The Woods at Whippoorhill: New Year's Eve 2015

Happy New Year, Everyone!

I wanted to share our New Year's Eve with you while everyone still has it on their minds. We hosted my parents and both my brothers and their families. "The Cousins" as Jewell calls the group. We have been having them all over for several years.

Usually ~~the men play with fire~~ the adult men produce an impressive fireworks display, but some idiot decided to plan the national championship semi-finals for New Year's Eve. The only thing that can keep grown Southern men from nearly blowing their fingers off is Bama Football. Enough said. Although, they did find some leftover bottle rockets in the garage (you never know what you may find at our house), and the men shot them at halftime for the kids.

But back to what you came for...party details.

The game started just after 7:00 pm, so I had everyone come at 6:00 so we could eat before the game. The women (including the girls) ate in the dining room. The men all crowded around the TV and shoveled it in while keeping an eye on the end of the Clemson/Oklahoma game. Couldn't really believe what they were seeing, I guess.

Our menu for the evening was "Mexican Fiesta". This has been a family favorite since I was a child. Several years ago while trolling ebay, I found these colorful dishes. The pattern is "La Fiesta" by Oneida. I don't remember what I paid, but it wasn't much. I just got the dinner plates. Maybe 8 for about $25? That sounds about right.

I should have a sign in the back window of my car that says "I brake for stemware". I was literally driving down a country road one day taking Jewell to dance, when I saw a yardsale with these glasses sitting on a table. There were sixteen of them and I paid $15. They had been loved on pretty hard and needed a little TLC for some scratches (which I still have yet to tackle) but I knew they were nice. They are "Provincial" by Noritake in a honey yellow color. Love them.

The bright orange placemat came from - you guessed it! - Dollar Tree and pops against my black tablecloth.

The flatware is my everyday pattern - "Austen" by Yamazaki. They're sitting on top of a black napkin with colorful chili peppers. I made these several years ago.

The centerpiece is a quick, cute craft I made. I found these "red hot chili poppers" on Pinterest. I'll show you how to make them in a day or two. I made a couple dozen and placed them in my greatgrandmother's biscuit bowl. I hate that I can't remember whether her father or her husband made this for her, but it was handmade when she married. She got married in 1917, so it'll be 100 years old next year!

My mother usually has poppers/crackers at our place settings for Christmas Eve. She couldn't find them locally this year, so I did a search on Pinterest. These chili poppers are filled with Hot Tamale candies. They were a hit!

It's kind of hard to see the black metal votive holders against the black talbecloth, but they're really pretty. Dollar Tree! I found some leftover pumpkin-secented votives and the orange looked nice against all the black.

New Year's Eve calls for confetti. I didn't have any, so I made my own.

I found this paper in my craft closet. It was perfect! All it takes is a little time and a hole punch. I enlisted Jewell's help for this project.

A little after I found the dinner plates on ebay, I stumbled across these serving pieces from the same pattern. They're perfect for Mexican Fiesta because of all the ingredients.

The carousel holds nine components on it's own.

I used the chili bowls that came with it for more toppings.

TIP - When planning a buffet, go ahead and get out serving dishes ahead of time. Lay them out and then label what each one will hold. As I did this, I marked the ingredient off my list. No last minute digging for serving bowls!