At 18 months, It's still important to learn the Basics of Tea Time~

Catie is my namesake, and she's my 18 month granddaughter!

I had to show you these pics as she explored my world of Tea Time ~ and I shared just a couple

tips with her along the way.

1. Always sit with good posture ~ She gets an "A"

2. Never put your arm on the table ~ She's gotta work on that one. :)

3. Always be sure to inspect the cleanliness of the silverware when no one is watching - just kidding...
Then on to the real fun, the Tea Pot & tray ~ What is that lid for she thinks...

Hmm...Any tea inside?

Nope ~ They drank it dry

Well enough of having "no tea" ~ I'm trying on Mimi's shoes she says...
And before I knew it, she was tired and needed a bit of afternoon shut eye ~ But as all angels do, she needed to work on her lil angel wings awhile before she could shut her eyes.

I hope you enjoyed Catie's little Tea Time excursion today!

We are anxiously awaiting her little cousin that is due any hour...his name is Jonathan David. He will be her first baby cousin on our side of the family and my third grandchild and second grandson.

We are excited!

Hope you are enjoying this lovely hot summer!

Blessings to all of my friends I adore in Blogland!

~CC Catherine

In Tribute of Barney from a 2009 Post of The Nostalgic Tablescape!

This photo featured today was snapped during the afternoon Tea Party of Elouise and Barney's hands. Their hands were clasped like this on the table the entire time of my visit! How sweet this will always be to me, and now to Elouise and her family. I had just visited them the Saturday before Christmas a few weeks back and shared this framed print for their enjoyment. Little did I know it would become a precious heirloom and become such an impact to them and their family this week.

There are some things one never forgets, and for me...that will be the day of Feb 25th, 2009 when I visited a precious couple by the name of Elouise & Barney. They had recently celebrated 67 years of marriage prior to the time I visited them.

Elouise is an avid Writer friend of mine. During an earlier phone call we had in 2009, Elouise told me that she had both a son and husband that suffered with Alzheimer's. We chatted and prayed together that day. She for my son and a situation he was going through, and me for her son and husband for what was a daily ongoing situation for them and their loved ones.

While on that call with Elouise, I couldn't help but be inspired to plan that day to take a tea party to Elouise and the husband I'd always heard her speak so lovingly about. So on this date in February, the actual event unfolded and I spent the most lovely afternoon in my life watching the truest of all love stories.

Even though Barney suffered with Alzheimer's, he still was able to recall many pockets of earlier days with Elouise and how they'd met, what he'd both thought of and still thought of her. One thing for sure, he still felt she was the prettiest gal he'd ever set his eyes on.

This week, not only did my precious friend Elouise's husband Barney lose his fight to Alzheimer's, but so did her son Richard. Richard died on Monday, 1/11, and then on Tuesday evening the following day, Barney died. One certainly does wonder how Elouise and her family will ever get through this tremendous loss? But, I learned after meeting her family last night at Richard's viewing; the family is made out of the same character cloth their Mama is made out of. Both their Faith and Trust is firmly placed in the Lord.

If you didn't get to read my original post on Elouise and Barney's Tablescape Tea party, please do so now by clicking here. I post today in memory of Barney, and also in honor of their son, Richard.

I love you Sweet Precious friend Elouise!

To visit all other Tablescapes, please visit my friend Susan at "Between Naps On The Porch".

"I Remember You" ~ A Nostalgic Tablescape Thursday event!

Welcome to a very "Nostalgic" Tablescape Tea Party...

My focus will not be on the dishes, linens, or stemware today,

but on the precious couple sitting at the table

holding hands and sharing lovely stories of their life together

...after celebrating 67 years of marriage just a few months ago!

Thanks Susan, for hosting a favorite of mine, Tablescape Thursday!

To visit other tablescapes later today,

please be sure to click on Susan's blog "Between Naps On The Porch".

On the menu ~

Fresh Baked Buttermilk Scones with Golden Raisins

Home made Devonshire Cream

Dried fruit & nuts

Black Currant Preserves from France

Le Petite Ecolier Cookies

Special Tea Selections

After the scones were baked, I prepared my Tea Basket for Travel..
I wanted my time with this couple to leave them nothing but great memories when I left..
So, I packaged everything from the plates, napkins, milk, sugar, tea pot, etc... (everything)
I took a half day off work, and scurried to my car to begin my 30 minute drive...
Let me put it in reverse for just a moment... ;)
Let me explain how I met Elouise...
I joined a Writers Club in a nearby town in '08, Elouise is one of the founders since it's inception, 1973.
One day last November, while on a call with her, I asked her if I could come and have a tea party with she and her husband Barney, whom I'd never met. She said they'd love that!

We set the date for 2/25/09 2pm
Let me now begin to introduce you to this most adorable couple
Elouise, 83, and Barney, 86
I thought I was going to have a lovely tea with this couple...
I excitedly set the table with the pansy table topper I'd taken along...
and began to put all the plates and silver in their places...
Barney had just woke up from an afternoon nap...
From the time they both sat at the table, their hands were clasped...
All of a sudden, I didn't care what type of china I'd brought with me,
I didn't care how pretty my cups were that I'd brought for them...and had no interest
in telling them who they were made by... :)
All of a sudden, I was enveloped into witnessing one of
the greatest "love experiences" in my life.
Barney told me from the moment I met him
that he'd married the prettiest girl in the world...
he reminded me of that all afternoon...
When he did, he always squeezed Elouises's hand and smiled.
They shared with me moments of how they met, about their early years...
I felt as if I were meeting the couple from the characters in "The Notebook",
especially when Barney broke out in song and serenaded Elouise singing...
"I Remember You", the great classic written by Johnny Mercer.
He knew every word, and we all had tears in our eyes when he was done.
During our talks, I learned Barney had been a great boxer and an avid golfer!
Elouise brought in his huge trophy he won in earlier years so I could see it.
I'm glad I took my camera, I wanted to capture pictures of the tea party
so I could provide them to Elouise & Barney as a keep sake of our day.
I asked them if I could take a picture of their hands together...because this is a moment
I wanted to remember for the rest of my life...
They obliged...
Once the tea had ended, I found myself driving home
reminiscing about our tea and the wonderful stories both Elouise & Barney shared with me...
I had been forever lifted into an entirely different world than the one I'd left when I'd jumped into my car earlier in the day to start my journey. This "Nostalgic Tablescape" reminded me that it's not always about the linens, the candles, or the ambiance...but about the people seated behind the tablescape...about their hearts, their stories, and their endless love... Maybe I'll share on another day the tablescape I used while there, but then again...that could ruin the memory I've left you with today, "Elouise & Barney" and their endless love of 67 years and his serenading her with, "I Remember You"...

~CC Catherine