A Week-Night Setting

Sitting down together as a family at a table has been proven to not only bring families closer together, but improves a myriad of behaviors in children and adolescents.  Meals prepared at home are usually more nutritious, and the relaxed atmosphere certainly helps with unwinding after a long day at work or school.  With this in mind, I attempt to have a healthy, hot meal at least 4 nights a week.  In reality, one of those nights might be Chinese take-out, and one night might be soup and sandwiches.  I am always looking for easy recipes for the crock pot, and I have mastered several 'almost' homemade meals.

If my son, who is still at home, is eating elsewhere, I simply don't want to cook.  He eats with his football team on Thursday nights, he has his football game on Friday nights, so he grabs something after school and after the game, and on Saturday nights he eats out with his friends.  That leaves Sunday through Wednesday.  I find myself not wanting to prepare a meal if no one is going to be home but my husband and myself.  What will happen next year when it's just the two of us at home all the time?   I need some suggestions...

I love red, especially the deep reds of fall.  Found these taupe and white dishes at Goodwill.

These Ralph Lauren paisley napkins had the perfect colors to tie everything together.

The glasses and stems are Mikasa Park Lane.

The charger plates are from TJ Maxx.

The centerpiece pumpkin came from a local gift shop that's now closed, and the little bird S&P shakers are from Pier 1.  White candle holders are from Home Goods.

The centerpiece pumpkin sits atop a cake plate, and I used oak-leaf hydrangea leaves as a base.

Candlelight . . .



Football moms usually prepare or at least serve dinners on Thursday nights.  My job for this week was to make a snack mix called White Trash, named this because it was originally mixed together in a trash bag.

1 (12 oz) box Crispix cereal

1 (12 oz) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 (12 oz) jar of creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pound confectioners sugar

Place cereal in a large bowl.  Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter, butter and vanilla over low heat or in microwave.  Cool slightly and pour over cereal.  Mix well.  Add confectioners sugar and stir until coated.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  Enjoy!



One more pic...

Can't wait to hear from you!  I'm still striving for A Perfect Setting!!





A Perfect Setting for Today

My blog is called A Perfect Setting.  I feel that it's a bit ironic, because there is nothing perfect about me.  I have been blessed with a great family, good health, a lovely home, and wonderful friends.  Perfection?  No.  I could list all the imperfections, but I'm afraid that even my loyal readers would be scared off at the length of that blog.  So for a few hours a week, I concentrate on what I enjoy and hope others like it, but, if not, it's ok.  I recently read something that asked, "What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?"  That got me thinking of the quote by Dr. Seuss, "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

It's been a busy weekend.  It was my son's Homecoming, and he helped coach the senior girls for the Powderpuff football game.  The senior girls won, and he warned us that the juniors might come toilet paper our home.  We kept vigil a good part of the night, and we did hear them, and we were able to scare them away.  We thought we were home free.  Saturday night was the Homecoming Dance, and we helped serve a group dinner.  We came home and went to bed around 11 pm, woke up Sunday morning and this is what we saw!

I bet you can guess what my son did Sunday afternoon!

On to tablescapes, it's been hectic, so this week's 'scape is simple and calming, a tone-on-tone look, not a shade of orange or brown anywhere!

I used my mercury-glass look pumpkin on a silver tray, with white berries as a centerpiece.

The plates and salad bowls are Mikasa English Countryside.

Silverplate is Rondevu by Towle.

Charger plates were purchased at TJ Maxx.

Napkins were my Mom's.

Salt cellars were my Mom's.

 Wine glasses are etched with a pretty floral pattern.

Lighting the candles...

That's it for today, thanks for stopping by, let me hear from you!!  I am striving for A PERFECT SETTING!!

 

A Perfect Setting for October

The temperatures have been soaring in the past few days.  We may have even broken a few records for this time of year.  Summer's winding down, but if you'd stepped outside in the last few days, you'd never know it.  Let's do a casual dinner outside!  By evening, the temperatures will be mild, there's no humidity, and before we know it, we'll be stuck inside going stir-crazy!  This was on my mind as I set the table in the backyard.

The table is set early, but the pictures had to wait until the sun was just right--so many shadows!

Napkins are old, and were my Mom's.  Sun napkin rings were purchased at Stein Mart many years ago. 

Large square sunflower plates were on sale at TJ Maxx.

The green "leaf" plates, as I call them, were purchased at Marshall's.  I found four, wish I could find more!

I love these pumpkin soup tureens, and I have been searching for them for weeks.  Had to go to several TJ Maxx stores in two different cities to find eight of them!

I found these metal pumpkin candle holders at Big Lots.  I used ivy and rosehips from the yard to decorate them, along with a round votive.

Flatware was also my Mom's stainless pattern.  Little votive candleholders came from the Dollar Store many years ago.

Glasses are a bit "glitzy" for this setting, but the gold leaves are so 'fall-ish'.  They were also my Mom's.

Little birds adorn the tabletop, and were purchased at Michaels.

Cut glass vase for centerpiece was also my Mom's.

Just getting ready to go inside to prepare dinner, when the trainer at my son's school called.  He had injured his hand at football practice, so off we went to the emergency room.  Luckily, no broken bones, just a bad contusion.  So much for dinner... By the time we got back home, it was dark.  Very dark.  Dinner was Chinese take-out, but the candles were lit and photographs were taken anyway!

Goodnight!!  Thanks for visiting, and any tidbits you'd like to leave would be appreciated, as I strive to attain A PERFECT SETTING!