On Super Bowl Sunday I Hosted a Nursery Rhyme Tea!

A"Sip 'N See" is a sweet Southern Tradition:  a casual Post Baby Party!  I was honored this past weekend to act as hostess at one for my godson, his wife, and their new baby girl, "Belle".  She's a little beauty!

  

Traditionally thrown by a doting Grandma, Godmama, Auntie (or Mom and Dad) after baby's birth, a Sip 'N See is an easy way to get friends and family - couples or ladies only - together for an open-house-style party to meet and greet the new baby.

Guests drop by, have a sip of tea or champagne (or both), see the baby, and honor the new mother (and father, if it's a co-ed event).

Unlike a more formal shower, it's not about games and presents - it's an informal event devoted to celebrating and welcoming the new baby (but of course a few little gifts always show up.)  

Our theme?  Easy!  A Nursery Rhyme English Tea.  My daughter and I put out some vintage picture books,  broke out our china dishes, and polished our inherited silver plate - thinking of my mom and remembering my grandma with every little buff of our cloths!

Since it was also Super Bowl Sunday, we didn't just serve frou-frou desserts.  We had grilled sausages and beer along with delicacies the ladies would enjoy.  The guys ended up gathering around the television, while the ladies took turns holding little Belle and visiting in my sitting room.

Go here to read about the Peter Pan themed Sip 'N See my sister and I did for my daughter and grandson.

Here are some quick tips for a successful Sip 'N See:

1.  Get a guest list from the parents of their local close friends and family.  Send out invitations or an Evite, making it clear that the party is open-house-style and that gifts are not expected. 

2.  An adult-only guest list tends to work best - you don't want the new baby exposed to lots of germs from eager little hands.  But of course it's ultimately up to what the parents want.

3.  Try to serve foods and drinks Mommy (and Daddy) enjoy.  Plan foods guests can easily serve themselves as they come and go.

4.  This is an informal get together, and you can make it as simple or elegant as the parents would like.  You can host anything from a buffet BBQ to an English Tea with finger foods (we served coffee and tea, mini-scones, some appetizers, and of course bubbly pink champagne!)  

5.  You don't have to have a theme, but it can make it easier in planning the food.  Decorations can be minimal - flowers, and colorful plates and napkins are enough.  You don't need to worry about games or party favors.  The main attraction is the BABY!

6.  Have the new parents bring pictures of themselves as babies, and a photo of the little guest of honor to adorn the table.

7.  Have a guest book that people can sign, with well wishes for the parents and baby.

Tea for Two (and a Tea Rex!)

(Used with permission by Wild Ginger Photography)

Books and tea somehow belong together, don’t you think? Author C.S. Lewis (born in Ireland and schooled at Oxford), undoubtedly grew up with tea time as a daily ritual. He spoke for many of us when he said, “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”

My daughter and I love discovering local (California) tearooms together.  Two of our favorites are The Four Seasons Tea Room in Sierra Madre and The Tea House on Los Rios in San Juan Capistrano.

As a child, I certainly wished Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia would never end. I also vividly recall wanting to join Lucy Pevensie and Mr. Tumnus for a sip or two of tea, when the kind Fawn invited her for tea and toast in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

But I never imagined myself having tea with a dinosaur...

Have you seen this adorable new picture book about teatime with a Mr. Tea Rex? It's written and illustrated by the talented Molly Idle.

Some tea parties are for grown-ups.

Some are for girls.

But this tea party is for a very special guest.

And it is important to follow some rules . . .

like providing comfortable chairs,

and good conversation,

and yummy food.

But sometimes that is not enough for special guests,

especially when their manners are more Cretaceous than gracious . . .

One thing I really like about this book is that it would appeal to both boys and girls, who - while being distracted by the hilarious artwork - might not realize that they are actually learning a little bit about the etiquette and manners of teatime.

In the midst of a table set with dainty tea cups, the dinosaur creates quite a bit of havoc!

The book trailer is so much fun...a great read aloud for ages 4 and up!

Looking Forward to February Fun!

There is so much to do and read about in February...

St. Brigid's Day is today, February 1st.  Celebrate by reading this beautiful book and making a St. Brigid cross!

St. Brigid was a contemporary of St. Patrick. She founded a monastery in Kildare in the 6th century. It is said that she converted her father to Christianity while making a cross from rushes. In those early Christian times the farmers adopted the custom of making these same crosses at the beginning of spring to protect their holding, placing the St. Brigid's Crosses in prominent positions in their houses and buildings.The tradition of making St. Brigid's Crosses on St. Brigid's Feast Day continues to the present day.

You can try your hand at making a St. Brigid cross, like this one, by going here.

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Ground Hog Day (February 2) Find my past posts, HERE for this day of Candlewax and Hedgehogs!

If Candlemas be fair and bright, 

Come, winter, have another flight. 

If Candlemas brings cold and rain, 

Go, winter, and come not again.

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Chinese New Year "Year of the Snake" (February 10, 2013) "Gong Xi Fa Ca!"  - this is the traditional Chinese New Year greeting that means “wishing you prosperity” in Mandarin.  I remember making Chinese paper lanterns in first grade!  You can see a tutorial for fun Chinese New Year crafts, here.

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Valentine's Day (February 14) - read my past posts here.  Of course, I'll be blogging about Valentine's Day as it draws near, but in the meantime, look for Robert Sabuda's book, Saint Valentine.

 

International Book Giving Day (February 14) I hope you can join me in donating some books - you can Give-a-book, Leave-a-book, or Donate-a-book.  Easy-peasy.  Go here for more details.  (If you're a blogger, you can join their BlogHop on the 21st.)  And there's more - go HERE to download free bookplates!

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President's Day (February 17) There are quite a few beautiful books available about Presidents Washington and Lincoln.  You can find my book recommendations here.

fun  resource page

More February Fun...

Favorite February Meal: this Winter Minestrone from Barefoot Contessa (found on Pinterest of course).  This stew is amazing.  I made a few changes - halved the recipe, substituted orzo as the pasta, and used Trader Joe's mirepoix, instead of chopping all those veggies. And I left out the last three ingredients (spinach, white wine, and pesto).

A New Tea for February: Thanks to a tip from artist Jeri Landers at her teatime interview today with Valerie Greeley, over at Acornmoon, I've discovered the most amazing tea - it comes with a little figurine in the box!  I sent some to my mom for a Valentine's Day teatime with her grandchildren (and of course, ordered a box for myself!) Find it here.  More: You can also send cute free Ecards from their site.

My February Read: I'm getting lost in the nicely done biography about the incredible Julia Child - Dearie, by Bob Spitz...

p. 40: "And no one's childhood was more satisfying than Julia's.  There was a house full of love, a community full of promise...While Julia was still very young, her mother spent long lazy afternoons reading her stories.  There was a small, wooden bookcase in the corner of Julia's bedroom crammed with well-thumbed volumes of children's favorites, among them:  Freckles, by E. Boyd Smith, Mother Carey's Chickens by Kate Douglas Wiggin, the Beatrix Potter classics, Tales of Peter Rabbit and The Tale of Mr Toad, Alice Caldwell's Mrs Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch, and of course, the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen.  Julia would curl up on the living room couch, listening raptly, while Caro [her mother] delivered the narrative in a variety of stagy voices until, at some point each afternoon, the child would drift off to sleep."

I can't wait to take a jaunt over to Pasadena (her birthplace and old stomping grounds) and see her family home...

as it looked then - source

and now...

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I hope this post gives you lots of ideas for February.  I'll be in and out this month, since I've got some travel plans coming up...keep reading!