Teatime with children

I am pleased to report that the watermelon tea was a hit with my little neighbors who've been coming over for teatime. Here's the single photo I thought to take yesterday, just the leftovers on the tray I had carried outdoors to the tea garden and a few of the tiny glasses I use for cubes of fruit, which appear to make them quite happy.

So far, they've most seemed to enjoy using the small teaspoons for their tea, the honey dispenser, and the small dessert forks.

One day, Adelaide was very carefully holding the lid on the teapot while she poured herself some more tea (and if I should ever chip a teapot in service to entertaining children, so be it!), and it occurred to me that I should get one of those little drip catchers that holds the lid on, so I'll be purchasing one of those soon. I also want to introduce the kiddos to my little "lemon bird" that squeezes lemon into the tea. They've already used a tea strainer but didn't seem particularly impressed by that. I haven't entertained very young children in years, so what am I forgetting? Any suggestions on gadgets or tea wares to make tea even more fun for little ones? I'm enjoying our teatimes even more than they are!

Some thoughts on silver … and going for the gold

This weekend, I did some silver polishing, and for a timely reason. I was cleaning out one of Alex's old desks the other day and came across three silver forks engraved "Liddell." The McRae family tree includes some Liddells, and a family history I've read says this was Mrs. Liddell's wedding silver. A cousin passed these along several years ago, but alas, there were only the three forks, and I sure wished I had a fourth, because four could be used for a small tea party, right? But I kept staring at the pretty design and thinking, "Where have I seen this before?"

Then I remembered: Not long after we were married, Alex handed me a pillowcase, I believe it was, in which he'd wrapped a few silver pieces that belonged to his late mother. He said he thought I might like them, and indeed I did (and do). So now, I have four forks from his forebears—three of the seven-inch forks engraved "Liddell" and one 7-3/8-inch fork engraved "McRae." They're made of coin silver, which isn't quite as pure as sterling, but they all cleaned up beautifully with my beloved Wright's Silver Cream.

I also polished a large silver serving spoon Alex presented me with, and it, too, came via his mother. It's engraved "Mary Irvin," and I learned from a family history book that she passed away in 1861.

Another piece I've started polishing (so much that I actually ran out of silver cream!) was Alex's baby cup! I'm thinking of having a silversmith repair it by getting out the dents and dings, but first, I wanted to make sure it can be polished. 

I've still got work to do, but I think this is a vast improvement.

And after staring at that "Liddell" engraving handed down by my husband's family members, who came from Scotland, it dawned on me that "Liddell" was a name I'd heard before, and you may have already made the connection about Eric Liddell, the "Flying Scotsman," who won a gold medal for the 400-meter race in the Paris Olympics of 1924. I've found no evidence that "our" Liddells have a direct connection to the famous runner, but I still like sharing a name with someone who honored the Lord by refusing to run on the Sabbath yet went on to win the gold. And if I had ever seen Chariots of Fire, the 1981 movie about Eric Liddell, I'd certainly forgotten it, so I watched it twice this weekend. Highly recommend! 

"Flea Market in Style" magazine returns

Y'all know I love to get my hands on any new "flea market" type magazines. Well, last September, I came across Flea Market in Style, which I just loved, so I was delighted to see a new issue of that publication on the racks at Publix this week. And with teapots and tea wares on the cover!

I found several decorating ideas I plan to use in the coming months, and one repurposing idea that hadn't occurred to me? They decoupaged an old coffeepot and mugs using paper napkin designs. Now, I've got an old enamelware teapot or two around here, not to mention plenty of patterns of paper napkins, so I want to try this.

And another fun idea is using old candlesticks for displaying flowers. Wouldn't these be lovely on a tea table? Or a Christmas table? I found a lot of inspiration in this magazine, and I believe many of you would enjoy it, too, perhaps for some pleasant weekend reading.

Luzianne Tea's Watermelon & Honey Green Tea

The other week, my sweet neighbor had some lovely mulch left over from his family's landscaping project and offered to clear a path and spread it in my overgrown "tea garden," which had pretty much become a jungle over the past few years. The transformation was amazing, and I was thrilled. The first thing I did was put my little pink patio set inside the tea garden, and when the neighbor children—who are seven, five, and two—asked if we could have a tea party there, well, you won't be surprised that I whipped out a teapot, cut up some fruit, and we had tea! If I get permission from their parents, I may share some photos sometime, but because the five-year-old loves to eat watermelon and drink green tea with honey, it dawned on me that he might like this Luzianne Watermelon & Honey Tea I'd seen a while back!

Although they've approved of all the teas I've served so far, next time we have tea, I'm thinking of offering the kiddos a teapot of hot water and letting them select their own tea bag, and I want to have plenty of choices for them.

And what did this tea taste like when I tried it? Well, it really does have that lovely watermelon taste with a hint of honey, but this lifelong southern girl is having a bit of an issue with the idea of "hot" watermelon! Still, I think my little neighbors may enjoy it, so … we'll see!

Ezra's first birthday party!

My great-nephew, Ezra, turned one last week, and on Saturday, the family gathered at my sister's house in Tallapoosa for a big Mickey Mouse-themed birthday party with lots of family and friends! The birthday boy handled all the hoopla quite well and enjoyed opening presents and digging into his "smash cake."

He loves his Mickey Mouse cartoons, so Mickey was prominently featured in the food and decor, including the cake made by one of his grandmothers.

My niece Madison (who is expecting a little boy of her own this fall) ordered these cute and tasty sugar cookies from a local bakery.

She also cut out fruit into Mickey Mouse shapes, and while this wasn't technically a tea, I instantly had my mind opened to some new possibilities for teatime! As long as the design is as simple as the iconic Mickey Mouse shape, I can't imagine why we couldn't have fruit slices cut into teapot and teacup shapes.

Ezra's mom, my niece Cari, shows the chocolate cake that Daddy made for the grown-ups.

And I made some easy cupcakes with Oreos to represent the mouse ears. It was a fun day of celebrating a sweet little boy who has brought much joy to our family in the short time he's been with us!

A new crafting opportunity

For the past few days, I have had the pleasure of joining my friend Gina and some lovely ladies at a local Lutheran church for a daytime craft retreat, and boy, has that helped me get caught up on my card making! Here are some of the cards I've made, and I still have one more day of crafting ahead. Some of the ladies knit and sew, some of them are scrapbookers, and Gina and I have been making cards.

I am so behind on making sympathy cards, the ones I send the most, alas, so I took a favorite stamp set and started making cards. It's always amazing that different colors of ink and paper can produce such different cards.

And once those were finished, I started making teacup cards, my favorites! I still need to add some embellishments to these cards, but it's sure been nice to get caught up on my crafting!

A surprise gift from a most thoughtful friend

My love language is tea, and my sweet friend Nancy in Senoia surely knew that when she mailed me this surprise package that arrived last week. Inside was a cute new tea mug, some tea, a beautiful teacup card, a bookmark, and the book she wanted to pass along, Widow to Widow by Genevieve Davis Ginsburg. Nancy has been a widow for quite a few years now and is one of the most energetic, encouraging women I know, so if this book helped her, I know it will help me. I've been slowly reading through all "the widow literature" that people have kindly shared, but I flipped open this book and found a passage that made me chuckle. Ginsburg writes:

"You’re so busy, you are never home." Widows wish people would go easy on that one. During the “running stage,” widows find home easier to run from than to. One woman said her neighbor not only commented regularly on how busy she seemed but also claimed to “envy” her social life. “It probably was meant as a compliment, but I wanted to punch her in the nose. Instead, I offered to change places with her, and she hasn’t spoken to me since.”

Oh, how that made me laugh! I have indeed heard some nutty things since my husband went to Heaven in April, but I know that people mean well, so I try to keep my smart mouth in check! I'm looking forward to reading more of this book.

And look at this beautiful card that came in my package! It's by Cavallini Papers, one of my favorite stationery companies.

I've already tried this delicious Maple Tea from M21 Luxury Tea, enjoyed in the new tea mug Nancy sent. It's delicious and has me thinking of fall and all the yummy seasonal flavors just around the corner. If it's possible to receive a hug through the mail, I think I just did.

A return to the Emerald Chandelier

On Saturday, my tea-loving friend Beth joined me for a trip to the Emerald Chandelier tearoom in Griffin, where I enjoyed tea last month. I was delighted that Beth enjoyed the tearoom as much as I did!

It was a beautiful day, and the blue sky matched the blue cottage itself.

We were in a different room than last month's tea, so it was nice to be able to explore even more of the lovely decor.

The place setting was different as well, and I must say I loved seeing all the pretty tea wares, especially the fancy chargers.

The afternoon tea menu was the same as last month's (described here), and Beth and I both enjoyed the food and teas. I knew it changes every two months, but I enjoyed it so much that I didn't at all mind having the same food again.

Once again, that Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup hit the spot and was the perfect intro for the delicious treats that followed!

Hearty tea sandwiches and a chilled peach soup were some of my favorites this time.

And while there are several chandeliers throughout the tearoom, I found myself eyeing this one and thinking that would look nice in my house!

And a fun note about prayer: Beth offered to say the blessing, and it was so touching to know that my dear friend continues to keep me in her prayers. Now, she didn't stand up and yell in the middle of the tearoom or anything, but later on, a woman at a nearby table told us that her granddaughter said, "Look, those ladies know Jesus too." Isn't that sweet? It made me so happy that I have a praying friend and that she modeled prayer for a young girl. (It turned out I had actually met the grandmother, a fellow writer, years ago!) Then as we got ready to leave, I noticed a discreet little box where you can leave a prayer request at the tearoom "if you would like us to pray for you." Isn't that a lovely gesture? It was certainly a lovely teatime, and I'm already looking forward to my next visit to the Emerald Chandelier.

Tea with Jacqueline

 

You just never know what's going to pop up on the Library of Congress web site. This image is described as "Jacqueline Kennedy, wife of presidential candidate Senator John F. Kennedy, seated at a table with a tea service, during a tea for women journalists." That woman in the background at left is just thrilled to be there, isn't she?

Fashionistas, what do you call this neckline? Is it a variation of a rounded Peter Pan collar? Whatever the case, I agree with those who say she was our most stylish First Lady ever, and I've always admired the classic, feminine style of her clothing.

The photo was taken by photographer Warren K. Leffler on October 5, 1960, and you can find it here.

"First for Women" and tea tips

First things first, I've gotten in touch with my friend Deberah and hope to be able to share her tea- and mint-processing techniques with you soon! Meanwhile, I wanted to tell you about some interesting tea news I came across last week. I think I'm still on some mailing list for former magazine editors, and I get some good freebies that way, like a free year of First for Women. Carnie Wilson of Wilson Phillips, daughter of Beach Boy Brian Wilson (and who doesn't love the Beach Boys?), was on the cover of the new issue.

I always enjoy reading about women who've been successful in losing weight. I've lost a few pounds in recent months and think my 2-1/2 miles of walking a day is surely helping, and I nodded along as I read that Carnie drinks tea at night as part of her healthier eating.

Then elsewhere in the magazine, I came across this tidbit that was most interesting. It suggests drinking iced green tea and says that "once the tea reaches your bladder, it destroys 80 of the troublesome bacterial strains that cause UTIs," according to Italian researchers. I've never had a urinary tract infection (thank you, Lord!), but I know so many who have, so if tea can help prevent that, yippee. If you suffer from these or know someone who does, this may be a tea tip worth passing along!

Deb's Tea & Angela's Cake

Recently, I had just finished enjoying a nice lunch with my friend Deberah when she handed me a lovely surprise of some tea she'd made from her Camellia sinensis plant, along with a bag of mint leaves to enjoy in my teas as well.

As soon as I opened the jar of "Deb's Tea," I knew I was in for a treat. Honestly, the scent reminded me of a fresh bag of Darjeeling tea, and I'm happy to report that the taste reminded me of it too. What an accomplishment for a tea grown in a backyard in Newnan, Georgia!

And the icing on the cake, literally and figuratively, was that I got to enjoy it with a slice of the Italian Cream Cake my friend Angela shared with me at church yesterday. I have not been eating desserts nearly as much over the past few months, but I sure enjoyed this one! What's the best tea and/or dessert you've had lately? I'd love to know!

A Fourth of July hike … and a new tea is christened

My friend Tammy is an experienced hiker, and yesterday, I joined her for a hike at Coleman Lake in Alabama!

I’d seen one of my nieces earlier in the day, and she liked the T-shirt I wore, which seemed appropriate for the day since it says “Spilling the Tea Since 1773.”

The lake was beautiful, and although our hike was hot and humid, I made it! We saw wildlife …

And giant ferns …

And even went by an old, old Baptist church.

Afterward, we went back to Tammy’s house for a fabulous dinner of grilled steaks, baked potatoes, Vidalia onion, corn on the cob, salads, and fruit.

But what I wanted you to hear about was a drink she invented, a combination of Simply Peach and Milo’s sweet tea, a Southern favorite. I told her it was like a peach Arnold Palmer, but she pointed out that Mr. Palmer didn’t have anything to do with it, so we settled on the name McPeachy since her last name is McSwain.

I will be looking for this tasty drink the next time I visit the grocery store. Tammy says it’s a seasonal blend, and I absolutely loved it. I'll bet some of you would enjoy a McPeachy too!