Winter tablescape

January 9, 2014


We are having a very cold spell here, with temperatures plummeting below zero, so a wintry table setting complete with a little pine tree seems appropriate. The
Friendly Village pattern with the snow-covered landscape is perfect. 

The antique linen napkins are luncheon-sized rather than dinner-sized, but I like their soft winter white color together with the lace tablecloth. And besides, my dinner-sized linen napkins still need to be ironed! 


Even the glasses depict a wintry scene of snow falling on trees.




The red plaid bear matches the red schoolhouse on the plates, and the red pot the little tree is in, but he looks a little unhappy propped up there, like he would rather be hibernating!


Old silverplate from my husband's grandmother in the White Orchid pattern.


Butter knives from the silver pattern Rambler Rose from my mother-in-law.


And little bird salt and pepper shakers, a gift from my daughter, huddle under the shelter of the sugar bowl.







 And here is a great comfort food to serve on a cold day, my grandfather's homemade macaroni and cheese.

I love the fact that my grandpa typed this recipe up for me on a manual typewriter.





And look at this little sticky note that my daughter attached to the recipe when she made it for us years ago when she was in middle school. She wrote, "Let's do it again -- soon. -- Dad." I guess my husband must have enjoyed it, and she wanted to record it. We do that with our recipes, write down when we first made it, what we changed, if anything, and whether or not people liked it. 






Memories of my family, through their linens and silver and recipes, help me to stay warm during these cold, gray days. Hope you stay warm, too.


I am linking up with Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursdays 
http://betweennapsontheporch.net.

Check out the other beautiful tablescapes over there.

I'm also linking with Rose Chintz Cottage http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com.

20 comments

  1. A very pretty table and I it does look like winter!

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    1. Thanks for visiting Martha. Thankfully, it is warming up here!

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  2. Your table is so pretty, but the best part was the story of your recipe. What a wonderful memory! Two memories! I also mark my cookbooks with critiques, dates made, etc. my sister-in-law gave me The Silver Palate Cookbook when we got married, and she dedicated it on the front page. I used that cookbook until it fell apart, then I got a new one, but I cut out the dedication from he old one and glued it to the new one. Im very sentimental, too, about that sort of thing!

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    1. great story -- yes, cookbooks can become almost journals of our lives. I can say "oh, I made this for my mom on Mother's Day back in 1992, and she loved it!" Thanks for visiting.

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  3. Beautiful winter table, love your plates! And a family treasured recipe for macaroni and cheese is the perfect warm up food!
    Jenna

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    1. thanks Jenna. As a new blogger, I am so excited to see a comment!! Thanks for taking the time to encourage me.

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  4. Hi Deborah,
    I love Friendly Village and I have a few pieces of it. It's very hard to find here where I live unfortunately. The little pine tree makes a cute centerpiece and I love your vintage silver. Homemade mac and cheese is a recipe I enjoy too. I learned to make it in Home Ec and I still use the same recipe. How lovely that you have your grandfather's recipe! Thank you for sharing your wonderful tablescape and recipe with us at my HOME and have a lovely weekend.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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    1. Sandi -- I found the Friendly Village plates on Ebay.

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  5. Your beautiful table with the lovely antique napkins and the Friendly Village plates was very motivational. It's been absolutely frigid here in Michigan this past week and your Pine Tree centerpiece complete with the red plaid bear warmed my heart and gave me a new appreciation for beauty in daily matters. Thank you for inspiring me to make my home a thing of beauty and a place of peace. Love your blog!

    Beth

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  6. A pretty winter scene. I like the Friendly Village plates very much. Cozy place for sharing a nice warm meal..

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    1. Yes, one wonderful thing about winter is all the opportunities for creating cozy spots and meals.

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  7. Such a pretty table, Deborah! I'm a big fan of Friendly Village, and didn't realize how pretty it looks on top of a lace tablecloth. I'm going to that when I use them again (I've always used a solid cloth or a patterned one!) I'm new to blogging, too, and I know what you mean about comments. It's sooo much fun to plan and carry out a tablescape (I love the hobby and the hunt for dishes!), but it means so much more when other tablescapers encourage us! Rosie @ The Magic Hutch

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    1. Thanks Rosie. Best wishes for your new blog. It's a whole new world, isn't it?! I'm loving it!

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  8. Hi Deborah, I hopped over from Rose Chintz Cottage. Love your Friendly Village tablescape! I have on pitcher that I found at a thrift store. The recipes typed by your grandfather is precious! Now following you google +. I have a link party, Share Your Cup Thursday. It's about sharing the things that make you happy. I'd love if you shared a post.
    hugs,
    Jann

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    1. Thank you Jann! I will have a look. The link parties are a wonderful opportunity to get to know other bloggers and be inspired!

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  9. I too mark up, revise and date all my recipes in my cookbooks. I also love to give cookbooks as wedding shower gifts with a personalization. A new bride will use it and the gift becomes very meaningful both for the favorite recipes and hopefully the inscription.

    Need the mac and cheese recipe. Believe it or not with 10 kids I never made mac and cheese. The kids themselves started buying Kraft boxes and made it themselves so they could have some. Do love the stuff though. Actually bought some today to have with ribs and watch football playoffs.

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    1. thanks for visiting Robin! Will send you the recipe.

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  10. It's so beautiful that you have that treasured recipe! Things like that are what we run to save in a fire. Love it! I must say that putting cottage cheese in macaroni & cheese is new to me. I learn something new & valuable to try every day!

    This is a super table...perfect for a winter's day in frigid Michigan! My friend is the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions (at least for now as you guys just got a new coach in!), and when we came to visit we thought we had gone into another dimension!!! It gets cold here in KC, but man...it was C-O-L-D there!!!

    Try to stay warm this weekend!

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    1. This has been one of the coldest winters I can remember. Consistently freezing temps and record snowfalls. Love to sit in front of the fire as much as I can! Thanks for visiting.

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