Grand Tea Party

Last week the rascals and I attended a belated Valentine's Day tea at a friend's house. My friend, R-, emptied her entire first floor of all furniture and then packed it all away in a rented U-haul truck that she left parked somewhere in her neighborhood. She replaced every stitch of furniture in the family room with craft tables and chairs for making Valentines, and in the formal living room, she brought in a long banquet table and formal chairs sized just right for small children. Her husband and little boy weren't home which made me wonder if they too were packed away in the U-haul -- this after all was a ladies only event. The home was completely decked out, even down to the red, pink and white ribbon drapes that hung in a window in the formal living room. The house screamed Valentine's Day.

R- even hired a photographer to take pictures during the event so she would be free to mingle and prepare a formal tea party spread without missing a single moment. And even though the photographer was busily snapping away, I couldn't help but take pictures of my own using my mobile phone. Toward the end of the party, the photographer took individual pictures of us with our child(ren) -- a lovely, and decadent party gift from the hostess.

The food was delicious: scones, finger sandwiches, fruit, cupcakes, tea cookies, petits fours, and teas from Queen Mary Tea Room. While the children ate like princesses at the long banquet table, we moms gathered around in the kitchen where we nibbled treats, sipped tea and chatted. Here are a few images from that day:

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Terrarium

This past weekend Jon and the rascals decided to tackle the terrarium project, but first a quick online tutorial -- just to make sure everything would be done correctly.

  

Stuffing bits of moss and dirt into the narrow opening proved more challenging than the tutorial led us to believe.

Playing with dirt in the kitchen excited the rascals, but made me anxious. Luckily they kept the dirt on the counter so it was easy clean-up. Whew.

Jon shakes the bottle to make sure the contents settle evenly.

Once the moss and dirt is in the bottle, a chop stick was used to place each piece.

When the terrarium was done. The rascals lost interest -- cleaning clearly is not as interesting. Alex took her balloon and left.

Then she had a slight meltdown.

Sammy's energy tank remained full.

What a neat terrarium! I placed it on the living room table so when company comes they'll think we're earthy people. HA!

There was leftover moss and dirt so the girls made a terrarium of their very own. Don't they look proud of their accomplishment?