The Last Weekend of August

One of the pleasures of working at The Whitney is when I'm surprised by people I know at Mansion Tea.  Last Saturday was a busy day with a morning wedding/reception and shower on the first floor, and a birthday party and the 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. seatings for Mansion Tea on the second floor. 

I was delighted to walk into Mrs. Whitney's bedroom for the 1:30 p.m. seating and see Amy and her husband, Dave, seated at one of the tables.  I've blogged about Amy several times and enjoyed having her for tea at my home last February.  She looked lovely Saturday in her navy blue hat that coordinated with her outfit.  She's a Kindergarten teacher and The Whitney was her last outing before returning to the classroom today.  The light streaming in through the window made it difficult to get a good picture.

Kristen [a server] and I squeezed behind Amy for a picture of all of us.  Kristen was at my house the day Amy and her teacher-friend, Kim, came to tea.

I managed to buy three more bone china teacups from England at an estate sale last week to take to work.  They weren't the bargain price I got previously, but at $5 each they were still a good buy.

On Sunday, another friend texted me that she and a group of 12 were coming to celebrate her daughter's "thirTEAeth" birthday.  I wrote back that I was sorry I wouldn't be there since I don't work Sundays, but Steven, the server who takes over for me on Sundays, would do a great job.  They had tea in Mr. Whitney's study on the first floor, which provided a private gathering place.   My friend said Steven "knocked it out of the ballpark!"

Amy, the birthday gal, and her daughter, Clara, at The Whitney's front entrance.

My friend, Debbie, is in the middle below.  She's the Executive Director at Plymouth's Independence Village where I've done a few presentations.

Steven is in the upper right corner of the picture below, pouring tea.  He pulls double-duty on Sunday.  He's responsible for making the tea and overseeing the service in additon to his serving job.  It's a very busy day for him.

I love this picture of Clara sipping her tea.  Such a little princess!

And here's the entire group on the 1st floor staircase.

Meanwhile, I was very busy in my own home, having a birthday dinner for my daughter and her husband.  I wish I would have remembered to take the picture before we started eating and our plates got messy.  Ever since Lori was a teenager she requested Chicken Parmesan for her birthday dinner, so that's what we had yesterday.  Dave, her husband, is Italian and likes spaghetti with meat sauce, so I added that to the menu too.

My youngest son, Jeremy, happened to be in the area for a fantasy football draft, so he stopped by for a brief visit afterwards to extend his birthday wishes.  He had already eaten at his event, so just nibbled at our house.

I ordered a Cassata cake from a local bakery.  It's also one of Lori's favorites.

Lori has brought us joy from the moment she entered this world, and my hubby and I are so thankful for her life.

The grands, and one great-grand are beginning a new school year.  Brooke left yesterday after church for Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois where she will graduate a year early in May 2023. Ellie's in the 5th grade, Landon's an 8th grader, and Izzy's a high school senior. Samantha sent us some potential graduation pictures.  Sweet little Evie started kindergarten. Time passes so quickly.

This week began with an appointment at NuLife Medical this morning for my 4th knee injection. Next week will be my last, and they told me today my knee will be evaluated by comparing my first visit to consecutive visits, and and then the final visit.  Therapy will continue on a little longer.  I'm hoping this treatment is effective.  If it is, I'll sing its praises from the rooftop!

Closing now to head into the kitchen to fix dinner.  Our son, Steve, is joining us as Sharon isn't back from Illinois yet.  Have a good week!