A Nautical Navy Affair

Has anyone else heard of Indian Summer??  I grew up thinking it was a real season the way we honored it.  California is is notorious for really perfect weather in September and October - when it's cooling off in other states, the weather here gets warmer.  Technically, it's already fall, but it feels like summer, so we've named this season "Indian Summer."  Totally PC, right?? Who cares... I say, break out the moccasins!

Anyway... my mom's birthday falls right within "Indian Summer", which means the days are sunny and the night's stay relatively warm - the perfect recipe for an outdoor birthday dinner.  The theme??  Nautical Navy.  Yes, I just made that up, but we are going with it.

The Fish Market is this awesome seafood restaurant in my hometown, and while the inside feels very "fish market-y" with a fish counter, and a tank of live crabs, there is an adorable outside patio that sits right on a lagoon.  It really is a gorgeous setting, and the perfect spot for my Mama's birthday dinner.

Once the reservations were made and the invitations inked, I called the restaurant for the details on the patio.  Are there white linens? What color are the napkins?  About how long do you anticipate the table being for a party of 16?

Once I found out that there were no linens unless requested, napkins were red, and a table for a party that large would be in the ballpark of 16 feet, I went to work putting together inspirations for a lovely birthday tablescape.  Since the napkins were red, color choices for my tablescape were more limited. With the restaurant on the water, a nautical theme was an easy choice.

Queue Pinterest: the Mecca for inspiration (well my Mecca at least).

I gathered up a bunch of online inspiration, and based a lot of my decisions on these pictures:

The priorities were to find a graphic runner in navy, and pair it with white floral arrangements.  I had dabbled with the idea of red florals, but when I ran the idea past my dad, his opinion that it would be too much red with the napkins, and we "didn't want the table to look like communist China".  Oh dad... you have a delicate way of putting things...

I found  this great runner from Etsy - it measured 108" (9 feet) which is apparently the longest length for runners without a custom order.  While it wouldn't cover the entire table, it was good enough for me, so we went with it.

I also ordered a bunch of small glass votives (candlelight changes EVERYTHING), and several large mason jars for the flower arrangements.

The result??

All in all, I'm really happy with how everything turned out.  

The chevron brought in the graphic piece that would have been missing on such a long table (can you imagine that massive expanse of empty white tablecloth??), the flowers were low enough that everyone could pass food and chat across the table, and the red in the napkins ended up giving everything a fun pop of color.  

Together, it created a really fun feel for a special birthday celebration... and just look at this pretty lady... not a day over 39!

Daddy's Little Girl

Can you guess which little nugget is me?!  I was looking through old photos yesterday at my parents house, and came across this one - in honor of Father's Day, I just HAD to post.  Wasn't my dad so handsome?!  Look how young he is!!  Kris is almost as old as my dad was in this picture - crazy!

Anyway, this is pretty much how I remember my dad growing up - a full beard (or mustache) which he had for years and years... pretty much since I could remember.  He finally shaved it off when I was in college - a traumatic experience for me.  The first time my parents came to visit me in the dorms, I was so excited to see them that it took me a full 10 minutes or so before I realized that he had shaved it off... and then I cried (story of my life, from the girl who hates change).  I just remember saying, "Oh my gosh, you look like Uncle Scott!" - perhaps not a compliment at the time.

Since then, I have gotten used to him without the beard - he is our silver fox, and one of the best people I know.  He loves the simple things in life - getting his hands dirty with projects on the house, going sailing (the wind is FREE), and stretching out in our sunny backyard for an afternoon cat nap.  He is stubborn, loyal, and the hardest worker I know... he loves to golf, loves his vodka (vitamin V is the most important vitamin), but most of all he loves my mom. In so many ways, he reminds me of ME, and I am so proud to be his baby daughter.

Dad is turning 60!

I can't believe it!  My dad is turning 60 this year, and for quite some time, I have been brainstorming ways to make it a really special day!  I came across this amazing post on the blog Inchmark.  They posted the COOLEST idea that is relatively inexpensive but that will make a huge impact.


I had toyed with the idea of throwing a big party for my dad, but honestly, that would be my mom's dream - my dad would hate it.  He is more into intimate dinners with my mom, me and my sister, so in lieu of a big surprise party, I want all his family and friends to be a part of the celebration, so I will be making 60 postcards to send to 60 of the most important people in his life.  With these pre-stamped postcards, I am sending instructions to write the best, funniest or just favorite memories of my dad and mail it back as close to his birthday as possible.  This way, in the weeks surrounding his birthday, he will receive sweet little notes from everyone in his life.

What a wonderful way to turn the corner to a new decade!

Holiday Traditions: Christmas Tree Hunting

Every year since I was a child, my family would go and cut our Christmas tree down.  We'd all bundle up, drive up to the mountains and chop down the PERFECT tree.  Rain or shine.  One year, there was a terrible storm, and the rain was coming down in buckets.  We ate our little picnic in the car, chose a tree right off the side of the road, and were in and out in 5 minutes.

I happen to love this tradition - picking up a tree from the home depot just doesn't have the same appeal.  And you can't beat the smell of a freshly cut tree - amazing.  I still go with my parents, and their traditions have become mine.  My mom sent me this note today:

"Daddy and I have been cutting down our tree from the first year we were engaged and will probably continue to until we're sitting in a convalescent home with drool bibs! Even then, we might try to sneak out with a saw or small hatchet..ha ha!"

Is that not the cutest thing in the world?  While Kris and I aren't engaged, I hope we are the same way, and have our own yearly rituals that we continue with our kids, and even after our kids are grown.

Painting courtesy of Laura Tasheiko