Tag Archives: tea

She’s a Lady?

27 Tuesday Jun 2017

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“I have bursts of being a lady, but it doesn’t last long.” – Shelley Winters

My husband is always telling me I’m so “lady-like”. I live in a house full of men, with all the stereotypical sights and sounds. The only exception is Chloe, our guinea pig, but she eats her own poop so I’m not sure she counts. Once in awhile it’s nice to make an effort at being a lady.

It’s not that I don’t appreciate my men or enjoy spending time with them. I do! Feed me strawberry soy ice cream though, and I would be crowned the Queen of Farts!

This weekend, I enjoyed browsing in the comic book store with Big Guy, and swapping stories with Little Guy. We ate pizza, watched America Ninja Warrior and capped the weekend off with a trip to the theatre to see Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie. I think I enjoyed it the most!

But last night was about being a lady. I hosted dinner for 5 of the women who now make up the executive of our Ladies’ Outreach ministry, and they are all class acts! So I pulled out all the stops! I used my Grandmother’s Royal Albert “Country Roses” china and my good silverware. I had pale plum napkins decorated with dainty teapots on them, and stemmed glassware with cranberry-cherry punch. The table looked perfect!

The perfect hostess will see to it that the works of male and female authors be properly separated on the bookshelves. Their proximity unless they happen to be married should not be tolerated. – Lady Gough, Etiquette (1863)

I cleaned the house, even the bathroom light fixtures (which required “hot yoga” on a stool in my nightgown and twisting behind the back corner of the floor behind the toilet, where a strong stomach is required). The house looked…respectable.

With seconds to spare, I managed to pull on a little black dress as the first guest arrived. I know she would have overlooked my short shorts and my Game of Thrones t-shirt, but I didn’t want her to have to do so.

Your dresses should be tight enough to show you’re a woman and loose enough to show you’re a lady. – Grace Kelly

I spent hours carefully chopping vegetables, pickles, meats and cheeses for 3 different salads. I picked radishes. I baked fresh bread. Someone brought a garden salad with fruit and fresh Parmesan cheese. Someone else brought a crunchy cabbage salad. Two others contributed key lime cheesecake and strawberry shortcake on a skewer. The meal was delicious.

There was no time for photos, but plenty of time for fun! Before our meeting, each lady ordered tea from my Tea Menu, which boasts 36 different kinds of tea. I like tea, and firmly believe that somewhere in the world, it’s Tea Time!

This morning, the kitchen counter is stacked with antique serving bowls, fine china, and memories. Purple gerbera daisies grace my empty dining table (a lady never arrives at a party with empty hands) and I felt a moment of happiness for having reconnected with my feminine side.

 

She’s got style, she’s got grace, she’s a winner
She’s a lady
Tom Jones, She’s a Lady

Then someone (who shall remain nameless), farted and promptly blamed the guinea pig. Moment was over.

Happy Tuesday!

Tea Party & Combat Stilettos

24 Friday Jul 2015

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A few weeks ago, I worked in the kitchen at the church, helping a friend “host” her mother’s 80th birthday party.

The hall was filled with tables with crisp, white tablecloths and real tea cups. Each table had flowers and a pedestal plate filled with the most delicately decorated mini cupcakes (they tasted as good as they looked). A photo booth was set up at the back, with feather boas, hats, and an assortment of silly glasses, moustaches, and wigs. There was a side table set with fancy tea sets and coffee urns, and another table set with glass containers of different flavoured lemonades. The centre table was a buffet of fancy sandwiches and scrumptious squares. Truly, it was glamorous affair, and the room was packed with people.

Tiny Flower Cupcakes

My job (along with some other super gals) was to keep the food coming, the lemonade stocked, and the tea pots filled. Our heels were smoking! Funny speeches were shared after the buffet table had been decimated, and it was only then that it dawned on everybody – there were only a few clean plates left. Thus became the chaos upon chaos to discreetly start clearing tables, running to the kitchen and praying the dishwasher would work a little faster. It didn’t. I had so many facials in that agonizing 20 minutes to make me look 20 again. That was the only up side. My fingers were scorched and I was just about ready to commit murder if one more person came in to tell me we needed more plates!

But we pulled it off.

Hours later, high heels kicked off and with a blister the size of an ostrich egg, I hand washed all 75 cups and saucers, along with an assortment of plastic containers now emptied of their delicious contents. I had had nothing to eat. I had had no time to get my picture taken at the photo booth. But the camaraderie of working alongside these amazing women and the smile on the birthday girl’s face was worth it.

Then the afternoon took a downturn.

I helped clean the bathrooms; I saw things in the men’s room that still haunt my dreams. Still shaken, I piled my leopard heels, my box of cute cupcakes to photograph (and eat), 2 canisters of herbal tea, and a can of Italian lemon sparkling water on my back seat, and headed home. We were going out for dinner.

Some idiot cut me off and I had to slam on my brakes. The cupcakes …(wiping a tear)…

Smashed Cupcakes

…didn’t make it.

Apparently, neither did the can.

Punctured can

I picked it up from the floor mat, and it was empty. Weeks later, that floor mat still has a gorgeous sheen. My theory is that one of my heels is a combat stiletto and it killed the can. I couldn’t find anything online to confirm my hypothesis. The closest I came was this link: How to Open a Can Without a Can Opener. Informative, but not what I was looking for…so I conducted some preliminary tests with a high-heeled shoe and an empty Coke, but they were unsuccessful.

I’ll keep trying though. It could be handy to have a pair of combat stilettos, especially when you’re washing dishes at a tea party!

Photo 101: Bliss

11 Thursday Jun 2015

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Bliss: complete happiness, great joy, paradise, or heaven.

It could have been so many things…cheese, chocolate…chocolate cheesecake. Fresh strawberries just picked and still warm from the sun. A bag a chips and an hour to kick back and play Halo. Or a cup of tea. Yes, it has to be tea. Tea with friends, even imaginary ones. Tea when it is hot and when it is cold. Tea to comfort the grieving, to soothe the discouraged, or to refresh the weary.

“A cup of tea would restore my normality.” – Douglas Adams [Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Screenplay]

“A cup of tea would restore my normality.” – Douglas Adams [Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Screenplay]

Weekly Photo Challenge 2: Early Bird

23 Thursday Apr 2015

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If God had meant for me to see the sunrise, He would have made it much later in the day! I am not really a morning person.

I like nothing more than to wrap my hands around a warm china mug filled with hot fresh tea, and to feel that warmth flow through my body! It’s like taking in a deep breath of fresh air – deeply satisfying.

Have a great day!

Morning Tea

“If you are cold, tea will warm you;
if you are too heated, it will cool you;
If you are depressed, it will cheer you;
If you are excited, it will calm you.” – William Ewart Gladstone

To see more photos, click here.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Symmetry

19 Thursday Feb 2015

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Symmetry (noun): the quality of something that has two sides or halves that are the same or very close in size, shape, and position; the quality of having symmetrical parts.

Tea Cup Symmetry

“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” – Henry James

To see more Symmetrical photos, click here.

Capture Your 365 (December 26-31)

01 Thursday Jan 2015

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Happy New Year to my many friends in the blog world! Your encouragement has meant so much to me over the past year. My mother woke up this morning, ready to tackle the new year, but I woke up not sure I’m quite ready to let the old one go. First, I’d like to finish what I’ve started, so therefore, I am posting the final prompts in the Capture Your 365 Project for 2014! Click on the photos to read the quotes.

Cozy Indulgence: “All you need is tea and warm socks.”
Party: ““Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.” ~Ernestine Ulmer
Seasonal Attire: ““You can never take too much care over the choice of your shoes. Too many women think that they are unimportant, but the real proof of an elegant woman is what is on her feet.” —Christian Dior
Up In the Air: ““We learned to be patient observers like the owl. We learned cleverness from the crow, and courage from the jay…But above all of them ranked the chickadee because of its indomitable spirit.” – Tom Brown, Jr.

I made it! Now to decide what “project” to tackle in 2015 – I suppose it should be New Year’s Resolution(s)?

Resources:

http://www.quotegarden.com

http://www.brainyquote.com

http://www.harpersbazaar.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry%27s_Chocolate_Orange