Farewell, Downton Abbey, February 29, 2016

On February 28, 2016, many of us found ourselves drawn to the television screen as we said goodbye to Lord Grantham's family and Downton Abbey.  On Monday, February 29, 54 women joined together for tea to commemorate the moment and to raise money for City Care, a Christ-based organization that works to make life more bearable for the many homeless men, women, and children here in our city.  We were blessed to be able to hold the tea in the home of Mo Anderson, an amazing and incredibly generous woman...WOW...what a woman...what a role model...what a home!


Each guest received a hand delivered invitation.


 Notice that the actual invitation is held in a fabric lace envelope and tucked under a double sided satin ribbon tied around a moiré hatbox.  Each hatbox held an antique fine china cup and saucer, an HRH (His Royal Highness) tea bag, and a beautiful custom made iced cookie in the shape of a fully detailed teapot.  We had a blast putting them together! They were very well received, and the acceptances were amazing!  Only two people declined.  Won't you join us for our tea?  (Warning:  This is a long post and photo intensive.  Just want you to be prepared!)


Our own version of Carson, proper British accent and all, was there to greet our lovely guests at the front door and to oversee the...

  perfectly attired...

never miss a detail...

 always hard working...


well-loved, if never appropriately appreciated...


"downstairs" staff as they attended to the last minute details for our tea.


Now if you are a true "Downton Abbey" detailphile (That's a word, right?  Sure it is.  Francophile, Anglophile, detailphile!), you might remember this dinner plate from the opening credits each week as the newest episode was introduced...the dinner plate that the Granthams supposedly used for many of their numerous elaborate dinners.


Who knew!?  This is my mother-in-love's 1940's wedding china by Castleton, and I just happened to have more than enough to recreate the Downton setting for each guest.  I chose to set each dinner plate on one of an assortment of my blue chargers for further continuity.  Interestingly, Castleton is an American china.  I don't know if Masterpiece Theatre chose the plate in the post production studio or if there is an actual English pattern after which the Castleton was later modeled.  Pretty good question, I think.


The first course was, but of course, an assortment of scones served with lemon curd and jams.  These were served from tiered hostess trays set on each table, then put on assorted sets of luncheon plates already in place at each table.  Here, the Royal Doulton Orient is flanked by my mother-in-love's Reed & Barton Francis I silver flatware.  The charger is Spode Vermichelli.  I used this set-up on two of the eight tables in the living room.

The Waterford Simply Blue goblet is filled with a delicious Pear Lemonade, and the Tiffin Chrysanthemum (my invented name for the pattern) is our water goblet.  The sterling cream and sugar is a part of my Grandmother Madden's tea service.

The lovely young lady who provided the chairs, tables, etc., also provided all these darling yellow and gold tea cups and saucers...how perfect for a Downton Abbey Tea.  Not to mention, I was thrilled not to need to wrap, pack, and convey 54 cups and saucers from my house, in addition to all the china, crystal, and silver.


Three tables featured the Coalport Exotic Bird luncheon plate.  The charger is Mottahedeh Blue Lace.  The lemonade is served in the Waterford Simply Pink goblet, and water is held by the Lalique Trèves goblet, part of my wedding crystal.

  The tablecloths and chairs came from the same rental company that supplied the cups and saucers.  Mo had used them once before for her daughter's wedding reception in their home.  She knew that they would work perfectly in her beautiful living room.

Two more tables were set with this charming Copeland Spode luncheon plate.  It is not marked with a name.  I found 12 of them  on eBay, and I couldn't resist.  It is one of those patterns that works in so many different situations.  I like it a lot!  The charger is Zrike cobalt. 

Two other tables were assembled using the Schumann Empress Dresden Flowers.  The charger is Steelite cobalt.    Here I chose to use my wedding silver flatware, the Reed & Barton Grande Renaissance.  It's hard to believe that I've been using this silver for almost 49 years!  I'd choose it again. 

Have you taken a look at the floral centerpieces?  The florist, New Leaf Florist, researched to learn how centerpieces during the time period would have looked.  They found the size, the shape, and the assortment of flowers that would have been used.  They were absolutely beautiful.


Several of our guests arrived a bit early to take a peek at the tables.

In addition to the 8 tables in the living room, the dining room table was used to seat an additional 6 guests.  As with the other tables, an authentic Downton Abbey tea towel was draped over each chair as a party favor for each attendee.

I hope that you are soaking up all the details in this dining room.  It is absolutely magnificent!

The amazing tablecloth was custom made for this table.  It is a beautiful piece.  Here I chose the Coalport Exotic Bird luncheon plate with the pink rim and the Anna Weatherly scalloped blue charger.  The setting is accented by the AJKA King Louis XIV cobalt goblet and the Tiffin Chrysanthemum goblet.  

 After the plates for the first course were removed, the second course of tea sandwiches and Blue Corn Blinis with avocado cream sauce were served plated from the kitchen on the Coalport Sevres Group luncheon plate.  By the time the plates were presented with the second course for all the tables, I was no longer taking photos.  I was acting as a table hostess.  This photo is from my archives.  The desserts were served on the Castleton dinner plates.

The floral centerpiece for the dining room was presented in Mo's amazing silver epergne.  Wow.  Just.  Wow.

It was a delightful way to spend an afternoon, and...

...we were blessed to raise more than $50,000.00 for the work carried out by City Care.  God was definitely in the details on this day, in this place.  Thanks for stopping by for a visit.

This week I'm joining:

Stone Gable for The Scoop #273

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Through Life

Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

The Children's Table, December, 2016

 Christmas Eve dawned, and I was, for once, really well organized.  I had the entire morning to finish wrapping gifts for the local kids tree on Christmas morning.  Our Christmas Eve tree and dinner was scheduled with our family toddlers in mind...tree at 2:p.m. and an early dinner at 5:00 p.m. to include a few extra friends.  The kids planned to take the little ones home for an 8:00 bedtime, in order to have plenty of time to prepare their tree for early Christmas morning.  I was thrilled to know that I would have plenty of time to clean up after our dinner and wrap the last of the gifts to travel to Dallas mid-Christmas Day, after the Santa Claus tree at the kids' house.  At about 9:00 a.m., Christmas Eve morning, the phone rang.  "Mom, David and I are really sick.  We both have 102-3º temperature.  We think that we should head to the Urgent Care doctor as soon as possible.  We think that the most efficient plan is for us to go together, but that means that we need daddy and you to come take care of the kids while we're gone.  Is it possible for you to be here by 10:30 a.m.?  We shouldn't be away from the house very long.  We are determined to rally for your tree tonight."  "Sure," I said, as I envisioned my lovely day beginning to unravel.  What's the saying?  "We make plans, and God laughs."  He must have been howling.  Cutting to the chase...we returned home after 4:30 p.m.  The extra guests had been cancelled because we didn't want to expose them to sickness.  I threw the King Ranch Chicken in the oven as we started our tree at 5:00 p.m.  Dinner for the 6 of us happened at 7:00 p.m.  The little ones were taken home to go to bed around 8:30 p.m., I proceeded to wash dishes and put food away, and I finished wrapping gifts for the Santa tree and the Dallas tree shortly before 4:00 a.m.  We were up early, dressed to drive across town, and at the kids house before 8:00 a.m.  The trip to Dallas was postponed until a 6:00 a.m departure the day after Christmas.  Can you say, "Keystone Cops"?  I can say that the babies had a great time at both trees and never knew that Chaos was making every effort to run rampant through our Christmas.  I was so grateful that I had finished setting my tablescape days earlier.  Turns out that it was about the only thing that was really ready to go for our Christmas Eve celebration.  Well, the lovely yeast rolls that I left rising that morning as we drove away were more than ready...way more than ready.  Let's just say that they were..."interesting". I originally set the dining room table for 8 diners.   Come on in and take a look at what was supposed to be...

The photos were snapped just before the food came out of the oven.  I hope I can give you an adequate view.  I called this year's tablescape "The Kids' Table".  I wanted it to be fun for our little ones.

The Bormioli red glass charger was an obvious choice for my tablescape...

The Castleton Sovereign dinner plate with its gold bead edge was the perfect mate for the Oneida gold tone flatware and...

the Williams Sonoma Night Before Christmas series salad plate.  The salad plate is a new addition to my collection.  I couldn't resist it.

Traditional Christmas colors were added with the Vietri optic green goblet and the AJKA Arabella red wine.

A place setting for the kids' table....kids from 2 to 92!

I knew immediately that this year's centerpiece would include my old Fitz and Floyd Santa's Car cookie jar.  I fell in love with the 6 red lighted mercury glass trees, found at New Leaf Florist.  They had to be included in our Christmas Eve tablescape.  The quartet of red Mercury Glass hurricanes happily added another healthy shot of Christmas red.  They each sat in a festive and glittery green candle ring from Hobby Lobby.  The heavy red and white runner is from a local store called North Pole City.  Really!

On a whim, I added 6 jars, each with a needlepointed Santa Claus lid.  I stitched them many years ago and had forgotten about them.  I just happened to open the drawer in which they had been stored.  So glad that I found them!

Voila!  We have a centerpiece for "The Kids' Table".

Beatrice Emaline (now age 4), seems to be pleased with my design.

We're ready to celebrate the most important birthday of every year!

Candlelight shots seem perfect for Christmas Eve...

As thrown together as the evening came to be, it was nonetheless a precious time to share with our beloved family.  I think that I may always want to be seated at the children's table!  I hope that you had a marvelous Christmas.  I love that our babies are becoming old enough to understand that we give gifts at Christmas to remember the amazing and priceless gift that God sent to us when He gave us His only Son, Jesus Christ, my Lord, the Lover of our ragged souls.  Have a safe and Happy New Year's celebration!

This week I'm joining:

Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch  

Mother's Day, 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 had such a sweet time designing my tablescape for our family's Mother's Day dinner.  I kept thinking about the legacy of lovely dinnerware that will someday grace the tables of my grandchildren.  I found myself pulling elements that came from a number of the women who set tables for holidays throughout my life.  It was intriguing that this collection of women, separated by many decades...women with widely diverse personalities...had somehow collected tabletop items that on this day blended so beautifully for our family celebration.

 We're a small group this day.  I set a table for seven in the dining room.

 I decided that our Mother's Day table called for soft spring colors...definitely feminine.

 Lots of pink and blue for my grand babies...

 ...kissed by the sun.


The Bormioli Inca Hot Pink charger is quickly becoming a workhorse for my Spring tablescapes...


It was a lovely highlight beneath the Castleton Pearl Edged dinner plate...


...which framed Grandmama Madden's Yamaka Magnolia, Occupied Japan dinner plate.  Grandmama Madden had no wedding china.  She made the Oklahoma Land Run in 1889, with Granddaddy Madden.  They originally settled in a sod hut in what eventually became Harmon County.  Years later, Aunt Ida, a major in the WAC and an intelligence officer stationed in post-war Tokyo, brought the china home as a gift for them.  I remember many holiday meals served on the quietly elegant pattern in their Hollis, Oklahoma home.


 Sweet Nana's antique lace napkin with blue embroidery and my mother-in-love's Francis I silver flatware cozied up alongside each place setting.


My mama's Mikasa Stephanie water goblet joined my Waterford Simply Blue goblet and the  pink scroll goblet that I found at Marshall's.


A picture of the tapestry that portrays the women who make up my history...a history that I am blessed to pass on to my grandchildren.

 Fresh flowers, ...

 ...pink mercury glass candle holders from Michael's...


...and the Rosenthal Sansoucci tureen provided elements for the centerpiece.

 Beatrice Emaline was seated between her mommy and daddy.  I love the notion that she has always had her own place setting when she comes to my table.  Now, I do allow that after we're seated, her mommy chooses to remove them, if necessary.  Beatrice is in the middle of launching her food to the floor when she wants to be sure that we understand that she doesn't want any more.  Her mommy and daddy are working on that, but for now....china and crystal beware.  The day will come when Beatrice and her cousins will become the stewards of these family treasures for another generation.  I love that although they will never actually meet their great-great grandmothers or their great-grandmothers, they will have a connection to these magnificent mothers through their lovely tabletop treasures.  I hope that you had a blessed Mother's Day surrounded by family and friends.

This week I'm joining:

Let's Dish with Cuisine Kathleen
Tablescape Thursday with Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch

The Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop @ Catherine's Corner