Tea Party Time

Once again the population of the Pride Household will increase, temporarily.  Katie's cousin, Mackenzie is staying with us for week. 

For her first full day here at Casa Pride, we had a super fancy tea party.  Usually I have these in the backyard, where only a few neighbors can witness my over the top craziness (though a few already suspect).  But sadly, the weeds have taken over the appointed tea party area.  I didn't feel like cleaning up first, so I opted for having the party in the front yard, under the shade of our beautiful oak tree.

The girls didn't mind being in the front yard.  In fact, they were hoping some of the neighbors would come over and join them.  We thought for a moment that Miss Jackie's chihuahuas might come on over, but they were suspicious and ran back home.

Miss Christy joined us, though, driving all the way from her home in the Pendleton area.  In fact, both of the cakes are compliments of her.  She stopped on her way, because we all know that no tea party is complete without CAKE.  She assisted me with getting all the food staged and carried outside (thanks!!!!) and most importantly, took photos with me.  I can't wait to see hers.



The girls were all smiles, despite the warm temperatures outside.  Kids rarely seem to mind the hot weather.  We did have to keep an eye on the cakes, though.  I didn't want a repeat of Katie's Curious George birthday when a large section of her ice cream cake melted away into a puddle of sticky sweetness.  The dogs were in heaven that day, as we commissioned them to assist in the clean up of the patio floor.



As you can see in this photo, I FINALLY finished my tea cup chandelier project.  It turned out really cute and Paul placed a secure hook in a large branch of our oak tree so that I can hang it outside anytime that I want.  The girls appear to be debating what to eat next.

In this photo, Katie is reaching for the red raspberries stuffed with white chocolate chips.  If you've never had these, I highly recommend them.  There is something divine about the flavors of the two mixed together.  It takes a little bit of time to put them together, but so worth it.

The girls really enjoyed drinking their cold raspberry lemonade, in lieu of hot tea.  During summers like ours, only cold beverages are really appropriate outside.

Katie is having a great summer so far, visiting and being visited by her Ohio cousins.