Split Pea Soup and Harry Bosch Season 6 on Amazon Prime . . .

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Easter with Peter Rabbit

Once upon a time there were four little rabbits, and their names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-Tail . . .

. . . and Peter.

Peter Rabbit reminds me of everything that was wonderful about my children's childhood:  The innocence, the mischief, the simple pleasures.  Oh, Beatrix Potter!  How I've missed you!  

When I saw these salad plates, I instantly new they were coming home with me.  I didn't even care if my husband, who had come along, was silently judging me.  I love all the charming details on these plates.  The insects put me right over the edge, especially the bee.  I love little bees.  If next year they come out with Jemima Puddle-Duck or Benjamin Bunny plates, I'm going to be in trouble again!

Since the setting of the Peter Rabbit story takes place in the countryside, I pulled out my Wedgwood Nantucket dinner plates and coffee cups with the lovely basketweave pattern.  They are quickly becoming my favorite dishes. 

Of course, willow chargers and napkin rings seemed to fit right in as well . . .

Here's the bird's eye view of the table.  The table cover picks up the color of Peter's jacket, and the gingham pattern provides another sweet country touch.  Does the table feel a bit French to you?  Whenever I take one of those "What's Your Style" quizzes, I'm usually identified as Cape Cod, Country French and Traditional.  That sounds pretty accurate, actually.

I found the flowers at my local grocer, in the perfect colors to match the Peter Rabbit plates.  In fact, I took the plate with me when I went shopping for the flowers.  See those tiny daisies?  I just learned that they are called Fleabane Daisies.  Before they bloom, the petals are closed so tightly that one might suppose they are giant fleas, but then, when they open up you have a plethora of cuteness!

I set up a Bread and Butter Station on the kitchen counter.  Would you prefer a slice of the French Cheese Brioche Braid, or a Hot Cross Bun?  Or a jelly bean? 

You can't have Easter at our house without jelly beans!

The menu was very simple:  A traditional Spanish Omelette with Onions and Potatoes, by popular request. I added fresh berries and coffee; for dessert, my mom's Vanilla Pudding, which I forgot to photograph.  I hate when I do that!

It was a quiet day for us, as it was for most of the country, staying at home in order to keep ourselves and our neighbors healthy.  My most fervent prayer this Easter is that we get past this tragic chapter in our country's history, the overwhelming challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Be safe, dear ones!

Dinner Plates and Coffee Cups and Saucers - Nantucket by Wedgwood

Peter Rabbit Salad Plates - Williams-Sonoma

Juice Tumblers:  La Rochère Napoleon Bee

Flatware:  Napoleon Bee by Wallace

Gingham Table Cover:  Pottery Barn, Sky Blue

Napkins:  Williams-Sonoma, Bluebell

Chargers and Napkin Rings:  Pottery Barn, Honey Willow

Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-Tail figurine:  No markings, bought in a vintage shop

Join Susan at Between Naps on the Porch to see some wonderful tables!

Cheer me up!

I was hoping for something that would cheer me up today, and then I got this picture!  Thank you, Johnny!

 David, it's your turn to cheer me up tomorrow!

Just a little bit Irish

While I was on hiatus last year, we held a St. Patrick's Day dinner for some very un-Irish friends

The guest list comprised Cubans, Mexicans, and to provide that necessary soupçon of Irish blood, we invited my husband.  He's the guy with the green polo by the window, who looks a bit put upon to have to pose for a picture when he'd rather be digging in!  My husband doesn't really know how much Irish blood he has in his background and is not interested in doing a search, however, the litany when he was growing up was “I'm English, Irish, French, Scottish and Italian . . .” usually things would trail off after that, but occasionally he'd add other nationalities just to keep things interesting.

I'm 2nd and 3rd generation Cuban born, my paternal grandfather having emigrated to Cuba from the Canary Islands, and my maternal grandparents born in Cuba.  One of my relatives did some research on the Grimón last name and supposedly it may have originated in Belgium.  So you see, I cannot claim any Gaelic ancestry whatsoever.

And does not explain why I'm so fond of this holiday.  I got the shamrock napkins through a friend who gave them to me with the condition that I should use them once, and then pass them on to another person that might like to use them next, and that person should do the same.  My sister-in-law, Kathy (Kathleen, and of Irish ancestry), now has them.  I can't wait to see how she uses them!

I love party favors!  So, in addition to an Oxalis Plant, everyone got to take home one of these darling miniature books with Irish blessings!

I love the green in these goblets!  Don't they look great next to the green fields in the books?

I can't conceive of this dinner without some lovely Kerrygold butter, and what better way to enjoy this treat than by giving each guest their very own butter dish?  Some things are just to delicious to have to share.  

The napkin rings reminded me of a Celtic knot and they provided a nice contrast against the simple white dinner plates.

I scattered some gold and green fake coins for an extra dose of whimsy.  

Now for the food.  Two big platters of Corned Beef and Cabbage.  It's simple fare, but, oh, so delicious!

And for dessert, Bailey's Irish Cream Bundt Cake, and Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream from Baskin Robbins, my son's favorite.

We "greened" the house a bit  . . .

Hoping that a leprechaun would stop by and find the house to his liking . . .

And maybe, just maybe, we'd find his Pot o'Gold!  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Dishes:  Traditional by Apilco, from Williams-Sonoma

Flatware:  Jefferson by Reed & Barton for Monticello

Water Goblets:  Williamsburg by Reed & Barton

Butter Spreaders:  Rosewood hadles, by Laguiole

Butter dishes:  Amazon

Table runner:  Pottery Barn

Placemats:  Crate and Barrel

Napkin Rings:  Tortoise Knot by Juliska

Square Platter:  BIA Cordon Bleu, from Amazon

Cake Stand:  HomeGoods

Vote!

 We had our state primaries today . . .

And this is how we celebrated St. Patrick's Day this year!  Vote!

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!

Dinner Fit for a President

The Liberty Blue Ironstone china was made in Staffordshire, England as a promotional item for the American Bicentennial, by Benjamin Franklin Federal Savings & Loan Association.  

I only own a few pieces of this china, just enough to put together a simple dinner table for two, in honor of George Washington, our first president.

The dinner plate depicts Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and it's slightly smaller than a regular dinner plate, so I added the Lenox Federal Platinum dinner plate beneath it, to act as a charger.

Then, came the Bread & Butter plate, depicting Washington leaving Christ Church.

Ever since I began collecting dishes, it's become a compulsion to turn the plates upside down to see what I can find on the back side.

The darling cobalt, glass-blown vase came from the gift shop at Monticello, originally the residence of fellow Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson.  I'm sure Jefferson could never imagine his home becoming a museum with a charming little gift shop, but there you have it.  It wasn't easy, a mere few days after Valentine's Day, but I managed to find some spray carnations with a touch of red on the leaves.  Now, I could have some red, white and blue on the table.

The Reticello lace napkins, were given to me by my godmother on the baptism of my second son.  They are only 18" x 18" so I generally prefer using them for luncheons, but I felt Martha Washington might have appreciated them, following Abigail Adams advise to her husband in a letter dated March 31, 1776, to "remember the ladies."  The placemats are Sferra in the Clearwater color.  Similar shades were often found in colonial homes paired with Prussian blue.

The Jefferson flatware by Reed & Barton for Monticello.  I've had this flatware for years and still love the Fiddle & Thread pattern typical of the 18th century, and which Jefferson loved.  With all his flaws, I'm a big fan of TJ.

The Laguiole butter knife with the rosewood handle, is made in France, but derived from a Spanish-Arabic knife style typically found among the shepherds in Cataluña, Spain.  It's doubtful that it would have appeared in Martha's table, George would probably not have approved, but I love these little spreaders and bring them out to play whenever I can.  

George might have been a stickler for proper behavior, and even wrote a book about it.  I wonder what he would think of today's manners.  I wonder what he would think about my calling him George.

The Cape Fear candlesticks are made of pewter, an alloy very common in Colonial America.  Cape Fear is an actual port in North Carolina, but very treacherous to make landings, hence, the name. Both the glasses came from the Dollar Tree.

The table is set.  For dinner, a hearty beef roast surrounded by root vegetables, all of which could be found in the colonies.

And for dessert, Cherry Pie.  It was delicious, I cannot tell a lie.