“Lightscape” at the Chicago Botanic Garden

No too much to say, except that we loved both, the arrival of our son, John, for the holidays, and yes, the light show as well.  Enjoy!

And did I mention how much we enjoyed having this guy around?

A Cinco de Mayo Taco Night

The Cinco de Mayo gods were lighting the way when my dear in-laws, Robert and Barb, came to visit.  I roasted a pork shoulder to make carnitas, and bought fixings for tacos.

Then, there was the more serious topic of how to set the table.  I don't own, unfortunately, a lot of Talavera ceramic . . .

 . . . except for a couple of candlesticks that we picked up in Cabo San Lucas ten years ago, so they became the inspiration for the table.

I relied, once again, on my Dollar Tree blue water goblets to rescue me by picking up the blue . . .

And on the Sferra sunflower-colored napkins with that gorgeous, brilliant yellow.

And the crowning glory, the multi-colored rose bouquet that looks like something Frida Kahlo might wear in her hair.

I used my trusted Wedgwood Nantucket Basket dishes, to keep it all casual.  I set out a salad dish that I thought might serve as a nice place to set tortillas, but it turned out that we only used the dinner plate.

Here I am with my brother-in-law, Robert . . .

And sister-in-law, Barb . . . I love these people!  Happy Cinco de Mayo!

An Interrupted Carol

There were no Christmas concerts this year.  No Christmas Afternoon Tea at the Drake Hotel with wondering carolers stopping by the table to wish us a Merry Christmas . . .

I wasn't enthused about setting a Christmas Eve table this year — my son wasn't able to fly in to be with us, and for the first time in our lives, my brother and I could not be together.  Out of an abundance of caution, my husband and I decided that it was best to cancel the celebrations, and spend it quietly at home, just the two of us.  Covid-19 has a lot to answer for!

At the last minute, I rallied, and remembered that old saying that my father quoted often:  "Al mal tiempo, buena cara" (“To bad times, a good face”) — the English aren't the only ones with a stiff upper lip.

I pulled out the red tablecloth that I had planned on using for Christmas Day breakfast, and a few other things and set a table that, while not particularly Christmasy, it hinted of it.

The plaid napkins matched the tablecloth perfectly, and I dug out the Dollar Tree black dinner plates that I've used here, here and here.

I decided to use my wedding crystal, Chartres by Atlantis.  After all these years, I'm still in love with these glasses, which reflect the pattern of a rose window at Chartres, when light shines through it.  

The table was set, so I turned my attention to what to put on the plates.  Unfortunately, food stubbornly refuses to simply appear on our plates, so I needed to head to the kitchen and whip up a few things.  Naturally, I thought of dessert first.

This is a tart recipe given to me by a dear friend, and I've wanted to try it for a while now.  It consists of layers of marzipan, vanilla custard, sliced pears, scattered cranberries, dotted with cubes of butter, and sprinkled with crushed Amaretti.  Then baked until the cranberries pop and the pears are tender.

My husband asked for the “Filet Dinner,” one of the standard meals in my repertoire, and that always starts with a Waldorf Salad, one of my favorite salads, actually — made with Romaine lettuce, Honeycrisp apple, Blue cheese crumbles, lightly toasted walnuts and and a dressing made with olive oil, Balsamic vinegar, herbs and spices.

Followed by Roasted Filet of Beef with Mushroom Sauce, Cauliflower Au Gratin, and Steamed Asparagus.  I must say, for someone that was only half trying it all turned out rather well.

My son had promised to bring us several bottles of his favorite wine from one of the wineries in Virginia for our Christmas Eve dinner, he's become quite the wine aficionado.  Alas! No John, no wine, so we picked this one up at Costco, which turned out to be a complete delight!  

Here's how the tart turned out — a very photogenic dessert!

Then we topped it, as if it really needed the extra calories, with some whipped cream.

The best part of our night was when we gathered on a Zoom call, and I got to see all these beloved faces.  Even David, my youngest, got up at 2:00 A.M. Abu Dhabi time to be on the call with us.  It was a total surprise and brought tears to my eyes.

Although a bit melancholic, I went to bed grateful and at peace.  We will make it up next year.  We will sing our carol in full, and we will sing it Allegro.

The Apple Dinner Party

I tend to name my dinner parties so they stand out in my mind.  The colors on table were inspired by a Granny Smith apple.

We held this dinner party on October 27, 2018.  We had just returned from Paris, and it was still fresh on my mind, so the menu consisted of Boeuf Bourguignon, served with crusty baguettes, and butter.  Just some nice comfort food, wine, and great conversation.  I find that I prefer simple foods, really well prepared.

I love these Belt Napkin Rings from Pottery Barn.  It somehow feels like something I'd find in the countryside or a farm.  I thought they would work for the harvest season.

The dishes are Mikasa French Countryside.  They have the fiddle and thread pattern associated with French Classicism.  The flatware is Jefferson, by Reed and Barton for Monticello.  The pattern is a copy of the silver that Thomas Jefferson commissioned while he was in France and brought back to Monticello.  They also have that refined fiddle and thread pattern.  I've always loved their classic simplicity.

I was able to score some simple mums in the same color as the napkins.  The table runner is an old one from Pottery Barn, and the grasscloth placemats came from Crate and Barrel.  The muted tones go well with the season, and makes the green pop.

The table is set.  Now it waits for the friends.

How many adults do you need to take a selfie?  All of them, plus one more.  When there are no teenagers around, old folks struggled to make it work . . . but we had so much fun trying!

Two of these friends are currently fighting Covid-19, but they seem to have mild symptoms so far, so I think they are on their way to recovery.  I miss my friends.  I miss traveling.  Let's hope this scourge gets under control soon.

Father's Day

 Happy Father's Day to my love!

Our kids won the jackpot in life with a father like you!

John

Today is my son's birthday.  He's 31 years old today.  He's living in Virginia these days, and he's doing well.  I'm as proud of him as a mother could be . . .

But he's not here with me.  I miss him so much!  Happy birthday, Johnny!

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!