Mikasa's Brava Rooster ~ Oh What a Fun Christmas!

Candlelight

A fun and playful tablescape

Dear Faith ~ dear family


even the pups gathered 'round

{Rachael & Juan rescued a puppy this fall ~ his name is Timber!}

Couldn't resist Brava Rooster!
Ever since I saw them on Anita's blog, "Far Above Rubies"
I've been wishing for them.
I ordered 8 dinner plates and later, 8 soup bowls.
I picked up four Brava cream mugs for smaller gatherings.
Mikasa and Pfaltzgraff had great sales just before Christmas!
Someday, it would be fun to get a few more and a fun Rooster centerpiece!
Thank you for the inspiration!





The little ones have their fun too!


I loved every minute of our Christmas gathering!
Bless you ~ one and all ~
I hope you had a wonderful and peaceful Christmas
filled with comfort and JOY
and a
Happy New Year too!

Enjoying Tablescapes Thursday at Susan's "Between Naps on the Porch"

My other dishes are a winter favorite:  Sango's Silent Night.

My sister and I split three sets many years ago.

The sweet little "gift" plates are from Harry and David.  They were great for my little nieces.

Green Bay Packers Chili Night!

My son, Jason is a Packers Fan.

Amanda is too.

Sunday night, the Packers played and Jason offered to make his famous chili dinner.

Mom's night off ~ yippee!

Jason makes a great pot of chili.

He uses onions, garlic, peppers, ground turkey, crushed tomatoes 

and then, adds tons of Bush's chili beans and black beans.

Served always with chips on the side...

We had Tostitos with a hint of lime...Tostitos scoops are great too.

I found these dishes for Jason earlier this year at my favorite consignment shop.

I couldn't resist... PACKERS colors GREEN and YELLOW!

...so perfect for a chili dinner on a Green Bay night!

At our house in the fall, we root for the Giants, U Albany and Green Bay.

Who do you root for?

I hope your week started off well.

Can you believe October is almost over!

This morning at work, 

I stumbled upon snow-day photos from last winter... 

I'm cherishing every last leaf of autumn!

Peace and Joy, always,

It's Tablescape Thursday too!

Wedding Shower Tablescaping

Rachael's wedding shower

...was a gift for her...

but

it was also a gift for me!

*

I enjoyed the preparations for this so much.

So much was learned from all of you.

~ thank you ~

I saw these pink dishes in my new favorite consignment shop

several weeks ago.

"Something Olde ~ Something New"

Service for 10

in pink.

...from the '50's...

Could I just leave them there knowing how sweet they'd look on our buffet table?

When they were reduced to $30 for the whole set...

I knew they were meant to be on our table!
We had disposable plates as well, but our first guests loved using 'real' plates.

I bought the vintage napkins on eBay ~ 9 matching linen napkins for $6.95!

I took Friday off from school and it was wonderful!

I got so much done.

We took out all our serving dishes ~ especially the vintage ones!
platters from my grandmother's set and two pink glass Mikasa dishes from my sister.

Saturday morning, I frosted the cupcakes...

Amanda frosted the angel food cake and we assembled the hors d'oeuvres.

Amanda was my right arm that day!
 *

The sands of the hour glass seem to disappear as we approached noon.

Everyone would be here by 1pm.

My nieces, sister and sister-in-law were awesome helpers that last hour!
It was like conducting an orchestra!

We had a dessert table with the cupcakes, angel food cake and cookies.

I went with pink and green flowers
and love baby's breath.

My favorite things were our "homemade" cupcake stand

and the pretty Martha Stewart paper dahlia favors

Later this week, I'll post some of the food pics.
This was a gift for Rachael, but I feel all the richer for it.
 *

It's Tablescape Thursday too!

Blessings to you all,

Healthy Heart ♥ Dinner for Two

A woman's heart

seeks love

 warmth

comfort

 

 health

 

 sweetness and a little zest

February is the month for Valentines, Love and Hearts.

Taking care of our hearts is life long.
Salmon is a heart-healthy food.
On Valentine's weekend, my husband brought home a "big catch" from the market.
He baked it for us with sliced lemons, butter (Smart Balance) and herbs.
*a lil' salt, pepper and lemon zest*
We had lots of left-overs.
...So on another night...

Voilà

S a l m o n   S a l a d

Dark leaf lettuce
pope tomatoes
celery
baby carrots
shredded carrots
sweet red peppers
sliced baby portabellas
 ♥
Gently place Lemon Salmon on top of salad.

Sprinkle on

w a r m  b a l s a m i c  d r e s s i n g

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1 pinch salt
• ground black pepper to taste
• lemon zest

Microwave for about 20 seconds to warm.

~ Enjoy With All Your Heart ~

♥
I served fresh baked, comforting and still warm
whole wheat rolls,

using King Arthur Flour's recipe.

I used less oil, fresh skim milk and a free-range egg.
♥

Dessert

~ Fruit dipped in Dark Chocolate ~

swirled in finely chopped walnuts

a healthy little indulgence

My tea was Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger.

Wishing you love, warmth, health and a little zest!

Today, I'm posting for Tablescape Thursday and Foodie Friday!

Join me in celebrating Foodie Friday's first anniversary.

salad plates:  Lenox everyday Winter Greetings

Dinner plates: Corelle's Farm Fresh

mugs recently purchased at a consignment shop

The shopkeeper told me a 90 yr. old woman brought them in.

teakettle - Lenox Winter Greetings

fondue set- Hershey

birdie salt/pepper from Pier 1

A Thoroughly Modern Vintage

I ♥ handmade

vintage linens.

Tender hands

making crosses

adding beauty to life.

 

 pink

 
 

and

 

blue

Cotton, lace, and carefully placed stitches

making flowers and leaves

 and smiles

*

Very Vintage Linens

Made decades ago, treasured by someone special,

Kept very neatly ~ tucked away sweetly

sold on eBay last weekend, shipped USPS,

arrived in my mailbox today.

*

~ I live a very modern life ~

but the other side of me

is very vintage

So thoroughly modern vintage!

My Grandmother's Dishes

Tablescape Thursday

has me pulling out dishes and sweet lovelies

that I've had for years and enjoying them more than ever!

*

These are my grandmother's dishes.

 I polished my cupboard

and washed all her dishes.

 I spread out the lace and set the places.

I added some springtime candlesticks.

 This sweet silver pedestal dish will hold something delicious.
I picked this up at an estate sale for $6.

 The kids will be over tomorrow to celebrate a special day for my husband.

It's his birthday!

bright & colorful flowers in the center

Dora

  ~My grandmother~

She's holding my sister's hand in this picture

about 42 years ago!

We lived next door

on the other side of her duplex.

She was (and still is) one of the sweetest women I know.

I spent many afternoons having tea with her.

Sometimes, I'd help her clean, 

we would polish her dining room furniture

and I would wash all her pretty dishes and tea things. 

On those days, she'd get the ice cream out and we'd have sundaes!

I was only 14 when she passed on and I was so heart broken.

When I got married, my mother gave me my grandmother's dishes.

I treasure them.

"Daisy Ann" by Royal China.

They are very old.

The Royal China Company was founded in 1934 in Sebring, Ohio

Please stop over to Susan's to see some spectacular tablescapes...