Rejoiceful Easter Tablescape

Happy Easter!  This week our table celebrates Easter, in its best form, with crosses and the Easter color of purple.

The Battenburg lace tablecloth and napkins lighten up the deep purple color highlighting the centerpiece.

Mom has these great cross candle holders that are the truest symbol of Easter weekend.

My everyday Crate and Barrel dinnerware are a nice and simple backdrop to the centerpiece and napkins.

And who doesn't like a little Easter chocolate?  These chocolate crosses are a sweet pre-dinner treat!

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day Tablescape

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  This week mom put together a beautiful table with dessert station.  Green and white is such a simple, elegant and pretty color combination, especially for Spring!  Let's start with dessert.  Mom made some yummy treats. 

You need shamrocks so why not have them in cookie form?

Creme de Menthe brownies are a staple from my childhood.  Love those!!

And a variation on mom's raspberry tartlets - lime tartlets.  Mmmmm!  I love these.  Lime is a flavor I'm really liking more and more as I get older.

Crisp white linens are on the dessert table and again on the dinner table.  These have a beautiful green embroidery.

On the table are simple white plates with green depression glass from the farm.  The flatware is vintage 1970s that we used (and still use!) every day.

Our shamrock plant makes an appearance again, but this time we took cuttings and put them in these sweet little bud vases.  Everyone gets their own piece of Spring.

I love this candelabra.  The green candles are the perfect color for it.

Have a safe and happy St. Patrick's Day!

Valentine Table for Two

I just love Valentine's Day!  It's all about love, love, love.  And I can't wait to share a Valentine dinner with my honey.  Mom gave us some Omaha steaks, lobster, twice baked potatoes and chocolate cake-an instant romantic dinner for two!

And here is our romantic, candlelit and a little bit sexy table.  Black chargers and square red leaf plates by Roscher make for a setting fit for love.  I love eating by candlelight so I used LOTS of candles.

Since it's Valentine's Day, I want to share my favorite quote from Emily Bronte, "Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same."  That sums up love to me. And I couldn't have said it better myself!

New Year's Eve with Mikasa

I have to admit that when mom told me she bought these awesome Mikasa dishes, I wasn't as thrilled as I should have been.  I was so wrong.

So to celebrate New Year's Eve, we are having Mikasa host our dinner party.  The china, flatware and stemware are all by Mikasa.  I am over my silver-loving phase and I am on to copper and chocolate brown.  And this table fits the bill! 

The gold feather centerpiece has sparkle and more.  I love this!!  And the black tablecloth is elegant and shows off that amazing china.  I'll never doubt you again, mom!

We kept the Christmas decorations around by using the glass bulbs to compliment the centerpiece.  You don't want to pack Christmas away yet, do you?  New Year's Eve needs some sparkle and holiday cheer.  And the oversize ornaments at each plate lend some color to the copper china.

Happy New Year to everyone!!!

My 100th Post and Happy Hour #11

How fitting that my 100th post is a Happy Hour post for New Year's Eve??  I have enjoyed this past year so much!  I joined the blogging world this past June and have had such a great time trying new recipes, sharing my ideas on crafting, decorating and gardening, and especially meeting new people through the many blogs I visit and those who visit mine, and hearing from friends and family.  I look forward to 2011 and many more posts!

So to end this year with a bang, we're going to celebrate with some champagne and baked pears with creamy raspberry sauce for our New Year's Eve Happy Hour at Henrietta's House!

I love champagne and I also love Moscato D'Asti, which is a wine with a little bubbly behind it.  So pick your poison and let's celebrate!  Only crystal champagne flutes will do for New Year's Eve. 

(Yes, that's me reflected in the vase!!)

Now for something else that's sweet.  I like fruit but it's even better with some sugar, spices and cream.  This recipe comes straight from Martha Stewart.

Baked Pears with Raspberry Sauce
Prep: 20 minutes, Total: 55 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
4 firm, ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, halved, and cored (stems left intact)
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup frozen raspberries, thawed and drained

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In an ovenproof skillet, combine butter, sugar, ginger, cloves and nutmeg.  Add pears, cut side down; cover with foil. Bake, turning pears over halfway through, until tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 25 minutes. (I left mine in for 10 minutes longer. It took awhile for my pears to become soft.)

Lift pear halves with a slotted spoon, allowing any juices to drip back into skillet, and divide among four serving plates.  Bring liquid in skillet to a boil over medium heat.  Add cream; cook until slightly thickened, one minute.  Stir in raspberries.  Spoon sauce over pears; serve.

Yum!!  This recipe is easy and elegant.  Perfect for ringing in the new year.

Happy new year to everyone!!

Add your Happy Hour link below.

Fun Ornament Craft

To take a break from shopping, wrapping, decorating and cooking, we decided today was a craft day at our house.  My daughter got a pottery wheel for her birthday that we tried out.  What fun!!  I want one for myself.  The pot is drying right now, ready to be painted in a couple days.

We also decorated some glass bulb ornaments.  I bought a 4-pack of plain glass bulbs and some paint markers from Hobby Lobby.  The two of us did some free-painting - no plan or directions.  Just paint what you want.

She painted two and I painted one.  Mine was a "Let It Snow" theme.

Then we shared one. I wrote our last name on it and then my daughter did portraits of everyone in our family - including Daisy the Bratty Yorkie-Poo.  This one is my favorite. 

 
This was so easy, cheap and fun.  And these ornaments are fun additions to our tree.

Here are a couple tips: 

• Use the box they came in to hold the bulb while you paint on it.
• Nail polish remover takes the paint off if you happen to make a mistake!
• Keep the packaging to put the bulbs back in for storage after the tree comes down.

The countdown to Christmas is on!!