Impromptu Tea Party

 Flower arrangements were a gift from our daughter-in-law and perfect for this tea party her son ( son of our youngest son and his wife) asked me to give him and two of his cousins. For many years I have had tea parties for my grandchildren , family, and friends and my youngest grandson, our miracle grandson, was unaware of these many parties. About a year and a half ago he asked for a tea party ~ joy oh joy !

 We were able to have our youngest granddaughter stay with us last weekend and her sister stayed with our youngest grandson and his family. Our little grandson asked if I would have a tea party for them and this required me to have a tea party the NEXT day after his request ! I jumped at the chance and with the help of our youngest granddaughter who was staying with us, we prepared an impromptu tea party.

 I needed to use what was in my fridge and pantry and of course I had a plethora of teacups and teapots on hand. I think with the help of our youngest granddaughter we pulled it off quite well !

 Youngest granddaughter and I made peanut butter and jam sandwiches, tuna fish sandwiches, and youngest grandson's request of tomato, pickle, and cheese sandwiches. We also had a veggie platter, olives, peanut butter stuffed celery and don't forget the tea. We filled one teapot with hot cocoa, the other teapots held peach tea and mint tea.

 Youngest grandson with youngest granddaughter.( Does this little boy, our youngest grandchild , look happy to you ? I know he was over-the-moon happy !)

 Celery stuffed with peanut butter ~ staple snack of kids.( Prepared & plated by our youngest granddaughter.)

My bounty of teacups was quite handy for this impromptu tea party. I had chintz teacups for the ladies here ( my daughter-in-law, her mother , and myself), butterfly teacups for two granddaughters and a grandson, and a bright yellow and white teacup for my husband who was wrangled into this last minute tea party.

This was a very special day for me. Our youngest granddaughter was  able to spend 2 nights with us and after our youngest grandchild's request for a tea party she pitched in and helped plan and implement the party. We had a very good time together with family and I know our youngest grandson who was born well after the rest of our grandchildren truly desires that connection with his many older cousins ~ connections we all want and desire. I love watching my older grandchildren interact with him and even more watching them be patient and kind with him. I pray for all my grandchildren that they come to know my Lord & Savior Jesus, and their family interactions inspire and encourage that.

Thursday Tea In The Garden ~ Chicks & Thyme

 Spring time and I have chicks hatching out all over the place.

 Well, not really. But I have chicks whose mamas are hatching them out in the right places ( underneath their mamas ) , quite successfully.

 These two chicks were hatched out by my grandchildren using an incubator they borrowed from me. The eggs the chicks hatched from were green because they came from my Americana hens , and the rooster -father is my Black Copper Marans . I am hoping they are hens.

 I have decided to celebrate Thursday Tea In The Garden because Thursday is a wonderful day for me to take time to blog, and I really do spend all sunny days outside working in my poultry pens, my gardens, or with my sheep & dogs. I got the idea from Judith at Lavender Cottage. * I don't think this is a link-up party but she gets the credit for a Thursday celebration I am excited to celebrate in my own gardens., thank-you Judith !

 Oh, by the way, these two chicks were given names by one of my granddaughters whilst being cared for by her & her younger sister after they hatched out of the incubator. Welcome to the big wide world Albert Cheepers McNugget Featherweight Esquire the 1st  and Prudence. Just hope one is a hen & the other a rooster !

 Not to forget the garden part, yes, I did have tea in the garden, a chamomile blend, most soothing. I looked over my herb ( Blue Bottle ) garden , pondered it a bit and decided I will plant this pot of lemon thyme in the thyme bed tomorrow.

Cheepers & Prudence are safely tucked into their small brooder in our sun-room after modeling for me earlier today. They really were not too excited by my pretty Japanese tea-cup , my cheery yellow polka dotted teapot, nor my bunny planter which now holds a blooming orchid. But then, they are baby chickens and food, water, warmth, & safety are all they desire.

I hope your spring plantings are beginning to bud & your hopes and dreams are too. Happy gardening, happy tea-time. Cheep ~ cheep.

Boys' Snowman Tea-Party !

 Who says tea-parties are only for girls ? My husband's sister Jean hosted a Snowman Tea-Party in her home recently and the invited guests were the boys in her Sunday School class. I love the creativity that went into this party that BOYS would love to attend ! ( Jean graciously allowed me to use her pictures, thank-you Jean . )

 The boys assembled their own snowman pizzas from dough & ingredients Jean had prepared ahead of time. Jean got the idea for the pizzas off Pinterest so if you want more instructions on making the pizzas you'll find them there.

 The look on his face tells me he is pretty happy about his pizza.

 Everything about this picture makes me happy and I wasn't even at the tea-party ! Don't the boys look like they're having fun ?

I love the way the table was set for a tea party boys would enjoy.  I know my sis-in-law has a lot of experience in all things young boys enjoy since she raised three sons who have grown into amazing men with families of their own. I am going to use most of these ideas sometime soon and host a tea-party for my grandsons. ( Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. ) Who says tea-parties are only for girls , not us !

Although I haven't displayed a special tea-cup this Tuesday I hope you'll forgive me. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share a happy tea-party for boys. Please join the ladies listed below for a spot of tea-time celebration ...
Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage *
Bernideen at Bernideen's Teatime Blog *
Martha at Marthas Favorites *
Ruth at Antiques & Teacups *

Bittersweet Memories ~Fairy Tea-Party By The Pond (Tea Time Tuesday)

I am posting one of my favorite tea parties for this Tea Time Tuesday. My husband's parents enjoyed this tea party by our pond with us and 4 of our granddaughters. They had a wonderful time with the little girls, and the granddaughters loved their great-grandparents. My husband's parents both passed away in the last few months, his mother in November, his father just this January, making this post a bittersweet reminder of good times with loved ones we won't see this side of eternity.

Youngest Granddaughter, and youngest fairy at this tea-party.

The granddaughters requested a Fairy Tea-Party by the pond with their great-grandparents. They were very excited to wear wings and made sure great-grandmother had wings too.

Oldest and youngest granddaughters ( of 6) ready to flutter...

...come on, the tea-party is about to begin !

" I helped pick the food.Cheese and crackers and sandwiches."

Great-grandma Fairy and Great-grandpa visit with the little fairies. Lots of tea is sipped and the day is perfect for tea by the pond. Not too hot, not too cold, not too windy, no mosquitos or flies. Just a light pleasant breeze and dappled sunshine. Ducks swim by, granddaughters and grandparents laugh, a lot !

Dessert was of course the most popular part of the tea party.

Angel food cake with home grown raspberries and whipping cream, all the whipping cream any little or big fairy wanted to put on it.

Who needs anything else to eat when you can have this?

I caught this fairy mid bite to show you the teacup she chose for the tea party. She declared this was her favorite for the day.

The china teacup and saucer is White Trillium ~by Royal Albert.

This will be a perfect teacup in which to take tea come late spring when we have trilliums blooming all over our property, especially down by the pond.

The little fairies' Grandpa joins us. He is the oldest son of Great-grandparents. We have a wonderful time enjoying each others' company on such a pleasant day.

The day grows late and it is time for the great-grandparents to head for home. Great-grandma ( the oldest fairy at the tea-party) gets a little help from her oldest son, my husband.

I think she liked her wings.

The youngest fairy fell asleep in the swing by the pond.

Please visit these ladies for Teacup Tuesday and Tea time Tuesday. Martha*,Terri*,& .,Sandi *,  Bernideen *, Antiques & Teacups *. I have enjoyed these Tea Time Tuesdays very much and thank-you for joining us for tea today.

"The aspects of things that are most important to us are hidden because of their simplicity & familiarity." Ludwig Wittgenstein

Tea Time Tuesday ~ With The Thursday Ladies

 

My favorite of 4 tea cups in this set I bought 2 years ago. It is a pale minty green chintz pattern, and comes in a beautiful box to store it in with the 3 other chintz teacups in this set. I used the chintz teacups for a ladies luncheon last Thursday.

I will call these lovely ladies the Thursday Ladies. We gather once a month on Thursday to share a meal together and study the Bible.

We are studying I Samuel using Myrna Alexander's book 'After God's Heart".

Mothers are welcome to bring their children, and the children have their own table. I have always appreciated homes open to children, and the opportunity for children to gather with us is also an opportunity for mothers & grandmothers to enjoy their company, and also teach them how to behave properly when they are in someone else's home.( these are pretty well behaved children , so it is no trouble to enjoy each other and them!)

If you look closely at the table, you can see the Chintz teacups.

Inside the box.

 

"Gracie China, Chintz Collection " made in China

 

 

 Having so many beautiful teacups and china I love, it is a pleasure & a privilege to share them with friends and family. Did you know hospitality, or being hospitable ~"receiving and entertaining guests generously & kindly" (Webster's Dictionary ) is commanded by God? Hospitality requires nothing more than a welcoming heart and willingness to share your hearth and home. Hospitality does not require fancy table settings and food, nor does it require a perfect home.I Peter 4:9,10 says, "Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." Sometimes simply sharing a cup of tea with someone and offering a listening heart and a prayer is all it takes to show true hospitality.

 

The Thursday Ladies have already been a blessing and the study of I Samuel promises to be one of personal challenge to me....learning to trust God as Hannah ,mother of the prophet Samuel did. "Turn first to God for comfort ( in times of pain & distress)not to something or someone else. And give Him your emotions." Myrna Alexander

 

I am linking with these ladies for Tea Time Tuesday ~

• Bernideen's Tea time Blog *
• Sandi At Rose Chintz Cottage *
• Terri at Artful Affirmations *
• Martha at Martha's Favorites *
• Antiques & Teacups *
•  

 

 

Granddaughter's Fairy Tea Party

Our oldest granddaughter wanted to host a Fairy Tea Party this summer for her sisters and her girl cousins. What a great idea ! Granddaughter planned the menu, made the fairy costumes for her sisters and herself, then invited her 2 cousins.

Granddaughter used this book as inspiration.

Look at the costumes she made using scraps of fabric and tulle I had stored away, and her own creativity. Her sisters were very happy to wear the Woodland Fairy costumes their big sister made for them. On the menu, mini-pizzas. These were made by Granddaughter using a pop-up biscuit , spreading a little tomato paste mixed with olive oil and basil on top, adding pineapple, pepperoni, and grated cheese. Bake according to the directions on the pop-up biscuit package.

The granddaughters, um, excuse me, the FAIRIES, loved these mini-pizzas granddaughter made, there were no left-overs.

Granddaughter also made a snack mix consisting of popcorn, pretzels, popcorn flavored jelly-beans, raisins, and chocolate chips.Another success, no left-overs.

She chose my butterfly teacups by Yedi for the tea. This set of butterfly teacups is a favorite with my grandchildren.

Granddaughter set the table herself, making sure the goblets for the orange juice punch are clean and clear.

The table is set, the food prepared. The cousins are here. I took a few pictures, but this party was prepared and hosted by our oldest granddaughter. After I took some pictures I went upstairs to get some work done and left the 6 granddaughters to tea-party on. ( I forgot to mention, she cut and arranged the flowers on the table too.)

It was a joy to my heart to hear the laughter of little girls echoing throughout the house. When I came downstairs to re-fill my tea cup I also spied the girls dancing sweet fairy dances as they laughed and talked amongst themselves.I think they had a very good time together and this was a good way to end the summer before the 4 granddaughters from the other side of the mountains returned home to begin school.

Yedi butterfly teacups.You might have noticed I have used these tea cups a lot in my Tea Time Tuesday posts, but they are my grandchildren's favorite choice for their tea parties. They are so colorful, and the set has 6 different colors, perfect for boys and girls. They are especially nice in garden tea parties. These are easy to find on-line by googling the brand name. These ladies are having an on-line party for all things tea, check them out!

• Terri at Artful Affirmations *
• Martha at Martha's Favorites *
• Lady Katherine at Lady Katherine's Tea Parlor *
• Wanda Lee at the Silken Purse *
• Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage *