tea time

before we unshackled MIL and let her get on a plane back to texas, we managed to  squeeze in a visit to one of our favorite places:

it'd been a long time since we'd been to tea together, so this was a lovely treat. the menu was still as i remembered, with just a few minor adjustments for the season. this is what i love most about this place - consistency. i like knowing that i'm gonna get exactly what i'm looking for. 

it took me all of about a second and a half to pick my tea: french caramel crème brûlée. duh. 

now, i fully admit that i'm rarely full after these afternoon tea sessions. i mean, look at the size of these little teeny-tiny sandwiches:

my very favorite part - freshly baked scones with clotted cream. YUM. 

the dessert tray offered pumpkin cheesecake bites, lemon bars and simple shortbread cookies. 

by this time, i'd had so many cups of that delicious tea that all i could fit in my belly was one of the cookies. no worries, though. i'm not a huge pumpkin fan anyway. 

group photo op! i guess we forgot to tell MIL to find something black and white striped to wear. 

fun times. and now the countdown is on till christmas, when MIL, FIL and brother wan all come home for the holidays. 

can't come soon enough!