Heritage Siblings Dinner

Thursday is the day to visit one of my favorite places in the cyber-world, Susan's blog full of luscious tablescapes and decorating ideas!

This week, I'm partying with the best of them, sharing my own tablescape and celebrating America's freedom and our family's heritage! I'd been planning this tablescape since our last siblings dinner in April!

Our quarterly Siblings Dinner was fantastic. Spending time with Doug's brothers and sisters and their spouses is the best!

I was quite pleased with the meal and I fell in love with the tablescape. So much that I'm keeping the table setting until the fourth of July! Our theme for the evening was "Heritage", so the patriotic table was perfect to go along.

The menu:

Sun-dried Tomato Pasta with Roasted Chicken

Linda's Garlic Bread

Garden Fresh Peas

Caesar's Salad

Fruit Platter

Rhubarb Cake

The little party favors/placecards, filled with Hershey's Kisses, were quick and easy to make and were just another little thing to make the table pop! And yes, I used my everyday dishes, plain white Corelleware for this setting. Every home needs a good set of plain white dishes!

Our table talk was the highlight of the night for me. The theme was heritage and all of the questions brought fascinating conversation. We always learn so much about each other!

My sister-in-law shared an intriguing story from her family about her great grandfather, who'd purchased a ticket to travel to America on the Titanic. His sister convinced him to stay longer, so he never boarded the ship. He was listed among those lost at sea, but was safe at home with family. There were many stories to be told and each one was as intriguing as the next.

Heritage Table Talk Questions:

• Use a list of five words to describe your own heritage.


• How has your heritage reflected the way that you were raised and the way you are raising your children?


• What’s the best thing that you do to connect with your heritage?


• What scents do you remember about your grandparents’ home? Your parent’s home?


• What was the most important value taught to you by your mother? Father?


• What family heirloom has been placed in your possession to be passed down to future generations?


• If you could have one momento of your parents’ or grandparents, what would it be?


• If you could go back in time, and visit with one ancestor, who would it be?


• What is one story that’s been passed down through the generations of your family that is told over and over again? Why do you think that one was "the" one?
  
• Do you have any family mysteries?


• What would be your parents (or grandparents) biggest surprise about you today?


• Describe which physical qualities you share with your parents and grandparents.


• What talents do you share with your ancestors?


• What talents of yours would you hope that your posterity would inherit?


• Tell how you got your name. If you don’t know, share how you chose your childrens’ names.


• Is there a certain specific place that you have a fond memory with an ancestor? Do you visit it? Have you shared this spot and the memory with others?


• Is there a song that reminds you of an ancestor?


• Did your parent have close friends? Was there a friend of your parent that made an impression in your life?


• What famous person did your parent love/respect/admire? Did that influence you?


• Do you feel that your parent had any type of prejudices/perceptions that impacted you?


• What one lesson did your parents teach you without ever saying a word about it?


• What thing/things did you do that you knew would always make your parents happy?


• What characteristic do you have that is the most different from that of any siblings or your parents?


• Share something that you learned about your parent that you never knew/realized as a child?

For us, family is what matters most! So, our evening was a perfect way to escape from the rest of the world and connect with each other.