People Over Pretty

I like to think of myself as a stage setter, arranging tablescapes and rooms to make for happy family times. This fourth of July was no exception, but rather than show you my center piece or describe my menus to you, I will share my most prized memories from the week. These involve people, not food or flowers.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the week:

Our youngest daughter and her family arrived first, and we took a walk in the drizzling rain at Mount Gretna,
capped off with hamburgers and ice cream at The Jigger Shop.

 Tuesday found us singing "Jesus Loves Me" while Great Grandma played.

Oregon Dairy's playground and farm animals were a hit in the middle of the week.

By July fourth, everyone was here to enjoy the swimming pool.

The kids enjoyed trying water pistols and showing the grandparent's new swimming skills.

THE highlight of the week was a visit to an Amish farm on Friday.

My husband's patient even hitched her horse to their buggy and gave us all buggy rides!

As the week progressed, all the adults tried to make each child feel special. Baseball games provided an opportunity.

Our first grandchild surprised all of us by routinely getting a hit on the first pitch!

Our second oldest grandchild, was so excited about his hit
 that he carried the bat on his way around the bases. 

Our third grandchild was so happy about his home-run, that he gave himself a spontaneous two-thumbs up!

Then our adorable 20-month old watched from the sidelines.
At the next reunion, he will be in the middle of any game which involves a ball.

We will have to wait and see how our youngest two grandchildren take to baseball.

It was work to keep everyone safe, fed, and happy...but now the house is sadly quiet. I would love to have a little boy come down from upstairs or up from downstairs to retrieve these toys that were left under the furniture.

These two figures were abandoned under a table, evidence of one of many make-believe games.

 Alas, it is not to be. I will have to live on my mental snapshots of priceless memories. They are more indelible than fading flowers or left-overs.

Clothing for Women of a Certain Age

I am no svelte model. My husband wishes I were, but alas, I am half-a-foot too short and 20-or-so-pounds "sterling" too heavy. However, after years of dressing myself and way too much time in front of dressing room mirrors discarding way too many options, I happened upon a few styles that minimize the negative and optimize the positive.

If I have your attention, let me introduce you to a few of my favorite designers.

I am an Oska groupie. I never thought of my style as "artsy", but I do love the edge of this German company. I chuckled when I read how Stefanie Schmitz (Design) described an Oska fan, "I see the Oska woman as a mature personality, who is individual and authentic in her attitude towards life. Humanity and a sense of culture make up her values."  Now, I could not tell you what it means to be "individual and authentic in your attitude towards life" nor how "humanity and sense of culture" could "make up values", but unfortunately, I do understand the "mature personality" bit.  Oh phooey, I don't care if the style is mature; I think it's cool!

My second go-to clothing company is PLANET. Lauren Grossman, this woman's apparel designer, describes her clothes as "inspired, soft, and flowing" with a Japanese aesthetic. I don't know about you, but I don't think only the mature woman would appreciate this style.

Finally, clothes by J McLaughlin are a bit more classic than pieces by Oska or PLANET, but they are timeless and make the wearer look timeless.

Sometimes you can find these designers' clothes on sale on the internet. If you do find something you like by any of these companies, on sale, in your size, snap them up. They launder and wear well. And, even if Madison Avenue uses young, beautiful women to model the three brands, take my word for it, they make even a middle-aged "broad" look and feel great.

Dinner Party for Old and New Besties

A grin spread across my face this morning when I read Mandi Smith T's "Interior Design Musings: Thinking Outside the Box". In this post, Mandi encourages creative living this summer. Her third of five suggestions is: "Host a dinner party and invite two couples you've never invited to your home. Don't stick with your besties on this one - step out." This is precisely what we are doing this evening.

From: InteriorDesignMusings.blogspot.com

First, we wanted to invite Bill's first and "bestie" partner, Dick,  and his wife, Ruth. Since Dick's retirement, we see them far too infrequently. As we were thinking about who else to include, we decided on two colleagues and their wives who have been fun social friends at various functions over the years. Profesionally, Dick and Bill worked with Alan and Brian daily, but we have never had them in our home for a meal.

I always tell myself to keep such an evening simple, but then when I scour food blogs and pull out possible table cloths and placemats, pottery and china, I usually end up using my best china and silver. After all, why not use it? I use the pottery everyday, and it is fun to enjoy the gifted finery.

That's how I ended up with my tablescape for this evening. As a base, I am using a ecru spread crocheted by my husband's aunt. What a treasure this gift of love is. I have never used it on a table before, but if Carolyn Roehm can repurpose matelasse spreads and wool paisley shawls, I can enjoy this handmade treasure in my dining room.

For china, I am using my husband's grandmother's plain white with gold banded china. No wonder brides are often encouraged to select a plain table service. Like a little-black-dress, classic white china is fabulous for any occasion and with any color scheme.

With tablecloth and china chosen, I next decided on the flowers. Thinking about the room as a whole, I decided the ecru spread with white flowers would play off the dining room's color scheme.

Daisies, azaleas, and spider mums fill in my brass footed cooler.

Three limes added to the foliage give a hint to a menu item to come.

I love arranging flowers, but they can be pesky at times. Last night quite late, I began the arrangement. When it was done, I placed it on the table and gave it the sight-line test. Oops, it was too tall to see over. So I began again. By this time the oasis had too many holes, but I managed to cut several inches off the stems and get the flowers into a semi-pave form.  The arrangement isn't my best, but it will pass-with-a-push.

What to serve is always a debate. Yesterday, I spent hours pouring over cookbooks and blogs, before arriving at a menu. Here's what's cookin':

Appetizer--Tomato juice cocktails, snowpeas filled with herbed cream cheese, cherry tomatoes stuffed with guacamole, and cucumber slices topped with humus.

From:  LifeasaStrawberry.com

From: www.epicurious.com

From:  The domesticanofJune.blogspot.com

Bread and salad course--homemade bread compliments of an Amish farm in Gap, PA. This soft yeast-flavored bread is so much better than anything I could bake, that it is worth a 10 mile hike to buy it!  It will be the perfect compliment to the lettuce, blackberry, pear and feta salad.

From: Goodlifeeats.com

For the main course, I will serve broiled halibut with lemon-herb topping over rice pilaf and carrot soufflé served in individual ramekins.

From: CookingLight.com

For dessert, I a serving key lime tarts with a dollop of coconut Italian gelato.

From: BarbaraBakes.com

Actually, the whole menu, flower arrangement, and color scheme derived from this dessert. On Wednesday, I had lunch with Anna in DC near the White House. We splurged and shared a yummy key lime mousse topped with coconut sorbet.  The combination of flavors was amazing, so I borrowed the idea and improvised.

From: www.chirinka.com.

Hopefully, our new "besties" will enjoy it as much as I did.

Peonies Evoke Happy Memories

The last week of May every year, peonies overtake our home. The subtly sweet fragrance always reminds me of our daughter, Anna's wedding. Two years before she was married, I ordered a variety of peonies from Martha Stewart and planted them at every fence post. By the time, Anna and Marcus got married the bushes were established and blooming profusely. That was eleven years ago today.

May 25, 2002 was a gorgeous sunny day. Our home was banked with peony blossoms. And at the church, huge peony topiaries graced the altar and a huge wreath of peonies filled in the chancel wall. The bridesmaids carried nosegays of pink peonies which showed up beautifully against their silver gray gowns. At the reception, the tables were stunning with 36 inch candle tapers surrounding the peony centerpieces. No wonder peony season always brings back a flood of happy memories.

Our garden features candy-striped peonies,

pink peonies,

and white peonies.

Here they are indoors:  in the living room,

in the sunroom,

between the kitchen and sunroom,

 on the kitchen island,

even in the library.

To me they are the perfect flower, perhaps because they have such a sweet association.  

"Happy Anniversary, Marcus and Anna."

The Level is in the Details

Appraisers may value a home by the square footage, but you and I know that not all spaces are equal. This modest home on a scant quarter acre may be small, but it's a little jewel. The cottage's proportions are pitch perfect, and its charm is in the details.

In the front of the house, there is an aged brass pineapple above the front door on the middle dormer. Did you notice the brass snow guards on the slate roof?  How about the stone retaining wall beside the driveway?

Were you drawn in by the charming gate welcoming you up the flagstone path? 

Less conspicuous, in the front of the home, are the copper gutter and the adorable mini-house for the garden hose.

After appreciating the details in front, you can circle around the house and see a handmade wooden water gutter 

and a tiny vine making a wonderful design on the aged brick side of the house. 

Come on back, because you will want to peak into the backyard. As you swing open the garden gate, be sure to see the bouquet of irises carved into the aged wood surface.

To the left in the backyard, aged boxwood give privacy. Isn't the stone statue a wonderful focal point?

In the center of the backyard fence-line are more boxwoods and some gorgeous specimen trees.

To the right, is a low brick-border wall delineating a flower bed.

How charming is the oxidized copper overhang, the lap-hinged door, and the trellis inviting you into the garage?

Notice how the back stairwell fencing mirrors the pattern of the gate in the front of the house.

Beside the house, a flagstone terrace is perfect for alfresco dining!

Before the meal, beverages are served on the redwood deck.

That is all of the garden tour, but as you leave take note of the row of mini boxwood. 

Finally, don't miss the shingle-roofed mail box on your way out of the drive.

We hope these charming details will encourage you to come back soon.