Historic Boone Tavern Hotel in our small town of Berea Kentucky, has long been famous for spoonbread. It is so well-known and enjoyed here that we have a Spoonbread Festival each year. 
The family is ready for the battle between the blue and the orange. GJ and AJ have on their Kentucky Blue, the daughter is in neutral white and the SIL has toned down his Tennessee Orange a bit to go tailgating with his extended family of Kentucky Wildcat fans. I'm sure he will be fully decked out in orange before the 7 pm game. It is a perfect day for football.
Have you seen these cute tea things at Hobby Lobby? 
No trip for me could be complete without visiting a tea room for afternoon tea. My friends graciously agreed to go to the tea room of my choice, so we drove north from Myrtle Beach to Calabash, NC. Our destination was the Calabash Garden Tea Room where we enjoyed their "Ultimate Tea."
Each of us chose a different pot of tea. I had the Queen Catherine blend, Patty had the Hot Cinnamon Sunset, Ticky chose the Ragamuffin blend and Barb chose a coconut flavored Rooibos. Our "Ultimate Tea" service began with a tomato bisque soup. And, was followed by the Spring Mix Tea Garden Salad with Secret Dressing.
The three tier server arrived with Egg Salad on swirled rye/pumpernickel triangles, Waldorf Salad in phyllo shells, Pimiento Cheese on open faced pumpernickel rounds garnished with an olive slice, Cucumber Dill on white bread rounds, Cinnamon Raisin Bread with maple cream cheese spread, and a Ribbon Sandwich on white bread squares with a cheese filling. The Chocolate Chip Scones were served with Mock Devonshire Cream with a touch of almond flavoring. The desserts were a Fruit Kabob of a red grape, blackberry and a green grape drizzled with white chocolate, a chocolate dipped strawberry garnished with grated coconut, Almond Crumb Cake (a gooey concoction) and a very tasty Pumpkin Pie Square garnished with whipped cream.
Here we are, the "girls in the pearls." We all purchased long strands of pearls on one of our many shopping trips and decided afternoon tea was the place to wear them.
After tea time, we shopped at the quaint shops surrounding the tea room, then more shopping in Myrtle Beach. Our week in Myrtle Beach was definitely a "shop til you drop" experience.
My family and I visited the Myrtle Beach area many times during the 1980's, often twice a year. The daughters were young and spending time on the beach was a priority. During all those visits, we passed by the entrance to Brookgreen Gardens many times, but I had never visited until this trip. Founded in 1931, it is a beautifully landscaped area featuring sculptures by American and international artists. The "old" girlfriends are standing amid a display of scarecrows from a recent decorating contest. We enjoyed our visit and tour on a glorious sunny day.
There are seven of the"old" girlfriends who have been making a point to get together on a regular basis since our 50th birthday year (a few years ago). To celebrate this year's birthdays and the retirement of two of the school teachers, four of us traveled to Myrtle Beach for a week of fun, laughter, shopping, eating out, watching chick flicks every night, and did I mention shopping!?!
Have you seen the packages of Cheerios with a free book inside? 
There are five different books inside boxes of Cheerios this year. I purchased the box of Cheerios with TEA FOR RUBY by Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. I already have this book, but couldn't resist this small paperback to add to my collection of children's tea books. 
It is time for a Giveaway! The items included in this Giveaway are: the recipe booklet of the recipes used at Tea Time With Berea Health Ministry, a generous sample of Harney's Queen Catherine Tea I served at the event, a teapot shaped measuring tape, the favor we gave each of the guests, a small teacup design 2010 magnetic calendar, a 4 oz. jar of Vanilla Bean & Lavender Sugar, a Kentucky product from Shell-Bee's Gourmet Sea Salts & Spices, I purchased at a local craft fair yesterday and a few surprises. 
102 Years of Progress Club, depicts the history of the Berea Progress Club, Berea's oldest civic club. This table was decorated and hosted by Dinah T. and Violet F. Each place setting is different, therefore representing different eras over the past 100 years for women in style, entertainment and attitude. It begins with the time women had no vote to the present time of disposable dishes (paper plate place setting). The guests at this table are members of the Progress Club and are dressed to reflect an era from 1907 to 2009. 
Karen L. hosted and decorated Simply Christmas using dishes that belonged to her mother. She decorated "simply" with red, white, and gold. Karen, is the Vice President of the Berea Health Ministry board of directors and served as our emcee and a very valuable member of the tea committee. 
Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue, Support the Health Ministry, It Depends on You! table was hosted and decorated by multi-talented, tea committee member, Valette J. She is a hobby water color artist and presented each of her guests with a floral painting at each place (see photos). .jpg)
Today we remember our Veterans. My father-in-law (above) and my dad (below). Both were World War II veterans who served their country 1941 - 1944. .jpg)
Autumn Harvest was hosted and decorated by Joyce M., a valuable member of our tea committee. She also made sandwiches and provided several other items for the tea.
I decorated A Teddy Bear Tea for some of our volunteers to be able to sit at and enjoy tea after hours of food preparation and serving. I used various tea-themed Teddy Bears from my collection and a pink boa gathered as the centerpiece. The china is actually Johnson Brothers everyday dishes made in England. I picked up the vintage pink napkins at an antique shop in Cookeville, TN several years ago. The chairs are draped with pink and white boas. I wanted to show our hostesses and guests a whimsical and practical theme they could share with children.
Dr. Cora Fletcher, founder and president of the Berea Health Ministry, hosted and decorated two tables, Welcome to the Fall, above, and Join Me for Tea, below. Fall is Cora's favorite season of the year. The Blue Danube China was a wedding gift.
