Number 4 turned 4 last week. My little man requested a "real" tea party, and I gladly obliged. Who says you can't enjoy a civilized affair of tea and finger sandwiches with young gentlemen, just as you would with young ladies. I've always enjoyed teatime with my boys, but we've never gone to such great lengths for little people. :)
My birthday boy happened to want pink cupcakes and special treats, but he would've been happy with pb & j with his friends. Teatime is all about sharing an would-be ordinary moment of tea and munchies in the extraordinary way of savoring and slowness. We all need a little more of savoring and slowness, don't you think?
Here are some highlights from his special little celebration...
On the menu...cheesecake stuffed strawberries
...scones with clotted cream and lemon curd...
...deviled eggs, cheddar slices cut out as flowers, and chicken sandwiches with cranberries and almonds...
...and ridiculously pink and rainbow-y cupcakes baked in mason jars (my juice glasses) because I ran out of cupcake liners...
...and plenty of tea for all.
I even got creative and tried out the infamous DIY Sharpie dinnerware idea floating around Pinterest, as a fun way to personalize a party favor...but alas, it is not as permanent as they claim. (FYI: Black stays put fairly well, but not so much with the colors. I will be redo-ing these with ceramic paint pens...)
BTW...do you see my pantry and tile in the background here? This was taken just a day before the demolition began...
...and this pic, taken by my friend Noel, really gives you a sense of what my kitchen and pantry looked like just last week!
Little man No. 4 had a wonderful time, and delighted in a day of details. Life with five kids sometimes forces me to paint in broad strokes, but what a blessing it is to take time to celebrate each of my children by adding special one-of-a-kind hues and features to the canvases of each of their lives.
Only this little one could've requested such an unabashedly decadent and frilly affair. And dressed up in his western shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots, this young man-in-the-making celebrated his fourth with an appreciation for the SWEET and SPECIAL.
Just like him.
