Will it be Merry?

Here’s hoping it will be the Merry Month of May. Here’s a real oldie but goodie.

We are still waiting to see when our stay home orders will be lifted. In the meantime we have simple pleasures to enjoy. This new addition in our home makes me smile every time I walk by it.

I’ve always wanted a cabinet similar to a Welsh Cabinet that I could display my plates on.

This pine cabinet has some fun accents. We bought the cabinet at a second hand shop in the city of Colville called The Red Barn.

When we brought it home we applied a lot of elbow grease to clean it up. Trust me when I say a lot of elbow grease.

Pure enjoyment to pick some of my favorites to display. To make it even more busy I’ve added about 28 of my Beatrix Potter Figurines on the plate rack, too. Future photo coming.

On these days where we are stuck at home I’m so thankful and happy to get little sneak peeks on what’s going on with our kids during their isolation time and I copy their photos to enjoy.

Our youngest “Coast Kids” working from home. Thankful that they both still have jobs. In her current job Katie has always worked from home so this is nothing new for her. The new thing is having Andrew work from home for some of the time. He has been going into the office to do things he can’t from home. He works at a company that is deemed essential.

Our oldest “Coast Kids” are enjoying walks most days and they send us photos which we are so thankful for. A friend knowing their love for our Sounders Soccer team sewed Sounders Face masks for them! Josh owns a business with partners and they have been able to keep all their employees and even hired new ones. He is still working hard and Laura works as a support for her family.

Our middle kids who live 8 miles from us are enjoying driveway walks and any time they can work in the garden. Jamie is coming up with lots of creative activities for our dear grands to enjoy. Our son Dan still works as he is considered an essential worker.

It’s easy to social distance in the country as it’s hard to see the other properties close to them.

On Thursday Addy decided a foot soak would be nice. Her mom set her up nicely with a potty chair just the right height.

Making the most of our isolation days!

Dear continues working on his shop when the weather is dry and above freezing!

I’m back to mowing and weeding and getting a good dose of vitamin D!

What are you doing at home to keep your sanity? I know a lot of friends who are baking bread and several who are keeping sourdough starts alive and baking sourdough bread items including pancakes and bagels!

Happy May day!
“Come, my soul, put on your springtime clothes and gather garlands of heavenly thoughts.”
~Spurgeon

Off the Grid

These new areas in our stairwell that head up to our Master Suite warm my mom heart and I can focus on them as I walk up or down the stairs.

I’ll be counting my blessings throughout the weekend and into next week.

We are going to be spending lots of time with all our kids and our extended family over the next several days so I’ll be far off my normal grid.

Hope you all have a good Friday and weekend. Here in the U.S.A. we have an extended weekend since Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Our banks, post offices and schools will have Monday off. I hope to catch up with you all next week.

Lavender and Pewter…

I’m joining the Tiered Tray Extravaganza hosted by Thoughts of Home. I used a metal tiered tray that I’ve had for a few years purchased at a thrift store. The tray and pewter make me think of fall so I decided to use some of my pewter pieces on the tiers. My lavender is still blooming so I cut sprigs of it and added them on the tray.

The sugar and creamer on the top level of the tray are part of set with a coffee server, too. The photo below shows the coffee server.

The next level has an older pewter creamer that I purchased at a thrift store and a pewter wine bottle coaster that I have some old nails and clock winder in.

On this next level I have my pewter napkin rings and Salt and Pepper Shakers. The shell rings are from the U.S. and the more ornate pair of rings are not pewter but silver plate bought in Canterbury England.

I’m sharing two other tiered pieces I have at my home that aren’t trays.

My attempt at a little fall decorating outside our front door.

This is my Russian Heritage 3 tiered piece with some of my Matryoshka Dolls and wooden spoons. I have samovars, laquer boxes and other Russian treasures in other parts of this old house.

Thanks to the ladies that host Thoughts of Home on Thursdays for this extravaganza. Click on the logo above to see more!

September 13th is the day we have always celebrated my parents wedding anniversary. My pop is still alive but my mom died 3 years ago on her and my pop’s 70th wedding anniversary. I’m happy for all the years they had together.

A Small Interruption…

…to my Christmas table decor.

While working on my recipes for our Celebrations Cook book being published at the end of April in 2013 I had to redo one of my recipes which meant I needed to change out my Christmas table. I chose to set the table using my pewter pieces since my entree was a traditional English recipe. Some of my pewter pieces were acquired in England in the 70’s.

The pewter wine goblets and the Coffee service with creamer and sugar containers along with the salt and pepper shakers are from England. I decided to use the coffee pot as a vase on this occasion. The candle holders are Revere ware and the flatware is Gorham pewter. The chargers were gifted to us from our son and DIL for Christmas one year.

The runner is a gift from our son and DIL, too. I liked adding in the green goblets with the pewter.

The dishes are Royal Stafford and I think I purchased them at Marshalls.

I enjoy this table but soon it will be reset to our casual Christmas setting.

Now I need to get busy getting our Christmas cards ready to send out. Do you send out Christmas cards and do you add a personal note or do you type one Christmas letter to be included in all your cards?

We received good news yesterday from North Carolina! Our son-in-law is now a Marine Corporal. We are so proud of his achievement. I’m hoping to get an updated photo of him with his new blood stripes and pins along with his sword soon. Congratulations Marine Corporal Andrew!

Tablescape Thursday ~ Fun New Gifts…

It’s been awhile since I participated in Tablescape Thursday but I wanted to use some of my Christmas gifts before I leave Washington and head back to Southern California on Sunday.Visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch to see more scapes!

The table inspiration started with these chargers my kids bought me for Christmas. They also gave me the linen table runner which compliments the pewter.

Dear and I purchased the 4 pewter wine goblets in England in 1974.

I picked up the pewter candlesticks at Goodwill for a steal. The pewter salt and pepper shakers were a wedding gift to us from 1974.

The Pewter tankards are also from England. We bought them in 1974, too. The napkin rings are a wedding gift from 1974 and they are sterling silver Gorham 1332. My MIL bought them at Henshey’s in Santa Monica. Does anyone remember that store? It’s long gone now…

There are no markings on the covered dish/server at the center of my table. I don’t think it’s safe for food and I only use it for decoration.

I love the design and colors in my new runner. Thanks Josh and Laura!

The green goblets are from Goodwill, too.

I bought 8 dinner plates and 8 salad plates of these country scenes from Marshalls. Royal Stafford, made in England.

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy New Year. May 2010 be filled with God’s blessings for you…

Photobucket is holding all my photos that I stored on their site from 2007-2015 hostage replacing them with ugly grey and black boxes and asking for a large ransom to retrieve them. It is a slow process to go through all my posts deleting the ugly boxes.

Tablescape Thursday ~

Welcome to my Tablescape this week. Visit our hostess Susan at Between Naps on the Porch to see more or to join in.

This is another setting in my living room in Washington. I started with the tablecloth and worked off it to find things around the house for the setting. The tablecloth came from Target clearance or Goodwill, can’t remember which! :0)

The Pewter tankards were purchased in England in 1973. I found the brown and white plates Royal Stafford, Fine Earthenware, est. 1845, Made in England and red napkins at Goodwill. I liked how the colors in the Russian lacquer items fit the scape. The Pewter hurricane lamp was a wedding gift. The napkin rings goblets and cocktail napkins that are in the goblets are target clearance. Red chargers from Sears. The white dinner plates are my everyday Italian Countryside. The tea light holders are Christmas exchange gifts. The red silk heart with tassel is a gift from my friend Beth. The silver is Community Plate, Sheffield England from my SIL’s Great Aunt.

Dear and I are headed up to Seattle for a longer than long Memorial Weekend. Yippee! We’ll see if I have time to check out my stash and come up with more tablescapes while I’m there. I definitely will make a trip to my favorite Goodwill Store!

Have a great Memorial Weekend to all my U.S. friends. Hope Victoria Day Weekend was great for our Canadian friends!

Tablescape Thursday ~ Yellow & Blue

Welcome to Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. The table I’m showing you today is set up in the living room of my home in Washington State.

I’m using an off white cloth with a smaller round blue and yellow cloth as a topper. I have always enjoyed blue and yellow together.

I used my Chippendale dishes on top of my Mikasa Italian Countryside dishes. Yellow napkins with white rose china napkin rings.

I ended up using several of my pewter pieces for the centerpiece instead of the vase with the hydrangeas…

To see more Tablescapes visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage unless I pay them a lot of money. I’m slowly cleaning up many posts from this time period and deleting their ugly grey and black boxes with a ransom request. Such a time consuming bother.

Trash to Treasure Tuesday

Diane at A Picture is Worth a 1,000 Words hosts this Tuesday Meme called Trash to Treasure. Click over to see lots of trash/thrift items bought or saved and turned into a treasure.

This week I’m showing my Dresser Mirror that I saved before it was sent away with a Christmas themed arrangement I placed on the added shelf on the bottom of the mirror. My husband added the shelf to it before we hung it on the wall. If you saw my Blue Monday or Tablescape Tuesday you’ll see a lot of the items from my Blue Christmas table re-grouped here. This will serve as my Christmas mantle at the condo.

The gold pieces are ornaments for the tree as is the Santa. The Pewter creamers are filled with Christmas Sprays in blue and crystal and silver. Here’s a collage with closeups of the items on the shelf. Now just so y’all know we at our house know that Santa is pretend and we love him in a pretend way but above that we know Jesus is real and saves us from what we deserve and then gives us our Hope and our future. We love Him in a real way…

If you live in the USA I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. To everyone else have a great last week of November.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage and demanding a ransom for me to access them. I’m slowly cleaning up many of my posts where PB have added ugly black and grey boxes where my photos used to be. So frustrating!

Tablescape Tuesday ~ Pewter

Time for another Tablescape Tuesday. You can visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch to see more.

My camera angles and lighting made my tablecloth look like two different ones. The color is more true to the first collage. This table was inspired by the Rooster I got at Target clearance last week for $4.95. The twig pumpkin was clearanced for $1.95. I bought the napkins that are originally from Pier 1 at a thrift store this last week for $1.25 for 4 of them. The Pewter flatware and bowls are from Goodwill. The pear napkin rings are from Goodwill and the basket weave chargers are from Goodwill, too. The plates were from Marshalls. It’s a lot of fun to put a table together with thrift store treasures that I’ve accumulated over time…

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

Tag Archives: Pewter