Mother's Homemade Birthday Tea

Tea Table at Mrs. White's Home - with a pretty bell just for fun.

Last month, I invited the children and grandchildren home for a visit. I wanted to make it a special afternoon so they would have a lovely time.   It gets harder to have all the family visit during Thanksgiving and Christmas time because some have to work, or they live a distance away.  As they get older, their own family celebrations begin to form.  We have to be flexible.  Whenever possible, it is good to create special times to call the children home.

I thought my birthday would be a perfect excuse to have a gathering.  I told the children I was going to have a tea party.  Here is what I did:

Menu and Place cards for Mrs. White's tea party

I cut out several pieces of paper and placed them in a tray.  These were labeled as "place cards."  As soon as the grandchildren arrived, they could take one to decorate and write their own names.  This would be a fun activity for them during the party.

I created a simple, hand written "menu" and placed it on an empty picture holder.  Here is the menu:

"Savories"

Lasagna
Cucumber sandwiches
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
Celery with Cream cheese and chives

"Dessert"

Mint Frosted Chocolate Cake
Cherry- Pink Frosted Chocolate Cupcakes
Chocolate Chip Cookies

"Beverages"

Tea - Sugar cubes - Lemon
Hot chocolate - Miniature Marshmallows


I had spent two days before making all the food as well as cookies, cake, frosting, and cupcakes.  I used a box cake recipe and used half for a single layer cake. The other half was used for 24 mini cupcakes.  I made homemade buttercream frosting. This was from a plain recipe in an old Betty Crocker Cookbook.  I divided the frosting in half so that I could create 2 different kinds:

1.  Mint - I used a tiny bit of mint extract and a drop of green food coloring. This went on the single layer cake.

2. Cherry - I used a bit of red food coloring, to make it pink!   Then I added 2 or 3 teaspoons of maraschino cherry syrup for flavoring.  This went on the miniature cupcakes.

The cookies were made from a traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe.  We had a difficult time saving some for the party. We kept eating them!

I used artificial, pink and purple, flowers to decorate the sideboard table. I have had these for years already, so there was no extra cost.


I had two teapots. One was for tea, the other for hot chocolate.  Years ago, one of my grown daughters had given me a Christmas teapot. This is what I used for the hot chocolate!

I mixed the cocoa in a glass measuring cup and then added some milk to cool it down. Then I poured it into the Christmas teapot.  The grandchildren were delighted to be served this very special drink! 

Next, they found a wonderful surprise at the tea table.  I had filled the sugar bowl with miniature marshmallows! I showed the babies how to use the sugar tongs to take out one marshmallow at a time to put in their hot chocolate.  One of them said, "May I have one marshmallow, Me`me?" I said, "You may have four!"  They were delighted!

Sugar tongs and bowl to hold miniature marshmallows!

I served lasagna and sandwiches.  I had to set up a card table and chairs for extra seating in our parlour.  It was so nice to have everyone enjoying the food and the fun of it all!

The grandchildren kept looking at the tiered tea tray.  They would say, "I would like a cookie next!" Or they would ask for another "bell - shaped peanut butter sandwich." (I had used my cookie cutter when making the children's sandwiches.)  Sometimes, I would see the 2 year old looking up, dreamily, at the tiny cupcakes at the top of the display stand.

The grown-ups enjoyed all the food and service. They loved watching how much fun the children were having.  It was a lovely afternoon.

 Sometimes, we mothers have to "make" our own fun.  We have to create homemade events to bring cheer to the family. This doesn't have to cost much, just some grocery money. We can create crafts and projects with our imagination. 

Very often children and grandchildren have no idea how to make a birthday happy for Mom or Grandma.  They don't know what would make an adult happy.  This is why it is often fun for all when mother uses these times and seasons to serve the family by inventing a happy, homemade, celebration.

Each of the grandchildren took home their own place card as a remembrance of the day. They were also given a lunch bag full of home-baked treats.   I remember one of my girls telling me how excited her children were at the anticipation of "going to Me`me's tea party."   They all had such a lovely time.  I am so grateful!

Blessings
Mrs.White


From the Archives -

Home Economics Lesson - Feeding the Family.

A Homemade Gift for Baby - Tea Napkins.

D. L. Moody's Mother - Poverty in the 1800's.

Mrs. White's special book for homemakers:"Introduction to Home Economics:  Gentle Instruction to Find Joy in Christian Homemaking." Paperback, 200 pages. 

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