14th Annual Presentation of "Simple Elegance" at FUMC - Hurst

On Monday evening  November 28th, The Travelling Toe along with several friends attended the 14th annual presentation of "Simple Elegance".  The holiday evening for women is held each year on the first Monday of Advent in the Fellowship Hall of         
FUMC - Hurst. 

Ladies of the church sign up to sponsor and decorate a table and serve a dessert to their "guests".  Each year The Travelling Toe has attended, it is easy to become overwhelmed with the creative abilities of these hostess.  When you think you have seen all the holiday themed tablescapes possible, new ones arrive each year.  

Guests purchase a ticket at $10.00 to sit at one of the tables.  This year there were over 40 tables decorated!  The mission chosen this year was to support the ESL (English as a Second Language) programs that the church sponsors.  These funds will be used to provide biligual dictionaries and Bibles as well as utilizing online English programs.  

Here is the table that our hostess and dear friend Susan decorated.  She has participated  in this event for several years and we eagerly look forward to her decorations....OK and her dessert too.  These year she made and served us Italian Cream Cake....oh yummy!

Susan's elegant table setting

Italian Cream Cake
yumo!!!!

Since there were over 40 tables, The Travelling Toe will only share a few of them so you Dear Reader can see the diversity of tablescapes!

After dessert, the group was entrained by a singer accompanied by a pianist who sang various Christmas songs.  Additionally another member provided interesting background tidbits on the song and perhaps the person who wrote it.  One in particular was a surprise. The beautiful poem that make the lyrics for the carol "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day" was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  He was tending to his son injured in the Civil War when he heard the church bells begin to chime  NO wonder the lyrics to this carol are about hope, love and comfort.

The evening ended with the group standing and singing "Silent Night" together.
What a joyous way to begin the Advent Season!!!!!