Holiday tea party gives taste of old-time flavor.Byline: Sherri Buri McDonald The Register-Guard What modern mother wouldn't welcome the chance to step back into a quieter, more civilized time, with no phones ringing, no mountains of laundry to fold, and no questions to answer except, "Would you like another cup?" That was the appeal of the Mother's Day tea on Saturday afternoon at the Shelton-McMurphey-Johnson House, that grand Victorian house Overview A Victorian house as built in the United States and Canada is a type of house popularized in the Victorian era. They are often three stories high with an octagonal or rounded tower, a wraparound porch and great attention paid to detail. at the base of Skinner Butte Skinner Butte (also called Skinner's Butte) is a prominent hill on the north edge of downtown Eugene, Oregon, United States, near the Willamette River. Skinner Butte is a local landmark and the location of Skinner Butte Park, a municipal park. overlooking the Amtrak Amtrak, the National Railroad Passenger Corp., authorized to operate virtually all intercity passenger railroad routes in the United States. Amtrak was created by Congress in 1970 in response to more than two decades of continuous operating deficits by privately run train station. A squad of volunteers transformed the house's stately ground-floor dining room, parlor, sitting room and gallery into a series of tea rooms filled with 34 people, their lively conversation and the strains of a Celtic harp. The crowd was predominately female - many of them mothers and daughters, as well as some granddaughters, including 15-month-old Hannah Henderson, who was gussied gus·sy tr.v. gus·sied, gus·sy·ing, gus·sies Slang To dress or decorate elaborately; adorn or embellish: gussied herself up in sequins and feathers. up in white patent leather shoes, and a floral party dress. This being Hannah's third formal tea, her mom, Suzanne Henderson, remarked, "She's getting to be quite the little tea person." Eugene resident Amy Singer, 36, who enjoyed sipping English Breakfast English breakfast Noun a breakfast including cooked food, such as bacon and eggs in the parlor with her husband, Jeff, and 4-year-old daughter Emily, said she had been wanting to come to the event for years. But when Mother's Day weekend rolled around, her family always seemed to have other obligations. This time, she said, "I put in a very firm request," and Jeff was happy to oblige. "I love tea and the whole tradition around it," said Singer, who's expecting a baby boy in late September. "We're hoping he'll have a taste for tea, as well." In the sitting room, Sherry Simmons, of Eugene, shared a table with her daughter Anais, daughter-in-law Priscila Hasselman, and members of the "Tea Hens," an informal group of tea-loving friends that Simmons started five years ago while working at the district attorney's office. "I got so sick of hearing of the bad side of life that I thought why not form a group that is very civilized and nurturing," Simmons said, adding that she welcomes every chance to "step out of the craziness of the 21st Century." "I think I was alive in the 1800s," she said. "Everything I love is from the 19th Century. I feel very connected to that time." Over the years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time Tea Hens have seen each other through life's highs and lows. "We are a support group for each other," said Fran Threatt, 79 - called the "Queen Mum" of the group because she was the oldest member when it started. "If anybody has a problem, we all do. It's just a great group of ladies and I'm grateful to be a member," she said. Some of the servers also had fun stepping back in time on Saturday. Jessica Coleman Jessica Coleman was a teenage mother from Columbia Station, Ohio who gained national media attention for killing her baby. At 15 she became pregnant by her boyfriend Tom Truelson. They ignored her pregnancy, and she gave birth in her bathroom at home. , a 13-year-old student at Ridgeline ridge·line n. See ridge. Noun 1. ridgeline - a long narrow range of hills ridge arete - a sharp narrow ridge found in rugged mountains Montessori school, wore her great-grandmother's dress as she poured tea and served desserts. The white cotton ankle-length dress, with elegant embroidery embroidery, ornamental needlework applied to all varieties of fabrics and worked with many sorts of thread—linen, cotton, wool, silk, gold, and even hair. Decorative objects, such as shells, feathers, beads, and jewels, are often sewn to the embroidered piece. at the neck and the borders of the three-quarter sleeves, fit the petite girl perfectly. Tea coordinator Ann Bullock said the house would welcome donations of Victorian-style dresses - original or replica - for the servers to wear. It's hard to find dresses that fit today's young women, who tend to be much taller and bustier bus·tier n. A formfitting sleeveless and usually strapless woman's top, worn as lingerie and often as evening attire. [French, from buste, bust; see bust1. than those of the late 1800s, Bullock said. The city-owned Shelton-McMurphey-Johnson House hosts the holiday teas three times a year, on Saturdays near Mother's Day, Christmas and Valentine's Day Valentine's Day: see Saint Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day Lovers' holiday celebrated on February 14, the feast day of St. Valentine, one of two 3rd-century Roman martyrs of the same name. St. . They are all-volunteer affairs, with proceeds from the $25-per-person event helping to maintain the house and keep it open to visitors, Bullock said. The house also hosts private teas during the week for groups of eight to 10 people, at $15 per person, she said. For more information, contact the house at 484-0808, or online at smjhouse.org. MOTHER'S DAY TOUR OF HISTORIC HOMES Shelton-McMurphey-Johnson House, built in 1888, will open its doors today, as part of the E. Skinner Butte Historic District annual tour of homes. Where: 303 Willamette St.; Parking off Third Avenue and Pearl Street, or in front of the house at Fourth Avenue and Pearl Street. When: Noon to 4 p.m. Cost: Free. |
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