Sunday, November 27, 2022

A Gathering of Friends




G a t h e r
This is the power of gathering:  
it inspires us, delightfully, to be more hopeful, 
more joyful, more thoughtful:  in a word, more alive.   
~ Alice Waters

Tradition 1
Our Thanksgiving table has always been set to host 
as many friends who might want to gather.

Tradition 2
We always pardon the turkey!

This year was an intimate gathering with three friends.
There were stories told, memories shared, laughter, and a few tears.

We started with baked brie en croute with fig.
I buy these prepared by our local Central Market, but this
is a quick and easy appetizer to prepare yourself at home.

As is my style, a touch of whimsy was added to the gathering
with the presence of a few foxy characters.
Meet Ember, a dapper resident of our holiday stash.

I chose a set of vintage Churchill, Made in England, dinner plates. 
This equestrian series, Country Life, was last produced in the 1990s. Each of the dinner plates depicts a scene entitled, "The Meet".  
The "Meet" was representative of friends gathering together, 
but rest assured, there were no foxes in any danger. 

The centerpiece was a low oval antique ironstone bowl filled with 
a mix of alstroemeria, roses, and magnolia leaves, 
all sourced last minute at the grocery store.

There were four of us at the table, and I chose our green Zrike chargers to frame the pretty transfer ware plates, adding in our 
Christofle Talisman silverware.

Favorite colored stems always add a touch of interest and elegance.
The orange champagne flutes were spotted by a
friend while out thrifting, and she generously gifted them to me.  
The amber Denby stems were part of our wedding registry.

Antique English tartan ware napkin rings
 add an authentic touch to the theme of the table.

The beautiful linen napkins embellished with pine cone
embroidery are from my favorite linen source,
Dinner, prepared by my friend, Judy, was both delicious and colorful.
Pork Tender ~ Roasted Sweet Potatoes ~ Brussel Sprouts ~ Kale Salad

A stack of antique Myott Son and Co. Made in England 
dessert plates in Rosemary, stood by at the ready for dessert.

A slice of delicious and authentic French Tarte Tatin 
was served and offered the perfect ending.
I say authentic because our French guest, 
Diane, prepared our dessert.

Thank you for "gathering" with me 
for a recap of my 2022 Thanksgiving Table.
My husband lived his life with intelectual curiosity, 
humility, and gratitude.  He always put others first.

I am grateful!
Joining
Sarah
Sarah

The summer we married, my husband was in graduate school, and I was employed as a teacher. We took a portion of our savings that summer and purchased a sailboat. We christened our Catalina 22, “Hyacinths For The Soul” after Saadi’s poem. Our "Hyacinths" provided years of pleasure.

16 comments:

  1. Sarah , what struck me like a thunderbolt was the placeholder withe the card marked ‘gratitude’. That is a testament to your husband as well as yourself. Thank you for this post. It is inspiring to all of us who are going through or have gone through grief.

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  2. Sarah, such beauty. Wonderful table setting and meal for Thanksgiving. I love Ember the fox, your stemware and the Christofle tools. Your floral arrangement is so well done. Thank you for sharing your beautiful collections and time spent with friends. Even in grief, you show grace.

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  3. Sarah, your stunning table highlighted with gratitude warms my heart. There is such beauty in this table that you shared with friends. Rita sums it up perfectly, “Even in grief, you show grace.” Much love to you, dear one.

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  4. I was so happy to find your post in my email this morning Sarah! I am so thankful you wanted to host your friends for a special Thanksgiving and set a beautiful classic "Sarah" table! You always style such beautiful vignettes, and I love your fox and all the special touches. Your gratitude fills my heart with gratitude that I am your friend, and your strength and poise is inspirational...you turned a day which could have been full of sadness into a day of gladness!
    Jenna

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  5. I am so impressed you took the time to gather and be grateful.In your personal beautiful way.those little munchkins at the top made me smile.I forget the name of that collection..but how infinitely whimsical.we are grateful for you.I’ll never forget Monnie writing his bread recipe for me.And I will never stop making his gazpacho.Moniquexx

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  6. Dearest Sarah,
    Yes, looking back on this very fast–paced year, we have so much to be grateful for!
    Thanksgiving was only for us à deux and nothing special as we never have joined the turkey craze. We went to Mass for saying our gratitude.
    Lovely Christofle Talisman silverware! Reminds me of my sale of antique Christofle knife rests and now I only have two unboxed sets of 6 left...
    Makes me happy to see that people seem to dine more at home and put something in it for gracing their table!
    You did so well here and your friends Judy and Diane were great culinary Chefs!
    Big hugs,
    Mariette

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  7. GORGEOUS. I love the beautiful bouquets

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  8. What a lovely post! I am glad you shared it with your friends.

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  9. Such a beautiful table and food Sarah. I am so glad your friends joined you for this grateful day. Your collections always amaze me. Your dishware and stemware is lovely. How special to laugh, cry and relive special moments. Hugs

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  10. It was so nice to receive your post on my email, dear Sarah. How wonderful to share your Thanksgiving with lovely friends and to hold memories close to your heart.

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  11. It was so nice to receive your post on my email Sarah. I am grateful for you my dear friend, and am glad you were able to gather with your friends.

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  12. Sarah... your pics should be in a magazine! One is prettier than the next. Enjoy your week.

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  13. Sarah, You've been on my mind and in my heart and I was happy to see a post from you. Your flowers arrangement is beautiful as are your collections and place settings. I love Ember the fox. :) So glad you had a wonderful meal prepared and shared with your friends. Thinking of you. ♥

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  14. Beautiful setting and theme. I especially like the vintage Churchill dinnerplates.

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  15. I adore your wreath - so lovely! The dinner menu and dessert looked delish - - and if you ever find those orange flutes missing, it wasn't me who snuck into your home and took them!!! HAHA. Beautiful dishes, too!!

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  16. What a dazzlingly beautiful Thanksgiving and I know your friends were thankful to be a part of it. The table and food are both gorgeous! Love that beautiful china and all the whimsical Sarah touches. That wreath is a winner and I'm thinking I might have to try that brie croute! So glad to see you posting, Sarah! Onward to December!

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