A Simple and Sensational Mother's Day Brunch Menu

This year marks a really special Mother's Day for my family and me. You see, after five years of painful infertility issues, involving countless procedures and surgeries, we were blessed with our precious little miracle, Addison, on February 12, 2008.

Our prayers have finally been answered and I plan to celebrate my very first Mother's Day in a big way! When my beloved grandma was still alive, the entire family gathered for an annual Mother's Day brunch. Since she passed away, however, this cherished tradition has dissolved. Now, I propose to revive it with a fabulous Sunday banquet.

Here's my plan:

Décor
Since I am always on a budget, I have decided to employ a beachy brunch theme using accessories that I already have displayed around my home. For example, I collect lighthouses and I plan to adorn my tables with these colorful, porcelain knick knacks that I have gathered from other rooms. You can do the same if you have a unique collection of perhaps teapots or roosters. Really just about any collection would work. I will use my large lighthouses as centerpieces on the tables surrounded by groupings of smaller ones. Seashells will be randomly placed throughout the décor. On the buffet table, I will use bright plastic sand buckets as cute containers for croissants and bagels. And plastic sand shovels will be used as large spoons for various salads. Sand toys and shells can be purchased at your local dollar store.

The Menu
Again, I will be keeping it simple and economical, yet diverse and delicious. Like I stated before, we will be having bagels and croissants topped with butter, jelly or cream cheese. I will also put together an egg quiche, a fruit salad and a pasta salad tossed with cubed ham and pepperoni. As well as the following recipes: