Wishing You All...

May we all have a Happy, Bright, Creative and Prosperous 2012!

I will be doing my visiting to say hello to most of my blog friends tomorrow!

With hugs,

Betty

(I know this is a bit of a low-key celebration of what I hope will be a great year, so if you are in the mood for more festivities, please see my post from New Year's Eve last year! xoxo)

The Illusionist and His Assistant...

...my new Etsy Treasury...

A Wish for All of Friends of The Tearoom...

Wishing a Merry Christmas and a Most Happy Holiday Season to all of our lovely friends all over the world!

You are our angels.

Betty & Victor

A Christmas Fairy Tale...

It is Christmas Eve.
And still,
snow swirls past our windowsill in silky silence.

You’ve not a care in the world, Dear Ones.
In our comfy nest of pillows, Mommy tucks us into bed.

Our little hands hold her most special espresso cups,
filled with rich hot chocolate.
The sweet steam tantalizes our noses and warms our faces.
“Please sip carefully, so as not to spill," reminds Mommy.


What a special treat it is to drink
hot chocolate in bed while Mommy reads to us
this Christmas Eve night!
As we snuggle closer together in the bed
(oh! there is the hot water bottle at your feet, you selfish thing!),
miraculous tales unfold.
There are no surprises,
as we know all the stories by heart.
Our eyes lose their battle with sleep and
we find ourselves boarding that Aeroship of Slumber,
which will rise into The Aether of Dreams.

Our fellow passengers accompany us there...




...the Red Riding Hoods,
Fairy Princesses
and
Maids in Distress.

But worry not, the prince in never far behind...




....and just when you thought Mommy was done,
she reads more stories of princes and princesses...

(the empty cups are gently taken from our hands,
so as not to wake us...)

Our Mommy is a clever one, she is!
She has lured us to our slumber,
knowing that Santa will only visit while you are sleeping...

...Is it sleighbells you hear?
Is it the prancing of reindeer hoofs on the roof?
The sliding down the chimney of that Wonderful Dear Santa?
The shuffling of his big black boots as he fills your stockings
with all of the treats you like the best?
Go back to sleep, Dear Ones.
All is quiet again as Santa partakes of the yummy snack
you have left for him!
Mommy knew he would be cold,
so she has left a large serving of the hot chocolate for him in the samovar,
where it will stay warm for a while.
She has also left some of those cookies that we helped her to make today.




Happy Christmas to you, my Dear Ones.
"...and to all, a Good Night!"

Snow White and Rose Red Christmas Tea

It's Christmas and the snowflakes fall without sound outside...
Inside, we are cozy, warm and safe.

It's so fun when it is just you and I
having tea together here,
but it really is a bit of an extra treat
to see so many friends here in The Tearoom tonight.


Welcome back, Dear Friends,
to the refuge of our imaginations.
Real Life is turned away at the door tonight.


And what for tea?
Only just a few jewel-like treats...

(Since it is a virtual tea,
we may be as extravagant as we wish.
It is Christmas, after all.)



Of course, there is tea....
I love Christmas, but I love Spring and Summer and more.
So, I could not resist selecting the Summer Blend Tea
from Betjeman & Barton of Paris
(Those beautiful citrus flavors will perfectly complement
the other treats
and remind us that
warm weather will be with us again soon...

...and a Buche de Nöel
(this one is called "Ella"
from The House of Pierre Hermé),
all shiny and crimson
with the flavors of red berries,
lemon
and
olive oil.


....and a most beautiful and savory treat,
a Lobster and Asparagus Charlotte
from The House of Dalloyau

(I'm not certain who has invited the squirrels,
but all are welcome here.
Of course it would be rude
not to provide a treat for them,
as well as all of the other
sweet and furry ones who are visiting)

The Secret Chef of The Tearoom
has quickly whipped up some little round
nut biscuits for the squirrels,
bone-shaped peanut-butter biscuits for Twisby
(the sweet whippet who is the companion
of Lady Tweaze-Whickle,
seen arriving at the party in the first
of the pictures of the guests),
and fish-shaped salmon biscuits for
our own Dear Dapple.



More of our Dear Friends, chatting with each other...

My Aunt Hazel once told me
that if a squirrel takes something from you,
they leave something in return.

And look...

What polite guests they were!



Thank you so much for taking the time to visit today.
Mr. V and I are wishing you and your family
a beautiful Christmas and Holiday Season.

(Please check back tomorrow as there will be one more treat....
Please wear your most comfy jammies
and bring your favorite friend...)

Worry Not, Dear Ones...

Santa will still be coming to The Tearoom this year. Even Real Life cannot stop him.

Promise.

For My Father....

Dearest Friends,
In more sad news from Real Life, my father passed yesterday morning.

He is at peace and we are grateful.

We did not always understand each other, but he is now in a place where all is understood and forgiven.

Above is a moment of happiness from a Christmas before I was born, found in my mother's locket.

Good-bye Daddy.

An Invitation...

...more lovely surprises to come...