Entertaining Made Easy Part 7

MOTHER'S BIRTHDAY TEA

A pleasant way for a daughter to entertain for her mother is to give a little informal afternoon tea, asking the mother's friends and their daughters and thus making it a kind of mother and daughter affair.

Send out the invitations on your calling card, writing your mother's name at the top. If your mother likes surprises, arrange the party to be one if possible, but if she is like most mothers she will prefer to know what's going on and so be prepared.

The rooms should be decorated with flowers of the season. The country girl will find it easy in spring, summer, or fall.

During the afternoon a little program of previously arranged "mother"

songs, lullabies and readings by some of the guests may agreeably interrupt the chat.

Tea, sandwiches and little cakes may be served in the dining-room from a festive birthday table. The centerpiece may be a bowl of pink roses--to match in number the years of the guest of honor. Candles from under rose-colored paper or silk shades may light the room, and if desired each guest may be presented with a miniature band-box covered with rose-sprigged paper or chintz--filled with wee pink and white candies.

A p.u.s.s.y CAT PARTY

When Billy's mother decided to give him a birthday party, she pounced upon the p.u.s.s.y cat plan, partly because p.u.s.s.y-willows are still flourishing in April, but mostly because she knew that kittens and cats are favorites with nine and ten year olds.

The invitations were folded kitty-cornered and inside of each appeared a fat fuzzy little gray puss taken from a real p.u.s.s.y-willow branch.

"Puss" had pen and ink ears, whiskers and tail, and likewise a tiny red-painted fence post upon which to sit.

The first game was a good romp at "Puss-in-the-Corner." That was followed by the foolish but funny "Poor p.u.s.s.y."

While the children were still in a circle for that, Billy's mother explained a new game. It was called "Kitty Kitty" and was carried out on the lines of "Spin the Platter." In every child's ear Billy whispered the name of some sort of cat, as for instance, tiger, "yaller," green-eyes, double-toes, maltese, Angora, black and white, gray.

He then occupied the center of the circle and spun a tin pieplate. As he did so he called out one of the names he had a.s.signed and counted rapidly out loud up to ten. Thus, "Green-eyes, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten."

The child who had been given the name "green-eyes" was supposed to jump up and s.n.a.t.c.h the pie tin before Billy had finished counting to ten. If "green-eyes" failed, then he had to take Billy's place. Billy, too, of course, had a p.u.s.s.y cat label.

Another circle game that was fun was called "p.u.s.s.y's Prowlings." It was on the order of stage-coach. Billy's mother told the story of a kitty's wanderings and before she started to tell it, she whispered to each child the name of something which was to appear in the story. For instance, she gave out "haymow," "milk dish," "mouse hole," "catnip."

Every time she mentioned any such name in the process of telling the story, the child who had it was expected to rise from his chair, turn around three times and sit down again. When the words "p.u.s.s.y's prowlings" were mentioned, all the players jumped up and exchanged seats. The story teller also tried to get a seat, and if she succeeded the child who was finally left without one had to continue the story.

p.u.s.s.y'S PROWLINGS

Once there was a p.u.s.s.yCAT named BLINKY who said to herself one day, "I'm tired of MILK to drink and I'm oh, so hungry for MOUSE. I must go on a MOUSE hunt."

So BLINKY stole out of the red BRICK HOUSE where she lived very happily with the JONES FAMILY. She pattered down the back DOORSTEPS where her MILK SAUCER was set and she scampered along the winding PATH to the BARN.

(That's the way p.u.s.s.y'S PROWLINGS began.)

Up the LADDER to the HAYMOW she crept and through the heaps of sweet clover HAY to a HOLE IN THE WALL. There BLINKY knew lived a MOUSE. So she crouched close to the MOUSE HOLE, as still as still could be and watched, and she watched and she watched and she watched.

But that MOUSE must have been away from home or else very busy down in its HOLE, for it never once stuck its little NOSE out. And when BLINKY had watched there in the HAYMOW for three long, long hours, she was so hungry that she couldn't watch for that MOUSE a single minute more.

She thought of the MILK SAUCER by the back DOORSTEPS and she said to herself, "If I can't have MOUSE, MILK won't taste so bad after all."

So BLINKY made her way back through the heaps of HAY and scrambled down the LADDER to the HAYMOW and ran along the winding PATH to the back DOORSTEPS. And there, sure enough, was a SAUCER full of MILK all ready for her to drink. So BLINKY lapped it up very hungrily and was perfectly happy!

(And that's the way p.u.s.s.y'S PROWLINGS ended.)

The next game was called "Hunt the Mouse." Billy had hidden a chocolate mouse somewhere in the room and the children were asked to be kitties and try to find it. Whenever anyone came very near the hiding place, Billy miaowed loudly, or if everyone was very far from it, Billy would mew only faintly. The "kitty" who found the mouse kept it for a reward.

In another room the children had a chance to hunt for those mittens which the "naughty kittens" once lost. Many tiny red paper mittens were scattered throughout the room and were much more easily found than the mouse.

The supper table delighted the children. In the center of it sat a big stuffed toy cat surrounded by chocolate mice, and at each child's place a tiny white plush cat with the child's name on a paper tied to the neck had been placed. Such toys can usually be bought in five and ten cent stores.

p.u.s.s.y-willow sprays laid flat on the tablecloth decorated the table gracefully. The napkins were the paper ones which feature black cats at Hallowe'en.

Little ramekins of creamed chicken pleased the children. With the chicken, Billy's mother served "kitty-cornered" sandwiches of brown bread filled with cream cheese and chopped nuts. There was hot cocoa too, and for the last course individual molds of chocolate blanc mange with whipped cream and a candied cherry on top. Needless to say there was a birthday cake which was brought in ablaze with candles and set before Billy to cut.

Each guest received a souvenir chocolate mouse and was ready to declare upon departure at six that the p.u.s.s.y cat party had been, oh, so jolly!

A GIRL'S BIRTHDAY LUNCHEON

Once a mother gave a little birthday luncheon for her daughter who was a freshman in high school. It pleased the fourteen-year-old and her friends because of the novelty in decorations and menu.

The cla.s.s colors were green and white, so that scheme was used throughout. In the center of the table was a green bowl with a few paper narcissi arranged in a flower holder, j.a.panese fashion.

Around each plate was a wreath of smilax--any small green vine would do perfectly well--and above each plate a tiny green candle burning in a wee holder. The place-cards were tied to the handles of the holders.

Gla.s.s dishes of lime drops and wintergreen candies added to the general green and white effect.

The menu consisted of fruit c.o.c.ktail with a sprig of mint atop of each portion, followed by a second course of chicken a la King generously sprinkled with capers, and accompanied by hot rolls and olives.

Then came hot chocolate with a marshmallow floating in each cup and milestone salad, which consisted of oblongs of cream cheese into which numerals cut out of green peppers were pressed. The milestones stood erect on fresh lettuce leaves and were served with French dressing.

After that a birthday cake was borne in ablaze with fourteen green tapers and set before the little hostess to cut. Great was the fun when the fortune favors, baked in the cake, were found by the guests.

Pistachio ice-cream accompanied the cake, but vanilla ice-cream or a green gelatine dessert would be equally fitting.

The favors were little green vanity bags made from ribbon by the fourteen-year-old's mother.

THE WOODEN WEDDING

An informal evening party is perhaps the jolliest way to celebrate the fifth wedding anniversary.