Lingering with Roses and Friends

The table was lovely in the morning light.

Friends were coming for breakfast.  I set the table the night before.  What was missing?  The flowers of course!  I went for an early morning grocery store run for corn flakes, no, not for the first course!  Topping for Grandpa’s Potato Casserole.  Yummy!

Just inside the door is the flower department.  And the roses were beautiful.

June’s flowers are Roses.

A confession…we ate before I could grab some shots of the lovely table set for 14 guests!  This is a smaller re-creation.

Since we moved the dining room into an entirely different room, we had gobs of room!  Both leaves were in place.

Belatedly,  I realized I do not have an extra long cloth except in dark autumn and winter colors which would not do for a

June breakfast.  And look at this!  It was truly beautiful.  A bit different from the usual with a formal setting.

The wood was so elegant reflecting the crystal and china.

Don’t you  love the look of the rich wood reflecting roses,  fine china and Bavarian crystal?

Deep red tiger roses and delicate coral roses tipped in red.  Hard to believe these are from the grocery store!

“Autumn” by Lenox was a long time favorite before I was ever a bride.  It took almost 25 years before Jim and were to begin to collect these lovely dishes. The colors lend themselves to so many possibilities.

For this tablescape, the red and coral roses were a perfect complement.

“Crafted of Lenox ivory fine china accented with 24 karat gold and enamel jeweling” always captured my imagination.  We have a mixture of firsts and seconds from the local outlet store.  New pieces are added when the coupon arrives.

Well designed china is timeless, never showing any age.  “Autumn” is 82 years old.

Originally introduced in 1918, “Autumn” is still one of the most popular patterns in America today.

“Autumn” combines graceful and intricate artistry, a beautiful floral motif and the jeweled colors of autumn flowers. More than 300 enamel “dots” are hand applied to form the floral and fruit basket design. Check it out here: http://www.lenox.com

It is paired with Bavarian lead crystal purchased during our first tour in Germany in Berteshgarten at a local shop that made “Diana” and other amazing patterns in the back rooms.  These are actually old style highball glasses.  I did not have enough of the water / juice ones. And I like to use all the different types we have whenever I can.

The curved based fits a hand perfectly.  It is not a common occurrence any more to actually use our beautiful fine settings.

Though so lovely to look at, these glasses are hardy and easy to hold.  No fear of dropping them.

The colors make me happy!  I like vibrant colors but not too much.

I had resigned myself trying find something from the cabinet stored away for the centerpiece other than food this time.

I felt blessed when I saw all those roses just waiting for me.

A buffet served from the kitchen was less cumbersome for the guests.  Passing large hot casseroles is not fun.

And we had room around the table for everyone to easily go for seconds.

And yes, paper napkins by Caspari. I have a drawer full that I pick up every time I see nice ones on sale at my Hallmark or TJ Maxx.  Though cloth napkins are truly wonderful, mine all need ironing so I don’t often use them.  And this was a gathering for friends who I wanted to honor with a nice tablescape but not too formal on that sunny morning.

Love Bug was a great helper as she did all the place settings just as instructed.

Having my sons and daughters pitch in has been my encouragement and their training ground for hosting over the years.

I love the textures and colors.  My smile was big.

Using the small vases full of flowers is one of my favorite centerpieces. Everyone can see across and down the table.

Long stem tiger roses were placed on the sideboard.

I left this tablescape set for our dinner tonight.  The girls missed the Saturday breakfast.

Adults only at the table that morning. For almost 2 hours we

lingered.

This vegetable bowl was the $10 winning bid at the Tuesday morning auction.

You just never know what you will those places with!

Around the table is a favorite way to fellowship. There is something about food that makes everyone relax and open up to speak and to listen.

Lingering.

We do too little of it.

It is an honor to welcome friends to our table.  I love planning a delicious menu and beautiful tablescape.

Would love to have you join us for a

linger.