Granddaughter Tea Time!

My girls are so blessed to have an incredible, feminine, godly grandmother!  Today she is having her traditional grandmother tea with all her granddaughters and her mother, their great-grandmother.  

Here is a link to her recent blog article looking forward to today's event.  

And here, she tells about this favorite tradition of hers.  Thank you, Mom, for being so dedicated to making beautiful memories!

Coffee and Tea

Now that the temperatures are dropping enough for it to really feel like fall, I'm enjoying a daily cup of coffee or tea. After pretty much staying away from a lot of caffeine during my last pregnancy and then for nursing, I had almost forgotten what an indulgence a warm mug in hand can be.

In my new life of having two "tiny ones" around while homeschooling three "big ones" I have been searching for my new me-time activity. What used to be quiet afternoons (the kids stole away to play together) and evenings with my husband (the kids went to their rooms early to read before bed), has been replaced by a pretty mug filled with a yummy hot drink at my desk while helping Andrew with his math. The leap to 5 kiddos and one of them now being a teen has somehow made any quiet moment a very rare thing.

So, the addition of the coffee cup to my daily tasks makes me feel like I'm sneaking in a little grown-up time without ever leaving a room full of my sweethearts. Silly, I know, but these are some of the things I think about lately when I'm taking a breather from thinking about politics and theology... brain crash? I just don't feel nearly smart enough to blog about those, though. I end up sharing my silly thoughts on my me-time!

My favorites right now: Constant Comment tea and Starbucks organic coffee (freshly ground, thanks to a gift from my sister... a Starbucks grinder... love it!!!)

Tea with Grandma

My girls went to Grandma's annual "Tea with the Grandma" today. Yes, my mother is one of those inspiring, Godly women who speaks with grace, lives the renewed life, and has many tea parties. Someday I want to grow up to be like my mom! Each year, for many years now, she has had a summer tea with all of her granddaughters and her mom, their great-grandmother, too. This year two more little ones joined the group since they are now 3 years old, which is official big girl tea party age. In a world full of dysfunction and broken relationships, it fills my heart with gratefulness when I realize what a blessing a godly heritage is!

To be able to be trained up in the feminine way by not only your mother, but Grandmother and Great Grandmother is so precious. I want my girls to love being girls! God made us so distinctly different from our male counterparts. And that difference is something worth noticing and celebrating. Each girl was dressed in her Sunday best today, walking to the table like little ladies after posing for a few pictures. Looking our very feminine best, getting all dressed up, and doing lovely things is so satisfying. God created us to love beautiful things.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. (Philippians 4:8)

My mother takes such care to make every sandwich, cookie, and bread with spread perfect for serving. And then she models how to serve, by caring for each of their needs at the table. Isn't pouring tea for someone you love a wonderful act of service? I know there are far more impacting ways to serve. But hostessing with your best china, in your best dress, sharing your best recipes is a beautiful picture of feminine service with grace and love. My girls may not realize until they are well into their adult years, what a treasure they had that as little girls, their grandmas had them for tea.