As I was preparing to have guests for dinner I was debating where to seat them – in the eating area/the gathering room/the all purpose room that looks out on the back yard and has the “kitchen table”, the TV, and the mud room, (formerly closet) all in one room, or would it be better to seat our guests in the dining room on the other side of the kitchen.
Decision made. Our friends were motor home camping south of town. So we would continue the camping spirit while they were here. Out came the blue spatterware tin dishes and the red bandanas/napkins and the blue and white buffalo check tablecloth plus leftover flowers from the prior weekend bridal shower. We just had to change from the milk glass vases to the blue tin pitcher, and they were perfectly appropriate.
I served lasagna and a big salad with iced tea or water, wine or beer, Italian bread, and because a friend gave me a batch of rhubarb from her garden, we had rhubarb/strawberry pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Original setting 
Bandana napkin became bandana!
Then three days later we were having one of our priest friends for dinner, because we learned that he was celebrating his 35th Anniversary as a priest, and the same decision had to be made. Old habits are hard to kick. He is a priest. Can’t put him in the “kitchen”, so the dining room it is. Since I had made a full pan of lasagna, I froze half of it and was able to thaw, heat, and serve it for this dinner. I made another fresh salad, and heated up a crusty baguette.
Cream color place mats, white embossed dishes, cream color napkins, glass vase set in the midst of a pewter coffee/tea service and added pink spirea stems to the white bush clematis to go with the pink candles.
It’s a bit awkward to have only three of us sitting at the dining room table, so I served from the remaining side of the table, arranging hot pads for the lasagna, a silver looking stainless steel water pitcher, the salad, and bread. And for dessert sitting on the pedestal plate it deserves…ta da! the Aldi triple chocolate cream cake!!! I believe that after serving it we made another Aldi cake convert! Right, Father?
From the left 
From the right
Notice in the photo on the right, the tiny dish for olive oil if it is preferred instead of butter. I ordered those from a neighbor’s child who was selling them as a school fundraiser. I was so happy to find something I knew I could use!
And then the reason for a blog post taking more than a week to complete – the arrival of the SLC grands ( grandchildren for those unfamiliar with the term) and having them for dinner every night possible, in order to give daughter Elaina a bit of a break as far as cooking goes. Having 4 littles to handle on her own (her husband is a physician and is more limited regarding vacation time, but will join her this week) on what is supposed to be a vacation, is no easy task.
This whole blog post about table settings is a complete mystery to John who is focused on substance and mission and message.
