Happy Tuesday, sweet friends. Independence Day is a little more than two weeks away! Often called the Fourth of July, it marks the historic date in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress.
“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
Galatians 5:13 (ESV)
I love the colors of our flag…red, white, and blue. I also love setting a patriotic table with these colors!
The third Tuesday of the month is always special when Mary and I share Tea on Tuesdays. We are excited to welcome a first time guest and fellow tea enthusiast, Nancy who writes the lovely blog, Two Trails One Road! She and her husband enjoy adventure, nature, and travel. They live in Arizona during the winter, and Lake Life calls them to Pennsylvania during the summer! You will find Mary’s and Nancy’s teatime links at the bottom of this post.
The colors of our flag are well represented on my table for two. The Sunshine Cottage is wearing the red, white, and blue, thanks to Butch!
An April Cornell plaid tablecloth, a cobalt vase of mini flags, and a navy watering can with blue hydrangeas and red alstroemeria were the beginnings of my patriotic table!
It was an extremely hot day last week when I set my table! With sweltering temperatures, iced tea was certainly my drink of choice. Rose Lemonade is a delicious fruit-flavored tea infusion from Taylor’s of Harrogate. The sunny celebration is a blend of zingy lemon peel and lemongrass with a posy of ingredients inspired by English country gardens. The week prior the girls and I had our annual Peter Rabbit tea party and I served the tea iced, they even requested seconds. It is definitely delicious hot or iced.
In the early spring, I found the Royal Stafford tea pot at Home Goods and had been saving it for this table. You may notice that a tea bandit has taken a few sips from this glass. Has the photographer, with her own work, left clear evidence behind as to who the bandit might be? Forgiveness is in order however, as it was a very hot afternoon!
I am often asked about the stemware. They were purchased from Horchow years ago and sadly are discontinued. I have broken two and am left with six.
Woven placemats, Mikasa ‘trellis’ dinner plates, Johnson Brothers ‘Willow’ salad plates, and floral appetizer plates from Kirkland’s (on sale) combine all the patriotic colors!
Teatime treats were kept simple…vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting, lemon scones, and Pirouline strawberry crème filled wafers!
As I often say, I enjoy incorporating elements into a tablescape that have a memory attached. The summer of 2006, I decided to host a party for my close friends. The alfresco luncheon was planned for late September, when the weather would be cooler. As I began to make plans, I was looking at Williams Sonoma’s website and saw a beautiful bee patterned tablecloth with a striking floral border. I knew it would be perfect for the vision I had in mind. Three tablecloths were ordered! My sweet Mother helped me plan all of the details, set the tables, and make the gift bags for each guest. Each gift bag contained a mini loaf of my favorite cake, Hummingbird, lovingly made by Mother. The weather was perfect, I prepared an Italian meal of all my favorites, wildflowers graced each table, and the party lasted until late afternoon. Every time I use the tablecloth with the floral border, my mind goes back to that perfect September afternoon eighteen years ago. Those memories were very vivid as I placed the bee cloth with its striking border underneath the red plaid on my patriotic table!
“My patriotic heart beats red, white, and blue.”
~Unknown
Roasted almonds and cashews provided a salty relief from the sweets!
“My country, ‘tis of Thee, sweet land of liberty of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride,
From every mountain side, let freedom ring…
“May we think of freedom, not as the right to do what we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right.”
~Peter Marshall
The hot version of Rose Lemonade Tea was also served!
You can visit Mary’s and Nancy’s beautiful teatimes by clicking on their links below.
Mary ~ Home Is Where the Boat Is
Nancy ~ Two Trails One Road
Thank you for your visit and gracious comments. Wishing you a joy-filled day!
Linking with: Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Life and Linda
Three cheers for the Red, White and Blue Pam! I adore your bee cloth and linen layers, along with your sweet memories tied to it hosting your luncheon. Your Taylor’s Rose Lemonade looks so refreshing served in your pretty footed glasses. Your new floral plates are adorable and perfectly framed with Willow salad plates. Your watering can is so festive blooming with alstroemeria and hydrangeas, along with your star picks and I love seeing the Sunshine Cottage dressed in patriotic bunting and with your plaid skirted table on the porch! What a fun find your Royal Stafford tea pot was too! Love your assortment of sweet treats…I’ll take a lemon scone this morning. As always it’s a treat to share teatime with you. Enjoy your week ahead and stay cool! 💙 🌸 ❤️
Thanks so much, Mary! I will be sipping plenty of iced tea with our heat and humidity. The past three days have been scorchers with no rain in sight! Stay cool, mr friend!
Good Morning, dear Pam. Thank you for the sweet invitation to join you and Mary for Tea On Tuesday. It was an honor!
I always enjoy your AC table linens. You are the best AC Ambassador! The fond memories you share that are part of each of your tables are so sweet to read.
Your Taylor’s Rose Lemonade looks so refreshing in those lovely glasses and will be perfect for me here today in Pennsylvania. It is going to be a scorcher! I can see why there was a tea bandit! Your floral appetizer plates are adorable! They look so pretty with your plate stack. I have to tell you that I also have Mikasa Trellis dinner plates.
Seeing the Sunshine Cottage in the background, all dressed in Red, White, and Blue, fills me with joy! I remember when your special cottage was being built.
Thank you once again for the gracious invitation to be a guest for Tea On Tuesday! It was an honor and such a pleasurable experience. Happy Tuesday dear Pam!
Thank you, Nancy for your sweet comments. It is a great pleasure to have you as our guest today!
What a great memory to have whenever you bring out that pretty floral tablecloth. Lovely table, perfect for celebration of our free country.
Thank you, Carole!
Lovely patriotic table with delicious looking treats. I applaud your labors preparing your carefully thought out table in the heat. I love your new Royal Stafford teapot and the cute and festive floral appetizer plates.
Your quotes, scripture and song lyrics always add the perfect touch. Your memories of your party planned and carried out with your mothers help was special to read.
Thanks Bonnie! I am sure it is hot at your house. Stay cool and have a great Tuesday!
Good Morning. I think your patriotic table settings are my faves. I too love the red, white and blue together. Your table clothes really pop. Have a wonderful week. Hugs. Kris
Thank you, Kris. I am so glad you like the patriotic tables!
Good morning, Pam! What a beautiful patriotic tablescape dressed out in red, white, and blue. Sunshine Cottage looks so festive decked out in bunting. Your story about your mother and the party is such a lovely memory. Her Hummingbird tea loaves sound delicious. Kelley and I have set up a wreath making station in my garage and have made a couple of patriotic wreaths so far…it is definitely an early morning/evening project in this heat!
Good morning, Roxanne! Thank you sweet friend. Please send me a photo of the wreaths you and Kelley are making. The heat has been oppressive here. Stay in the a/c and cool ❤️
The scripture is so fitting for your tea. I will look for the Rose lemonade because it sounds like a nice summer time refreshment when iced. Always forgiveness is assumed when sneaked in hot pleasures. I’m so sad that the stores we shopped in have all disappeared since the government shut down our country and told us to stay home for the good of others. Beware. The sweet story of your mother baking tiny hummingbird cakes brought a smile to my face. I wish I had known her. The bee tablecloth is a favorite. Always always do what’s right. Thank you Peter Marshall and thank you Pam and Butch for bringing us such delightful posts.
Thank you sweet, Alice. You would have loved my mother and she would have loved you! Always sending love and prayers, my friend ❤️
What a beautiful and wonderful morning dear friend and when I opened my laptop, I see an even more beautiful tea time set up in my favorite red, white and blue…love the colors as I love our country. God Bless America!
Your table is perfect for displaying all things patriotic and how sweet the memories of your dear Mother and your tea time many years ago. I don’t know if it is our age…but I find myself thinking and remembering things from long ago that gave me pleasure and most of my thoughts drift back to family.
Thank you for my remembrances today of not only my sweet Mother but of our country and what freedom means to us. Unfortunately, our country has turned away from God and forgotten that our Declaration of Independence was written by God fearing men and most of their declarations were based on the Bible.
This is a very interesting, timely and enlightening video that perhaps you might be interested in watching.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lrDchLjayA
Have a wonderful week my friends.
Thank you, Kari. My sweet Daddy and I reminisce often. I am so thankful that I have so many wonderful memories. Thanks for sending the video and I will watch. Wishing you a wonderful week, also my friend!
Kari I would like to watch that video but can’t get it.
I shared this post with my brother who has something similar to Sunshine Cottage on his property. the bunting looks great!
Thank you for sharing, Leslie Anne!
Your tea table, as always, is delightful and so very July 4! I love the decorations as much as the pretty centerpiece flowers and the fun tablecloth! Happy tea!
Thank you, Jeanie. Wishing you a wonderful day!
Hooray for the red, white and blue! Everything looks so festive Pam! The Sunshine Cottage with the bunting looks great and what a great photo of your table with the cottage in the background! Love love the tablecloths and the way you set the watering can arrangement and your Royal Stafford teapot on a elevated platform. The plate stacks are perfect, the Kirkland plates are so cute! I always love seeing that stemware, so pretty! The treats look and sound so good~ such a fabulous red, white and blue celebration!
Thanks so much, Jenna. Your comments are always sweet. The iced tea was extremely good on that hot afternoon .
There’s so much to love here, Pam. Thank you for your precious message! The older kids are all coming over here for two nights. I’m enjoying these busy days; even with the “unknowns”. Your red, white, and blue decor gives me chill bumps of pride and love! I absolutely adore the combination of plates, placemats, and the memory of 2006 (and your precious Momma) all touched my heart. The last quote stuck with me, too. I love you dearly, Pam. Thank you for bringing such beauty and patriotism to your place and OURS! I’m so grateful for all of you. Much love, Karla❣️🤍💙❣️
Karla, thank you so much for your sweet comments. I know you will enjoy the older kids. My sweet Daddy had a setback in the middle of the night. He is home and I am with him. I watched your video and wept. Butch did the same. You are an amazing lady, praise God! I will send you an email later!
Pam, this patriotic tea table is perfect, and Butch’s added decor makes it an even sweeter spot. I love the description of this tea, and based on the girls’ asking for second helpings confirms it must be good! Your salty nut snacks are perfect too. Love the tablecloth layering, and the memory attached to the WS linens.
We are sweltering in the heat too, but was I ever grateful for an unexpected thunderstorm around midnight last night that left 1.5″ rain in my gauge so I didn’t have to water this morning! My plants are happy and so am I.
Thank you, Rita. I always appreciate your sweet comments. I know you are happy to get the rain. We haven’t had a drop of rain in 12 days and the temps have been in the mid to upper 90’s. We are watering early every morning. Happy week to you!
Oh Pam, your patriotic table just warms my heart!! I love the darling plates and those stemware are so pretty! The tea flavor sounds perfect for summertime. Your memories of your tea where your mom made the hummingbird cakes melted my heart. Thank you for this post. ♥️🇺🇸💙
Kitty, thank you for your visit. I love sharing my memories and stories of my beloved Mother ❤️🤍💙
My heart swells just viewing your tribute to Independence Day and all it signifies, especially at
Sunshine Cottage. The table setting is perfection and each layer so cohesive with the whole…what an eye you have. Just loved your memories of the luncheon, with your beloved Mother on hand to guide the preparations. Placing sweet Daddy in the Lord’s healing embrace and bless you for your devotion. Must try the rose lemon tea, especially during this heat wave. Thank you for challenging it to bring us this
beautiful tea time….Keep cool…..
Thanks so much, Mary! Thank you for your prayers for my Daddy. I will send you an email.
Thank You Pam for honoring the red,white and blue . Thedecorations are beautiful and celebrate our heritage.
Have a Happy and Safe 4th Of July
Marilyn,Joan and Marion
Thank you sweet ladies ❤️🤍💙
Pam, my lengthy reply just disappeared! So here goes again as I retrace my thoughts:
First off, yes, my heart also beats red, white, and blue. I love paying tribute to our patriotic colors, and often my summer tables from Memorial Day to Labor Day feature red, white, and blue. Even my summer coastal tables might feature that trio of colors. I so enjoyed reading your memory sparked by the beautiful blue linen. I think our material objects often are the spark to our priceless memories. I’m happy you found the Royal Stafford tea pot. It’s been ages since I’ve been to Home Goods. One never knows what treasures await. I may need to stop in soon.
Thanks for introducing me to Nancy. I’m off to visit.
Thanks so much, Sarah. I am so sorry you lost your first comment. I know how much you also love red, white, and blue. It is a great idea to use it from Memorial Day to Labor Day! Nancy is a sweetheart, you will love her blog!
I can so relate to your memories attached to that tablecloth. To enjoy the memories associated with certain belongings IS one of the blessings of getting older! / Thank you for the recommendation of that Rose Lemonade tea, Pam. I’m always looking for new flavors to try. Praise God for the gift of variety–even in the teas we drink! / ‘Love the stars-on-sticks you tucked into your flower arrangement. A delightful surprise among the flowers!
Thank you, Nancy! I agree, “To enjoy the memories associated with certain belongings IS one of the blessings of getting older!” As I get older, memories become more important!
Blessings dear one,
Pam
Pam, Your patriotic table is beautiful! The linens are lovely and the glasses are a favorite. I love the appetizer plates; they’re adorable! The Sunshine Cottage is beautifully decorated for Independence Day. Butch did a great job on the bunting. I always enjoy seeing your seersucker tablecloth as it is a really pretty plaid. The memories of long ago are always special and it never seems that long ago. Thanks for sharing it with us. I love hummingbird cake! It’s a favorite in the summer. Have a wonderful rest of your week! Clara ❤️
Thanks so much, Clara. I thought the appetizer plates were cute and they were inexpensive. Hummingbird is my most favorite cake. Don’t work too hard outdoors ❤️
Your table is magnificent! Just wonderful! Gorgeous blue and white classic dishes and sweet remembrances. Such beauty and inspiration. Hugs and blessings, my dear friend.
Thank you sweet friend ❤️
Hi hip hooray for the red, white and blue. A lovely patriotic table you set for two in your garden. Such sweet memories attached to the blue linen tablecloth. How special your sweet mother helped create the perfect luncheon with you. Hummingbird cake sounds lovely. I have never tasted it. Butch did a fantastic job decorating. A special tribute to our country is so special. Happy summer.
Thanks so much, Linda! I think you would love Hummingbird cake! Happy Summer to you!
I love the blue & white China Pam, willow pattern is my all time favourite China. Such a sweet patriotic table setting sweet friend.
blessings, Jennifer
What a lovely tea party and yes to iced tea in this heat. Love the teapot, I can’t believe that you found a Royal Stafford tea pot at Home Goods…good for you!
Pam, this patriotic tea is so beautiful dressed in red, white, and blue! I love the new teapot, and the treats look delicious, The view of Sunshine Cottage in the background adorned with patriotic bunting is so pretty! I enjoyed reading about your special memory attached to the tablecloth. It sounds like it must have been such a wonderful time with dear friends. I am so sorry I am so late visiting. We have been getting new flooring this past week and now we are on the road for our anniversary trip, It’s been a busy but good week. Wishing you a wonderful week ahead, my sweet friend!
Thanks so much my friend. I always enjoy putting together a patriotic table. Happy Anniversary and enjoy your trip to Highlands
I was brought to tears to read of the event your mom helped you prepare for and the wave of memories that washed over you as you used the same tablecloths for this post. It reminded me of the many events and meals and outreaches my dear mom helped me prepare for and participate in through the years. We made so many memories during all the years my husband, son, and I did so much hospitality and entertaining. Mom was always there to do all she could to help me get ready and help me with Zach when he was little, etc. So many memories came back to me as I read this! God bless you, sweet friend.
Cheryl, I am so glad you enjoyed the patriotic tea for two and that it brought back memories of your precious mom. Blessings my friend!