Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party

Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party.

The week I went into labor, I was feeling antsy.

I had this urge to go out and have lots of fun, because I knew that sooner or later this baby was coming and I would be home bound for a bit. But oh my. Those last few pregnant weeks were a challenge. I was huge. I was swollen. And in GEORGIA. Land of the sweltering, unforgiving humidity. Not to mention it was July. My word.

I got the fabulous idea to have one last girly hurrah and visit a much-talked-about tea parlor in the city. I dragged my mom and my sister downtown (okay, there wasn't much dragging, we all enjoy a good bout of fancifulness), and we found our way into Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party. The name itself lends to all sorts of curiousness. Who's this doctor? Is he really from Bombay? And, what is meant by "underwater"?? Also, WHERE CAN I PUT MY FEET UP. Like I said, the mind can really wander.

We shuffled around the tiny shop and cheerfully breathed a sigh of relief when we found a few strewn-about chairs. We rearranged them across from each other at an indoor picnic table and were thankful we could actually sit together. This place seemed like a haven for the studious and the entrepreneurial. Everyone sitting in the shop was working on something, gaze intensely focused on their laptops. We were the only party who seemed to be there to, well, have a tea party. And so we did. Rather loudly.

We gleefully ordered the Caroline tea for two (and a few other delicacies) and split everything between the three of us. Not only were the tea, scones, quiche, brownies, CLOTTED CREAM and finger sandwiches an absolute delight, but enjoying the sweet company of these fine women absolutely capped off my final week of pregnancy. It was the perfect, priceless, princess-y kind of celebration. And while we never really got any of our questions answered (Dr. Bombay is still an underwater mystery), we did get to laugh and laugh and laugh until we just couldn't anymore. Little did I know that nine days later I would be in the throws of labor and very far removed from all that laughter and silliness. I'm thankful for this cherished memory and for discovering another gem in this familiar city.

Downton Abbey: Season 3 Premiere Tea Party

Too Old For Dress Up?

I think not. Last night's 3rd season premiere of Downton Abbey really put me in a festive mood. As this highly-anticipated event drew near, I began to brainstorm ideas for a memorable celebration worth of a Crawley-esque caliber. Somehow I roped my insanely fun family to join in my gleeful silliness by dressing up and having a tea party. Yes, you read that sentence right. We are adults and we play dress up. I bet you wish you had this much fun watching public television.

On the Menu

In the short span of an hour(ish), we whipped together some delicious tea party treats (oddly enough, we didn't actually have any tea.) We made cucumber sandwiches, baked brie and chocolate scones. We cheated a bit with Publix-bought petit fours, but these are literally one of my all-time favorite desserts, so the indulgence seemed reasonable. I also splashed around in the kitchen and came up with a rum-cranberry-tonic endeavor, which ended up being a crowd-pleaser (though perhaps not entirely era-appropriate.)

Guest List + Style Hounds

My sister, cousin, mom, dad and faithful husband joined me for pre-show appetizers and cocktails. The men weren't too keen on dressing up until they decided to don current-era Raybans and drink scotch. Suddenly the tea party really came alive for them. I found an old prom dress and raided my sister's ridiculously fashionable closet for headgear and jewels. Her closet never disappoints, and our little game of dress up made the celebration all the more fun. 20's-era tunes crooned in the background. Mom's crystal trinkets displayed the delectable treats. And we did our best to keep straight faces and adopt Downton's dramatic flair (my mom and dad tied; both were ridiculously true-to-form.)

Are you sensing the resemblance. PBS should call us in as understudies.

 Call me silly, but I think there is always a reason to celebrate. Why not engage in a healthy dose of silliness when you have the opportunity? I've come to find that life is far to short to take anything too seriously. This season's opener pleasantly surprised me with a marvelous 2-hour special. I won't give away secrets (to the 4 of you who missed it), but did you tune in? What did you think of Downton's 3rd season premiere? Cheers to a spring season of drama-filled Sunday evenings!