utumn ntertaining
Life can always use a little spicing up, so give a party!

rom the farewell to summer Labor Day picnic, to the harvest lunch, football feed and Thanksgiving dinner, Autumn offers all kinds of inspiration for fun.  Here are some ideas to make entertaining more...well, entertaining.

ocation, location, location!  Set your table outdoors in the crisp air in the woods among the leaves.  Have a party in a barn.  Or have dinner in front of a cozy fire.  You can even serve directly from a fireplace grill - cooking over an open fire is an ancient appetite wetter.

rowd folks around the dinner table.  The closer to each other the more intimate the conversation (the more fun the dinner).  Put eight at a table for six.

ighting can add so much to a party -- candles, candles, everywhere!  Make citrus votives (hollow out oranges, draw on a leaf and cut it out with a small sharp knife - pop in a votive).  Hurricane lamps outside, lanterns in the trees, strings of tiny lights, tiki torches and if possible a bonfire...mmmm.

se the kookiest, prettiest, funniest, most interesting or elegant cocktail glasses you can find -  dip the rims in fruit juice then into colored sugar.

sk yourself: does it smell good, taste good, feel good, sound good, and look good?  Appeal to all the senses.

se molds to make butter or ice cubes shaped like leaves; you can also find crackers in leaf shapes.

omfort food looks best served in pottery, wooden bowls, pewter, ironstone, silver and brown and white transferware.  Serving spoons with colorful handles, old wooden spoons or even mismatched antique silverware are sure to add a country touch to your table.  Bread looks best when served in a basket; drape a clean cotton or linen dish towel over your warm bread to help hold in the heat (I keep a few "bread only" towels just for this!)  Bread warmers are also a homey touch.

collect old cups, mugs and children's cups to that everyone gets a different cup for after-dinner coffee.  Mixing dish patterns makes things interesting.  Great places to find these is garage sales, flea markets or resell shops.

uilts make gorgeous tablecloths, but burlap or woolen blankets also look wonderful at an outside or barn party; layered old linen looks homey for Thanksgiving.  Seating can be interesting too - hay bales for outside and old mix and match painted chairs look great indoors or out.  For an intimate fireplace dinner, pull upholstered armchairs up to the table.

lan your menu - something simple and delicious and "make ahead" - so you can be the unruffled hostess with the mostest and enjoy your own dinner party.  Be like Mrs. Calvin Coolidge; who after witnessing total disaster (a maid dropped the turkey), said calmly: "Never mind, Mary, just take this turkey back into the kitchen and bring in the other one."