jill mckenzie Archives - McKenzie Interior Design

Steve and I recently reviewed our calendars, looking ahead to the balance of Q1 and the opportunities in Q2. My eyes lit up at the Influencers of Midlife Conference, marked with colorful stars and underlines. It’s happening March 26 – 29 at the Hotel at Avalon, headed up by my dear friend, interior designer, over 50 fashion maven, Robin LaMonte. Steve wondered aloud and asked me why all the happy symbols (literally, in my journal)?

Italy, art, Steve mckenzie's — Grandparents, Steve and Jill enjoying the view at La Fortezza Italy

So I stopped to think, why am I excited about IOM? Here are my top reasons, and I think some of them may resonate with you too.

Hanging out with like-minded women for a whole weekend! Women who are life-learners, hard workers, active, and eager to share, and know where I’m coming from. My kind of peeps…
Learning from these women, everything from wellness to fashion tips to business advice. Midlife is a pivotal transitional point in our lives, many of us experience a spiritual and emotional renaissance.
I see myself through a different lens with these ladies. So much potential!
Sharing in a spirit of growth, support and kindness to each other and ourselves.

Quick peek at some of the fabulous speakers ~ Mitzi Beach, Vicki Gladle Bolick, Rhoda Vickers, Janet Coon, Linda Holt, Tonya Parker, myself and more. I’m making a list of all the questions – You Tube, podcasts, blogs, influencers – being intentional about learning from this fabulous tribe.

Design Bloggers Conference
Jill McKenzie Robin Lamonte — Jill McKenzie with Influencer of Midlife Founder, Robin LaMonte at the Design Influencers Conference

We’re in charge of what we do the rest of our lives. Invest in yourself at the Influencers of Midlife Conference this March!

Click here for ticket information. Hope to see you there~

Bottoms up, it’s one of Jill’s (new) favorite holidays of the year, National Iced Tea Day!

Jill is a self-proclaimed “tea snob.” She always asks if a tea is made in-house when dining out, and if it comes out tasting old and bitter, it’ll be sent back.

Sweet tea. It’s practically a religion here in the south.

Everyone has their own recipe, whether it’s been passed down from one generation to the next, or you’ve developed your own perfect recipe over time, there are about as many recipes as there are front porch rockers here in Georgia.

Jill’s perfect glass of iced tea is cold and strong without any overly-fruity or artificial flavors. She’s gracious enough to share her previously top-secret recipe here with us, in celebration of National Iced Tea Day:

Jill McKenzie’s Sweet Tea

Bring two quarts of cold water to a boil

Add three family size tea bags (consider cutting the string/tags off; there’s no need to have them floating around during steeping.)

Remove from the heat and steep for 10 minutes exactly.

**New iced tea trick – add just a pinch of baking soda. Yes, baking soda… It actually reduces any acidic flavor and helps to keep the tea from getting cloudy.

Finally, grab a large, acrylic pitcher (not glass, as it may crack when you add the warm tea brew) and fill it 2/3 of the way full with ice.

Pour the tea brew over the ice, add lemon or mint and enjoy!

Variation – If you’d like to make sweet tea, add 1/2-1 cup sugar (depending on the sweetness level you’d like to achieve) into the tea brew, after it has steeped the allotted 10 minutes. Stir until dissolved and proceed as usual with the rest of the recipe.

If you’re not up to brewing your own homemade iced, tea, the Atlanta Journal Constitution shares where you can get a glass of free – or almost free – iced tea in celebration of National Iced Tea Day.

And, if you’re looking for the ideal iced tea pitcher, look no further than this fantastic acrylic pitcher in Federical Blue. Click on the image or link above or contact the team here at steve mckenzie’s to get one for yourself!

The tradition of tea is quite interesting and, of course steeped (pun intended) in over 4,500 years of history. Check it out for yourself here and become a real tea aficionado!

A very happy National Iced Tea Day to you – visit us in store today, and you might just find yourself relaxing with friends, glass of iced tea in hand…