WOW

It was so exciting to have a gathering of the WOW (translated – Women of Wallace) + Gene today. Wallace Elementary was my first teaching assignment in Richardson ISD, and I have such fond memories of teaching there. I consider these ladies dear friends. By the way: Gene was our fearless leader and encourager. Last year dear friend Paula hosted our first ever reunion. (What a great idea.) It was so much fun we decided to have a second reunion, and I hope the tradition will continue. The official or unofficial leader of WOW is Sheila. She is so organized and keeps up with everyone. Sheila organized the shindig (Thank you very, very much), and I was happy to host the party. For the welcome table by the front door we used a chalkboard and a vintage school desk. The chalkboard was made by Ever-Lovin’. He painted chalkboard paint on a mirror I bought at Family Dollar. Is this not the coolest thing ever, and I have it to use on another day. The old school desk I have had forever. I do love it. In the courtyard (which is still brown), there was a flock of flamingos. We dug (well actually Ever-Lovin’ dug) the flamingos out of the attic. The flamingos were in honor of Paula and Anna. Didn’t I hear something about some missing flamingos?

From the moment I knew that these fantastic women were coming, I got so excited planning for them. While I was at Wallace, we were the Wallace Wallabies. I heard they changed the mascot (I wonder why?). Not too many children related to wallabies I guess. Anyway Wallace colors were purple and white (I think). Purple seemed to be the logical color choice for the party. Number One Son was a great help for this party. One day he went with me to shop for the party. Mainly I needed table coverings. I had looked several (actually many, many) times and couldn’t find the “right” thing. Be still my heart. While at Hobby Lobby (don’t forget the 40% off coupon – you can show it from your phone), Number One saw this purple knit. It is the kind that has rows and rows of ruffles. The texture appealed to us, and we thought we could make it work. What is so neat about this fabric is that since it is knit, it does not ravel, and it was easy to cut between the rows of ruffles. Turquoise chargers (have had for many years), creamware plates (Since I have mine, Mother’s, and Number Three Son’s plates, I have enough for a party.), and plaid napkins were used for the table setting. The beautiful purple, lime green and turquoise plaid cloth for the napkins was found at Walmart.

Fantastic Jane (She is so talented – someday when it is not so hot, I will show you her beautiful garden) made the napkins for me. She has a surger, and I had never had custom made napkins before. Sweet Mother of Pearl, this is beyond wonderful. Thank you so very much! My bad: The napkins were okay for luncheon napkins, but I wish they had been a little larger. Eleven inches square was small. Note to self: Make the napkins larger next time. This plaid of purple, turquoise, and lime green gave us our colors for the party. Again, what would I do without my friends. Mrs. Ralph, The Queen of Teas, and BB came over the night before the party to help me set up. They were so much help. Mrs. Ralph tied the tulle bows around the silverware while BB and The Queen of Teas h-e-l-p-ed. Be still my heart! I loved, loved, loved the bows. They added so much. Another note to self: Do not buy the glittery tulle to be used on a table if you do not want glitter in your food. Just wanted you to know. Sweet potato vine is in abundance in our garden. It is a pretty lime green, and says I to myself, “I wonder if it could be used for a centerpiece?”