Zoe and I sat down yesterday with a few wintry greens and weeds from our yard and grocery store berries and foliage and we made two centerpieces, a mommy-sized arrangement and a baby-sized arrangement. Besides having me clip the stems where needed, she made the smaller arrangement all by herself! She was so proud of her work (I was too), and I loved the carefree nature of her design (pictured on the shelf to the right of the table).

Having a 2 1/2 year old has brought so many wonderful opportunities…conversations, lessons, working side-by-side, questions (and the not so wonderful side of discipline, messes, things taking 2x -or more- longer than usual, etc). But I honestly wouldn’t trade it for anything! Even though there are days when I check nothing off my to-do list and the house gets messier and messier and by the time Joe gets home from work, I’ve only just had my shower and dinner hasn’t even crossed my mind. There are many of those days, but I’m trying to cherish where we are now, and be present for my children. Not all days are filled with flower arranging and baking and pure fun, but we try to have a good balance 🙂

I wanted to use the centerpieces we made on a simple holiday tablescape….this table could be for Thanksgiving or Christmas or any occasion, really. I wanted to mostly use items I already had and just add a few seasonal touches. The foliage arrangements are easy to recreate. Just place seasonal berries and greens in a vase, paying attention to the height and overall shape. Keep it loose and spontaneous and not too “designed.”

The tablecloth is a new favorite from the Crate & Barrel Outlet. Tablecloths add such an elegance to the table, especially when you’re gathering at the kitchen table, a place where cooking and homework and computer time and all manner of other activities take place. It tells your guest (regardless of who your guests are) that there is a change in the mood. Today is special. Today we’re using a tablecloth. When I spread the tablecloth out on the table for this little photo shoot yesterday, Zoe gasped, “Oooooh, is that for us?” So of course, we kept the tablecloth on the table for the day and she loved every minute of it. Tablecloths are just that needed pomp & circumstance.

Besides the tablecloth, I just used our basic grey dinner plates, a forest green salad plate, a white linen napkin, and the usual silver-plated flatware. All basics in our day-to-day living. But the addition of the small flowered bowl and the red anjou pear hint again that it’s a special occasion. And the cluster of squash, satsuma oranges, pears, and a few wintry greens and berries at the base of the flower arrangement add just the right amount of color and texture!

Happy holiday tablescaping!