At Table

Slice some limes for your vase to bring out the flower colors.

Dear Blog Friends,

Is there anything better than being at table with family and friends to celebrate the rituals of life? How does your family celebrate? Do you hold hands and say a prayer? Laugh? Tell stories? Toast?

We are all at table on holidays like Easter, Passover, Christmas, and Thanksgiving, and one of the things I've always loved doing over the years as I have partaken with family and friends is observing how different families celebrate. (And I make mental notes; more writing material!)

As the chapters of our lives change, so do the sizes and style of our celebrations. My own table celebrations have evolved, and I wouldn't change that fact for anything, because they are all fond memories. No matter if I've dressed a welcoming table for eight that becomes filled with laughter and stories once guests arrive, or made an intimate toast with my hubby Steve over a romantic flickering candle and a glass of Martinelli's "faux champagne"--I enjoy the spirit of celebration at table.

Here was our Easter Table for Two yesterday. (Click on the photo to enlarge and take a look at those YUMMY hydrangeas!) What was yours like?

Beauty is in the table details, like this sweet butter dish I found at Marshall's for under $5, no less. (Home Goods has them too and there are also water pitchers, platters, canisters etc. to go with it.) The butter knife is a gift to me from my hubby during one of our La Jolla Farmer's Market trips. An artist makes the beautifully designed ceramic handles on all kinds of utensils.

The rest of my table included my antique rose china that hubby Steve and I found years ago while poking around in an antiques store in Iowa, new rose charger plates from Marshall's with a pop of fresh lime green color to go with the green in the real hydrangeas on the table, and yes, a bubbly champagne glass of Martinelli's served in glasses that were wedding gifts long ago. My table definitely tells a story. Does yours?

After attending church, Hubby Steve grilled fresh salmon and I made a summery salad that included plump berries and spinach leaves, tossed with a delectable dressing of sour cream, honey, and orange juice which is a recipe from a friend I've been blessed to know for years. More memories. Before partaking at our table yesterday, my hubby and I held hands and said a prayer of thanks for all our blessings.

All that being said, I don't save up celebrating at table just for holidays. I live pretty much like this almost every day. Why? Because I love being at table in the ho-hum and hum-drum of everyday life, and I believe in turning even Lean Cuisine for one...into an artful celebration.

'Til Next Time,

Enjoy your time at table!

:) Kathryn
http://www.kathrynbechenink.com/