Don't Worry...Bee Happy! Miss Manners Spring 2023

Between Covid and the surgery I had last year, Miss Manners parties have been few and far between over the last few years! But I hope to ease back into a more regular schedule now. I hosted a rather large group back in the Spring. Very large in fact. I'll show you how I handled so many girls. But first...the table!

I happened to see this bee-covered burlap in Dollar Tree early last Spring, so I snagged a few. It was the jumping off point for my tablescape. I think they were about 18x21 inches. I thought about sewing them together in a runner, but decided not to. Instead, I evenly spaced them down the middle of my table on top of a black tablecloth. It really made them pop! I pulled several items from around my home to complement the bee theme. I have several pieces of the Round Top Collection that I purchased locally at Bless your Heart in Eclectic. This little bee was just perfect! I added a honey pot that I was gifted a couple of years ago.

I had another jar of honey that was given to me as a hostess gift. It looked lovely on the table, and the yellow fabric gave a pop of color to lighten the scene. I found the bright yellow flower pot holders at a thrift store a year of so ago. At the time, I had no idea what I would use them for, but they were so cheerful in color, I knew they needed to come home with me. There were two of them and they were $2 each. I found some yellow pansies at Lowe's to use in small mason jars. I put them on my deck table afterward to enjoy for a month or so.

The cute little "Bee Happy" sign came from Hobby Lobby years ago. I had the black and white straws in my stash. I think I got them 90% off at Walmart after Halloween one year. The "glasses" are small Starbuck's bottles I kept after Brack drank them. They're fun, and a great recycle project. The size is also perfect for small hands.

Here's a view of the center of the table. I wish they showed up a little better, but those are three wire bee skeps down the middle of the table. We found them at a thrift store last year. I took two and my BFF took the other. She loaned hers to me to use for the party. They added great height, but they could also be seen through which was great since the girls were smaller. It made it easy for them to talk across the table.

I used white chargers that have a touch of gold on the edges. They came from Dollar Tree. I think the only thing I had to buy for the table was these cute paper plates from Hobby Lobby. I got them the week they were half off. I placed them directly on the charger, then placed a clear glass plate on top. My flateware is "Abigail" by Hampton Silversmiths. It came from Target over twenty years ago. I hand wash them to protect the gold plating.

I draped a cute strand of bee-themed wooden beads over one of the skeps. I think they came from Hobby lobby. Jewell also wrapped the skeps in tiny fairy lights.  

Here's a better picture of the bee skeps. They're so cute!

They're very hard to see, but I found some little bee wire picks at Hobby Lobby when I got the plates. I stuck them in the pansies, so it looks like they're flying!

The cupcake stands have been in my collection for years. I think these black and white cupcake papers were from my Walmart Halloween clearance haul. By the way - I always place my cupcakes in another cupcake liner after I ice them. The wrapper isn't always pretty after being baked. Plus, it adds a frilly layer. The little plastic bee picks in the cupcakes came from Hobby Lobby, as well. They have a whole line of bee party supplies. I didn't want to use it all. I just found a couple of inexpensive items I could add to what I had.

Jewell cut the placecards out of black cardstock and hand lettered them for me. It was fun for the girls to walk around and find their name. They got to take them home afterwards. As for the black and white napkins, you guessed it! Halloween leftovers.

I served fruit kabobs, pita chips, ham and cheese roll ups, a few veggies with Ranch, baby dills, and a string cheese! I tried to have kid-friendly food and something for everyone. 

Jewell was a big help preparing for the party. She also helped me host. The girls loved spending time with their "big girl" friend!

Ashlyn was also a tremendous help and served as a hostess, as well. She graduated from high school in May and began college last month. She grew up in Miss Manners! 

In my next post, I'll show you our craft, and I'll let you in on how I easily hosted two parties that day! See you soon!

 

Mother/Daughter Senior Brunch 2023

 

We had four young ladies from our church to graduate from high school back in May. I have known each one of them since they were born, and all of them were part of my Miss Manners program as they grew up. I wanted to honor them, so I hosted them and their mothers for brunch last Saturday.

One mother and daughter were unable to attend, and my own daughter was out of town. That gave us an uneven seven in attendance, so I decided to squeeze in an extra setting so we could all sit together in the dining room.

I'm so happy with the way my tablescape turned out. It's feminine, summery, and so welcoming. Let me take you on a little tour!

Normally I mix and match my plates, but this is perhaps my favorite set of china that I own. I decided to just use it and let it shine in all it's glory! This pattern is called "Double Phoenix" in red, and it's by Nikko. I have used it several times, most recently for Valentine's Day 2023. But My favorite table featuring these dishes was a Paris-themed Valentine's Day dinner a few years ago. Take a look at it. It's breathtaking!

I went ahead and set the plate stack, even though I removed the bowl and dessert plate before they arrived. I always like to give you a bird's eye view of a table setting. As usual, I took the liberty of placing things where they fit, and not necessarily where they go.

I wanted a lot of texture to break up the red and white dishes. I think I succeeded!

I don't have anything blooming in my yard right now, so I picked up a $5 bouquet from Walmart and fleshed it out with greenery from my yard. Actually, I took a chance and ordered it online to pickup with my grocery order. I got lucky. It was in pretty good shape. One rose was beginning to turn a little brown, but I removed a few outer petals, and it was fine. I've completely changed my mind about baby's breath. It is usually just used as a filler in a rose bouquet, but when there's a mixture of colors and lots of greenery, I think it provides a pop of color (yes, white is a color!), and a textured softness to the arrangement. 

I added some fern fronds and some gardenia greenery for bulk.

I always use candles or at least tea lights in my tablescape, no matter the time of day. They add such a warmth and intimacy to the table. These little red tealight holders picked up on the dish pattern.

I made these pretty little rose bowls several years ago. You can see how I did that here.

I pulled out my pretty little green stem glasses to use. I wanted to add another color to the mix, and there was green in my napkins. I was given these glasses years ago by my sister-in-law. She had purchased them at Cracker Barrel. I only have eleven. If you ever see them anywhere, let me know! I got the vintage juice glasses off eBay a couple of years ago for Jewell's Hobbit-themed senior tea party. I used them with amber colored stemware for that party, but I like them mixed with the green better.

I made these napkins over twenty years ago. I was in charge of setting a table for an event, and I used these with green stems and my white everyday dishes. I wish I had a picture of the table, but that was before I began keeping a record. I love toile! And these play so nicely with my dishes, don't you think?

The flatware is Abigail by Hampton Silversmiths and came from Target nearly 25 years ago. I only hand wash it, and so far, the gold accents have held up beautifully.

Another view of the entire table...

You know I love a theme. Strawberry was my choice for the day. Each course contained strawberries, and it went nicely with the plates. I chose to serve this Strawberry Kiwi fruit blend tea from Harney and Sons. I always like to offer a non-caffeinated option.

It's hard to read this tea canister, but it was a traditional English Breakfast tea. I purchased this at Biltmore on our last trip. I've started displaying the tea canisters as part of my tablescapes. I think they're pretty, plus, it allows my guests to learn about the tea I'm serving them. 

I love a good salad for breakfast or brunch, especially when it's full of fruit! Baby spinach, strawberries, blueberries, feta, red onion, and some walnuts I toasted that morning in a skillet with butter, salt, and sugar. I topped it off with a poppy seed dressing. It was a hit!

We love French toast at our house, but it's hard to make it for a crowd. I made a French toast casserole with fresh strawberries and blueberries. I made it the night before and then just baked it off before they arrived. A friend had recently given us a gift basket from Vermont, and it had a very nice quality maple syrup in it. It was the perfect topping. I baked the breakfast links in the oven, as well. That meant all I had to do that morning was make my cheese grits. I make my grits with milk and chicken broth, and then I finish them off by adding grated applewood smoked gouda cheese. Delicious!  

In keeping with my strawberry theme, I made strawberry lemon blondies. They were delicious! This was also a make-ahead dish, so I just had to make the glaze the morning of the brunch. Easy Peasy.

One last look...

I loved having these precious young ladies and their sweet mamas in my home! I wish them all the best as they begin this new chapter in their lives!

Valentine's Day Dinner 2023

As the kids get older, it's hard to hang on to all the little traditions we have built over the years. We love a special holiday meal, and have certain recipes they look forward to having for different occasions and holidays. They enjoy carrying on with these traditions as much as I do, but the trick is finding a night when everyone is home. Valentine's Day fell on a Tuesday this year. Brack was working and Jewell and Colby had school activities. I can't remember what day we actually had our Valentine's Day dinner. I think it was the next Sunday night!

I didn't really have a theme. I couldn't even find pictures of what we ate, so I guess it was something ordinary. But I did want to set a pretty table and make it a special time for everyone.

First I pulled out these dishes. They screamed Valentine's Day, don't you think? I've used them before for a very fancy Valentine's Day several years ago. You can see that post here. This was a lot more understated than that table! But still very pretty. This pattern is called "Double Phoenix" in red by Nikko. It is so beautiful!

The amber stemware is "Jamestown" by Fostoria. 

I seldom set a table without using a tablecloth - and it's generally a white one. But this time, I went with a bare table. I think it makes it a little more casual. And my cherry table has some pretty gold in the wood grain. I think it all worked nicely together!

The bowl with the filigree balls and the gold and marble obelisks came from my bedroom. I grabbed them off a tall chest of drawers. They have lots of interest and movement in the details and are just what I needed for the center of my table.

I like the varying heights I have going on.

I usually mix and match my plates, but as I said, this was a quick dinner for family, so I kept it simple and used matching pieces. The flatware is "Abigail" by Hampton Silversmiths.

I like to mix patterns, so I pulled out these gorgeous napkins from Pottery Barn. They retailed at way more than I would ever spend for napkins, but I found six at a yard sale for .50 cents a piece. Then I found another six at a local thrift store for the same price! A floral swirl pattern help pull them together with the dinner plates.

I hope you enjoyed this quick and easy tablesetting, and that it inspires you to take a few minutes and pull out some special pieces for your friends and loved ones! It doesn't have to be expensive or extensive to be beautiful!

 

Teatime Tuesday 1

I wanted to share with you something I'm trying this summer. In a way, it's not all that different from what I usually blog about...a beautiful table, delicious food, and lot of great friends. However, there is a slight twist. Instead of inviting people into my home, I'm asking them to invite themselves! What do I mean? Well, I am planning at least six tea parties this summer, and I have no idea who's coming. At least not yet!

I have been listening to Sally Clarkson's podcast, "Teatime Tuesday", for about a year. In fact, I've been following Sally for several years. She has written a number of books that I love about everything from entertaining, to homeschooling, to raising children, to deepening your faith. Although I've never met her, she is definitely a kindred spirit. She just launched a new book called "Teatime Discipleship: Sharing Faith One Cup at a Time". One of the things she encourages the reader to do is carve out time at least once a week to sit down with someone and share a cup of tea. If you're around me much, you know my phone timer goes off each day at 2:00 pm. If I'm home, that's my signal to stop whatever I'm doing and make a cup of tea. I take about 15 minutes to sip and enjoy my tea (and some kind of little sweet to go along with it!) and a little quiet time. If the kids are home, they join me.

I decided I wanted to combine my love of entertaining and taking tea and invite people into my home this summer for some time to sit down and get to know them. Instead of inviting the ladies I always have over (don't worry girls! you'll still be invited regularly!), I have posted the dates and time on my Facebook page and asked who would like to attend. I've gotten a lot of great feedback, and I hosted my first Teatime Tuesday last week!

Let me tell you about how I planned my tablescape. I had hosted a baby shower the weekend before, and this lovely impressionist floral tablecloth was the basis for that party. As I was washing and putting it away, I thought I would go ahead and use it three days later for the tea and see how I could change it up. Both were very feminine tables. I'll blog the baby shower soon, and you'll be able to compare the tables.

Pink, gold, and cream was my color story. I used a white tablecloth as the base. My table is a dark wood, and without the white underneath, the floral topper would have been too muted. The floral topper is actually a piece of chiffon I purchased at Joann's. It was already finished very nicely on the edges and was longer than my table, so there was no extra work in using it as a topper! The creamy linen table runner is new. I was killing time in Big Lots a couple of weeks ago and found it. I had been wanting something neutral that I could use under my decorative trays on my kitchen table. I like that it breaks up all the floral.   

I didn't have anything blooming in my yard, so I picked up a mixed mum bouquet from Walmart and put them in small pretty vases. I didn't want anything too formal, or anything that was too tall in the middle of my table. I added some Nandina from my yard to give some movement and interest to the little arrangements. Of course I added candles! The votives are an opaque white with gold trim. They came from Dollar Tree several years ago.

I served two tea blends, both by Harney & Sons. First was my favorite, Paris. I always take one brown sugar cube and a tiny splash of milk in mine. I like to display the tea tins on the table. The ladies can see what the flavor notes are on the side of the tin, and they can even take a little sniff of the tea itself as they decide which they want to start with! 

Peaches and Ginger was the second blend. It's a black tea, so I put milk and sugar in mine, but I also offered lemon and honey from my daddy's bee hives. Either would work since it was a fruit blend in black tea.

I found this tea set several years ago at a thrift store. It's so pretty! The flowers are beautiful pinks, yellows, and blues, and it's so cheerful! I have eight sets - tea plates (perfect for scones), cups and saucers, and a creamer and sugar bowl. The pattern is "Belinda" by Paragon. I just use two white teapots since I don't have a matching one.

I'm getting bolder when it comes to mixing metals. I have gold chargers, but I thought the rose gold ones picked up the pink in the table topper. I did choose to go with gold (amber) stemware. These are vintage "Jamestown" by Fostoria.

Here's a long view...

If you look closely, you can see that there is a texture to the china tea cups. Sort of a pleated look. They also have a gold trim. That worked nicely with the stemware, as well as the flatware, which was "Abigail" by Hampton Silversmiths.

I try to choose seasonal recipes whenever possible. It's peach season, and we are about an hour away from Clanton which, in my opinion, grows some of the most succulent and delicious peaches you'll ever eat! I happened to be there a day or two before, so I picked some up. We had Peaches and Cream scones with lemon curd and clotted cream.

I'm sure you all know about Temu by now. I found some beautiful small gold knives and spoons that are the perfect size for spreading jelly on scones! They're not necessary, but they sure are pretty. And fun!

We also had pimento cheese sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches, chicken salad cups, orange fluff, and a mini blueberry cheesecake bite. It was all so delicious, if I do say so myself! I'll share recipes soon. Since I don't have dinner plates with this set, I just used my everyday white. This pattern is "White Satin" by Nikko.

These three ladies responded almost immediately to my Facebook message asking who would enjoy coming to tea. It was nice to reconnect with one mother and daughter, and it was a chance for me to get to know another that I attend church with but had never really had the chance to sit down with. Exactly what this tea time was intended to do! Of course, Jewell was my co-hostess. I am enjoying having here home for the summer. We had a wonderful time! It was a dark, humid, and rainy day, but we were cool, dry, comfortable, and spent the afternoon getting to know each other better! I hope you find some time this week to enjoy a cup of tea and the company of a friend!