Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Katie's Tea Party





I have a daughter...just one. She's right in the middle of my 4 boys. I love her with all my heart and would lay down my life for her, but to be honest, I think she may have been switched at birth. If she wasn't the spitting image of me when I was her age, I'd be considering a DNA test. I am so not a fru-fru kind of person. Actually, I wish I was a little more interested in frilly things...you know...the kind of person that buys a Victoria magazine and then is actually able to copy the ideas. But alas, I am more of a black/white, practical, Pottery Barn girl. Katie loves all things beautiful. And, she loves to bake. The reason I have put on 10 lbs. in the last year is that she bakes cookies non-stop. When I make cookies, I cut open the package, break apart the square cookie dough portions and put them in the oven. I throw away the package and pat myself on the back for making "home-made" cookies. None of those nasty store-bought packaged cookies for me!! Then there's Katie...she pours over my cookbooks, looking for the one recipe that grabs her eye, or her stomach. Then, she actually makes cookies using flour and sugar. I've bought more flour and sugar in the last year that I have in the last 10 years combined!! And, she doesn't just do cookies. She makes it all...brownies, cakes, muffins, bread, rolls... If I let her, she will bake it.


All that to say, she and I decided to have a little Mother/Daughter back to school tea part a couple of weeks ago. We made the invitations and invited 7 girls and their moms. Five were able to attend. With a little guidance, she came up with a menu. I helped with the schedule, but she made almost everything herself. The day before the party, she began baking at noon and didn't stop until 6:00. We had a little budget for the tables and were able to do everything pretty cheaply. Here's a few pictures.


This is a picture of the Girls' Table





Here's a picture of the Moms' Table







These are pictures of the place settings. Our theme was Flowers and Bees. The colors were pink and yellow. The table that had the yellow place mats was for the girls, and the table with the yellow table cloth was for the moms.




The menu was:

Appetizers: Cheese/crackers, mini blueberry muffins
Lunch: Sandwiches (chicken salad, ham/cheese, cheese), broccoli salad, Pringles,
Dessert: Honey Lemon Bee Hive Cake, Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Beverage: Water, Aunt Cathy's Punch


Here's a picture of the beautiful cake. It was surprisingly easy to make and it was delicious.





These are the Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.




We ate on the back porch under the awning. It's covered with wisteria and grapevines. The weather was absolutely beautiful. We played a game, ate lunch, and then the girls went downstairs to make a little craft while the moms stayed outside and visited.
I think my girl has gotten her fru-fru fill and will be satisfied for at least a little while.

5 comments:

Shan said...

That was the cutest thing I personally have experienced in quite a while! :D What a girl she is, how much fun! I know what you mean about wishing you were more fru fru. I don't gravitate to Donna Reed types of activities or ruffles and bows but I think it would be so much nicer as a housewife if I did. I'm always looking around for an Aunt Bee to warm up the place a bit.
I love the small town effect that I know all but about one of those mother/daughter combos- teehee. Fun times!

Mom Keena said...

So fun! I'm glad Katie is loving baking, what an art! The day looked terrific!

Melissa Flaming said...

Wow! That's so wonderful. You are a much braver mom than I. Anna would LOVE to do that, but it's the planning that I think about and sigh...too much work. I need to just get off my rump and try it someday. What beautifully decorated tables!

Wendy said...

WOW! I'm impressed with everything, but especially the place settings and the honey bee cake!! That is a fabulous mother-daughter idea!

I hear ya: I think my daughter was also switched at birth. I'm TOTALLY girl-y, fru-fru, give me heels 24/7 and Isabelle is a little tomboy. She does not like dressing up. (HUH?!) She loves to bake, but I have a suspicion that it's just to get her hands dirty. ;-)

Jenna Jean said...

That looked so nice and so much fun. Those kind of events are my kind of thing and give my girl a few years and I have a feeling she will be right beside me!