His Birthday!

WELCOME through my red door!

I am really behind with posting on my blog…even worse than the last time!  Taking a few hiatuses.  But hope to eventually keep up more in the future.  Anyway….

This table was for my husbands birthday celebration…2 1/2 months ago!!

His birthday was on April 18!!!

This one had to be a little more masculine than some of my previous tables, you know, because he’s a man!

So starting with the charger; I borrowed these fabulous wrought iron ones from a friend of mine.  Thank you Sue!   I am so wishing I had bought them myself when I had the chance.  They combine texture and height to this setting!

But of course I wasn’t thinking at the time.  They’re from Taste of Home and are no longer available.  Maybe I’ll check eBayI 

The next charger is from Henn.  Sue and I found the white plates at a flea market.  The whole set was $20.00. 

The salad plates and soup bowls are the cheap $1.25 pieces I found at our local grocery stores back around last fall, I think it was.  Trips to about 5 different locations didn’t even  get enough to make 12 full place settings.

The glasses are from Home Goods; the lantern from At Home America and the candle is from Pottery Barn.  One of my favorite stores!

If I remember right I found the napkins at TJ Maxx and the rings from antique shopping in Virginia.

I honestly can’t remember where this cute little bird came from and it wasn’t even that long ago! But he fit right in on this table.

My husband was pleased!  As I recall the meal was pretty good too, but if I had realized it would take me so long to post this, I would have written the menu down!!

Place settings.

The lantern.

            

A closeup view.

Isnt’ he cute!

A little off center, but shows the details in the plate.

The whole thing.  Someone wasn’t home that night for Dad’s birthday!

My birthday was the week after his, but we went out to dinner.  Then our 25th anniversary was the day after that!  We went to a lovely B & B in Lancaster County, so I hadn’t set a table for it.  But I am working on one and will be showing it soon!  Hopefully!

I told you I was a little behind!  And apparently, a lot forgetful!

Thanks for visiting!

I’m linking to Susan’s  Tablescape Thursday.  Come join me there!

                                 

See you there!

Sheila

Patriotic Kitchen Counter Vignette

 

WELCOME through my red door!

Oh don’t you just love patriotic holidays?

They’re so festive.

Red, white and blue is such a beautiful color combination.  So cheerful!

The food alone is something we all look forward to.

Barbecue ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs,

baked beans, potato salad, corn on the cob…watermelon!

Just love it!

INDEPENDENCE DAY 2011

 

My goodness!  Is it July already?  Wasn’t it just Easter?  After a long hiatus from blogland, I thought I couldn’t let America’s most important holiday slide by without paying tribute.

I’m sure everyone has many memories of how they’ve celebrated the Fourth of July.  Some do the same thing every year.  Some do something different.

Most celebrate with a cookout, barbecue or picnic with family  and friends in their backyards or at local parks,

and follow the festivities with fireworks in their neighborhoods or by watching the town sponsored displays.

In Maryland, backyard fireworks are prohibited, so you won’t see any stands in parking lots doing booming business.   But we can go to any number of the local cities’ beautiful shows.

Or we have the privilege of fighting our way down to the National Mall to experience the fantastic shows put on there every year. 

I moved to this area in 1979.   In 1980 the Beach Boys made their first performance on the 4th of July on the National Mall. 

And that is where I spent the day that year!

Now my memory doesn’t go back that far with complete accuracy, so I won’t even try to remember all the details.

I do remember a very hot, muggy, DC day in the sweltering sun surrounded by thousands of people sitting on blankets.

Some of them, most of them, drinking beer and smoking…stuff! 

The day progressed with a great concert as I recall, and then the sun started baking some, most,  of those people sitting in such close proximity to me who were drinking beer and smoking…stuff. 

The sights and smells turned unpleasant!  Time to move to another part of the mall for the fireworks extravaganza.

Which didn’t disappoint!

The ride home to Virginia on the Metro was a cattle call as it usually is after a huge event downtown. 

But when you’re young,  an experience like that day is more exciting than bothersome.

I’ve gone downtown for the fourth, maybe a couple of times more since then…with my husband and  kids.  But now the kids can go down on their own.

And I’m content to watch those beautiful colors on TV, or down the street from the fairgrounds, rather than fighting the traffic and crowds.

Or I’m content to celebrate America’s most important holiday on my deck with a great meal with friends and family, remembering (or trying to) past 4th’s.

I hope I never grow too old to enjoy the sparkling bursts of explosions in the sky that we are privileged to experience with our senses wherever we live in this great country,

reminding us always that we truly do live in the land of opportunity.

I hope you all have a fun, happy and delicious celebration this year in honor of our country’s birthday!

                                      HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

                               And may God continue to bless us always!

Hope to see you at all the festive red, white and blue parties at Table Top Tuesday and Between Naps on the Porch!

Thanks for visiting!

Sheila