Auntie Anne's Winter Tea.

 This year's tea party was held at 

White Chimney's. 

 Each year continues to become more and more special. 

A gift for the community and a time for 

women to come together and be filled.....

with joy, warmth, and delicious elegance. 

This venue was absolutely magical!  

It's somewhat embarrassing that between my Mother and I and one other lady we were able to furnish over 70 tea cups!  

Hey, there's got to be some reason to keep all these beauties!  

One of my favorites from my Mom's collection. 

The centerpieces began with a burlap runner, followed by a shiny/glitter tree.  Fresh greens, walnuts, pine cones, curly willow branches, grapevine balls, tea lights, teabags and crystal snowflakes finished it off.  Jessica, (the owner of White Chimneys) had many of this on hand which made decorating that much easier.  She is an amazing woman with energy beyond words, she works SO HARD to make this place beautiful, inviting, elegant and well-maintained!  

Jessica with her daughter and Anne. 

picture courtesy of white chimneys 

A violinist welcomed the ladies as they arrived. 

Seriously, she started playing while we finished the last minute details and it was MAGICAL! I was tying a burlap bow on a fresh evergreen wreath hanging on an old-fashioned carriage and I was completely transported to ChristmasWonderland!! 

Anne and her sister Fi are an absolute riot,

(like all of their family)!

They are totally themselves 

and make everyone feel so welcomed and at home.  

Such a warm and cozy time together.

 My Mom was there to help out with Capri, (who slept in my knowing Mother's arms....she can put any baby to sleep, I swear)!Anne Blank, Orpha Hostetter and a new friend Jamie Giuliani, (fellow teacup collector)! 

Capri in a tutu. xoxo. 

 The incredible food prepared with love by Anne's sister, her nephew , her assistant, (Sharon Martin) and others. 

So much detail.

Anne made her famous potato soup for everyone, 

(which sells at Angela's Cafe' if you want a taste). 

Chicken salad wraps topped with grape halves.

Cucumber and fresh parsley sandwiches. 

Hot ham and cheese sandwiches with poppy seed drizzle.

And to finish it off, individually prepared desserts, (also made by Anne).  Strawberry shortcake or Chocolate Moose awaited you at your table seating, (in adorable mini mason jars that you got take home as your favor)! 

picture courtesy of white chimneys. 

After eating Anne shared about TRUE JOY during this Christmas season. She had some amazing giveaways as well.

picture courtesy of white chimneys.

We anticipate doing an outdoor Summer Tea in 2013, most likely also at White Chimneys, so stay tuned for more details, or go to her facebook page to be informed 

about the invitation.  

Merry Christmas Friends!!

And joy to YOUR world!

"Strange how a teapot 
can represent at the same time 
the comforts of solitude 
and the pleasures of company."

  ~Author Unknown~

January recap

Luke walking to Grammie's house in the snow, a path well-worn!

Good Morning Friends, (the few of you that still check in around here)!  What a nice "break" of sorts from blogging.  

 We finally had some snow around here the other week.  Here's to MORE, MORE, MORE of that before all the buds start sprouting up!  Looks like I'll be throwing the windows open today and Wednesday, (suppose to hit 60*)!!  And then, back down to the 30's by Sunday!  What the heck?  There's your little weather update from around here!  The kids love playing in the snow.  Paisley stepped out the door and immediately laid down to make a snow angel!  She grabs life! 

My snow bunnies....

We had a hot chocolate station for our New Year's party, and I never took it down!  The kids love it and it's cozy to look at!  Luke especially loves to be warmed up.  He helps to make his own hot chocolate and smells it deeply, proclaiming his love of the chocolate smell, (he also loves the smell of gas, the smell from an extinguished match and my "night time" lotion).  He's our smeller!  

 

 Grammie's house all lit up at night.  It's such a wonderful feeling looking out there at night, knowing she is warm and cozy, loved, valued and safe. I have meant to post some more pics of her home, but at this rate I'll probably wait until the upstairs is completed as well!  Our other computer is shut down right now, (which has all the renovation pictures on it), so I have to take a day to get all the pictures organized.  I need a day for our closets as well, and while we're at it, I'll take a day for deep cleaning, one for organizing the attic and one more to redo our bedroom into "vintage-glam."  :)

Paisley found my heels the other night, (which have since been retired to the back of my closet with all my other non-pregnancy shoes)! 

It's flats for us from here on out baby......

Potty training this girl was so easy!  It had absolutely nothing to do with us or our "formula".  She was just ready I guess.  We started on a Sunday night and she had a few "spills" that night and Monday, by Tuesday she was telling us when she had to go.  I was brave crazy enough to take her out for lunch and some errands with no pull-up and she did GREAT!  I couldn't believe it, (and I'm sure the ladies who heard me hooping-and hollerin' from the bathroom may have wondered at my great joy)!  She still has a pull-up at night, (but that's just because I don't want any extra laundry right now).  She would probably be fine, but I'm not ready!  She wants to go all by herself now and will close the door and do her thing, emerging so proud with her dress all jacked up.  She's quite independent. Here she is on her first "training", Sunday night, being entertained 21st century style!

My beautiful sister turned 50, but she didn't want a huge party.  Instead she wanted several intimate gatherings with those closest to her.  What a wonderful idea.  Truly enjoying those most important to her in a small, relaxed settings.  We had a sisters tea here one day.  It could have continued all day as far as I was concerned, but we had to get back to "reality" after four hours.  The love, safety, inspiration, challenge, wisdom and acceptance we experience together is truly a touch from heaven. 

You can kid the world.

But not your sister.

 ~Charlotte Gray~

Fresh flowers in the middle of Winter,
there's nothing quite like it.

Tyler loves school.  Everyday I ask him how school went today?  "GREAT!" is his answer just about everytime. I wonder if that's really true or not, or if it's simply his optimistic outlook. He got his first report card today.  He's doing wonderfully and as his teacher commented, "Tyler is making great progress in all areas!  He brings a positive attitude to class each day, and takes pride in his work.  He is a joy to have in class!"  I LOVE going to his class to help so I can watch him interact with those around him.  He is genuinely kind to everyone.  We are so grateful for the way he is learning and growing and enjoying the world around him. 

 We've decided to send Luke to Kindergarten this Fall.  He's showing such signs of readiness and seems very interested in going. He loves to do "homework" here at home.  He has a strong interest in numbers and most mornings I will wake up to him counting to 100, (his favorite number).  Everywhere we drive he talks about the numbers he sees.  And asks me several times a day what this number plus another number is.  I try to hide my hand when I have use my fingers to count, like I'm still in 3rd grade!   

It will feel quite different around here with two school-goers.  And we think that having them one year apart throughout school will be nice. 

Here is a drawing Tyler made over Thanksgiving. The students were asked to draw and write out something they were thankful for.  The bulletin board was filled with pictures of "I'm thankful for my family" and "I'm thankful for my house" and such.  Apparently Tyler is very thankful for his "vtbols", (vegetables)!  I laughed so hard when I saw this and immediately sent a picture to Jake!  Kinda reminded me of when he told the Dr. his favorite food was lettuce!  

Finally took our Christmas tree down.  I was hoping to enjoy the sparking lights with a ginormous blizzard, but alas February is almost here and we usually try to get our decorations down by Spring!  Having fun decorating for Valentine's Day now.  I have entirely too many decor items for each holiday, (thus our annual garage sale)!  Jake says he never knows what to expect when he comes home! 

"Where thou art,

that is home."

~Emily Dickinson~

keepin' cool

 Just a reminder that it won't always be this hot! 
So thankful to experience four GLORIOUS SEASONS here in Pennsylvania. There is something beautiful about each one. The picture above is a familiar sight most Winter evenings.  Hope you're able to stay cool if that's what you need, or to my friends in Australia and Chile, hope your heat is working just fine for you and the cozy blankets are in abundance.  Wherever you are in this great wide world, may you have all you NEED.

I've been feeling a bit of anxiety, (if that's the word) about how quickly this season of Summertime is FLYING BY ME, by us.  I am drinking it in, making memories left and right and just living life.  Yet somehow, each week is flowing into the next so suddenly it's almost shocking.  I don't EVER remember it going this fast.  Oh dear, am I getting old?  Cause that's what "older" people say, how fast the days and years go by.  Last night I laid in bed and just felt anxious inside.  I don't like when that happens.  I thought about all the closets I want to organize, all the laundry that was waiting for me in the morning, all the pictures that I've yet to print, (like 3,000 of them or some astronomacial number). The fact that none of my kids have "proper" baby books, the friends, (and their new babies) I haven't seen in awhile, how empty the fridge is, just STUPID STUFF.....STUFF THAT DOESN'T EVEN MATTER.  The more I let my mind wander, the more it did.  It just went downs paths and up hills and all around streams and rivers and bridges, all "without" my permission.  I just let it wander and it made me anxious because everyTHING I thought to "do" was MY RESPONSIBILITY, (or so I falsely thought and felt).

  THESE EXPECTATIONS ON MYSELF ARE NOT HEALTHY!!  They are not what I was MADE for, to measure up to all these things that I, (and those around me) deem important.

And so here I am at the end of another day given to me.  What have I done today?  I cooked, cleaned, loved, disciplined, folded laundry, (didn't get it put away though, what's new?), took ice cold lemonade to my hard working man,  visited with a lifetime friend, and I lived another day. Nothing much "important" got completed, but I LIVED LIFE. I'M ALIVE AND BREATHING AND HEALTHY AND THAT'S ENOUGH FOR TODAY.  And I'm taking that PRESSURE right off my own shoulders, cause I'm the one who put it there in the first place.

"When you pray, don't pray like those Extra-Super-Holy People.  They think if they say lots of words, God will hear them.  But it's not because you're so clever, or good, or so important, that God will listen to you. God listens to you because he loves you." ~page 224 of The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones~

p.s. read this GREAT article tonight. Totally worth your time!
Perhaps if you click on it, it will enlarge it enough to read!?



Snow Day Party

Today I threw a Snow Day party because, well, it was a snow day.

My friend Michelle, (remember, one time I told you about her here) is in school to become a photographer and she's got what it takes to say the least! She had an assignment in which she needed to "photograph an event." Well, we came up with this idea LAST NIGHT to CREATE our own event....thus, SNOW DAY PARTY! I was invited to my own tea party today, but it was cancelled so at 9am I made several calls/texts/emails to some neighbors of ours and their children.

By 11:30am this place was a hoppin'!!
I had some snacks on hand....juice boxes, cheese curls, animal crackers, gold fish, licorice, gumballs, and some of the other Mom's brought the "good" stuff: apples & carrots for good measure!, (which were barely touched)!! so the boys helped me put everything into clear jars, hung some lanterns and set the GOODIES around the table. Michelle made strawberry cupcakes and brownies which were DELISH! We also went through 14 cups of coffee and one container of creme brulee creamer!! 13 kids, 6 Ladies, 1 house=
Welcome to CRAZYVILLE!!

Michelle did a WONDERFUL job capturing the "event."
Hope you're enjoying the little moments of our morning through her lense(s).

It was LOUD, there was LOTS of sugar intake before Noon,

and I wouldn't change a thing. I enjoyed living through these little eyes. It sure doesn't take much to make their day! Cheese curls and a cupcake.

BESIDES, this is what snow days are all about.....
enjoying a little BREAK in life!

"I'm less interested in why we're here.
I'm wholly devoted to while we're here."
~Erika Harris~

p.s. a thank you to my dear friend Vickie for introducing me to this song by Elizabeth Mitchell~~"Three Little Birds"!

Christmastime is here.

Merry Christmas

from our living room
to yours!

Thank you for journeying alongside me this year here in blogland!
I'm truly looking forward to 2011 and all that may be in store for each of us.
I trust that wherever you find yourself this Christmas weekend

YOU WILL FEEL the HOPE He brings!
He has come to our cold, dark stable of life and FILLED us ANEW!!

And He is near to ALL who call on Him!

*the joyful*
*the brokenhearted*
*the lonely*
*the glad*
*the hospital bedside*
*the wanderer*
*the free*
*the homesick*
*the shipwrecked*
*the sad*
*the bound*

"Love divine all love excelling, Joy of heaven to earth come down;fix in us Thy humble dwelling, all Thy faithful mercies crown; Thou alone are all compassion, pure, unbounded love Thou art; visit us with Thy salvation, enter every longing heart; Love divine, Love divine, Love divine, Love divine, Love divine."
~by J. Stainer found in a beautiful music book, dated 1909~

Be back later next week....until then my friends.

"One of the most glorious messes in the world
is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day.
Don't clean it up too quickly."

~Andy Rooney~