My oldest daughter started playing softball in the third grade. She decided to join our community recreational league just to see what it was all about. I didn’t have a lot of expectations for her at the time…she had just quit dance classes and horseback riding that same year. When I arrived at the end of her first practice, I was told by the coach that she was hit in the head with a ball. I thought she would never go to another practice, let alone play in a game…who knew she would find a passion that has lasted for the past nine years!
She LOVES softball! She has spent countless hours throwing the ball in our yard, working with a batting coach, and now learning to be the catcher for her high school team.
There are some fun times, also. One of those is the team dinners hosted by the parents throughout the season. The girls gather at a teammate’s house for some food, fun, and team bonding. I was lucky enough to host the first team dinner of the season a few weeks ago!
I had a lot of fun preparing for this! It was a sunny day, so I was able to create this festive entrance at our front door.
The dinner consisted of a baked potato bar, a green salad, clementines, and fresh berries. My favorite part of the evening was the softball sweets station that I created for the girls!
I started with the mantel decorations…you know how I love to transform my mantel for any occasion. I created pennants for each player on the team using the school colors, and then hung them below the mantel. 
I painted the outline of a softball on a framed canvas, and placed it on the mantel. Then I scattered softballs among the greenery.
Next came the sweets…
What’s a game without the ball?
For those who scored a run!
Laces for tying those cleats!
Chewing away the game…
The school mascot…Go Green Bears!
Swing batter, batter, batter!
Grandslam goodness!
The finishing touch to the sweets station…
these adorable softball themed cutout cookies!
Upon leaving, I invited everyone to fill a bag with some sweets to take home with them. The black paper bags had each of their jersey numbers attached to it with a mini clothespin.
Fun was had by all! The girls enjoyed hanging out with their teammates the night before the first game of the season…which they won!
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