Grandmother Tea

Recently, I gave my boss a grandmother tea.  She was about to be a brand new grandmother, and needed...you know, grandmother "stuff".  Really, it's just an excuse to have a little party and honor someone who deserves to be honored!

It was a very small gathering, just our office staff and her daughter. 

I served everything buffet style, and took the opportunity to use my real depression and "new" depression glass. 

The real depression glass is the Green Cameo Ballerina. I danced many years of my life, and have a degree that enables me to teach dance in public school...although I only student taught and substituted at a magnet school for a short time. So...anything with ballerinas catches my eye.  When I first saw this, I knew I'd be collecting it. 

The "new" depression glass is the Pink Madrid.  Although it's not real depression glass, it is about 20 years old. I also used some pink milk glass that I bought years ago.

I bought the teapot at an estate sale.  It's Homer Laughlin...but I'm not sure of the pattern.

It was also a great time to use my embroidery machine.  Baby, parents, and "Honey"...which by the way is also MY grandmother name...are doing well!

Christmas Tablescape

Merry Christmas, everyone!  I love the holidays so much, and I love all of the beautiful tablescapes I've seen posted.  I have had these Christmas dishes for many, many years and love seeing them on the table.

I bought the tea set and the tidbit tray at Target many years ago.  The salad plates came from a dollar store about 20 years ago.  The dishes are from Old Time Pottery and the chargers are from Garden Ridge Pottery. 

Notice the place card star. These are just stars that slide together that I found at Family Dollar. The napkins and napkin rings came from Dollar Tree.

Have a warm and wonderful holiday!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

This year I am so blessed to have to have TWO tables to set.  Most of my family and a couple of friends will be here this year.  I am serving my usual Hot Pilgrims to enjoy during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (that's the only one to watch!).  Here's the simple recipe:

Hot Pilgrims
1 large container of Cranberry Juice Coctail
1/2 container of Aspen Mulling Spices
(Cinnamon Schnapps to taste for those who would like it)
Heat and serve in Irish Coffee cups

My sister is letting me borrow a really beautiful copper beverage server for the Hot Pilgrims.  Look at the pretty napkin rings on Table #1.  I found those last year after Christmas at the Party Store in town.  I've used my Blue Willow with my turkey plates.  On Table #2 the white plates are from Big Lots, and the pumpkin tablecloth and napkins are from Wal Mart many years ago.  All of the goblets on both tables came from Ross or Wal Mart, and the flatware is Oneida Michaelangelo.  Notice my two-year-old granddaughter's place setting.  I found that at Cracker Barrel.

Have a wonderful Thankgsiving, Friends!

Table #1

Table #2

We Gather Together...

We have had more cold days in October this year than I can ever remember. It's beginning to feel more like Thanksgiving every day. Although this is not my Thanksgiving table, it could work as one!

There is a little town about 5 minutes from my house named Gruene, TX. I found the brown toile plates there a couple of weeks ago, and the larger salad plates (they're sort of a muddy beige although they look white in the pictures) came from the Dollar Tree. The acorn salt and pepper shakers, and the acorn and pumpkin dishes came from Family Dollar. My clear gold cups and saucers are old, possibly depression era?

I found the place mats and napkins at a garage sale in Gruene awhile back...you gotta love .25 napkins and place mats! Leaves are tucked into the napkin rings, and the flatware is Oneida Michaelangelo. My sister bought the pumpkin tureen for me several years ago.

Hope your fall is blessed with family, friends and lots of laughter!

First Fall Weenie Roast....

For much of the year, it's really, really, hot in Texas. It's the kind of hot where you can cook an egg on the sidewalk...I once tried it. So when fall arrives, we anxiously watch the weather (no real need to watch it in the spring or summer) hoping for that first, much welcomed cold front. When my children were small, this turned into quite an event. As soon as the weatherman showed those beautiful blue lines on the map coming our way we would start gathering sticks for our kindling...the annual First Fall Weenie Roast was on! Even though everyone is grown, we still look forward to this annual party. It's become one of those family traditions that we wouldn't miss. This year, I decided to do a tablescape, buffet style, using my mis-matched brown drip ware.

The chili will be in the warming pot, the napkins are in the bean pot. The rooster pitcher is very old. It came from a florist shop and the sticker is still on the bottom showing the phone number with a TU exchange. If you remember phone number exchanges..you're as vintage as me! The cute leaf placemats came from Wal Mart earlier in the season.






There will be warm spiced cider in the fall beverage server and we will use the brown dripware mugs.




Of course, there will be 'Smores for dessert. My friend Julie made the cute 'Smores basket. There is a liner embroidered with a 'Smore, and a napkin to cover it all with our name on it.

Now..let's get outside and start cooking! Happy fall, everyone!

Mom's Tablescape

I'm visiting my mom this weekend, and we've been talking about tablescaping, looking at blogs, etc. I've already explained that most of the women in my family have a dish addiction which we inherited, in part, from her. While we were looking at my grandmother's dishes, that were bought in the late 30's or early 40's, as well as other treasures, mom said.."Why don't we make a tablescape?". I thought that was a neat idea, so we did.



We used my grandmother's china, which was made by Noritake, but we don't know the name of the pattern...anyone recognize this?

We also used some more of her stemware, you've seen the goblets in my first tablescape.





Her flatware is Oneida Louisiana.



This beautiful tea set (two cups and saucers, sugar and creamer and teapot)came from a garage sale for $5 and is also made by Noritake..what a find!

The napkin rings were made from some flowers we dug out of a basket in the living room. The candles are just tea lights placed in some random crystal candle holders that mom had in a cabinet. Mom and daughter tablescaping..a fun way to play on Saturday!