Time For Tea

The other day I woke up needing to clean ... weird I know. But it wasn't just cleaning anything, or the normal cleaning that goes along with being a stay at home wife and mother...this was good cleaning, the 'make your house pretty' kind of cleaning! I cleaned my teapot collection!

 

 

It was so terribly grimy from the normal kitchen build-up that occurs from cooking etc, plus our house is rather old (it's beautifully home though) and the spiders think they have right of passage to decorate the walls however they see fit! They decorated my teapots too and so they had a shower ...in the dishwasher! This is one of the only times I think I've been excited to stack the dishwasher!! I scrubbed down walls, kitchen cupboards, on top of the wall cupboards and it was really good knowing that I was creating a beautiful home for my beautiful family to live in. (A tip I have recently learnt: if you 'line' the top of your wall cupboards with tapped down baking paper after cleaning, then next time you clean/re-arrange things, all you have to do is change the paper!)

I was actually getting impatient that the dishwasher was taking so long to finish washing them! After drying them off, I set about re-arranging them. I extended the display over to the shelf in my display cabinet too, and it just looks so nice! When I look at my teapots, I am reminded of the people in my life who love me and the times I've had chatting and laughing with them over tea.

My Granny brought me the stacked owl 'tea for two' teapot ... at first I wasn't that sure if it was really me, but I knew it came from a love-filled heart, and now it's grown on me and is actually one of my favourites!! One of my best friends gave me the little set with teapot, cream/milk and sugar pots; another best friend gave me the one with the gorgeous little red hearts; and my other best friend has given me the birthday cake one and the tall white one with the blue lace rim. My parents gave me the chicken one, my sister the blue and white one and my Aunty has given me some too. My most favourites though are the ones from my husband and children. The old-fashioned cream Maxwell and Williams one was a gift from my husband and the start of my collection. My children gifted me with the little pink and white flower one. The little one infront of the pink chicken is actually a little teapot box that opens up with miniature teapots, cups and saucers, and pitchers ... my girls are constantly asking to play with it (my oldest boy says, "girly stuff ... it's just something I'll never understand!") and they happily sip little droplets of water from the itty-bitty cups!

None of these teapots are considered 'antique collectors items' where hundreds of dollars have been spent on any one of them. That's not necessary or important to me ... it's the simple setting of the table and the conversation and friendships that are priceless to me. My girls and I love taking cups of tea together from time to time and these times have been some of my most precious memories with them. It is such a lovely, simple, old-fashioned way to entertain and make people feel welcome. And it's nice to know now that they're all sparkling clean that anytime is time for tea! Actually I might just go brew a hot, relaxing one up now!