The open house was held at the appropriately named Georgia House.

It was actually a really great place to have a party.  The house sat on the end of a large drive that offered a nearby tennis court,

a large pool complete with a water play ground, 

and a slide for the kids.

The inside of the house was just as amazing. 

The entrance opened up to a beautiful sitting room…

and great room, perfect for entertaining.

There were small tables for guests who wanted to sit and talk or play a quick game of chess. 

There was even a large screen tv hidden behind a panel, complete with a surround sound system which was used to play background music during the party.

We had gotten there early to set up.  So we put out the candy bars wrapped with the bride and groom’s signature paper.

Then a few pictures of the happy couple were strategically placed around the tables,

as well as some beautiful flowers in the bride’s wedding color- pink.

In the kitchen we put together trays of finger foods and various snacks.

Since so much effort had been put into the wedding in November, the motto for this event was “easy.”  So we kept things simple with bowls of nuts…

platters of fruit…

and a plate full of cheese and crackers.

Oh – and of course the sweets, can’t forget those.  

Finally, everything was ready for the guests to arrive. 

They came one at a time with their hugs and well-wishes for the happy couple.  Some stayed just for a few minutes…

while others visited for a while.

People laughed, ate food, and had a good time.

And some of them (hey Mom) even posed for pictures.

The evening was deemed a success.  No matter how long guests stayed, they came with one purpose – to show support and love to this new couple.  Everyone had a lovely time and the small and intimate affair was the perfect way to end a year full of celebrations. 

So it was a really big deal for us to host a dinner party at our house two days before leaving for vacation.  We invited our aunt and uncle who live in the area, as well as my sister and her husband.  Preparation for the big night consisted of cleaning the house.  Again, no small feat when you’re also trying to get ready for an upcoming trip, but we managed to do it (at least the bathroom was clean, which is the most important part).  

Finally, 7:30 came and everything was ready.  We had added all the leaves to our tiny table so that it would fit all six of us.

The plates were set out…

and the food was served.  Since my family is from the South, we had biscuits, of course.

I also made green beans from the recipe that I used for Thanksgiving (thanks Pioneer Woman).

And the CPA made his signature dish, barbeque chicken that had simmered in the crockpot all day long.  (It tasted even better than it looked.)

Corn completed the meal and everything was followed up with some yummy miniature desserts.  

All-in-all, dinner was a success, I am pleased to report.  At least everyone cleaned off their plates so I hope that means the food was good.

Afterward, we retired to the living room for a little gift exchange.  I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I love exchanging presents.  I enjoy getting them of course (like this beautiful soap dish) but I love giving them even more.  

Here’s my sister and her husband with the requisite Senate ornament that we give every year.  It’s becoming a family tradition.

The CPA showed off the beautiful decoration (that came all the way from Germany) that we received from my aunt and uncle. 

And speaking of our special guests, I’m so impressed that my aunt made the long drive to our house for this little event.

And that she brought our uncle, who was dressed appropriately for the weather with his beret.  

Since we’re talking about dressing, I have to show Oscar’s new outfit that he had bought just for the occasion.

By 10:30, the table had been cleared and everyone had gone home.  We had such a good time and it was well worth the effort.  I think I’m going to have to put “entertain more often” on my list of New Year’s resolutions.

But until then, we had to pack and get ready for our trip to Atlanta.  So excited!!!

Beautiful, isn’t it?  Now for a closer look…

The colors are autumnal and vibrant and each item complements the others from the white serving stands and green platters to the white napkins tied with orange ribbon and even the orange and white flowers.

No detail was overlooked.  The fruit was neatly skewered and the petit fours were topped with the letter “T,” the first letter of the bride’s name.

Keeping with the autumnal theme, each item was labeled with a card propped up by a miniature hay-stack.  And there was a little something for everyone. 

Mini vegetable quiches…

Warm coffee cake…

Fruit (for the more health-minded guest)

And the oh-so-yummy carameled mini-apples.

Aren’t they gorgeous?

Even the water looked great.

It was hard tearing myself away from taking pictures of this beautiful set-up. But I did.  I wanted to take pictures of my sister holding up see-through lingerie so that I could embarrass her later (I told you I would post a photo or two).  I mean it was a bridal shower, right?

But don’t worry, it didn’t get to crazy.  There was a baby present afterall.  (Check out the look on his cute little face – he’s wondering what in the world that is!)  Actually, I think my sister was wondering the same thing. 

Good thing I was there to explain it to her.

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The funniest part was having so many people in the house at one time.  There were 12 of us in all, including four kids.  We spent half the time hanging on the sofa and the other half in the shade of the backyard.  It was not too bad, especially since the weather was nice.  I felt bad for the kids as we didn’t really have a lot of kid toys, which of course nowadays means computers and video games.  We have one of those “new” Atari games they came out with a few years ago.  I mentioned it as an option.  It didn’t go over too well.  

It’s official – I’m old.  

So here’s our little grill (word to the wise- briquettes need to be replaced at least once a year).  Even though it only cost us $40.00 and doesn’t have any automatic features, it grills just fine and the food was tasty.

And here’s the chef.  I should get him one of those manly aprons and bar-b-que hats – he’d look so cute. 

With no outside tv, a mean game of Skip-Bo quickly ensued.  

My mom was in town and was trying out her new Nikon D60.  Seems like a pretty good camera, it was my first time viewing it in person.  It looks like a good bridge between the point-and-shoot and the DSLR.  In fact, I really liked the LCD screen – very high tech and quite different from the D80.  But I digress…

The little ones were kept occupied by playing with the dog.  

And FINALLY – the food was ready – Yum!

My cousin and her kids pose for the camera.  

We girls chose to stay inside where there was air conditioning and no bugs.  

All-in-all, a great first cookout.  Maybe we’ll do it again soon.  Then again, maybe we’ll wait till next year.