A Nutcracker Tablescape Coming Together

Using up some Sur La Table gift cards recently, I purchased four nutcracker salad plates and four matching mugs [haven't been able to find any reasonably priced nutcracker teacups anywhere]. Thus began my quest for a Nutcracker tablescape.

Last Wednesday my hubby and I drove to Ann Arbor, MI to shop at the closest World Market store. I saw online that they had nutcracker napkin rings and nutcracker soup/cereal bowls.  I thought they'd go perfectly with my new plates and mugs.

They had half of what I wanted - the nutcracker napkin rings, but the soup/cereal bowls they advertised haven't made it to the store yet due to supply chain issues.  They're hoping they arrive before Christmas.  World Market is a fun store to browse and I came home with a bag of goodies, but the prize was the nutcracker napkin rings and a box of molded nutcracker chocolates wrapped in foil [perfect for a favor].

Macy's had a great sale on Spode nutcracker salt and pepper shakers and Villeroy & Boch dinner plates [Toy's Delight pattern], so I ordered them and they've arrived. They have stars and nutcrackers in the design which go perfectly with the salad plates from Sur La Table.

The nutcracker tablecloth and linen napkins by Windham Weavers that I ordered from E-bay also arrived.  Both are new and never been used.

While doing an investigative search online for nutcracker glasses I discovered Neiman Marcus had a set of four on sale for $34 so, of course, I ordered them.  They're beautiful and have now returned to the original price of $68.

I ordered a nutcracker table runner and placemats [the placemats haven't arrived yet].  

E-bay is great for hard to find things and I stumbled onto some new Noritake nutcracker soup/cereal bowls to replace those that weren't available at World Market.  They were a little pricier than World Market's, but not unreasonable, and I also found some new Kurt Adler nutcracker place card holders.

All I need now are some nutcracker spreaders and appetizer plates and I'll be all set. My centerpiece will be a cloche with nutcrackers and a ballerina underneath.  I have all the supplies, just have to put it together.  I love it when a plan comes together, and I can't wait to share it with family and friends.  I've already contacted my cousins about another 'girl's luncheon.'" 

Before signing off on this post, I thought I'd share a deja vu moment.  When I went to work on Friday I saw the hutch that tumbled over on me recently, sitting by the dumpster waiting to be picked up by the garbage truck.  Goodbye, good riddance!  So thankful for God's protection and goodness!  My bruises, black eye and soreness are almost gone.  I've SO MUCH to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

Romeo Monday Club

I thoroughly enjoyed doing a tea presentation Monday night for about 20 ladies who are members of the Romeo Monday Club.

When I was contacted to speak several weeks ago, the contact person said they were a historical group, so I thought they were the Romeo Historical Society but I found out differently last night.

The history of Romeo Monday Club is very interesting.  It was founded in 1879 by a group of  Sunday School teachers, and is the second oldest women's group in Michigan.  It was originally called "Chautauqua Circle" before changing to Romeo Monday Club in 1892 in keeping with their Monday meetings.  

Chautauqua is a lake in New York and the nearby location of Chautauqua Institute, which offered a course of adult education studies that took four years to complete.  Several of the founding women completed the course.  

The club has a maximum of 40 members who meet once a month in private homes.  They host fundraising events to provide charitable donations to the community, and since 1907 have offered fine arts scholarships to Romeo high school students to further their study of fine or performing arts.

There was a brief business meeting at 7:00 p.m. before I spoke.

Renee hosted the meeting at her house, and was the contact person who invited me to speak. She and her family attend the same church as me.

In keeping with my topic, scones, fresh fruit and tea were served.  I had a yummy peach scone. I don't normally provide the tea when I speak, but I did Monday night.  I took my 55 cup urn and made the tea on site - Sweet Royal Delight, a black tea with chocolate, butterscotch and caramel flavorings.  It's a very good tea and was enjoyed by all.  The blend was created when Prince George [son of Prince William and Kate] was born, hence its name.

Each lady brought their own teacup and it was fun to see the different teacups.

It was a delightful evening, and I enjoyed the privilege of being their speaker.  It's always fun to talk about tea.  I passed out tea related quotes to ladies as they arrived and had them read them at the end of the presentation.  There was also a time for questions, most of which pertained to how tea is done at The Whitney.  I hope I have the opportunity to see some of them again there.

Tablescapes

Happy Monday!  Before I finalize my notes for tonight's presentation to the Romeo Monday Club [I hope to take pictures], I thought I'd write a quick blog post from the weekend.

I made tea for 104 guests at The Whitney on Saturday - one bridal tea and two seatings for Mansion Tea.  It was a busy day!  We have so many bridal teas these days.  They've become a lot more popular than brunch.  I'm always too busy to take photos, but there've been some lovely tea-themed tablescapes by those hosting the event.  One of the servers [whose name also happens to be Kristin] took photos of the tea last Saturday and sent them to me.

Each lady in attendance received a teacup in a lovely round box to take home along with a teapot or teacup shaped decorated cookie.  The floral centerpieces were in teapots and were given away as prizes.

When I got home from work I set my own table for Jerry's 75th [and Steve's 52nd] birthday dinner.  There were 10 for dinner.  It was dark outside when I took the pictures [it's pitch dark at 6:00 o'clock now with the time change], hence the dark living room in the background. The menu was seafood lasagna [shrimp and crab], chicken casserole [for the non-seafood eaters], corn pudding, and toss salad.  Dessert was a version of Boston Cream pie made in cake layers instead.  

I was too busy to take pictures of the family after they arrived, but we had a great time together.  We sat around the table talking for over three hours after eating.

Landon shares the same birthday with his Papa, but his dad took him to a football game in Las Vegas for his birthday present [Raiders vs. KC Chiefs].  While we were eating dinner Jeremy sent his well-wishes to everyone via a text and included a picture of Landon enjoying the pool at their lodging.  The temps were in the 80's compared to our 39 degrees and snow flurries!  I think it's safe to say Landon had a very nice 13th birthday!

A friend who lives in California, and was a Sandy Clough tea lady in 2004 with me, posted pics from a fundraiser tablescaping event she participated in.  She set three tables and her Gingerbread House table took third place.  The pics are so cute I had to share them.  As much as I'd like to, I'm NOT going to start collecting gingerbread themed dishes and linens.  Will someone please hold me accountable to that statement! ;-)

The dishes are by Sandy Clough but were not a part of the sales kit.  She designed them before she started her company.  I have the teapot and cups and saucers, but not the dinner plates.  I love the candy cane handles on the teacups.

Happy Birthday to My Hubby!

My hubby celebrated his 75th Birthday today.  We had a quiet dinner together at home when I got off work, and he'll celebrate with all the family on Sunday when they come to our house for dinner after church. 

~ The Birthday Boy ~

I ordered a Cassata Cake from the Italian bakery.  Yum!

I don't normally work Fridays because Mansion Tea is only served on Saturdays and Sundays but today we had a bus of 50 seniors from New Baltimore, MI who came for 'Tea and Tour.'  

When I was at work today I found out why the hutch toppled over on me.  The room had been painted earlier in the week and the hutch was dismantled and moved away from the wall. Whoever put it back into place didn't properly secure it.

It almost felt like Christmas when I got home from work today with several packages delivered from the postal service.

I ordered an Irish cookbook that I'm anxious to look through.

Also a book from Turning Point Ministries authored by Dr. David Jeremiah.  My hubby and I enjoy his Bible teaching ministry very much, and were grateful we got to visit his church [Shadow Mountain in El Cajon, CA] when we visited California two summers ago.  It's a book about Bible prophesy.

The saying "One thing leads to ten" certainly holds true.  Earlier this week I purchased some Nutcracker dishes from Sur La Table.  Then I ordered a tablecloth and napkins from E-bay [which came in today's mail] and I'm waiting on water glasses from Neiman Marcus.  I went to Hobby Lobby and At Home stores yesterday to gather some items for a centerpiece. When I get everything together I'll write a post with pictures to show you.

I gave a Nutcracker Tea for two of my girlfriends in 2007, but I only had a few themed dishes then.  I'm working on a complete tablescape now.  So much fun!

All In A Day's Work!

Today is a day for taking it easy.  I don't normally work on Sundays but they were expecting close to 200 guests for tea yesterday [two bridal teas and two Mansion Tea seatings], so I told them I'd come in.  As a result I'm sporting a black right eye [my first ever], two goose eggs on the left side of my head and bruised arms, but all is well and I'm feeling VERY fortunate.

Here's what happened...  When I got to The Whitney only three other people were there - Chef Eric [the pastry chef], his assistant, and the cleaning lady.  I got the water going in one of the 100 cup urns and went up to a second floor dining room [Mrs. Whitney's bedroom] to get the other large urn out of the closet.  The room was all set up for a 12:00 o'clock bridal tea.  In that room is a large, heavy antique china cabinet.  I noticed the hutch was leaning and would topple at some point and the china teacups needed to be removed so they wouldn't break, but I didn't realize how imminent the topple was and before I could report it to management. I got one shelf of teacups removed and was ready to begin removing the china on the top shelf when the hutch tumbled over knocking me to the floor underneath it. Fortunately, an arm chair was sitting at the end of a nearby table which broke the fall of the hutch allowing the corner to rest on the chair so I could crawl out.  If that chair hadn't been there I would have been hurt a lot worse.

It didn't knock me unconscious, nor leave me dizzy or disoriented, so I went and got Chef Eric.  He and his assistant immediately went upstairs with me, and the cleaning lady who heard the crash came too.  Knowing guests were due to arrive in an hour, the three of them began gathering up the broken china from the floor and putting the hutch back in an upright position so it could be carried out, along with the broken chair.  Despite their wishes for me to go to the hospital, I assured them I was okay, and got busy preparing the second urn of tea. Below is what the hutch looked like after the mess was cleaned up.  One of the doors broke off, and the glass panels broke too.  None of us thought to get a picture when the area was a shambles.

The hutch hadn't been anchored to the wall nor fastened to the cabinet below it, so it was an accident waiting to happen.  I thanked the Lord over and over for His care and protection.  If the hutch had toppled during the shower, it would have hit the guest sitting in that end chair which could have been catastrophic.

I got the tea made for all the events and went home around 3:30 p.m.  To put everyone's mind at ease I went to the ER near my house.  They took a CAT scan of my head and shoulders and said there were no fractures, but I'd be sore for a few days.  I'm thankful for strong bones and stamina at my age.

While I was sitting in the emergency room my son, Jeremy, sent this picture via Facebook.  It brought a smile to my face, but I think I'll pass on getting one.  I love tea-themed items, but there's a limit.  ;-)

On Saturday, a sweet lady who follows my blog came to Mansion Tea with her husband and mother-in-law.  Her hubby took our picture and Kim sent it to me.  Tea introduces you to the nicest people!

When I was reading estate sale notifications last Thursday, I saw one scheduled for Friday on my street, five doors down.  Not having to drive to an estate sale was a first.  I knew who the lady was but had never been in her home.  After viewing the pictures I thought it would be a good sale to attend, so my hubby walked down to the house at 7:30 a.m. on Friday to get an admittance number and ours were 5 & 6 - which meant we'd be admitted in the first group of people when the door opened at 9:00 a.m.

I was interested in a framed Victorian antique shoe horn, shoe hook and curling iron in a matching silver pattern.  The price was $125.  I didn't really want to pay that much since I don't do shoe presentations that often, but my hubby got it as a Christmas present.   How would you like to curl your hair with that curling iron heated on a stove?  

The deceased lady [younger than me] collected beautiful beaded antique purses and had several.  They were quite pricey [starting at $95] so I passed, but I did purchase two more reasonable fabric purses, and a vintage compact for my presentations.  Research revealed the black velvet drawstring purse on the left is a Dorothy bag - a type of Edwardian reticule.

Do you need an easy, but nice homemade hostess gift to give during the upcoming holidays? My cousin brought it to me when she came to lunch recently.  She said everything was from the $ store.  A pot holder folded into a cone shape and fastened closed and decorated with a silk flower.  A magnet glued on the back for attaching to a refrigerator, and a pair of kitchen sheers to go inside the holder.

Happy November!

Today marks the third day of November.  I'm not sure how we got to this date so quickly, but we're here nonetheless.

I love November with its Thanksgiving family celebration, and time to reflect on our many blessings.  One of my blessings is the gift of friendship with some wonderful people.  Last Wednesday I drove downriver to have lunch with my girlfriend, Sandy.  We went to a Mexican restaurant called Angelina's, where I ordered a yummy grilled Chicken Taco Salad.

Afterwards we went to a nearby antique mall.  We had fun browsing, but neither of us found anything we couldn't live without.

Thursday my girlfriend, Lori, picked me up and we went to Royal Treat Tearoom to sip tea together while catching up.  The building has recently got a new facelift.

  

We ordered Harney & Son's Green Tea with Lemongrass, Coconut, Ginger and Vanilla.  It was very good and paired well with our selection of scones.

 I couldn't resist the pumpkin shaped scone!  So appropriate for this time of the year.

I ordered the Quiche Lorraine and it didn't disappoint.

Now that November is here my mind begins to think about a Christmas gift list.  While we were staying with our grandkids in Chelsea recently, I took along several catalogs to look through. Catalogs arrive in the mail daily from various mail order companies, and they pile up quickly.

While browsing through one, I came across an ad from The Bradford Exchange.  It was a music/jewelry box for a granddaughter with the words "I Love You, a Bushel & a Peck and a Hug Around the Neck" written on the top.  Ever since Izzy was tiny, I used to sing that song to her, and I usually sign all her cards with that line to this day.  I knew I had to order the music box for her for Christmas.  It's my first Christmas present purchased for 2021.  [Izzy doesn't read my blog so I'm safe in sharing it here.]  It arrived last week and is lovely.  I'm very pleased with it.

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?  When granddaughter, Brooke, was home recently she was lamenting that her mom only had one baby photo album for her, but several for Brianna [the first-born].  Shortly thereafter, a coupon arrived in the mail from Shutterfly for unlimited photo pages good through Nov. 14th.  So I got the idea to make her a photo book for Christmas of all her baby and childhood pictures.  It will keep me busy since Nov. 14th is less than two weeks away, but I think I can make the deadline if I hunker down.

I've spent the last couple of days preparing for a Nov. 15th presentation at the Romeo Monday Club, but my script is almost done so I'll  be freed up to work on the photo book.  The topic they gave me to speak on is Tea - a subject I love to talk about and am very familiar with so it hasn't been a difficult task.

There've been a couple of adjustments at our house recently.  My hubby was in a car accident last week.  Thankfully no one was injured except his car.  It'll be in the body shop being repaired for a couple of weeks, and during that time we're sharing my car.  It's a bit of an adjustment but is working out okay.

In the same week my Whirlpool washing machine of 18 years decided it was time to die.  My hubby bought another one and it was delivered and the old one taken away.  The new Whirlpool had a different panel board with five sensor buttons.   That sounds simple enough, but we couldn't get the machine to work.  We read the manual and followed the instructions, watched YouTube, and checked the obvious to make sure the hoses were properly connected, the water turned on, and the machine plugged into the electrical outlet, but nothing happened.  Whirlpool nor Lowe's were of any help, so my hubby decided to return it. What good is a washing machine we can't operate?  We did our homework on other machines and settled on a Speed Queen.  Only problem is, with the truck driver shortage it'll be a couple of weeks before it will be delivered.  In the meantime it's trips to the laundromat.  

I snapped the above photo yesterday.  The good news... half of the washers and dryers there were Speed Queen and the other half were Maytag.  I think we made a good choice, but laundromats make me thankful for the convenience of being able to do laundry at home.

What are some of the things you're thankful for this November, big and/or small blessings?

In closing... Today is National Sandwich Day and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches are America's #1 choice.  Anyone for a Grilled Cheese Sandwich [accompanied by a bowl of tomato soup]?