Lord of the Rings Epic Party: Victory is Mine!

Well, yesterday was our epic party, and I just have to say: Epic Party Was Epic. Friends came from near and far, everybody had fun, and we ate and viewed films from 8:00 am till nearly 10:00 pm.

Here are some highlights:

First Breakfast - steel-cut oatmeal with apples and cinnamon, cinnamon walnuts, muesli bread, tea, coffee, and cider, plus every possible condiment - honey x2, raspberry jam, orange marmalade, Amish butter, Battenkill half and half, and Meadowbrook cream for the oatmeal.

Second Breakfast -fried eggs from Buckley's, bacon from Oscar's (slightly burnt - whoops!), sausage-stuffed mushrooms.

Elevensies - scones wrapped up as Lembas, and Wensleydale cheese with cranberries.

Luncheon - cold chicken and ham, a variety of pickles, hazelnuts, sautéed mushrooms, a collection of cheddars, and more bread and butter.

Afternoon Tea - seed-cake, lots! Also some Stilton.

Dinner - stewed brace of coneys, salad with hard boiled eggs, and the beer and wine made its debut along with root beer and ginger beer for the non-drinking set.

Supper - Shire Hotpot (which I forgot to take a picture of; please accept these sad hobbits instead).

Dessert - a miniature of Bilbo's birthday cake by Quigley's Cakes:

plus tiny mince and blackberry pies:

This was undoubtedly the most fun I've ever had throwing a party in my own home. Guests kept checking up on me and trying to get me to sit, but no dice. I was in my element and bouncing around my kitchen in glee like never before.

I was continually ahead of schedule all day, so eventually, sometime after dinner, I did actually settle in to watch along with everyone else. But only after I admitted to myself that my tuchus hurt, plus there was absolutely nothing I needed to do for over an hour into the future.

Thus ends this year's epic mission. Quest. Thing to give the spouse the best 43rd birthday possible. What next?...