Entertaining

Book Club Report: What Alice Forgot

February 1, 2013
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On Tuesday it was my turn to host book club at my house. Our book club began 10+ years ago (no one can quite remember exactly the year) when our kids were all students at the same elementary school. There are 12 of us, and while there have been a few additions and subtractions over [...]

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Easy Napkin Folding Tutorial

September 21, 2012
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Pretty napkins can make a table. But napkin rings can be expensive and have to be stored. I have a couple of sets, but I rarely use them, because this napkin folding technique is so easy. It also adds a little height and three dimensional-ness (so not a word) to the table. I actually prefer [...]

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Easy Entertaining: A Grocery Store Tablescape

September 19, 2012
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We’re in a dinner club with four other couples, who happen to be some of our best friends. Every other month we get together at someone’s house and the host couple provides the main dish and drinks. Everyone else brings an appetizer, side dish, or dessert. Dinner club is always a blast and it’s wonderful to [...]

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A Father’s Day Table Using Thrift Finds

June 19, 2012
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I combined several of my recent thrift finds to create the most laid-back Father’s Day table ever. I earmarked these oval restaurant plates and napkins for Father’s Day as soon as I saw them. I thought the plates would look best on rectangle placemats to mimic their long, narrow shape, but I didn’t have any placemats [...]

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Top Ten Ways to Save Money on Entertaining

July 25, 2011

This weekend we hosted a couple’s dinner club and a family birthday party at our house. We enjoy entertaining, but it can definitely be expensive. So while I was preparing for these events, I was also preparing a list of ways to save money when entertaining. And trust me when I say that I know [...]

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Tips for Transforming Boxed Brownies into a Special Dessert

May 28, 2008

Last week my daughter and I had to attend a dance team dessert party on a busy weeknight. Needing something quick, but yummy, to take with us, I fell back on a dessert I make often: brownies. Our family loves brownies and I often pick up sale-priced mixes to have on hand when we want [...]

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Frugal Table Decorations

April 16, 2007

We belong to a dinner club with four other couples – all neighbors and good friends. Once a year we are each responsible for hosting the dinner in our home. The host couple provides the main dish, usually one side dish, and drinks. The other couples bring the rest of the meal, from appetizers to [...]

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10 Movie Admissions for $9

June 24, 2006

I mentioned in my last post that I was able to take five of my son’s friends, my son, and myself to a movie for $9. Actually the cost works out to a little less than that. Here’s what I did: The Dickinson movie chain offers a Summer Vacation Movie Series for kids where they [...]

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Frugal Party Planning

June 23, 2006

We’ve been partying at our house lately. This month we’ve hosted a graduation party for my daughter and a birthday party for my son. I tried to make my money go farther for these celebrations by planning ahead. Here’s some of what worked for me: Graduation: This wasn’t exactly intentional, but due to scheduling conflicts [...]

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