Party of Two Please

Last Friday evening, I decided I wanted to throw a dinner party and go all out with a beautiful cheese board and appetizers, full on decorations and tablescape, summertime wine and a delicious homemade dinner. And the only people I put on the guest list: my husband and me.

Over the last several months, Jeff has put in overtime on overtime to close a huge deal that’s been in the works for over a year. And that morning, the deal was officially in, booked, complete, done! Whenever he does well at work, his reaction is always the same… “ya, it’s great. I’m happy.” Stone cold, poker face. But deep down inside, I know he’s ecstatic, jumping up and down, beaming with happiness. And I can’t help but feel an immense sense of pride for everything he has accomplished in such a short period of time, all on his own… from the very bottom to where he is now.

And for like so many of his accomplishments, I wanted to do something special but unlike the last time where I threw him a huge surprise party, I wanted to tone it down… like way down. And on a beautiful summer evening, with a lovely setting, as the sun was going down (and Coco was asleep), it was a dinner set just for the two of us.

For the tablescape:

I cut down some tree branches from a tree in our yard earlier in the day because it needed pruning and decided that I would go with that as my theme… I used one of the big blue and white chinoiserie jars that I keep indoors as my vase for those branches. And then arranged some of the leftover hydrangeas from Coco’s birthday party, and for some extra color, and because I love decorating with them so much, I added a few lemons to finish off the arrangement! I loved the immense height of the branches, it was like sitting under a tree!

Tablescape details:

Blue & white tablecloth: Home Goods

Rattan chargers: World Market

Blue & white napkins: Pier 1 Imports

Rattan napkin rings: Target

Nibbles from Whole Foods

and my favorite Sencerre

One of the best things I’ve ever purchased for our outdoor dinners is this bug net. It’s a rattan tray with a swivel net to protect the food from bugs.

I love this man with all my heart and am always so in awe of everything he can do. His immense work ethic, his ability to balance family life and work, and the simple fact that we’re each other’s best friends are what these little celebratory nights are all about. He doesn’t need anything fancy, in fact, I think he would’ve probably been happy with pizza delivery, but for everything he does for us, sometimes it’s just really nice to celebrate him in our own little ways.

The moral of the story is, find little ways to celebrate the people you love… celebrate them for their accomplishments or just because it’s a random Thursday night… and if that gives you an excuse to decorate a pretty table and cook a delicious dinner, well then, that’s even more beautiful!