Tea Party Tuesday * What to Wear for Tea

Welcome to Tea Party Tuesday! Does anyone remember "come-as-you-are" parties? We used to do them all the time. They were so much fun! 

One time our WMU (Women's Missionary Union) had a "come-as-you-are" breakfast at my house as a kick-off for a mission study.  I collected women in aprons stained with spaghetti sauce, in hair rollers (now I'm dating myself), and in pajamas. 

Just for today, I thought we'd have a "come-as-you-are" time together and comment on what we're wearing. As you can see by the above photo, this is someone's idea of what to wear if we were going out somewhere, but what about now?

I'm wearing a black tee-shirt, baby blue jeans, and tan leather flip flops. No make-up, and hair clipped back with a barrette.

What about you? 

If Jillian were going for tea, usually at a resort, she'd wear a skirt or slacks. She would not wear jeans, unless she was at a dude ranch - and then there probably wouldn't be any afternoon tea!

It's funny -- sometimes I get a review telling me descriptions of what Jillian and her friends are wearing are unnecessary, and then another reader will say how much they enjoy reading such details. All I can do is write from my heart, and my heart says to live in my books the way I like to live in real life.

What do you like best? Settings, scenery, interesting characters (including what they wear) or plot?

Thanks for joining me today. Now we can enjoy our tea! 

~Nancy Jill

Tea Party Tuesday - A Winner is Announced!

Welcome to Tea Party Tuesday, everyone - I hope you'll take a few moments after we've had our tea to explore the site. You may find something you like.

Let me pour you a nice cup of tea. Milk? Sugars? This plum tea cake looked perfect for our time together.

The contest for reaching 1,000 likes on my Facebook Author Page culminated in a bit of drama last night.

When the counter was at 999, a friend of mine in Idaho called her daughter and asked her to like my page, which she did.

Then, someone (accidentally, I'm sure) unliked the 1,000th like and sent me back to 999! 

Oh, woe is me! I was so discouraged. Have you ever had one of those days?

A friend tried coming to my rescue and asked his followers to like my page. Well, the counter went backward because if someone has liked my page, not remembering they already liked, and hits the like button again, it can delete the first like.

More people on Facebook joined in until the number of likes finally went over 1,000.

Meanwhile, when I initially reached 1,000 likes, gung-ho me immediately entered the last 20 likes into a drawing and selected a winner. I had Sarah Elizabeth McRae's book ordered and on it's way before the number went back down to 999.

Congratulations, Sarah of Juneau, Alaska! She choose "The Long Trip Home" as her prize.

May I refill your cup? 



I think this photo says it all.

Thanks for joining me today, and a big thank you to all who liked my author page. I hope you have a splendid week, devoid of drama like mine!

Cheers!

~Nancy Jill 

Tea Party Tuesday

How many of you have a life that seems to be whizzing past? I believe we could all use a nice cup of tea and some yummy cookies. So welcome to Tea Party Tuesday!

Photo Courtesy Dianne Sherrill

As I rush about trying to keep up with household chores, preparing dinner, and keeping up with an extended family of sixteen, I wonder how others cope. 

I hear stories of people raising grandchildren, dealing with serious illnesses and surgeries, and finding ways to make ends meet when a breadwinner loses their job.

The only comfort I can take is placing my trust in God our heavenly father.  

As I study the Bible and worship with other believers each Sunday, I've learned to take one day at a time, do the best I can, and rest from my labors at least one day a week. 

Sometimes I like to stretch it to two days a week. When I do, the following week goes by much more productively. And that's one of the reasons I enjoy spending time with you during Tea Party Tuesday. 

Afternoon tea doesn't have to be complicated. A cup of tea and a few cookies can do quite nicely. You might want to try the chocolate covered shortbread if you haven't all ready. I've even found these at WalMart.  

 My mother-in-law used to buy WalMart's lemon filled and raspberry filled cookies that were to die for! You can also get your store's own brand.

CVS'S Version

Safeway's Brand

Afternoon tea, so much a part of the British culture, is also a wonderful time to take a break and rest from the day's activities. When we connect, the comments I receive act like a tonic of pure energy . 

This week I'm determined to finish the rewrite of "The Long Trip Home" Book 8 in the Jillian and Teddy books, because Sunday, we celebrate our youngest daughter's engagement. What a happy time we look forward to!

I hope you have a pleasant week and join me again next Tuesday for a lovely break together.

If you have another favorite store bought cookie, I'd love it if you'd share!

~Nancy Jill

Tea Party Tuesday

Special on the menu today - Starbucks Vanilla Bean Scones.

Click for the Recipe!

One of my favorite things to do with my granddaughters is having afternoon tea. We drink tea at their house (they live in California, I live in Texas), throw tea parties for the neighborhood kids, and visit tea rooms in the Bay Area.

I highly recommend the Camellia Tea Room in Benecia, California where my granddaughter and I visited. On a nice day they serve tea outside in front of the shop. We especially enjoy the variety of tea choices and find it hard to resist buying some to take home. Be sure and call for reservations if you plan to go.

Have you noticed a resurgence in the interest in afternoon tea? (Besides the political tea party, I mean.) I have. Business people are choosing afternoon tea meetings instead of the proverbial lunch and many cozy mysteries are based on tea. Laura Childs, for one, writes the Tea Shop Mysteries.

Click if you want to check it out.

Pinterest, a popular social network, is full of tea images that I find hard to resist. It seems I'm always looking for more images and sites to add to my Afternoon Tea board. I'd love to have you follow my pins. 

While you're there, you might want to check out the other boards I created. There is one for my Jillian and Teddy Books and if you scroll down you'll find a board for each individual book. 

Every story I write has afternoon tea included. I hope you take advantage of reading  Book 1 "Murder in Half Moon Bay" as a free gift.

My Free Gift to You

This is my way of introducing readers to The Jillian Bradley Mystery Series where I get to write about the lovely places I've been and the afternoon teas I've enjoyed, along with a good whodunnit, of course!

Thank you for joining me today. It was such a pleasure!

~Nancy Jill

Tea Party Tuesday

Welcome to Tea Party Tuesday, dear readers. Let me pour you a nice cup of hot tea.

Milk? Sugars? 

Today I'm serving Lemon Lift. I find it refreshing and appropriate for Spring!

 

The photo above is from Hotel Granduca in Houston. The article I found on their site was about the History of Afternoon Tea and Tea Etiquette 101. I was familiar with the facts but differed on one point. 

When I visited England, I was told milk was added first, then the tea and sugar. The tradition was based on trying to prevent the cup from cracking. The milk acted as a buffer for the hot tea.

What are your thoughts?

Please have a sandwich. I don't care for smoked salmon but the cucumber one looks good. What are your favorites?

Last week I took a rest from writing the first draft of "The Long Trip Home" but will now start the rewrite, adding more description and detail.

This past weekend, my husband and I made a visit to San Antonio to see our daughter and plan the next Jillian Bradley Mystery. Holly helped choose names for the characters, which was a great help.

Let's try the scones. I love to spread them with lemon curd and clotted cream, but strawberry jam or orange marmalade are lovely, too.

 

May I refill your cup?

The pastries look delicious!

I hope you had a good week. Thanks for joining me today - it was a pleasure to have you.

See you next week!

~Nancy Jill