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
Showing posts with label Raffle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Raffle. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Mother's Day Give Away! RLT Collection!

It's no secret that I have never known a mother's love. My biological mother was a heroin addict who spent many years using. And when I finally met her, heroin had taken all that she had to give. She tried, but in the end, she just wasn't able too.

The woman I call Mama, my grandfather's third wife, who actually raised me just wasn't capable. While she provided a stable home with the basics, food, clothing and shelter, she left me unprotected and violated. She wheeled her brand of love with mean words and anything she could grab in her hand.

But I know there are some of you that have a different experience. A wonderful experience. So here's your chance to tell the world on my blog. Write me a blog post telling why your mother is special. The winner will receive this beautiful Mother of Peal bracelet from RLT Collection for their mother. And the blog you write will be posted on my blog on Mother's Day in honor of your mother.


To Enter the Raffle:
1. You must write a blog no longer than 500 words. E-mail to rae@raelewisthornton.com.
2. Send a picture of your mother.
3. Send a picture of you and your mother.
4. You must follow me on Twitter-if you are on Twitter.
5. You must like my Facebook Fan Page -if you are on Facebook.
6. She does not have to be your biological mother but she has to be the woman who raised you for at least half of your life.

DEADLINE! Send me the blog post and pictures by Friday May 11th at 9:00 AM! 
The winner will be announced Sat May 12th.
The blog you wrote on your mother with pictures will be posted on Mother's Day, May 13th

Good Luck Lovely's... Everyone can enter!!!

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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Tea With Rae: The Best Raffle Ever!!

Don't miss out on this wonderful raffle sponsored by the California Tea House. Ummm... It's too good to be true, but it is! I kinda wish I wasn't a judge so that I can enter, for real!

One of my Tea Partners, California Tea House, asked me to be a judge in their tea cup photo contest and I said yes. I think it's the best ever!! You could win $300 in tea gift certificates. Yep! You heard me. And it's easy to enter!! Just take out your camera and get to shooting and don't forget to submit!


Here are the 3 tea cup photo categories:
1)  Most Original Tea Cup
2)  Most Unique Use of Tea Cup
3)  Most Original Tea Cup Setting

And the picture with the most public votes in each category will also win a $100 tea gift certificate! That's a lot of wonderful tea being given away... OK Tea Lovers... Check out California Tea House and enter this wonderful raffle. And while you're at it... Check out their teas!!!


Your image will be reviewed before being published, so once you submit it to the forum, it will take up to 24 hours before your photo entry appears on the forum. Image submittals will be accepted until midnight PST on June 15, 2011. The winners will be announced within 2 weeks of the final submittal. Good luck and have fun! 


Here's the link for the raffle!!! Good Luck!!!



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Sunday, May 8, 2011

Mother's Day Winner: She's The Love of My Life!

I'm happy to announce that the winner of the Mother's Day Raffle For RLT Collection is Kelsey Hicks.

This is what she had to say about her mother!


My mother Gwendolyn Hicks Russell is the Love of My Life! There’s No One in this world quite like her. She taught me Don’t Block the Blessings And that The Real Thing in me is too valuable to give away.

I haven’t always been true to Me, Myself and I But my mama taught me to embrace my Flaws and All When I feel like I’m on an Emotional Roller coaster She always tells me Somebody Loves You Baby Together we’ve developed a New Attitude about life She’s Living Her Life Like it’s Golden And I Smile because I couldn’t be happier for her.

 If You Asked Me To tell you her greatest quality It would be that she has All This Love to give. She loves God More than Anything And through her I know I have No Other Choice but to trust Him Always and Forever; She’s my favorite girl.

 I Been Around the World but no one compares to her. Like any two women we go Back and Forth And sometimes we have our Differences Give us a little time and we’re back to Best Friends. I could go On and On about how much I love my mama, but I think its best I stop Here and Now ...and the Point of It All is I Love Her!


Her Mother Gwendolyn HIcks-Russell will win this beautiful Mother of Pearl Bracelet from RLT Collection!  Fitting for the Gem that she is!!!



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Saturday, January 8, 2011

Tea With Rae: High Tea at the Peninsula Hotel Winner

A few weeks back I had High Tea at the Peninsula Hotel with my Twitter friend Lesa who was in town visiting her family. It was a wonderful treat to say the least. Thanks again Lesa! The folks at the Peninsula were wonderful. Their High Tea is a wonderful experience. I thought I had died and gone to heaven, the tea lover that I am. They had over 20 teas to choose from and the food was perfection!
Lesa Being Served Tea!
That day, I even met the PR director and explained my Tea With Rae project; and I hit them up for a raffle. I mean, if you don't ask you are guaranteed to not get. To my delight, a few days later, the Peninsula Hotel agreed to allow one of my readers the chance to chat with me over High Tea.

It was a very hard decision! But there could only be one person. The the winner of the High Tea with Rae Raffle, at the Peninsula Hotel is Valencia Frazier. Not only was her e-mail compelling, she has been an on-going supporter of my projects around HIV/AIDS since she discovered me on Twitter last March. I am honored to have such a lovely lady join me for tea.


A big Thank You, to everyone who entered the raffle. You are invited to the Tea Tasting that Argo Tea is hosting for my followers. I will e-mail each of you the details as soon as it is arranged. Thanks again!! Your support means the world to me!!

Note: I am working hard with my tea partners to share with you some of the delights they are sharing with me. There is another raffle currently taking place. You can win a tin of tea from The NecessiTeas and a Tea Bracelet from me. Go to this blog post to enter at the bottom of the post. I will announce that winner on this coming Thursday's Tea With Rae Blog Post. Good Luck!

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