Party Business

September 22nd. Bilbo Baggins birthday. 

One of the first books I can remember my mom reading to all of us kids was The Hobbit.  From there, a family of Tolkien fans was born.  I have reread The Hobbit many times and each time I am drawn to hobbits. :) "For they love peace and quiet and good tilled earth." ~ JRR Tolkien 

Chapter one begins:
"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort. 
It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats—the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill—The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it—and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, dining-rooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left-hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep-set round windows looking over his garden, and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river.

This hobbit was a very well-to-do hobbit, and his name was Baggins. The Bagginses had lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill for time out of mind, and people considered them very respectable, not only because most of them were rich, but also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected: you could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours’ respect, but he gained—well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end."

It really is a must read. :)

Anyway, in honor of Bilbo's birthday, and for a good excuse to eat good food (hobbits love food), Nathan and I had my siblings and Aaron and Kendra over for a hobbit themed party. 

the table set and ready

The food :)

The menu consisted of: stuffed mushrooms, minced meat pies, bread and jam, apple tarts, Bilbo's seed cakes, salad, creamy mushroom soup, and a rotisserie chicken with potatoes and carrots. 

apple tarts :)

Everyone come in "hobbit inspired attire", which in our wardrobes means greens and yellows.

Jenny and Bob win the award for the best dressed hobbits though. Bob came complete with suspenders. :)

The food. notice the seed cake ring. Jake made them and they were really good.

A birthday party is not complete without a cake.

Bilbo's birthday cake. 

It was a great evening with family and good food and a shout out to good literature. :)

In Christ

~Michelle