until September when I discovered the location I often visited had closed up shop and the only location still open in my city is in a shopping mall I rarely visit.

I've never found their website very current or easily navigable.  I think this company could be more popular if this was updated and had a more user friendly layout.  I don't have a background in this.  I'm just a girl who likes tea and occasionally shops online.  

This Advent Calendar was the 2022 version.  I don't see one available for this year but like I said above, their website isn't 'great'.  It originally retailed for $49.99 but I purchased it in March of 2023 on clearance for $29.99.  The design is very similar to other calendars.  It has 24 days of tea in each drawer.  Each day consists of a small metal container which has a portion of loose tea for about 2 cups.  What I liked most was that each drawer had not only the name of the tea, but the ingredients as well as brewing instructions and caffeine level.

I was very pleased that there was a large amount of caffeine free options in this Advent Calendar.

My favourite flavour was the Fruit Cake because to me those are the flavours which sum up the holiday season.  In September which is when I decided to indulge in this calendar I was sad to find out that a lot...and I mean, A LOT of flavours in this sampler were discontinued so I couldn't find them again even if I wanted to.  That's not terribly unusual but if this was your first connection to the T.Kettle company it would be nice to be able to stock up on your favourites.  How long before I drank them had they been discontinued?  There's no way to tell.

Previous to this, their Gingerbread Cookie tea is the BEST, hands down, that I've ever tasted.

The over all appearance and design of the T.Kettle Advent was very nice and it sat in my kitchen easily and didn't take up a lot of space.  The construction was cardboard or thick paper with a magnetic door.  I'm sure my first David's Tea calendar was similar.  I recycled the whole thing including the small metal cups which held the tea.

Would I buy this again?  Yes I would.  If it were available.  At this time in October when many of the companies have posted their upcoming Advent Calendars you'd think if it was available for this season it would be out there too, but I don't see a mention of it anywhere.  Maybe keep your eyes peeled on their social media for such an announcement.

Hectic Holidays

There's a Christmas mash-up medley that I love to teach called Hectic Holidays.  It's got snippets of every well-known Christmas carol and a few surprises too.  The idea of the song is to mimic what it's like to dash from store to store while Christmas shopping and hearing the songs being played in each store.  It's a great arrangement but not the easiest to pull off.

I was a piano teacher for about 10+ years when we moved and instead of continuing with that career at the time, I chose to work in retail.  If there's anything more fun than shopping for yourself, then its helping other people shop!  I worked for a women's clothing retailer which specialized in sizing from 4-24 and is no long in business.  Before I worked there, I shopped there, and one of the perks was the employee discount and of course you were made to wear the clothing while working.

The holidays were especially crazy and fun to work.  There were lots of specialty items that would be marketed just for season.  The polar fleece sweaters with adorable festive prints were favourites for many.  Wives would come in and set things on hold for their husbands to come do their Christmas shopping later on.  Some poor forlorn husbands would rush in on Christmas Eve expecting to still find the sweater their sweetums saw back in November and we'd have to tell them no, sorry, that's sold out.

The store would hire special staff just for the holiday rush and for the chaos that ensued on Boxing Day.  The change rooms always looked like a bomb went off.  Shauna was our fitting room guru.  I'd never seen someone create such magic in the helping and clearing of the change rooms.  I'm not sure I've even seen it since!  I have some really great memories of that time and sometimes I can still feel what it was like to be in the store at closing time, cleaning and folding in the quiet, and what it sounded like to close the door at the end of the day.

When I'd moved on to management with a different Canadian retailer, the mall held Midnight Madness.  The stores would stay open until midnight, and we'd all have to take turns working a shift once.  I remember one particular time we were lacking energy and maybe for some reason it wasn't that busy at that particular time, so I went down to the Starbucks on break and returned with chocolate covered coffee beans.  Myself and my coworker ate them, and the result was energy alright but also insomnia for the rest of the weekend!

I worked in retail for about 5 years when the fun left and the hours and staff drama started to get to me.  I remember walking into the music school and the director at the time asked, "what's taken you so long?" Teaching was really my calling and I'd gotten several signs that I was indeed meant to return to it.  While that's still true these many years later, I still try to be kind when I'm shopping and even the other day a cashier complimented me for being so patient with her.  I've been on that side of the counter and there's no point getting upset.  It doesn't prove nor solve anything.  If we can't be kind during the holidays then really, when can we be?

I've noticed a real return to non-covid shopping this year.  In my excursions parking lots are once again full and stores are bustling, and the Christmas tunes are flowing.  It's so great to see that maybe Christmas doesn't all come from an Amazon box after all.  If you are out and about doing your holiday shopping, soak in the atmosphere, be kind and thank your frazzled retail workers.

CFL Advent Calendar

Fridays around here are either for football or flashbacks and sometimes it's both!  I've had a flood of ideas recently and I was thinking about a post I wrote called CFL Subscription Club on ABC Football.  The entire blog is talking about how you can subscribe to all kinds of services to bring you monthly boxes of anything from food to underwear and my argument was why doesn't one exist for the CFL?  Well, since it's Christmas, this got me thinking, (by the time you read this I'll already be into my advent calendars) why doesn't a football, a CFL in particular, advent calendar exist?

Well, likely because no one in marketing has thought of it.

* crickets * - CFL marketing department probably.

Imagine, as Grey Cup hysteria winds down, that you could purchase a CFL advent calendar.  24 days of CFL football items behind little doors of some kind of football themed box.  Hey, I can't have allll the ideas now, can I?  I'm not talking about big ticket items, but I know for a fact that the Roughrider Store has pins, stickers, tattoos, earrings, keychains, Christmas ornaments and likely other small items which would tuck very nicely into a decorative box.  December 1st you scramble over to your CFL advent, peel back the door and reveal...

With my luck it would be a Blue Bomber pin.

Every person who purchased an advent calendar would end up with a nice collection of memorabilia from all 9 CFL teams.  The items could be traded on social media and Facebook groups.  Fans could wear their items to events for the upcoming season. 

"Hey, where did you get that cool Gainer pin?" 

"Oh, it was in my CFL advent calendar!"  

The entire Christmas Countdown calendar would culminate in day 24 where there could be a coupon to be redeemed in team stores!  Then every fan could flock to their local team CFL store on Boxing Day to purchase an item of their wildest dreams.

* sigh *

My little green Roughrider heart swells with the thought of it.  Let's face it, there hasn't been much for us Rider fans to be excited about this last year.  It's too late for this year of course with Christmas already a couple weeks away, but hey, CFL get with it - get with the times.

Something like this could be marketed for the countdown to the 2023 CFL season and debuted during training camp and then the 24th door of the calendar would coincide with the home opening weekends...

...but I'm just the ideas person.  Just a fan.  Just a girl writing little ol blogs - wishing there was something football related to go with her tea and jam Advent Calendars.

10 Thought Tuesday ~ Lions & Lambs ~

Wow! It's been a long time hasn't it?  What can I say...life happened.

1.  What is the deal with shoes and clothes and good retail staff who not only know what they're talking about but are actually helpful? When I was a retail slave there was coaching and protocol on everything you do for a customer from the moment they walk into your store.  Now you are lucky to get a hello and incredibly fortunate to actually find someone willing to help you.  Womens fashion is hard enough to navigate in the best of times and then we have to deal with this nonsense.  This is why my two favorite stores have been and still are Reitman's and Penningtons.  They are the most consistent.

2.  I've lost 41.8 pounds since August.  When I tell people they ask what I'm doing.  The sincere answer is...I am eating food.  Shocking I know.  What I am doing is eating approximately 5 times a day...3 meals with 2 snacks and I am choosing more fruit and veggies.  I am also using portion control.  The biggest eye opener that I can expain is this...I can eat 2.5 Halo tangerines (at 44 calories each) or ONE chocolate cookie.  And we all know I wouldn't just eat one cookie.  But who eats nearly 3 oranges in a sitting?  No one.  So I discovered I get more bang for the buck so to speak with the fruit and veg...meaning I can actually eat more!  *kaboom*  And that's what I've been doing.

3.  In 1 month I will be headed back to the Big Apple.  This trip we are staying near Times Square and hope to be able to do more evening type things.  The only issue seems to be that the hotel may or may not have free wifi so the possibility of staying in touch while away is up in the air.  I have a new suitcase and new walking shoes and can't wait to try either one out.  Cannoli and pizza here I come!

4.  I have recently watched the entire Sex and the City series.  I had watched the first 3 seasons a year ago and lost the interest but a few weeks I picked it up again.  I have to say the final season was possibly the best one.  It had so many important storylines.  I also noticed that even though it was filmed late 90's to early 2000's much of the subject matter is still relevent.  So now that it's over I've moved on to finishing the Friends series.

5.  Chocolate covered raisins.  I am obsessed with chocolate covered raisins.  I need an intervention.

6.  My parents gave us a "breakfast station" for Christmas.  It's a waffle iron on one side and in the other you can make pancakes or omelettes.  I've used it every single day.  I use the pancake side to make eggs or grilled cheese sandwiches!  On Sunday mornings it has become our ritual to have waffles.  The ritual originated from it being "game day" and having Roughrider pancakes.  I have to admit...waffles are better.  They are pancakes with abs.

7.  It's March 3rd and it's been snowing.  They say March comes in like a lion or goes out like a lamb.  I am thinking this is true.  The long term forecast has great temperatures from here on in.  I'm thinking I might be able to disregard the winter jacket (which is now too big) and wear the black spring jacket (which is also roomy).  It is still very much boot weather and it seems won't be flip flop weather for some time.

8.  Informal pole:  When someone says "Canada's Team" ( and for argument sake "America's Team" ) what team do you think of?

9.  Every time music exams come around I say I am never going to register as many studnets as I did last year because it is amazingly nerve wrecking and stressful.  I keep doing it.  Gah!  I only had 3 for February and they did great because I make sure my students do well but there is always that small bit of doubt that they won't do well.  For June, I will have at least 4.  The exams will fall right around the same time as music festival does.  So it appears I have done it again.  *facepalm*

10.  My new favorite tuesday thing is a CBC show called Schitts Creek.  It stars Eugene Levy and the mom from Home Alone.  It's about an uber rich family who lose it all except the deed to this town Schitts Creek.  So they are forced to move there and try to have a life.  It's great.  It's tongue in cheek and fresh.  If you can, check it out because we all deserve a chuckle.

A One Hour Tour

For several years.....well, at least the last three years I've wanted to go on a riverboat tour on the South Saskatchewan River.  There used to be two riverboats named Saskatoon Princess and Meewasin Queen. [Meewasin means 'beautiful' in Cree.] The appeal grew greater last year when a new riverboat was brought in called the Prairie Lily.

Prairie Lily was born in Wisconson.  She was a charter ship sailing on the Colorado River until last year when Sheerwater Marine Services of Saskatoon bought her.  The Prairie Lily is a 63 foot 107 ton passenger riverboat.

The forecast was good and I convinced Hubby that we MUST go.  We've waited long enough.....and for what?!  Tickets were purchased online for $20 a person.  Boarding time was 6pm Wednesday.

The plan was that Hubby would come home from work and I've have toasted tomato sammiches ready to eat.  It was so we could get to the Mendel Art Gallery loading dock in time.  I did have it all ready, but when Hubby arrived home the weather had gotten unfavourable.  The wind had kicked up and I was becoming disappointed that it wouldn't be a nice evening like we had been experiencing.

Phooey.

I ended up wearing capris, my black sparkly sneakers, tank top & a bunny hug.  That's a hoodie for all you non-Saskies.  We were on time for boarding but others were not.  It seemed that there was a group of coworkers and they weren't arriving on time.  Boarding seemed to take forever because of it.  We finally disembarked around 6:30.

" I'm King of the World! "

We sailed by the tents of Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan on one side of the river and the University of Saskatchewan on the other.  Something I did not know before was that attractive graystone building near the top end of the University bridge was built to house University Presidents, which it has done to this day. And, in fact, whenever British royalty visits the City, they are accommodated in this grand old house while the University President of the day is moved temporarily to the Bessborough Hotel.  I would have thought the royalty would stay in the hotel!

The Prairie Lily sailed under 4 bridges.  Saskatoon has many bridges both for cars and trains.  It seems like there are never enough either!  


On the cruise we found out facts about the river.  We were told that it's really not that deep.  It's only 1 or 2 metres deep and the riverboat has to follow a particular channel of 2 or 3 metres deep.  Because of this, we were shown how to use life jackets and boats but were told we could likely just take a leisurely walk to shore!

Next we sailed by the Bessborough Hotel.  I've blogged about it before.  Again, I learned things I did not know!  This grand old lady was built by the railroad between 1928 and 1932, but was unable to open until 1935 because of financial woes caused by the Great Depression. The hotel boasts 225 rooms; its modern French Renaissance design is similar to the other famous railway hotels across Canada.  Design features include 32 unique gargoyle - like statues at front and sides. Of course, Grotesques and gargoyles are normally images of mythological creatures but the ones on the hotel are images of Saskatchewan creatures like buffalo, beaver, moose, and deer and even a giant bumblebee!  I would have never known this!  I also learned that falcons make homes on the top of the Bess! So cool!

We were told about the role of the South Saskatchewan River during the Riel Rebellion.  We were told about the Victoria Bridge which is being dismantled.  We were told about a ship wreck!  Then everyone became quiet as we passed some very stately homes.  I marveled at the yards....the winding paths to the river and gorgeous flowers.  How lucky those people are to be able to enjoy our river.  However, it was ruled that the land along the river will no longer be used for homes and be for public purposes instead as parks etc.  I love that idea of conservation.

We turned to return to our launching point.  We were told to look off one side of the riverboat as we were being welcomed back by a beaver!  You can't get much more Canadian than that!

We loved the cruise.  Hubby was so glad I insisted on going and wondered why it took us so long to do it.  We walked very happily back to our car just as the sun was setting on another memorable adventurous evening.

The Wheels on the Bus Go.....Hot Diggety Dog!

Hubby was at the kitchen counter gulping down fresh cherries left and right when I wandered in.  I said, "You know, if you wanted to take your fancy schmancy camera and go for a walk I have an idea.  I've always wanted to go to the red double decker bus.  We can get a hotdog and wander through the park."

He looked at me.

Then he looked at his cherries.

Then he responded, "Well, I may as well eat the rest.  There's only 5 left."

So we hopped in the Honda and cruised into downtown Saskatoon and found a very lucky parking spot right down the street of the picturesque Bessborough Hotel and across the street from the Red Bus Refreshment double decker bus.  After perusing the menu we decided on the Riverbank Frank for $5 each.  We had a choice of  4 toppings.....I got the usual ketchup, mustard, relish and mayo.  Hubby had pickles, sauerkraut, mustard and salsa.  He is adventurous after all!

The back view of the bus.

We walked to the corner where there were several park benches and sat and ate our huge hot dogs.  The bus offers many things ranging from ice cream, frozen yoghurt, ice tea, lemonade, floats, popcorn and our dogs.  This is the first time that I've ever gotten something from the bus and yes, it was on my Sand Bucket List.

The view from our park bench.

When we were finished our lunch we walked across the street to the Bessborough Hotel.  The Bess was built as many were for the railroad.  It is an outstanding feature for our city.  It's known as the Castle on the River and is a major landmark.  It's a very interesting building and some say it has ghosts!  I tried to take pictures of some of the interesting architecture including the gargoyles sitting atop the roof.

Can you spot the gargoyle?

We walked along the paths of the park adjacent to the hotel.....it is the same place the Taste of Saskatchewan was.....but this time, being empty of food tents, it was reminiscent of the great lawn in Central Park.  I found a maple leaf on the trail and picked it up and carried it the entire way with me.  [I set it free before we left :) ]  In the middle of the park is a band stand that is dedicated to those who fought at Vimy Ridge.

Hubby's Hand, my leaf, the Vimy memorial & South Saskatchewan River.

Saskatoon is known as the City of Bridges.  In fact, we just had a brand new bridge, the South Bridge, open last week!  We ventured close to one of them, the Broadway Bridge, and snapped a few neat pictures.

Right under the bridge!

We meandered down the paths and found the ornate back gate open to the Bessborough Gardens.  I bet it was an interesting place back in the day. 

We continued on until we got to the spot where the skating rink is during the winter.  Hubby remarked, "No one is skating today."

Riding on the Prairie Lily is also on my Sand Bucket List!

By this time we were getting a little thirsty and a Tim Hortons was nearby so we went there.  I had a gift card to use.  I got an ice cap while Hubby got a raspberry lemonade.  On our way back to the car we walked by his work and a couple other business.

Street fleurs with church in the background.

It was fun and relaxing and made for a beautiful day!  I love where I live and I am so appreciative of the things we have here to enjoy.  In the words of my brother in law, I can't believe you have this here!