Simple Summer Table

Happy Monday, friends! I promise the wedding posts are coming this week, but while I’m working on those, I thought I’d quickly share about our Father’s Day meal. Our family hosted this year, and it was also my sweet sister-in-law’s birthday so I wanted to put together some tables that would be pretty for my SIL but not too frilly for the dads being honored. Having just had the wedding the weekend before, I didn’t even have a plan for the tables except that I would probably use some patriotic papers goods I had on hand and do an “All American Dad” theme. But then the day before Father’s Day I noticed the 10 potted rosemary plants on my porch that were left over from the wedding (details coming soon!) and an idea popped into my head! This was so thrown together but I think last minute tables are actually my favorite!

I needed to set 2 tables plus a little appetizer table in the den, so while cooking on Saturday, ideas about how I might use the rosemary swirled around in my head, and then later that afternoon I looked through my butler’s closet to pull anything that would work. I’ve got to tell you that my butler’s closet makes table setting so easy! I also looked through my gardening supplies in the garage.

So, here’s what I pulled:

The rosemary plants, 2 tan table runners, straw chargers, tan plaid napkins, and a really awesome green gardening caddy and wooden-handled tools my husband gave me for my birthday! Since I’ve been busy with the wedding and haven’t had time to garden, the caddy and tools were still clean to use on the table.

I have 24 of the tan plaid napkins so there were enough to put one at each place setting plus extras for tucking in around the rosemary plants to hide the plastic containers.

I thought about adding something else on the runners but I’m really liking simpler tables these days and I knew the guys wouldn’t care about the extra fluff!

I repeated the theme on the kitchen table but didn’t have another garden caddy, so I used a basket for the rosemary.

In addition to the aroma of the plants on the table, I diffused rosemary and orange oils in my diffuser which smelled so good. At the end of the day, I told the dads (and their wives) to take home a rosemary plant. It made for a nice “party favor”.

The appetizer table had another basket of rosemary and a charcuterie board of crackers, cheese/blueberry picks, cheese straws, and peach jalapeno dip. Several of these charcuterie items plus the clear plates and napkins were left over from the wedding.

Lunch was a family group effort which always makes for a wonderful meal! I ordered pulled pork and smoked sausage from our favorite local BBQ restaurant and made twice baked potato casserole and banana pudding. The rest of the ladies added baked beans, buns, slaw, pasta salad, green salad, key lime pie, Oreo surprise, and caramel cake!

I’d like to say this was my husband’s plate, but I must confess it was all mine! And I ate it. Not sorry, lol!

The dessert bar did not disappoint! We indulged one last time before we all go back to our healthy eating this week.

We had such a nice time together, honoring our men and the birthday girl! Our guys are strong, godly leaders for our families, and I don’t know what we would do without them protecting and providing like they do for us! We sang “Happy Birthday” to my SIL and her mom told a sweet story about the day she was born. It was a fun day with family!

And I have to say a big thank you to my husband and kiddos for helping to whip the house and yard into shape! They are my dream team!!!