Progressive Lunch And Holiday Magic!

Remember yesterday I said I would tell you about this lovely lunch?

One of my friends asked me about it this morning at church.  She thought it came from one of the tea rooms in our area, and she was close!  My mom's dear friend Linda is an amazing cook, delightful hostess, and thoughtful friend.  She, her daughter Natalie, and her granddaughter lunch together nearly every day, and every once in a while my mom, grandma, Trevor, and I will join them.  It's always a good time!  And Trev has learned to be a gentlemen in tea rooms and the like which is important!

Anyway, Linda decided to make some of the yummiest recipes from a couple of our favorite tea rooms and had us all over for lunch on Friday, men and all.  We walked in to such a cozy kitchen!

A pitcher of cranberry iced tea was ready and waiting, a perfect drink for a December day in the South...

We dined on our delicious and lovely lunch of Cheesy Chicken Crunch, salad, and fresh fruit.

And the little ones were served kid-friendly fare at their own little table!

We enjoyed laughing over a leisurely lunch and taking in all of Linda's lovely Christmas decorations.  We then headed to Natalie's house to see her cozy and lovely Christmas home.  Everyone drove to our home next to see our little trees a sparkling.  Here I am with my sweet friend Natalie...

And last we headed to my parents' house to see their decorations and have dessert!

Madi had helped Grammie decorate the cupcakes the night before, and the kids got their cupcakes served in a little sleigh...

And along with the little treats, my mom had a variety of hot cocoas to serve.  Some even chose one of my favorite things, a hot cocoa float with a scoop of peppermint ice cream, topped with whipped cream and garnished with a peppermint stick!  The little girls loved these!

As three - actually four - generations spent this afternoon together, I couldn't help but think what a normal Friday looks like.  We rush the kids off to school.  Jimmy goes to work.  I do a few things around the house or run errands then it's time to pick up Trev from Pre-K.  We come home, have lunch, and I teach a piano and vocal lesson.  Then it's time to pick Madi up from school.  Later in the afternoon Jimmy comes home from work in time to teach a guitar lesson.

But that is not what this Friday looked like.  No, this Friday we hovered around the table laughing with family and friends.  The pace was slow, the food divine, the fellowship sweet.

Holidays are magical.

Masquerade Tea Party!

My mom and I both love a good tea party, a pretty tablescape, and a memory made.  I had the thought to have a Masquerade Tea Party with Madi, some of my girlfriends, and their little girls.  I asked my mom if she would be willing to host it and she loved the idea!  So she and her friend Linda (Nana to one of the little girls who came)  hosted the most lovely Masquerade Tea Party for us Friday after school!  It was the perfect way to spend a rainy Friday afternoon before Halloween!

The table was so festive!

The masks were plentiful...

Each little guest even got one in a special box of treats!

We had fruit, caramel apples, bite-sized pigs in a blanket.

And of course, cupcakes!

Pretzels were served in a masquerade dressed bowl...

The older girls were served hot caramel apple cider topped with whipped cream!  Mmmmm!!

The little girls had apple juice in their teacups.

I read the girls a Fancy Nancy Halloween story...

Then they used the stickers in the book to make a costume for Fancy Nancy.

Each little girl got to decorate her own mask.  I had found the masks for 49 cents each at Michael's and simply painted dowel rods gold and super glued them to the masks.

The finished products were divine!!  I love their creativity!

Of course, the older girls had to have a little masquerade fun as well!

Miss Linda, my grandma, and my mom joined in too!

It was such a treat that we moms decided we could get used to being served tea with our daughters every Friday afternoon!  :)

Thanks, Mom for making life special and grand! 

It was a Masquerade Tea Party to remember!  





Joining the fun and inspiration at Savvy Southern Style!

Speaking Of London...

Check out this fabulous find my mom came across at a Marshall's a few weeks ago.  She got a steal on this dress for my daughter, knowing it was right up her international alley!

It is hanging in Madi's closet just waiting to be worn on a date to our local tea room!  Don't you just love discount stores?  You never know what treasure you will find.  I do lots of my personal and gift shopping at stores like these because you can find unique, special things for terrific prices.

So, any local girlfriends up for a trip to Ross, Marshall's, or Steinmart?!
Just say the word, girls.

:)

In A Quiet Corner Of London

I may be the only person in America who hasn't watched the Royal Wedding yet.  Because I kind of live under a rock.  Jimmy and I have never had cable so we rarely turn the TV on except to watch movies.

I will eventually catch up with modern times and watch it, perhaps with tea and scones! But I saw some of the pictures and like everyone else, thought Kate's dress was absolutely stunning.  Thanks to my six year old with international flair, I've added quite a few Paris accents around here.  But with my need for change and all the festivities surrounding the Royal Wedding celebrations, I decided to create a little London vignette in my green chair corner.

Remember that little canvas I found at Michael's and used to make this simple, pretty Parisian accent?  I used another one to make a London accent.  And I must admit, I love it too.

Like most little girls of the 80's, I drooled over Princess Diana.  I had Princess Diana paper dolls and would often look through a coffee table book of her Royal Wedding.  She was so beautiful, and it breaks my heart that she much of the life she lived was filled with so much sadness.  I had just started college when she died and when I came home for Christmas between semesters, one of my gifts was a new Diana coffee table book, this one chronicling her life in remembrance of her.  So I pulled out that book to set in my little London corner.  I also set out an old English Lit textbook my husband found for me at a book sale in college (knowing his English major girlfriend would love it), my dad's old copy of Mere Christianity by  British author C.S. Lewis, a teacup made in England my sister-in-law gave me for a birthday present years ago, and an old silver tea piece given to me by a friend in the little church plant we served in as newlyweds.

It's sort of fun to go "shopping" in your own house!  You never know what you may come up with.

This is my new view when I sit in my green chair.  These days I drink my coffee, read, study, and write in a quiet corner of London.

I've Got Sunshine On A Cloudy Day

My dad used to sing that song to me when I was little.  So when I was in middle school and the movie Father of the Bride came out, I bawled uncontrollably during the scene where My Girl is the soundtrack as they play basketball in the driveway and they show Annie growing up!  I still love both that song and that movie.

But all of us need a little sunshine on a cloudy day!  As I write this it is cloudy here, but yesterday wasn't just cloudy - it rained all.day.long.

Trevor and I ended up running errands in the rain all day with my mom.  It was very productive for me, as I was able to use some coupons I had been saving (yay!) and get some supplies for my daughter's upcoming birthday party.

But in the midst of all the errands in the rain I had a few little spots of sunshine I wanted to tell you about.  First was this...

That would be a nonfat, all milk no water, chai tea latte from Starbucks.  Starbucks is a rare treat for this here girl and don't you think a warm cup of tea is perfect on a gray, rainy day?  It was a warm spot of spicy goodness!

My second spot of sunshine was this...

Now let me tell you about this because you just might want to go out and treat yourself!  I had stopped in Bath and Body Works (coupon in hand) when I saw a little preview display with this new fragrance.  I'll be honest, I was drawn to then name because I think it's a good description of my style.  Country Chic.  Whether it is home or fashion, I'm a little bit city and a little bit country.  It probably has much to do with where I was raised and where I live now; where I spent my college years and where many of our travels have taken us; the way my eye is drawn to both chic sophistication and farmhouse freshness; the way I enjoy the lights, sounds, and pulse of a big city but love to breathe in the air of wide open spaces.

At any rate, the name intrigued me so I tried the fragrance and was pleased with its fresh but not too floral scent.  These trial size bottles offer plenty, and here is the best part; because it was a preview, the lotion was only $1 and the spray was only $2, and there was a coupon on the back of the lotion for when this spring fragrance officially hits the stores in April!!


Now that's the kind of beauty indulgence a girl on a shoestring budget can afford!

Another spot of sunshine was this...

My mom had picked up a new Melissa and Doug pirate puzzle for my puzzle loving four year old.  This puzzle was 100 pieces and as I cooked dinner yesterday evening, he put every one of those 100 pieces together all by himself!!  We were proud of our little buddy, and I think he was a little proud of himself too.  :)

More sunshine came when my daughter did a puppet show of the Good Samaritan story for us, read us some books, and the kids said cute things that as usual, made us crack up laughing.

If your day is cloudy, I hope you find sunshine somewhere!  Here's to a great day!

Well Said, Mr. Lewis!

C.S. Lewis said, "You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me."

Well said, Mr. Lewis!

Two of the joys of my life are drinking tea and reading books.

In fact, having a day to myself with unlimited tea to drink and unlimited time to read sounds like a dream! Can you imagine such a day? I think somewhere in my former life I used to have these occasionally, but not so much anymore since a certain two children came along. Maybe I'll ask for a day like that for my birthday...!

Despite the busyness of motherhood, I still manage to squeeze in regular time to read. It may be done in fragments, but it remains an important part of my life. Actually, I am still often in the middle of several books at a time!

I recently read three books, each completely different from each other, that I really enjoyed and thought I'd recommend to any fellow book lovers out there.

Take Two by Karen Kingsbury

This is the second in the Above the Line series, and it explores issues like trying to live a consistent Christian life and make an impact in Hollywood, facing temptation on a college campus, overeating as a result of stress, the confusion falling in love can bring, and more - but all while telling an engaging, entertaining story. As usual, Karen Kingsbury weaves Biblical principles into her characters and story lines, making it inspirational as well as enjoyable. I have read all the different series that led up to this one, and have grown to love the characters that remain in the background of this particular series and am enjoying getting to know the new ones.

A Year of Blind Dates by Megan Carson

I picked this up at the Christian bookstore because the title intrigued me, and I finished it in a mere few hours. It was engaging from the start as it followed Megan, a nearly 30 year old single who previously only had one relationship, through a year of blind dates thanks to a very expensive and "reputable" dating service in town. I literally laughed out loud several times along the way, but the book was not just funny but often touching, sometimes sad, and in the end, inspiring. It's a quick, fun read that makes you think about what a single girl in today's world is up against trying to hold out for a godly man. While you, like I, may not agree with every move she makes along the way, I think in the end you'll be rooting for Megan, yourself, or your single girlfriends who are still waiting for a wonderful man of faith to come along while experiencing much personal growth and increased trust in God during the dating/waiting process.

12 Steps to Becoming a More Organized Mom by Lane P. Jordan

My mom gave me this awhile ago, and I am constantly picking it up and re-reading bits and pieces of it. While much of the information in this book is familiar, it is nice to be reminded that other women out there are trying to juggle marriage, motherhood, work, chores, relationships, finances, etc. This book gives practical, Biblical advice for all these areas of life and more! It is encouraging and motivational, challenging us women to gain balance in our busy lives, but the challenge is given with a tremendous measure of grace from someone who has been there. Since I am constantly struggling with organization and balance(sigh), I really enjoyed this one am sure I will continue to go back to it again and again when I need a little loving motivation!

So there you go, three good books to check out- one novel, one account, and one resource!

Oh, and just for the record, the Bridal Tea (purchased at the Camellia Rose Team Room) and the Godiva Dark Chocolate Almonds (given to me, but purchased at Steinmart) pictured in the photo were good picks as well!

Happy tea drinking and book reading!

(P.S. And I bet Mr. Lewis would completely approve of enjoying some Godiva for good measure...)