homemaking

1. Make sure your sister and her darling daughters are available to come (and help—-thank you so much girls!)

2. Invite your daughter’s friends, who just so happen to be beautiful and…..

and well-mannered.

4. ~~Assemble the finest vintage tea cups you can from places like Goodwill, antique stores, or T.J.Maxx.

~~Advise the bakery to make your cake look like a wedding cake—very formally decorated.

5. Make sure your handsome son (who is always such a good sport) is available to escort the ladies to their tables and serve food and drink—always with a smile of course. We made calling cards (with the girls’ full names on them) and announced the arrival of each girl (thank you Abby) as she entered the foyer.

6. Start setting your tables 2-3 days before the party so that there are fewer last minute things to do. I placed Emme and her friends in Duchess of Windsor Dining Room (because there were more of them), Caiti’s friends in the breakfast room, and Elea’s friends in the school room. We played a few parlor games and practiced our finest etiquette (after a few short ‘tea’ lessons). This site was very helpful in all things ‘tea’.

7. Serve an eclectic mix of tea sandwiches, pasta salad, chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate chip short bread cookies, and of course, a wide variety of teas, both cold and hot. Several of my dear friends and my mother stayed to help in serving and then washing the voluminous dishes that are generated at afternoon tea. And I mean LOTS of dishes.

Sing Happy Birthday…..

blow out candles and finish the day with a great game of pictionary.

8. Most importantly, RELAX, make sure you take time to enjoy the birthday girls and their friends. I had a list of things that didn’t get done. Noone noticed. We had oodles of fun and it was one of those very memorable parties that will become part of their story—-a story I am so grateful to be part of.

We finished this wonderful day downtown at a benefit concert for our local soup kitchen. Taylor’s band, The Verity, played in this picturesque little setting. It was wonderful to have them all home.

I have lots to tell you. About the most wonderful tea party. About the joy of having all the kids home. About the Studio 8 reveal. But this morning, I have girls to teach, laundry to do, bills to pay, a quilt to sew, piano lessons to start (the girls, not me), and dinner to cook. So, I’ll share a prayer with you that will help us all get this week off to a great start. Stop by later this week for all the other stuff! Happy Monday!

Heavenly Father, Creator of heaven and earth, it is out of Your love and wisdom that You gave me work to do and fitted me in body and mind to do this work. And yet my sinful will too often dreads the workday and casts about for other things to do. But You, O God, have called me to this work. Forgive me my sin. Strengthen me by Your Spirit that I may see that my vocation is a field of Your service to my family and my neighbor. Give me joy in my vocation, and make me glad and grateful for the strength to serve You; through Jesus Christ, Your beloved Son. Amen.

“Her house was perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work, or story-telling, or singing, or just sitting and thinking, best, or a pleasant mixture of them all.”

This is what I get to do all week. Sit by the lake, watch the cottonwood trees blow in the wind and figure out a way to spend more time here in the summer. We’re in Steve’s hometown, Alexandria, MN. It’s the quaintest little town I’ve ever visited. I’d rather come here than anywhere for vacation. There’s something like 400 lakes in this little town. And the cutest antique shops ever. Steve’s mom is spoiling us with wonderful food and lots of knitting tutorials. Which I seem to desperately need. I’ve restarted Taylor’s beanie 4 times. Or is it five?

I spent a little time at Steve’s childhood home (where sister Julie now lives) and her house is full of wonderful priceless treasures. A virtual antique store in its’ own right.

(Cousin) Daniel, Steve, and Emme were concentrating on something yesterday…..

and so were Grandpa, Josh, (brother) Jeff and Elea……

….a little remote control boat…..that kept getting tangled in the weeds……

Aren’t the simple pleasures always the best?

Stay tuned for more vacation fun. Wonder if I could talk the retired Naval policeman whose house sitting for me to blog for me too? Maybe that’d be too much to ask.