Snow Day Breakfast...

Hi everyone! It is once again "Tablescape Thursday" over at Between Naps on the Porch. Please go by and look at the gorgeous tablescapes Susan's many talented participants have posted!

Let's just say that we still have snow, snow and more snow.  The kids have had so many days out of school that they will be going all summer.  We have enjoyed having them at home, all cozy and warm in the house.

My girls love my "Griddle Cakes" that I make from an old cookbook my great Aunt Frances gave me. The Watkins Cook book was published in 1933 and is full of wonderful recipes. I use this book a lot.

I use regular whole wheat flour and brown sugar to make these, and they are yummy!!

And where better to eat these yummy pancakes than in a sunny dining room set with rooster dishes on a vintage table cloth...

This beautiful linen was passed down through the family and is one of many in these sunny colors that I just adore.

I love these rooster plates and the blue with the yellow of the cloth.

Some of these hydrangeas are from my mom's garden, but a couple are not real. Can you tell which is real?  The bone china pitcher is Minton.

These salt and pepper shakers belonged to my grandmother.

My mom gave me this lead crystal pitcher because it is so heavy she could not pick it up!

...just a simple setting because we have kids and we use our tablescapes:-)

.

...Oh, I almost forgot the griddle cakes!!

Only my mom's homemade grape jam and peach preserves will do on these pancakes! 

And you have to have eggs, bacon and toast too, right? 

Just another snow day!!

Rooster plates, Big Lots
Indiana Glass "Whitehall" glasses
Mikasa "Italian Countryside" cups/saucers
Oneida "American Harmony" everyday stainless
Minton bone china pitcher
vintage linen napkins
vintage damask tablecloth

Enjoy every moment you can with your family! They are precious. You never know when your life will turn upside down, so live each moment like it's your last. We have a very good friend dying from cancer as we speak who will leave behind a wife and three daughters. So don't take one minute for granted.

Randy, Christy, Ashleigh, Sarah and Hannah, we LOVE you all and just lift Randy up to the Father.

"I Will Lift My Eyes"

Bebo Norman

God, my God, I cry out

Your beloved needs You now

God, be near calm my fear and take my doubt

Your kindness is what pulls me up

Your love is all that draws me in

I will lift my eyes to the Maker

of the mountains I can't climb

I will lift my eyes to the Calmer

of the oceans raging wild

I will lift my eyes to the Healer

of the hurt I hold inside

I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You

God, my God, let mercy sing

her melody over me

and God, right here all I bring

is all of me

Your kindness is what pulls me up

Your love is all that draws me in

I will lift my eyes to the Maker

of the mountains I can't climb

I will lift my eyes to the Calmer

of the oceans raging wild

I will lift my eyes to the Healer

of the hurt I hold inside

I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You

'Cause You are and You were and You will be forever

the Lover I need to save me

'Cause You fashioned the earth and You hold it together, God

so hold me now

I will lift my eyes to the Maker

of the mountains I can't climb

I will lift my eyes to the Calmer

of the oceans raging wild

I will lift my eyes to the Healer

of the hurt I hold inside

I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You

I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You

God, my God, I cry out

Your beloved needs You now

Tea time with the Avignon!!

He everyone! I'm happy to be back participating in "Tablescape Thursday" at "Between Naps on the Porch."

I thought since it is still cold and dreary, that we would have tea this afternoon. Today I decided to use my very best English bone china. It is "Avignon" by Minton and just exquisite.  It was given to me by my mother last Christmas, and had been passed to her from a dear relative of my grandfather's. I will be doing a tablescape with it soon, but I wanted to wait until it gets a little more spring-like! This is just a simple "spot of tea."

I served on the antique English walnut sideboard...

I adore this pattern. It was made from 1964-1975 and is not very easy to find except in the UK.  I was blessed with 12 6-piece place settings and many serving pieces.

The lady who passed this china down to us was truly a southern belle and a lady. In her things were hundreds of paper doilies of all shapes and sizes, so I decided to use them here as I had seen that in "Southern Lady, Gracious Tables" but would never think of doing myself. Do any of you use them?

My sterling flatware pattern is "Louvre" by Wallace and was discontinued in 1893. My husband was instrumental in picking this out. Now does he have good taste, or what?  I started with 12 place settings and have added serving pieces as I find them. They are very hard to come by, but worth it because I just love the beautiful repousse and the patina of sterling this old.

I borrowed my tray from my silver tea/coffee service. This is Leonard, but not marked. It also has a beautiful floral pattern.

I am very lucky to have the Avignon teapot, because they are hard to find. I did not have the coffee pot, but my mom stumbled upon one on ebay in the UK, which rarely has anything from this pattern, and bought it for my birthday!!! I wonder if I'll have to wait until August to use it?

These lovely embroidered vintage napkins have matching placemats and are also family treasures.

Now it's time to enjoy tea in our beautiful bone china...

Please come again! I so enjoy when you stop by and leave a note. And now, there are some lovely ladies with beautiful and creative tables for me to see...

Anita

Into the Woods...

Hi everyone! I have been seriously MIA! I have just been so busy with family, church, etc., that blogging has taken a back seat. But I decided to share some photos I took around our property with all the changing weather for "Outdoor Wednesday" hosted by Susan at A Southern Daydreamer.  Be sure to go there and see the beautiful camellias she has posted.

We have had snow since the middle of December and still have some remaining. But, we did get some rain, lots of it, and with the high humidity also fog. I love to get out and walk around here because it's just so beautiful. I love God's creation, and this is just the best of the best here in Western North Carolina. Enjoy...

Thanks Susan for hosting!!

Casual snow family table...

Hi everyone! I am again participating in "Tablescape Thursday" over at Between Naps on the Porch, hosted by the lovely and very talented Susan!

I was looking for something last minute as I have been working on a "Spode Woodland" table with the four American Horses. I bought those for my girls for Christmas as they love to ride. However, it has been a difficult one for me to visualize, and I realized there was no way I could get it done this afternoon so I started looking around. Hmmm. What to do? Then it came to me. We still have snow...lots of snow. In  fact our back yard has not seen the light of day in over a month! So it dawned on me that it is still winter, and what better for winter than snowmen? So here it is...the kids love these plates and enjoy using them only this time of year. Hope you like it!

I love to set the table and have family meals with the children. I really want them to learn to make meals special and a time to share with family.

The runner is a lovely paisley fabric I found at the fabric store I frequent called "Vertigo." It seemed to tie it all together so nicely, don't you think?

I just love these plates! They were $1 at the Dollar Store a few years back. I came across them and knew the kids would love them.

Aren't they cute?

Then, I found this S & P that coordinate so well that it looks like they were part of the set!

I love these crystal glasses because they are not only pretty but very durable.

Notice the centerpiece? I used it at Christmas on the breakfast bar. Thank goodness this is not "Rate My Space" because if you use a "faux" plant of any kind you will be skewered on a stick, lol! I bought these arrangements at a local store here that is part nursery part floral shop and decor. It is really a fabulous shop. The candlesticks coordinate also with the cranberry tree I used with my Christopher Radko table.  But the best part is they remind me of some winter arrangements my mom made in the 70s that we brought out at Christmas. They were really fabulous and these bring back all those memories of Christmas and winter long ago:-)

I just love this, and it's low enough for us to see over and carry on those family conversations!

The girls always want us to turn out the lights, then it looks like this, exactly! Then we turn them back on. But at least we enjoy the candlelight.

I hope you enjoyed my snowmen table! I think it's such a nice thing for the children to see you can set a nice table that is simple, but shows that mom cares:-)

Snowmen plates, Dollar Store
Oneida "Arbor" stainless flatware
vintage linen napkins
Durand cristal d'Arques crystal stemware

Please go see the gorgeous tables over at "Between Naps on the Porch," and please come again:-)

Anita

"Country Living" Inspiration

Hi! I hope you all have had a great weekend! It is once again Metamorphosis Monday over at Between Naps on the Porch and I have decided to share the dining table I was inspired to make...yes, I said make!

I started getting Country Living Magazine when I lived in Washington, D.C., in the mid-1990s. Even though I have never really had what would be called country decor, I loved learning about true primitive, colonial and country style. I loved these magazines so much that I kept several of them, especially Christmas issues that I frequently look back at. I clipped recipes, and even bought some back issues on ebay this fall.  I still subscribe to it but haven't found anything as inspiring as those issues from the 1990s. BTW...I also love Veranda, Southern Lady and Southern Living:-)

To make a long story short...I was inspired by a table I saw in the November 1997 issue. It was made from old boards and had antique iron fence pieces for the base. For years I looked for the perfect wrought iron fence pieces hoping to make this table. I never found them!

Don't you just love this??

Finally a few years ago, I took down some wormy chestnut boards off my great grandmother's 100-year-old guest house on our property. FYI...the chestnut trees were all killed in the early 1900s from a blight. The wood is so beautiful and you can only find it on old buildings. My great grandfather's house was full of it with beautiful trim work and doors. It is truly a treasure, and one I wanted to use. So...I went to a local craftsman and had him make the base I designed from iron.  I first put the boards together by fitting them like a puzzle then glueing and clamping. I then planed the boards with an electric planer, sanded, stained, and finished with polyurethane.  I can tell you this is my pride and joy! Not only is it unique, it is just beautiful and we enjoy it every day!

The old guest house...


Underneath the siding is wormy chestnut.

My version...

I first used ladderback chairs but ended up with a leather parsons chair as I did not want to compete with the ironwork. The table is 7 feet long and 4 feet wide and can seat 8. The beautiful wrought iron candle holder came from Turkey. I was lucky enough to get two matching ones on different trips to Turkey.

I actually designed the table to go on this handmade wool Yahyali rug I bought in Turkey, but with children, I really don't have it there much!

So there you have my "Country Living-inspired table! We really love it.  But we love it because it has not only a sense of history, but it has part of my family and that is priceless:-)

Anita

Thank you Susan for hosting such a fun event:-)

Apple Tablescape...

Hi everyone!! Today is Tablescape Thursday over at Between Naps on the Porch. This is such a fun, weekly event hosted so graciously by Susan and one I always look forward to. But I got caught a little behind this week!! Since Christmas is over, I have started planning music for my choir for the next six months, and that has taken a LOT of time! Back to tablescaping...I had planned to use some photos from my mother's beautiful Christmas table, but she was recording a new CD out of town today and did not get home in time to get me the photos! So that one will have to wait until next week! I decided to use some photos of a table I did last fall.

My mom gave me, or "let me borrow" some dinnerware with fruit that I really have enjoyed. Since it's so cold and miserable outside, let's go inside and take a look!! This was one of my very first tablescapes, but still one I love...

"Sonoma" dinnerware by Sakura
Glassware from World Market
"Golden Julliard" flatware by Oneida
Napkins and placemats from Walmart
I made the napkin rings from silk grape leaves
Candle holders from "The Slow Lane"
Basket from Pier One years ago
Runner from TJ Maxx

I hope you liked this fruity table!! Thanks for stopping by and try to stay warm! Don't forget to check on those around you who live alone, elderly, etc., and make sure they are warm:-)   Anita