I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday! I was lucky enough to spend the day my kids, my mother and my mother-in-law. My in-laws were in town for the kids' homeschool co-op Spring Showcase on Saturday night, so I decided to host a Mother's Day lunch at our home.
I split the cooking with my sister-in-law, Clancy, and did a lot of the prep work on Friday. I also decided to make it a 1:00 pm meal time, so we weren't so rushed to get home from church and get it all on the table. I wondered if my kids (and my father!) would be able to make it, but with a well-timed snack of peanut butter crackers and milk, somehow they all made it until it was all hot and on the table.
I tried a new recipe for chicken and dumplings casserole and it got great reviews! I also made candied sweet potato patties. Clancy made her delicious sweet and sour green beans and a green salad. Against my protests, my mother made her homemade sour dough rolls. (OK - although I had planned to completely treat her and my MIL that day, I didn't complain too loudly. The rolls were yummy!) We finished out the meal with a homemade lemon buttermilk pie. I'll share the recipes with you soon.
My centerpiece started with a small bouquet of white roses and alstroemeria that I got for $10 at Winn Dixie. I added camellia leaves and asparagus fern from my front yard to make it a little bigger and give it some character. (Unfortunately, it didn't make it through the night last night. Apparently Possum kitty finds fresh flowers intoxicating, because he got into it last night and I found the roses gnawed up and the fern on the floor in the dining room, and foyer, and kitchen...)
We had too many guests to seat at one table, so I decided to separate the men from the women. The ladies sat in the dining room while the men ate at the kitchen table. I pulled out my wedding china and crystal and set a beautiful table with somewhat of a Tiffany's theme.
My china pattern is "Palatial Platinum" by Mikasa. The stemware is also by Mikasa and is called "Stephanie". My flatware is "Ribbon Edge Frost" by Gorham.
Note: I used to set my table a night or two before a dinner party so that I had one less thing to worry about the day of the party. But now that we have an inside kitty again, that's changed. If I try put down a tablecloth, he pulls on it. If I put out placemats, he naps on them. I know. My mother will tell you she has an easy solution for that, and you can probably guess what it is, but, well...this sweet (but extremely mischievous) kitty has quickly and completely stolen our hearts. That being said, I ironed my table cloth Saturday night and put it on the table upside down, just in case. Pretty smart, I think. I pulled out my dishes, flatware, etc., and had everything stacked on the table, ready to be set once I got home from church and got the casserole in the oven. I will offer this tip...my friend, Nancy, has been known to set her table a day or two ahead of time and then wrap it in saran wrap to keep it dust free. However, a saran-wrapped table at my house would just be an invitation...
The Tiffany blue placemats set the stage for my tablescape. I found them several years ago at Big Lots (it always pays to keep your eyes open!) and paid $1.99 each! They have a border of square, shell-like sequins around the edge and are so incredibly beautiful! I originally used them when I hosted a "Breakfast at Tiffany's" themed party for my church Bunco group several years ago. If you look closely, you will see several large diamonds scattered down the table, adding a little extra bling to the setting!
It was a very feminine table setting, and it made the ladies (including Jewell and my niece, Mary Reagan) feel very special. It is so worth the trouble to pull out the good stuff. If not, why have it?
It's not often that I am in a picture...I'm usually behind the lens. But I made sure that I got a picture of me and my children, as well as with my mother.
I had a wonderful day getting to spend time with family as we honored mothers. And, I was twice blessed by poems written especially for me...one by Jewell and one by my mother-in-law. I'll share those with you tomorrow.
I hope you had a wonderful and special Mother's Day, too!
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I'm so glad you stopped by my neck of the woods!
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