The Tea Party

Since being with Sean the last couple of years and us moving onto  our farm, I have grown a lot as a person and have been thrown into a pleasantly strange new little world. While Sean seems to have grown up in a family that has a bit more social standing than mine, I have realized that I'm not completely out of place.  Keep in mind that neither I nor Sean have ever come from money although neither of us have ever really wanted for anything.

My grandparents, like most peoples grandparents who came up during the great depression, had a classy refinement that would be hard pressed to be found in the younger generations. My grandmother, who to this day has always had an Audrey Hepburn quality to her, tried her hardest to teach me proper manors and how to be a lady. My Grandfather, who seemed to have a clark gable refinement to him even when hunting and fishing, always tried to teach me to be smart and tough. I think my Grandfather won out as I grew up a tomboy. Always wanted to go fishing and hunting when I was little. My Grandmother use to try and talk me out of fishing but would give in as it was more lady like than hunting, which I was never allowed to do.

My mother, as well as my grandparents, has always worked but my mom has never been an outspoken person where my aunt, her sister, has always had a refinement that matched my grandmothers and an outspoken wit to match my grandfathers. I myself have always been more on the shy quiet side and always lacked a certain confidence when around others. Although I have mastered the art of "social illusion".  Most people who meet me, even the ones who've known me awhile, don't believe me when I tell them I'm shy.

When I say I've grown a lot since being with Sean, it's true. I've been yanked out of my shell and  thrown into social situations that I'm not use to being in.  One of the things that the Sweeney women love to do and have seemed to make into an art form is to throw tea parties.

When most people think of a tea party they either think of little girls sitting around playing dress up and taking to stuffed animals and drinking imaginary tea from tiny cups. The other image that comes to mind is of old Victorian women sipping tea in the gardens and having idle chit chat and gossiping.

Well, I can assure you that I had no idea what to expect when I was told that I was attending a tea in lieu of a bridal shower last October.

My soon to be sister in law, Bridget, who is also the tea party throwing guru of the Sweeney women , told me that sky and I were to wear dresses and funny hats to the tea. Luckily I had two 50's style sundress that fit both sky and myself and I just so happened to have an old straw sunhat from when I was a kid, Sky had a fedora that just so happened to go perfectly with the dress she was to wear.

Well, the day of the tea party arrived and as always sky and I were fashionably late. I was a nervous wreck and it takes a while for me to get half way descent looking hair.

When we got there, Bridget's living room had been turned into a very formal dinning room. The tables were set with fine china, candles, napkins, silverware, the works. Finger foods were passed around and tea was poured. There was laughter and idle conversations. To me it was something out of the handbook for the rich and social.

As of recently, Sky and I had been invited to another Tea. This one for Sean's grandmother's birthday. This time it was a little less formal but equally as nice. When we got home from this last tea, I had made up my mind that We needed a tea set. I do like to drink hot tea from time to time, but I've never had a "proper" Tea set.


By the time Sean had gotten home from work I was busy studying and shopping for tea sets.
I even read up on the proper etiquette for tea parties. Sean and I finally agreed on a tea set by the time we went to bed, which if all goes well I'll get for Christmas. I even went as far as to take Sky and her best friend Cindy to the English tea room the following Saturday. Sometimes I tend to throw myself full heartedly into things, This whole tea thing is one of them.

In all of my craziness I did learn a ton of new information. Apparently the art of the Tea party is not dead and is actually making a come back. The art of Tea has never and will never be dead in England, mind you. However, it does seem to be making a come back in the southern states. I can't speak for the northern states. 

I will be posting another blog on tea etiquette, for those of you who may be interested and I will try to also post a few recipes on tea party foods.  

Halloween party

Well our first annual Halloween party went over really well. Everyone who came out had a great time and enjoyed great food. However, next year will go a little smoother. We'll have all the decorations up no later than the night before and most of the cooking will be done the night before Or the morning of. For Sean and I Halloween night was hectic trying to get everything done and cooking while people were showing up. Needless to say we had so many leftovers that we're still eating them. 

Halloween at Sweeney manor

This year on the farm, or as we've come to call it "Sweeney manor", we are hosting our first annual Halloween party. We don't seem to have as many Halloween decorations as I remember so aside from buying most of my Halloween decorations to expand our assortment of ghoulishness I found a few diy projects. 

Since we don't have nearly enough decorations for inside as out, I got creative. I remembered that I had an old deck of tarot cards (been having them since highschool) grabbed some black felt large enough for our round coffee table, and while searching high an low for the cards stumbled across an old brass candle holder that Sean had and a pillar candle that I bought recently. So all I did was lay out the felt, place the cards on the felt( 7 lined face up and the rest face down spread out), placed the candle holder and candle on the table and presto simple diy creepy Halloween fortune ( or misfortune) telling table complete ( as pictured above with effects added).The only thing I'm missing is a crystal ball:) 

My next diy project was a ghost :

I used a styrofoam head

Cheese  4 large layers of cloth 

Glue

Modgepodge

eyeshadow

Fishing line

Basically, you glue the cheesecloth to the styrofoam head in a cross pattern. One strip unfolded goes on from the front of the head to the back. The next strip goes on from ear to ear. Next you glue on the two other strips where there is room on too of the head. Let glue dry. Then cover the head and face with the modgepodge. Once dry attach the fishing line through the top of the head for hanging. Finally add eyeshadow to the eyes and highlight the nose, cheeks and chin and add color to the lips. Let dry completely and you're ready to hang.

My next project was the guest bathroom:) 

While the shower curtain, the toilet cover, and the mirror cling are obviously store bought, the bathmat and guest towels are painted by hand..... Literally. 

I saw the bathmat done up and for sale for 27.00. That was way too much to pay for a bathmat. So I went to dollar general and picked up a bathmat for 6.00. Already had the red acrylic paint and also purchased the towels for about 2.00 a piece. All we had to do was put the red paint on our hands and feet and go to town:) so we did. I was also able to make a tablecloth for our outdoor BBQ table the same way using a plastic tablecloth we got for a dollar at dollar general. These are great for adding a bit of gory slasher fun that kinda has a very Norman bates feel to it ;) 

My other favorite, is "mr. Creeper". 

He's almost as simple as the bathroom. All we used for him was an upright wooden coat rack, Sean's old black cowboy duster, some old shirts and rags for stuffing and an old goofy mask. Really anyone can make mr. Creeper. He's actually one of the best props we have at Sweeney manor. 

Halloween lantern

A quick inexpensive way to light your path on Halloween. Mason jars are so versitle they can be used in so many ways. We had done some mason jar lanterns for sky's 12th birthday as part of her Rustic themed birthday party a couple years ago and I've decided to repurpose them for Halloween. 

All you need is mason jars

Copper wire

Votive or tea light candles (flame or flame less)

Water color paint

Wrap the copper wire around the top of the mason jar creating a handle.

Use red paint to create the blood drip on the jar

Let dry and place the candle inside and you're done. 

Super simple lantern for Halloween either for the little ones to carry on their hunt for treats on dark Halloween nights (for this use led candles) or to light a pathway. 

Simple Halloween decoration

All you need for this cool decoration is some Spanish moss and two ravens or crows. 

Take the Spanish moss and create a nest around the chandelier or wherever you're using it and then attach the ravens or crows with floral wire to make them stand up. 

Simple, quick, and super easy:) 

Quick and easy pumpkin bread

Makes two loaves.

3 cups of sugar

1 cup of cooking oil

4 eggs

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

11/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2/3 cups water

1 15 ounce can pumpkin

Grease the bottom and sides of two 9x5x3 inch loaf pans and set aside.

In a very large mixing bowl beat sugar and oil with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add eggs and beat well. Set aside. 

In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Alternately add flour mix and water to sugar mixture beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Beat in pumpkin. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 55-65 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

Cool in pans until completely cool. Remove from pans and serve

Halloween preparations

It's never too early to plan for a Halloween party or to welcome the changing of the seasons. 

This year we are hosting our first annual Halloween party on the farm. If we had thought of it sooner I would've started planing back in July, but as it goes we're starting now. Since this is our first Halloween party on the farm we're starting off kind of small..... Meaning lots of people and a small amount of decorations. 

Since Halloween is about fun and mischief and things that go bump in the night...for most people ,We've decided the creepier the better:) but we have not forgotten the more traditional reasons for Halloween. It's a time to honor our loved ones that have past and to include them in our gatherings on Halloween. It's also a time to welcome the fall and ask for blessings over our crops and livestock to be fruitful in the coming year. 

With all of that in mind we're incorporating a little bit of everything into out Halloween festivities this year.

 A quick and very easy DIY decoration 

Idea that can be used year round and can incorporate any season, mine are in honor of the coming fall,are homemade broomsticks;) 

I happened to see this cool little set of very long dried grass and wood chip flowers and decided it would make a perfect broom and started looking around for a "broom stick" and found these twisted bamboo looking sticks which went perfectly. 

Basically to make the broom all you need is:

Twine

Something stick like that is sterdy 

Long grass or very fine wooden sticks

And flowers

To make the broom place the bouquet on top of the sticks and bind the very top of the bouquet onto the sticks with the twine tying the twine into a knot to secure it. Next take a small length of twine and tie it to the top of the stick making a loop for a hanger. Super simple and takes all of 10 minute to make. 

Most craft stores should have similar bouquets like the one pictured above and those fun long twisty sticks used in floral arrangements. 

Another cool decoration idea, if you have a fireplace, is candles. I found some black candle holders at hobby lobby that have that antique rustic look to them and some deep red pillar candles. 

These give an elegant touch to any fireplace, but on Halloween with a little cobwebing it'll have a creepy yet elegant feel. 

When decorating for a Halloween party it never hurts to use your own furniture in the creepy decor. For example if you have an old grandfather clock like we do 

( kind of odd to have a grandfather clock in a mobile home, but then again I've always called this place my doublewide mansion.) feel free to put cobwebs all over that bad boy, and don't forget to add some to the inside ( provided it's not so old that your fiancé who is sometimes like a bull in a china store hasn't broken the key in two and you can still open the clock). Also winged back chairs and even lazy boys can be made to look creepy so use them. 

 

I've also ordered a couple of animated props from spirithalloween.com

This website has everything for a perfect Halloween party. Personally we had to have the animated antique doll that roams around and because my daughter loves to "sew" her mouth shut (just a fun little creepy makeup thing she's come up with using string and glue) we also had to have the evil rag doll that  consequently sews her mouth. 

I also found a three tiered planter that I will be using as a food tray and as a centerpiece for the table. 

It was one of those things that you're not looking for and happen to find that just happens to be perfect for Halloween, but can be used even for a southern springtime tea party when dressed up with some bright flowers. 

The next thing is food... What to serve your guests. 

This year I will be making pumpkin bread as one of my finger foods. Pumpkin bread just screams fall and Halloween and oddly enough thanksgiving. 

The recipe I use makes two loaves and is super simple. I'll put this recipe, and other recipes I mention  up in another post. 

The next thing I will be serving is a bat ball. Basically it's a cheese ball with blue tortilla chips for wings and olives for eyes. I don't currently have a picture of this but I will post one closer to Halloween. 

We will have finger sandwiches,a veggie tray, and some devilish deviled eggs. 

Since we have a pile of logs that need to be gotten rid of we're also planning to have a bonfire complete with hot dogs and toasted marshmellows. Along with whatever other creepy goodies I can come up with:) 

Hope this gives all of my wonderful readers some good ideas for any fall and Halloween preparations this year :)