2018 - Tea at the Christmas Tree Farm!

The girls in my family recently met for our 12th annual Christmas tea in my home. This year we only had 8 in attendance. In prior years we had attendance as high as 18.  Family issues, illnesses, and busy sports schedules meant I originally had RSVP's for 14, but it kept dwindling down, even on the day of the tea. This was disappointing to me as I spend a lot of time and money trying to make a memorable tea for everyone.  I'm not sure I will have the enthusiasm to tackle this next year, only time will tell.

Those of us in attendance had a nice time. The youngest to attend was my 7-month old great-nephew.  He was so good, just smiled and played the entire time. The oldest was my 80 year old mom.  Mom has dementia and it's becoming increasingly hard for her to do even the most basic tasks. She has always loved our tea parties and she had a wonderful time. Next up was my 79 year old aunt.  She, too, has health issues but was a trooper and carried on. The main purpose of our annual tea is to keep the generations together.  My 8 year old granddaughter was able to spend time with her older relatives as well as the baby. Family is everything, right?

Red farm trucks and black and white buffalo plaid is very "in" right now.  I chose my theme a year ago and started picking up items during the after-Christmas sales last year.  Originally I had planned to do a gingerbread farm scene for the large table but I came to my senses about a month ago!

The format of our teas is very traditional.  I make scones, lemon curd & strawberry jam for our first course and serve them to the guests.  Everyone brings a savory or sweet, some bring both (thank you!) We set these items on my kitchen island and serve them potluck style. My family can cook and bake, we always have plenty of good tasting items to choose from!  We share the leftovers, too!

My granddaughter always spends Friday nights with me so she helps me set the tables and decorate, as well as assist with the baking.  Earlier in the day I made Rice Krispies treats.  We cut them in rectangles and, using melted chocolate, M&M's and candy eyes, she turned them into reindeer.  It is fun to watch her confidence in her baking skills grow.

Here is a summary of prior teas:

2017 - Peppermint and Roses Tea

2016 - A Woodland Tea

2016 - A Valentine's Tea

2015 - Let It Snow Tea Party

2013 - A Gingerbread Tea

Sprinkles Scones

I made a batch of lemon curd a few days ago.  I was going to make some lemon curd-filled cupcakes and take to my parents. Coincidentally, I made the curd on the same day that I pick up my granddaughter after school. I mentioned to her that I had made the curd.  Well, that girl loves lemon curd!  She instantly said, "Nana, can we make scones when we get home and have a tea party?" How could I resist? We came home and made scones, set the table, and had tea. I heard all about her day and her friends.  She even brought in her doll to join us. I cherish these times, I know how fleeting they will be as she gets older.

I've been wanting to make these scones ever since the May/June 2017 issue of Bake From Scratch came out.  Previously I made the Rainbow Sprinkle Loaf from the issue, which was wonderful. I knew my granddaughter would enjoy the sprinkles in the scones and I'm a sucker for anything with almond extract in it. These were so good, very flaky and sweet. If you want a less sweet scone, the glaze cam be omitted.  But, why?  Save the diet for another day!

Birthday Cake Scones with Vanilla Glaze

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk, divided
1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles
Vanilla glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Make a well in center of flour mixture; add 1 cup milk and the extracts. Using a wooden spoon, stir until a shaggy dough forms. Add sprinkles, and stir to combine.

Turn out dough onto a heavily floured surface and knead for 1 minute. Pat dough into a 9-inch circle, about 1 inch thick. Cut into wedges.  Transfer to prepared pan.  Brush with remaining 2 tablespoon milk and sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon sugar.

Bake until lightly golden, about 30 minutes. Let cool on pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Drizzle with vanilla glaze and garnish with extra sprinkles, if desired.

Vanilla Glaze

1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon whole milk
1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Glaze should form a sturdy ribbon when drizzled from a spoon.

Tea For Two!

My youngest granddaughter loves having tea.  We frequently have quiet tea parties for two at home. A few weeks back I took her to a local tea room that has opened in our area.  I want to like the place more than I do, but we found the food just ok and I thought it was rather pricey. As we were enjoying our tea my granddaughter said that we could do a better tea at home.  Ha, ha, that's my girl! We decided we needed to have a small tea party, set a date, and invited her best friend.

The day before our tea I made lemon curd, egg salad, and set the table.  I used the china set that had recently been gifted to me by a client. The day of the tea I picked up my granddaughter early in the morning and we got to work in the kitchen.  She loves to help me bake.  We made mini lemon cupcakes, brownies, and madelines for the dessert offering.  We made egg salad sandwiches, PBJ's, and salami/cheese stacks for the savory course.  No tea at Nana's would be complete without scones, so we made a batch that we served with the lemon curd, strawberry jam, and clotted cream.  We were busy, busy!

Baking with a young child is fun, but challenging.  At one point, she spilled powdered sugar on the floor and down the cabinet. Ugh, that was a mess! I'm rather OCD with my house but had to push past the messes and focus on the lessons she was learning.  In the end everything was clean again and we still love each other!

The girls enjoyed their tea.  I was their waitress, so poured their tea and waited on them. My granddaughter requested "tea music" so I found some Disney lullabies on my Alexa that the girls enjoyed. They grinned and chatted the whole time. But, 7 year old girls can only be lady-like for so long.  Soon they were off to swim in the pool and I got left with the clean-up! We will have to further define all that having a tea party consists of! That night I was exhausted so asked my Hubbers to take me to dinner! She has asked to have another tea party, inviting a few more girls.  I'm happy to open my home for such fun events! We are making memories! Too soon, she will have better things to do than hang around with Nana.  I suspect, when I'm old (older?) and feeble, she will be taking Nana out to tea!

A Gift of China

Though I often moan and groan about the trials and tribulations of being a CPA and our many demanding deadlines, one thing I'm blessed with is wonderful clients. I'm 40 years into my career and have weeded out clients that I have personality conflicts with or those that just aren't fun to deal with.  The result is that I have wonderful clients, many of whom have become good friends and family.  I have many multi-generational clients, one of whom is Barbara. I met Barbara through her mother and have been involved with them for at least 20 years.  Barbara's mother is no longer with us but we still enjoy talking about our memories of her.

Recently, Barbara called with some tax questions.  She is selling her home and downsizing. During the course of the conversation she talked of the frustration of trying to decide what to keep and give away and of heirlooms or special items that family doesn't want. She is single, with no children, and said that some things were just going in a shed and her nieces and nephews could deal with it when she dies! I asked what she had and one of the things she mentioned was a set of china that her parents had gifted to her.  I thought that sad that no one in her family wanted it and I told her of the tea parties my family had. She said "I am going to send this to you!"

A few days later two HUGE boxes show up at my office from her.  I thought "ah, oh, what have I gotten myself into?  I don't have room for all this!" I opened one box and found the tea pot.  It is so pretty!  We went racing for a few weeks so the boxes sat. I am having a tea for my granddaughter and her friend this weekend and decided that I should use this china for the tea. I brought everything home and unpacked it.  Much to my delight, it's a small china set, just very carefully wrapped so that it took two boxes to transport it safely! A tea pot, coffee pot, creamer, sugar, 6 cups and saucers, and 6 dessert plates make up the set.  This will be much easier to find a place for!

I asked for some history on the china.  Barbara said her parents bought it when her father was stationed in Germany, approximately 1963. They bought a set for each of her sisters, too, to go in the girls' hope chests (that's a tradition that's gone away!) The set is made by Winterling Finest Bavarian China, pattern 125. It's got pink and white roses, and gold scalloped edges.  It's very simple and dainty! I'm honored that Barbara has entrusted me with this sentimental china set. She knows it will definitely be used!

Peppermint and Roses Tea!

The females in my family recently gathered at my home for our 11th annual Christmas Tea.  Each year I choose a theme and decorate accordingly.  This year's theme was Peppermint and Roses.  Some years I get a little carried away with the decorating (like the year I made 7 gingerbread houses!)  This year I was a little more low-key.  I decorated with red table linens, adorned with peppermint-striped packages and pink flowers in candy cane vases. Each place setting had a napkin folded in a rose shape with a peppermint center.  It was pretty easy to put together and made for festive and colorful tables.

 

My nephew's fiancée made the wreath!

 As in year's past, I open my home for the tea, provide the tea, fresh-baked scones, homemade lemon curd and homemade strawberry jam.  Everyone else brings a savory or sweet, some bring both. We always have more food than we can eat and it's all great!

I made the sugar bowls from Oui yogurt jars! The roses were easy to make with felt.

My cousin and I started our tea gathering when we were attending a family funeral and lamenting that the only time we saw everyone was at a funeral.  So we gathered everyone together one December afternoon at a local tea room.  I don't think we realized then how special this tradition would become. We all block out the first Saturday after the Thanksgiving weekend on our calendars. My granddaughter spends the night before with me and assists with table setting and decorating. On the day of the tea she gets to play with her second cousins while the two young mothers catch up on each other's lives. My nephew's bride now joins us. Each year it seems I have to add another chair and I don't mind! This year's tea was special for many reasons. Our mothers are aging, with many of the ailments that go with that.  My mom has some dementia issues, which is heartbreaking to witness. Our beloved 93-year old Aunt Millie lost her only child a few months ago and subsequently has moved to an assisted living facility. To say she's devastated would be an understatement. We are all realizing how important it is to gather together, life changes so fast.

A big surprise this year was the arrival of my aunt from Missouri.  She is my Dad's half-sister and only 18 days younger than me! She moved back east when we were in junior high but she comes out to visit every 4-5 years. We managed to keep her visit a surprise and it was so fun to see everyone's reactions when they saw her!

It was especially gratifying to see how much Aunt Millie enjoyed the day. She's been so sad and this family gathering was just what she needed to perk her up. My four-week old great-nephew made his appearance so we now have many pictures to cherish of the newest and oldest members of our family.

I have the 2018 theme rumbling through my head and will start buying some decorating things as Christmas items go on sale. Hopefully, our tea party tradition continues on for many, many more years!

A Woodland Christmas Tea

One doesn't wake up one morning and decide to start a tradition, they just evolve over time.  Next thing you know, years have gone by and a tradition has been made.  This is the case with my family's annual Christmas tea.  Ten years ago my cousin and I decided to plan a gathering so that our family wasn't just seeing each other at funerals.  We met in a local tea shop the first two years.  When it closed down the tea moved to my home. It has been the norm to meet the first Saturday after Thanksgiving weekend.  We deviated a few years when my granddaughters were performing in the Nutcracker ballet.  They've moved on from dance so we have gone back to our original date. Everyone brings food; this year we had quiches, French toast bake, various salads, cake, cookies, fresh fruit.  I bake scones and serve them with lemon curd and homemade strawberry jam.  It was all yummy, everyone in my family knows their way around the kitchen! Each guest also goes home with a jar of my pomegranate jelly.

I come up with a theme each year and decorate accordingly.  I know I often get carried away, but it's a fun endeavor for me.  Some years I have the theme planned way in advance.  Others, like this year, took me a while.  I was out shopping one day, looking for inspiration, and noticed a lot of woodland-themed decorations.  Thus, this year's theme was born.  Woodland animals, greenery, moss, wood chargers, lanterns and candles, along with lots of fresh flowers became the foundation of the decorating. I even found a wooden sleigh that became a flower-laden centerpiece. My Nikko Happy Holidays Christmas china came out of storage for the occasion and my Woodland Spode silverware was the perfect accompaniment to the theme. It was festive, very Christmasy and was enjoyed by young and old alike!

We had 16 in attendance this year, ranging in age from 6 to 90. It's a girls-only affair though everyone loads up on leftovers to take home to the guys in their family. It has become such a great way for our family to stay in touch with each other.  And, yes, I have the theme for 2017 already churning in my brain!

 

 

 

I'm linking up to Tablescape Thursday.

A Valentine's Themed Tea Party!

This is the 10th year that the ladies on my Dad's side of the family have gathered for a tea party.  The first two years we met at a local tea room.  They closed, so we have been gathering in my home since then. (A recap of prior years' tea can be found by clicking on  2014 or 2013). 

We used to meet right after Thanksgiving.  My granddaughters have been involved in the local production of the Nutcracker ballet the last few years.  Between rehearsals and performances the time to meet was becoming a problem.  The last two years we have gathered in January. As we are almost to February I thought it fitting that we do a Valentine's theme this year.

As we've done all along, I provide the setting, scones, lemon curd, strawberry jam and the tea.  Each guest brings either a savory, such as little sandwiches or salad, or a sweet treat.  We never lack for food and share the leftovers.

I bought flowers at our local flower mart and made small arrangements, mostly using my favorite vessel, mason jars. My husband helped me hang lights, which I decorated with pink heart-shaped doilies.

Using a tutorial found on Pinterest, the napkins were folded to look like roses.  I tucked in a rose leaf for an extra design element. A few rose petals sprinkled on the tables carried out the theme.

I added pink sanding sugar and rainbow sprinkles to the sugar bowl, giving the sugar a little extra sparkle.

We had 21 in attendance this year, ranging in age from 4 to 91. I had music softly playing in the background but it got so loud the music couldn't be heard. A lot of chatter going on!

My sister, who is an awesome photographer, and I both lament the fact that we got so busy visiting that we have very little pictures of the attendees.  We have plans to have a family friend be the official photographer next year.

I feel very blessed to be able to host this party.  What a wonderful tradition we have established!

I am linking to Inspire Me Tuesday.

A Sporty Car & Tea!

We have a family friend, Jackie.  She became my husband's client in 1981 but, over the years, it has progressed to much more.  She has become family. She has joined us for holidays, weddings, and showers over the years, as well as numerous meals and trips. She will be 91 next month, is in declining health both mentally and physically.  My husband is her trustee and we arrange for her caretaking and handle all her financial affairs.

Jackie is a retired school teacher and has traveled to many places during her summer vacations.  In 1965 she spent the entire summer in Europe. While in Germany she bought a brand new Mercedes 2-door convertible.  She drove it the entire summer, traveling throughout Germany, France, England, Switzerland and all points in-between.  Her original plan was to sell the car when it was time to come home. However, it only cost $200 to ship it home so that is what she did. She has driven the car to work, trips to the coast and mountains. The car is 50 years old and only has 80,000 miles on it! Due to her declining health she hasn't been able to drive the car in a while and it sat in her garage neglected.  Every now and then she would make comments that we should get the car fixed.  Over the last few years, my husband has been overseeing some repairs and it now runs like a champ!  New tires were bought for it and we scheduled a road trip so that Jackie could make another journey in her beloved car.

She loves tea so we sauntered off to Columbia State Park where we visited Kate's Teahouse (if you've not been, you need to go, just a darling place!) Her caretaker and I followed behind in a second car as Jackie and my husband led the way. When we got to the tea house Jackie had a smile on her face, from ear to ear.  It was precious!

We enjoyed a nice tea.  Our first course was an apricot scone with Devonshire cream, lemon curd and strawberry jam.  We had quiche and fruit for the main portion of the tea.  I opted for a lemon bar for dessert, Jackie had a macaroon.  Everything was amazing! She didn't leave a crumb and even asked for scones to go.  She hasn't ate like this in ages! 

Alas, the Mercedes has no air conditioning so Jackie rode home with me as our temps are now sweltering.  She told me about some of her adventures in the car, things she used to do when she was younger.  The closer we got home, the quieter she got.  It was a busy few hours and I'm sure she was looking forward to a nap!

It was fun helping her relive her younger days in the little turquoise car she loves so much!