The Nice List Table

Elbows on the table?  Did you know it is ok as long as there isn't food on the table?

The holidays are such a fun time to teach manners to our children and also to celebrate their good behavior and encourage even more! 

I love setting the table around the holidays - especially the Children's Table!  There is nothing more fun than decorating a space that will fill them with Christmas Spirit and make their meal a bit more festive.  I also find that setting a thoughtful table elevates their behavior!  They seem to rise to the occasion when they see that it is a special meal.

This year's table is all about celebrating being on Santa's Nice List!  What a big accomplishment and it deserves to be applauded!

Each child is greeted by a placecard that serves as an award for making the Nice List. They can remove the paper medal and pin it to their clothes to wear with pride!

I pulled a collection of trophy cups off of the shelves and filled them with vintage ribbon candies and colorful dice so that the children could play without making a big mess. 

The bold mix of colors and sizes of gingham made a splash and kept it stylish without being serious.

Little Mills loved the Lemon desserts!  

Click here for this fabulous Mason Jar Lemon Pie with Meringue Clouds Recipe.  It was a hit with all ages! 

Click here for the recipe for these Classic Lemon Bars with a Poppy Seed Crust - the best I have ever had!

Here is a link for Millie's Dress from Bella Bliss and here for JR's shirt from Bella Bliss.

and you can shop the post by scrolling through the photos below:

Pomander Pack Party Favors

Did you like Monday's post about the Mom's coffee I hosted for friends with children born the same year as my own?  I promised I would tell you more about the party favors and I can't wait to hear what you think!  

I wanted to send my friends away with an activity they could do with their children and maybe even help them start a new tradition so I made Pomander Packs for them to take home.

I make pomanders with my children every year and I love to see how they decorate their citrus.  It is fun and easy and not all that messy (makes mom happy!) If you follow my Instagram Feed then you know that I monogrammed mine this year!

I packed these darling jars with jadeite lids full of all of the supplies they would need to make pomanders at home and tied a tag with the instructions on the back.  Since you didn't get to join us at the party, I laid out the step-by-step here in the hopes that you might make some with your family!

The first step is to pierce the orange in the pattern that you want to make.  I like to use a fork for strait lines and single toothpick for more complicated sections and designs.

Simply push the cloves into the pierced holes.  My two year old take ages to do it but she loves the challenge!  (I make the pierced holes for her and she pushes in the cloves.)

Tie a ribbon around the orange and add some glue from a hot glue gun to hold it in place.

All done!  Hang it from your tree or mantle and let it dry out. The fragrance is wonderful and the colors are beautiful and bright!  They have a rich history that is fun to read about and share with the children too! 

I'd love to know what crafts and traditions you include your children in at Christmastime?  Please leave a comment and let me know! 

                This post was created in partnership with Sunkist Growers and products were provided by World Market, Both are brands that I love!  

Mom's Coffee

When I had my little surprise baby, Millie, two years ago I felt so excited about round two of motherhood!  I was thrilled to have friends who were having babies at the same time and I wanted to set aside a time during the busy holiday season to celebrate our friendships and the bonds we have over our experiences as mothers.  I invited a small around of mother's who all had babies in 2013 over for a Christmas Coffee.  We are all going through similar things and it is a great time to share, laugh, and learn from one another.

I love setting the table and had a great time bottle brush trees collected over the years. This year I added a few new trees from World Market, always one of my favorite stops before a party! The best part is that they stay nice all season long!  

I added a few flowers to the mix. For the largest arrangement, I used a plain and simple glass vase that I wrapped in velvet ribbon and hot glued ornaments to.  Even though the table didn't need any flowers with the bottle brush trees, I couldn't resist using these dahlias that were still available thanks to our unseasonably warm winter.

I also added a small collection of colorful mercury glass votive holders with vibrant roses in shades of pinks, reds and yellows.

We served simple treats that were perfect for picking up and having a quick nibble including these Preserved Lemons with Whipped Goat Cheese and Marcona Almonds.

I love serving a little something sweet in the morning like this Spiced Orange Cake with Sunkist® Glazed Oranges & Greek Yogurt Whip on a cake pedestal.

I loved serving the coffee in these darling snowman mugs.  Could they be any cuter?  I didn't need any more holiday mugs but I couldn't resist these!  I served a bit of ice cream to my children in them the other night too!  They are a great size and I can't wait to try some other treats this in them this holiday season.

Hosting a coffee get-together is a great format for busy moms. The kids are at school and they have time to unwind for a few minutes.  To make it special, I like to add little touches like these peppermint stir sticks.  They are such a delicious Christmas indulgence for your coffee!

These White Chocolate Peppermint Stirs are a great touch for those who want hot-chocolate too!

What kind of annual get together do you like to host?  What do you serve?  I'd love to hear!

Merry Merry Motherhood to all of you wonderful mommies who join me here on the blog!  I hope you enjoy these fabulous recipes from Sunkist! 

I can't wait to share details of the family friendly party favor I gave out in Wednesday's Post. Please check back in!

This post was created in partnership with Sunkist Growers and products were provided by World Market, Both are brands that I love!  

All about the Sideboard

I rely very heavily on my sideboards when I entertain.  I have one in my dining room and one in my formal living room and I can't believe how much they get used!  They are the perfect height for a buffet, a bar or even just a place to put out some nuts or nibbles during cocktails.

So when I put together this Lemon Yellow Tea Party in honor of that famous British Baby that we are all anxiously awaiting, I decided that the reliable old sideboard deserved a special post of it's own.

I keep telling you that the punch bowl is back and I totally mean it!  A punch bowl and a sideboard go together like peanut butter and jelly!  There are tons of options for great punch recipes depending on the season but I love this Lo-Cal Minty Lemonade Recipe from Sunkist.  To be honest, it was kind of the starting point for the color scheme and theme of my tea party!  Of course, I thought the yellow was perfect since we don't know the gender of the Royal Baby yet and this punch recipe is so refreshing for Spring and Summer.

 I set out an a few glasses for our guests that were already garnished with a lemon slice but instead of leaving the napkins plain, I tied in our royal theme by stamping each of them with a rubber crown stamp that I found in my daughter's princess arts and crafts set.

Of course, I added a simple sweet treat as well with a Lemon Bundt Cake.  Simple trick: use the zest of the lemon to add a bit of color and embellishment to the top.  

Anyhow...I hope you are having as much fun anticipating the Royal Baby's arrival as I am! Of course, these ideas can be applied to any function from baby shower to birthday party!

Tea Time fit for a Royal

Are you as excited as I am about the Royal Baby's upcoming arrival?  I hear it is happening any day now!  I decided to put together a little English Tea Party inspired by the British Prince or Princess but you could give any party you host a royal twist!  Whether it is a birthday for your own little prince or princess or a simple spring time get-together, I hope you will use these ideas for your next celebration!

I love setting up a table in an unexpected place.  It is a simple party trick that doesn't cost a thing!  For our English Tea Party, I chose the coffee table in our formal living room.  I liked that my guests could lounge on the sofa with me and we could just enjoy tea, sweets and conversation.  Of course, there were also great debates on whether or not William and Kate would be welcoming a boy or a girl into their Royal household. I'm glad I had a citrus yellow color scheme so that I didn't have to take sides!  

Each guest's place was marked with a place card attached to the end of the tea bag.  I added HRH before their names to make our guests feel like Their Royal Highnesses right as they found their places.

They also found a tea bag cookie on their plate!  They were so much fun to make!  I kept the citrus theme going with this Fresh Orange Cookie Recipe but I put my own spin on it.  I rolled and cut the dough to make the tea bag shape and used a straw to make a hole in the top so that I could attach the string after baking.  Instead of using the icing in the recipe, I dipped the cookies in melted chocolate to replicate the look of a tea bag.  They were a hit!

I also served Crown Cupcakes that were a cinch to make!  These Lemon Cake Muffins were wonderful on their own but I topped them with white icing and mini-paper crowns I made by cutting the border off of a doily and spraying it gold with edible color mist.  I layered cake stands to make a two-tier display. 

 I pulled out one of my favorite silver dishes in the shape of an umbrella to hold yellow creme mints.  Umbrellas always make me think of rainy London days so I always love to add this at tea time!

The colorful Honeysuckle Napkins are from Loom Decor and the vases are vintage.  I chose a glass plate so that the colorful napkin would show through.

Photographs by John Cain Sargent