Kathleen,

This was such a treat to come here and go to your blog. You always amaze me with the beauty of your settings, decorations and food fit for a KING! What a fun time I just had browsing your site. I enjoyed the outside pictures as well as the inside.

I hope I will be able to come up with tables like yours in time. I keep buying so maybe some year, I'll make it. If ones doesn't have their dreams what do they have?LOL

Punk

Punk, you ARE kidding! It is not brain surgery and you do fine!
Just a hobby..and when you are retired you have time for fun things..
And many years of collected cwap, I mean treasures..:)
Thank you!

Had to tear myself away from the gorgeous pics of the snow and go look at your tables :I really loved the red table .. but red is my favorite color. The checkered dishes were very pretty ! Great job as always!

Susan

Kathleen,
I like the black plates. They appear to have a matte finish, right? I have five black plates that I got at Khols some time ago (the last five on the shelf), but they are not big enough to be practical dinner plates, yet too big to be salad plates. Do you remember where yours came from?

By the way, the New Years soup dinner went very well with my new soup server. Stay warm.

Thanks, Susan..I'll send you some snow..it's been dsnowing for days!
OA, I got them a few years ago at Pier One, and yes a matte finish,,,I have shiny too and they show every knife mark!
You got the buffet? great! It really comes in handy..
Thanks, it is about 16 degrees!

Kathleen..you know how much I admire your blog..
and All you do.
You NEVER cease to inspire.... Love it all.

jane

WOW, I am so hungry now! Enjoyed your blog...your snow scenery & your tablescapes! Craving a pc of that apple pie!

What a unique tablecloth! It is perfect fit with your dishes..love the combo of red & white. TFS your beautiful decor! Jeanne S.

Kathleen,

No I'm not kidding and are you sure it's not brain surgery? When something comes so natural to one it's hard for them to understand everyone else isn't that talented.LOL

OK, I will practice and maybe by the time I get to retire I'll have so many TREASURES it will come easy for me too. The way I see this, I probably have close to 10 years to practice. If I don't learn in that time, I'll hope I have enough brains to give it up.haha

I think it's great that you have this for a hobby after retirement and I'm sure I will love it even more once I retire. Now that everyone else has agreed do you think you may have been a little harsh with me, girlfriend? Thanks for the fun tonight.

Punk

I love the tablecloth, it was well persisting even though it had no tag or price on it.

Also love all your checked plates & accessories. You always do beautiful tables, and it is a talent, hard one to learn if you're not born with it!

I'm back again. I was going through a Her-Black-Plates-Work-And-Mine-Don't pouting phase and forgot to comment on the checked tablecloth setting - which I think it is just grand. I love how the NM plates, which are so elegantly tailored, fit so well with the more casual tablecloth. And what a bargain that was!

Sixteen degrees is too much to even imagine, let alone live in. Beautiful views though. I'm such a wuss when it comes to the cold.

How pretty!
I love the centerpiece especially. We have snow on the ground as well, though nowhere near as much as you've gotton. I love that the white mums speak "spring is ahead" but with the little touch of greenery added is , just right.
Love your plaid napkins to.
I've yet to come across a set but it hasn't been for lack of effort. lol

Yes, Punk, I was kidding..:)
I can't paint to save my life..I do calligraphy, but painting is foreign to me..so yes, I understand what you mean.. And my sister is very talented in sewing, but I struggle with it..
Thanks, Lori...

Your blog is lovely and the tablesettings are beautiful. I'm so happy for you to be retired and have time to do the things you like to do. We have snow here today, which is very rare, it would be a perfect day to stay home and play dishes, but off to work for me. I couldn't do a table anyway, we are working on a 1000 piece puzzle on the dining table.
Syble

Oops, missed milos mom..thank you.
White mums show up here all year long...so easy to make fit any occasion!
I don't remember where I got those napkins..I know they were a bargain! I have those, and then a set with a little more green in the plaid and a fringed edge. I love plaid..

I just bought some navy blue plaid fabric, a remnant I get at this fabric warehouse..very good quality fabric from Portugal...It was the last on the roll, so he charged me ONE dollar.
I have some navy plates, so I thought in the duldrums of winter I would do a table with it.

OA if it makes you feel any better, I only have 2 of those plates, and they are an odd shape, kind of oval..

I have black soup bowls and mugs in a matte finish I got at the Pfaltzgraff clearance center before they closed. I think I paid .46 cents each for them..:)

I have 12 of the shiny ones..but I don't like those as much..
And I found some BLACK chargers at Cmas Tree Shops, so I am anxious to try something with those..Maybe with those black and white courtly check plates..

Thanks Jeanne and Jane too! You are all very sweet!

Kathleen: What a bargain on the blue plaid material!
I have a set of plaid blue with red lines running through them but have yet to be able to fit them into anything.
I don't get to use many living arrangements for my centerpieces because of the cranky ol kitty that thinks they are made for him to tear apart even though he KNOWS he's not allowed up there. I'll just have to live vicariously through you :-).

As usual, I'm starving after seeing those shrimp AND spinach which happens to be my favorite!

I'm trying to stay away from carbs and you KNOW what all of those dessert pictures are doing to me!! LOL

I soooo love your tablescapes. It is a talent and we have to work at it while you make it appear so easy. But we still love you! (Even though I covet your dishes!)

Have to go pray for forgiveness now!

Betty

Kathleen, it's always such a treat to see new photos from you. The red setting is beautiful and I'm almost drooling from all the wonderful food photos you do.

Kathleen, I knew you was just kidding but had to have some fun with it. Life is to short to not enjoy as much as one can. Speaking of sewing, I use to do alot and have't used mine for months now. I would like to make some napkins like you did and also some doll diapers for DGD but I keep buying her newborn disposables instead.

Punk

I took a quick peek at your blog this morning, but didn't take time to come back here and comment. I love that pretty tablecloth--gosh, it sure paid off for you to ask what the price was on it? It is so perfect with your red checked plates.

Loved seeing all your snow too--it looks sooo pretty! Time to curl up with a good book in front of the fireplace if it were me. (Should I not mention that the weatherman said So. Calif. is the warmest place in the nation today???) LOL Just teasing.

Luvs

Kathleen, you're a living inspiration to me! Your tables are always top notch and your meals do always look so yummy!

I'd like to thank you for the shrimp recipe, I'm going to try it out this week as I definitely want to taste the dish!

As for both settings, how to make choice? All are splendid, whether the plaid one or the red one. Something I definitely appreciate is how you do the same bunch of flowers different just by adding a small different detail!

Amazing!