Ladies' Homecoming Tea 2022

Last Saturday [September 24] was the first ladies' tea in our new church. It was titled 'Homecoming.'   

Since the church kitchen isn't equipped with all the necessities yet, I contacted tea caterer, Vicky O'Neil of Victoria's Tea Salon, who supplied everything from linens, to all the tableware [dishes, teacups, teapots, silverware, water goblets, and tiered servers] and a wonderful array of delicious tea foods.  I can't praise Vicky enough.  If you are a local reader contemplating a tea party and are in need of a caterer, give Vicky a call [734-968-7338] or visit her website victoriasteasalon.com. 

The wonderful set-up [and tear-down] crew set up all the tables and chairs on Friday afternoon, and my hubby and I arrived at the church at 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning to put the wheels in motion for the 12:30 arrival of guests.  My girlfriend, Lori, came to help, along with Vicky and her two helpers.  50 guests were on the reservation list, but the actual attendance was 46.  

Vicky made it so easy for me.  I only had to provide the placemats, favors and centerpieces [potted mums] which we gave away to the lady at each table with the birthday closest to the date of the tea. Vicky even printed the menus.

Vicky and her helpers in the kichen plating the food.  The tea meal was served at 1:00 p.m.

Vicky explaining the difference between Cream Tea, Afternoon Tea [Low Tea] and High Tea

~ Sharon [Sr. Pastor's wife] asking the blessing ~

Vicky provides a large selection of menu items to choose from.  I chose:  Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts on Wheat Bread; Turkey w/Cranberry Chutney on Cinnamon Raisin [my favorite]; Egg Salad w/Green Olives on Light Rye; and Cucumber w/Dilly Cream Cheese on Italian Bread. The Cream Scones were Chocolate Chip w/mock Clotted Cream and Lemon Curd. Desserts were: Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes w/Ganache & Cherry; Lemon Curd Tarts; and Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Squares.  Tea was Lady Grey Black Tea and Lemon Meringue Rooibos [herbal].  Everything was delicious. 

My friend and helper, Lori [L] and my neighbor, Lorraine [R]

Instead of a program about a person [we've done Queen Elizabeth II, and Julia Child] a place [we've done Paris and Detroit's iconic J.L. Hudson Department Store] or objects [we've done hats and aprons] I decided to do a devotional using the word TEA as an acrostic.  The letter E was about missional hospitality - eating and breaking bread together as Jesus and the early church often did.

A good time was had by all and we will schedule another one in the spring close to Mother's Day.

 

Farewell

Today concludes several days of watching the televised coverage of Queen Elizabeth II's memorial observances.  They were elegant and regal, solemn and reflective, respectful and emotional, and joyous and hopeful.  She was not my Queen, but I had the utmost respect for her.  May her mortal body rest in peace until it is reunited with her soul when Christ returns to rapture His church.

Since the Queen's passing, a lady at church gifted me with two items of memorabilia from her recent Platinum Jubilee.   I will treasure them as I add them to my collection.  Thank you, Sue!

A Tea Luncheon

I always say, "You meet the nicest people over tea", and yesterday was no exception.  Back in July a lovely lady contacted me saying she had six vintage teacups that needed a new home either for my personal use or at The Whitney.  I invited her to come for tea and yesterday was the day we set.

Janice is a busy lady.  She's a member of the Rochester [MI] Quester's Chapter [where she is an officer], she volunteers at Meadowbrook Hall [where she and her husband recently received a prestigeous award], she is a DAR member, and as owners of Model T and Model A cars, she and her husband enjoy participating in several vintage car festivals/shows. 

I previously met Janice at teas at Meadowbrook Hall, Quester Luncheons, and a tea honoring Clara Ford, but I never had the opportunity to sit and chat with her until yesterday.

I prepared a light lunch suitable for fall and the accompanying the tablescape.

Menu: Apple Cider and Apple Cinnamon Hot Tea; Pumpkin Bread with Apple Butter, Chicken Salad Croissant; Pasta Salad; and Apple Crisp with Ice Cream for dessert.

Before Janice's arrival I had decided I'd give the teacups to The Whitney, but when I saw them I had second thoughts. They're lovely vintage teacups from Austria, and they'd only get broken at The Whitney, so I promised one to a server at The Whitney and am still deciding what I'll do with the other five.  Thank you for your kindness and generosity, Janice.

I was also gifted with a container of delicious Scottish Shortbread that Janice made.  It's perfect with a cup of tea.

Friday and Saturday Happenings

When I finished physical therapy yesterday I drove to Antiques at Maria's in Clinton Twp. to pick up a Sadler Ye Daintee Ladyee Teapot that owner, Maria, was holding for me.  She actually had two, a pink one and a light green one, but said pink ladyees are the most popular, so that's the one I purchased.  I'm very happy to add her to my collection.

Then I returned home to finish the Autumn and Apples favors.   Mission accomplished! All packed and ready to go!

Today was another busy day at The Whitney with a bridal tea, the Autumn & Apples tea, and two seatings for Mansion Tea.  A new pastry chef was the first person I met when I arrived at the mansion this morning.  He was camera shy so I couldn't get his picture while he was plating scones.

There was a beautiful floral photo wall that said Miss to Mrs.  What a creative background for taking pictures of attendees with the bride-to-be.

The Autumn and Apples tea was held in the Receiving and Drawing Rooms, and a good time was had by all.  Attendance was larger this year than last.  This weekend concludes Detroit's City Fest.

I wore the apple apron I bought last year and it coordinated with the red checkered tablecloths.

Autumn and Apples Favors

It was with sadness that I learned about the passing of Queen Elizabeth II this afternoon.  I've done five presentations about her life, which necessitated reading many books, so I almost felt like I knew her from afar.  There will never be another monarch like her.  We all knew she wouldn't live forever, yet we hoped she'd live long enough to become a centenarian like her Mum. Even so, she was granted long life, and lived it well and finished well.  Rest in Peace, Your Majesty.

I was asked yesterday if I would make favors for Whitney guests at this Saturday's Autumn and Apples tea. Yikes! Three days to purchase supplies and make 45 favors.  I knew they'd have to be fairly simple and supplies would have to be readily available.  A trip to the local craft store provided what I needed, and I began measuring 1/2 oz. packages [yield 7 cups] of Apple Cinnamon Spice black tea.   It's the tea that will be served on Saturday.

Below is what I made.  I sent a photo to management this morning and it was approved.

I took a break this afternoon to go to the Farmer's Market in Sterling Heights, MI.  Most farmer's markets are on Sunday when I don't shop, so I was delighted to see a sign Tuesday morning on my way for my final knee injection, that it was open every Thursday from 3:00 - 8:00 p.m.  Today was a picture perfect day with clear skies and temps hovering around 80 degrees.

We got there just after opening and several people were already there.  It was a fun experience and we will go again.

We purchased more peaches and fresh corn... and homemade cannolis, which didn't make it home.  Yum!

Great-granddaughter, Evie, started kindergarten yesterday, and with joy I share the pictures her mommy posted.

Her sister, Juliette [Jules] will miss her while she's away at school.

Labor Day 2022

Did you enjoy a nice Labor Day?  I'm a day behind posting, but my hubby and I enjoyed a nice leisure holiday.  We left home thinking we'd have a late breakfast at our favorite breakfast spot, only to discover they were closed for Labor Day.  Not to worry, there were other options - or so we thought.  After stopping by four other restaurants and finding them all closed too [it was, afterall, a holiday commemorating Labor Day] we decided to go to Arby's fast food restaurant where just the drive-thru was open.

From there we made our drive to Romeo, MI for the 91st Peach Festival.  The five-day festival dates back to 1931 and is the second-oldest festival in Michigan.  Our first time visiting the festival was in 1983 when our son, Steve, marched in the parade with his high school band [Warren Woods Tower].  We have since participated in the parade twice with a float from our church.   

The skies were overcast with temperatures in the low 70's, but it never rained.  I think everyone else in Macomb County decided to go to the Peach Festival too, because it was very crowded and available parking spaces were sparse.  We found a spot in a banquet facility parking lot and walked to where all the vendor tents were located.  

You could smell the roasted almonds and pecans throughout the area, so we purchased some almonds to munch on as we walked among the vendor's tents.  The shop that had peach hand pies last year sold out on Sunday so we couldn't indulge in them this year.

We bought some peaches to bring home and I will bake something with them if they last that long. They are so juicy and sweet to eat all by themselves.  I think I see another trip to one of the orchards this season to buy more peaches!

Then we made our way back home to enjoy a quiet evening at home.

How did you spend the holiday?

Happy September!

September got off to a very good start last Thursday with lunch at Royal Treat tearoom [in Roseville] with my good friend, Lori.  Predictably, I ordered the Quiche Lorraine with a mixed green salad.  The menu option also came with a pot of tea and an assortment of scones.  We ordered Harney & Sons Cherry Blossom Green Tea and it didn't disappoint.  It was so good that I plan on ordering a tin to drink at home.  Yummy Pumpkin Scones made their debute that day and were delicious.  In addition to selling their scones at several retail locations, Just Delicious Scones now has their own gift shop on Harper Ave. in St. Clair Shores.  I plan to visit it soon.

There's nothing better than getting caught up with a friend over a pot of tea and good food!

Just before we left we decided to have our picture taken with Queen Elizabeth II.  She would approve of Royal Treat Tearoom!

Mansion Tea was a little light yesterday at The Whitney since it was a holiday weekend.  We only had 42 guests, but we had two weddings.  Shortly before I left for home, one of the servers told me a bouquet of flowers had been set aside from one of the weddings for me to take home.  The bridal attendants wore mauve colored dresses, hence the mauve colored roses in the arrangement.  By the time I got the bouquet home, a few of the roses were a little droopy, but still had enough life to enjoy. 

Next Saturday [Sept. 10] The Whitney will host the Autumn & Apples Tea at 12:00 p.m. as part of their City Fest promotion.

Even though Fall doesn't officially arrive until September 22, once September 1st appears on the calendar along with Labor Day, it seems summer is 'unofficially' over.   And with Fall, our thoughts turn to Apple Orchards and Cider Mills.

Our church is in Washington, Mi which is in the heart of orchard territory, hence our name Orchard Ridge Church of the Nazarene.  Apples and orchard trees are our logos.

Last year two apple trees were planted on the mound by the circular driveway in keeping with our logo, and this year they are bearing fruit - just like we as Christians are supposed to bear fruits of the Spirit [Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control].  

Go forth and bear fruit!  [John 15:16]

The children in "The Grove" are also learning how to produce Christian fruits in their young lives and I couldn't resist taking a picture of a painted apple tree in their area.

They ate the cutest pencil cookies in Children's Church as they talked about living for Jesus throughout this new school year.  I think these would make the cutest snacks/treats for children to take to school to share with classmates.

Sign-up for the Ladies' Fall Homecoming Tea is progressing slowly with 24 on the sign-up sheet. Ladies have until Sept. 18th [it's been extended] to sign-up and several will probably wait until the last day.  I mailed out 108 invitations on Friday, so I'm hoping for a good turnout for this first tea in our new building.

My day ended with a great Hallmark movie, Love's Portrait, filmed in Ireland.  If you missed it, it'll be shown again on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.