Mad Hatter's Tea Party

I don't know whether I am just a kid at heart or "completely mad" but I finally had my Mad Hatter's Tea Party. I had wanted to do this last year but never got it together - could only manage a wonderful lunch on the patio. BUT this year - I just knew I had to do it.

To force myself to do it, I decided on a date and sent out the invitations - I had so much fun creating a poem and the invite that I knew this party was going to be fun.

RULES
(oh yes there ARE rules – there are always rules OR it’s off with your head)

You MUST BRING –a tea cup – after all it is a Tea

You MUST WEAR A HAT –it is a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party – Mad attire would be appreciated but if not, at least wear clothes

Bring a chair – there will be some but if you really want to sit, it would secure a spot

 

Beautiful Grandaughter - Queen of Hearts

And then to the decorations  - I started off with wild and crazy ideas but settle on only a few. We have a wonderful yard - so it did not take much to set the stage so to speak. I also enlisted the help of my wonderful sister and my step mom - my caterer extraordinaire and my beautiful granddaughter.




Sister - who came as the March Hare

Wonderful Step Mom,
Caterer who makes my parties amazing

 

Now what is more appropriate than croquet and what did Alice get to play with but a flamingo - had to have - had to have the card soldiers too - for the wickets. Such fun.

 

 

 

Card Soldiers were on duty to show the guests to the party. I had to stop at 3. Making them was just too much fun and I was becoming obsessed.

 
 
Here is my favourite soldier - he is painting the roses red. You see I really could go MAD.  

I setup two long tables on the road to the back field, layering on table clothes and adding chairs. I had my credenza setup for the food and an antique table setup with the plates and beverages. It was a perfect day - sun streaming through the trees really set the party stage.

Had to have a Drink Me sign on the Lemonade

And of course it is all about the time

Just happened to have a looking glass

Now all I need are the guests and here they are in their some beautiful and some funny hats.

 

 

 And of course we play croquet.

 

 

Catching UP!

Busy, busy - Mike never sits still. He can get more done in a day than anyone I know - I am sure he frowns on my lack there of. He spent a good portion of his holiday - before and after the water fix building a new bridge to the island. Mike and Digger. The bridge was wiped out December 23, 2010.

In a matter of minutes we went from this.                           To this.

To THIS!!!!! OH MY! for two years we had a bit of a hike to get to the island.

Digger and Mike on the move.

We now have a bridge and lawn planted.

WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE!!!!!

I cannot believe that the summer is just about over and I have not made one single post. Life here at Willow Creek has been flying by. Our renovation is of course completed - but not without a few gasps of agony. Shortly after all the trim was up and the last touch up was completed and paint brushes cleaned and put away, we had problems BIG problems. We have had an "issue" with water draining from our small bathroom/laundry area for years and always set this aside to be fixed when we did that renovation - slated for early 2013, but circumstances pushed this into NOW. The gory details are a distance memory but let us just say - it was raining under our house AND the saying of the day was "no water is leaving this house". Mike, thankfully had just started his holiday - what a holiday this was going to be. We quickly went from a very lush front garden to this.  

All the small plants were quickly dug up and potted up and put into a holding bed. The larger ones, a rhodo, a kalmia and some other variegated one were move out to the meadow into permanent homes. The beautiful very large Japanese maple was cut down and gone.


Thank goodness for "Digger" as Dyllon calls Mike's excavator - in a few hours, Uncle Bob and Mike had dug up and exposed all the pipe and they were setup for the plumber to come and fix the pipes under and leaving the house.



By the end of the week and most of Mike's holiday and we were back in "business".

Rainy Friday

And I do mean rain. It is coming straight down. We had such great plans for the last two days. 

The Deck - all "decked" out

We started a project in the garden on Wednesday - it was sunny then. I have been planning this project since last summer. This part of the garden is near the creek and it is always full of weeds especially HORSETAILS. They are a feature in my garden - not a wanted feature but they are everywhere. Oh yes I know - you cannot get rid of them unless you change your soil. That would be next to impossible as they are in the creek and would penetrate through anything. They come up through cracks in the sidewalk - amazing plants. "They" say horsetails are a prehistoric plant. I am not sure that makes me happy to have them in my yard or not but nonetheless I can't get rid of them so I guess I will do what I can to make them part of the landscape.

My plan for this garden is to have three big rocks "planted" here and the add some decorative grasses, encourage ferns and other native plants - the horsetails will just come. I think I will move over some of my blackeyed susans and some daylilies for colour. Mike is sceptical about this but is providing assistance in getting the garden ready. BUT now it is raining. Normally the rain does not prohibit us from doing anything - I mean we do live on the west coast and we are not made of sugar, but the machines that will move the gravel, dirt and rocks will just eat at the grass and make a muddy mess. We will have to find another project for today.

Stagnating

We seem to be stuck in reno land. I find it so frustrating. The trim is up and I am doing touch-ups. The plumber will be here on Friday - guess then the carpet can go in the hall and then the trim in the hall and bathroom and closet doors. Seems like not much left but oh my goodness waiting is wearing on both of us - we are ready to kill each other I think. Mike has moved his focus into the garden. He has been hanging the new gates he welded and he has been rodotilling all the vegetable beds. He has repotted his plethora of tomato plants and put them into the back greenhouse.

Spring is upon us - a cold spring but here at last. The daffodils that I planted last fall are all up. I must say it is marvellous. NOTE to self - plant more. To heck with tulips. The deer love them so I will confine them to the box by the shop and my three pots on the deck.. But daffodils - now there is a sunny, cheerful flower if I must say. Also the rhododendrons in our garden are starting to come alive. The more mature ones were planted before we bought our place and the person who planted them must have had a plan. They start blooming with the hot pink one closest to the house and then on down the creek - such a sight

I just love the green this time of

year contrasting with the vibrant

yellow of the daffodils.

I don't remember the new rhodo being red - oh it is going to be a beauty.

 And so it goes. The pink "curly lilies" are abundant now as well - my Sister's favourite. But they are actually Pink Fawn Lily (Erythronium revolutum). Curly lilies works for me.

Wandering around brings sanity to the insanity of doing a reno that goes on and on. I won't even talk about the saga of the front door. Will tell you all about it when you see it next.

Now that you have wandered with me around the yard, I am hoping that the next pictures you see are of two happy people in their wonderful newly renovated bathroom and hallway.