A Twilight Tea at the retirement home

Last Sunday afternoon, I got a text from my friend Liz. She had mentioned a few weeks ago that she and her sister Lynn had been thinking that they would like to give a "Twilight Tea" after dinner one evening at her mom's retirement home up in the North Georgia mountains. But the text said they had decided to do it that very week, Liz was leaving for the mountains the next morning, and would I mind getting together a few tea things for her? Now, number one, I am always happy to do anything for my friend's mother, who is very dear to me, but number two, YOU WANT ME TO THROW TOGETHER TEA PARTY DECOR IN A DAY? Well, friends, tough times call for tough measures, so I hopped to it, throwing tablecloths and napkins into tote bags, gathering some tea and toast sets, and selecting the two teapots Liz requested. I told myself this wouldn't be exactly as *I* would have done it, but I'm learning to do like the Disney song says and "Let it go." (But I would still have loved to have had a little more advance notice so I could at least have made teapot-shaped cookies or something like that to send along. Next time!)

To my delight, Liz actually remembered to send me cell phone photos from the tea, and she said I could share them on my blog so I am! I must say this is the most fun tea party I've never attended! Above are Liz's mom, Shannon, and Liz's niece and Shannon's granddaughter, Hannah, who is one of the neatest kids I've ever met. I've heard enough Hannah stories over the years to know she's really a miniature adult, and oh, I love me some Hannah! Liz said she was such a hit at the Twilight Tea and was very good with the residents. Liz said she noticed Hannah would put her hand gently on someone's back and say, "Those are delicious lemon bars, aren't they? Would you like another?" So Hannah is quite the rock star now at the retirement home.

Now Liz asked how many tea and toast sets I had, and I told her around 40. She said only 15-20 women would be coming, if that many, so send no more than 20. I knew I had a tote bag and picnic basket that were both packed with tea and toast sets in a moss rose design, and since there were 22 of those, that's what I sent. When I saw them all lined up here, I must say it made me so happy!

Apparently, once word of the Twilight Tea spread, the number of attendees started soaring. Those 15-20 women turned into 36 men and women, but fortunately the retirement home itself had a nice set of china they pulled into service for the tea, so pretty much the women got the tea and toast sets and the men got china, as I understand it. Liz said their menu (ordered from a local bakery) included lemon bars, magic bars, brownies, and cheese straws, and at the last minute they added crackers with cream cheese. I believe Liz served a berry blend tea. The other fun thing was that her mom, Shannon, read a couple of her poems, and they were such a hit that her daughters were sent scrambling to her room in search of more for the audience to hear. And at the end of the day, Shannon said it was the best day she'd had since moving to the retirement home. And that, my friends, is why I'm more than happy to loan out my teawares if my friends want to borrow them!