a gracious 73

This weekend the homestead played host to Grandma Glenna's 73rd birthday celebration.  Dad insisted on a garden party on the patio.  It was a warm day, but sunny and beautiful all the same.

Three tables were draped in white linens with doily runners.  The runners were part of a table cloth from the shop I have always wanted re-purpose, but was waiting for the right inspiration.

In grand family tradition, we Sharpie names to our cups...this one said Birthday Lady.  We gave her a rousing chorus of the Happy Birthday song and lit as many candles as we could find.

The children's table was quite possibly my favorite.  I know I spent the most time at it.  The time of entertaining little children at our place has been past for quite some time now, but I think that they had a bit of fun.  I just pulled out an old newsprint pad I had left over from life drawing and picked up a couple packs of jumbo crayons.

Surprisingly, the garden provided much entertainment.  The boys had a good time chasing each other and throwing flowers like snowballs.  Dear Sabrina spend a good portion faux-fishing in the pond.

These gabbing cousins had to be the cutest.  Is there anything more entertaining than toddlers.  We really loved when the one year old cutie on the left would laugh after everyone else laughed because she is just learning that social cue.

Mom and I picked up a few interesting experiments for the party.  Over foam or plastic plates we chose compostable Chinet plates that were very sturdy.  For cups we went with recyclable #1 cups instead of the normal #6, which are not accepted in our local bins.  As far as flatware we just used our normal stainless steel selection.  Our guests graciously complied with our disposal requests and cleanup was a breeze.