Let me tell you about.........Tea Parties March and April 2012

Recently I have been very fortunate to attend my very first and second tea parties ever.  Prior to these my only experience with anything relative to a "tea party" was the famous scene from the Walt Disney classic version of Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland".   So, needless to say, I had no idea what to expect from this type of a gathering.  Everyone who really knows me is cognizant that I was not really a "girly-girl" growing up with only a big brother and I do not recall ever playing tea party with a friend or female member of my family.  My sons probably would not have tolerated "tea parties with mom", ha!  Thus, my limited (actually zero) knowledge or expectations actually worked in my favor.

March - When I received an invitation in the mail for a tea party I was not at all sure what to expect but I did know that I would not miss it for the world!  The invitation was hand-written by my 6-year old granddaughter, Giada, and I was thrilled when I opened it.  I promptly "RSVP'd" with enthusiasm.

I had several weeks to contemplate and fantasize about the event and it turned out to be even better than anything I could imagine. 

The guests arrived and included grandma Lyndi, great-grandma Barbara, grandson Luca, son Chris, grand-daughter Taziana, me, and our hostesses Ana and Giada.  My daughter in-law and granddaughter had a beautifully decorated table with real china and silverware.  They had some crafts set upon the table for all guests and it was so lovely.

We started with a fun selection of teas to choose from and home-made scones that were visually appealing and tasty!  The next course was finger sandwiches, also home-made.  There were cucumber and chicken salad sandwiches to choose from and I took one of each.  Yummy!  We had cheese and crackers, and last, but certainly not least, was dessert.   I marveled in the notion that my daughter in-law worked so hard at making all of the food and decorations and I was so proud that she was passing something so special onto her children. 

I really enjoyed this party and delighted in watching my grand kids make their individual selections of tea, scones, sandwiches, cheese and crackers, and dessert.  Their personalities are fun and different and they all three make me smile so much when I am around them.   The party was an enjoyable event.

April - Tea Party number two!  I invited my daughter in-law, granddaughter, and grandson to attend a tea party in Denver with me at The Denver Tea Room.  My grand kids have American Girl dolls (both girl and boy dolls) and I found an American Girl Tea Party being hosted at this venue.   For those of you who are not familiar with the American Girl culture, you should look it up sometime as it is quite fun and involved.  This particular party was being held to introduce us to "Molly", one of the iconic girls in the collection.  There was to be an actual person there dressed as "Molly" that would read a story, do some crafts with the kids, and let them have their picture taken with her. 

Again, I was not sure what to expect upon arrival as I had never been to this particular place.  It was located inside a very old Denver bed and breakfast in a neighborhood not typically frequented by me or my daughter in-law.  Parking was precarious but we were fortunate to find a spot with few attempts.  We had to walk a bit to the building which was not bad in itself except for the chilly wind and there were some interesting "characters" standing on the sidewalk along the way.  We rang the front door bell and were brought inside to wait for the arrival of other guests.  The four of us had no idea of what to expect and the anticipation was fun to watch.  

We were escorted into a room that was setup for a party of 10 guests, 4 of which were us, so it was to be a small affair.  We selected our four seats and the kids were told that they could make themselves a name tag if they wanted to; Giada loves to do crafts so she quickly made her way to the area for this task.  There were 2 other little girls working on name tags at the same time as Giada and the 3 of them worked very nice together.  Luca only kinda-sorta wanted a name tag so his mom helped him make one.  He did not want to wear it, though, which was too cute. 

Giada making her name tag

We all waited patiently as the hostesses seated the remaining guests and prepared our tables for goodies.

Luca with his boy "Jerry"

The party began with the serving of the tea.  The youngsters were served a strawberry flavored tea and the adults were served a vanilla-cinnamon flavored tea. 

I recall seeing a sugar cube for the first time when I was little and how they seemed like something "fancy" as opposed to just spooning sugar into your drink.  I surmised that my grand kids had that same reaction as they did not at first know what the the cube was.  When Ana and I told them they both asked for one for their tea. I helped Luca hold his china teacup and watched him blow on the tea and take a tiny sip.  Priceless moment for me, one that I shall always remember.

Soon after the tea, "Molly" entered our room and the children were wide-eyed with excitement as she brought her enthusiastic energy to our group.  She introduced herself, told of where she came from (England), and proceeded to interact with the children.  She asked each of them questions and was truly focused on their responses.  She asked them if they liked chocolate cupcakes because she had some cooking in the kitchen for them.  Of course none of them replied "no"!  "Molly" left as the main course was to be served but promised she would be back to read us a story and help with a craft project.  This notion lit up my granddaughter's face with pure joy.

Lunch was served and it was unpretentious and perfect for all of the age groups.  The children were served a chicken strip, a scone, and a cucumber sandwich with the only adult variation being an asparagus, tomato, and cheese quiche instead of the chicken strip.  Everything was in nice small portions and tasted pretty good.  Luca needed his chicken strip cut up for him and I gladly assisted.  He made an "uummm" sound as he tasted everything and I was very impressed that he particularly liked the cucumber "samich".  Both of my grandchildren were so well-mannered, as were the rest of the group.  Next up were the cupcakes and they were pretty darn fresh.  Mine and Luca's were burned on the bottom but we still enjoyed them nonetheless.

After lunch was cleared from the table "Molly" returned to read us a story from her book and to also show us her tap dancing talent.  This was fun and the grand kids enjoyed the story and the show.  Giada was eager for the craft to begin and she did not have to wait long.  We were set up to make some book marks from strips of felt, some buttons, some trim pieces, and glue.  "Molly" used the premise of getting tired when reading and the need to mark her spot where she left off each time.  She did a great job of engaging the children in the activity. 

The party wrapped up with pictures and conversation and the purchase of souvenirs.  What a great day, one that I shall reflect on many times.  To quote my granddaughter, "best day ever!"

The take-away from this blog is that no matter the age or gender you should always try something different or out of your comfort zone at least once.  I was fortunate to try it twice and who knows how many more I will rack up in the future.  I look forward to more adventures with my daughter in-law and grandchildren.

As always, thanks for reading my blog!
Grandma P

 

Luca with "Molly"





Tea Party group with "Molly"



Giada with "Molly"



Luca, grandma, Giada