Pink and White Parties

It has been my pretty much life-long ambition to write. . .although I'll admit that the new wore off when everyone and their dog (namely celebrities) began to write. . .so that one is out there, but still a dream.

Another love of mine is teaching ladies' class at church. I would love to speak at women's events and the like. . .alas, again. . .still a dream. It is not yet my time. So I will teach ladies' class this summer and be happy about that.

BUT once each year I get to live a dream. . .a dream of putting together wonderful parties. Parties that are full of fresh flowers and frilly desserts and pink gingham draped over anything that doesn't move.

Every April for the past four years, Victoria and I have had a Mother & Daughter luncheon. It began by me simply wanting to take advantage of my husband's gorgeous back yard. . .and an admonition from both FlyLady AND Erma Bombeck that I shouldn't wait until the house is perfect or the "pink candle in the shape of a rose has melted in storage." Both of those wonderful women made me decide to overlook the tiny-ness of my house AND the horribly apple juice stained carpet AND the fact that it just might rain and throw a party in the back yard--so I did.

Attendance at our first bash was 12, then 14, then 36, and last year 48. It started out as my friends and their daughters, friends from church. . .then Victoria went to school and we began to invite teachers and their kids. There are 57 on the invitation list for this year(Tony has quit asking how many are coming), but I know already that four can't make it. It sounds like a big deal whatever. . .but really it is just fun, fun, fun. . .

It is fun to figure out what the invitations will look like and what the table decor will be--what can be recycled from years past and what new wonderful "find" I can add. (This year it's two miniature wrought iron chairs painted white and distressed that I got at Hobby Lobby for 50% which brought them to a whopping $4 each!!!!! They will be wonderful with a small arrangement of flowers on the seat and some wisteria cut from the tree in the yard cascading down.)

The menu is always plain and simple. Plain turkey (no honey or smoke), plain cheese (no pimentos), plain bread (wheat and crustless white of course), plain pretzels, plain baby carrots, plain crackers, plain berry punch, etc. It's all stuff that little girls will eat and mommies will enjoy as well.The thing that is always the favorite part of the meal, however, is the dessert. Each year it is homemade carrot cake with LOTS of cream cheese frosting decorated with flowers for the moms and some fancy, schmancy cupcake for the girls. We've had pink polka dot cupcakes, cupcakes in the shape of birdhouses and teacups; last year were cupcakes with flower shaped teapots as the decoration on top (non-edible). This year it will be cupcakes with pink ribbons tied 'round them.

We do a little craft. . .set up the toy kitchen and table and lots of tea sets. At some point after lunch, all the girls end up barefoot in the sandbox in their sundresses or gathered at the chicken coop asking if those chickens REALLY lay eggs or picking up peaches that have fallen out of our peach trees. It's a lot of fun. . .and it's coming up soon. So right now there is the stress and flurry of activity. . .and afterward there are the aching feet and things to be put away. But for one glorious afternoon we can all be girls that get to dress up and then go barefoot while eating decadent desserts, and there is some part of that equation that EVERY girl will enjoy.