An Easter Retrospective, 2014

First things first...We are truly blessed to have the means to set a pretty table and invite our friends to join us for good food and fellowship. I am mindful that many are not so fortunate. My daughter has a passion for the work of the Food Bank. As a singer-songwriter, she has written and recorded a song that is the anthem for the world wide Crop Hunger Walk project. Her song, "Raise Your Voice" is featured in their video. I've included a link in the side margin of my blog. I hope that it will encourage you to support projects in your community that contribute to the effort to overcome hunger.

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I've been down with an irritating upper respiratory infection and aggravated asthma all week  As a result, Sweet Mister has decided that we'll entertain family with Easter lunch at the country club.  Because I won't be designing an Easter tablescape this week, I'm sharing our Easter table from last year...Beatrice Emaline's first Easter celebration.  I hope that you'll enjoy it whether you're seeing it for the first time or revisiting it again.  Have a blessed Easter celebrating our Risen Christ!

  

It is so special to have a grandchild living close enough that I can share my holiday tables, our family traditions, with her.  When my son and daughter were children, I loved decorating the house for each holiday to make it a wonderland for them.  Beatrice Emaline is 6 months old now, and I know that she won't remember this year's holiday. Therefore, I'm looking at this Easter as a dress rehearsal for celebrations to come.  I've had a ball designing my table, and I'm looking forward to many more special occasions with my family gathered around my table.  Welcome to a Bunny Easter Parade!

 I was thinking of Beatrice Emaline and my darling grandsons, Haden & Jack, so I decided that my table would highlight pinks and blues.

Let's take a look at the cast of players...

 Playing the role of the crowd in the background is the Maryland China Company Minuet Charger Plate.  Tip:  MCC primarily markets white china blanks for china painters.  This one, manufactured in the Czech Republic, reminds me of some of the beautiful Herend patterns, but at a fraction of the cost.  Check them out!  They also have some good sales on a regular basis.

 Pink for Miss Honey Bee...The Copeland Spode Irene Dinner Plate was a fortunate eBay find.  I found a set of 12 of these lovelies.

 Blue for my precious Haden & Jack...The Royal Staffordshire, Louis XVI, was also a great deal for a set of 12 on eBay.  They will be removed for our luncheon and reappear for dessert.

An unbeatable rim shot...Eat your heart out LeBron James.

Sun kissed and ready to celebrate Easter lunch with our family...

With all the different patterns on our Easter table, I decided that a white napkin was the best choice.  I was thinking of you, Rett, and the time that we found the Waterford Ballet Dot Napkin at Tuesday Morning.

I picked my mother-in-love's Reed & Barton Francis I flatware because...it was close at hand.  Besides it's hard to go wrong with good ole' Francis.

Each guest will have a pair of the individual salt & peppers by MacKenzie-Childs.  I've been slowly collecting them for a number of years.  They're kind of a splurge, but I really enjoy them!

The Pink Pier One Goblet has been hiding out in a kitchen cabinet for quite a while.  I bought them years ago for $1.00 each on deep clearance.  Today it is paired with the Waterford Simply Blue Goblet.  I bought the Waterford stems some years ago on eBay, while they were still very reasonable.  Their price has increased substantially in the last year or so.

These make me smile every time I walk past the dining room table...and they put the exclamation mark on my pink and blue color story.  Have you noticed the navy blue and white eggs?  I painted them some years ago.  I used a faux, foam-filled egg that I found at Michael's.  They've become a dependable design element...especially when I don't have time to go buy flowers...

...Speaking of flowers...The flowers in the centerpiece are all left-overs!  The white mop head Hydrangeas were used for my St. Patrick's Day table.  They were also used in combination with the smaller green Hydrangeas for a wedding shower for forty that my dear KC hosted in our home this past weekend.  I'm hopeful that they'll make it until Sunday, but I'll replace them if necessary.

 I've long had a fondness for Fitz & Floyd.  These bunnies are from their Old World Collection.  I found them one at a time at the tail end of different estate sales for far less than they cost on line.  I love Mr. Bunny pushing flowers in his wooden cart, and the two lovely lady bunnies are tending my painted Easter eggs.  I think that they've been laying them out along the table for an old fashioned egg hunt.

Our feast will be after church.  We'll share a predictable Honey Glazed Ham, baked potatoes, deviled eggs, green salad, fresh asparagus, hot rolls, and an assortment of desserts.  Everyone will contribute something to the meal, and we'll enjoy focusing our time on blessed fellowship and lots of laughter.  I can hardly wait to celebrate this most special of days...the day when my sweet Jesus Master overcame death and prepared a way for me to have access to eternal life and a relationship with my Almighty God.  Now that's worth celebrating!  We are truly blessed.  I pray that you will have a peace-filled holiday surrounded by family and friends.  Happy Easter!

This week I'll be joining:

Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

Seasonal Sundays with The Tablescaper