Welcome! The dolls and I are so happy that you could come to this year’s party! They’ve assigned me the task of being the official greeter, since they are all rather busy at the moment. Just between the two of us, they are running a bit behind. It all started when Sarah Alice decided they should make something special for Izannah’s birthday…

Earlier this month…

“Isabeau you are so good at sewing! Would you be willing to help me make a special surprise for Izannah’s birthday party?” asked Sarah Alice. “Something pretty to decorate the parlor, that we could keep out all year long to remind us of our very own dear Izannah?” “I might be able to.” hedged Isabeau. “Is it really something we will have time for? The party isn’t all that far away” Sarah Alice assured Isabeau that she had the perfect project in mind and that if they worked together she was positive that they could have it finished in time for the birthday tea. “I don’t know if Izannah’s mother was given a christening pincushion when Izannah was born or not, but I think we should make her one now.” “Two hundred and five years later?” asked Isabeau very gently. “Yes” said Sarah Alice “It will be a wonderful way for us to show that we remember her and still love her.” “That is a lovely idea” agreed Isabeau. So the two sisters snuck away to the parlor, whenever they thought their other sisters were busy, to work on their birthday surprise.

Unbeknownst to Izabeau and Sarah Alice, Izzybelle had been peeking in the parlor window and listening at the door as the two sisters worked on their birthday surprise… I’m sure you must know just how little sisters are, they always want to do the very same things that their older sisters do. So you won’t be at all surprised to learn that Izzybelle started thinking about something special that she could do for the party.

Yesterday…

“Charlcie what kind of cake are you baking for the tea party?” asked Izzybelle in a very innocent voice. “Ismay and I have decided that it would be nice to make a pumpkin cake this year.” replied Charlcie. “Your pumpkin cake is very good, but do you think that it is special enough for a Grand Birthday Tea Party?” replied Izzybelle “Birthday cakes should be very special!” “Don’t you think it would be much nicer if we each baked a layer of cake and put them all together, just like we talked about for Izannah’s 199th birthday party?” “Oh Izzybelle, I really don’t think we have time to do that now, since the party is tomorrow. You know that we are all very busy getting ready. Hannah and Eliza Jane are dusting everything, Zanna is trying to catch all the dogs and give them a bath, Sarah Alice and Isabeau are busy in the parlor and Emma Blue and Tilly Lamb are out in the garden trying to find enough flowers to decorate the house.” said Charlcie. Upon hearing this little Izzybelle looked so sad and disappointed that Charlcie began to relent. “You might go out to the garden and ask Tillie Lamb if she would have time to come bake a layer or two of her famous gingerbread. If, and only if, she is willing to add baking onto her chores, we might try to make a stack cake…” “Shouldn’t we all bake a layer? It would be so much more special if everyone made one!” wailed Izzybelle. “Absolutely not, that is completely out of the question! There is simply not enough time for that. Be happy that Ismay and I will each bake layers and that Tilly Lamb might.” said Charlcie quite firmly.

(The story, which I am very fond of, goes like this; each family invited to a wedding would bring one layer of cake, all of the layers were stacked together to form the wedding cake. I’ve also heard this cake called a prairie wedding cake and have seen reference to each family bringing a different flavored cake layer. 

https://izannahwalker.com/2016/09/25/happy-199th-birthday-izannah-walker-part-4-blow-out-the-candles/ )

Eventually very late last night after Izzybelle helped clean up the kitchen floor and was firmly tucked into bed, all the layers of pumpkin, gingerbread and apple spice cake were baked and stacked one on top of another …and if the stack seemed to artistically lean to one side everyone was much too tired to care.

After such an eventful day, and an extremely late bedtime, I’m sure you can understand why the little cloth sisters are still putting the finishing touches on the tea party preparations. Oh! It sounds as if Charlcie has just finished toasting all of the English muffins and that Izzybelle is headed up to the parlor with the jam! They have finally gotten everything just the way they want it and are ready for guests. Let’s go join them in the parlor.

“What a wonderful party!” “I’m not sure if we’ve ever had a better one!” “I ate far too much cake…” “Zanna, would you please pass me another toasted muffin and the wild violet jelly?” “Does anyone else hear a horse and wagon coming up to the house?” “What?” “Are you sure?” “Well it certainly sounds like Mister Twigg and his delivery wagon.” “Are we expecting him?” “Maybe he’s come for the party!” “Yoo-hoo Mister Twigg!” “I think he is leaving.” “Zanna let’s go see if he left anything.”

“Why on earth would Mister Twigg leave this here?” “Just look at the size of it!” “How are we ever going to move this into the house?” “After we say good-by to all of our guests we’ll have to get the rest of the girls to help”

“You know Eliza, this is really quite a comfortable settle.” “It is indeed Tillie, though I’m still surprised we managed to get it in the house and up all the stairs!” “We never would have managed it if we didn’t have so many sisters…” “Wasn’t this just the nicest tea party?” “Yes, and this having this surprise birthday present delivered at the very end was such a treat!”

The dolls and I hope you have enjoyed celebrating Izannah Walker’s 205th birthday with us! This is out twelfth year for our annual virtual party. If you would like to look back at some of the other celebrations just type Izannah birthday in the search bar. For those of you who have attended before you may remember that I do always make it a point to have dolls available for sale as party of the festivities. This year I only have two, who are sweet wonderful dolls, both dressed in brown. I also have one party dress for sale. Some years I have more, but this has been one of those years. I’m sure you know what I mean, as we all have them! Times when everything seems to happen all at once… The good news is that there are dolls for sale today! Please return here at 5:30 p.m. Eastern time to meet my latest reproduction Izannah Walker dolls. The dolls and the party dress will all be sold on a first come basis.

If you would like to know more about what went into creating today’s party, read the recipes used for the food, and find out more about the infant pincushion that Sarah Alice and Isabeau made then you will definitely want to come back on Monday evening at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time for the After Party!