Back to School Feast Archives - Small Things Are Big Things

This year’s Back to School Feast theme was Psalm 25:5 (see last years here)

“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior and my hope is in you all day long.”

During dinner, Brad talked about growing in faith and wisdom. He talked about how we are set apart and that if we are sad we have true hope in Jesus. We can depend on God ALL DAY LONG. No matter what. All the time. Then we gave Eli a special blessing for the school year.

The décor was all circles, color and silly.

Table settings:
~Red wrapping paper cut in a wavy line as table runners
~Bright beaded necklaces down the middle of the table
~Colored 3×5 cards as name plates
~Mismatched colorful dinnerware
~Molding foam and a back to school book for each guest for dinner play

I made this poof chandelier with a small hula hoop, curly ribbon and tissue paper. (Thanks Amanda!) 1) Stack 6 pieces of tissue paper. 2) Cut piles into 4 squares. 3) Stack into two piles, 12 pieces in each pile. Set one pile aside and fold the other one like a fan. 4) Tie a length of ribbon to the center of the fan (you’ll have a bow shape). 5) Separate tissue pieces and fluff into a poof shape. 6) use the extra length of ribbon to hang around the hula hoop.

Menu:
~Ravioli with meat sauce
~Spinach salad with carrots and cherry tomatoes
~Strawberries, blueberries, grapes
~A dollop of nutella for fruit dipping

We wore the necklaces from the table, read the books during dinner and let the kiddos play with the toys (a treat around here).

Dessert:
~White cake (dyed blue with food coloring) with chocolate frosting and a strawberry on top. I baked them in these neat silicone cupcake thangs I got years ago. They have feet and they are adorable.

We had so much fun! I feel like this celebration sets the stage for a great school year. We have our feast the night before school starts, but I think it would be fun to close out the first week too! (I spent less than $20 on the supplies at the Dollar Tree!)

The next morning we took pix, walked to school and said goodbye.

I missed that lil’ fella!

While Eli was at school we baked cookies, then ate them later while he told us all about his day. That was special too. I think I’m gonna like this new phase of life. I think I don’t have a choice. My time stopping remote control is broken. I keep trying to hit pause, but it’s stuck on fast forward. I can grasp on to what’s already gone or look ahead. I’ll choose to look ahead. I choose joy. And eating cookie dough. Yep, eating lots of cookie dough sure does help.

Happy 1st week of school!

I was inspired by most favorite blog, Nie Nie Dialogues, to do a Back to School Feast. Or in our case a starting school feast.

The theme for our first year is from Proverbs 19:20

“Hear counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction, that you may be wise in the time to come.”

The décor was vintage carnival (inspired by a Dollar Tree gun Eli saw at Kyla’s house earlier that day!)

Table settings:

~Brown postal paper runners

~Classic lined school paper with our names for place cards

~Silly carnival faces for each guest, and the gun that inspired it all for Eli

~Mustaches on each of the glasses

I also made a simple banner with twine and playskool flash cards for the hutch. (I know it doesn’t go with carnival theme but it is a back to school thing…) It looks so sweet and the kiddos had a fun time “reading” the cards!

Menu:

~Lemon pepper salmon

~White rice

~Mixed greens with rosemary pecans & cranberries. (Topping is a Trader Joes mix. Super yummy!)

During dinner Hot Hubby talked about why he picked Proverbs 19:20 as our verse for the school year. We talked about how Eli’s teachers will be giving him advice (counsel), instruction and correcting him when he makes mistakes. Sometimes it’s a lot of work at school, but all the things he works on now will make him wise when he’s older.

I made a simple graphic with the themed verse and framed it. I hope to start hanging them in my kitchen someday. I also put the “key” words of HEAR, RECEIVE & ACCEPT on lil’ handprint cardstocks (you can see them down the middle of the table in some of the pix) to hang in Eli’s room to remind him of the verse.

Then my husband blessed Eli for his first day and for the rest of the year.

Dessert:

~Cupcakes and a mini cake, both yellow cake with chocolate frosting.

(I did a dozen cupcakes and filled a loaf pan with the extra batter. Instead of just frosting the loaf I cut it in half, stacked, frosted, plopped it on a cute cake plate, then added tootsie rolls for decoration. EASY, and one more pretty for the table!)

The End!

Hope you get some ideas for a Back to School Feast of your own! Things don’t have to be crazy. I literally went to The Dollar Tree that afternoon and spent $20 on silly goodies for the décor. You gotta do dinner anyway so just add a little bit of fancy.

Eli today with a leftover cupcake as an after school snack!

We brought his first school year in with a BANG!!!

Back to School Feast 2012

Back to School Feast 2011