We were very excited to plan our Regency Unit Celebration as a culmination of all we'd learned and done! And I must say this was one of our best celebrations. We spent basically all day cooking and preparing for the party.
Our roses were at their absolute peak (and hadn't been treated with the systemic pest control we dig into the soil yet), so we picked some beautiful petals to make rose petal jelly.
It is such a beautiful color when it's only petals and water and sugar! On the right side is what it looks like once the hot pectin has been added. Still pretty, but not as good as before.
We made sugared rose petals out of the petals we didn't make into jelly. We painted each one with egg white and dusted it with superfine sugar. These always turn out so beautiful!
Our menu was celebratory without, I hoped, being unattainable. We made charcuterie platters with cold meats, goat cheese, seed crackers, rose cream cheese with chives, tomato-basil skewers, herbed deviled eggs, and Persian cucumbers.
Then there were scones with rose jelly and clotted cream, plus herbal tea, Italian sodas, and French lemonade to drink.
And for dessert, Chocolate Buttermilk cake with blueberries, Angel Food Cakelets with Strawberries, and Petit Choux á la crème (mini cream-puffs).
There were many such piles of dishes throughout the day! But the kids helped, and I also assigned them other tasks such as setting up the outdoor table and arranging the flowers I'd bought.
Goldie made the beautiful angel food cakelets!
At last it was time to get dressed! Junie wore this dress my mom made for me when I was her age! I think I wore it to my Senior Dinner Dance, or maybe it was first made for a piano recital? It fits Junie beautifully.
I think Daisy did Junie's hair.
Daisy also wore a dress that used to be mine. I don't know how I had so many that are perfectly Regency-styled! My mom is the best dressmaker. I have not worked to develop that talent myself, so I am extra grateful to have some of these old dresses for my girls! I think this dress was made for me to be a bridesmaid at Philip and Allison's wedding. It's so pretty!
Daisy did her own hair, and doesn't it look just beautiful? I love it!
Daisy also did Clementine's hair in one of these little braided chignons, and it looked SO cute!! I didn't even know Clementine's hair COULD be done like this. Clementine felt VERY pretty and kept smiling herself in the mirror all night. For good reason!
Her beautiful brown eyes! And those ringlets!
Goldie looked perfectly lovely in the dress she got for Christmas last year.
I think Goldie did her own hair in this beautiful swirl, adorned with pearl hairpins.
Ziggy spent a long time figuring out what to wear and getting his outfit just so. He kept getting annoyed because his hand-tied ribbons weren't keeping his breeches up far enough on his leg. Note his belt with a sword in it…an essential accessory for the well-dressed gentleman?
I like this casual pose
Teddy labored over the carefully-placed curl on his forehead
Daisy helped Gus tie his cravat and comb his hair nicely
Daisy even did my hair!
I'm not very good at looking dignified, but Sam is!
Ladies assembling before the party
Each lady getting ready to go in to dinner on the arm of a gentleman (not sure why this lady is carrying a quill pen)
We moved our table outside to the back deck for our party. Junie arranged several vases of flowers for the table, but the very prettiest were the roses from our own garden!
We had a place to write letters or notes
And an easel to do a little plein air painting
But the table was the prettiest of all!
Everyone helped put out the flowers and food and light the candles
And the food was so good! So many good things!
Malachi joined us at the 11th hour. Seeing this makes me miss him! He wasn't mad here, just being Clementine's serious escort.
It may shock the gentle reader, but honesty compels me to report that during dinner, some of the ladies did not act perfectly ladylike.
They had had a little too much to drink, perhaps! 😄 But we shall politely overlook it.
Painting
Writing
Listening to a musical performance on the pianoforte
Putting the table outside left us a nice empty spot for a country dance!
Unbound hair! The exertions of the dancing must have been too much for it.
Clementine still dancing (she danced all night!)
"Almost as good as a burnt feather for giddiness!"
At last, in the wee hours (give or take a few), we put on our wraps and made our way to the waiting carriages, our cheeks flushed and our dancing slippers worn to shreds. What a fun celebration and what a fun way to remember the Regency Era!
