Dinner Party after Mothers Day

Aren't these the most BEAUTIFUL flowers you have ever seen?

My husband's grandson made his 1st Holy Communion this past weekend &
these are the floral arrangements used on each table at the party
his parents held for him at Portage Country Club.

The tops of the vases were removable containers so that
the majority of the arrangement could be carried home.
They were created by Klaus at Wildflower Floristry.
Didn't he do a spectacular job?
I just ♥ them!!!!
My beautiful DIL presented each of the mothers with their own
arrangement to take home after the party.


Wasn't that just the nicest gesture? Thank you, Abby!!!!

The view of the golf course out the dining room windows.
I have more photos to share of the gorgeous country club
later on this week.

I placed mine on top of one of my crystal cake pedestals to elevate it a wee bit.

Then I promptly set the dining room table &

invited friends to join us for supper the following evening.

I didn't want to *waste* such a gorgeous centerpiece!! LOL

I set the table with my "Eternal" china by Lenox
which is my best set.

I've embedded a youtube video at the bottom of this post
to show how to make the above *Crown* napkin fold.
Its the same as used for the *Bishop*, seen HERE only its laying down.

I mix & match my Lenox by adding their "Jacquard" pattern for salad plates.
I have accessories in both patterns so it makes for a bit of variety.

The stemware is from an antique shop as well as a thrift store.
I bought them at different times but was thrilled to see how well they work together.

Jacquard pattern on the gravy boat.
I made chicken with artichoke hearts & this held extra sauce.
I'll share the recipe for that soon.
It was from a cooking class I took about 20 years ago.

Wish you could smell these pretty roses!

The buttery creme candles were ones I had on hand.
I must make a note to get more of this soft pretty color.
I love them!

Can you see the rose reflected in the bowl of the spoon?

Tiny little salt cellar with teeny-tiny-itty-bitty ornately carved silver spoon.

The flatware is the Napoleon bee pattern
available at both Horchow & Neiman Marcus.

I ran to the store & bought the cake you see below.
I removed the hard sugar flowers they had at each corner &
added freshly washed lilac sprigs.
These are from my own tree so I know they have not been sprayed with chemicals.

This square cake plate is antique American Fostoria cut glass.
They don't make them like this anymore, especially here in America.
It is a true piece of history. Its VERY heavy!!

Most pieces in the Fostoria American pattern are clear with few exceptions.
Fostoria American glass has a smooth finish because pieces were returned to the furnace to
soften the edges, a process called a fire polished surface.
Whitehall Indiana glass has a rough finish because the pieces were not fire polished.
Count at least three mold marks.
The majority of Fostoria American glass has three seams with a few rare exceptions.
Whitehall usually has two seams.
Identify Fostoria American glass by the ground bottom.
Feel for a flat, level base as opposed to a pressed bottom.

Look for clarity as an indicator of quality.

Fostoria American is Elegant glass, meaning it was more costly to

produce and always considered quality glass.

Jeanette Cube glass is Depression-era glass,

meaning it was cheaper to make and originally considered to be glass of lesser quality.

So hold the piece up, if it is transparent, then it's Fostoria.

If wavy lines are visible, it's Jeanette.

Inhale deeply...ahhhh!
I hope you're not allergic!

I set up my sofa table as the dessert station &
gathered more of my lilacs into a pitcher with baby's breath.
They smell soooo nice!

The dessert plates are *Presentation* by Lenox.

I love how the floral arrangement looks with the sun streaming through it!

Just before we sat down,
I moved the centerpiece to the buffet &
placed a single, long-stemmed yellow rose
in a tall narrow vase in its place.
Of course by that time, I was running around trying to
get the food on the table while it was hot so
I never got a picture.

Thanks for visiting the Gazebo House &
allowing me to share my

impromptu dinner party.
Everyone seemed to have a good time &
didn't mind the "last minute" invite.
Sometimes those are the best of times!

I'll be linking up with Susan's beautiful blog

Between Naps on the Porch

fondly,