Hello! So I totally missed our date last week. Sorry! I was busy in the kitchen prepping for a tea party I hosted. I love hosting parties. Do you? I just wish I was better at bringing the WOW factor to the table. I always find that I need more pretty; I need to figure out how to create it.
Other than replicating what’s on a Martha Stewart webpage, I’m stumped. I’m just not that creative when it comes to decorating the table. Or my house for that matter.
Our place still looks like we just moved in: no photos on the wall, no hanging artwork, nothing. It’s hard when you’re renting to make a place a home Well I find it so. There are only so many holes in the wall you’re allowed and I think we’ve met our quota with the recent baby gate installation and all the artwork hanging in the baby’s room (his room is the only one that is complete. Of course).
What wouldn’t I give to have someone decorate our home. I’m just not into decorating. I don’t see beyond a throw or some simple pillows. Places like Marshalls, TJ/TK Maxx overwhelm me. Doesn’t help matters that I don’t know where my home decor tastes lie. Anyhoo…
Nothing much more to report other than my boy is 11 months today! 11 months! Holy schnitzel! He’s looking more and more like a little boy. Sure I am a bit sad he’s no longer a baby. But my goodness, how good it feels to finally have a boy that is sleeping longer (WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO) and can sorta communicate. And his constant showing of understanding and knowledge leaves me gobsmacked. I am enjoying this boy so so much. He’s very independent, inquisitive, determined, and quite the comedian. Being his mama is truly an honor.
Sorry to leave you with that sappy bit but I am off to top off my cuppa. Hope you have a wonderful weekend. I am hoping to get some sewing done, assembly style. Nothing exciting, just a few bits I plan to sell at a flea market hosted by my mommy group. Later gators!
Linking up with Rags to Stitches for coffee date.
Pincushion Treats 
Ollie looks so handsome in this pic! He is cuter every time I see him, I think!
I hear you about decorating. I don’t have a great eye for it at all, and I’m mostly working with secondhand furniture that doesn’t match at all. I know that sewing up a couple of cute pillows, even, would really tie things together, but I just don’t get energized by home dec sewing, so I haven’t done it. Before the end of 2014 I’d like to do a little redo on our bedroom- it’s particularly ugly and awful, and I hate being in it. I’m not quite sure how to make it homier, but probably getting rid of my gross comforter (I bought it when I was headed to my freshman dorm!!) and getting some big girl bedding is a good start.
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Working on just one room is the way to do it. I think I get stumped by thinking of decorating as this massive overhaul. And it doesn’t really have to be. I wish I was patient/inspired enough to take it slowly.
I just need to win the lottery and have someone do it all for me 🙂 First step…play the lotto…
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What do you mean you don’t know how to decorate a table? All of the food you made looks amazing, and I’m sure it tasted even better. On the home dec front, I must confess Mr. Stitch is the decorator in our family. He’s got a great eye for design and I’m thankful for that.
Your little man is so cute! As you know I don’t have kids of my own but I’m always in awe of my little nephews and how smart they are even at such a young age. Before you know it, Ollie will be talking!
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How nice to have a man with a good eye! Greg is rotten at it. So we kinda just do things minimally. Minimal isn’t horrible just a bit boring 🙂
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I’m in the same boat, I find it hard to decorate as well. My goodness though, your table is amazing. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I love the tea sets that you do have. I think it makes everything. Don’t be so hard on yourself considering that you hosted the party and made the food. That in itself deserves acknowledgement! Ollie is so, so adorable, I just can’t stand it. I love your coffee date posts, so much so that I joined in.
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I saw your post! Congrats!
And thanks for the compliment. I guess food can be very much a centrepiece. I guess I always picture them as big floral arrangements or bowls full of baubles or something 🙂
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Hi! I’ve been following for a while and love your blog. Do you mind sharing what that delicious item with the berry sauce is? It looks like a giant meringue with delicious stuff on top.
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Hello! It’s a pavlova with a blue berry jam. It’s heavenly! I used this recipe: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/711658/strawberry-pavlova
For the jam I used a cup of fresh blueberries, 1/2c of blueberries and a bit of lemon juice. I cooked (stirring and popping some of the berries) them all in a saucepan until it simmered. I set it aside for it to cool and set.
It’s a very lovely dessert.
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All your food looks amazing! And that is surely the best kind of table decoration in any case. Ollie is looking lovely and so big and grown up. Very glad to hear he is sleeping better too – gosh that’s so important!
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Thanks so much Kerry! I hope you and the baby are doing well. And yes, sleep is so darn important. Didn’t know how much until I didn’t get much of it 🙂
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Decorating baffles me, too! My best trick is to keep removing things from my space. I like white walls and simplicity. I’m going to have to disagree with your assessment of your tea party table, however – it looks sociable, warm and packed with delicious treats!
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Thank you! It’s nice to see things through other people’s perspective.
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Yay for sleep!!! Eleven months is a LONG time to be sleep deprived. Glad Ollie is finally giving you a break!
If we were having coffee, I’d admit that June will make 4 years that we’ve been in our house and we STILL haven’t hung our pictures and artwork. We even had a hand-me-down sofa still until Christmas.
I’d also tell you that in envious if your extra sleep. I’m getting really tired of getting up multiple times per night. Mama needs some sleep!
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Ollie still nurses twice a night BUT it’s A LOT better than the 5 plus times he was waking up. Now, if I could only get him to wake up later…
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I’m the same with decorating – totally beyond me! Strange thing is, I often have ideas for other people’s houses, but my own baffles me! I’ve been here for almost 5 years, and still don’t have a single piece of art in my living room!
Your tea party offerings look so delicious!
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Makes me feel good to know I’m not the only one with bare walls 🙂 Strength in numbers.
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Oh my word…he’s just toooooooo adorable! And growing so fast!
I’m hopeless at decorating tables too. I did dinner for my cousin and his wife last week and whilst the food was lovely (even if I do say so myself) the table was decidedly meh! To be fair to you, though…I’d have been too busy with my nose in the trough of delectable goodies to pay any attention to anything else 😉
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Thanks you! I definitely see the presentation a lot differently when I focus on the yummy food 🙂
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Congrats on hitting the 11-month mark! It just keeps getting better (coming from someone who just hit the 18-month mark:) ). What a cutie and the table looks great! For decorations, I’m a huge fan lately of the Dollar store – you can find inexpensive balloons and other random things to spice up a table.
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The Dollar store, the forgotten gem! Thank you for the reminder!
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Your table looks beautiful! Just put your cake front and center, and nothing else is needed!!! : )
As for decorating, I have the same problem. Though I have started to frame more black/white pictures of the girls, old family photos, and the girls art work…it makes me happy to see them. It’s nice just having things on the wall. As for holes – I started using the 3M removable hooks – BRILLIANT!!!
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Thank you! I’ve come to realize that the food should be the main feature at the table. Totally makes sense. You want people to want to eat it 🙂
Yes! The 3M hooks. I always thought they looked a bit flimsy but they keep making them bigger and better these days. I’m going to try them. Thanks for reminding me about them!
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I’m just seeing this post today, for some reason. Ollie is so beautiful, and I can’t wait to meet him. It’s obvious you are doing a fantastic job. About decorating, only recently I’ve sort of defined what I like (not that I’ll ever attain it, but thanks Pinterest!). We rent also and each room in the house is totally unrelated to the next, style-wise. Your table looks lovely! Love the teacups and the tiered server. Entertaining is one of my passions so over the years I’ve studied obsessively about it. I think once the menu and the company are set, it’s all about attention to detail, like flowers even if tiny, table linens, food presentation… I live for that stuff. Of course now with a baby, organizing a fete is quite daunting to me.
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