i had a little tea party

with the whole "back to school" thing finally over and done with and everyone settled into a daily routine, the teen and i thought it would be fun to celebrate with a nice outing.  and because we love it so, we decided to pick up the bean and go out for tea.  luckily, we have a lovely little place right here in town that fit the bill.

the bean struck her usual pose, with a little friend in tow.

inside, she admired the eclectic display of mismatched plates and pots before we were seated at a table by the window.

the menu wasn't very exciting for her to peruse, so she settled for making faces instead.

she chose hot chocolate as part of her "princess tea," and turned into a demure and proper little lady as it was served to her.

 when in doubt, pinky out.

my teapot wasn't as cute as hers, but it held a delicious brew flavored with chocolate and caramel.

the teen's was the prettiest, though - wild strawberry.

i enjoyed the first of my two scones with clotted cream and lemon curd, while the teen was served a bowl of tomato-basil soup with bacon.

"mommy, i don't like cucumber.  you can have this one."  shocking.

but she sure enjoyed the turkey sandwich, and dug right into the ice cream sundae with gusto.

it was a super fun afternoon, and i think we may have to make that an annual "back to school" tradition.    i'm pretty sure no one will argue with that idea.