The Month of Red and Pink

Hey y'all...  I can't believe it is February 6th already..  

I have added some Valentine things around the house.  Just here and there, nothing too elaborate.

I have some ideas for a tablescape but since we always go out for Valentine's night, I am a little slow in putting it together.  I have been able to buy some of these absolutely gorgeous dishes by Spode..

They are Spode's Primrose  and I am thrilled to have them.  I am loving pinks and reds, especially in the dining room.  My Grandmother loved pink and I have many of her pretties that are pink so I get it honest.  My Daddy loves pink too..and it is becoming almost a neutral in our home.  Do you like pink?  So many flowers are pink too....

My Haviland teapot that goes so well with these new dishes...

I am sure roses will be beautiful with them..  Most of my roses are pink or complimentary..

This little lady is all decked out in nandina berries because it is, of course, the month of red...

Then she got moved into the family room so we could see her, along with the red camellias, all the time...

At this stage in our lives we go out to eat often which is fine with me.  I am not a big fan of cooking.  We do try to eat healthy..well, most of the time..and I do cook several nights each week but....thankfully my dear husband likes to eat out too...so the tablescaping is few and far between these days....

I hope your home has some touches of red and pink too...at least for the month of February...

Love,
Mona

Taking Inside Pictures

Sometimes when I am scrolling through the many pictures on Pinterest, I come upon an actually helpful Pin..

This morning was that kind of morning.  as some of you know, I am learning a new camera...my first DSLR.
And it does have it's challenges, especially when taking indoor pictures...
A little known fact..my dining room has NO windows...that's right NONE..NADA...it is located in the center of our house and has big openings to all of the other rooms so is not completely dark but.....to say the least, it has been a real challenge to take pictures in there..  and there are so many blogs about tablescapes that I would like to participate in but the quality has not been good enough....  so that is my sad story...LOL

This morning, it finally clicked as I read someone's blog about White Balance and Aperture......I am not good enough to teach you but will show you my first attempts with these new settings.....inside on a cloudy day...pretty good, don't you think?

I am so excited to see the colors of my china turn out as their true colors ....I know there is still a lot of experimenting but just wanted to show you these pictures...Maybe, just maybe I can now do a tablescape and be pleased with the colors.......

Anybody ready for a tea party?

Here is a link to her blog post.....    Tips for indoor Photos

The February Table

 Setting the table during the month of  February always brings out the 'red' in me....my thoughts turn toward every single red dish I have in my house...and that is a lot because it is one of the primary colors I use in decorating my rooms..

I have been collecting Historic America by Johnson Brothers in red for several years and that is the china I am featuring on my table today.....

Always add some fresh flowers to your table...it makes such a beautiful addition and sets the mood for a 'special' table..even if it for an everyday supper meal.   Mine are just some of what is blooming in my yard right now..

Camellias, rosemary, boxwood, dusty miller and rose hips.

arranged in a teapot I found in the thrift store last week.

Happy February to you.

Put some RED on your table tonight..

Come on over to Table Top Tuesday  and Tablescape Thursday where I am sharing and see all the beautiful tables..

A little bit of Christmas

These are my new Christmas dishes that I found a few weeks ago at the thrift store..I am excited to finally get to use them...There are 12 dinner plates and 12 salad plates and they were so inexpensive....not a chip on any of them....

This was a good find since I have been looking for Christmas dishes for years..ones that I could use a lot with different table settings and were kinda simple...so these fit that description..

I have spent a lot of time getting up and down from this stool...the trees are up and decorated..and with a few finishing touches they will be finished....then I will take some pictures and share with you all...I did a really simple and beautiful mantle arrangement that I am so happy about..I like to decorate with meaning.....just a little teaser for a future blog....

thank you for stopping by today...

I hope to see you again soon..

Mona

Nature surrounds this table...

I absolutely LOVE this time of year......for years I dreamed about having a deck and a wrought iron table and chairs and a garden where I could put all of it....well, that dream has come true...as we were sitting at the table after supper a few nights ago, I realized that all of this is mine now...my sweet husband is ever vigilent to meet my needs...maybe whims....

This round table is a joy to set...easier than the long one in the dining room..so for the next few weeks, before the bugs and mosquitoes take us away, I will be dining in blissdom....out in nature...surrounded by flowers, big sky, birds singing, and just the pure openness of it all....I could live outside...My Mama used to tell me I would stand at the backdoor and cry..and beg 'owsid'  until she let me go out....  I am still like that...needing my outside time every day......

so, come along with me to the deck..our spring and early summer dining room........what a view.....

sparkling pomegranate juice for breakfast

 this is our view from the deck..nice, huh?

red beans and rice for supper

 We had this supper on dishes that I love.... Jamie Oliver White China Tableware  The License for Jamie Oliver was previously owned by Royal Worcester.It has now been bought by Churchill China and  the backstamp reads Jamie Oliver Manufactured by Queens China.   I bought several many pieces of this at a thrift store years ago..it is my go to china for everyday..love, love it...and it mixes well with others....

and that salt and pepper mill...I received it from a family member that lived in Chicago way back in 1973...it came from Marshall Field's...and it has been on my table since then...very unique..salt on top and pepper mill on bottom...still works perfectly......

fern and barkcloth

 My daughter and her family gave me this fern for my birthday..I am in love..funny how I had stopped getting ferns every spring and can't remember the last one I had...then this one, and I have smiled more at that silly plant than you can imagine...like welcoming an old friend back....

the setting

 you can see where the deck is from the picture..right outside of the kitchen....and we can look out on the rolling hills of our backyard....

shrimp and grits supper

another supper of shrimp and grits...on Mikasa Italian Countryside dishes..our other everyday china....

well, there you have it, folks....our dining routine as long as the weather is nice and the bugs are not too numerous...

I am washing the outside tablecloths this morning so we can set some more pretty tables outside...

Thank you for stopping by..I hope to see you again soon....so fix you a plate and take it outside..no matter what your yard looks like, the food tastes better when you are outside....

Get out there and enjoy some sunshine and fresh air...

                                                                Mona


come see where I am sharing today  at   Between Naps on the Porch

Happy Dance

Home for Thanksgiving Historic America  by Johnson Brothers

I am doing a happy dance today...the Thanksgiving dishes have come out of the hutch and are all over the dining room...oh happy day.  I do dearly love these dishes.  I never see them anywhere out there in blogland...well, I did see the platter once....and I was so happy to see it...but the rest of them....I don't know why more people don't use these dishes for Thanksgiving...the name of them is Home for Thanksgiving  by Johnson Brothers  ...the whole set is titled Historic America......I have loved them for as long as I can remember.  My mother had these plates and platter and we ate on them every Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I did not inherit them and was so sad about that .. my dear sweet husband knew how much they had meant to me so.....he bought me 12 plates and the platter a few years ago....it is our official china...and I have been adding to it since then..there are even red ones that I will mix in and use for Christmas.......so, oh, doing the happy dance around here...the beautiful dishes are out and my favorite people in the world will be here in a few days and we will all share a meal of Thanksgiving on these dishes.... 

beautiful details  acorns and leaves

loving the colors

all the little people..need some arranging

pressed leaves from our woods...waiting patiently

I just have a lot of getting it all put together before then....I LOVE, LOVE this holiday.....and sharing it with my awesome family.....it seems like every year we grow a little bit more......for this I am so thankful.....

thank you for stopping by today.  I hope the Thanksgiving preparations are in full swing at your house too ....and that you are enjoying every minute of the preparation...it is all so worth it when the day gets here....

I am thankful for you my readers....it would be nice if you all were here for Thanksgiving too....I could buy some more plates.  :-)