Tablescape Thursday ~ We Want To Be Alone!

My husband and I should be empty-nesters by now, but not only do we still have grown children living under our roof, we also have our four-year-old grandson sharing our lives and our home with us. And while it's very nice to have a fun-filled house, on the rare occasions when we have a quiet house, it is most welcome!

On this quiet late summer afternoon we decided to do an early dinner. My husband popped in a movie and I set up a little tablescape on the big ottoman in the livingroom.




First I set down a beautiful table runner that my husband's grandmother had embroidered.







Then I used the dinner plates we had recently purchased from the Williams-Sonoma Outlet store for only $3.99 each!



I love how the swirl design of the dishes mimics the swirl design of the embroidery pattern.





Not only was I drawn to the soft swirl design when I spotted these dishes on the store shelves, I also loved the colors and the price was right, so I just had to have these plates!





I loved both the yellow and the blue and I was having a hard time deciding which color to purchase. I don't have any blue in my kitchen, and the yellow was much better suited to coordinate with dishes I already own, but the soft blue was calling to me. In the end I went with yellow for the dinner plates and blue for the salad/dessert plates.






The flatware is our everyday set purchased from Target.






The napkins and napkin rings were all purchased at the Pottery Barn Outlet store. The napkins were $1.97 each, and the rings were only ninety-seven cents each! I love the napkins, but I'm not really all that fond of monkey napkin rings, but at that price I couldn't pass up these little guys!


I guess I can always try to hide them under the napkin, but...

...they are really growing on me!







The glassware we're using are two Ravenhead English Dimple Pint Beer Mugs purchased years ago at a local church White Elephant Sale. We won't be drinking beer though, it will be lemonade with dinner for my husband, and iced tea is my choice.






The centerpiece is just a simple trunk candle purchased from Pottery Barn for $3.95. As late afternoon turns into evening, this candle will be lit and we'll sip a nice after dinner grappa to enjoy with our dessert.





Wait a minute! What's this little smiling dimpled face peeking at me from behind those dimpled beer mugs?
When did the rest of the crew sneak back into the house?!
Oh well, I guess we'll be setting a few more places for our early 'alone time' dinner! And I guess we'll be popping a Disney movie in to watch, and dessert will be ice cream sundaes instead of grappa. (Sigh)

But that's okay.

My husband and I both know how truly Blessed we are to be surrounded by the joyful noise of family, (and we also know how Blessed we are to survive the strain of all this joy), we really do live a fairy-tale life, but I still think it doesn't hurt to have a tangible reminder sitting and staring us in the face:

Please join Susan @ Between Naps On The Porch, she is the hostess of Tablescape Thursday, go here to view all the participants beautiful dishes and unique tablescape creations.