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A French-Inspired Garden and Home by Judith Stringham

Friday, May 24, 2013

Patriotic~Red, White, Bleu

Hurrah for the 
Red, White, & Bleu 
all summer long...

May 26 ~~~ Memorial Day
June 14 ~~~ Flag Day
July 4 ~~~ Independence Day
July 14 ~~~ Bastille Day
of course, a little French has to be included
September 2 ~~~ Labor Day

A celebration table that will 
set the joie de vivre for any of our patriotic holidays...
Just seeing red, white, and blue cheers me!
Hurrah for the red, white, and blue, 
may it wave as our banner forever...

Holidays bring families together 
to enjoy good food, to enjoy laughter, and 
to enjoy swapping stories.

To show how important families are to us, 
we set tables with special dishes and decor.

The table runner is two kitchen towels from France.
I mixed the unexpected red dominoes with
traditional themes of stars and stripes for a fun table 
and as a reminder of fun games to come later this day. 

Lots of memories of good times/jokes recanted to 
young, old, new to the family, those who
just want to hear it again...
"Mr. J took a bite of Mrs. J's ice cream, 
when she asked for a bite of his in return, 
he said, 'close your eyes, open wide,' 
and gave her a BIG spoonful...
of MAYONNAISE."

Most of us do not have 
sets and sets of dishes to create 
a multi-layered place setting.
The red, white, and blue striped layer is 
a french fries paper holder from World Market. 

Flags and flowers...
The American and French flags are in an 
antique blue bottle.

White flowers, red berries, and blue stars...

Place cards are homemade using white card stock 
trimmed with deckle-edge scissors and
decorated with US Postage stamps.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~Justice~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~Equality~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~Freedom~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~Liberty~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words that describe ideals we hold dear...

The fleur de lis is a nod to 
the French who celebrate 
the French National Day of independence, 
known as Bastille Day, 
on July 14.

Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
The national motto of France...

Stories of aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, babies... 
AND
Stories of time spent serving 
in the military, defending our freedom.
Three nephews, brothers in the same family, 
who were career military...
The oldest in the Air Force, the middle one in the Navy, and 
the youngest in the Army...
Each with different stories...
Tours in Iraq...
Working in the Pentagon on Sept. 10, 2001, 
but not on Sept. 11, 2001... 
Repairing ships...

Moods lighten and thoughts turn to 
dominoes "42" which is one of the favorite games in this family. 

After the dishes are washed and put away, 
the centerpiece remains and so does the 
patriotic basket on the coat closet door 
seen from the table.


A faded American flag design basket holds
American and Texas flags, 
plus flag tissue paper,
bluebonnet printed ribbon, 
and a flag decorated legal envelope.

The patriotic basket will hang 
all summer 
from the closet door hook 
as a celebration 
of all our 
red, white, and blue holidays.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Renaissance Lapis china by Fitz and Floyd
Jamestown Red glasses by Fostoria
Stainless flatware by Towle
White Madeline plates by Pier I
Blue chargers by Kirklands
~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

In Memory of Oklahoma School Children


Source: Schoolhouse.usegrid.net
As a former teacher, then administrator, 
who practiced storm drills every year in Texas,
my heart and soul are unspeakably devastated 
that children lost their lives at school
from a tornado in Oklahoma
May 20, 2013.

Oh, that we teachers could always
protect our students...
sometimes we cannot...
even though we dedicated our lives
to loving and caring for others' children 
as our own...

Prayers for all the parents and other 
family members who lost little ones...

Prayers for the teachers, administrators, 
and support staff who will 
always remember those little ones and 
whose hearts are aching for their students and 
with their parents... 

Prayers for the families of 
everyone who lost loved ones, 
especially those teachers who gave their lives 
covering their students...

Prayers for the survivors who will never 
forget the devastation and loss 
suffered on that day...

Prayers for the responders 
who have to carry those images with them
the rest of their lives...

Thank you, Lord, for providing 
those who willingly make the sacrifices 
for others... 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Lavender on the Table Adds Joy

Clean, clutter-free tables 
and countertops make me happy.
Yet, totally bare surfaces seem empty, 
lacking life, as though no lives 
in the house. 
Thus, I strive to balance a life-filled  
house without life-clutter.

Lavender 
creates joie de livre 
even before it blooms. 

The scent alone enlivens a room, 
even if there are no flowers.

A single large white oval stoneware bowl 
holding two small nursery lavender plants 
give joy and life to the kitchen. 
Each time one passes and gently touches a leafy stalk, 
a wondrous scent fills the air.


The metal lavender label adds a focal point,
causing one to stop to read what is says. 


A white wicker tray under the bowl 
keeps the bowl from scratching or 
water-damaging the table.

But, white on white...? 
The kitchen towel covering the tray
is the perfect shade of French bleu and white.
Plus, it is from France. 
Seeing it each day makes me smile; 
it is another reminder 
of the lavender fields of France.
Yes, the centerpiece is providing life to the kitchen.

The dark blue tablecloth made clashing blues...
and too much layering...
Easy...remove the dark blue tablecloth 
simplifying the clutter. 

Add just one other element to connect 
white, wood, and herbs together... 
A box of white wooden herb stakes...

A few herb markers scattered on the tray...

A few scattered in the box with lavender on top...

For me, this table centerpiece balances 
creating a life-filled kitchen 
without life-clutter. 

The centerpiece brings memories of a good time in France, 
has a beautiful blue (my favorite color), 
has a crisp white stoneware bowl 
(my new favorite thing), 
and has a fragrant up-lifting scent. 

These days in my life I see symbolism everywhere.
A clutter-free environment, but one still 
filled with beauty is what I want my life to be. 
I do not want a bare life.
❧ 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The white stoneware bowl and 
the box of wooden herb markers 
are from my shop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
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