Coffee Talk Mom

“SET THE TABLE!"

“SET THE TABLE”

I remember that exact phrase coming out the mouth of my Mom growing up. With four kids and a hungry husband, Mom spent much of her time cooking and getting things to the table ...and my “help” was usually setting the table. Well, it’s that time of the week! It’s Thanksgiving ...the most wonderful time of the year. you can dress up, dress down, eat, watch football, no gifts to buy, and spend time with the people you love.

Setting tables can be an art...or a “throw all the decor in the middle” kind of deal. I prefer to consider what dishes to use first, then set and have the decor flow down the center of the table. We have all been to beautiful weddings where they spend hundreds of dollars on table decor that you cant see over. Keep it low and “full”. If you don’t have enough to cover the length of the table, center the bulk of it and leave the ends for potential serving dishes.

My wine glasses have become a little sketchy...I have a bunch of different styles (which could work), but I spent $12 at Ross and got 2 boxes of new glasses to freshen up my table. I prefer Libby glasses. SHOCKING! I have some pretty nice things , but when it comes to glasses breaking, I don’t want to worry about replacing expensive glassware. I am also averse to hand washing...especially glasses!

Iron your table cloth. Don’t start with a messy, wrinkled table.

I used the IKEA cream colored vases and plants to center the table. I added a autumnal bough and candles, and popped in some other fruits and decor. i like using mostly greens and browns. Keep the cutesy stuff for the kitchen and keep it classy (even if you are using paper or plastic plates)...My theory has always been to use “real” silverware and glasses. Plastic ware is for picnics. (Or maybe for next year:). I also like to use “charger plates” as the base, then it doesn’t really matter as much if you want to use a nice clear plate for the top. Paper napkins work great (I have cloth napkins) but be sure to display them in a way to make an impact. Open them completely and push them into the glass with the design face-out. This can add some color and design. You can also find lots of fun napkin folding ideas on Pinterest! You may think cloth is expensive, but shop off season at Target and you can pick up a couple of packages extremely cheap.

I’ve always had an interest in fashion. This is fashion for your Thanksgiving! If you look good, you feel good, and the food tastes better!

I heard a talk recently that, “Shared experiences are the CORE of any friendship”. It’s so true...so I hope you are having some meaningful time with those friends this week!

Cheers!

CoffeeTalkMom

Letter or Not

Recently, I received a note from a young person (I'm 53 now, so put "young" into perspective) and the crazy thing was I thought, "WOW! I got a thank you card". It's pretty amazing that we live in a world where we are so plugged in, many of our millennial kids don't even know how to properly address an envelope, or write a check (what is that?). I guess I should have known that real, written notes are a thing of the past when my savvy father-in-law asked for my PayPal account information for my birthday cash. Side-Note: I still get birthday money from my parents and the funny thing is, I love it! (That's another blog!)

Christmas is right around the corner and I have already started to think about getting the cards ordered and ready. the sad thing is, I don't receive as many cards as I used to. Many have chosen the "Facebook Post" route, an email update, or just not sending one.

Remember the Saturday Night Live skit, "Point-Counter point"? If you don't, you need to google it and watch one. It was a funny take on seeing things with both sides and a sense of humor. So here is my point-counter point for Christmas Cards 2017.

Point
Getting cards (not junk mail) in your mailbox feels great! Yay, Mail!
Seeing photos (especially if they haven't already been posted) is fun...yay new babies,dogs,homes...BRING IT
Connecting once a year with friends and family who don't do social media... yes!
Reading updates about family, friends, distant cousins, etc...
Looking at all of the beautiful photo cards all month long. I hang all of my photos on long wide ribbons (CostCo rolls work great) and tack them to the wall like vertical banners. I try to put them in an entry or kitchen where I see them all day. Tie a bow on one end, hide the tacks by putting them under the bow, and let the ribbon fall down to the height you want, then just staple your cards on the ribbon.

Counter-Point
Facebook.
Do we REALLY read those long full-page letters? We don't need to know every trip you took this year. Try a Top Ten list!
It costs at least $2/card. With postage rates skyrocketing to almost 50 cents a stamp...whew! You could almost send all of your friends a Starbucks coffee for the same price. Also note...having the cost of better paper, foil accents, don't pay off as most people end up tossing the cards after the holidays.
TIME! It takes time to put together the card, order it,and address it (yes, I know you can download your address list now).

As for CoffeeTalkMom, I am pulling out the stamps this year once again! Most of all, if you decide to send cards, do it with joy...ENJOY the process...get a big cup of coffee, turn on some music, and sit in a comfy chair with the fireplace on. Everything is better with the right setting!

Letter or not,here they come!

Coffeetalkmom