February Tea Party

I am scheduled for cataract surgery on Tuesday February 24 so I am scheduling this to post on Wednesday. I am not sure how well I will be able to see during the week and I have some other stuff going on but I hope to be back soon!

We finally were able to attend a tea party at the new catering facility in a nearby town! My granddaughter thought she was coming to tea at Mimi's house and was surprised that we were going somewhere even more fancy! 

That is a Valentine's tree.  We were the only group wearing hats. I think some need an education in tea parties! 

This is for one person. We all got our own tiered tray. They require you preorder and prepay for the tea.  I reserved three adult teas. The host who seated us told me that I could switch my granddaughter to the "princess" tea which had peanut butter and jelly and some treats for a lesser price.  I told her we would keep the adult teas. 

When we each got our individual pots of tea they again offered to switch her to the child's tea. This princess was not going to trade a three tiered tray for a plate of peanut butter and jelly!  (it was nice of them to offer the alternative). 

Even water tastes better in a glass goblet! 

She was not wild about the tea, but next time we can substitute hot cocoa.  This is a nice photo of the savories on the bottom tier. There are Egg Salad Sandwiches on white bread, a Cheddar Bacon Scone, Turkey and Honey Creme Fraiche on White Bread and Prosciutto with Caramelized Onion Jam and Apple on wheat bread. 

The middle tier had a Blueberry Scone, a Strawberry Cheesecake with the most delicious strawberry, and a Raspberry Swirl Cupcake with a Heart Macaroon. 

And the top tier featured an Expresso Chocolate Cake, an Almond Layer Tea Cake, and a Chocolate Dipped Cannoli. 

As experienced Tea Partiers we looked over the selection and decided what needed to be eaten fresh and what would travel well.  We all tried one of each sandwich, we ate the cheesecake and raspberry cupcake and macaroon and cut the scones and ate half.  

They had lovely little boxes and my granddaughter is looking forward to showing off her leftovers in the school lunchroom tomorrow! 

The total cost for the adult tea is $32 which I thought was reasonable for the experience, the pot of tea and all the foods which were homemade in house.  It was a special treat and I am sure we will go again in the coming months. 

Another nice feature they offer is that you can also order from a special brunch menu instead of ordering the tea.  If I could talk Mr Merry into attending, he could even order a burger instead of tea.  We will see if that can happen.  

Memory Monday

This week's edition will feature me! We are currently under a Level 2 snow emergency and I am very concerned school will be cancelled tomorrow. 

 Shoveling snow in January 1966. Showing that I have always been partial to a large hat and also that, despite being the only girl with two brothers, I was the one who was shoveling. 

This was a house we lived in for one year on Woodlawn.  We moved there from a Cape Cod style house across the street. (not pictured) And a year later we moved across town to this house. 

We moved from a 1950's rambler to an 1874 Victorian.  I am standing by the back porch with what looks like ice skates.  My friend Judy lived two doors down and her dad would flood the driveway during the winter to create an ice rink.  I do wonder why I am wearing a skirt. I am wearing another big hat.

Why did we move so often? I'm not sure.  My  mom liked to look at houses for sale and we were constantly putting our house up for sale and moving to a different street in our small town.  My parents were not "flippers". They did not remodel or update houses, they just moved. Once, in my Sunday School class of six first graders, two of the students lived in houses I used to live in. 

Mr Merry and I bought our house in December of 1978 and still live here. 

February

 

February. On days we don't have a snow day or days when we don't have a two hour fog delay, we eat breakfast and wait for the school bus. 

Then we drive to the recreation center and change our shoes to walk the track which goes around the upper part of the basketball courts. On a warm morning we tried to become street walkers, but between raised sidewalks from tree roots and piles of dog poo, we decided we are indoor walkers. 

Between the old man's bursitis and the old lady's issues, we walk very slowly. Very very slowly. 

One Friday I did not have any medical appointments so we went to the egg farm. It was Amish baked goods day. 

We bought a small plate with four chocolate chip cookies. 

Then we went to the home improvement store. 

Since it was a Friday and it is lent and since we were out of town where there are restaurants, I talked him into lunch at Red Lobster. 

Pretty sure this has my sodium allotment for the month. 

As did my Trader Joe Asian dinner for Valentine's Day.  

I have spent the weekend rounding up my vintage hats. I am short one large hat box with at least three hats I can name.  I am taking my youngest daughter and youngest granddaughter to the new restaurant with Sunday Tea that I had hoped to attend in January.  I am sure I will not be sticking to my diet there either. 

Last Monday I visited the pulmonary specialist who sent me for a pulmonary function test on Wednesday. I thought I aced the test since I am breathing better than I have in a long time. Apparently I am "trapping air" in my lungs, whatever that means.  This Monday I am back at the cardiologist and maybe he will know.  Then Tuesday I have my left eye cataract surgery.  

The track is closed Sunday for a big volleyball tournament. I am will be walking on Monday morning before my appointment and Tuesday morning before my eye surgery. Wednesday morning I have to go back to the eye doctor so he can check whatever.  

So that is what I have been up to.  Eating, walking and going to doctor appointments.  

Memory Monday

I have given up on any rhyme or reason for Memory Monday. So here is this week's entry. 

I was sitting home Friday night when I got a text from my friend Diane who is past president of our local genealogy society and who is a distant cousin. She was at her grandson's basketball game and was talking to another grandmother whose grandson is a Perry. 

My Great Great Grandparents Sarah Perry
and William T Snyder

Diane and I are related through the Snyder Family. She and the other gramma were wondering (at the basketball game) if I would look up how the Perrys and the Snyders are related.  

And of course I knew off the top of my head. 

My 2nd great grandfather William Snyder was married to Sarah Perry and his sister Mary Snyder was married to Sarah's uncle COH Perry and my friend Diane's 2nd great grandmother was William and Mary's sister Francis. Got all that? 

Mary Elizabeth Snyder and Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry

I don't have a photo of sister Francis Snyder and her husband George Ruggles, Diane's branch. 

It's funny because my grandmother talked about all these people and I actually feel like I know them. It is also funny because I swear I am related somehow to everyone in this county, lol. 

Now the funny fact.  Our family legend was that we were related to Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. Finding this trail was a mission of mine for a while. The true story? Mary Elizabeth Snyder married a man whose parents named him (first name) Commodore, (middle names) Oliver Hazard, and (last name) Perry. No relation to the military man.  He went by COH. 

My 3rd Great Grandparents Horace Perry and Sarah Ammerman. Horace is COH Perry's older brother.  

And because it is my family - my 2nd great grandfather William's wife Sarah Perry's father is Horace Perry who is the brother of COH Perry.  So I am double related to the Perrys.