In first grade, my family moved from Northern California to Washington, and the adjustment was not easy for me. Plucked out of my happy classroom and dropped into another mid-year, I felt strange and shy with my new peers.

To cheer myself, I spent recesses collecting "friends" - pebbles nestled in the cedar and fir woods surrounding Sunset Elementary. My teacher caught on to my desk full of smooth stones and called my mother, who realized my playroom's toy and book shelves were lined with dozens of tiny, polished agates and rocks I'd been collecting as reliable pets.

With some encouragement, I adjusted to the new neighborhood and made friends, but I still have a special place in my heart for smooth river rocks and time-worn pebbles. These natural mugs made with hand-collected ocean stones are a decidedly more grown-up version for tea with friends - the human sort.

- via Larkyn

Image: Tortoise