Saying farewell in style – Afternoon Tea at the Merchant Hotel
Taking a break from the Blog Journal, to get up to date on a few things that have been happening here:
On Saturday a group of 10 friends met to say farewell to our friend Fiona, who has just qualified from Bible College to become a Methodist Minister (pastor). She is not moving too far away, but a church, husband and 3 kids (including an 11 week old adorable baby girl) she will be busy!
Fiona knew nothing of our girlie-day-out-with-no-kids plans (except her gorgeous baby), which started out will us all going out for afternoon tea at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast.
A former bank, it is an impressive building, with delicious food and very grand surroundings. The baby stole the show, but the sandwiches, scones and pastries were amazing. Each tea pot and coffee pot at the table was unique. We even got beautiful blue boxes to bring our left-overs home in!
We later returned to a suitabley decorated house with balloons, signs and embarrassing old photos of Fiona. Some of the entertainment/activities planned included making “dog collars” (the minister’s white clerical collar), sharing some gifts (and tears!) and providing some fashion advice on what NOT to wear as a woman minister!
We ordered a Chinese meal for later in the evening, and while Fiona waited for us, we changed and burst into the room, all sporting black tops and our own white collars, singing “I will follow you” from Sister Act! Each of the collars had a unique message for Fiona including :-
And just when we thought we could not possibly eat another bit, we had cupcakes, with a picture of Fiona on the top!
So although we don’t have Baby Showers or Wedding Showers here, we sort of had a “Farwell vicar” Shower!
We all wish Fiona and her family well in her new job, with our love and prayers.
Can you spot the rainbow Hama bead cross? Well, you can’t really miss it!
Where is the grandest hotel you have eaten in? Have you had any unusual farewell parties? As always – please share!
I am sharing this post with Chatting at the Sky and Unwrapped Tuesday. Please visit and find lots of bloggers celebrating the wee things in life that make it special.
Finally, a quick lesson learned on Saturday morning:
Our son discovered a permanent blue marker at around 6am, and decided to apply some “blue nail varnish” to his fingers and the carpet.
So I learned the following
You can google “how to get permanent pen of skin” on your iphone before you even get out of bed
A combination of baby wipes and facial cleanser for oily skin was the best combination to remove the aforementioned “nail polish”, along with a lot of elbow grease.
For more lessons learned visit Julie at From Inmates to Play Dates for What I Learned This Week.
Sorry if there are some issues with the photos in this post – you would not believe the HOURS it has taken to try to upload them tonight!
I have to agree, it was a brilliant day without kids. Food, craic and company was excellent. Love the photos think I will need a few lessons!
Sounds like a wonderful party! Your friend is lucky to have such wonderful people to celebrate with her. Carla
Gorgeous photos! What a wonderful day you all had! Congratulations to your friend Fiona.
Photo trouble = grrrr! Hope it works better next time.
Congratulations to your friend. What a wonderful party you threw for her. 🙂
What a great idea…and brilliant pictures
That’s a wonderful and loving gesture for you all did for your friend. Thanks for the lesson on removing permanent marker! I actually need that!
That far outshines most every shower I’ve ever attended. You all are some clever ladies 🙂
Passing through from Chatting at the Sky. I love celebrating good friends, looks like a lovely farewell.
Its not just the fabulous location of her celebration, its all the thought and effort that went into this occaision. How awesome. I’m taking notes!
Oh MY – how I remember the days of having the carpet/walls/furniture getting a little “makeover” along with my children. TOO CUTE, so glad you caught it on film. I’m sure that he will be seeing this one at some future graduation or wedding to his great embarassment *snicker*
I’m tickled to see YOU in a photo for a change.
Got to fly – still enjoying family time here.
Love, Barb
What a lovely day with a lovely group of friends!
And…baby wipes are surely a miracle cleaner for a lot of things!
What a special day you created. She’s sure to remember that forever! So sweet, and the venue looks great.
I think you did a great job with the photos. What a wonderful celebration for a friend who is moving away.
I’ve seen the ‘wonder what permanent marker will look like on my fingernails’ trick before. I’m glad you found a way to get it out of your carpet. Little boys are amazing. Mine once made a ring of fire to drive his ‘hot wheels’ through. Luckily, he din’t catch anything else on fire.
Mama Bear
what a fantastic day for Fiona and you all! I wish her all the best, good luck and God with her.
Great shots
your friend must feel so special with that send-off!
and you will be glad you took his photo… these are precious memories!
First, I want to go to that hotel. Second, the iPhone sure comes in handy for nail emergencies. I’ve googled some stuff from bed myself. =)