{"id":25084,"date":"2012-12-09T23:13:03","date_gmt":"2012-12-10T04:13:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/?p=25084"},"modified":"2018-12-13T20:53:15","modified_gmt":"2018-12-14T01:53:15","slug":"tea-time-linens-bertha-and-elf-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/2012\/12\/09\/tea-time-linens-bertha-and-elf-fun\/","title":{"rendered":"Tea Time Linens, Bertha, and Elf Fun"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scroll down for Elf fun.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

one of a set of six hand embroidered mats<\/p><\/div>\n

It’s a smile a minute around here with all of the Christmas activities.\u00c2\u00a0 Of course, most of the festivities focus on our grandchildren.\u00c2\u00a0 On a recent visit, 8 year old Laurel pointed out that we hadn’t had tea for sometime,\u00c2\u00a0 so how about now?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Laurel and Robert who are not<\/em><\/strong> discussing politics, religion or their health<\/p><\/div>\n

Tea time is a good opportunity to use some of the pretty antique tea linens I have accumulated.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I pulled them out in a hurry and didn’t get an elaborate set up.\u00c2\u00a0 I’ve learned that lengthy preparations can kill a child’s enthusiasm for an event.<\/p>\n

At least, it kills Robert’s enthusiasm.\u00c2\u00a0 He’d like to get down to the goodies and hot chocolate (he doesn’t do tea) ASAP. Laurel, however, would have been happy to cut flowers for a table\u00c2\u00a0 arrangement, make place cards, bake tea cakes and invite guests.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There are so many opportunities for instruction when having tea with them.\u00c2\u00a0 On this occasion, the spoons we used are engraved with “Bertha,” my great-grandmother’s name.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For variety, two patterns were used for the spoons as well as\u00c2\u00a0 the tea napkins.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Bertha is engraved on the handle<\/p><\/div>\n

As I shared stories and memories of her, it was obvious that they could hardly imagine that I actually\u00c2\u00a0 knew<\/em> some one who was\u00c2\u00a0 born 135 years ago.<\/p>\n

We talked about how different her life was from ours, how cars and telephones were new inventions in her time. And Laurel wondered why anyone wanted her name engraved on her silver.\u00c2\u00a0 Robert wondered if they had marshmallows and whipped cream back then.<\/p>\n

Then conversation shifted to Grandma Berls, the original owner of the fine china tea set.\u00c2\u00a0 She was the mother of Rebecca’s godmother who was an only child with no children.\u00c2\u00a0 So “Grandma” Berls, who was absolutely born to be a grandmother, doted on my Ryan and Rebecca as her grandchildren.\u00c2\u00a0 Robert and Laurel loved hearing stories about their father and Aunt Rebecca sneaking up to Grandma Berls house early in the morning and hanging May baskets on her door knob.<\/p>\n

This dear woman, who looked like a Weight Watchers version of Mrs. Claus, always managed to step out to get her paper moments after they had hidden\u00c2\u00a0 themselves behind the azalea bushes.\u00c2\u00a0 After admiring the May basket flowers and discovering the giggling children, she always invited them in for milk and cookies, which just happened to be hot out of the oven—at 7 a.m. !<\/p>\n

It was a sweet memory for me and another glimpse into their father’s childhood for the children.<\/p>\n

Discussion of the linens with their surface embroidery and cutwork interested Laurel.\u00c2\u00a0 Robert lost interest in the tea party when the chocolate chip pumpkin bread was all gone.<\/p>\n

Fun, fun, fun.\u00c2\u00a0 And then there was more.<\/p>\n

Elf on the Shelf Fun<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The children spent the weekend with us and could hardly sleep wondering what Peter, their personal Elf on the Shelf, would be up to in the morning.\u00c2\u00a0 This is what they found.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It was so much fun to download elf pictures from the internet. The frames were left over place card favors<\/a> from Rebecca’s wedding.<\/p>\n

Peter’s message to them brought this hurried response.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>On their next visit they were introduced to Peter’s Elf family.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Peter’s cousins with bios.\u00c2\u00a0 Peter’s message reads, “Meet my family!\u00c2\u00a0 If you would like to take their pictures home with you, it’s okay.\u00c2\u00a0 Maybe\u00c2\u00a0 they will\u00c2\u00a0 remind you to be good.”<\/p><\/div>\n

I had soooo much fun creating a life for each of the photos.\u00c2\u00a0 Here are a few of their stories.<\/p>\n

Earl<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0 is another very young elf.\u00c2\u00a0 He likes Christmas cookies and candy and always wants to come along to visit the children\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s houses.\u00c2\u00a0 One time he came along and ate parts of a gingerbread house on the dining room table.\u00c2\u00a0 He nibbled on the marshmallow snowman,\u00c2\u00a0 swallowed the peppermints from the front walk and ate a whole caramel chimney.\u00c2\u00a0 Then he barfed on the way back to the North Pole and was sick all the next day.\u00c2\u00a0 He isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t allowed to come along again until he is older.<\/em><\/p>\n

Buster<\/strong> is so full of hot air that he was in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.\u00c2\u00a0 He keeps and eye on the children who are watching from the side of the street at the curb.\u00c2\u00a0 Buster talks too much and doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what he is talking about.\u00c2\u00a0 Sometimes he burps.\u00c2\u00a0 Sometimes he toots.\u00c2\u00a0 That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what happens when you have too much hot air.<\/em><\/p>\n

My cousin Elmer Elph<\/strong> always wants to be different.\u00c2\u00a0 He wears a green suit, different from the red suits all\u00c2\u00a0 the other elves wear.\u00c2\u00a0 He ends his name with \u00e2\u20ac\u0153ph\u00e2\u20ac\u009d instead of\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153f\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.”\u00c2\u00a0 And he is the only elf who likes brussel sprouts, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153because they are green,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 he says.\u00c2\u00a0 But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s okay to be different.\u00c2\u00a0 He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s family so we love him.<\/em><\/p>\n

Robert and Laurel have divided up the Elf family and set up the photos on their dressers.\u00c2\u00a0 I hope it does, in fact, remind them to be good.<\/p>\n

If any readers would like to duplicate this elf family caper, I’d be happy to share the bios.\u00c2\u00a0 Ask for bios in a comment and I will post them.\u00c2\u00a0 Happy Elfing!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Scroll down for Elf fun. It’s a smile a minute around here with all of the Christmas activities.\u00c2\u00a0 Of course, most of the festivities focus on our grandchildren.\u00c2\u00a0 On a recent visit, 8 year old Laurel pointed out that we … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":25091,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[39,63,32],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25084"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25084"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38315,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25084\/revisions\/38315"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}