Posts filed under 'Tea Party Girl'
What do you do where you find yourself completely lost and transported from responsibility and distracting thoughts?
My children memorize poems in their grammar program. This is one of them.
Work
Anonymous
Work while you work.
Play while you play.
This is the way to be happy each day.
All that you do,
Do with your might.
Things done by halves are never done right.
The work of hosting events takes all our might. From the comments left on a recent post about hosting and the search engine results since Thanksgiving, many of you are working really hard to host your December tea events. For some of you, this is your first time, which can be the toughest because you don’t know what to expect. May you be encouraged that each time becomes easier as you learn the work hosting a tea requires.
And, in this season of work, don’t forget to play. Do you know how you like to play? It seems the older we get, the harder this can be. Part of it may be a good thing: maybe our work is sometimes play, a tremendous gift of adulthood to be sure. But more likely, we have let go of a place where we get utterly lost, independent from our current daily roles.
I played last Friday night. I spent money, traveled far, stayed up late, and lost my voice so I could play. It wasn’t about being practical, rational, or even tasteful. It was raw, loud, sweaty, and crowded. But I was utterly lost in the delight of it all. Because Tea Party Girl loves to play with rock-n-roll. (I think it TAKES this much stimulation for my brain to actually hush up for a spell). And for the record, I liked Relient K almost as much as Switchfoot. After all, they played an homage to my favorite 80s band.
After your work, how do you like to play?
Feel free to work or play, depending how you look at it, over at Dewey’s Treehouse today where you’ll find the snowed-in version of the Homeschooling Carnival. Or add your own two-cents at The Lazy Organizer’s Talk About It Tuesday.
December 4th, 2007
If you weren’t the host this weekend, did you thank the one who opened their home to you? Even if you brought lots of food, the one who cleaned the bathroom deserves the thanks, I think, especially on this weekend of all weekends.
On the drive home from my parents last night, one of the topics of discussion with Plays with Fire was the holiday party we want to host this year. I have hosted many over the years and know how much work they are. And I’ve learned to really think about the guest list and make sure my expectations match the reality of who’s coming. I told him honestly, “I just want to celebrate with a few friends who really appreciate what we do.”
It takes so little. Prompt RSVPs. A simple hostess gift or quick thank you note. Showing up on time. These simple courtesies equals a gracious guest.
I hope all of my American readers were able to spend some of this weekend with family. I know it isn’t always easy. Personally, I am able to go home to a house where my parents have lived for almost 30 years. The small family of my youth has grown to eleven members and we’ve already pretty much past the toddler years of the third generation sans one. We have a great deal to be thankful for. Every year has not been perfect, as no family is, but the sense of connectedness grows more each year we gather together. (I also give a lot of credit to the prayers of those in the oldest generation for keeping us together).
Thanks so much, Mom and Dad for a wonderful day together.
November 23rd, 2007
I like to think America’s classic holiday is not just about relishing in our riches. That in the midst of our ‘fullness’ we know how different our life would be if there had not been a band of religious idealists seeking freedom to raise their children without the shadow of the politicized Church of England.
I am particularly connected to this small band of pilgrims as only four of their married women survived the first harsh New England winter and partook in the First Thanksgiving (compared to twenty-two men). One of them, Mary Brewster, is in my direct ancestry 13 generations ago. At the time she had two young boys.
I ‘m not sure I inherited her hearty stock for surviving harsh conditions. She was so intimately acquainted with hard work she named one of her sons Wrestling. I bet SHE could have used a massage!
The story goes that their partnership with the Native Americans ultimately led to their survival. They were able to accept the help of others very different from themselves. Hence, they began to grow corn instead of wheat, burying fish-heads alongside the rows for fertilizer. No Marie Calendar’s cornbread mix for them!
At Tea Party Girl, I write often about how to take the simple beauties of life, make time for them, and live from fullness instead of depletion. However, I also believe, it is often the times of hardship that make us strong, better, and fuller individuals. And it’s the seasons of struggle that allow me to appreciate the simple beauties to such a great extent.
I’m entering this post in Scribbit’s November Write-Away Contest. The theme of the contest was (because, again, squeaking in at the last minute) “My life is different because of…”
My life is different because of a woman who brought her young children to this land and nurtured them through bleak conditions. Who accepted help and was willing to learn from another culture. Myself, I have had to nurture my children and accept help from others who were very different than me through bleak seasons of the soul. Maybe I did inherit some of her tenacity after all.
So, Mary, I raise my teacup to you in honor this Thanksgiving as I dive into all the turkey and trimmings sitting on an upholstered dining chair in a heated home. You are in our thoughts today.
Blessed Thanksgiving, everyone!
November 21st, 2007
Just in case you need some interpretation, TMI these days means Too Much Information.
Now, mainly because my New England-bred mother reads this blog, I’m not REALLY going to tell you about my PMS struggles or the last time my toilet was cleaned. But I WILL tell you I’m fully aware my posts have been light on the tea and heavier on the personal the last few days. The main reason for that is I find them the easiest to write when life is nuts. And life is nuts. Not as in my friend-recovering-from-a-double-mastectomy nuts. Or another woman I know pregnant-with-her-eighth-child nuts. But it’s my version of nuts. And I’m struggling under the weight of it.
So for those of you waiting for Christmas decorating posts or your book reviewed, they are coming. In the meantime, my blogging friend, Steph, is blogging about her tea-themed trip to Chicago. Her post on taking tea at the Drake is picture-rich and worth a read, especially if you’ve never gone. And for the record? I just love that Steph can give a tea talk and go home to dress-up like a punk witch. Here’s to the next generation of afternoon tea drinkers!
Speaking of afternoon tea drinking fans, Risa at The ParTea Planner doesn’t post often because she’s so busy throwing these incredible O.C. tea parties. But I keep up with what she’s up to. She recently posted about the most incredible 1-year old’s birthday tea party she organized.
But the real reason I want to show her off? Because of this picture even New England sensibilities will laugh at. Be sure to scroll down past her beautiful header. You MUST check it out. (Doodah, I’m really glad your media fast is over for this one).
Just don’t read the comment I posted. It’ll blow my cover for sure. 
November 1st, 2007
So every year it seems Halloween, All Hallow’s Eve, Reformation Day, or Harvest (depending on your particular theological bend) seems to sneak up on me. This year I’m patting myself on the back for at least working with the sewing grandmother so that two of the three children can wear fabulous costumes.
I, on the other hand, have never been much in the spirit this time of year. I’m not one to celebrate a holiday when I have to work with the colors of black and orange! And I’ve struggled with the whole line of what’s evil, why scare ourselves, I’m forever traumatized by sneaking off and watching The Shining when I was sixteen, etc.
But each year, this day shows up and the older I get, the more I want to participate. Today as I walked around our downtown amidst all the costumes and festivities, I thought, “You know? I think I want to play! A day to poke fun at all our fears and dress up outlandishly might be just what the doctor would order, even for a tea party girl.”
And come to think of it~that’s one of the reasons I love to blog. I want to play along! There are so many fun, funny, and fearless people I’ve met through hanging around the Internet and this extroverted writer can’t bear to not be a part of it. Meeting “ordinary” folks like Scribbit, Alison, and Shannon help me (at least through communicating online!) a little more fun, funny, and fearless, too.
So I think I will really go all out next year and dress up, especially for the last Halloween of my 30s. This year, the best I can do is help us all play with carnivals online. This week you can find Tea Party Girl:
Two children who will transform into a fairy and a Jedi just pulled in. It’s time to scramble and prep for the night’s festivities.
So, how good are you at laughing in the face of fear? How do you celebrate this day? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments below.
October 31st, 2007
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