would you care for some tea?

This past Saturday I went to the baby shower I had made the polka dot blanket for. I don't think I've been to a baby shower since I was about 10.  I'm at that age, now, where everyone I know is getting engaged and married, but I'm not quite at the point where everyone is getting baby crazy.  So, my memory of baby showers was a house in the suburbs where everyone wore pastels and played games that involved cute plastic safety pins, while I stood in the kitchen eating handfuls of pillow mints (also pastel colored) waiting for anyone to tell me I could start eating sandwiches from the large platter from Subway.

This, however, was much much different from when I was 10.  It was tea at the Peninsula.  You don't even need to know what "The Peninsula" is to think that that sounds pretty snazzy (it's a hotel near the magnificent mile).  It's the kind of thing I would image that old fancy socialite woman from the Simpson's saying in her huffy snooty voice.

"Oh my word, the ladies and I are having tea at the Peninsula, whilst our husbands race their yachts"

Basically, what I'm trying to say is, It Was Awesome! I've never been to "tea" before, and it was just as I imagined.  Tiny sandwiches on tiered trays, individual tea pots, and to top it all off there was a string quartet playing in a balcony behind us.  Everyone looked absolutely lovely without wearing any pastels, I had so much fun, although I'm pinching myself for not bringing my camera, so iPhone pics are going to have to do:

My perfectly put together place setting

My very own tea pot filled with my very own choice of tea (Peninsula Chai - it was delicious)

Every tea cup had this decorative strainer so no tea leaves would fall into your glass.  When you were done pouring it sat in that little silver cup behind my tea cup.

Tiny finger foods! Some people tried to eat with a fork and it just turned into a mess, I stuck with the pick-it-up-and-shove-it-in-your-mouth method . . .much classier.

One of the ladies that helped put the shower together is allergic to nuts, so they made an entire tower of nut free mini foods.  Oh, and to the right you can see the little pots of spreads for the mini scones; whipped butter, jam, and lemon curd!

The Sandwich Tier

The Dessert Tier

And my favorite thing out of all the miniature foods:

The lemon meringue squares.

It was little shortbread cookie boxes with lemon curd inside and a meringue puff on top.  So, so, so good. 

I had the best time, and felt so classy and maybe a little out of place.  I think we might have been a little more disruptive then their regular crowd, but that's what made it so fun!!