Fairytale Tea

A tea house we have attended a few times this year scheduled a Fairytale tea for today. Marina and I were looking forward to it. We decided to wear our costumes from the new Frozen movie.

When we arrived we were greeted by Olaf. The tea parts was an intimate gathering of mothers and daughters. Most of the girls were small, but Marina didn’t mind. At first we were served a plate of decorative sweets. But eventually they brought out sandwiches. Marina was of course thrilled when they brought out the cucumber sandwiches. After we ate, we took turns taking photos in front of their Christmas tree. It was a short party, but we’d had fun.

Alice in Wonderland Haunted Tea

This summer, Marina and I tried a new tea room for their Cinderella Tea. Marina really wanted to go back for their Alice in Wonderland Haunted Tea scheduled for this weekend. Our friend Christiane, who hasn’t seen Marina in a while, loves Alice in Wonderland and decided to join us.

We all decided to dress up for the tea. Marina wore her new Alice costume, Christiane dressed in the Cheshire Cat tutu with ears and I was the Queen of Hearts. It was a snowy day, but fortunately the roads were clear. I was able to find a parking place close by and we arrived a bit early for tea.

The “haunted library” created for the tea was outside. So, unfortunately we didn’t get to have tea there. Instead we were taken to a table inside the tea room on the second floor. We were served by staff dressed as Alice characters. Many of the other guests were also dressed up. We had a great time taking photos with each other.

The tea was a special blend with a berry flavor. We had to wait a while for our food, but it was worth it when it arrived. We each had four mini sandwiches – roast beef, turkey, egg salad and cucumber – and a whole bunch of sweets including brownies, lemon bars, cream puffs, macarons and caramels. We were full pretty quickly.

Before we left, we went outside to look at the “haunted library” set up. It was really cool and we would have loved to sit there, but we’d had a fun time inside as well.

Birthday Renaissance

Going to the Renaissance Festival is something we do every summer. We invited Marina's best friend to join us. And to top it off, today was her birthday!

The girls both dressed up for the festival. Marina wore her Anastasia dress. We left the house early but unfortunately we ran into a huge traffic jam. We ended up arriving in Larkspur an hour after the festival began.

We went immediately to the jousting field to catch the first joust. We saw Sir William was not jousting again this year. So we cheered for Sir Duncan. After the joust was over we approached Sir William on his horse and talked with him for a few minutes.

Once we left the jousting area, we browsed the shops. The girls were both most interested in the jewelry stores. Along the way, we met up with many well dressed people who we stopped to take photos with. Marina was particularly excited to see a young man dressed as Link. Marina's friend wanted to take an elephant ride. So we made our way to that part of the festival. The line wasn’t too long and they got to take their ride.

We went to the Pavilion to see some actors we know. Marina was pleased that Princess Erin was there as well. As we were getting ready to go to lunch, a loud clap of thunder shocked us. It was followed by heavy rain. We took shelter in the Pavilion for nearly an hour until it passed. When the weather cleared we picked up turkey legs for lunch and settled on the jousting field to eat them and watch the afternoon joust.

After the joust, we met Opal, the new fairy. Then we went to see the Vodca Family, a belly dancing act.We found seats close to the stage and before the show started, we saw a dancer we know. She spoke with us briefly before and after the show. The show was funny and the dancing was quite impressive.
 
As soon as the show was done, we went straight to the chapel for the knighting ceremony. We had missed the first part, but Queen Anne was still there. She greeted Marina with a warm hug before she and the King knighted the girls. The royal court even sang a short birthday song for her friend.

Next on the agenda was the Princess Tea party. On the way, we managed to find the unicorn and take photos. We went to the jousting field for the Princess Party. We were thrilled that Queen Anne was able to join us. Marina was introduced as their special friend. The skit the cast performed this year was particularly funny.

After the tea party, it was time for the final joust. We picked up snacks at Friar Tuck’s Bakery before we found our seats. The joust was fun and our Knight, Sir Duncan, won. As we headed out, the girls wanted to go on the pirate ship ride. From there we went to the main gate. There, we got a chance to talk with Sir William for a while. The other jousters joined him, so we took photos with them as well.
As we left the festival, a huge rainbow appeared in the sky. It seemed to be our guide back to reality.

Cinderella Tea

We had reservations for a Cinderella Tea at a tea room we hadn’t been to before. Marina didn’t want to wear a costume, so she wore her Belle inspired dress.

At first we had trouble finding the place, but Marina spotted it as we were driving around. I found a parking place and we walked over. When we arrived we were taken to an outside area for the tea.

Everything seemed a bit disorganized. It took a while for us to place our order. Marina wanted to try the Black Vanilla Rose tea. When it finally arrived we both rally liked it. Unfortunately it took a very long time for our food to arrive. We were really hungry and Marina was getting a bit grumpy.

While we waited, we watched Cinderella dance. We had seats right in front so we had a great view. At first they couldn’t get the music working, so it was a bit strange watching without music. When they got the sound system fixed, she danced again. We all enjoyed it better with the music. We took photos of with her and the Prince.

When our food finally arrived Marina and I dug in right away. It was all petty tasty. We both loved the mini cream puffs though. After we ate we paid our bill and then went out for a carriage ride. Since no one else was ready, Marina and I got a private ride with no one else. It was fun. Marina loved petting the horse and the corgi that rode up front.  After our ride, we went back to the car. It had been a bit disorganized, but we still had a nice afternoon.

Alice in Wonderland Tea and Potion Party

In the late afternoon we got ready to go to the Alice in Wonderland Tea and Potion Party at the Lumber Baron Inn. We had been there for a play last year and were looking forward to going back. Marina is fascinated by the stories that it is haunted.

Marina decided to dress as Alice today while I wore my Queen of Hearts costume. We ran into some traffic along the way but still arrived early. The first groups of people we saw were not is costume, but as we parked we saw two women dressed in amazing Queen of Hearts and White Queen costumes. We also spotted a Tweedle Dee.

We were seated right away. We had a table for two in a spot where we could see many of the other people there. We loved looking at the costumes.

Marina and I decided to try a cinnamon flavored tea which we both liked. We also ordered potions – Marina’s was called “the Alice” which was lemonade with a special color changing effect. A short while later our food arrived. We each had three little sandwiches, including egg salad, which made Marian happy. We also each got a blueberry scone and a crumpet. The sweets were a coconut macaroon, a cheesecake cookie and a raspberry tart. Marina’s scone was huge so once she finished it she was full.

Throughout the tea we had a few chances to talk with one of the owners. Marina spoke to him several times on our first visit to the Lumber Baron Inn. Marina was happy that he shared a few ghost stories with us. She said at times she felt cold and wondered if one was nearby.

After we finished eating, there wasn’t much more to do. Marina had hoped there would be tarot card readings, but they weren’t offering them as advertised. So we took photos with the people in our favorite costumes before we headed home.

Unicorn Festival

Today was the annual Unicorn Festival. This year, we invited Ainsley to join us. After considering many options, Ainsley wore her Belle costume. Marina was excited to wear her new Anastasia costume.  I offered the girls capes to wear over their dresses instead of jackets since it was chilly today.

We arrived at the Unicorn Festival early. We found a really good parking spot and checked in quickly. We had to wait for about 15 minutes until the festival opened. While we waited a little girl asked if she could have her picture taken with Ainsley and Marina.

When the festival opened we went first to the Princess Palace. A friend of ours was dressed as Mary Poppins. We visited with her for a few moments. We also knew the actress playing Moana, so we took photos with her as well.

Next we went to the Mermaid Lagoon. Last year it had a long line all day. We arrived before it opened and had a short wait for our turn. We took photos with two mermaids before meeting Ariel. We got some nice photos there as well.

When we exited the Mermaid Lagoon, we were at the Mad Hatter Tea Party. We planned to wait for the show but it was taking a bit longer than usual, so we browsed some of the booths. We went back for the show and after we got photos with Alice and the Mad Hatter, we stopped for lunch. I also bought fancy cupcakes for dessert.

After lunch, we decide to wander around the festival. The girls loved shopping the various vendors. Marina insisted that we stop by the Harry Potter Sorting Hat. She was pleased that both she and Ainsley were sorted into Hufflepuff. We ran into Peter Pan and Tinkerbell along the way.

We headed back to the Princess Palace where we took photos with Tiana and Jasmine. Cinderella arrived as we were there but her line was pretty long, so we decided to come back to see her.

We did a little more shopping. At one booth both Marina and Ainsley found necklaces they loved, so I bought them. By this time, Cinderella’s line had shortened, so we took photos with her.

We checked out more booths and the petting zoo, which both girls loved. They also went through the castle maze. By this point it was starting to sprinkle. Because of that, the line to sit on a “unicorn” was as short as we had seen it, so we waited for Marina and Ainsley to have their photos taken on the larger “unicorn.”

By this time, it was starting to rain. At the Princess Palace, Anna and Elsa were there. Since there wasn’t much else to do, we waited in the line. It was pretty cold by then so we teased Elsa that she must have brought in the bad weather.

We were all ready to go home but since Rapunzel was due in 15 minutes, we decided to take a photo with her and then go home. Unfortunately the waited ended up being nearly and hour. Marina got a bit grumpy. Eventually she went over to the Storytime Cottage and talked with the drag queen there. Apparently she was asking for makeup tips.

Eventually, Rapunzel arrived and we quickly took a photo with her. After the long, cold wait, we were all pretty miserable. We headed to the gate, stopping along the way to pet more “unicorns.” So we left the festival and stopped for dinner.

Another Princess Partea

For the past two years Marina and I have attended The Princess Partea. While Marina said she wanted to go, at times she felt reservations about being too old. However, today she was excited to go. She wasn’t sure what to wear, so I suggested a Cinderella costume. She finished it off with sparkly shoes and a blue crystal tiara.

The hotel the Partea was at this year is fairly close to our house. So we were able to arrive early. We ended up in a long line when we arrived but it moved very quickly. Once inside, we looked for the princess meet and greet lines with the shortest wait. We quickly saw Merida, Mary Poppins, Tinkerbell and Sleeping Beauty. Then we saw Jasmine’s line was fairly short, so we met with her. Marina was particularly excited to see her with a new Aladdin movie coming out soon.

At that point, we were shocked that the line for Anna and Elsa was pretty short, so we went o see them. Last year their line was long the entire time, so we happy about that. Next we went over for pictures with Moana, who had an amazing palm tree made of balloons near her.

One of the longest lines was for Belle. But we were willing to wait. She was, as always, just lovely to us. After a few pictures, we went into the Under the Sea Tea Party where we sat down for a bit and had a snack. Then we got into the fairly short line to see Ariel.

The longest line during the whole party was for Cinderella. But since Marina was wearing a Cinderella costume we had to see her. While we were waiting in line, Marina saw there was no line for Moana, so she talked with her and Merida to pass the time.

After a lovely visit with Cinderella, we saw that the lines for most of the princesses were practically nonexistent. So we stopped by to see many of them again before we were ready to leave.

Mother's Day Tea

Marina and I don’t have a set plan for Mother’s Day each year. We tend to pick something to do together that seems fun. This year we decided to have high tea at our favorite tea room. They recently announced that Mother’s Day would be their last tea service and we wanted to say goodbye. (They are planning pop up holiday events so we will hopefully still be able to attend their teas.)

We arrived early, so we sat and relaxed together. It wasn’t too long before we were taken to our table. As usual, it was beautifully set. Shortly after the tea arrived, we had our first course – chicken a la king. Marina had never tried it before. She was a bit tentative when she learned there were peppers in it. Once I picked them out she happily finished the rest.

Next we the sandwiches, scones and sweets were brought to the table on a tiered tray. Marina was excited to have egg salad and the cucumber sandwich. She tried the salmon and decided she liked it. Once she got to her cram scone, she was pretty excited. But she wasn’t able to eat her sweets, she was too full.

After tea, we talked with both owners before we left. We dropped Judy off at her house and spent the rest of the day relaxing at home.

Tea with Queen Elsa

Marina and I  we were looking forward to the Disney Tea this afternoon. I found out ahead of time that Queen Elsa would be the special guest. Marina and I invited one of her friends to join us. She’s still unsure about having tea, so we thought we’d try again.

Marina came down with a stomach virus yesterday and she still wasn’t feeling well today. But she wanted to try to go to the tea anyway. At first, the girls didn’t want to dress up, but I talked them into it. So Marina wore the Elsa coronation gown and her friend wore the green Anna dress. They each added a sparkly tiara.

We arrived right on time. I was surprised that none of the other attendees wore costumes – not even the kids. At first, the girls were self-conscious about that. We went on a tour of the castle again before sitting down to tea. The tour was a bit dull and Marina had to sit down and rest often.

When we sat down to tea, we had the same table we had the last time we came. We also noticed the Alice in Wonderland decorations. But as we looked around we saw that each table had a different Disney theme – Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, The Princess and the Frog and Aladdin.

We were welcomed by Queen Elsa and she made regular rounds to all the tables. She called us “my people” when she saw how the girls were dressed.

We were served peppermint tea followed by the first course, tomato soup. Marina tried it, but her stomach wasn’t having it. For the second course we had four mini sandwiches and a broccoli cheese quiche. We felt bad that Marina was so sick.

Each girl received a chocolate frog and Marina couldn’t help herself, she ate part of that. Then we had scones. Marina managed to eat half of hers. The last course was dessert. We each had a mini Snow White apple pie, a Cinderella pumpkin cake and a Briar Rose berry tart. We were pretty full by this time.

Marina was still not feeling well, so after getting photos with Elsa, I got the car and picked the girls.

Titanic Tea

Marina and I have enjoyed attending tea parties over the years. We invited our friends to the Molly Brown House for a Titanic Tea.  Marina and her friend decided to wear period costumes.

When we arrived at the Molly Brown House, I dropped everyone off in front and parked the car. We all met at the carriage house in the back. We were early, so we looked around the gift shop until it was time to meet on the porch for tea. They were excited to see a group of ladies who had also dressed in period costume for the tea.

We took a brief tour of the house. At the end of the tour we went up to the third floor for tea. The tea was set up with a Titanic theme. As we ate, we had four actresses portraying Margaret Brown and other first class ladies on the Titanic join us. Each told us a bit about her character and why she was on the ship.

After tea, I took a picture of the girls with the actresses before we headed out to finish the tour.

Mad Hatter Tea Party

Marina and I love having high tea. I saw advertising for a Mad Hatter Tea at a place I hadn’t heard of before. I decided to make reservation. We invited a friend to join with us. Marina decided to dress up as the Cheshire Cat. I wore a Queen of Hearts costume.

We arrived a bit early and waited in the lobby for a while. Most of the other women were dressed up for tea but there was one girl dressed as Alice and her sister was the White Rabbit. Before we sat down to tea, we had a short tour of the castle. It is a bed and breakfast and we got to check out some of the rooms.

After the tour we sat down to tea. We drank rose tea which we all enjoyed. We started with a broccoli cheese soup. The next course was a salad with a turkey and cheese crepe and mini sandwiches. Next we were served cinnamon chocolate chip scones with lemon curd, homemade jam and whipped cream. We finished off with four mini sweets. By then we were all stuffed.

After we ate, we looked around a bit and took some photos before heading home. It was a lovely tea.

Tea With the Sugar Plum Fairy

The Sugar Plum Fairy Tea has become a holiday tradition for us. We invited Miss Judy to go along with us last year and she loved it. Since Bethany is in town this year, we asked her to join us as well.

We arrived a bit early for the tea, so we sat down and waited for seating to begin. When we were taken to our table we found we had the same table as the Royal Wedding Tea in May. One of the owners came by our table to say hello. It’s so nice that they remember us!

We all ordered the marzipan tea and we were ready to eat when our cottage pies arrived. And when the sandwiches, scones and sweets were brought out we happily ate those. Marina didn’t care for the spinach quiche, so I let her eat one of my sandwiches.

After we ate, we heard the story of The Nutcracker and the dancer was introduced. It was the same ballerina we have seen for the past few years. We enjoyed chatting with her after her dancing was done. Marina wasn’t interested in the crafts, so after we took photos, we headed out.