my mom could always throw a party together in no time. all she needed was a trip to texas avenue grocery store and about a couple hours notice.
where i grew up, throwin a party meant you put the fritos in a nice piece o tupperware instead of leavin em in the bag and you got the bean dip cracked open before the guests arrived. if it was a really nice affair, like a weddin shower or such, we also put out some planter's mixed nuts and those lil brach's pastel mints in the fake crystal bowls my mom had picked up at some gargae sale along the way. if there was food that you couldn't eat with your hands or poke into your mouth with a toothpick, you could buy bout 100 or so forks in a big ol bag and pitch em in a pile on the table next to the paper plates...but it was lots easier to make sure all the eatins' fell into the finger food category. we'd go out in the yard and wack off an interestin branch o leaves from a tree or bush and put it in a jelly jar or somethin and if there was any time left my mom would dig through her pile o fabrics and rip some pretty piece into lil squares to use for napkins. i was always fanscinated at how my mom could find the solution to whatever was called for without ever leavin the house or spendin a dime.
over the years i have added quite a few party givin tricks to those learned from my mom but with the birthday celebration last week for jo and mini mo's daddy, seems none of em were needed.
whenever we have larger parties, i always have mini's daddy roll out the big ol' round tables for 8 and do up some roundish type arrangement to plop in the middle. i couldn't do that this time cause mini's daddy didn't know i had a celebration planned. and when it was time for me to get things set up, the gardener was long gone and there was nary a muscled soul to assist me in the heavy liftin. i had no choice but to start pushin the big ol long tables from the garage to their party locale - workin up a good sweat along the way.
once i got em all set up i had to figure out what to use for a tablecloth. it needed to be one big ol long piece'a somethin. i called a rental place and they would happily deliver one that was perfect for a perfectly high fee o $110.00 dollars. i was desperate but not to the point of stupidity yet. i went diggin thru my fabric supply and yanked out a bolt of muslin that was part o my inheritance from my mom. perfect in every way! the right width and length - even some left over for napkins! all it took was a few rips and that problem was solved!
now i needed to figure out what to put flowers in, all down the table...i wanted them all to look alike and my typical table decoratin containers were too big. i went inside to ponder the situation and search my collection, to no avail. i felt maybe some vitamin C would help see me through what would be a long, hard day so i grabbed a jar o m&ms from the pantry on my way out to start cuttin the flowers. it took only the time i spent emptyin' a quarts worth o m&ms into my mouth to realize
the now empty mason jar was the answer to my current dilemma - i had plenty and could even let the guests take em home as a lil party favor when they left....i'd do up enough so there wouldn't be any hair pullin fights over em like there used to be over such things back home. i lined the insides o the jars with hydrangea leaves and then made big o bundle of mostly roses and hydrangeas and wrapped em up tight with wire and shoved em in the jars. i pondered addin some ribbon but since i was usin colorful fiestaware on the table i felt it wasn't necessary. all this came together so easily, i had plenty o time to fill about 100 or so more jars with sand and candles...most of em i used to line the driveway and then took the rest and added a bit o wire around the tops and hung em from the trees.
well...i must say....this ended up bein the cheapest and prettiest party i have ever thrown together! i doubt those round tables will ever be invited to one o my parties again cause the long one was such a success. at past parties, with individual tables, everyone seemed to stick with the people they came with....at this party everyone stayed at the table for hours, chattin and laughin and gettin to know each other. it felt more like a big ol family gatherin rather than a party of lots'o people who didn't know each other before they sat down.
seems like just yesterday i learned all my mom's fine party givin skills and they still serve me well so many years later, especially in a hostessin crisis. like when the cake arrived without any doo dads on top...just plain ol white! recallin my mom's decorating technique in such a situation, (she'd just grab those brach's mints and smash em into the icing - maybe spell out the guest o honor's name or put em in the shape of a flower or such), i went outside and cut a few more flowers, set em on top o the cake and ended up with what you see in the picture. mini added the plastic butterfly as a finishin touch.
lots o guests tell me i am talented in the ways of party givin but i think the real word for it would be resourceful...and i have to give all the credit for it to my dear ol mom! i'm hopin sharin some o her party givin secrets with you might inspire you to throw a party yourself, callin on your more resourceful side! if you do give it a whirl and need any help, shoot me an email....and be sure to send me some pictures!
thanks again for stoppin by and i hope to see you again soon!
