July 4th Birthday Celebrations

I hope you had an enjoyable 4th of July.  As I mentioned a few posts back, our youngest granddaughter, Ellie, was born on the 4th of July and she became a teenager this year.  In the blink of an eye 13 years have passed.

Her aunt and uncle hosted the birthday celebration because Ellie's twin cousins turned 13 on July 5th.  The weather was nice until around 4:00 o'clock, then it rained for a half hour or so and cleared up again.  

Below is our birthday girl...

With 22 first cousins [ranging from 22 years old to 7 mos. old], plus all the adults, there was lots of activity - pool fun, trampoline fun [for the younger kids], cornhole fun [two sets of cornhole boards], basketball, and for those of us who were less energetic, we sat and visited or watched the Detroit Tiger ballgame on the patio TV until it was time to eat, and what a huge array of food there was.   My contribution was a pan of macaroni and cheese.

~ Landon and Izzy ~

~ Izzy with the youngest cousin, Baker ~

But the most exciting activity - at least for the three birthday girls - was opening presents.

The birthday girls - Ellie, CeCe and Carmela

They made a wish and blew out the candles!

~ Daughter-in-law, Samantha, and Izzy ~

There were fireworks later that night, but since I had to get up for work on Saturday morning, we left around 8:00 o'clock.  It was a great family fun day, but sadly, following all the 4th celebrations, tragedy struck Kerrville, Texas when the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in 45 minutes and took the lives of many and destroyed homes. Our prayers are with all those who lost children and loved ones.  I can't begin to imagine their grief and the anxiety for those who are still missing relatives.

Happy 4th of July!

 Happy 249th Birthday America!

I took the photo below in 2017 and wanted to share it again today.  Wishing you a wonderful 4th of July however you may be celebrating.

The End of June

Just checking in on this last day of June.   It was a busy weekend... after work on Saturday my hubby and I attended our daughter-in-law's parent's surprise 50th Wedding Anniversary Party.  I managed to get a few pictures but only one of the honored couple as they were escorted into the party by three of their 23 grandchildren.  I was hoping one of their five children would post some pictures, but so far none of them have. 

~ Jeremy and Sam at the party ~

~ Izzy at her grandparent's party ~

The four Theisen sisters - Hannah, Samantha, Sarah and Sylvia.  They have one brother but I didn't get his picture.

  

Granddaughter, Ellie, [center] with two of her cousins.  She has a birthday coming up on July 4th and will be a teenager!

It doesn't seem possible that nine years have passed since we celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary.  Next year is the big 60!

After church yesterday we went out to eat with four other couples [no pictures] and afterwards made a stop at Maria's Antiques.  I normally don't do any shopping on the Sabbath, but while riding to church yesterday morning a Facebook post came through my feed stating yesterday was the last day Maria would be open at her present location.  All merchandise was 70% off.  Since we're always in need of teacups at The Whitney I decided to stop to see if she had any. I was able to get 13 bone china teacups for $38.  What a bargain!

I've been spending a lot of time organizing the photos on my desktop in preparation for getting a new computer.   Last Saturday I received a coupon from Shutterfly for unlimited pages and 40% off everything else, so I spent almost all of today working on another Shutterfly album.  The offer ends July 13th, so there's no time to waste.

Tomorrow ushers in a new month.  Wishing you a happy July!

Clara J's Tearoom

The month of June is rolling by quickly.  Yesterday was the first day of summer and today it's 95 degrees in southeastern, Michigan and feels like 104 degrees.  The Detroit tri-county area is under an extreme heat warning.  Last Wednesday a tornado touched down less than 2 miles from my house which is very unusual.  

Yesterday was a busy day at The Whitney serving tea to 155 guests, and one lovely young lady received a marriage proposal.  The groom-to-be arranged ahead of time to have the beautiful engagement ring [displayed in its case], positioned on the top tier of the serving stand when the server took it to their table.  Both sets of parents quietly slipped in to watch the happy occasion and, of course, the young lady said yes!   All the guests in the Drawing Room erupted with a heartfelt congratulatory applause.

Thursday I traveled 38 miles south of where I live to pick up my girlfriend, Sandy, to go to Clara J's tearoom in Maumee, Ohio [9 miles south of Toledo].  Our reservations were for 11:00 a.m.  The weather was drizzly, but it didn't dampen our enthusiasm for sharing teatime together.  The last time I was at Clara J's was in 2019 for a Downton Abbey tea with my girlfriend, Lori, so a return visit was long overdue.

The tearoom is named for Clara Jaessing Keller who was a lifelong resident of Maumee and restaurant owner. Sadly she only lived to the age of 59, but in 2005 her niece, Rebecca Jaessing, founded the tearoom in her honor.  In 2018 she sold the tearoom to Gretchen Fayerweather, a chef and culinary instructor who remains the current owner.  The upstairs is a Bed & Breakfast.

Several first floor rooms are devoted to guest seating.  The room we were in appeared to be part of a newer addition to the house.  I liked that aprons were used as a valance window treatment.

The food was beautifully presented and very tasty.   When we arrived only a couple other guests were there, but when we left the tearoom was full.  

We each got to select our own pot of tea, and I chose Lemon Meringue green tea.  

Next came two warm Blueberry Scones neatly wrapped in a napkin to ensure they stayed warm.  A dish of Lemon Curd, Devonshire Cream and Strawberry Jam accompanied the scones.

The three-tiered server was laden with delicious teatime food selections.

The top tier contained three savories:  A Radicchio leaf stuffed with zesty Cilantro Slaw; Watermelon & Feta squares; and a Sundried Tomato Palmier.

The middle tier contained the tea sandwiches:  Clara J's signature Ribbon Sandwich with house-made white & wheat breads layered with Chicken Salad, Red Pepper & Spinach spreads and frosted with seasoned Cream Cheese and garnished with a Pimento stuffed Olive; traditional Cucumber sandwich on white bread with Cream Cheese, Dill & Lemon Zest; and Avocado Toast with a slice of Hard Boiled Egg, Pickled Onion and Radish.

The bottom tier held the desserts:  Their signature Lemon Sugar Cookie Sandwich with Lemon Buttercream; Triple Berry Shortcake [raspberries, strawberries & blueberries] with White Chocolate Mousse on a house made biscuit; and a S'more Bundt Cake made with Lapsang Souchong Tea, Marshmallow Cream and Graham Crackers.  Fresh fruit garnished each plate.

When we finished eating we drove the short distance to the Maumee Antique Mall.  We spent a couple of hours looking around the mall, but nothing called our name so we left empty-handed and made our journey back home.

It was a wonderful day spent with a very good life-long [since 7th grade] friend!  

Father's Day, VBS and More...

I hope the fathers in your family enjoyed a happy Father's Day.  It's hard to believe my father has been gone 14 years, but our parting is only temporary and I'll see him again someday.

At church yesterday the sanctuary was all decorated for Vacation Bible School which began today with the theme Scuba Diving into friendship with God.  Day 1 was reported as a huge success.  I was curious when VBS began because I remember attending when I was a kid. Google says the first recorded VBS was held in 1894 at Hopedale United Methodist Church in Illinois.  How awesome that it's still going strong 131 years later.  It's a wonderful way to teach children about Jesus.

Two pictures that were posted of day #1 [Actually 13 pics were posted but I'm only sharing two].  Did you go to VBS when you were a kid?

After church yesterday our family went to dinner at Lucky's Steak House - a family favorite. After our meal my family indulged me with some picture taking.  Below are the three dads represented in our family yesterday: Jerry, son Steve, and son-in-law Dave.  The Indian statue is a reminder that Native Americans once inhabited Imlay City where Lucky's is located.

Jerry with two of his kids, Lori and Steve.  Jeremy didn't make it from Zeeland.  Steve wore his VBS Scuba Crew T-shirt since he had to preach from a platform decorated with an underwater theme.  All VBS helpers are wearing the same T-shirt this week.

When we got home from the restaurant I got right on the task of completing the Whitney Tea Service Training Manual.  I finished it just before midnight and sent it via the Internet to the restaurant CEO so he'd have it first thing this morning.  So glad to cross that off my 'to do' list.

Tomorrow my hubby begins his 12th year with the summer GM Student Corps program.  His shirt is ready and waiting to put on first thing in the morning.   He was delighted to learn his GM Student Intern used to be granddaughter Brooke's best friend in grade school until she and her family moved to another community.  Small world!

I went back to the Hallmark store today and bought the garden stone I blogged about last week.  My hubby thought it would be safer hanging than in the ground where it might get damaged by the weed whacker or lawn mower.  It did have a place on the back for hanging so we put it right by our front door.  I smile every time I see it.

I'm looking at the picture below and notice I need to pull that droopy white flower in the wreath back up in place so there won't be a bare spot.  ;-)

Have a good week as we begin the third week of June!!!

June Celebrations

June is a month filled with celebrations for our family.  Our daughter-in-law, Sharon, begins the celebrating with her birthday on June 7th.

June 11th was Jerry's and my 59th Wedding Anniversary.  We went to our favorite restaurant, River Crab in St. Clair, MI to celebrate.  It was a beautiful day, just like our wedding day.

We ordered our favorite entree - Ultimate Seafood Mixed Trio - Grilled Salmon, Crab Cake, Coconut Shrimp, Coconut Ginger Rice, and Broccoli Rabe.  It didn't disappoint, and we went home very full!

For dessert we shared a Creme Brulee.

We were hoping to see some freighters on the river, but none passed by while we were there - only a few speed boats.

The next day [Thursday/yesterday] I drove to my childhood stomping grounds to have lunch with some high school girlfriends.  This year marks our 60th high school graduation anniversary.  We decided we wouldn't refer to ourselves as old.  We're seasoned and experienced instead! ;-)

The gal sitting next to me in the above picture [in the red top] texted me recently saying she had some dishes to give to me if I wanted them.  She brought them yesterday and I didn't know what a treasure I had until I got home and began to unwrap them.  Royal Albert Old English Rose service for 12. They're beautiful!  The set has a sugar bowl and creamer, but no teapot, so I will have to remedy that.

Sunday will be another day of celebration as we honor the fathers in our family, and two of our granddaughters have birthdays on June 24th and 29th.

 

Keeping In Touch

I hope you've been enjoying the month of June so far.  It's hard to believe it's been over a week since I last posted. The days go by so quickly and there really hasn't been anything newsworthy to blog about, but since I want to stay in touch I've come up with a little 'this and that'.

While I went off to work last Saturday to serve tea to 130 guests, our daughter came over to work on a project with her dad.  She will be moving into her new house in mid-July and wanted to give her oak dining room set a face lift.  They sanded the chairs and pedestal and will paint them black this coming Saturday, while the table top will remain it's original oak color.  I took the picture below when I came home from work when they were just wrapping things up for the day.

It's always a blessing to go to church on Sundays, but yesterday was a double blessing when Dr. Todd and Jeanne Mellish attended while visiting from New Hampshire.  [They are the young couple pictured on the left.]  Todd's dad was the senior pastor of the church we attended for 26 years and where I was church secretary.  Todd is a few years younger than my kids, but they all grew up together and Todd has kept in touch with Steve since moving to New Hampshire. What a joy to see them again!  His wife Jeanne has the gift of hospitality and would love to own a B & B someday.  She said she'd enjoy a job like mine at The Whitney.  I suggested restaurants in historic homes, B & B's or upscale hotels as good places to start looking.   It all starts with a dream so dream big!

In the center of the picture is my girlfriend, Lori, and her husband.  They attended the same church, so also know Todd.

 

Earlier today while out running errands I passed a school sign that said dream big.  I couldn't help thinking about my conversation with Jeanne, so I took a picture and sent it to her.   It took a long time [and a lot of prayers] to get my dream job, but with persistence it finally happened.  What dream would you like to see come true?

When we went outside after church, Liz, a master gardener who plants all the flowers at church and cares for them, was watering them before going home.  Aren't they beautiful!

Speaking of The Whitney... I have a question I'd really like your input.  I'm working with management on an updated Tea Service Manual for training purposes. I think many people are visual and retain info better with pictures.  I'd like to include photos to accompany instructions.  What do you think?

A new tea room book arrived from Amazon last week.  I first learned about Leila & Erika Shanoff through World Tea Expo a few years ago during the COVID quarantine, and they also advertise in Tea Time magazine.  They are a mother/daughter duo who own a tea room in Clermont, Florida called Erika's Tea Room.  They've been in business for about 12 years.  In addition to their book, they also do YouTube videos which are interesting to watch.  I love their slogan, "Memories Made with Every Cup!"  Very true!

Below are some scones I ordered from them in 2021 for a World Tea Expo virtual tea tasting.

I saw this teacup swimming pool on Facebook recently and thought what tea-themed item will they think of next?  Even though I'm a tea lover, I'm not a sun goddess [I burn too easily], and I'm not a water lover either so I'll leave the teacup swimming pool for others to enjoy.

In closing, I went into the Hallmark store today and saw the cutest garden stone.  I took a picture of it so I could mull it over in my mind, but I think I'm going to go back to get it.

Have a good week!