Food and Drink – Page 9 – Karla's Cottage

Holiday Mom-style Stress

celebrations, Dew Drop, family, Food and Drink, holiday decor, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / December 30, 2016

What was the best part of your Christmas?

Mine was these smiles. And lots of them.

The grand fairies seemed over joyed with all their gifts (even though Dewdrop didn't get the two front teeth that she needed).

We were blessed with multiple celebrations starting with a Solstice party on the 21st, then our big family dinner and gifts to each other on the 24th.

On Christmas morning, we checked out what Santa brought, then had a big, buffet, brunch-bash with relatives.

With a table set for TWENTY THREE! (Did I mention how much I love my newly enlarged space????) We snaked three tables through the kitchen into the living room, and all seemed to fit just fine.

I'd had planned to set the table and make it fancy, but I was lucky to even get food done. So, everyone had to get their own forks and plates and drinks, which seriously, no one minded, or noticed. There is only so much time, and I overestimated how much time I had.

Which brings me to admitting that I over extended myself right along with the tables.

Which I think is pretty typical for the mom of the family to do.

After prepping all of the big meals, I was done in.

I loved, loved, loved, the family parts and the holiday traditions, of the weekend, but I have to say that I didn't enjoy fixing all of the food. While trying to please everyone and make sure they all got their favorite things, making vegan, vegetarian, meat lover, and gluten free versions of the foods, I forgot to keep my Christmas spirit. I got tired, I got cranky, I got resentful that I didn't have time to decorate cookies with the kiddos.

I don't know if it was because I'd been ill this year and am not back to 100%, (a medicine that I am on for another month or so can cause tiredness and muscle aches) or if I'm simply getting older and slowing down, or if I really did over plan and do too much.

Or maybe:

I had shoes that were too tight.
My head wasn't screwed on right.
My heart was two sizes too small.

Cause I acted a little Grinchy while pulling it all together. I'm a bit ashamed of myself.

Yet, on the other hand, I sincerely, honestly love the holidays and it all means so much to me. I did make a huge effort to stay positive and loving with the grand fairies, but I think I grumped and grinched a bit too much with the older family members and really shouldn't have let that happen.

And no, even though Honey looks a little like Max here, I didn't force her into pulling a sleigh. I wasn't full on Grinch, just annoyed that the food preparation never seemed to end.

Like I said, it often is the way of many moms to stress out to make things perfect for Christmas. Normally, I can kind of roll with it and keep our holiday simple while pretty. This year, I'm not sure why, but it got away from me, and I was in over my head.

At least I learned a lesson. Next year we will do a simmering pot of soup instead of a full restaurant menu with enough food to feed a restaurant full of people. I have to be able to treat my family special while not forgetting about myself too.

Yes, I'll change the dinner next time, but there isn't one other thing I'd change, it was delightful to be with people I loved and there is nothing better than that.

(and the leftovers were pretty tasty)

Cracker bars

Food and Drink

By Karla Nathan / December 23, 2016

A friend made these delicious toffee bars from Ritz crackers and when I tried them, I knew I had to make some too. Soooo simple to do and soooo addicting.

I took some pictures of the steps and was going to take a photo of the finished product, but MY FAMILY ATE EVERY LAST BITE!

Well, I just had to make some more. I grabbed a pic fast, because those things don't stay in the house long at all.

There are many recipes online for how to make these. Once I read a few, I decided to change it up a bit to suit our household. Here is a photo of what I used, along with pecans.

Because caramel goes sooooo good with pecans. And yes, Im exaggerating my "sooooooo's", but I am NOT exaggerating how addicting-ly, wonderfully, delicious these are.

Sooooooo delicious!

That is, if you like salted caramel-ish, buttery, chocolatey, crunchy, goodness.

With chocolate!

First, you line a pan with parchment paper, then fill it with broken crackers. I let the kids do this part, and had them use a lot of crackers, not just a thin layer. Over that, we sprinkled about a cup of chopped pecans.

Next, I melted a stick and a half of butter with 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup sugar.

After the sugar dissolves, it needs to bubble until it looks creamy. And it needs the pan's sides constantly scraped so sugar doesn't form on the sides. If you don't feel like you can keep it from turning to sugar this way, when it starts to get creamy looking, put a lid on it, take it off the heat, and let the steam melt the sugar that might have crystalized on the side of the pan. If you stop the mixture from turning to sugar, then you get a rich, toffee/ caramel texture. (This trick works with fudge and other candies where you have to boil sugar too)

Poor the mix over the crackers, then stir it up to make sure each bite is covered in gooey goodness.

Pop the pan into the oven for five to ten minutes at 350. But, please check on it, to make sure that it doesn't burn. Ten minutes might be too much. Five might not be enough. You just want it to brown and firm up, loose the wet look it had when you poured it on.

As soon as it comes out of the oven, sprinkle it with chocolate chips to cover the crunchy layer and spread them with a spatula. The heat of the baked mix will melt the chips as you spread them.

I didn't use a whole bag. I was going more for more emphasis on the toffee portion of the candy than the chocolate topping. But if you are more of a chocolate lover, please feel free to add as much as you'd like. Mine barely covered the cracker base.

The bars will set up in the fridge, and after a few hours, can be cracked into pieces.

If you want to take a photo of your tasty treats, do it fast.

These don't last long.

They are soooooooooooooooooooo good!

Graduation Day for our Hippie Chick!

celebrations, family, Food and Drink, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / May 18, 2016

Sugarwings' mama is a full time RN, and working her way up into higher degrees until she reaches her goal of nurse midwife. She conquered another step of the journey this week as she graduated from KU's school of nursing.

We are pretty dang proud of her.

It was a beautiful day to watch the procession of graduates down the hill. I'd never been to a KU ceremony before, it was quite a celebration and a festive parade. Hundreds of grads walk down the hill while families line the sidewalk applauding, then all file into the stadium for the speeches and diplomas.

Nursing was a later group, so we picnicked on some popcorn and pretzels while we waited. (I didn't realize until editing photos, that I'd dressed Dewdrop in rival, K State's colors, she was a purple speck in the sea of blue and red).

Our girl had the BEST cap! It was all rainbowed-up, like the rest of her life. She topped it with a sunflower, a symbol of our state.

Schools of Nursing and Education had the most fun hats, and we noticed that the business students didn't do much decorating on theirs. There was a variety of students, of all ages and ethnicities. Some people had their children walk with them, some carried dogs. Many girls in beautiful dresses had bottles of champagne. Families rushed out onto the sidewalks to hug and photograph their loved ones, grads squealed and ran to the ropes to squeeze friends they saw in the crowd. One group had an old school, boom box and sang together, and we saw a few Go Pros filming the whole march too.

This was quite a fun filled, moving experience, and even though I only knew one of the people in the procession, I enjoyed every bit of the parade of black robed people marching down the hill together toward their futures.

Dewdrop called the grads "Hogwarts people", and liked the robes a lot.

Afterwards, we had a party at the cottage. Sugarwings wasn't happy with the display and said that it wasn't a celebration without streamers. And of course, my studio is magic and can provide any craft supply needed at any time, so I had red crepe paper on hand for the sisters to decorate with.

Her idea was to use bandage streamers, since her mom was a nurse, but I couldn't come up with that.

I was able to provide some bandaids that she wanted to stick onto the balloons, though. Cute idea, huh?

We put the decorated cap on an easel in a place of honor on the food table. The lace curtains came down and I found some red rose curtains to hang instead, since our girls like things colorful. There are two different, vintage curtains with red roses on the windows now, and I kinda like it. I might leave them up for a bit. I see no reason to change the curtains again, since that wall will be torn out soon for the remodel anyway. I'll enjoy a splash of color for a while.

Caike said she felt like she was at the Mad Hatter's Teaparty in this dress anyway, and that it seemed like she was the red queen while I was the white queen, painting the roses red for her.

Things got colorful outside too.

The kids at the gathering made use of the boxes of chalk I'd set out for them.

When they weren't blowing bubbles in the woods.

Or hula hooping and jumping in the mulch piles.

It was cute to watch the kids at the buffet table. I'm impressed with hippy family kids. They load up on veggies and fruits and honestly seem to love them, taking them voluntarily, not being bribed or forced. Every kid there filled up a little tin pail with healthy foods, and carried them down to the Fairy Berry Trail to have a picnic in the tree house.

Of course, I'm a grammie, the one who spoils the littles, so I came out into woods and brought a tray of cupcakes for them.

All day long, I was afraid the weather was going to turn bad, but we lucked out. It did cool off a bit, so we lit the bonfire and that was fine. You never know in Kansas what to expect weatherwise, especially in the spring.

We had our air conditioner moved for the remodel project, and in doing so, the furnace was unhooked too. I didn't think it would be a problem on that beautiful 80 degree day when the workman were doing the job. But, after a week of chilly nights and drizzly days, I'm missing the thermostat! I've had to tell grand fairies they couldn't stay all night with me because it is too cold in my house at night.

Brrrrr!

But for the special day of the party, the weather was lovely, the rain held off till after everyone had left. And while my house got cold that night, my heart was warm with memories of the day.

A playdate tea party

fairies, family, Food and Drink, friends, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / May 9, 2016

Sugarwings has been wanting to host a play date, and asked me for help. We decided to turn it into a fancy tea party with crafting and a walk in the woods after.

She and Dewdrop worked on the food, making these grape caterpillars with googly eyes, after a mini lesson from me on how to do it. We used blackberries for the heads and simply pushed the googly eyes (meant for cupcakes) down into the berries after we had them on the sticks with the grapes.

And see how nicely the table is set? Sugarwings did it all on her own.

We made the the place cards together. I cut a strip of died coffee filter, rolled it up, pinched the bottom and added a staple to hold it in place. Then gave her two leaves cut from scrapbook paper. She wrote the names on them and stapled them onto the rose buds.

The guests seemed to appreciate the efforts. One girl kindly told me that the tea was "divine".

We used cookie cutters to make the french fries into flower, butterfly, and bird shapes, then cut the hot dogs to make octopi.

Of course, any food looks special when you use the best dishes.

And it all tastes better when eaten with friends.

The girls explored the Fairy Berry Trail, before heading across the creek for a walk in the woods.

The creek was low, it was a good day to cross.

For me, the cutest part of the day was watching them sit in the Fairy House and point out all the sprites they imagined flitting about. The girls had full descriptions and stories about the little winged creatures they saw.

It was adorable to watch them build tiny homes from twigs, leaves, and ribbons for their new imaginary friends to live in.

This part of the day was so much fun, we ran out of time to do any crafting.

Looks like we will have to invite them back for that part, huh?

A custom circus theme wedding cake topper

family, Food and Drink, Hand painted

By Karla Nathan / April 24, 2016

My son's wedding was to be very low key and simple. But I knew that he and his bride both loved flourless chocolate cake made with cacao, so I made a heart shaped one, along with a couple other tasty treats for after the luncheon. My cakes aren't very pretty, the cacao cake was covered in ganache and looked yummy, but sloppy, so I thought I should do something to jazz it up.

So, I took some foil and wire to build armatures, and covered them in Sculpy to resemble the happy couple being all circussy.

After baking them, I painted them black and white.

A styrofoam ball was covered in modelling paste and stuck in a cupcake wrapper, then stuck with two dowels to make a support for the lira. I hung the pink, wire lira from a beaded (garnet and labradorite) wire strung between the dowels.

For Miss Tree's hair, I used some of the same supplies we created her wedding headpiece out of. And then I painted her clothes to match her performance costume.

Purple is a fave of hers, so I added some violet glitter "sprinkles" to the cupcake.

My son is wearing his bowler hat, suspenders, and an onyx necklace

This was a quickie project because I thought of it at the last minute before packing up to go to the campground. I had some polka dot cupcake papers, but wish I'd had black and white. For the wedding, I slipped it into a second, clean cupcake paper and plopped the piece onto the cake.

I think now, I'll add a black and white wrapper over this, and glue it to a decorated box for them to have as a keepsake.

Somehow, we did end up with cookies and did not die, but I sure learned a lesson

Food and Drink, Travel

By Karla Nathan / March 13, 2016

One of the reasons (of many) that I wanted to attend this luxury event in Coronado Island was to take a lesson in making macarons, taught by a French Chef.

Well….. there were some issues with that.

First of all, there was a slight gassy smell coming from the 90 year old oven in the morning when it was fired up. The oven was said to need two hours to warm up, but when it was turned on, it didn't seem right.

I hardly noticed it, even though others were complaining. The home's owner was called and he said not to worry.

So, we went on with our morning.

But it got worse. And worse, and worse.

Stupidly, I went along with ignoring it, just complaining about the smell a bit. I did open windows on a couple floors. This is a 13 bedroom house, so is huge,and the smell was prevalent throughout. Which should have set off alarms in my head. But apparently I am a dumb ass.

Well, eventually, we all decided that waiting for the owner to care enough to handle it wasn't a good idea. The gas company was called, Beth and I went outside for fresh air and to escape explosions. I don't know why everyone didn't evacuate, one person took a nap due to a headache from the gas. If we'd had a lick of sense, we'd have brought her outside, not let her nap!!!

Now, if you are ever anywhere with a gas leak, please be smarter than us. You should LEAVE THE BUILDING. Call the gas co. or fire department from another location. When the technician arrived, he said that a cell phone call could set off a static spark that could ignite the house.

The old oven had given up the ghost, and we were lucky to have not become ghosts ourselves, according the the gas company. The repairman said it was not a matter of "if" but "when" it would have blown up if we had gone on with making cookies.

Yes, I felt dumb as dumb can be for blissfully ignoring the situation and going about my business. I'd like to say I was dizzy from the gas and not making rational decisions, but I'll admit to being plain old careless and stupid and am lucky to be alive.

Well, we lived. The gorgeous house did not blow up. And I learned how to make macarons. Although, the chef insists that all the ingredients must be measured and I am more of an eye baller. She told me, "good luck with that".

Well, I am on a lucky streak, what with being alive and all, so maybe my cookies will be fine.

We couldn't use the oven, and honestly didn't even want to.

I figured the toaster oven should be fine, but the chef said NO, it wouldn't. I figured I'd give it a shot anyway. Some of the cookies weren't as nice as they should have been, but we just piled on tons of extra filling and ate them that way.

They tasted magnificent.

There was one pan load from the toaster oven that looked good though. Very good, I'd say. The chef pointed out that they were a bit brown on top, but I didn't care. I think they are lovely. After all we'd been through that day, I WAS GOING TO HAVE MACARONS and I was going to enjoy them.

Here they are next to our other projects, a crown and a button necklace. I brought some extras to make the necklace and ended up making one long chain of buttons and another, shorter one with some of my rhinestone pieces added. My crown took on a blue bird of happiness theme, and has a lot of extra rhinestoney goodness pieces added to it too.

The kitchen might have been a time bomb, but man it was cool. See those wooden doors? Those are the original, ice box style refrigerators. Still in use. That is the fridge for the house.

This is the butler's pantry, I think.

This door might have been one of my favorite things in the house. Out of soooooo many beautiful things to chose as a fave.

Like this tattered velvet hand rail.

The dainty tile.

The garden trails.

Trees filled with fresh oranges.

Murals in the dining room.

And the chaise lounge in my bedroom suite.

What a lovely suite it was, two bedrooms and a full bath, with cozy beds each topped with a pillow with our names on it.

The house was a mix of comfy, homey furnishings from the family who'd lived there for decades, and antiques. The structure itself seemed to all be original, and the trim work was over the top, especially the dining room ceiling.

But the very, very best part? Interesting new friends to laugh with! And to not die with. I'm glad our headaches and upset stomachs from the gas faded away, not one of us exploded, and we even got to kind of finish one batch of macarons.

Our Christmas

celebrations, Dew Drop, dogs, Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), Food and Drink, holiday decor, Sugarwings, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / December 26, 2015

I hope your holiday was full of joy. We had some fun experiences, and plenty of laughs. With lots of hugs.

We started out our two day, holiday extravaganza with a nice, long walk in the woods on Christmas Eve.

It has been mild weather, ideal for a light jacket and some time in the trees.

Albie took that literally, and showed off his climbing abilities. That boy loves to climb trees.

Dewdrop likes to be a damsel in distress waiting to be saved from her perch in the branches.

And her Pop Pop is always happy to step in and help her down.

Katie's girls are as adventurous as Albie and showed off their circus skills by straying off the path and up the branches at every turn of the trail.

Of course, when you hang out with trapeze artists and circus performers on a regular basis, things usually get interesting.

We also had a big, family yoga session before our dinner Christmas Day.

Which soon led to a human pyramid.

Or two.

Or three. (Although this one is only 2/3 human)

Notice that I am not in any of the piles? I was in charge of Santa Hats and photos. Somehow, I wasn't added to the stacks of people, I think my reputation for clumsiness is pretty well known.

Our Thursday was full of exciting deliveries, there were presents being left on the porch all day! One was a package of steaks which came with DRY ICE packed in it.

I was intrigued by the dry ice and used it to create a mini fog machine in this old, silver coffee pot, with the mist flowing from the spout and around the evergreen branches. (Adding rubbing alcohol to the block makes clouds of swirling fog rise from it)

We also tried making sushi on Christmas Eve.

Tried pretty hard.

Then my husband got us some take out.

It was a little like the Bumpas' hounds ruining Christmas dinner in A Christmas Story.

On Christmas morning, we had evidence of the Jolly Old Elf's visit, by the tracks of glitter left on the floor. And I have a feeling, I'll be seeing remnants of that holiday magic for the rest of the year.

The evening ended with Elf and Nightmare Before Christmas, after a big poker tournament where Ryan won 40 bucks from his cousins and was beaming with pride.

I'll leave you with a few more pictures of our celebration, and wishes for a happy holiday season to you too.

Tips for Creating a Twinkling Holiday Party Buffet

Food and Drink, holiday decor, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / December 18, 2015

Every year, I look forward to hosting the book club party. It's a good reason to make some goodies and do a little extra decorating. And while there is book talk, too, there is less emphasis on the books and more on the people, so we all get to get caught up on what is going on with each other.

If there was any way possible that I could make this work on a regular basis, I would keep lights under the table.

But with a houseful of doggies, kiddos, and well, a husband who probably wouldn't find it easy to pull up his chair to the table and enjoy his morning paper and coffee… well, I just don't see how it could happen.

But gosh, isn't it fun for a party?

All twinkly and sparkly?

For real life, our over sized, hairy, puppy would be chasing dorkies under the table, getting caught on the table cloth, and pulling it off as little dogs run across the room tangled in lights. And grand fairies would trip on extension cords.

Around here, I get away with a LOT of over the top decor at Christmas, so I guess I'll not complain about not having a glow under my dining room table full time.

Plus, to get the full effect, I need to move all the chairs away from the table, like I did for book club seating.

And on a normal basis, it is kind of nice to have chairs around the table.

I'm going to miss them when I take them down tho! Here, let's look just one more time…. ahh!

If you'd like to try it for a party, it is pretty simple. I hooked two sets of lights (one warm white, one cool, for a nice blend) to a power strip, and laid them about 10" back from the legs, all around the front and sides of the table. Closer and they look too obvious, further back and they don't show enough.

I used a sheer curtain across the front of the table, and a lace curtain on each end, anchored them in place with a small bit of duck tape, then threw another, heavier table cloth (actually a painter's canvas drop cloth) over the top of the table. My dining table is 110" long with all of the leaves in it, so I had to use a combo. If your table is smaller, it can be less complicated to do. But I do think something sheer works much better than a heavy cloth, but yet I like a more opaque cloth over the top.

I felt like the canvas calmed it down and was more cottagey than if I'd gone with something frilly. There was already a lot going on. Also, when I do a buffet spread, I like to have a care free table cover, because things do spill.

Run the power cord from the back, and make sure it isn't somewhere that it will be tripped over. I set an extra chair over mine. If that isn't an option, use duck tape or a rug to cover it. Of course, if possible, you can just push the table against the wall and not worry about that. That might be pretty for a side table in the living room, huh?

We had some tasty, but simple food. A small veggie tray (lined with kale I had growing outdoors)

Chocolate chip cookies baked in a silicone pan with square shapes, then sprinkled with powdered sugar. I though that dressed them up a bit. The hardest part was picking all those Crunch Berries out of the Captain Crunch to decorate the plate.

Ha!

My friend, Connie kept teasing me about the Crunch Berries. They are actually peppermint pretzel balls. A couple handfuls of those made chocolate chip cookies look a lot more special.

At Thanksgiving, I made up extra pumpkin cheesecake batter and froze it. Then, I put puff pastry in those same shaped silicone baking pans and made mini cheesecakes. I added an ornament to the tiered cake stand.

All of the dishes were glass, white, or cream. Adding a mirror, and compotes for texture and height make a pretty display for the fruit and cheese.

For more height, I sat a mini white tree on the table (its cord plugs into the power strip for the lights on the floor) I like to have a layering of heights for visual interest, so there is a green and white flower arrangement (mostly inexpensive mums and carnations with branches from outside) in front of the tree. The height from the tree, to the flowers, to the two compotes, stair steps down.

Around the back of the table are two white garlands with some battery powered lights over them. Setting that little tree and the two garlands across the back of the table took a matter of minutes, but it looks like I went to a lot of effort.

The serving pieces are gathered onto a metal tray at the other end of the table. I like to use this metal basket for ([plastic) silverware and napkins. But a vase, basket, flower pot, many other things could make an interesting way to set out the silverware.

The rest of the food that we had was easy, a dip, some crackers and pita chips, cupcakes and a baked brie. The brie is a family fave, I use a premade pie crust, lay the cheese on it, sprinkle with fresh rosemary, wrap the crust up over the cheese and bake.

None of the food that I served was particularly hard to do, or expensive. It looked fancy because I took some time to set it out in a creative way. Most of the dishes and serving pieces are from garage sales, and I buy flowers from the mark down buckets at the local grocery store.

Having all the overheads off and just a glow from the Christmas lights makes everything look special too. Ambient lighting makes a huge difference for any party.

But the very best, most important tip I can give you for a party? Remember that the party is about having a good time. Enjoy yourself, don't over do it. If something is too stressful, skip it, and do something else. Maybe make as many of the goodies ahead of time and freeze them til needed, or buy pre-made trays? The gathering should be as much fun for you as it is for your guests.

Cupcakes and Cacao Torte with spinning flames

celebrations, family, Food and Drink, We're having a party

By Karla Nathan / December 12, 2015

Birthdays are considered a BIG DEAL at our house. Dewdrop spent hers with her mommy, but we threw her a party when she came back to Kansas and had plenty of celebrating with her here.

You can't have too many birthday parties, can you?

We had three birthdays to enjoy, and threw two parties for them. One out to dinner for Italian food, and the next night, a family dinner at home with a crock pot full of veggie soup.

And cupcakes decorated by grandfairies.

The other two celebrating their birthdays wanted a more grown up cake, so I made a flourless chocolate torte with cacao powder.

That cake was a better size to use for the light up, spinning, and singing candle than the cupcakes were.

But it didn't sing! Dang it! Last one I bought was a lot of fun, this one was a bit of a dud and also scared Dewdrop.

The flames were a little overwhelming, without the Happy Birthday song that is supposed to be a part of the act.

But not too scary. She was pretty happy once it was time to bite into her custom cupcake.

But at a $5.99 price tag for the big, flame throwing, spinning, wonderland of a candle that wouldn't play the song, I think I'll take it back to the store for a refund. Or exchange.

We are tickled pink to have our tiny, Arabella Cinderella back for the holidays. There have been lots of kisses and hugs, big smiles, then more hugs. Dewdrop was missed.

She has been keeping me company out in the studio where we have had a few parades with her as Frosty the Snowgirl. Yep, that girl is a lot of fun.

Here is how I made the torte:

stir 3/4 cup raw cacao powder (more nutritious and stronger than cocoa)
into one stick of melted butter
add 1 cup organic sugar and 4 egg yolks
In a separate bowl, beat the 4 egg whites, when foamy, add in 1/4 cup of sugar and the scraped seeds from one vanilla bean.
Beat the egg whites till almost into peaks, but not as long as you would for meringue, you don't need stiff peaks.
Fold the two mixtures together, gently

Pour into 8" pan and bake for about 45 minutes at 300 (I don't have a springform pan, I use Grandma Nathan's old cake pan, but I think a spring form is called for)

And here are a couple of banners that I've added to the Boutique.

Our first cocoa party of the season

family, Food and Drink

By Karla Nathan / December 5, 2015

While plotting our holiday decor, Sugarwings and I also daydreamed of our first cocoa party of the year. Traditionally, we wait til the tree is lit.

We really wanted a cup during Thanksgiving week, but we remembered our rally cry of "Respect the Turkey" and held off on our Christmas fun till after the bird was gone and that holiday was over.

This year, we had the added bonus of a great-grandmother guest. Which made the party even more special.

The important part of the party isn't the cocoa, although that stuff is durn tasty.

It is the ceremony. And making it all very special by using good dishes (whether they match or not) and good manners.

I found this glittered,snowflake chiffon to drape the grand fairies' chairs (Dewdrop will be back with us SOON), and we thought that added a nice touch to the festivities.

The lights are turned off, and we dine by the twinkling tree lights. Warmed milk is served in a teapot, and silver tongs are used to pluck marshmallows from a rose patterned bowl.

A crystal dish holds a few Ghirardelli chocolate chips, and a sundae cup is just right for our candy canes that we use to stir the cocoa with.

Sometimes we set a small table up in front of a Christmas special on TV, or by the girls' tiny, pink tree. We change out the goodies we serve, too.

But the JOY never changes. These are the moments that last forever.