Hello Hydrangeas!

I looked at my hydrangeas in the cutting garden and I knew I had to cut a big bunch to take inside.  While cutting, I decided that they were too good to keep to myself, so I offered a bite of breakfast the next morning before a couple of us took off on a short road trip.  Two girls came, and one opted to sleep in a bit.

This deck seemed like the right choice, as it is not very far to carry things back to the kitchen, and I knew we would be leaving in a hurry.

These plates are called Hailey's Sky by Nature's Home.  They lend themselves to casual, or a little bit formal.  They are not fragile or precious, but they sure are fun.

Here's the star of the show.  I love all colors of hydrangeas, but this color might just be my favorite.  I don't know what variety they are, as I transplanted them when we moved here.

These juice glasses are so old that I can't remember where they came from.

This sliver plate is quite special to me.  It was my mother's and when she went to a personal care facility and we shared her beautiful things, I chose this because it was a part of so many of our special times around her lovely table.

And these napkins were a gift from her as well.  They are so beautiful that they are actually a pleasure to iron!!!!!  I can't say that about to many things!

This was a piece we brought home from France.  It takes up less room on the table than a water pitcher.

This milk bottle came from World Market.

 

 

These bread plates came from France, too.  And the fruit knives are Delft from Holland.

Here's the back side of the bread plates.

A bit of cherry jelly for our croissants.

The baby geese were out on the lake, but I didn't catch a photo of them.

Some summers these bloom all season long, and sometimes they bloom profusely in early summer and then they are done.  That's why I grab my scissors and make sure I can enjoy them as much as possible.  My landscapers cut my hydrangeas back on the lower terrace, so they have only given us a very few blooms, but the cutting garden plants aren't so stingy!

Joining:

Metamorphosis Monday, Inspire Me Tuesday, The Scoop, 

Wow Us Wednesday, Tablescape Thursday, Feathered Nest Friday,

Home Sweet Home, Foodie Friday and Everything Else,

Sundays at Home

Well, Hello Sunshine

Look what we've got here!!!  Sunshine!!!  After living in Cleveland, Ohio three times, you'd think that I'd be used to dreary skies during the winter, but I've been sorely missing our Georgia sunshine this winter.  I can't remember such a grey, grey stretch.

This was a cheerful bunch of Kroger flowers and they begged to come home and replace some of these darned poinsettias that just won't give up.  I have such a hard time throwing good plants out, but I'm so over them.

Here's this morning's cheerful breakfast table.  Since today is MLK day, Mr. Pressed Pants slept in and my mom, who is visiting, ALWAYS sleeps in, I had time to greet them with a bright and sunny table in the breakfast room.

These exuberant plates from Target set the tone.  What's better than a shot of pink and green?

The table accessories were fun, too.  The s/p set and the cow creamer are both from Pierre Deux years ago.  The majolica leaf dish is a good choice to hold sugar packets, both full and then empty.  The French butter dish and twig spreader finish it off. 

The pink napkins are from the Palm restaurant line of linens, the knot napkin ring from Old Time Pottery, and the flatware is from Cost Plus World Market.  Nothing precious here but the guests!

This glass stoppered bottle and Ikea green glasses both held the oj.

Just a cozy three for homemade French toast and strawberries.  (You can tell it's a holiday when I make French toast, and not use frozen.)

My soul must have needed some pink, because it sure makes me smile. 

See the sunshine out there? 

"Bartholomew" is enjoying it, too.  Now, if this holds, there's a round of golf for me this afternoon.

Joining:

Tablescape Thursday

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Between Naps on the Porch

Centerpiece Wednesday

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The Style Sisters

Show and Tell Friday

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My Romantic Home

The Scoop

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Cedar Hill Farmhouse

Inspire Me Tuesday

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A Stroll Thru Life

Table It

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Rustic and Refined

Home Sweet Home

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The Charm of Home

Sheltered Nest Friday

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French Country Home

Wow Us Wednesday

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Savvy Southern Style

Make It Pretty Monday

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The Dedicated House

Fridays Unfold

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www.nancherrow.com 

Moonlight and Mason Jars (Wed.)

Ready for Some Blue and White

 

Join me, as I repost this at a new linky party that the wonderful Jennifer at

The Pink Pagoda

is offering called the Blue and White Bash.  If you don't already follow her, you'll want to!

 

I know I've been MIA for a long time, but travel is done for a while, Mr. Pressed Pants is feeling better, and I'm feeling more like a member of the human race.  Between sickness and "stuff", we haven't entertained hardly at all since before Christmas.  But today I feel the urge to set a cheerful table and celebrate our good fortune.  (More later.)  Out came my favorite blue and white dishes to dance with three little pots of tete-a-tete daffodils.

I'll serve breakfast here tomorrow, but since I can't photograph that early, I set this up today.  As you can see, blue does not exactly complement my breakfast room furnishings, so it sits on the shelf most of the time. Since Mom is visiting and she's a blue and white girl, this is the time to give it a whirl.  

This little wood and wicker stand holds three terra cotta pots perfectly.  I added a ribbon of yellow and white gingham.

I further used yellow in the rick-rack edged napkin and the straw coaster.  That's enough.  Just a hint of sunshine here.  The dishes closely resemble Royal Copanhagen's Blue Fluted dinnerware, but they are much heavier and much less precious.  They are actually vintage and made by Shenago Pottery.  I've been collecting it for years. The blue flatware is so old that I can't remember where I got it.  I didn't get a good picture of the napkin rings.  They have a blue willow pattern on them.  I used a mixture of delft, blue willow, and transferware with these dishes.  They all like each other!!!!!  

Here's a close-up of the individual salt and pepper shakers taken frrom a post of a Labor Day table.  You can see it here.

The juice glasses are just a generic blue glass.  Maybe from Pier One???

I have not been able to find the matching saucers for the coffee cups, but I did find the plain blue line saucers, and they are working just fine.

Since I'm serving fruit, I am using these Delft handled fruit knives.  We won't need all six, but they look so nice in the holder that they all get to come to the party.

Don't you love them?

I'll serve milk in this sweet French reproduction milk bottle.  I found it at World Market at Christmas time and gifted myself with it!  It came in red, too, and I'm very proud of myself for not buying the red as well.  (yet)

Here's a special little treasure.  You have no doubt seen lots of old wooden boards that are carved with "bread".  There are also old wooden handled bread knives with "bread" carved into the handle.  This was designed to go with them, but for some reason, very few of them survived.  Probably because the little tiny transferware plate broke and they were thrown away.  I'm very careful with it, because I'd probably never find the right size plate to replace it.  The mother-of-pearl handled butter knife got to join us just because it has a white handle! 

Not far from us, there was a horrific tornado yesterday that did a huge amount of damage.  Some of our friends were impacted, but not physically hurt.  There was a death, and I'll hold that person's family and friends in my prayers.  Although the rest of the loss was material, I am aware that some of that "stuff" was precious and irreplaceable and I'm so sorry for anyone who has to put the pieces back together from this storm.  The flooding is now another issue and it can only add to the misery.  This awful situation has snapped me out of my inertia and reminded me that I should celebrate every day!

I'm joining:

Tabletop Tuesday

A Stroll Through Life

Wow Us Wednesday

Savvy Southern Style

Open House Thursday

No Minimalist Here

Tablescape Thursday

Between Naps On the Porch

Inspiration Friday

At The Picket Fence

Feathered Nest Friday

French Country Cottage

Fridays Unfold

Stuff and Nonsense

Seasonal Sundays

The Tablescaper

Let's Dish

Cuisine Kathleen

Pink Majolica Breakfast

I had been thinking about doing a post with these dishes for a while.  I especially wanted to use them during berry season.  I have been collecting pieces of this for a long time.  These are large dessert plates, or maybe small luncheon plates.  At any rate, they are just the right size for breakfast and that's how I used them here.

Whole Foods had these gerbera daisies and I thought they looked so much like the flowers on the plate.  (I bought berries that looked like the ones on the plate, too!)  I put them in this small square pot from the floral wholesaler.  I think it was about all of four dollars.  I bought a couple extra for gifts, I thought they were so cute.

Here's the way the table looked, but disregard how it clashes with the rug.  With a round table, the rug is going to show, ya know!  I started with this plain green cloth from Crate and Barrel.

Just look at the detail on this plate.  Isn't it so sweet?  It has a large "F.G." carved into the bottom and the words "Hand Painted, Portugal" in script stamped on it.  Does anyone know anything further about this?  It resembles majolica.  I've found pieces lots of different places, but nobody seems to know what it is.

I found these mugs that aren't quite the same, but they go together pretty well.  They are marked "the haldon group" on the bottom.  The inside is a beautiful, soft shell pink.  These have a blue ribbon, while the plates have pink, and the basket weave is a little larger and creamier than the plates. 

My vintage LuRay china had the perfect size little berry bowl to go with this.

And, of course, this pink flatware was my choice for utensils.  Pretty and dishwasher safe!

I love these scalloped linen napkins and I used an acrylic frosted green napkin ring.

My sweet friend, Jan, gave me these glasses years ago.  They make me smile just to see them in the cupboard, because they remind me of what a good friend I have.  There is nothing like treasures from a treasured friend!

So here's the simple table.  Just a plate for a sweet roll and a bowl for berries.  I can't believe I couldn't even remember to photograph the berries.  I guess that I lost my focus around food again!

The sweetener is in a little ceramic box that my mom gave me a while back, and I chose these jadite pieces for the cream and sugar. 

And, oh yea.....look what I found in a little shop in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.  A juice pitcher!  Score!!! I was really doing my happy dance, that's for sure.

Can you see the inside of the mugs?

These little guys lasted days and days.  Don't you love it when that happens?

Here's an invitation to visit these blog parties in which I'm participating this week:

Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps On the Porch

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home on Friday

http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

http://frenchcountrycottage,.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

http://myromantichome.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday at At The Pickret Fence

http://www.atthepicketfence.com/

Fridays Unfold at Stuff and Nonsense

http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/

Seasonal Sunday at The Tablescaper

http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/