I put the "tea" in Party!

And would it have been worth it, after all,
After the cups, the marmalade, the tea,
Among the porcelain, among some talk of you and me,
Would it have been worth while,
To have bitten off the matter with a smile,
To have squeezed the universe into a ball

~T.S. Eliot

Every summer I have a tradition of putting on the Auntie's Mad-Hatter Tea Party. Everyone is required to wear a hat. Now I'm a bit of a fanatic when it comes to tea parties. All of the things I make for them are from scratch, and I scour the internet for recipes on all sorts of things months ahead of time, and cook them all up to get them "just so". My list is ever expanding. So is the guest list, and the number of antique tea cups I've slowly been collecting from various stores. Don is somewhat of an enabler to my problem, the first year I had one he came home with a beautiful white porcelain, flowered tea set for me, as a surprise. This year for Christmas he bought me silverware specifically for tea parties.
Now, let me explain myself. The reason why I'm so drawn to them is because they remind me of a simpler time. A time when people cared what their food looked and tasted like, and everyone, not just those who could afford five star restaurants, was entitled to that. It was a time to sit and sip your tea, go over the local gossip, and have everything slowly meander into perspective. It was a way of life that's unknown to our instant messaging, instant meal, instant gratification way of life.
I've dreamed of someday being experienced and good enough to host a tea party for as much as 20 people, someday. Well, someday has come, and much earlier than I expected. Lily is having a baby, next month. And I called my mother-in-law to see what she thought about throwing a baby shower. Being the predictable person I am I suggested a tea party theme. I'm getting good at it, and kind-of proud of it. I told Lily to give me a guest list. Little did I know that it would extend to 60 people. I have to admit I was a bit floored. I didn't know baby showers could be so dang big. I still panic when I think about it. What calms me down is that it's not at my house, I don't have to make the invitations...and...and that's pretty much it. I am in charge of the menu. I think I can handle that. I'm not sure. I'm scared. But when I start looking at recipes, my inner caterer gets excited, and tells me that it's no problem: with a little preparation, work, and quadrupling the recipes I've found, it should work out, and I'll probably have fun in the process. Besides, I have some tricks up my sleeves that even Julia Childs would be envious of. Okay, she probably came up with them. Dang Julia.
So, for inspiration I looked at some of the pictures from my last tea party. Every year I do a different theme, and this year it was French. Memories of Edith Piaf crooning, dancing with nieces, sidewalk chalk, white linen table cloths, chocolate fairies, fancy hats, flowers, mint chocolate truffles, quiche, crepes, and my dad sneaking food (although he's much too macho to go to a tea party, this was before the party actually started), sipping cool lemonade and iced tea, all floated back to me. All of these things equate to happiness, and I get all warm and fuzzy when I realize that I threw the whole shin-dig together. And I realize that life doesn't get any better than that.
I think...it's time for another one.
Here are some pictures from this last summer's tea party. I would suggest playing the song, "La Vie En Rose," while looking at the pictures. It' s the first song on my playlist.




Wish me luck! I'll keep you posted on how it goes!