Saturday, June 4, 2011

May I Overwhelm You For A While?

I am overwhelmed! So, I am warning you. If you do not want to get overwhelmed, you may stop reading my post right now. I thought I would never finish creating this. It took forever but I had to keep going because I did not want to miss The Tablescaper's party "Where Do You Keep It All?"

I will start with this French provincial cabinet in the formal dining room because it is my favorite. In fact, I am on the lookout for another one exactly like it. I would love to buy another one.


On the left side of the cabinet is a small French cabinet. It holds salt and pepper shakers. On top of it is a Noritake "Nippon Toki Kaisha" tea and dessert set.


The wooden flatware box holds a place settings of 12 silver plated Baroque flatware.


I like how it looks but most especially, I like it because it holds a lot of dishes and I don't have to worry about their weight. And it keeps me organized. There are at least 14 sets of dinnerware here.




If you want to see how others store their dishes, please visit The Tablescaper at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/


If you think I have more than enough dishes, you ought to check out her post.



I am also linking with


Carrie for Amaze me Mondays at http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/
Marty for tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/
and Kim's Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/




Now, let's go to the kitchen but we will go back to the dining room later.



This is the cabinet that I bought from Nancy of Nancy's Daily Dish. I fell in love with it the first time I saw it because I knew it would hold a lot. After you see this post, you will see why I need a lot of big storage cabinets. I filled it right away from the top to the drawers at the bottom.


This black hutch is also in the kitchen. It holds, you guessed it, more dishes, lol! All the drawers are full too and so is the top and the bottom cabinets. It's a long story but I got this cabinet for free.
This is right across from the black cabinet. It does not hold a lot but it helps!
This small cabinet with lots of drawers holds most of my napkin rings and placecard holders and it is full.
Of course I also use built in kitchen cabinets to store more dishes. Here is my coffee nook. Above it are our everyday glassware. I hate plastic cups but I have to keep them because hubby uses those big ones. He is a Diet coke addict and he pours 2 cans at once. I better keep them, after all, he foots the bill since I do not work. I better be nice to him because you know I can shop and boy, do I shop!!! LOL! In the cabinet below are mostly Polish pottery that will not fit in the black hutch, and then some.

These are our everyday dishes. As you can see, there is an open space there. That's because we just used the plates that were there and they are in the dishwasher now.


The dishwasher is a perfect storage place too and the tables? Why else do you think I always create tablescapes?


I even have to use the counter top of the island to store more plates. I use iron and wire racks, cloche and baskets to make them look more decorative. This is like a holding pattern. They stay there until I find a place to store them. Under the island holds a lot and it is full. I have plate chargers there too, bowls, baking dishes, etc. I like to store bigger items there.
On the right side of the TV is a flatware box which holds 3 sets of flatware. You will see my "Napoleon Bee" set on top and a pewter and silver plated sets in the drawers.


In the corner before getting to the wet bar, is this little glass pedestal cabinet. It holds wine glasses and goblets.


Enter the bar and you will see more glasses on the counter top, the bottom cabinets and a rack on top.
This is in the laundry room which is just off of the kitchen. This used to be a broom cabinet that I converted to a charger plate storage. I had our handyman, good ole Mitch, install shelves. I have goblets behind the charger plates and the bottom shelf is full of candle holders.
I told you we will go back to the dining room.


Here is another one of my favorite, a corner china cabinet. It holds my favorite dishes, various antique Tirschenreuth Bavarian dishes, Johann Haviland's "Brown Rose", platinum and gold Greek key rimmed Bavarian dishes and A. Laternier Limoges "Bird of Paradise" set.
This is a French buffet, also in the dining room. On each side with glass doors are more wine crystals and goblets. The top drawer holds my "Siam" flatware set and the cabinet below holds more charger plates and placemats.
Another china cabinet in the dining room is this little oak one. It just holds more dishes and Mexican margarita glasses. Above the cabinet are various salt and pepper shakers and a Quimper teaset.
Across from the oak cabinet is this little corner cabinet. On top of it are my "Lion" flatware set, a lion silver plated wine cooler bucket, sterling silver lion salt cellar and spoon set , a lion syrup server, Bavarian Tirschenreuth teapot and a Meissen compote.


Inside the cabinet are oval serving trays, more Johann Haviland's "Brown Rose" and Warvel dinnerware set.
Then I just have this tray table next to the tall corner cabinet where I am storing more teapots, tea cups and my set of mermaid glasses and pitcher and other miscellaneous items.



Right outside the dining room is the foyer and in the drawer of the console there, I keep some napkins. The bottom cabinet holds more teapots, my Spode "Emma's Garland" set and some other dishes.


I am not storing dinner stuff in the formal living room except in the little buffet server. On it is my Tracy Porter "Artesian" tea set and in the drawers are more plates.


I use table tops too to store plates and teasets decoratively.
Ok, now we are in the family room. We have this china cabinet there that holds some of my favorites, the flow blue and some Bavarian dishes and teasets and more crystals and glasses. As you can see, I store more stuff on top too, including a beverage server, a punch bowl and some pottery.
And you thought I had too much flatware sets? LOL! Here is our coffee table in the family room. It has 8 drawers on both sides and all 16 drawers are filled with flatware, well, except for one which I use to store my bigger napkin rings that would not fit in my tiny drawers in the kitchen.
Our TV stand is really a buffet server. We wanted something higher because we recline when we watch TV so this serves the purpose. Only one cabinet (the one on the right) holds TV stuff, dvd's etc. All the rest holds more table stuff.


The top holds a silver plated set. The bottom drawers and the left cabinet holds more dinner sets. Now we're in the hallway. We have this book case and I use the top to store my bulky cake plates and big bowls. The bottom cabinets hold my table linens, more napkins, tablecloths and placemats.
Under the doll cabinet are more table linens. I think I have been doing pretty good for not letting my dishes invade the bedrooms, YET, except for this computer armoire in the guest room. I am using the file drawer to store my Alice in Wonderland tea set, that I am still trying to complete piece by piece. Two shelves on the left side of the cabinet have more plates.



More miscellaneous storage. The top of the cabinets in the kitchen holds soup tureens and other bulky stuff, more dishes in more cabinets in the kichen and also the refrigerator top.



In spite of all my storage cabinets, I still have plenty of dishes in the garage that I cannot find room for inside the house. Do you see the door on the left side of this shelves? It is a walk in closet.

Now, we are in the walk in closet.

And yes, I have more dishes and stemware here, some of them still in boxes.
And to think that I still keep buying. When I go to a store, I head straight to the home goods section. I am just lucky that my hubby is so nice for letting me buy anything I want. He never complains nor stops me, in fact, he even encourages me most of the time.


Whew! I thought I will never finish. I hope I am not too late for the party but it seems like it took me forever to create this post. Thank you so much for your patience in viewing and thanks to The Tablescaper, Marty and Kim for hosting such fun memes.

Friday, June 3, 2011

The Briars and It's Pink!

I am going to show you my second trip to Natchez. The purpose was to look for a house to move to since dh was just offered a job. At that time, John was on call 24/7 at his existing job time and he could not accompany me so I took my daughter, SIL and grandaughter AJ with me.




The hospital placed us at The Briars, a bed and breakfast, which is situated in 19 acres. It's pink, in fact, there are a lot of pinks in this post so I am linking with Beverly for Pink Saturday at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/


The Briars, built in 1818, is probably most famous for being the location of Jefferson Davis' wedding to his second wife,Varina Howell in 1845. Varina's parents were renting the place at the time. I am sure most of you know that Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederate States of America, from Feb. 18, 1861 to May 5, 1865.


They put us in their most spacious suite which is in another building. We had 2 bedrooms, this huge living area and a full kitchen. The bedrooms were big too, with walk in closets and their own bathrooms.

There is AJ watching TV.
We even had our own screened in porch.














I had AJ sleep with me cause I was afraid to sleep alone. Do you see those 2 big orbs? I hope they aren't spirits, lol. Good thing I saw the pictures after we already got home or I might not been able to sleep in this room.






Since we were guests there, we were allowed to tour the main antebellum house. This is the front porch.




More orbs here, one on my daughter's left arm and the other above her head.


AJ had a lot of fun. That other pink building down there is where the dining room is so that is where we ate breakfast. There's also a gift shop there.


The grounds were magnificent. They had a boardwalk leading to a scenic view of the Mississippi River and and the bridge connecting Natchez to Vidalia, LA.


Notice AJ wearing pink.




Insn't this just a picturesque view? Do you see all the kudzus? They are very prevalent here especially on the bluffs.


Close up of some kudzus.


AJ must have been around 8 here.



Aren't the grounds just lovely and magnificent? It has over 1000 azaleas. Can you just imagine how it looks in the early spring?



During that stay, we also toured the Rosalie for the first time, another antebellum house that is full of history. I won't show you more pictures because I have blogged about the Rosalie before when I took the Mississippi Southern Belles there during our MS bloggers get together. And of course I had to ring the bell afterwards, lol.


Isn't the pink bowl pretty?



Thanks, Beverly for hosting.

And thank y'all for stopping by!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

A Carnival Birthday Party

I am in Texas right now accompanying my friend for her medical appointment and I did not have any posting ready for Tablescape Thursday. But I have pictures
downloaded in my laptop from my trip to Fort Myers last Feb. to attend my grandson's first birthday. I thought I would post the tables that were set up for the party,


Here are the cupcakes my daughter and I made.

My daughter printed pictures of Nathan from the time he was born and every month thereafter and pasted them on paper balloons to post on the wall. Below are the first 6 months.





Here is the "sweets" table in between the kitchen and family room.


Here are the following 6 months photos.


I have to give most of the credit to my daughter. She did most of everything and a lot of the decor came from her ideas. I just helped and did the buffet setting. My son said that she was the one who inherited my baking talent. Yep, I can really bake but not cook very well. I do try though.


Decorated marshmallows




Party favors for the kids and the cake for the birthday boy.





We set the dining table in the formal area for the main courses. Tina's sister in law created the banner.

I couldn't figure out what to put on the table but we wanted to make it look like a circus. I saw this red wooden box with punched animals on each side in Nathan's bedroom. It's actually a night light. I took it and placed it on a wrapped empty box for some height, and used that as a centerpiece. I remember taping balloons on it later in the day but somehow, I cannot find a picture with the balloons.




Then I swagged some streamers around the table.







The birthday boy hated his hat, lol, but he loved his cake.


They served shish kabobs, Filipino noodles (pancit), Filipino egg rolls (lumpia), veggies and home made dip and fruit salad.








The kids had a lot of fun. And so did the adults.



We had carnival games set up for the kids and they won tickets that they could later redeem for various gifts. I had to drink a lot of diet cokes just so they can have empty cans to use for the cardboard clown heads that the kids targeted with guns with ball bullets, lol. AJ looks so grown up being in charge of one of the game booths.


Nathan just had his immunization shot the day before so he was feverish on and off but he had a lot of fun especially playing with the ball.



Below are my three kids. It's very hard for me to take their pictures while they are all together now so I took this opportunity.


I had posted this picture on Facebook. I also took this oppotunity to have my picture taken with my three grandkids. They are growing so fast especially AJ. She will be a teenager soon.



I am linking with


Susan's Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/


and Michael's Foodie Friday at http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/


Thank you girls, for hosting and thanks to all who visits!

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