Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for many things.

Summer Brewed Iced Tea

What better way to start off summer than with gardening and iced tea? (We’ll get to the gardening later). I have never been one to love iced tea. I’ve always thought that it was too bitter and flavorless. Over the past few years however, I have started to develop a taste for it. I must say, I am definitely a sweet tea kind of gal. 

After a friend re-introduced me to my new found love of tea, she showed me how she made hers. She used an iced tea machine... I can honestly say I never knew there was such a thing! Really? I guess it’s like a coffee machine, but brews with tea bags for tea. So I decided I wanted to make my own tea, but without the large contraption of a tea machine. I learned that I love, especially during summer, drinking mint tea. More specifically spearmint tea. It’s very refreshing and light.

First, I filled a huge pot with hot water and started it to boil. Then I added my 5 tea bags of Bigelow Mint Medley Herb Tea. (This tea is also caffeine free which is important because I’m a nursing mother). 

*When I made my first batch I started out with 9 bags of peppermint tea. What a rookie mistake. It was WAY too strong, and I really didn't like the peppermint. I had to water it down considerably before it was drinkable. I tried 9 bags because I calculated the ratio of ounces of water, for a regular glass of tea and tea bag, to the larger amount of water I was using. Needless to say, that didn’t work, and all I needed was 5 bags. This still makes the tea very flavorful.*

I let the tea brew in the hot water for about 5 minutes. I removed the tea bags and added plain, regular sugar to the hot mixture, about 3/4 cups. (When I used real sugar cubes, I guestimated). The sugar dissolves very quickly since the water was hot.

I then let the tea cool in the pot. It was still warm when I transferred it to my drink dispenser (a cheapy jug I found at my local grocery store in the seasonal aisle, but it was fine). Since it’s plastic I didn’t worry about it cracking by putting it straight into the fridge.

 

Ready to serve!!

How do you like your tea?

A New Space

Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm excited about the potential that this new space, A{Simple}Kind of Life, will hold!! This is a place for others to share in our little pieces of happiness through the creative DIYs we try, our every day simplicities, our home life and the different things we learn and explore!

The blog name, A{Simple}Kind of Life, was inspired by my favorite artist Gwen Stefani, from the band No Doubt. I have loved that group since I was a young girl because of their flare and passion (plus their album Tragic Kingdom had some awesome spicy songs that just stuck). No Doubt's song, A Simple Kind of Life, is something that I try to hold to... "all I wanted was the simple things, a simple kind of life."

I believe that a simpler way of living is a happier one. A{Simple}Kind of Life is a place where you will find how we try to live out God's purpose for our lives and how we find happiness in the smallest of places.