Tea & Honey ~The Little Honey Escapade

The Little family's fireplace mantle is adorned with their usual Christmas decorations minus the Christmas stockings which are not hung until Christmas Eve. The Little family are enjoying their visit with the Bear family. Doesn't this appear to be a lovely, tranquil visit with dear friends? What the Little family do not know is that the Bear family knows it is hard to come by enough honey to satisfy a bear, and they love the Little's so much they decided to gift the Little family with honey enough for themselves and their guests, the Bear family. This would require some daring and courageous actions on their ( Bear's ) part. Papa Bear knows that the home he resides in is headed by a BEE-KEEPER* . Papa Bear counts himself very blessed to live in a miniature log cabin that sits in the very living room of the Bee-Keeper, and this Bee-Keeper has his cupboards full of the most delicious honey a bear could ever want for. Unlike a real bear though, Papa Bear is a Teddy Bear . He cannot just go push over a hive ( thankfully for the Bee-Keeper! ) and take his fill of honey. Papa Bear has to plan very carefully just how he will acquire his supply of the nectar of the bees. When Papa B. thinks the Bee-Keeper is asleep, he and his family make their way to the counter top just below the target cupboard. They climb atop the microwave just below the cupboard and Papa B. swings his furry paw into it and hangs on.Mama Bear and Baby Bear yell encouragement and offer further assistance, which Papa accepts gladly. Papa directs Mama and Baby to get behind the jar of honey and push it towards him so he can grab it and..wait, oh no,the Bee-Keepers' wife has spotted them. Gosh darn it. That lady never sleeps. What is she doing up at this hour? Now they're gonna get it.No honey for them or the Little's, they'll just be put in a drawer for who knows how long... WHAT? The Bee-Keepers' wife surprised them. She lifted the Bear family and the jar of honey out of the cupboard and placed them into the Littles' home. Imagine that. They heard her say "Merry Christmas" as she left them and their prize jar of honey there just in time for the party. Baby Bear and Tommy Little are amazed to see so much honey. Mmmmm, it smells so delicious and they want to scoop up handfuls ( paws full ) of it but Mama Bear and Mrs. Little tell them "NO! Not yet". Papa Bear and Mr. Little are happily discussing theology and just what the Bible has to say about bears as they sip their tea laced with the brandy ( only for special occasions you know ) Mr. Little had set aside especially for this occasion. You can see in this picture that Papa Bear is a bit too big to sit in any of the Little's chairs, so he finds a comfy corner out of the way to sit on the floor. He brings his own mug made of hollowed-out logs for beverages. Mrs. Little and Mrs. Bear are happily discussing the upcoming Christmas festivities and recipes for their Christmas cookie baking day on Wednesday.Mrs. Little has the cookie cutters out, and as the bread for the evening meal has just come out of the oven they will begin serving dinner to the rest of the family before they begin their party games. Mrs. Little is wrapping yet another Christmas gift while she chatters away with Mrs. Bear. Baby Bear and Tommy Little are frustrated. They cannot eat any honey, the desserts are off limits until after dinner, what are they to do? Grandpa Little is playing with Tommy's little sister...the kitten wants to play only with Tommy's rooster pull- toy. What can he and Baby Bear do? EXPLORE ! They climb the shelves in the china cupboard and find so many tea cups to peek into. They climb into this pretty teacup*, but it is too deep for Tommy. Baby Bear helps Tommy out . They go looking into other teacups. Baby Bear discovers this Flying Goose* teacup. He likes the way the lights shine through it and this teacup reminds him of the geese he sees flying overhead through the skylight in the BEE-KEEPERS' sun-room. Tommy Little finds he is able to get in and out of this teacup* easily and the wood-land scene looks just like Cedar Pond, right outside his window. He also likes the blue rim and the golden glow from this teacup that filters down into the bottom shelf of the china cupboard he lives in. After exploring all the china in the hutch Baby Bear and Tommy Little return to the bottom shelf of the china hutch hoping it is time to eat, but alas, it is not.Baby Bear and Tommy Little sigh and shake with anticipation as they wait for their parents to begin serving up treats, "Please, can we get this Christmas party started?" For more Tea-Time Tuesday and All Things Tea Blogs, please check out these ladies~

• Martha's Favorites *
• Artful Affirmations *
• Breath Of Fresh Air *
• Lady Katherine *
• Silken Purse *
• Rose Chintz Cottage *

Spot on Doll houses

~~~I have a fascination for miniatures. Don't we all to some degree ? Here is a log cabin Hubby and our kids made about 15 - 20 years ago for our homeschool History Fair. The fair exhibited displays and research various families did on the history of America. The homeschoolers also performed a compilation of songs representing American history, directed by a top notch music teacher. The choir was moving and many grandparents who were very skeptical and hostile to their grandchildren being homeschooled never the less shed a tear as the homeschooled youth performed songs dear to the hearts of loyal Americans. ( my and Hubby's fathers for sure ) But I digress. ~~~Hubby and the kids collected the wood sticks from the woods, peeled and notched them, then constructed the cabin. We made a mortar to chink the logs, and furnished the log home the way a clever but poor family might have in the late 1700's to 1800's. We had fun, and I still have the log home. ~~~#2 Granddaughter is spending two fun filled nights with Hubby and I. She has grown so much, and I realized she is now old enough to play with some things that are not able to stand up to the rough play of the younger and / or less careful grandchildren. I brought the log house down off the top of the armoire and she played with the log home for awhile. I noted how careful she was, how she arranged things so nicely, and how much fun she was having. So I allowed her a privilege I have not allowed anyone but myself , ever. I allowed her to play with MY dollhouse!

~~~See how she set the tables for the mouse, doll and bear ? ~~~

~~~My doll house is the bottom shelf of our china cabinet. I used to keep the furniture in a real doll house, but had trouble making everyone keep their mitts off my toys. Keeping things behind glass has a way of saying " HANDS OFF " without really having to say it. (ignore the dust, the maid, me ,doesn't dust too thoroughly )

~Here is my small living room. Hubby and I made most of the furniture. I wove the blue rug.~

"Did you ever see a little girl who wasn't enchanted by a miniature dollhouse? As a matter of fact, did you ever see a BIG girl who wasn't enchanted by a miniature dollhouse? Young or old, the intrigue is the same; even little boys and big boys have been captivated by it's charm." Helen Ruthberg THE BOOK OF MINIATURES

~~~Here is the kitchen / dining room. I made the dry sink , the food, and wove this rug too.~~~ ~~~"Smallness has charm. There is something precious and appealing about the precise detail of a minute thing. Although small things rarely have risen high in the eyes of art critics, the smallness of objects has enchanted mankind throughout the ages.Perhaps it is people's love for precision. Or it may be that smallnes awakens a nostalgia harkening a person back to childhood, reviving one's instincts for play, for visiting the mysterious and imaginative world of pretend." THE COMPLETE BOOK OF MAKING MINIATURES Thelma Newman & Virginia Merrill ~~~Here the little kitten naps on the bed I made, and quilt I cross stitched. Hubby helped me make the bureau and a friend crocheted the rug. ~~~"A dollhouse becomes a showcase for your own creative talents and should be displayed prominently - in living room, dining room, or family room." ALL ABOUT DOLLHOUSES Barbara L. Farlie

~~~#2 Granddaughter played with the dollhouse for quite awhile. Now if I can just get the doll family to dust their home once in awhile....

~~~I think I will be letting all the grandchildren play with my toys a bit more often ! Smiles like this make my day, and all I have to do is share my toys.~~~

~~~"Play: Action without special aim or for amusement."Funk and Wagnalls New Standard Dictionary