Tea Time at Royal Treat Tearoom

Recently my girlfriend, Lori, and I scheduled a date on the calendar to have tea together at the Royal Treat tearoom, and today was the day.  She picked me up at 11:45 a.m. for 12:00 noon reservations.  When we got there the tearoom was almost filled to capacity.

We were sad the owner was closing the tearoom after the Christmas holidays, but today she told us she's decided to wait until after Mother's Day, so that's a little reprieve for happy customers.

It was a beautiful sunshiny day with temps in the low 40's - a great day to be out and about.

We began our tea with a pot of Raspberry Hibiscus Herbal Tea.

It paired perfectly with the plate of delicious scones.  I had a blueberry and chocolate chip mint scone.

Next our salad and quiche was brought out.  I ordered Bacon, Mushroom and Onion.  The mixed greens salad that accompanies the quiche is topped with strawberries, blueberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, and sugar-toasted walnuts. It's dressed with a lemon-herb vinaigrette.  Yum!

Jennifer, the owner, stopped at our table to chat with us for a bit and Lori took our picture together.

My sweet friend of many years, Lori.  We chatted for over two hours, and the time went by so quickly.

We don't normally exchange Christmas gifts anymore, but Lori said she saw something at a recent craft show that had my name written all over it, so she bought it - a blue snowman teapot with pinecone flowers that light up.  I love it!  It's perfect to display for the holidays and throughout January as well.  Thank you so much, Lori!

It was a perfect afternoon outing with a wonderful friend!

A Special Sunday and a Trip to Zeeland, MI

Last Sunday was the second Sunday of Advent, and the candle of PEACE was lit.  Jesus said in John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."  If there's anything our world needs right now, it's the peace that Jesus gives.

The children/youth of Orchard Ridge presented their Christmas program at the beginning of the morning worship service, and they did a great job.

When church was over we drove to Zeeland to spend a couple of days with our son, Jeremy, and his family.  To our surprise, granddaughter Izzy was there too.  She has one more final at Michigan State tomorrow and her first semester will be done.  

Jeremy was anxious for his dad to see the train beneath his Christmas tree that once belonged to him and his brother.  They made an agreement that whoever had the first boy would get to keep the train.  Jerry had the first son [Steve] but he has two daughters and no sons, so Jerry gave the train to Jeremy and Landon.         

~ Jeremy and Jerry ~

Jeremy's Shutterfly photo album [which was supposed to be his Christmas present] arrived and he was so anxious to see it.  He asked if I'd bring it when we came.  I told him he wouldn't have any surprise on Christmas Eve and he said he could live with that.  ;-)

He loved his album!

~ Jeremy and Samantha ~

Yesterday we went to Landon's 4:00 o'clock basketball game after school.   It was a very close game, but unfortunately his team lost. The score was 56 to 54, but they played well.  Landon is #44.

After the game, Jeremy took all of us to the Wild Chef Japanese Hibachi restaurant for dinner.  It was yummy and fun!

After dinner we went back to Jeremy's house and watched The Bishop's Wife [a classic 1947 Christmas movie starring Cary Grant, David Niven and Loretta Young].  Then it was bedtime for all.

This morning, before we left to come home, we all went to breakfast at Farmhouse Restaurant.  It was a great ending to our visit.  By the way, so there'll be a mention of tea in this post, I did have tea for breakfast, even if it was a generic King Coffee teabag with black tea fannings.  ;-)

We're safely back home now and I'm sitting at my computer typing this post while watching a Christmas movie.

2023 Ladies Cookie Swap

Today seemed like a slow day at The Whitney with only 75 guests for Mansion Tea after serving 139 guests last week.  But I'm still weary as last night was our 2nd annual Ladies Christmas Cookie Swap at Church.  We almost tripled our attendance from 2022, so it's catching on.  As promised, here are some photos before I call it a night and relax.

Below is a photo of the church [Orchard Ridge Church of the Nazarene] that was all lit up when we arrived at 5:30 p.m.  The swap didn't start until 6:30 but my hubby and I went early to set-up and get the hot spiced cider simmering on the stove.

The swap was help in the Fireside Room.  We will probably outgrow this space next year.

My hubby always goes to ladies events with me to be my right hand.  Last night he picked up the pizza that was served, then was the event photographer.  While I was busy in the kitchen he even asked the blessing for the pizza and cider.

We played a fun game, 'Name that Cake', then I gave a short devotion about Mary, the Mother of Jesus.  Then it was time to gather cookies.  Each lady was asked to bring 4 dozen cookies and the recipe.  Every lady got at least 2 of every cookie that was brought. There were 21 different kinds of delicious cookies.  

Each lady shared why they made the cookie they brought.  When my son [the church pastor] was in grade school, he went to his friend's grandmother's house after school.  The grandmother served the boys 'Chocolate Chip Bars' and Steve liked them so much he asked if he could copy the recipe to bring home so I could make them.  I've saved the recipe in his grade school handwriting all these years and photo copied it for the ladies last night.  I added butterscotch chips to the recipe.  Below is a close-up taken before we left home. Steve asked if I would package some for him to take to Dave [his childhood friend] since his grandma is now deceased.

The ladies voted on their favorite cookie and my daughter-in-law won first place for her Scottish Shortbread.  Her mother is from Scotland and she was at the cookie swap, so the shortbread recipe [which was Sharon's grandmother's] is a special family recipe.

Everyone had a fun evening as we closed the books on 2023's cookie swap.

Do you attend a Christmas Cookie Swap?

It's Beginning to Look and Feel Like Christmas

My hubby put up the outdoor Christmas lights...

I went shopping for new Christmas tree ornaments.  We're changing it up this year from burgundy and gold to red and green.  Hubby wanted multi-colored lights instead of red and green, so I compromised after he already bought them and had half of them on the tree while I was gone!

The first step last night was fluffing the tree branches after they were crammed in a storage box for a year.  I couldn't convince hubby to let me downsize from a 9 ft. tree to something a little shorter.  I will post pics again when the tree is fully decorated.

Today was a fun day meeting six girls I went to high school with for a Christmas lunch.

I came home with lots of goodies.  One gal baked an assortment of cookies for us and her daughter made the cross stitch ornament.  Another gal gave each of us tin of yummy homemade caramel corn [which I'm munching on as I type] and an ornament that says "Your Friendship is a Blessing."  Other gifts included a Christmas mug of candy and a box of Godiva Chocolates.

One of the gals just learned that her husband has lung cancer and they're awaiting word whether it's stage 3 or 4 and if it's anywhere else in his body.  We've all put both of them on our prayer lists. I was reminded of the phrase, 'Life is fragile, handle with prayer.'

When I got home I made the third batch of cookies for tomorrow night's cookie swap.  One more to go!

18 days 'til Christmas... just sayin'!

Nativity Christmas Story Trail Mix

I was browsing the Internet for a brief devotional for the Ladies' Christmas Cookie Swap at my church this Friday night when I came across a Nativity Christmas Story Trail Mix at www.ahundredaffections.com.  The Trail Mix ingredients and scriptures that accompany them are downloadable on a Christmassy card for free at the website.

I decided to use it at the cookie swap by displaying a jar at each table as a sample for the ladies to see.  They make a nice hostess gift during the holidays or a small gift for friends, neighbors, or a shut-in you don't exchange gifts with. They're also a great way of witnessing to non-believers about the true meaning of Christmas in a non-threatening way.  I have a hair appointment tomorrow and am taking one to my beautician, and on Thursday I'm having lunch with six of my high school girlfriends and will give a jar to each of them.

Below is what my dining table looked like after I shopped for all the supplies today.  It was quite an endeavor and took most of the day.

I bought the 16 oz. Ball canning jars at Walmart [12 for $12.97]  I also got the Hershey Hugs, caramel popcorn, miniature marshmallows, miniature pretzel twists, and honey roasted almonds there too.  I don't particularly care for dates so I left them out.  ;-)

The Buffalo Check fabric [1/2 yard] and jute string came from Hobby Lobby.  I went to eight different stores searching for mini 3 Musketeers candy bars and called a few more candy stores when I got home, but had no success.  Amazon had them but they wouldn't arrive by Friday, so I had to use the fun size 3 Musketeers instead.  Since they're larger, only one will fit in the jar.  I used Hershey gold nuggets for the gold wrapped chocolates.  The chocolate stars came from Dollar General and were another item I had to search for.  Whatever happened to bagged Brach's candy in stores? 

The trick is not to eat the supplies while assembling the jars!  Below is what the front of the jar looks like after it's assembled.

View from the back.  The ingredients are layered in the order printed on the card.

The next thing on the agenda is to make my four dozen cookies, but that's a project for another day.  I'll be sure to post pictures of the Cookie Swap afterwards.

Upton Tea Imports had a recipe for Milk Tea Magic that came through my Facebook feed today:  Steep 2-3 teaspoons of black tea leaves in boiling water for 8-10 minutes.  Remove leaves and stir in a large dollop of sweetened condensed milk.  Enjoy it hot, or let cool and pour over ice.

Numi Organic Tea had a yummy looking tea latte that came through my Facebook feed today also, but they didn't provide any measurements/quantities.  It's made with their drinking chocolate [a new product], Numi aged Earl Grey tea bag, one candy cane and frothed Trader Joe's Coconut Almond Vanilla Cream.  The video looks like the drinking chocolate is put on the bottom of the cup [a tablespoon??], topped with the candy cane and tea bag.  Then hot water is added, and the top ingredient is frothed milk.  It sounds similar to a London Fog tea beverage.

1st Sunday of Advent

Today is the first Sunday of Advent and the candle of Hope was lit.  The hope referred to isn't the world's definition - a fleeting or baseless desire for a certain thing to happen, or an emoji with fingers crossed.  It's the Biblical definition - the confident expectation of what God has promised and its strength is in His faithfulness.  True hope comes from God, the Creator of all things including hope.  He is the source.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  Romans 15:13

In difficult and uncertain times it can be hard to look beyond current events.  But "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord,"  Jeremiah 17:17

 

The word hope occurs 130 times in 121 verses of the King James Bible, so it's an important word for Christians. 

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."  Hebrews 6:19   As believers, hope is the anchor that holds secure because it is fastened to the unchanging, reliable character of God.

As the sermon was given, I was reminded of the old hymn, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness... On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand."

God bless you this Advent Season as we commemorate Christ's first advent when he came to earth as a baby, and as we look forward to His second advent when He returns to gather His church!  

In Tribute

This has been a somber week as former First Lady Rosalynn Carter was memorialized before being laid to rest.  The trait that stood out above all others in her eulogies was her service to others. God granted her a long and full life which she lived responsibly, and she will receive Heavenly rewards. The quote, "One life 'twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last" came to my mind.

As a tea lover, the phrase 'you can learn a lot about a person over tea', prompted me to do a quick research about Mrs. Carter and tea.

A New York Times article [Nov. 23, 1976] wrote about the tea she had at the White House with Betty Ford [they shared a unique friendship].  Another newspaper article stated she was not a First Lady who only dispensed tea and cookies to guests, but she was, in President Carter's own words, "a perfect extension of me."

The book, Tea with Presidential Families, stated she was inundated with invitations to host teas at the White House, most of which she accommodated.  During the many talks between Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat she entertained their wives with tea.  Being from the South, she particularly enjoyed 'Sweet Tea' as shown in the Internet photos below.

Rosalynn Carter and Mrs. Begin

 President & Mrs. Carter having lunch in the White House.

Did you know that Adagio Tea created a line of teas honoring a few U.S. First Ladies including Rosalynn Carter.  I will look forward to trying this blend.

Much closer to home came the news this morning that a dear, personal friend crossed from earth to Heaven, from mortality to incorruptible immortality.  My sweet friend, like Mrs. Carter, also had the prominent trait of serving others.  She worked in the church kitchen with me on many occasions, and we shared our love of tea together.  She was always a quiet, behind the scenes person, never seeking any accolades or recognition.  Whenever she sent a card or note, her signature phrase before signing her name was "God Bless You, Indeed!"  Today she is experiencing God's Blessings, Indeed!

Rest in peace, Jeanne, until we meet again.

 Jeanne on left and her daughter-in-law [middle] who preceded her to Heaven.

I'm standing next to Jeanne in the above photo.   The lady on the right also preceded Jeanne to Heaven and perhaps Tricia and Connie have already welcomed her.

Someday, maybe God will allow all of us to work together in one of Heaven's kitchens.  My son says there will be food in Heaven - not for nourishment or sustenance because it won't be necessary for existence - but for pleasure and enjoyment just like in the Garden of Eden.  I'm hoping there'll be tea there too!  ;-)