My obsession with stem ware and place settings is inherited. Growing up, my mother had cabinets carefrully stacked full with every colour plate and dish you could imagine up.
She had triangular shaped flutes, deep burgundy vintage goblets, delicate tea cups and saucers, folded linens in every shade of the rainbow, candles sticks, individual salt and pepper shakers, personal name plate holders, napkin rings and everything one would need to build a beautiful table fit for guests.
As a young budding party planner, I was in little girl heaven.
I can remember the many times where I carefully selected soup bowls that contrasted with frilly edged plates and contemplated what kind of candle holder would look best with layers of lace and linens.
It came of no surprise to me when, my own little girl lit up when she first helped me set a table for a party.
Now with every passing season, my little girl starts planning her own little party in her creative imagination.
When we picked up some beautiful white pumpkins recently, she exclaimed that they would look beautiful down the middle of our long table. She wouldnt stop going on and on about how she would place them “like this” and how they would look beautiful.
She is like her mother too, and once a creative idea is thought up, it is hard not to see it brought to fruition.
So, she recruited her older brother to help her into the china cabinet, fetch her the grass cloth wallpaper turned table runner from the basement shelf, snip boxwood clippings from our front walk way after she realized we didn’t have enough flowers in our dying fall garden) together the two of them came up with something very very special.
With a little help from their Mama, they figured out which side of the plate the fork and knife went on, spelt out “HELLO FALL” and carefully watched when I lit the votive candles they had chosen by scent.
The only thing they allowed me to add was an apple pie, with promises to share it with them after.
With the smell of vanilla spice filling the house, I captured a proud Mama moment and their perfectly placed smaller details with my camera. 
Of course, I quickly realized there had to be a catch to their beautiful table scape, but more so the fact that they completed it with little to no fighting or arguing. (All you mamas out there are sitting with your mouths wide open now, aren’t you?!) As expected, my budding party planners didn’t miss a beat when they informed me that we now had to host an autumn party.
(“With popcorn and treat bags and ice cream sandwiches”)
So, this weekend we had some friends over for some humble chicken stew similar to the one I shared in THIS post and freshly baked garlic bread. We replaced their ice cream sand which idea by baking a raspberry and blueberry tart/pie like THIS one, and we made lots of popcorn. By the time it was time to say goodbye the kids had forgotten about their idea for treat bags.
After witnessing the ease to which they through this table together, I am now seriously considering starting a family party planning business.
I am obviously waiting a few years so it wont be considered child labor.
Until then, we will be over here setting tables with every passing season and inviting our unsuspecting friends over for a party that celebrates nothing in particular except for pretty place setting things, good comfort food and lots of laughs.
Now about a name for our family party planning business….
😉
Carolyn Savage
October 10, 2013 at 2:37 amLove this! Nicely done !