In Philadelphia, where I live, it's another rainy, grey morning and I'm feeling sluggish. It's a funny thing, when I'm in London, the rain seems charming.  When I'm at home, it seems like the beginning to a really bad day. 

... 

But today,  I'm going to fight the urge to power through, hopped up on Red Bull (not for nothing, the promotion of that beverage and the way it coincided with my first year of motherhood, does not seem at all accidental to me.  It's as if a sister never stood a chance.)

When I'm in London, visiting friends, the first thing they offer me is a nice cup of tea. It's always such a pleasure.  At home, I drink tea all the time.  But by the way I find dirty mugs everywhere -- on windowsills, in the bathroom, underneath the baby's crib -- it's clear that I'm always drinking tea on the run and rarely do I savor the moment.

My plan for today is to give myself a break around 4 p.m.  And make myself a cup of tea in a pretty cup.  I think I'll use my favorite Missoni teacup (pictured here, I don't have the whole set yet, but I do have two beautiful cups which I treasure and use far less often than I'd like to.)  I'm obsessed with Mighty Leaf teas right now, so I think I'll brew a pot of their chamomile citrus.

If I'm feeling really ambitious, and the baby will let me, I may even whip up a batch of golden raisin scones.  But to be honest, my name's not Martha Stewart, and freshly baked scones on a Monday may be pushing it.

That said, if I end up baking, I'll post the recipe tomorrow. For today, I'm going to keep it simple: one twenty minute tea break, served in a cup I usually reserve for company.

How about you?  How do you plan to be good to yourself today?