Planning a Party

Tea Party with Granddaughter Sara- Christmas 2012

My Mama, Rose Lee Stewart Womack, loved parties and we are planning one last party for her on Sunday.  Mama died at the age of 95 on Valentine's Day which is pretty wonderful since she was joining her sweetheart, my Dad, who had died when she was 50.  The last thing my daughter Brittany said to her was, "Russell is waiting for you with a box of chocolates, you had better hurry."  She dearly loved chocolate! She used to make fudge for my Daddy after we were in bed.   We might get one or two pieces the next day, but she and Daddy enjoyed most of every batch.  I never understood this until I had children of my own and realized that I did not want to experience their sugar "highs."

If you are in Albuquerque on Sunday, please join us at 3:00 p.m. for her Memorial Service and the party afterward in the Parish Hall of St. Mark's Episcopal Church at 431 Richmond NE.  

Because her favorite color was yellow, we will have yellow flowers on the altar and also for the table centerpieces.  Looking through her photo albums, I found a newspaper clipping with a description of a tea that she helped to host. 
"Officer's Wives Entertain With Reception"
August 1953
  "Mrs. Walter r. Agee wife of the Gen. Walter R. Agee, new commanding officer of Amarillo Air Force Bas, was honored with a tea on Thursday in the Officer's Club.
   Hostesses were Mesdames A.J. Marson, M. J. Sullivan, R.O. Womack (that would be Mama), R.W. Bruce, E.H. Cook, H.D. Rust, Leonard Keller, M.E. Sattler,...
The serving tables were covered with white linen cloths with skirts of green net and centered with arrangements of yellow chrysanthemums and bronze lilies, flanked with large white candelabra holding white candles."

Rose Lee on the far right.

Don't you wish this photo was in color?

Because I have such a clear memory of helping Mom make what seemed (at least to my 8 yr old self) like hundreds of tissue paper butterflies...

Sort of like these, but pastels.

to hang from parasols for a baby shower she hosted, I am busy baking butterfly shaped sugar cookies for her party.  I had hoped they would end up looking like this...

Just the yellow ones.  So far they look like this with the icing I purchased in the cake decorating aisle at Michael's.

Have you noticed the easy way is almost never the best way? Clearly I need to make some royal icing to do the lines.


There will be tea sandwiches, fruit, baked brie en croute, lots of different cookies and many of my friends are bringing their best tea party recipes as well.  And yes, we will be using white tablecloths, silver candelabra, and the silver tea service with those yellow flowers.  Not sure if we will make fudge though.  

Over the next couple of weeks, I plan to introduce those of you who did not know my vibrant, beautiful, feisty Mom to some of the stories of her life.  I think you might be entertained.