Thank you, Marigene!

This week's table features some pretty blue glasses that Marigene of In the Middle of Nowhere sent me as a gift.  I was very touched when she offered to send me some of these glasses after I admired them on her table!  I love the ribbed design and the soft shade of blue.  The pattern is called Sirrus Blue, by Libbey, and Marigene insists they are all over the place in her part of the country.

The glasses are great with my everyday dishes, Windsor Park (Mikasa - discontinued).  The placesetting also includes blue placemats (Walmart), orange napkins (Crate & Barrel), and my silver, Belvedere (Lunt).  I love using orange and blue together this time of year, especially.

We are in the kitchen again this week, and I've pulled the pumpkin bought at HEB back in early October in from the entryway table to serve as a centerpiece, along with a wreath of faux fall berries and pine cones.

Here's a look at the tabletop.

Here's a better look at the Windsor Park pattern.  I am still not tired of these bright colors!

 Here's the whole table. . .

 And a view toward the baker's rack.  Maybe you can spot the small Pilgrim couple I bought at a craft show many years ago?

Thank you again, Marigene!  You're a sweetie to send me these pretty glasses!  Thanks, too, to my visitors this week!  I hope you will leave a comment before you check out the rest of the tablescapes set for this Tablescape Thursday at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch!

Veterans' Day

When I arrived on campus this morning, I saw this from my office window.  The Air Force ROTC cadets are taking turns holding a flag vigil.  Periodically, another set of cadets arrives, salutes, then takes the place of the others.  Those leaving their posts slowly pivot and walk away.  It's very moving, and I wanted to record this reminder.  My father is a veteran of the Korean War, and my father-in-law served in World War II. 

New Breakfast Table!

This week's tablescape features our NEW breakfast table.  Here's what the old one looked like:

And here's the new one!  I wanted something rustic looking with a distressed finish so we wouldn't have to worry about scratches or dents.  The chairs belonged to my in-laws and have been in storage since my father-in-law moved to an independent living community earlier this year.  I like the way they look with the table, although we will probably look for other chairs eventually.

This is the first round table we've had, and I wanted to try some round placemats with it.  These are from Walmart -- just $1.99 each!  I'm using the Elizabeth dinner plates from Pier 1 again -- love these colors for a fall table!  The green napkins and flower napkin rings are also from Pier 1, and this is our everyday stainless flatware.

For the centerpiece, I pulled out a gold planter to hold some pretty red and gold daisy mums.  Then I noticed a huge and beautiful pomegranate in the fruit bowl.  My husband bought it to use in a dish he was making, but it was the perfect color to highlight the red in the plates and the flowers, so I pressed it into service.   Since this table was set for Sunday night's supper, I added votive holders for candlelight.

 

These olive green glasses are from The Great Indoors, a store we discovered on a trip to Colorado.  If you have one near you, you are lucky!  They also sell online, though.

Here's a closeup of the daisy mums -- love the striking colors!

Here's a view looking toward the living room.
 

Another view. . . .

Here's one more look at the whole table.

Thank you for visiting my table this week!  I hope you will leave a comment before you leave to visit all the wonderful tablescapes at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch!

Birthday Dinner

This time of year is always busy for our family, as my husband, our daughter, and I all celebrate our birthdays.within one week. When our son, who was born in February, was little he asked plaintively, "How come MY birthday is the only one that's not NOW??"

The inspiration for this week's table came from one of my sisters, who sent me a set of beautiful "jeweled" mercury glass votives -- and some chocolates! -- for my birthday. 

I decided the votives called for a "dressy" table, so I chose to use my wedding china, crystal, and silver.  The first time I used them for Tablescape Thursday,  I asked my visitors to suggest other colors to try with my Lenox Windsong china and got several good ideas.  Ellen, who blogs at Scribbler Unfocused, suggested gray or charcoal, so I began to look for some table linens in those colors.  Here I'm using the same charcoal herringbone runner and gray napkins I used with my mother's Castleton Mayfair two weeks ago.

I had three mercury glass hurricanes that coordinated with the new votives, so I used those to hold creamy hydrangea blossoms (thank you, HEB!).

To complete the centerpiece, I added some candles in my candlesticks.

Here's a closer look, in which the herringbone pattern of the runner can be seen more clearly.

Here's a closer look at my silver, Lunt Belvedere --.

and my crystal, Lenox Moonspun. 

A few more table views. . .

And now some views with the candles lit . . .

And, finally, one of the pretty votives from my sister.  Thank you, Leigh Ann!

Thank you for visiting my table this week!  I hope you will leave a comment before you leave to visit all the wonderful tablescapes at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch!

Halloween Breakfast for the Grandchildren

This Halloween breakfast table was set with our adorable grandchildren in mind.
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Both of them are early risers, and when they're visiting, they like their breakfast as soon as they come into the kitchen. The inspiration for this table came from these cute ghost tealights from Crate & Barrel.

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Since candy is essential on Halloween, why not start the day off right with some candy corn?

Or, perhaps you prefer candy pumpkins, as I do?  The nutritional rules are different at Grandmama's house!

The simple placesetting includes plain white and orange plates, individual bakers, and white napkins tied with ribbon.  I used both black and white gingham and candy-corn print ribbons.

 Here's a view of the table.  Since the children are up well before daylight, we may very well light the candles!  The Halloween print fabric I'm using was purchased for my daughter's birthday party back in 1990.  I think I've gotten my money's worth, don't you? 

 On the right, the same fabric lines a black and orange basket we'll use for muffins.

Thank you for visiting my table this week!

I hope you will leave a comment before you leave to visit all the wonderful tablescapes at Susan's Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch!

Castleton Mayfair for Fall

This week I'm showing you a second table I set while visiting my parents in Little Rock recently.  This one features Mama's other Castleton pattern, Mayfair.  I set a spring table with it back in April, using pale yellow napkins, but wanted to try a fall version.  Here's a close-up of the pattern.

This time I wanted to use gold placemats and gray napkins to complement the roses and leaves in the pattern.  As I mentioned last week, I flew to Little Rock with a variety of table linens in my carry-on.  And, yes, that IS a little bit crazy!  Here I'm using the underside of the Turning Leaf placemats from a recent fall tablescape and gray napkins from Crate & Barrel.  Mama's silver is Reed & Barton's French Renaissance, and her crystal is Fostoria's Navarre.

Yellow roses, of course, were essential for the centerpiece!  Conveniently, Kroger had some at a good price.

Here's a view across the table.  In addition to the roses, I found some gray Colonial candles at Fifth Season, my favorite gift store in Little Rock.  If you're ever in Little Rock, it's a must-see!

Although the light isn't great in this view of the table, it does show the herringbone pattern in the gray runner.  I found the runner, originally marked $24.95, on the clearance table at Denver's The Great Indoors last spring.  It was marked down to $5.18, and I got another 20% off that!  I think it adds a modern feel to the table.

Here's a closer look at Mama's beautiful Navarre crystal.  I love both the etched pattern and the elegant shape.

Here's another look at the yellow roses.  You can see Mama's living room reflected in the huge mirror, which originally hung in my grandfather's jewelry store.

Here's another view of the table.

And here's one final view, which unfortunately reveals that I didn't use a hot enough iron on the runner after pulling it from my suitcase!

Thanks for visiting my parents' house this week!  I hope you will leave a comment before you leave to visit all the wonderful tablescapes at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch!