Afternoon Tea in Texas

Afternoon tea was introduced in 1840, in England, by Duchess Anna of Bedford. The Duchess would become hungry around four in the afternoon. Her evening meal would not be served until eight p.m. which is a long time between lunch and dinner.  The Duchess asked that a tray of tea, bread and butter, and cake be bought to her room late in the afternoon. This became a habit and she began inviting friends to join her. 

While in Texas this past week, visiting my son and his family we had our traditional tea party. This time on a rainy afternoon we had homemade hot chocolate instead of tea, bread and butter sandwiches cut into animal shapes, fresh strawberries, and raspberry and chocolate-filled cookies. 

I love my DIL's china. On the last visit we made to their house I got an idea for a Christmas present for my DIL. I was able to surprise her with this teapot this past Christmas. Surprise presents are as much fun for the giver as the receiver.

I got the squirrel sandwich at my husband's request. I have an ongoing battle with squirrels getting in my bird feeders. 

After the tea party and the dishes were washed and ready to put away I enjoyed playing around making a vignette with her china in the kitchen. Sarah had brought peonies for me earlier in the week from Trader Joe's. 

This is the first arrangement I did with the peonies and a filler called Lepidium also from Trader Joe's.

The peonies were in the marshmallow stage just beginning to open. I learned from P. Allen Smith that cutting the peonies in this stage makes them last longer. 

As the peonies opened I experimented with different vases and learned if I gently fluffed the blossom it would open more. I later learned that placing the peonies in warm water would help them open. I also learned that if you wrap your peonies in bud stage in saran wrap and store them in the refrigerator that they will last a long time.  Do you have any other tips?

When we arrived in Texas the kids were excited that they had several swallowtail butterfly chrysalis (pupa) to show me. One was on a parsley plant and the other had crawled to the back of a patio chair. Several days later we watched this butterfly emerge. It was exciting to witness this. God's creation is amazing. I had hoped for them to witness the stages of metamorphosis of the monarch butterfly since they are close to the migration path monarchs take. They may still be able to as the summer progresses. Our ten-day trip passed quickly. On the way to San Antonio we stopped overnight to visit with Mike's aunt and uncle in Houston. It was great to be with them.  It had been so long since we had seen them because of the pandemic. I hope things are becoming more normal for you also. I am getting together for lunch with friends again, and back to church which I have missed very much. It feels so wonderful to be vaccinated and feel free again.

Hoping you are enjoying the beginning of summer. Thank you for your visits and comments. I will respond to your comment on this post. I hope to post soon showing my hydrangeas and gardenias.