PurplePolka

Monday, April 6, 2009

Never too late...My First Tea Party

I have many things on my to do list. Some I may never get to do but that does not lessen my desire to do so. I want to see the Northern Lights. At first, I thought I could just go somewhere and do that-then realized it is not something I can make an appointment for. I also want to run a dog sled. Sounds like an unlikely event but a friend of mine is doing just then when she takes the Alaskan cruise this summer so that gives me hope. My list goes on-maybe I just get it in writing and I would love to see yours.
One o the things on my list was to have/attend a tea party. While I had some books and magazines on the subject, as always, I put it off because I was afraid. I had never been to a tea party so I had no reference. Those that know me think I am completely confident and will do anything. What they don’t know, is that it probably took a really long time for me to get the guts to try all the cool things I do. If it is something I have not done, I keep putting it off because I am afraid I will not do it well. Of course, when I finally do-it usually turns out well and then I am mad at myself for putting it off so long.
Kudos to my friend Sara for inviting me to my first ever tea party. Sara is not the boldest in my group of friends so I was surprised when she took on something I was afraid to do! She sent out adorable Vera Bradley invitations. Then she allowed us all to bring something. When we got there, the table was beautifully decorated with family china, a floral centerpiece, and a floral bouquet for each attending.

There were a variety of tea pots/teas, sugar cubes in white and brown sugar, and lemon. Sara made scones (loved those) and Devonshire cream (loved that too). She also served lemon curd and mascarpone. I made carrot cupcakes decorated like mini flowers. Others attending bought a variety of finger sandwiches and they were all great. Dawn bought her famous (in my book) 7 layer salad. Kim bought snickerdoodles-which I just realized are in a baggie here somewhere.

Marianne said a blessing and we dived into a wonderful variety of flavors. It was a great time for all.

Thanks Sara for hosting this great event (I think it should be an annual one) and helping me knock one thing off my list. It reminds me again that it is never too late!

Tea Party Pictures

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Henna Hoopla

4/3/09

With spring break beginning, I mentioned to several people that I was going to get henna done at the very beginning. A teen from church, Morgan said she would love to get henna before her cruise. So… I called my dearest henna goddess, Mychele Boardman, and asked if we could meet in Orlando for some henna fun.

Of course….she was more than willing. Mychele suggested we meet at The Drunken Monkey. As Morgan is the preacher’s (and close friend’s daughter) I had to check it out online first. Turns out it is a great little coffee shop with a very eclectic menu of inspiring treats.

We met Mychele about 4:45 and started right in on the henna (see album). We took shifts eating as henna was the first priority! Morgan had a wonderful Panini loaded with turkey, cheese, and pesto. I had the paella which was a delicious combination of fried rice and vegetables. The paella included artichokes, mushrooms, and garbanzo beans among other things. I don’t even like garbanzo beans but every flavor in the paella was awesome. While we were ordering our food and I was explaining to Morgan what pesto was, the chef came out with a crostini for each of us loaded with pesto. DELICIOUS.
While Morgan had her henna done, I enjoyed checking out the artwork and reading material in the place. They have board games and many people were arriving and setting up. They had a variety of items for sale including blooming tea, t-shirts, and snacks to go.

My paella was so generous, I could not finish. 10:00 that night tho-I heated it and finished it off! I look forward to getting back to the Drunken Monkey again.

The whole night was a blast, seeing Mychele-seeing Morgan excited about her henna. Hopefully we can do another trip like this soon!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008526&id=1097899532&l=5fb09c8703



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