A surprise visit

Hi everyone!

For the fourth creativity/crafting challenge of the year in the Sylvanian Families Collectors Community, I wrote a story. The theme was:

Challenge #4: Celebrating Grandparents

Since we’ve recently celebrated Valentine’s Day, let’s continue with the theme of love by recognizing the long-time couples in Sylvania: Grandparents!

Make an item or items, photograph a scene, write a story, or do whatever inspires you to create a project around the Grandparent theme!

Here it is!

 --

It was the week-end, and Teri and Frasier Chocolate were busy working in getting their new home ready to move in. Frasier was checking that the pipes in the newly installed sink worked correctly, and Teri was dusting and cleaning around. She whistled as she worked; she was in a good mood. Their Chocolaterie was being successful in the village of Arcfield and they had been able to buy a spacious three-story home for their family. It was a fixer-upper, that was for sure, but it was theirs and already looking a lot better after some cleaning and wallpapering. 

Suddenly, there was a knock in the door.

"Who could that be? Did you ask anyone to come help, Frasier?"
"No, my love, I didn't"
Intrigued, Teri went and opened the door...

...and almost jumped when she saw her parents, Rhys and Patricia! She hadn't seen them ever since they had to move away from their old home, as they lived far away and frequently travelled by boat.

"Mom! Dad!"
"Surprise!" said Rhys with a big smile. 

Teri ran to hug her mother and father, ecstatic to see them. Frasier also shook Rhys' hand. He got along great with his in-laws.
"Mom, but, what a surprise! How come you're here? Oh, I'm so happy to see you!"
"And so am I, my dearest! Since you told us that you had bought your new home, we were looking forward to come visit and see you both and our grandchildren".
"Oh, but the house's not ready yet, mom..."
"No problem" Teri's father said, laughing. "We'll come visit again, then!".

Having heard the commotion, Freya and Coco ran downstairs to greet their beloved grandparents.

"Grandpa! Grandma!"
"Oh, my sweet Freya, you look so grown up!" exclaimed Patricia, all smiles.
"You're becoming a fine gentleman, Coco. Very soon, I'll be able to take you on a sea trip with me!" said Rhys proudly, his moustache trembling with emotion.
"We have a surprise for you two. Well, for Freya especially" Patricia said mysteriously. Looking at the door, she said: "You can come in now!".

Another surprise visitor? Who could it be? Everyone looked at the door expectantly.

The visitor that Rhys and Patricia had brought with them was no other than Sabrina Sandy, Freya's best friend from where they used to live!

"Frey-Frey!" Sabrina exclaimed, happily and energetically. 
Freya was speechless for a moment, then let out an excited shriek.
"Sabrina!!! You're here!"

The two girls were unbelievably happy to see each other again. They had been close friends ever since they were both babies, and even though they had been keeping in touch by letter, it just hadn't been the same. Freya was delighted!

Everyone went upstairs except for Patricia and Teri, who proceeded to show and tell her mother what was ready in their home and what was missing.

"We have cleaned and wallpapered everything, and we've just finished getting the kitchen installed. The table and chairs are also ready. We're still expecting our new sofas to arrive, this one is from our old Chocolaterie, remember? It's temporary..."
"Hmm, hmmm" said Patricia "The kitchen is already looking very nice, my dear. And since it's already working, I'm thinking we should make a big lunch for everyone, to celebrate!"

Upstairs, Freya was excitedly showing Sabrina her bedroom. Coco is a bit wary of Sabrina's presence... Back in their old village, she tended to make him compete with her in everything imaginable, and he just couldn't keep up! He was trying to stay as out of her sight as possible. Luckily, she was too busy happily chatting away with Freya to pay him much attention.

The other half of the floor was for the babies' room, and both Crème and Kabe were quite excited to see Grandpa! Little Breeze was quietly napping, as usual.

Finally, all four adults went up to the top floor.

"Here's where our bedroom's going to be" explained Frasier "We haven't ordered the furniture yet, but we know what we want, and it's just a matter of time".
"We have wallpapered, though!" smiled Teri.
 Both Rhys and Patricia agreed that the new home was very nice and couldn't wait to see it again after everything was ready.

--

Some time and after a quick trip to the shop for ingredients for lunch, all the children were gathered around grandpa Rhys. He was a sailor, and they all loved listening to the stories of his travels and the places he'd been to. The older children wondered if he had ever really seen a real kraken, though! 

Meanwhile, grandma Patricia was already busying herself in the kitchen. The stew smelled delicious already, and she was also baking. She was pleased to see that the kitchen worked perfectly!

While she was washing some of the dishes she had been using, Frasier came into the kitchen to help her cut vegetables for a nice, healthy salad.
"You know, my dear Frasier, when in the kitchen, it's important to clean as you go, otherwise everything gets messy and the dirty utensils and dishes pile up!"
Frasier smiled at this. He found it quite endearing that his mother in law kept giving him advice such as this, since he was a professional chef. But he knew she meant well, so he just nodded.
"You're absolutely right, Patricia!"

Teri came into the kitchen a while later.
"Are you sure you don't want me to help, mom...? Wait a moment... pasta? Isn't that a bit too much? We already have the stew, and..."
"Oh, but of course not, my dear. There's a lot of people here, you wouldn't want anyone to stay hungry, right?"
"But..."
"This is barely nothing, my darling, almost an appetizer!"
It looked like a huge pasta dish to Teri, complete with tomato, but she decided not to argue and left the kitchen again.

A while later...

 "WHAT IS THIS, mom? Paella now?"
 "But of course, honey, there's no way I would leave without getting you all to taste this delicious dish! Your father and I learnt how to make in one of our travels. You'll love it, you'll see!
"Mother, there is no doubt that you're making too much food! It'll go to waste!"
"There's no way that'd happen, my sweet Teri. You worry too much. This is barely nothing to eat for so many people!"
"Mom, there's no way all this food is going to fit in my table!"
"But of course it will, my sweet. Just relax".
Teri, without saying a word, stormed out of the kitchen.

 Frasier found her at the top floor, pacing back and forth.
 "What's wrong, my love?"
"MY MOTHER! She's... driving me crazy!"
"But why, honey? What's she doing? She hasn't left the kitchen all day..."
"That's PRECISELY IT! She's making... so much food! It's going to waste! And the table is too small for so many people! And, and... I... I just realized that we don't have enough chairs for everyone! I wanted our first lunch here in our new home to be perfect, and now... now...!"
Frasier laughed warmly and smiled. 
 "Well, there's worse problems to have, for sure. Please, don't worry about the food, you should be glad your mother likes our new kitchen so much! She's just happy to be able to cook for us, and all her grandchildren and Sabrina. Your parents must have been lonely as well, Teri. For a while, there hasn't been much people she could share her delicious cooking with!"
"But... I... Ah, you're right... But, the chairs...?"
"Leave that to me. I'll ask Wilbur Robinson or some other villages to lend us some chairs. No problem".
"Ah, thank you, darling...I'm sorry I always overreact so much..."
"No worries".

And so, Frasier did just that, and some of the villagers gladly lent him some chairs. Even Sabrina helped carry them!
"Look how strong I am, Mr Chocolate!".
Since there were so many people, the sofa was moved to get the table in a more spacious place.

"See, pumpkin?" Patricia told her daughter, sounding very satisfied. "The food fits perfectly on the table".
"Yes mom, but what about the plates? The dishes? The glasses? The cutlery?!" Teri said, sounding quite nervous and like she was trying hard not to scream
"Well" Rhys said, laughing "I do think there's absolutely no need for any of that, don't you think?"

And so, forks, knives and spoons were distributed and it was decided that everyone would eat directly out of the pots and plates! The children were ecstatic, it was like a garden party, but indoors! The food was delicious and everyone was having a great time.
"Looks like we didn't need any chairs after all" Frasier said, laughing.
"Yes, you're right!" Teri said, a sheepish smile. "I'm so sorry I got so nervous mom, dad. I missed your homemade food, and I'm so happy to have you here".
Both Patricia and Rhys smiled warmly at her daughter. They weren't upset at all. They knew her well.
"Ah, you have always been a bit of a nervous Nellie, Teri" said Rhys, smiling. "Remember, Tricia, that time when she...?"
"No! Don't start telling those stories now!" exclaimed Teri, much to the chagrin of her children, who were quite interested in hearing them!

Turns out Patricia was right, as grandmothers tend to be, and there were almost no leftovers. After the meal, Rhys and Frasier went out to return the chairs the kind villagers had lent them. Coco was taking a nap, Freya and Sabrina were happily catching up on each other's stories since their separation, and Teri was moving the table and chairs back into their place when...

...grandma Patricia came out of the kitchen once again.
"Who wants some chocolate cake?" she asked, smiling warmly.
"REALLY, MOM?!" Teri exclaimed.
Coco came back to life almost immediately!
"Me, me!" he exclaimed.
"Wow!" Freya said "It looks just like the special sponge chocolate cake mom makes!"
"But of course, my dear" said Patricia, with a wink and a smile. "Who do you think taught her how to make it...?"

--

The End!
Do you think the kids managed to eat the cake even after all the food they had for lunch...? Hehe! Hope you enjoyed the story. :)
I had been thinking of writing this story for a while, but I was waiting until I finished decorating Cedar Cottage. Since it seems like that will take a while, the challenge prompt for this fortnight gave me the perfect opportunity to get to it. I was able to introduce the Chocolate Grandparents and Sabrina Sandy at last!
No crafting this time, just the story.

This story was partly inspired by my own grandma, who will serve first dish, main course, dessert and coffee (often with a second dessert, haha!) all the while commenting that you barely ate anything and asking if you want anything else. :D

I know Rhys and Patricia are supposed to be Frasier's parents, but in my mind they always were Teri's!
I love them, they're adorable. They're a bit smaller than the adult figures, which makes them quite endearing, and Rhys' moustache cracks me up! :D


See you next post!