Creating An Unexpected Tablescape

     For those of you that read my blog often, you know that I tend to use the phrase "think outside of the box" quite a bit. I love to add the unexpected to my decorating and certainly my tablescapes. When my dad and his friend Mary were here last week, I decided it was a good excuse to fix a simple summer dinner and play with my dishes a little bit. I decided to use my pink floral china (labeled simply Fine China) because it echoed all of the blooms in my yard right now. I was tempted to pull out the green in the pattern with my placemats and use lots of white and pink, but that would have been the usual approach to setting a table with these plates. I thought I would walk you through the process of creating a different look.

 

     The oak table I have in my dining room right now is fairly small without added leaves. A tablecloth tends to overwhelm it. I decided to mix the pink floral with black for a richer, more interesting look. The center mat has silver metallic threads running through it. The others are plain black. Starting with the mats and the dinner plates, I added 2 pieces of vintage silver for added height and interest. 

Salad plates in plain black tie it all together. 

     The flatware is the same shade of pink as the flowers on the plates and pale pink wine glasses (I would actually have preferred black wine glasses with this look, but didn't have 4) complete the setting. 

Black napkins (from Halloween) and simple

silver napkin rings complete the look.

 

     The next step was creating the centerpiece for the table. I knew that I wanted to keep it low so that we could visit.  I also wanted things to "sparkle" in the candlelight. 

     I looked around my "dish room" and saw these beaded strands that are actually from Christmas. I knew that they would glow in the candlelight and yet not take up much space in the center of our small table. Don't forget to think about scarves, necklaces or beautiful pins to use in your centerpiece arrangements...unexpected!

      My pink roses were past their prime, but I had some blooms on the yellow bush that were just the right size for miniature colored vases from Crate and Barrel. For filler with the roses, snips of fresh mint, dill, lavender and lemon basil...all from my yard. Using fresh herbs in floral arrangements adds not only beauty, but wonderful scents to the room. 

     I just let the beading spill out of the silver pieces. I didn't worry about making it look perfect, I just wrapped it around some clear votive candle holders (with pineapple scented candles) and let it drift onto the table. 

     This certainly wasn't my most elaborate tablescape, not even close. It was simple and easy to talk over. It had enough color to look like summer and enough black to be elegant and the bits of silver and beads had a pretty glow in the light. Most of all, my guests found it pretty and that is the main goal. 

     I lit the candles before it was dark outside, so you can't really see the way things sparkled in the light after dark. This really was one of those table that was much prettier by candlelight. 

The menu was simple:

 

Rosemary Chicken

 

Roasted potatoes

 

Roasted Asparagus with Meyer Lemon Olive Oil 

and Lemon White Balsamic Vinegar

 

Watermelon, Feta and Arugula Salad

with a Balsamic Reduction

 

Dinner Rolls

 

Mom's Apple Cake with Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

 

For the recipe for my Mom's cake

(an easy, one bowl, family favorite) 

Click here. 

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch 

for Tablescape Thursday.

Bits and Pieces & Luke Update

A fall wreath is in the planning stages.

 

 

     It seems as if I have been busier than usual lately. Since my kids left home, I tend to have one or two things a week to do and pretty much stay on schedule...the past couple of weeks have been hectic and this week will be the same I think. I thought I would do one of those posts that answers a few questions I've been asked recently and I also have a "public service announcement"!

 

     Yesterday, we went to a "Thank You" party that was put on by our little friend Luke's parents. He has continued to have cancer-free, excellent check-ups since the bone marrow transplant and is once again a thriving little boy. Their family is building a beautiful new home and other than frequent check-ups, things are getting back to normal for this wonderful young family.

 

Luke leading the pack at his party yesterday.

 

     I have been asked how my dad is doing. He is great. In fact, he is on a road trip to my part of the world right now. He was here on his way to Wisconsin weekend before last and will be here for a few days this week. He turned 87 this month, so part of me really worries about him taking a 2000 mile plus trip, but a) he wouldn't listen to me if I told him not to; b) they seem to enjoy themselves and c) if something is going to happen to him, I'd rather have it happen when he is having fun rather than sitting in a rocking chair! I truly think he has more energy than I do. I only hope that I inherited a bit of what he has.

 

     I was told that I needed to update the progress my daughter and I have made with our "new lifestyle" of eating and exercising. We are both doing very well. I reached a place that felt comfortable for me and so I have spent the past few weeks trying to adjust to maintaining the progress I made. I still work out 5 days a week most of the time, I still hate it. I have continued to log in what I eat, even if I have a day where I eat things that aren't good for me. I also still weigh daily. That is what works for me. I am usually up a pound or so after a weekend, but I go right back to it on Monday and so far so good. My daughter continues to lose weight. It is a slow process right now for her because she doesn't have much to lose and she is so busy at work. She is almost at 50 pounds off and is certainly working on her last 10 pound goal. It really has become a way of life for both of us (my husband too). We all 3 feel better, look better and notice now just how awful we feel if we have a high fat or greasy meal. That doesn't mean we don't do it now and then, but we pay for it!

 

     Last week was doctor week for me. I know I'm getting old when I make several appointments at once. I had an eye appointment (new frames-fun), a dentist appointment (no cavities-yay) and an appointment with the dermatologist (this one has the public service announcement). Sometime around Christmas, I noticed I had a spot on my chest that itched. It was a tiny little red spot and I didn't worry about it. When it was still itching in February, I called my dermatologist. I couldn't get in to see her for months, so I saw a nurse practitioner. I spent much of my youth in the sun, so I have a yearly screening and because my dad has had melanoma as well as both other skin cancers, I watch very carefully for anything unusual.

 

     The nurse practitioner said she thought it might be a pre-cancer and she froze the spot. I waited several weeks and it was still itching, although it didn't look like much of anything...just a tiny red spot. I went back in July, again I couldn't see my doctor and the nurse practitioner said it was fine. I knew it wasn't. I thought it was a rash or something. So, I called again and told them I would wait until I could see my doctor to come in and guess what, they got me in. Now, months after the first pre-cancer suggestion, it has had time to become skin cancer. It is a basal cell carcinoma, which isn't all that serious and I'm not freaking out about it at all. However, it looks like nothing. I have always watched for brown spots, changing moles etc. This doesn't look like anything even now except maybe a flat red mosquito bite, I can barely feel it and no one would even notice it, except it itches! I am on a 6 week treatment with a cream and then wait 6 more weeks for a re-check to see if it is gone or if I have to have it cut out.

 

    I am only discussing this because many of my readers probably also have a bit of sun damage, often on our chests. Many of us were in the sun long before SPF 30 existed! If I had listened to the "this is nothing" appointment and not pushed to see my doctor, this would only have gotten worse. As it is, I wasted several months by not getting to see my doctor. So, please, be aware that something very tiny, red and itchy can be skin cancer. I didn't know, now you do!

 

     We were shopping on Saturday and fall has hit the stores. I am going to try to decorate with things I already have this year, with a few small exceptions. Fall is my favorite season, I love the weather and I love the clothes. I only wish the longer daylight hours would last as well. It won't be long before it is time for jeans, sweaters and boots! It is time to savor the long, hot days of summer before they are gone!

 





A Summer Breakfast

     This table was all about teacups, but there actually wasn't any tea involved. The morning was all about four good friends finally taking time to catch up over a light breakfast and coffee.

It was Christmas when I opened this

fun-shaped box from my dad...

     ...to find these beautiful cups and saucers.

The hat box they came in, the soft colors...

I felt like I had stepped into a cross

between Easter and Alice in Wonderland.

     I knew that I wanted to use the cups and saucers when I had 3 friends in for breakfast last week. I also knew that two of them aren't coffee drinkers and that the two of us who did drink coffee would use the Keurig pot and we would want big mugs for our coffee. So, I came up with a plan. I wanted to use the cups, keep things simple and still be fun for my girls! As you can see, I have switched my formal dining table for my round oak table for the summer. For those of you who don't remember, this table was purchased by my grandmother with her first paycheck as a gift for her mother. My grandmother was born in 1900, so this table has been in the family for quite a while. I am happy to say that this is one of the few pieces that my daughter actually does want.

     I used a simple runner with a large shell on each end. One of my friends is all about polka dots, so I pulled out the dotted plates and fun silverware to match. A simple white plate provides a layer between the blue plates and the pastel cup and saucers. The juice glasses I first used myself at a hotel in Vero Beach, Florida. I loved them and asked if I could buy them from the hotel. Imagine my surprise when the waitress told me to just take them, "she wouldn't tell". Of course I didn't do that. I did find them shortly after that trip at TJ Maxx.

     The centerpiece has been on the table all summer. A silver edged tray with a starfish on it, some beach glass and shells and a favorite "beachy" piece of pottery from an artisan show in Sarasota, FL. Simple, easy and light for summer.

     White napkins, sea glass colored napkin rings and I was ready to add a simple fruit mix to the cups. I always tell you to think outside of the box when setting your tables! 

Breakfast was easy.

 Fruit, juice, cherry scones, bacon and coffee.

Sometimes it is much nicer to keep it all simple.

Don't worry so much about the menu

or the table setting.

It really is about the friends and the conversation!

     I have had an interesting service provided this summer. An organic family farm in a small town near here sends out an email on Sunday nights and I place my order.  Every Friday morning they deliver produce, herbs, fresh eggs and flowers depending on what I have ordered that week. I had her bring my first bouquet on Friday morning and it came like this, in the vase for $5! Needless to say, she is bringing another one this Friday.

I am joining Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for

Wow Us Wednesdays

Kathleen @ Cuisine Kathleen for

Let's Dish

Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

for Tablescape Thursday

Food as Art

     We are in the midst of a major heat wave and drought here in South Central Illinois. I'm sure many of you are experiencing the same thing. We have had heat warnings for days and the current one runs until Saturday night. Last night we got about 10 minutes of a light rain, the first in weeks. It was funny to see the neighbors (including us) all go outside when the rain started just to enjoy the moment. I don't know about you, but decorating just isn't something I'm in the mood for right now. 

     After spending most of Saturday afternoon napping and reading, by Sunday afternoon I was stir crazy in the house. I decided to clean my already clean house just to have something to do and I put a few things away that I had sitting on the kitchen counters. Something about this weather makes me want a "less is more" look right now. We had made a trip about 30 miles away on Saturday morning for our first peaches of the season. I love how they look in my wooden bread bowl. I think the natural look this time of year is so much prettier and more artistic than anything you can buy at a gift shop. Plus, the peaches smell so good in the kitchen!

     A stop at an Amish vegetable stand Saturday and we had beautiful "tomato art" as well. There really is nothing like a fresh tomato to scream SUMMER!

     I didn't make a lot of changes in other parts of the kitchen. The cookbook is turned to a summer page, the towel has a beachy look and some colorful favorite cookbooks brighten a spot near the stove.

     You can see a couple Disney items (you can't have a daughter working for Disney and not have a little tribute to Mickey) along with signs my daughter bought me. We use the granite cheeseboard to hold some wine items. I have heat resistant cutting boards in a couple of locations in the kitchen. I don't like the look, but I do like being able to take things from the oven and have a place to put them. I also keep a few trays within reach, propped behind things during the summer months. I think summer should be all about easy. Grab a tray, grab a corkscrew, grab a little Mickey Mouse spredder knife...all within reach for a quick wine and cheese moment!

     My flowers are having a terrible time in the heat, even though we are watering daily. I love the look of a single gladiola on the counter. I'm also going to go out later and fill a vase with fresh basil, rosemary and mint...nothing smells better and it looks pretty too!

I am joining Marty @ A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday

and

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays

Please visit our lovely hostesses!

Fresh From The Garden Salad

     This is one of those "recipes" that I didn't have a recipe for. I just threw a few things together and it worked! It all started with some local sweet corn. I used 6 ears, plunged them for a couple of minutes into boiling water and let them cool.

     Remove the corn from the cob. I have tried several methods for this. Some suggest doing it over an angel food cake pan to catch the kernels. I have found that using a cookie sheet with an edge works best for me.

     A trip outside to our "garden" and I had a couple of peppers and some fresh basil. Chop them both into small pieces.

     At this point, add what you have in the house. I grabbed some celery and baby carrots and chopped them into small pieces. Grape tomatoes, olives, black beans, cucumber etc. would also be good in this salad.

     I made a simple dressing. I used 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, 1 T. of Dijon Mustard and 1/4 tsp. each of salt and pepper.

     Wisk in 3 Tablespoons of good quality balsamic vinegar. Actually, any vinegar would work, but once you have tried a true aged balsamic vinegar (mine is from The Olive Mill) you will never want to use the stuff from the store again, this is so much thicker and richer. It is so good you could almost drink it!

This makes a very colorful and filling salad.

I served ours with a roasted pork loin.

I am joining Michael @ Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday.

Please take time to stop and say hello.