There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea. (Bernard-Paul Heroux)

At the moment, my favorite thing is the Teavana TeaMaker that I bought while my daughter was visiting. I really didn't need another teapot, since I have a collection of china teapots plus several infusers for making individual cups. But I was indulging myself in celebration of her visit (poor child, to be blamed when really any excuse would have worked) and so the TeaMaker came home with me.

I had heard good things about this gadget, which is why I wanted one. Well, my friends were telling the truth when they said that it was like, the greatest teapot ever. You simply put the tea leaves in, and fill it with hot water. Once it's finished steeping, you put the TeaMaker on top of your teacup and the tea is released into your cup. You can lift the TeaMaker at any point, and it will seal itself back up so that the tea doesn't leak out. It's very cool. I confess to lifting the TeaMaker, putting it back down, lifting the TeaMaker, putting it back down - just for the fun of it!

I also like that you can use the TeaMaker on any size cup. I've filled a tumbler with ice, then placed my TeaMaker on top of the glass in order to make brewed ice tea. Add a little guava (also a new favorite item, again thanks to my daughter) and it's sweet tea for the summer.