Table Settings Part 5 ~ Menu's & Placecard's

With a bit of time, some colorful paper, maybe a ribbon or 2 and a computer with a printer you can add a personal touch to your dinner party by making Placecards and even a Menu! I have also seen small cards set in front of buffet items with the recipe title on it!

How easy would these be to make?!!!



TODAY'S TABLE SETTING TRIVIA
The napkin as we know it today dates from the 16th century, but it was very large. It was made of damask linen and soon became commonly used.

At that time it was fashionable to fold tablecloths and particularly napkins in the shape of birds, animals and all kinds of fruits. This tradition lasted for more than 200 years.




Well this wraps up the week of Place Setting Trivia. I hope you all enjoyed it and learned something. I sure had a lot of fun putting this together! Thank you for all of your sweet comments.

Ok Sandy!

Sandy at Dream Create and Inspire tagged me for a (what did you call it??) a merme??

Anyway - I am suppose to take my middle name and use the letters from it to describe myself. Okay - this can be fun if your middle name is Ann or Lee or something of the likes. Well, my middle name is Jeanette and while I love that name (it was my Mother's first name) it was impossible to complete my task, espceially since there are 3 e's in that name! I can think of several words that start with the correct letters - but they are just not words I would use to describe myself. Humm - maybe next week or the week after, I will just take a bit more time and tell you ladies a little more about me....snore! ha ha

I do appreciate the compliment of being selected though!

Table Settings Part 4 ~ Place Settings

As a child and daughter of a Doctor, my parents did quite a bit of entertaining. Some times I was expected to participate in the event and when I was of age, I was sent to a class called White Gloves and Party Manners. Although I was not expected to learn the whole formal setting, I did learn manners that to this day I still remember and practice. Thanks Mom...and I am sorry I whined about going when I was a child.

Basic Place Setting

When teaching children how to set a basic place setting, tell them to remember:
Left to Right:
F-O-R-K-S
F - Fork
O - for the shape of the plate
R - Okay, so there really is not anything for the letter R.
K - Knife
S - Spoon

Informal Place Setting

As you can see, this is a setting for a buffet dinner since there is no dinner plate.

A. Dinner Plate if you chose to serve in this manner
B. Forks. Salad Fork on the left. Dinner Fork to the right of the Salad Fork.
C. Napkin
D. Dinner Knife with the cutting edge facing the plate.
E. Spoons. In this setting, soup will be served prior to the main course, so it is placed in the outside position, keeping with the idea that you work from the outside in with your utensils.
F. Glasses. Water Glass above the knife and wine glass to the right of the water.
G. Salad Plate
H. Bread Plate with Butter Knife placed diagonally.
I. Dessert Spoon and Fork.
J. Coffee Cup and Saucer

Formal Place Setting

A. Dinner Plate or Charger if a buffet style dinner is being served.
B. Butter Plate
C. Dinner Fork
D. Fish Fork
E. Salad Fork
F. Dinner Knife
G. Fish Knife
H. Salad Knife
I. Soup Spoon or Fruit Spoon
J. Oyster Fork
K. Butter Knife
L. Glasses - can number up to 5 and are places so that the smaller ones are in front.
La. Water Goblet placed directly above the knives.
Lb. (not shown) Champagne Flute would be placed to the right of the water goblet.
Lc. Red Wine Glass
Ld. White Wine Glass
Le. Sherry Glass
***If I ever drank this much alcohol at a dinner party, someone would have to fish me out from under the table!...maybe with the fish fork!**
M. Napkin

TRIVIA OF THE DAY
The 15th century saw the arrival of the "touaille", the ancestor of our napkin. This was a strip of material more than 13 feet long, folded in two over a stick and attached to the wall like a dish towel. However, it was not used much.

Table Settings Part 3 ~ Center Pieces

Depending on how your serve your Thanksgiving dinner, the turkey may actually be the center piece of your table. If you chose to do a buffet style service though you may consider a bit more table decor and a great center piece will make your guests stop and notice your whole table!





Something fun for a children's table!




TODAY'S TABLE SETTING TRIVIA
It was in the Middle Ages that tablecloths became customary. They became an object of genuine veneration, because they were a mark of a lord's nobility and were only shared with people of the same rank. Most tablecloths were decorated with embroidery and fringes. At the same time simpler tablecloths appeared, for example in some taverns. People wiped their hands on a long piece of cloth laid on the edge of the tablecloth.

Table Settings Part 2 ~ Napkin Folding

Looking for a way to add interest to your table for little to no money? Try one of these napkin folding ideas. Some can be used to frame a pretty flower or place card.





TODAY'S TABLE SETTING TRIVIA:
The Gauls and Romans used linen tablecloths, often colored. Guests brought their own napkins which they placed near their couches and which were used to carry the leftovers of their meals.

Table Settings Part 1~ Formal to Informal Settings

This week I thought I would approach the art of table settings since Thanksgiving and Christmas are the 2 most popular times to have a large sit down dinner. I hope you enjoy the variety of information and eye candy that I have gathered and I sure hope every single person learns at least one thing!

To Start off ~ here are some beautiful table settings from Formal to Informal for a Thanksgiving/Fall dinner.





TODAY'S TABLE SETTING TRIVIA:
Did you know that the importance of meals in the Judeo-Christian tradition contributed significantly to the development of the tablecloth?

**Please Check Back Next Week!**

Next week I have something planned for my blog for the entire week. Please check back, because I have worked hard gathering the pictures and information and I think that everyone may learn a little something and some may learn a lot!

I most likely will not be able to post on Saturday or Sunday because I have a lot of plans this weekend - but I wanted to leave you with a few more of my favorite fall photos ....just to get you in the mood for cooler weather...even if it is not here yet! ha ha...

Only in Texas!

I Love Scarecrows!

Enjoy!

Okay - Halloween Again!

This is not my photo, but one I kept because I could so easily incorporate it onto the outdoor staircase that leads to the second story of the barn!

I think this is the right time to post ideas and photos of Halloween things because most of us are crafters. As a crafter, you need time to gather materials for a project and most importantly, time to make it your own. That may mean taking someones idea as a starting point and then compleatly changing it to what works in your space! I put holiday decor out 1 month before the actual holiday.

Halloween on the Brain Today!

How cute is this????

Warning!

The next post is a poem that I wrote about a woman who had breast cancer. It is very emotional. If you have had breast cancer or are close to someone who has it, you may not want to read the poem.

Will Thou Love Her...

I undress in the darkness, hoping no one will see.
Only a scar is left, where my breast used to be.
I slip into the tub, with the door securely locked,
Assuring the view of my ugliness, is fully blocked.

I bear the scars of cancer, the cruelest beast alive,
He's trying to strike me down, with Chemotherapy at his side.
My body's frail, my hair is gone along with my strength,
But still I must stand and fight, and go to any length.

I rise up from the water, pulling a towel about my frame.
I wear a scarf around my head, to cover what cancer maimed.
I don a gown that covers me, as I crawl into our bed.
Under the covers and covered up, I turn away my head.

I think about my husband, how cheated he must feel.
A wife I've not been to him, my passions lost it's zeal.
He rolls over to hold me close. I try to get away.
How could he want me now, so ugly, thin and gray?

He turned me over, kissed my face, pulled the scarf from my head.
"Don't you know that you are beautiful in my eyes?" He said.
He unbuttoned my gown and took it off, as tears ran down my face.
He kissed my head and over my scar his fingers did trace.

"I care not about your hair, your weight, or your scar.
It is you whom I love, and that, no disease can mar!"

Trip to Tenn.

Yesterday I made a whirlwind 1 day trip to Greenfield TN. to see a couple of my horses. The basic plan was what I have done in the past; take the first flight out of Houston to Memphis, pick up a rental car, drive to the farm (2hour drive) spend 3-4 hours there, drive back and catch the last flight out. That was the plan anyway!

As you may (or may not know) this week is the aniversary of Elvis' death and apparently that is big stuff in TN! ...so although I could get a flight in and out of Memphis, I could not get a rental car in the airport. I ended up having to get a taxi to take me to an agency that was off airport property. After he left me there, the nice people at Enterprise told me that several customers had not returned their cars and they did not have one for me to rent! OMG - I thought ..I had just taken a vacation day and already flown in..and now this! One of the guys whispered to another worker that they did have a cargo van. The minute I heard him say that, I screamed,
"I'll take it!!! Two Days ago, I was pissed because I could not find a sports car to rent and now I am thrilled to drive a cargo van.....HAND OVER THE KEYS!"
"Can you drive a cargo van , Maam??" he stupidly asked.
"Honey, a couple of months ago I hauled a horse trailer filled with several horses in a 1 ton, crew cab, duelly from Texas to Tenn. Hell yes I can drive a little cargo van!...HAND OVER THE KEYS!"

The girls in the back were laughing hysterically. They gave me free gas and I was off. This was a van with 2 captain seats and nothing else! It was totally stripped out in the back other than a rubber mat on the floor. It did not even have windows down the side!

I was quite dressed up since it is required when employees travel and I had more than a few people look at me strange. The horse trainer laughed out loud when he saw it too, but in the end, it worked, got me to the farm and back and I even made the return flight without any problem!

***AND THE WINNER IS...

Kathleen Grace at Kathy's Cottage!!!

I printed out every ones name and cut it into equal sized strips and had one of my best friends here at work pick the winner. We had to use an empty tampon box since we could not find any other container...snicker snicker!

Kathy, please e-mail me and give me your mailing address so I can get your package into the mail!

Thank you everyone for participating! This was a lot of fun for me.

****Give Away Deadline****

Tomorrow night (15 August) at midnight is the deadline to submit your name for the book, cooking utensils, Swedish peas and recipe and the silver plated bread platter. Good Luck to all!

This is the FINAL list of names I have:
1. Amy @ Bunny Rose Cottage
2. Laurie @ Charming Designs
3. Melissa C @ My Guys Typepad
4. D @ Slices of Life
5. Lisa D @ Stashmaster
6. Nancy @ Near Phildelphia
7. Gayla @ Oatmeal & Whimsy
8. Terry & Bob @ Lakewood Manor
9. Sandy Mctier @ Dream, Create, Inspire
10. Debrak @ The Bunnies Bungalow
11. Cynthia @ Springmont Cottage
12. Kathleen Grace@ Kathy’s Cottage
13. Cindy @ My Romantic Home
14. Karen ~ No Blog **
15. Laurel Sauls ~ No Blog **
16. Kat @ Just a Beech Kat
17. Marie ~ No Blog **
18. Sharly ~ No Blog **
19. Kim ~ No Blog **
20. Cindy ~ No Blog **
21. Tamy ~ No Blog **
22. Linda @ Engraved in His Palm
23. Christina @ Mustard Seed
24. Robin Haas @ Happy House of Haas
25. Denise S @ A Little Bit of Fun
26. Gardengirl @ Writing with my Heart & Soul
27. Mrs. G @ Life at Number 17
28. Brenda @ Country Romance
29. KJ @ Eye Dyllic


** If you are one of the people who does not have a blog and you are the winner, you will have 1 week to contact me with your address or I will redraw for a new winner.

Saying Good-bye to Summer...

..or wishing it was close to that time anyway! Tomorrow I am going to Memphis for the day to see one of my horses that is in training. I thought it was hot here as we are hovering around 100. We may get a break though as a storm is brewing in the Gulf of Mexico. I was just told that it is even hotter in TN.! I love being outdoors. I love building and gardening projects and I love Summer...but when it gets this hot, I must admit that I start to long for Fall!

BTW - this is a picture of my youngest daughter Joy when she was about 3!

Madison and the Sand Box

This is one of the gifts I gave Madison for her birthday. I think she likes it!

Hermann Park ~ Houston, TX.

This bloom was as big as a dinner plate!




This is my favorite photo of the day!



Look what we found in the trunk of the tree!


Opps - should have pulled my pony tail around to the front. I am thinking I look bald in this picture!


Saturday, Dad and I spent most of the morning in Hermann Park. The Japanese Garden was beautiful and we discovered a little surprise as well!