Lunch With the Birds

This cardinal-inspired table was a quickly arranged table for an impromptu lunch that was made easier because a) I didn't have a lot of time to think about it, and, b) I had been planning for the opportunity for a while, although not specifically for this day.

Mary, from Home Is Where the Boat Is deserves all the credit for having inspired me, through countless bird posts and incredible creativity, into trying out my very own table.  I do love little birds, and over the years, I've established a little collection of bird ornaments and dishes, without any clear idea of what I would do with them, until now.

The salad plates are Certified International, and the pattern is Holly and Ivy,  The set comes with two variations:  The cardinal . . .

And the chickadee.  The dinner plate is from Williams-Sonoma Woodland Berry collection, which I will use again on Christmas Eve (I've had them for two years, but with Covid, haven't really had a chance to use them.  The twigs and branches make it a perfect place for birds to hang out.

I dug into my stash of napkin rings and found these which put me in mind of a twiggy bird's nest.  I paired them with the Red Caroline Paisley napkins.  I liked the softer red they brought to the table.

The cardinal salt and pepper set came out to play.  Now, I grant you, the female cardinal doesn't have the startling plumage of the male, but she holds the pepper, and keeps things spicy.

The live ivy wreath came from Trader Joe's. TJ's also yielded a small evergreen wreath that I placed around the base of the ivy.

Then I reached into the stash of bird ornaments in my collection.  I like that they seem to be peeking out here and there, and you can't see them fully.  

The chickadee made itself at home under the ivy.

The Pottery Barn placemats came home with me a couple of years ago.  I use them all the time, and really like the rustic charm they bring to the table.

I am having a hard time deciding which of the two plates I like better!  The green water goblets came from Dollar Tree almost a decade ago.  They have served us well!

More forest birdies came out of the woods to join the party . . . 

And a curious deer came to investigate.

So, what did we serve at this lunch?  Well, we started with a Winter Wedge Salad, with crumbled maple bacon, Red Anjou pears, walnuts and Marzetti Blue Cheese dressing.  The lunch came together in a hurry, and I didn't have time to make my own dressing from scratch, but this one was really good!

The salad was followed by a really scrumptious sandwich:  Ham-off-the bone, Provolone, a schmear of Dijon mustard on one side, and strawberry jam on the other, then grilled on a frying pan with creamy butter, and served with a Vlasic zesty dill pickle spear.

And for dessert, Almond Joy Cookies — the most amazing cookies to ever come from a supermarket! — served with grapes (to pretend we were eating healthy).  The cookie was so rich, no one was able to finish more than one (we need to work on our endurance).  I'm going to make these for Christmas.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season, and fun (but safe) entertainments, big and small!

Christmas with the Angels

Here are my two Golden Angels, a Christmas present from my husband many, many years ago . . .

One holds a lyre . . . 

The second one holds a violin . . . 

Gold seems to be making a comeback after years left out in the wilderness, and it paired perfectly with the Spode Delamere Brown, which I had wanted to use for a Christmas table, instead of always relegating it to Fall tables (next, I'm going to try it on a Spring table).

A few things to notice about our table this year.  It is in fact, a new table.  After a lifetime of using inherited dining room sets, first, my parent's, later my mother-in-law's, I was ready to finally bring my own style to our dining room.  I will always treasure the memories we made on those tables, but it was time for a change.  When I saw that a local Amish furniture gallery was having a sale, I rushed over there and tortured that poor sales lady for days, until I got the design that I wanted.  

I'll write more about my table in the coming days, but I'll just say that the table had just been delivered a mere week earlier, and I had barely had time to play with it, so this was a very exciting day for me!

Even with the splash of Christmas red, the Delamere Brown always brings nature to mind.  These Leaf Christmas tree ornaments were a serendipitous find at Crate and Barrel.  Not only did it bring a touch of nature to the table, but they were gold besides - and everyone got to take one home!

Here is the Oak Leaf . . .  Do you notice the tiny acorn attached?

The Maple Leaf . . .

And the Birch Leaf.  I also brought out the Delamere Woodland flatware, stamped with forest creatures, like quail, ducks and deer . . . Here's a closeup of the forks.  I didn't take many pictures of the flatware this time because I've featured it in a few other posts.  Check out this post in which I used the flatware for the first time.

I walked by the floral department of my local grocery store and spotted these arrangements, which were made perfect after I added a few white roses.  White roses class up any act!

As for the napkins . . . Not only is it “C” for Christmas, but it's also the initial of our last name.  Aren't they beautiful?  I ordered them from Etsy.

The amber goblets are Mikasa French Countryside.  They have now discontinued this color.  I wish I had gotten more of them.

A tired little angel . . .  Sofia, my nephew's daughter . . .

Here is part of the Cheney-Grimón tribe . . .  My son, David was stationed at the time in South Korea, and couldn't be with us.

And one more picture of my family:  My son, John, nephew Kevin, brother Al, and nephew Colin.

And a cardinal in the Christmas tree!