New Mystery Tea Party Plan

It's hard to realize that it's the beginning of Fall, when it's still so hot here in the Ca. desert. But the stores are already featuring Halloween, Thanksgiving and even Christmas. So I don't think it's too early to start thinking about hosting a Christmas tea for friends, or perhaps for a church or club program. My new Christmas party plan will be available shortly. Watch for it at www.mysteryteaparties.com. draft

Tea Poem

Three tea parties in one week is too much! But I enjoyed every one of them. Precious time with precious ladies. Now I'm working on losing the weight I gained from all those precious savories!

Preparing for a tea party often becomes a family affair, with others pitching in to help. This husband may have been recruited to help one to many times. Ed wrote the following poem for his wife Alice"

ALAS - TEA TIME!

Well, it's time for you to have your tea.
You've decorated so beautifully,
The food's prepared,
The china shown
The guests all arrive, saying
"Gimme a scone!"

Tea for weight-loss

A cup of tea is so good for you, it's unbelievable! Many reports show that good tasting, inexpensive, widely available tea does help one lose weight. It works by helping to reduce cravings for sweets and suppress the appetite. It helps to lower cholesterol and helps the body burn fat by stimulating the thermogenesis.
There are 3 main ingredients in tea that do the work. The first is caffeine. Although caffeine has some harmful side effects, the amount in a cup of tea is far less than in a cup of coffee. Tea also has an ingredinet in it that negates the unhealthy caffeine effects, L-theanine. That same ingredient tells the brain that you're not hungry.
The weight-loss worker is EGCG, an antioxident that helps your body burn fat.
Drinking 4 cups of tea, or more, while following a good weight-loss plan
will definately help you lose weight faster and easier. Just be sure it's real tea, black, green, white or oolong, not an herbal tisane.

Update

We have been gone for a month, cooling off in Northern Ca. We came back to the desert to early though, it's going to be over 100 all week.
I have three tea luncheons to attend this week. That, on top of vacation food, is making weight gain a real challenge.
Fortunately, I found a great book about tea and how it actually does work to help us lose weight. There are three important ingrediants in tea that do the trick. But I'm talking real tea, not tisanes.
What's the difference? Real teas are black, green, white and oolong.
The herbal blends, fruit blends, etc are called teas, but are actually not made from the tea plant. They are blends of herbs and fruits, spices, etc.
The benefits are not the same.
More about this in my next blog, which I promise will be in the next day or two.

Wedding Shower party plan

This person had trouble posting to my website, so I thought I'd post her review of "Who Stole the Wedding Bells?" here. This is what she wrote:
Hi Maxine,



I was going to post my thoughts on your web site, but couldn’t figure out

how to get to it.

We had a blast last night for our bridal shower, performing the ‘Who stole the wedding bells’.

The girls really got into their parts and some said they enjoyed it even more then the one

we did last year, The bodacious babes, which was also a blast. I can’t get over how

well everyone took to their parts and the laughter went on all night. Without a doubt

the most fun bridal shower I’ve ever been to.

Thanks for your contribution to a successful night.



Always,



Sue

Mystery tea party review

This is an email I received shortly after sending out Tea Tips Newsletter:

How delightful to get your email upon returning from the Ann Arbor City Club and our afternoon mystery tea event. The mystery was your "The Murder of the Darling Duke of Darjeeling"
which I had purchased two years ago in hopes of doing this, and now we have done it! What fun we had putting it on for members and their friends!. All our tea party guests were very
much into the tea and the mystery. The ladies who were my guests - Devon Shire's guests - at Warwick Cottage went all out with fun, appropriate to their character, over the top character
costumes. You should have seen Lacy Frills in her fantastic wedding gown and hat with veil, purchased at the Salvation Army, and Lady Tipton in her disguise with long black wig with bangs,
black hat and dark glasses and clothing, and Fancy Frou Frou with boa and much costume jewelry. My guests were truly into their character, as they walked around the tearoom, telling their
background and then how the Darling Duke had done them wrong, and why they had reason to do away with him. Even I who was hostess to the seven other "characters, had butterflies before,
but they flew away as the tea progressed and we enjoyed tea and hearing each guest's tale of woe. (We did not know the other guest's story until they acted it out and felt that was a good way to do it.)


Our dear friend who had proposed the tea several months ago, greeted the "observer" guests, and set the scene for the Murder Mystery Tea. Then the "actresses" arrived with grand entrances
after the first course had been served to the observer guests. After we had played our roles while enjoying the food and tea, she explained about the voting, and answered the question of
how the Duke was murdered. All guests voted at the end as to who they thought was guilty of the murder of the Darling Duke of Darjeeling. After the votes were counted our General
Manger dressed in a black t-shirt, with large foil covered star took the guilty one away in handcuffs. Our wait staff really enjoyed the event while doing a superb, unobtrusive job of serving
the delicious and attractive three course tea prepared by the kitchen staff . All guests stayed after the two hour Mystery Tea to talk as the "players" mingled. Of course, each guest had
party favors of teas, and chocolates. The enthusiastic guests definitely want to have another Mystery Tea again next year. Thus, we will come to you, Maxine, to select another of your scripts f
or our second Murder Mystery Tea Party.


Many thanks for the fun you brought to all of us.
Mary Ann Pierce

Mystery tea party fund raiser

The Womans Club of Fallbrook, Ca hosted a "not-so-high " mystery tea party as a fund raiser for their scholarship fund. They performed "The Bodacious Babes of Buzzard Bend" to a sold out house.
These ladies did an outstanding performance. Each character was perfectly done. They actually memorized their entire scripts, and strolled around the dining room as they told their stories. Their costumes were fantastic. Two of the dance hall girls were in red satin can-can dresses. Calamity Joan looked like she just came in off a cattle drive. Carlotta, the flamenco dancer, looked the part and really shook her maracas.
The audience thoroughly enjoyed the performance, as well as the food. Scones, sandwiches and dessert were served, along with endless tea.
I was inivited to attend, as a mystery guest. The "director" was afraid that if the cast knew I was there, they'd be more nervous. So, I was not introduced until the performance was over, and the mystery of who shot the scoundrel, Calhoun Cahootz, was solved.
I told the ladies that their performance was the best I'd ever seen. I only write the lines, it's women like them (and you) that bring them to life and by doing so, bring laughter into the lives of others.
In a troubled world like ours, we all need more laughter.