Tea For Two...or Four As The Case May Be!

Last weekend we enjoyed afternoon tea at a local spot! 

Unique Celebrations in Centerville, Ohio.

The perfect respite for a cold, snowy February.

We shared our tea with Grace's best friend and her mom. 

Here are the girls with the lovely and talented owner, Kathy!

There are many beautiful hats to try on!

Such whimsical, lovely table settings.

The food was so delicious!

And even a sweet parting gift!

We will definitely return again soon!

If you are in he area, please stop in (reservations are

recommended) and relax, enjoy and savor!

I hope you are staying warm this Winter. 

Hold tight, Spring is on the way!

Warmly,

Susie Q

Farewell To An Old Friend

At least that is how it feels! One of my most favorite spots in 

Dayton is closing their doors. Not for lack of business..oh my no!

It is not easy to get a reservation at all!

But the owners were faced with a tough decision. 

They were asked to renew their lease for 5 years and, sadly, 

they came to the conclusion to end this most glorious run.

Both Terry and Vickie work so, so hard!

I often wonder where they get their energy! 

We always surmised it was the tea! But when you must

 look at another 5 years...well...it is understandable. 

Just yesterday my friends and I went down to

say our farewells. The owner, Terry Roland, says the decision

 was difficult and met with a few tears. 

I know he and Vicki will miss their customers. 

We will surely miss them!

Terry Ronald was born and raised in Wallasey, England, 

 a town located directly across the River Mersey from Liverpool.

 He has lived in the US for many years, having had a career as 

a civilian aerospace scientist at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

 before retiring a few years ago.

Vicki Morris has lived in Dayton most of her life but, like me, has felt a 

very strong affinity for all things British for as long as she can recall.

 Being involved in this venture is almost as 

rewarding for her as moving to England. 

My friends and I, my mother and Grace, celebrated many a birthday here.

We have fond memories of a British tea done to perfection.

To hear Terry tell the story of Basically British click here!

                                                                                         

Farewell Basically British. 

You will remain in our sweet memories and hearts forever.

Warmly,

Susie Q

How Long Since I Last Posted?

Whew! THAT long? Okay, so most of you have forgotten who I even am. Heck, Even *I* forget who *I* am most days but hey...

Just been crazy of late. Alright, so my life has stayed crazy for awhile now but you know what I mean. We all go through periods like this don't we? But soon school will be out (I am as happy about that as Grace is is believe me!), my Mom is feeling a bit better (Thank God!) and...wait. Did I say my life will get less crazy soon? Um, probably not! It may even get MORE wild but I miss you all and DO drop in to see you all from time to time. Even if you don;t see a comment from me, know I am thinking about you and love you all.

Just a quick summary of what I have been up to (Besides the usual house and yard work, helping Mom, homework with Gracie, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera...)

So get ready, you are about to get several posts all schmooshed into one...a months worth of fun all rolled into a single day! Did you take your vitamins today? I hope so...now off we go...

Helped with a Mother Daughter Tea at church. Such fun! I wanted to share a few of the photos with you here...

                                                        This is the table I designed...an

                                                                  English Garden tea...

                                     

All the tables were just so pretty and so much fun!

There was also a fashion show and guess who modeled? Uh huh. Miss Grace!

Two of my favorite girls...Grace and my Mom!

Now let's move on to Mother's Day!

After church Bill, Grace and I went to one of our favorite places, Wegerzyn Garden, to walk.

Then dinner at The Bonefish Grill!

With sweet treats for all the Moms!

5 people who have my heart...

Our daughter Grace, my sweetie Bill, my Mom, my brother Jim and our son Daniel.

Grace had her *end of the year* orchestra concert and the kids were amazing!

We also enjoyed a weekend in Owensboro, Kentucky with Bill's Mom's family to celebrate  a special cousin's birthday!

Here is Bill with his Aunt Ellen, his late mom's twin sister. She is such a blessing to all of us. I adore all of Bill's family and love them all.

The birthday boy with Grace and one of his beautiful granddaughters!

Handsome men run in this family...

Handsome men and beautiful ladies too!

Like I said...bee-yoo-tee-ful ladies!

Then there was a little surprise party I threw for Mr. Bill at one of our local Marion's Pizza restaurants. I decided to do it on a whim and only gave everyone 48 hours notice (or less!) yet many of our friends and family were able to come. Bill was shocked and had such a great time. I won't even try to add all the pictures but here is a sampling...

The bakery drew a picture of the plane in which Bill flew for many years...

I love this picture because these are great men who have been such a huge part of Bill's life for so long...

Rick (far right) and Sam (far left) have been Bill's friends for as long as I can remember. In fact, Rick was with Bill when I met him on a Spring vacation to Gatlinburg! And the man next to Bill is his brother Bob who Bill has known, well, since Bob was born! *grin*

Just a few of the dear friends and family members who were there to help Bill celebrate turning 55!

THEN there was our week long visit to Chicago...okay. Too much all at once? Alrighty then. I will save Chicago until the next post...a post I promise to have up before another month rolls around!

 As much joy as we experienced this month there was also pain. One of my cousins, just 53, died suddenly in May. Mom and I were able to head to Southern Ohio and attend a wonderful celebration of his life. He was a much beloved teacher and coach and it was so heart warming to see the outpouring of affection from the entire community. I humbly ask if each one of you will keep his immediate family, and close friends, in your prayers as they try to navigate this life without his every day presence. The real reason I mention this is this: None us of knows from one minute to the next when when our life will end. I don't say this to be maudlin at all..I say it to remind all of us, me included, to celebrate EVERY day. Tell those you love how much you care as often as you can. Call that friend you have not seen in awhile. Make peace with someone who angered you. Giggle with a child, hug a dog, smooch a cat, sing along loudly with the radio, dance no matter how silly you think you look! Try not to let the little things get under your skin (again, I am also reminding myself of this!), take joy in watching a chipmunk at play, a bird at flight, a warm breeze, the smell of a garden rose. Life is such a gift...be gentle with yourself and others.Do this for you and for my cousin Jim.

I love each one of you and have been blessed by your presence in my life. May God Bless you all.