The Apple Table Challenge

Fun with “More Fun Less Laundry” — Along with Mary, from "Home is Where the Boat Is," Linda, from "More Fun Less Laundry" has been my teacher and virtual mentor for beautiful living, from setting a lovely table that is charming, sentimental, beautiful and appealing, to picnicking with style, traveling, and just enjoying life.

The image below from Linda’s blog has captivated me for years. It’s a Fall table, but she avoids going too heavy on the oranges and rusts. Instead, she brings in some of her favorite colors, like greens, purples, and even a touch of pink! I’m not much a purple aficionada, but somehow this combination of rich colors and textures really appeals to me, as does the theme — Apples!

Delightfully, I either, already own many of the components of this table, or can come pretty close, so, why not? This is going to be a fun challenge for me! If you’d like to see Linda’s post, here's the link:  Apples of My Eye.

The inspiration for Linda's table, came from a picture of her children during an apple-picking expedition while they were young.  When I saw it, I remembered a similar experience with my own kids, and, well . . . hold my apple cider . . .

Here are my two sons, John and David, looking thrilled to be posing for photographs while bees buzzed around them, just so I could capture their cuteness.  They are dressed alike because these pictures were supposed to be for the Christmas card that year (although I ended up not using them).

Okay, back to the table.  Linda used a red and white plaid throw as tablecloth, and I went through my stash hoping to find something that would come close. Here’s the Royal Stewart that usually comes out at Christmastime. Nope. It feels too bright, and, well, too Christmas-y.

The Dress Stewart tartan. I used this one last January at our Three Kings Day Open House. Better, but it still doesn’t feel quite right. These are the only two red plaids I own. I didn’t think I’d be in trouble this soon . . .

The Buchanan Antique Tartan. The oranges and gold would work for a Fall table, but I wanted apples, not pumpkins. Nope.

The English Tartan, a gift from a friend.  Doesn't it remind you of a well-cut English suit?  My son, John, has had his eye on it for a while.  One of these days, I'll pack it in his suitcase before he notices and send it home with him.

It sure does feel cozy, and it's a possibility for this table because the colors are neutral.  Maybe.

The Burgundy Irish plaid throw, and my last one. It’s not red, but it does bring in many of the colors in Linda’s design, including a bit of pink! This is it.

Here’s another inspiration photo from Linda’s blog post.  Perfect.  

My rattan chargers match the napkin rings and will work; and the Spode Delamere Brown dishes are lovely to use in the Fall.  I'm not sure if Linda uses a real leaf under her apple, but mine is Cheese Paper from Sur La Table.  I use it on charcuterie boards all the time.

Here is my tribute to Linda's masterpiece. The centerpiece proved to be my undoing.

The flowers simply did not want to hang out with the apples.

They demanded a separate space!

These are the last of my Phantom Hydrangea, which we just planted this Spring. They range in color from white to pinks, to rusts. I wasn't expecting any blooms this year, so this is a special treat!

The Pommes (apples) dish towel is yet another towel in my collection. 

This one was sent along with a bushel of apples. But not these apples. These are new apples.

I looked for the Effervé everywhere, but did not find it. Linda's emerald tumblers are available through Overstock.com.

But I already had some lovely hand-blown green juice glasses from Mexico. The Trader Joe’s Apple Cider was delicious and made a nice substitute!

We are now ready for our hot apple cider and dessert.

I made Apple Pecan Crisp, topped with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, and drizzled with homemade Dulce de Leche.  No calories or carbs were counted that day.  The only thing I counted was my husband's moans of delight.

My kids are out in the world now doing adult things, but in our house, this night, they were very much with us.

When your son sends you a picture from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, while hooked up to an IV because he's dehydrated.  He and his team worked four hours outside with a heat index of 130º Fahrenheit.

Let's all take a minute to be grateful for our troops — and our air conditioning units.  As a mother, I'm also sending up a prayer of gratitude that he's okay.

And there he is!

We flew to El Paso to spend Thanksgiving with David and his family.  We got there a bit early, so he wasn't home yet . . .

And, then, there he was . . .

My world just lit up.

A Few Little Snowflakes

When you are a dish collector, albeit a modest one, you live in fear that the dishes that you've fallen in love with will be discontinued if you don't get them right away.  This was the case for me with the Christmas Snowflake plates that are part of the Lenox Federal Platinum collection.

I had been eyeing them for a couple of years, but one thing or another held me back.  However, this was the year when they came home to mama.  The small raised points in the snowflakes, in a process Lenox calls "jewelling" does make them look like little bits of diamond have embedded themselves on the plates.  But don't let it fool you, these plates are very strong and durable.  They are supposed to be dishwasher safe, but honestly, I "need" to wash them by hand, and caress them gently as I dry them.  Why would I want to miss out on this lovely part of the process.  There I go again, waxing lyrical about my dishes . . .

These pretty napkins with the silver embroidery just kept the snowflakes falling.

I brought out my wedding water goblets, Chartres by Atlantis, which have Gothic arches cut into its design and when the light is shining just right, they look like the Rose Window at Chartres . . . or, with a little imagination, big snowflakes.  I said a fervent prayer that no one would accidentally chip one one of these precious goblets.  At the last minute, I decided to pull some back and interjected some of the red goblets because they have such a beautiful, brilliant color, and I wanted more red on the table.

A simple organza bag filled with chocolate kisses was placed by each setting.  This one seems to be a perennial favorite in my family.  On the bottom of the kisses we placed stickers with snowflakes and snowmen — a fun project to keep my granddaughter, Piper, busy.

I had a pretty full house this year, just the way I like it!

Our chandelier was blinged out with a combination of Swarovski snowflakes and magnetic crystals from Ballard Designs.  It sparkled beautifully during the night!

But this is the best decoration . . .

I can't remember the last time, we didn't take this group shot.  The guests have varied a little from year to year, as our children have grown up and started their own lives, but always there has been family around our table.

Our tribe has grown with the marriage of my son, bringing Erica, and this lump of sugar named Piper into our lives . . .

From our home to yours, we hope you have the most wonderful Christmas Day!  Blessings!

Family Day at Fort Jackson

The day before graduation from Basic Combat Training is declared “Family Day.”  Families and new soldiers are reunited and granted an on-base pass for most of the day.  Fort Jackson is quite large, encompassing 52,000 acres and even has a movie theatre and bowling alley!

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  First came a brief, but poignant ceremony, at Hilton Field.  There was an invocation by the chaplain, the Star-Spangled Banner was played, and then . . .

The Army proceeded to demonstrate a tactical maneuver in which they kill some terrorists trying to set off a bomb and then secure the area.  I don't have a single photo of this, since I was in a state of shock.  I'm sure the Army meant to impress the parents and reassure us of the very thorough training that the soldiers were receiving, but all I kept thinking was how very real, and how very scary war is, and how my child could potentially end up in a similar situation.

Then they set off a series of colorful smoke bombs . . .

More and more smoke, louder and louder . . .

And then, the soldiers began emerging from the smoke!

It was quite a show, but I didn't take any of these pictures either.  I was still in shock.  I'm very happy that my husband grabbed my camera and started shooting - pictures that is . . . not bombs . . .

Afterwards, the families were instructed to go out on the field and find their soldier.  Well, that was an order that was gladly obeyed by all!

Here's our soldier . . .

And here was one more shock for mom:  My son is happy!  He likes what he's doing and has a sense of purpose I had never seen in him before.  Now, if only the world would behave itself for the next four years . . .

House Remodeling, House Guests and Worrying About David

The title of this post sums up the last two months at our house.  No sooner had David left for Basic Combat Training, we launched into a few house updates, including new siding for the exterior . . .

 

Here's a picture of the old one . . .

  

 

We are such wild people, going from light grey to white!

We also got rid of the "builder special" lights and got pretty new ones!

We were trying to get it all done before our guests arrived!  I hadn't seen my cousin Robert and his wife, Ely, since their wedding in 1970!  We had kept in touch over the years by phone and Christmas cards.  The visit was wonderful!  It was as though we did this all the time!

We played tourists on Lake Michigan.  Here they are with Navy Pier behind them, and the beautiful Chicago skyline . . .

And here's a picture of my son, David, "borrowed" from the FB page for their battalion (he's the one on the far left).  Boot Camp ain't what it used to be.  Imagine!  They have a Facebook page!  He looks well, but it seems I've found a new hobby:  Worrying about David.

Easter Dinner with the bunnies

With my son, David, leaving to go into the Army in two weeks time, my head is too full of worry to leave room for a great deal of creativity.

Still, it was Easter, and we were together!  Two great things for which to be grateful!  So with this little pep talk to myself I went to the basement and started pulling things from the boxes.  There's Peter Rabbit!  Did I ever finish reading all the Beatrix Potter stories to David?

No wait, that's not Peter Rabbit.  And that egg belongs to John!

What am I doing?  They are too old for bunny ears, aren't they? 

 

 

What if they were a manly brown . . . ?

 

 

Perhaps if I used some tactical diversion . . . like carrot cupcakes . . .

 

 Topped with violas from the garden, which are completely edible . . .

And some lemon parfaits . . .

 

With lots of jelly beans tucked among the flowers . . .  They may be men now, but they still love sweets!

 

Brown eggs and woven mats evoke a garden setting anybunny would enjoy . . .

 

And an easy guy-pleasing menu of Baked Honey Ham, Rosemary Potatoes and Green Beans - An easy-peasy meal that left us plenty of time for playing board games! 

I hope the kids remember this dinner.  I hope they remember the bunny ears . . . I hope they remember how much we laughed.  May the Risen Christ bless us and watch over us all!  Alleluia!