DBE Garden Tea, Many came to share a cuppa

Tea table with garden patio in background ready for event to start

British, Australian and Canadian flag to represent countries of members of our Union Jack Chapter of the Daughters of the British Empire

Croquet anyone?

Denise reading Jules a story from the Australian bush.  I had this book when I was a child.  There is a child holding a baby possum in the book.  Jules wants to go to Australia so she can do the same.  I told her she could definitely hold a Koala.

Home made Jam from my kitchen.  The peach and apricot were from my trees

We had blueberry, current, raisin and apple scones.  We made about 280.  We had many work days to prepare for this.  We re-potted plants from our gardens for sale, planned details, all brought our beautiful tea cups, made scones and knitted tea cozies.  We had about 80 people attend.  It was our most successful fund raiser ever!

Part of my patio garden

Activity at the tea table.  Jana Benton guest, Elizabeth Vick and Karen Horton serve tea and scones.  Since many of our members are in their 90s having joined right when they arrived in the U.S. after WW2, friends helped in many capacities.  I think everyone, guests and helpers had a great time.  Thanks for all the help from those who are not DBE members! Does this look like fun?  Do you have British or British Empire heritage or are you married to someone with British heritage?  Join a DBE group!!! You can attend a meeting and decide if it might be your "cup of tea". 

Everybody had a good time!

Guests enjoying tea and conversation.  Elaine Shearer in the middle of the front table did the beautiful watercolors which were the main raffle gifts seen below

 

Buddies from way back.  Kathy (right) and I have been friends since 2nd grade when we used to walk through the cotton fields to get to each others houses. Kathy and I went to nursing school together.   Janice and I have been friends since 7th grade.  Janice lived just across the street and we were together 24/7 in grade school and high school.

My brother, Paul and my daughter Faye

Wallpaper plant holders with sweet violets

DBE member Coral, my Mum and Faye on front bench

Tea with scones, jam and whipped cream

My friends Connie and Don Larry pointing out an little inch worm to Jules.  She got brave and let it crawl on her hand and spent the next 15 to 20 minutes showing it to all the visitors.  Thanks for sharing this little creature with so many people, Jules

Faye, my daughter enjoying a cuppa

Helpers at tea table, myself, Cynthia, Elizabeth and Gail

Guests with tea, scones, home made jam, whipped cream (called Devonshire Tea)

Barbara Buchanan from another DBE chapter helped us by making sausage rolls and manning our sale table.  We sold tea cozies (English garden and Union Jack), scones, sausage rolls and books.  Barbara sold jam made by her DBE chapter as a fund raiser.  Which reminds me, this was a fund raiser for the British Retirement Home in Calif which is the main organization we give most of our money to.  It is a great cause.  We also give money to a local charity, in the past Chrysalis, home for abused women in Phoenix.

Denise giving Mitzie plant care information

Elizabeth, Granddaughter Marissa and Elizabeth's daughter-in-law

These are wrappers for potted plants made by a friend of Denise's from wallpaper samples

Tea table activity

Marie Garber my good friend from FUMC choir and her daughter looking beautiful in their hats

Mary Baker, our DBE fearless leader!

My girlfriend from 7th grade on, Janice Payne with Julian's art in background.  It's been great the past few years since she and Dave have become snow birds from Tennessee spending winters in Sun City.  We've been able to spend time together for the first time since college days. 

Brother Paul helped out by giving art tours and taking pictures

Faye and my Mom in the kitchen

Raffle Table was my Dad's old work bench from the old south Phx barn

Herb garden in raised bed which I can wheel into shade on hot days and cold nights

Table centerpiece (Peace Rose) with tea table and raffle prize table in background before event

Yours truly (left), my neighbor Cynthia Oplinger and Gail Reiley who is in my church Baby Prayer Shawl group serve tea

Gathering around the tea table. DBE member, Elizabeth Vick and her granddaughter, Marissa helped

My veggie garden and a pink hollyhock with my compost bins in which I put all vegetable matter from my kitchen, grass clippings, leaves from the garden layered with a thin layer of dirt to jump start the process.  I keep it wet,  Bob, my 80+ year old yard man turns it and wal-lah it becomes Black Gold the key to my garden success

Denise, our master gardener, pouring tea

The South fence with trumpet vine and wall paper containers for plants.  The trumpet vine is covered with large orange trumpet flowers which the hummingbirds love later spring, summer and fall.  When it's covered with flowers, it's a wonderful place to sit in the morning and evening to watch the hummingbirds swoop around.

My Rose Garden.  The pink rose in front is called Memorial Day and had a beautiful fragrance.  I also have JFK a white rose, Rio Samba a rose that starts orange then turns yellow and pink as it opens, a red rose called Lover's Lane, the Peace Rose and a yellow rose whose name I cannot remember  

Faye (right) gave house tours

Susie, Mum's neighbor took pictures

Paul took pictures and gave house tours

You are invited to the DBE Home and Garden Tour and Tea, April 5 at my house

Home & Garden Tour

 Presented by

 The Union Jack Chapter

of

The Daughters of The British Empire

        Date:                             April 5, 2014

        Time:                               10am-2pm

        Place:                        1827 E. Marshall Ave 

                         (north   of Missouri  access from 18^th Street)

         Phoenix, AZ 85016

Great ideas for your garden and hanging plants for sale

Hanging containers made of wallpaper samples

Some of the many succulents for sale

Some of the color to catch your eye

 We have been getting ready for the Home and Garden Tour and Tea.  We have baked many, many scones (apple, blueberry, raisin, current) and have divided and thinned many of our plants and potted them for sale.  It has been a busy time for our little group of the Daughters of the British Empire.  I have been gardening to get everything in tip top shape and it has been fun for me because I love to see things grow.  I am also in the middle of harvesting my oranges now, so am busy picking and juicing, also storing some juice away for the heat of summer.  I am blessed to live in an old citrus grove to make this possible.  Harvesting and processing fruits and veggies were a big part of my childhood.  We had friends who had many, many oranges so we would pick, juice and put the juice away for a hot summer day.  On hot days Mom would let us open the freezer chest and get out some frozen juice.  We would eat it as orange slushy with a spoon.  It was quite a treat and continues to be a favorite for me to this day. I hope all of you who live in the Phoenix can come! 

 

The west side of my back patio today

    

Statis flowers with oranges in background

     $10 entrance includes Art & Garden Tour, Tea and Scones

Raffle – includes original Watercolors by Elaine Shearer

 Homemade sausage rolls, scones, tea cozies, & cards for sale

  Master Gardener in attendance & Plants for sale     

Home is filled with beautiful art work

                        This fund raiser provides funds for The British Home in California and for a local charity

selected each year by the Union Jack Chapter=

Flowers of the Mother of Millions succulent

Onion flowers, a bulb that came the Orcutt family

White iris from my neighbor Mitzi

Snow peas,  seeds from the Sing family in South Phoenix.  I got the original seeds from them in the 1970s

I think this rose is called  Lovers Lane

Nasturiums and flowers from unnamed succulent someone gave me

My back patio a few years ago.  My how that palo verde has grown!

My favorite rose, Rio Samba is in full bloom

Happy New Year, Mom's 90th Birthday Party and other 2013 activities

Family group here for Mom's 90th Birthday

Today is Jan 1, 2014.  Happy New Year!  I hope this year brings you all joy and happiness. OK,  I haven't written in a long time. My excuses are party planning, work, babysitting and dating.  Mom turned 90 on July 14.  We had a big party for her in the fellowship hall at First United Methodist Church in August.   I was busy planning Mom's 90th Birthday party, then family came into town from all over.  Her party was a great success and a good time was had by all.  Out of towners were Jacki and Larry, Diane, Kelsea, Philip, Romey, Archer and Beckett, Noel and Sean and the girls (Bailey, Aubree and Airah), Dick Ayraud (next to Mom), Gayle and Bill Kerfoot (standing in back next to Ryan). It was wonderful that my cousin Gayle and Bill could come with Dickie.   I had just started dating a man (Gary) and so invited him to the celebrations.  He is behind my head in the Hawaiian shirt.  Roger Patterson lives in town (black shirt next to Jacki). He is a family friend, having known Diane way back in the ice ages.  Standing in the back row are Javier, Niko, Maceo, Nathan, Larry, Bailey, Sean, Paul, Ryan, Gayle, and Bill. Middle row are Jacki, Roger, Gary, Dick, Mom, Diane, Aubree, Noel, Addie and Philip.  Front row you see me (Carol), Airah, Romey, Jules, Faye, Kelsea and Archer. 

Dick Ayraud and Mom

Mom talking to her brother Laurie (95years) in Australia.  Also on Skype were Geoff and Annie West (my OZ cousins)

Mom holding little Beckett (Kelsea and Philip's youngest)

Mom, Diane and Elsie Melgaard who Mom and Dad met about 1950 when they ran out of gas in front of their house on New Years Eve in South Phoenix.  Elsie is a young 97 year old!

Dorothy Romey (standing who is Larry's Mom) also came into town from Strawberry, AZ

Mom, Kelsea and Beckett

Yours truly playing piano with Romey, Archer and their Dad, Philip, singing

I will include more pictures from the actual party in a later blog.
So what else have I done in 2013??  Well I've been working part time at Grand Canyon University teaching senior nursing students.  I'm a adjunct faculty member and am a clinical instructor for Community Health Nursing.  This means that one day a week I go to clinical sites where my students are working with RNs such as schools, health clinics at homeless centers, jails, respite care, outpatient clinics (wound care clinics, occupational health clinics etc) and adult day care clinics around the valley.  Then I lead an hour and a half post conference at the end of the clinical day and I grade papers in my spare time at home.  It is fun and challenging and grading papers keeps my critical thinking skills sharp (hopefully).

I also babysit both Jules my Granddaughter one day a week and Addison my GrandNiece to give my brother a break on Sunday afternoons. Both girls are a joy, keep me young by playing games and laughing.  Mom usually comes over to visit and play when they are here. 

Addie

Mom with Addie

Jules and I playing in tent

Jules and Rosie

Jules hopping with Sunflower

Cuddle time

Gary and I have fun together.  We both are widowers and so understand how hard it is to loose a spouse.  In the link below, we were ice skating in the outside iceskating rink they built in a street in downtown Phoenix each winter.  It was also raining off and on that night and so the news crew was there interviewing people about it raining in Phoenix (not unheard of, but rare).  They interviewed us as we were resting from trying not to fall down (me that is, Gary is a good ice skater).  There is a short ad, then a short on the rain comes up.   First Gary is talking then a minute or later I am talking so check out the link and you can see part of my 15 minutes of fame. 
Gary and I Ice Skating in Rain in Phoenix