A Picnic and a Giveaway

We know autumn is here when we make our annual trip to the northernmost reaches of New Hampshire, where the state bumps into Canada in an area whose national identity was still in dispute well into the 1800s. click here to read about The Republic of Indian Stream Here, the majestic Connecticut River starts as a spring on the Canadian…

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Sunflower Harvest

3000 B.C. ~~ long before we were using the glorious SUNFLOWER to adorn our dishes and tabletops ~~  ~~ and long before van Gogh and O’Keeffe were inspired by its beauty ~~ van Gogh O’Keeffe ~~ Native Americans in the southwest had domesticated it and were pounding and squeezing its seeds into flour and oil, and using various parts of the plant for…

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Fun in the Sand

You all know by now that I love the beach  ~~ gentle waves, soft breezes, birds, crabs, shells ~~  and especially the way the warm sand feels on bare feet.  Keeping the sand out of our clothes, bags, books  and even food was once a battle for me.    But I have learned to make peace with those tiny grains…

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Escape to the Cape Table

What do you see when you close your eyes and drift away on a little beach break?   White tropical sands and palm trees?  Waves crashing on rocky coasts?  Pink shells?  Jellyfish?   A place to run with your best friend?    Cape Cod in Massachusetts extends an arm around the bay protecting Boston, creating in its interior beautiful beaches…

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Me, Me and Me Again

Can you describe your “style” in one word?  Long ago and far away, when I was just out of college and we were heading to law school, I used a few of my precious extra pennies to purchase the first issue of Country Living on the newsstand, and spent many months studying every photo and article.  Of course, at that…

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Time to Unwind

Even though the temps are very low and the wind is blowing, I can’t stay inside when my pretty pink tree is blooming. It is packed with blossoms now. Mr. Fun has been working round the clock and needs a place to unwind, and I know just the spot. Here he can pay some attention to his lovely wife 🙂…

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Dishing for My Earthlings

I can become a little obsessed with choosing the right dishes, linens and glassware for my table, but I am more interested in the quality of the food that goes onto those dishes.  And although I am not a “chef” mom by nature, when the kids are home I am even more conscious of our food choices. We have tried…

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Let’s Dish With Portmeirion and Tulips!

What says “Cuisine Kathleen” to you  more than GREEN ?     Did I hear incredible bargain ??? Or dishes  ?   In honor of the hostess of our new party  (I’m so excited about another dish party  I am shaking …. after all this is the reason I felt compelled to join the blogging world!) I set my table with everything green or …

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Irish Cloche

“Sir,” I asked in my most polite English, “are these cloches made here in Williamsburg?”   “Madam,” he exclaimed, “we are quite suspicious of strangers who so freely speak with French phrases, and do not take kindly to the French in our midst.  If you are referring to the bell glass, they are made nearby in Jamestown.”   The actors…

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