Wednesday, August 26, 2009

A Garden Tea Party with a CHIPPIE in the mix! :)

Memories made in a Tea Party in my Mother's Garden are forever embedded in my mind, and I'd like to share a little piece of it with you today! :)
Thanks Susan for giving us this venue to recall our fond times in the lovely Outdoors each Wednesday! Be sure you drop by "
A Southern DayDreamer" to enjoy the other posts today!

The party, May 25, 2007 - My sissy Becky with my Father-in-love Daddy Jim~ Yep, we even had a man drop by and share a scone with us! :) They enjoyed a game of golf and then crashed our party~
My mother's garden is up on the hill above her home...and this particular visit to PA she was having an IRIS sale to raise money to go toward building a Peru Orphanage for children. She raised $1,000 selling Iris roots that year. Before my trip up, I grabbed my Teapot, a selection of teacups, my favorite tea tray and recipes to make the scones! This is Helen on the left, one of my mothers dear friends and neighbors and quilting buddies, and my mother, Myra, on the right~
We sat the table up under the fruit trees near the Iris garden so we'd have some shade. The lovely lady that joined my mother on the left is my Mother-in-Love, Alice Jean. :) The hand made crocheted table cover is a gift my mother received from her sister, Audrey.
At one point in the day, you could see my laying on the ground in hundreds of positions to stage my props for some great pics after the tea party was over...I felt this would help me to recall why we all enjoyed our day so much even two years later. They remain my favorite pictures of all times... This one especially...
This one hands down is probably my most favorite of the Irises in the Sky shot!
A Field of Flowers to moon over in the sun~ :)
This white Iris is off my mother's porch - It reminds me of Purity...amidst the Outdoors
This Iris and blue sky backdrop are a Fabulous French Feel...and so colorful with the blues and yellow tones...
The Family of Cups awaiting their own conversation post the tea time~ Oui, they enjoy their own conversations even after the ladies are done sipping from their lip...
They sometimes move their conversations to other locations in the garden when someone walks too closely... ;)
As you can see, this little chippie that I found near my mother's home that day appeared he grabbed one too many scones and pocketed them in his little cheeks~ :)
Mother calls this one, "Old Fashioned Iris" ~ I love that name...
This one, I call Marie...as it belonged to my mother's best friend who is no longer with us to enjoy our tea times. Her memory was captured that day with the addition of this lovely legacy she left behind, her Iris.
I hope you enjoyed revisiting a Garden Tea Party in the hills of PA today.

May today bring you a little bit closer to your own Tea Party in a Garden~ You won't regret it~

Seize the Day with Tea and your favorite Tea Cup~
~CC Catherine

34 comments:

Melissa Miller said...

How beautiful Catherine!

Little Chippy is precious with those puffy cheeks. The table setting is just so charming and gorgeous. Love it all!

~Blessings my friend, ~Melissa :)

Charlene said...

Catherine, I loved all the photos of your iris. And what a fine time you must have had! In these dog days of Texas summer... it is nice to dream of Iris & cool. I bought some Iris from Jain http://onceinabluemooniris.blogspot.com/ she sells hundreds of Iris. But, your Moms idea of raising money for an orphanage is great!!!!! Thanks for sharing & all that laying on the ground was worth it.

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

What a fabulous setting. I love all the Iris, they are just so beautiful. Your tea setting is wonderful, so inviting and so pretty. What a wonderful post. Hugs, Marty

Sarah said...

What a lovely setting among the irises for a tea party. Thanks for sharing the beautiful photos!
Hope to see you at hyacinthforthesoul for an outdoor visit today. ~ Hyacinth

claudie said...

I adored your first post about this lovely day with your mom and sis. What an incredible love she has for her Iris', and to give the $ to charity. I just love seeing other "chippies" in pictures. Ours has a little fellow, yes indeed. My gardener lady must have pulled 300 bulbs from the front garden...I gave them to her. No wonder she was smile all the way home!!
Happy OW my dear friend.
I pick Julie up tonight, can't wait. It's girl time for sure.
Love You
Love Claudie
xoxo'

Regina said...

Wonderful post. Love the blooms and the tea cups. Awesome outdoor.

Blondie's Journal said...

It looks like all of you had a wonderful day back then. Your memories and pictures are precious! Your mom certainly has a green thumb. Her iris' are gorgeous. And your tea things are lovely as always!!

xoxo
Jane

The French Bear said...

Catherine, I love the irises!!!! When my sister passed away, being a florist, I made her casket spray from irises. Your story and the pictures brought a tear to my eye, especially the white one!!!!
You tell your Mom, I think what she did is truly amazing and wonderful, and if I was closer I would buy them all!!!!!!!
Hugs,
Margaret B

Mary Bergfeld said...

That's one of the nicest tea parties that I've been privileged to attend. I'll bet your Mom had a terrific day. I hope you have a wonderful week.

Pauline said...

Thank you for the tea party!

Anonymous said...

Hey sweet Catherine. I've missed you. I hope things are going better. I love your photos. The chipmunk is too cute.

Anonymous said...

HI Catherine! What a lovely time you all must have had. Your little mother and her friend and your MIL are the cutest things. What a special thing to do for them - have a tea party. Your photos are so pretty! The table is lovely with the beautiful crocheted tablecloth and those irises! Gorgeous!
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Vintage Linen Treasures said...

Hi Catherine,
I loved visiting your the teaparty with your mom. It was so special and beautiful because I could see myself doing the same with my mom and sis. Sadly, they live in CA and I'm in TX. Maybe next year when they visit I'll through a similar tea party just for them. Thank you for the inspiration!

You are one heck of a photographer! That picture "Iris in the sky" is goregous. I didn't think it was really a photograph at first. All the pictures were beautiful. Thank you for sharing them.
Blessings,
Patricia :o)

Kat said...

Your photos are just beautiful. What a lovely setting for special memories. You did such a beautiful job arranging everything. And the little chipmunk is adorable! Happy OW! Kathy

Dixie said...

CC... it looks as though it was a beautiful day... and you are right.. you captured it beautifully so that each time you look at the photos, you will remember the day, the friends and family... and all the beautiful flowers.

blessings. Dixie

The Fajdich Times said...

I loved your tea party! What beautiful pictures.....the Iris flowers are gorgeous!!!!!

Kathy said...

Catherine, what a magnificent tea party. A precious party in a precious garden with precious people! And those iris's are incredible - your mother has a gift in growing them! A beautiful post, my friend.
xo...Kathy

Barbara said...

Catherine, What a beautiful memory you all made that day. The iris are beautiful and you did a great job with the camera.

Thanks for sharing such a special time.

Barbara

The Raggedy Girl said...

What lovely flowers and that little chipmunk is so cute.

The Raggedy Girl

Elaine said...

Such a lovely post. That teapot is gorgeous. I have a similar one, I love footed teapots. I usually use mine for flowers versus tea.

Your mother must be one special woman raising money for an orphanage in Peru.

The irises are so beautiful. I think they are one of the most fascinating flowers. Love their colors.

Elaine said...

And the chippie is just adorable!!

CIELO said...

Hi CC.... lovely things.... so nice seeing you!

cielo

Karen said...

GIrl, those shots are fabulous! I can just see you playing the contortionist to get the perfect shot! LOL.
I loved all the teacups. (of course!). And I think I love Purity and Old-Fashioned the best.
Great post!
Miss you my friend. Hope the days are getting easier!
Hugs. Karen

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Katherine, this is just exquisite. Those irises are AMAZING!

Please do get in touch with me if you come to Florida. I would love to try and meet you. I don't live in Lakeland, but I do visit there regularly. I will drive to meet you, though. Just let me know where you land. You can email me at my blog email address. Click on the email thing on my profile page. I don't have the capactity to click and email on this laptop (though I will try to remedy that), so I can't click on yours and email. I am going to see if the geeks can install it.

XO,

Sheila :-)

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Catherine, LOL! I thought I was talking to Lady Katherine in that last post (she might come to Florida). Sorry! But I would love to meet you, too. I'm loopy today. ;-)

XO,

Sheila :-)

Bernideen said...

How perfectly wonderful and such a blessing for these "seniors"!

Miss Janice said...

Catherine,
Another beautiful tea setting from you. I just love the irises (sp?)! Everything is beautiful!

Fifi Flowers said...

BEAUTIFUL Irises! ADORABLE chipmunk! FAB setting for tea!

Sara's Sweet Surprise said...

Miss Catherine~ I'm finally back from a summer long blogcation....
What a wonderful way of stating,"mother in-law", with "mother in-love".
I soaked in all the breathtaking surrounding and enlarged every photo to see all the details. The Old Fashioned Iris was my favorite, it's so delicately frilly, it reminded me of an vintage lace. I loved the reflections in the teapot...you can see the enjoyment in all the smiles. You certainly created treasured memories that day.
Chippy, was sooo adorable with those chubby cheeks. I know that feeling of wanting to store a treat or two, lol!


I've enjoyed catching up. Please stop by...I look forward to the return of your company.
Sweet wishes,
Sara

Helen said...

The Iris are magnificent! Just wanted you to know I'm thinking of you.

Deb said...

thank you for sharing...I love Iris' I have purple and white bearded iris.

Anonymous said...

my goodness,you're photos are gorgeous.everyone shows the love and attention you showed taking them.your mom looks so sweet.
thank you for your prayers.i do so appreciate them.i am really feeling great today.i thought i would jump on here and say hi while i can.hopefully more good days to come.love ya...anniepoo

Susan (Between Naps On The Porch.net) said...

Hi Catherine...miss talking to you! Love the pics of your Mom's tea party. That is so sweet of her to raise all that money for such a good cause! The irises are gorgeous! The chipmunk pic cracked me up! :-)Susan

Sara's Sweet Surprise said...

Just checking back to see if you're back yet...waiting with (freshly scented)bated breath for your return.

Sweet wishes,
Sara