A Strawberry Soiree


Well, hello there!

I think about walking through the virtual doors of this Coffee Cottage nearly every day. The thought typically comes during the middle of a noisy day and when it is quiet enough to follow through on, my eyelids insist on heading south, as does my ability to pin down coherent, read-worthy thoughts together.

Since I have a few moments before leaving to pick up three of my children who had a much-anticipated "sweep-ober" (sleep-over) at The Land of Lucky Charms and Lovely Living (otherwise known as MawMaw and PawPaw's), I will share a few pictures of a party ("Strawberry Soiree, I called it) I was honored to host last night.

Before we start, I am going to give you three main reasons why I always hesitate to (and often subsequently do NOT) post pictures of parties I have:

1.) I rarely throw a party, even though it is one of my favorite things to do. I am a strong Sanguine woman, which means if I had the time and budget (mostly time, I could work around a budget),I would make it my livelihood, because it is part of my temperament DNA. When I do share even one set of pictures, it might be easy for the viewer to assume that my life is one big string of soirees. This is not the case. My days consist of near constant heiny-wiping and thankless servitude to five children that am trying to teach responsibility, rarely feeling successful at it.

2.) The only way I was able to even THINK of hosting a mid-week party at my old farmhouse filled with five small children is because my darling mother keeps the three oldest on a Wednesday and I effectively drugged the remaining two. JUST KIDDING. The fact that God was merciful to me by making it a peaceable day between the two little men, and also the plan to skip naps so that they would fall into a fitful slumber over their highchair trays (at 6pm), worked like a charm.

2.) At any rarely thrown party, I always think of at least twenty other people I also wish could come. I am a Sanguine, and so when I look at the pictures of other good friend's parties that I was not invited to (even if it wouldn't have made sense for me to be so), it leaves me longing just a little. Or a lot. I do realize that most people could care less, but for those that are like me...please know I WANTED YOU HERE. :)


 ***


Last night's gathering was for a small group of women I have been honored to be part of gathering with every other week for discussions on God, the Bible and living of life on this side of Heaven. They are each remarkable, each on a unique and anything-but-tepid adventure with their Creator. It is truly a gift to be witness to His goodness in their lives and to adventure along side of them. (There were a few who could not be there, and they were sorely missed! You know who you are!)

That is why, in part, last evening was so much fun to plan for. It was meant to be a celebration of the good things God has done in our lives in the past few months. And since we are in the height of strawberry season in my neck of the woods, I decided to take this sweet berry bearing my favorite color, add some white and green and have fun with that color scheme. Our red barn added the character, the strand of bare frosted bulbs from Target gave light and Eva Cassidy serenaded us from hidden speakers. The only "new" things I used to decorate/accessorize were a few things from Pink Lemonade Party Shop on Etsy and Martha Stewart's lanterns/labels from Michael's Craft Stores. The rest are yard sale finds and things out of my mother's pantry. :)




Tiny favors for my treasured guests: "Fresh Picked Strawberry Hand Sanitizer" from Bath and Body Works and floral tissue packs from Christmas Tree Shoppes (10 for $1.00).

Yard sale treasures.


I ordered the twine, cup and spoon from Pink Lemonade Party Shop. 
There were a variety of expressions you could choose from to stamp on the spoon. 
I added the little red rhinestones for a dash of sparkly color.

Store bought angel food cake, farm stand fresh strawberries topped with real whipping cream.

Fun, bubbly summer drinks made happier with polka dot straws and fresh mint.

As I have said to my friends, a well-set table is only as beautiful as the hearts of those guests who sit around it. In last night's case, the table was resplendent in it's loveliness.

Beautiful (rule-following, God-trusting, compassionate) Alanna and her daughter, a little bundle of sheer adorableness who represents God's faithfulness in a big way.


We spoke of our past and our present and how God has weaved Himself into both. But of course, we had to stop mid-sentence when a stunner ring coordinating with equally stunning shoes was noticed on one of our members. 
Priorities, people. We've got them.



Lovely Laurel. Always, always, always making you feel like you're the most important person in her space as she truly listens to what your heart is saying.






An old chenille blanket, found and given to me by my dear friend Rachel (yard sale), was hung to hide a storage area and to give a clean backdrop to the Martha Stewart lanterns. The quilt on the table, along with the soda bottles were from a recent porch sale at a beautiful old cottage.


I love the preparation, 
the presentation,
the precious sound of laughter spilling out over candle light...
 But hospitality it is more than that.
Having friends and strangers and family or whomever you have in your home 
is a privilege
and 
an opportunity.


It doesn't matter if you bought your straws from Etsy or Wal-Mart, or have none at all.
While all these details were fun to use for a special occassion, they are in no way mandatory for creating an atmosphere in which God's love spills over onto those around the table.

There is nothing quite so intimate as having souls gather in the space you live your most personal life. Last night, I asked God that He would encourage all of our hearts as we sipped and savored time with each other. We recalled how our steps have been "directed by the Lord" and that "He delights in every detail of our lives" and that though we all have stumbled "we did not fall...for the Lord holds them by the hand".
(Psalm 37).

Indeed, in every way it was a special memory I am grateful to have...and it was, as it always is, the people who made the party.



Thank you for dropping by!

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