Thursday, March 28, 2013

Easter Tea Time

I'm late, late, making preparations for our Thursday Tea. It was the first sunny and warm day in quite a while, and well, the garden called and I answered.

Frederick Frieseke, The Judas Tree
But here I am, the kettle is boiling and we can relax now and enjoy the ambiance and the treats I've assembled for our Easter Tea.

(Photos via Pinterest)
I hope you dressed for the occasion!
And wore your hat and gloves.


I've decorated all around the house with Lilies, a traditional choice.

I found these and have scattered them around the table. Please take one home with you when you leave.

Here's our main table

But I brought in another table just in case we have more guests than expected.

We are trying a new tea today, at least new to me. Have you tried it? I love the cute name!


Why not serve our tea from pastel-colored teapots -- just to welcome Spring (which we all hope will be here soon)?


Crocus tea cups

Simple tea sandwiches

Hot Cross Bun, anyone?

What's Easter without chocolate? The snowdrops aren't edible but they surely make this cake look like Spring, don't they?

More chocolate, please.
Oh, go ahead! Easter comes but once a year!

Easter reminds us of lambs


Bunnies


Baby chicks
Little girls in hats and Easter Baskets
 Judy Garland and Fred Astair in the movie "Easter Parade."



And Golden Retrievers in hats and pearls!!!!!
(This isn't one of my dogs but a photo I found on the Web and couldn't resist including.)

I'm so glad you stopped by for tea today. Have a great Easter weekend.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Remembering Past Easters


Remember how much fun Easter was when we were kids?


The shopping trip to buy the outfit; choosing the just right basket; selecting the chocolate bunnies, rabbits and eggs; dying the eggs. It was quite an occasion.

As kids, we always want what we don't have, and I always wanted a "ready-made" dress. But since mother was an excellent seamstress, she sewed our clothes. Fancy little taffeta, organza or dotted Swiss numbers with bows and lace.

And on Easter morning my sister and I always looked something like this, decked out and ready for church:

Since it always seemed to be cold on Easter, mother made us spring dusters, like the one below:


Now I believe dusters are back in style.

We were outfitted with little hats, gloves, purses, socks and of course, the black patent leather shoes, which became our "Sunday shoes" only.

Once year, my little hat fell off my head during church services when I stretched and leaned my head back. I was so embarrassed!


There usually was much discussion, and whining on my part, about Easter baskets. Mother was adamant that we would reuse baskets from previous years, but I always wanted to buy a new one that was already packed full of chocolate bunnies, foil wrapped eggs and a fuzzy stuffed bunny; one that was wrapped in cellophane and tied with a big bow.

A few years she relented and let me have my way.


Saturday night Easter egg coloring was a special time as my sister and I had selected the dyes that would give us the perfect color. It didn't always turn out that way. And remember those little cut-out transfers that were supposed to make the perfect image on your egg? They never seemed to work just right.


I once had a chalk bunny that looked a lot like this one. In fact I still have it but parts of it have crumbled over time.



The big egg hunt occurred at my grandmother's house, where the family gathered for a huge feast. I remember the kids having to stay inside and promise not to peek while a few lucky adults hid the dozens of eggs each of us had brought in our baskets.


It seemed all the eggs were never found and I recall some of us returning to our grandmother's house several days after Easter to search the high grass for unfound eggs. If we found them we ate them! Can you imagine doing that, or allowing children to do that, today?


Ah, the Easter cake. I don't recall ever having a lamb cake; ours were always white cakes with the coconut frosting dyed green and jelly beans placed on top.


Are Easter Seals still around? Haven't heard of them in years.

What do you remember about Easter when you were a child?

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Rocks and Moss

A have a new obsession: Rocks. Especially rocks covered in moss.

I have used rocks to line informal planting areas, but this spring I have an idea to spread those stacked rocks on the ground -- in an area that's too shady for grass to grow.

So I'm admiring my rocks these days.



The weed known as Creeping Charlie will have to be destroyed or it will cover my rocks in a year or two. I read recently that baking soda works for killing weeds. I'm going to give it a try.








Obviously not a rock but a lichen-covered twig that also has a mushroom growing out its side.


Moss growing at the base of a PG Hydrangea 
I need more rocks! A friend offered to let me come to her wooded property and gather all the rocks I want. This won't be an easy task, as I visited there a few weeks ago and saw many beautiful LARGE flat rocks.

This is a photo of her property. The hole is a cave with a spring flowing from it. Note the wild ferns. Once the weather warms it should be a quite beautiful place from which to gather my rocks.
When my little project is completed, I'll show you photos.

Have a good week.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Thursday Tea Time


It's time for our weekly Thursday Tea.

Whether you're joining during the morning hours, middle of the day, afternoon or late evening, rest assured that any time is a good time for a cup of tea.




Afternoon Tea Party by Mary Cassatt
 Tea Wisdom




Tulips for the tea table 



A beautiful sterling silver tea service





Tea of the Day



On the menu 



Victoria Sandwich Cake, or Victoria Sponge Cake, is said to have been named after Queen Victoria who favored this cake with her afternoon tea. The first known recipe was printed in an 1874 edition of Mrs. Beeton’s Cookery and Household Management.

The cake is made up of two layers of sponge cake with any seedless jam or marmalade and whipped cream in the middle.



Crumpets. Not a mainstay of the American kitchen; eaten mainly in the United Kingdom and other nations of the Commonwealth. It is a griddle cake made from flour and yeast. Here is a recipe if you'd like to make your own, because if you live in the U.S. you're not likely to find them in your grocery store (the exception may be in large, metropolitan areas where there's a wider choice of grocery items).  

I have made crumpets in the past and they very much suite my taste. Slathered with butter and jam they are quite wonderful.


Do people place clotted cream on crumpets as they do on scones? I don't know, but I found this recipe for clotted cream. Click here if you'd like to see how to make it at home.




Depending on what time of the day you're joining me, perhaps you would prefer to choose something to eat from the crudite tray.



A cute tea time accessory




Some famous people having tea

Vivian Leigh as Scarlet O'Hara in Gone With The Wind

President John F. Kennedy and Caroline in the White House

John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Who are these ladies?  Us, perhaps, in the future!