Tea In Under an Hour

This is a long reading post but one I really think HOPE you enjoy. Thanks, in advance for your patience reading it (if you do, that is!) I shall reward you with pictures at the end, I promise!

On Saturday my sister called a bit stressed out and shared that she had just allowed her two eldest to go to the mall............but that her youngest was just too little to go and sis just wasn't up to dealing with the yucky ole mall - and who can blame her? BLECH!

WELL one can imagine how hurt and upset the baby of the family was at that time. This particular sister of mine was ALSO the baby of our family (with two older sisters) - so that is perhaps why she is extra sensitive to her youngest feeling left out. So she called me and asked if I would host a tea party for the two of them, that my niece had begged her to call me for a tea party. She said that's all she wanted, that tea with Aunt Shell would fix everything.

Ahem.

Was I not at the moment of said call knee deep in weeds and mud working in the garden?

I said to myself: "Ugh. NOW? Oh no! Dang. What do I reply? Ok, so I said to myself: "Michele, these kids have no grandparents alive! These kids only just have YOU around here to help on difficult days like this. Life is short. You know you love to have any reason for setting up a tea parties. Get over your objections and just do this. You will work it out. You always do. You are a smelly gardener with dirt under your nails! Clean up and help this little one feel better today!"

I say to my little sister: "Sure sis. um, happy to! Uh, well, your estimated time of arrival?!?"

Sis says to me: "Oh, say, in about a half hour to 45 minutes, is that ok?"

I say to sis: "OK, I will throw something together fast as I can, hon!"

I KNOW THIS IS LONG - SORRY - please bear with me!

I look at the clock and realize it really should be about the time I need to be preparing dinner for my hard working DH who is way out in the back garden, and thankfully he's no where close to being ready to eat yet. I have time for this.

I waste not a second more and actually TEXT the hubs to let him know what was up, and why he will see a fast driving bright red Mini Cooper making a mad dash past the back garden flying to her favorite local bakery to quickly remedy the fact that her pantry was too bare to have a tea party!

Whew. OK. Back from bakery. Where is the tablecloth I just used? OK - in dryer, haha, not even quite dry yet.  Run down to basement and find my fav mini 3 tier server perfect for a little tea.

OK, grab paper doilies and line the china plates on server. Cut up bakery goods into tiny tea-party sized bites, then place on doilies. Check tablecloth, dry now. Place on table. Grab china and glassware sitting on lowboy that haven't been put away yet. Set table. Fill kettle. Get out the tea.

Run and wash face and refreshen up. Throw on skirt, brush hair, put it up. Turn on fav tea party music. Clean up mess made in kitchen from cutting sweets.  Do finishing touches on table. Look at clock, they should be arriving here any minute.

But I get a text - she ran into rush hour and holy smokes she is in a deadlock, will be late.

Alrighty, since all is ready I now have time to make savories, too!  Which is good because it is after 4pm (actually our dinnertime) and they will be hungry, as was I! So I scurry to find something last minute in the fridge to make into finger savories.

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So YES you will so totally recognize the tablescape I just used in my last tea posting, except with a few changes! I used the beautiful finch napkins my sweet friend Sylvia recently gave to me. I blogged about that here . And I used those flowers from the garden which I posted about here. And instead of breakfast this time it is a simple afternoon tea, so the food is different on the table. Everything else is pretty much the same, or close.

Menu:

Ham & cheese with honey mustard on wheat

Herb & cream cheese sandwiches

Peanut butter & black currant jam triangles

Frosted brownie bites

Lemon sugar cookie squares

Zucchini & bluberry bread

White chocolate shortbread cookies

Bluberry tea

This tea was all ready within an hour and for only just a few dollars.

My sweet niece entertained us afterward.

She was seriously concentrating on those keys!

What a sweet face she has!

Glad I could help turn her tears into smiles!

She is a sensitive, thoughtful and kind little girl, welcome for tea anytime!

Her name is Reagan Michele. <nice middle name!!!

Linking:

Tea Tme Tuesday

Tabletop Tuesday

A Return to Loveliness

Teacup Tuesday