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Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Dinner on the Porch


“How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!”
”Robert Louis Stevenson, A Child’s Garden of Verses





When my husband and I built our house nineteen years ago, the first piece of furniture that was installed was the swing on our screened-in porch. This was even before the house was finished. The swing was built by a friend of ours and given to us as a house warming gift. Nothing in our home as ever been so well loved. Family members and friends always hurry to find seats there, when we are visiting on the porch. As babies, all three of our grandchildren have been lulled to sleep with the motion of that wonderful swing. The grandchildren love that Robert Louis Stevenson poem above and I eventually set it to music. We have sung that song a million times - when first I pushed them in the swing and now, when we swing together.
Our porch is a perfect place to entertain, but in the midst of a Georgia summer, the brutal temperatures can send us scurrying back inside, even with the fan going full force. Right now is the perfect time to have a nice dinner out there and I have decorated the table with china that I discovered at Tuesday morning.



First, I covered the table with a green tablecloth to blend with the beautiful outside.





Next, I placed on the table a dinner plate, which is the Savinio “Fleur de Rouge” pattern. The dinner plate is plain with just gold trim, which is wonderful to mix with other china patterns. The salad plates and bread and butter plates (I did not have room for those in this setting) are the stars in this pattern, however. They are decorated with four different sets of pink-to-red flowers.






What wonderful plates for an outside dinner!



The gorgeous dark red goblets were discovered at Tuesday Morning, also. The color blends so well with the flowers on the plates.



Rose’ wine from a Waterford carafe and water from a Gorham pitcher will be poured into the beautiful goblets. The rose’ is a perfect color for the table setting – my husband and I fell in love with the light taste of this wine, when we were in Provence. It is a favorite of the people who live in that region.



Flatware with a floral motif was added, along with ecru Vera Bradley napkins. I bought these napkins and two matching tablecloths at Dillard’s many years ago and still love them. They are easy to launder and are stain-resistant. My family has eaten dozens meals on the tablecloths and they have made it through many spills by the grandchildren and adults!



The centerpiece is a simple large hurricane with a candle inside.



Other candles were used on the porch, as well.



In this photograph, you can see how high we are above the lake on which we live. You can see the lake, if you really look hard among the trees. It is almost like dining in a tree house.


As daylight fades, you can appreciate the lights that my husband installed around the top of the porch. They cast an almost magical glow to the ambiance of an after dinner coffee or drink. This picture was taken without our porch light off, so that you could really see these little lights.
I hope that you have a special place in your home that truly embodies your family times together. Our porch is definitely ours!

















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12 comments:

  1. Olá! gosto do seu blog eu sou uma das suas seguidoras, amei a sua decoração. A sua mesa ficou um charme com o verde de seu jardim! Abrç Dorath.
    http://jaitoutsimplement.blogspot.com/

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  2. What a beautiful place to dine! I love porches--screened in or not. We have a 4 season sunroom I spend most of my days and evenings. come on over and visit, I'm having a giveaway this week.
    Happy Pink Sat.
    Ann

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  3. Your porch setting is a wonderful place to dine, so intimate and romantic.
    The table looks lovely in candlelight.
    Wish there was a Tuesday Morning here in Normandy!

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  4. Very romantic! And peaceful. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. Such a beautiful screened in porch and place to dine. Love the candle light, too! Have a beautiful week!

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  6. Gorgeous porch! I love it the it's creened, this way you can be there in everyseason, wheather hot (with mosquitoes), or cold...great for having a meal, tea, coffee and get togethers with family and friends. I love your dishes, the whole thing is great, with the red goblets, to the lighting.

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  7. Oh, you porch is wonderful! What a beautiful spot to dine. Your china is very pretty. I used to sing to my first son a lot when he swung and when he was in kindergarten his teacher said he would swing and sing. LOL Thanks for linking it up!
    Sherry

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  8. YOur porch and swing certainly are a place where memories are made. Love that china with the gold rim - perfect for mixing and matching with so many things.Thank you for being a part of my birthday celebration at Seasonal Sundays.

    - The Tablescaper

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  9. My friends and I had dinner on their porch Friday evening. It was also a very lovely experience - - - though much more country, rustic, eclectic than yours!

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  10. Wow, such a beautiful setting and I love the ambiance created by those cable lights near the ceiling and the candle glow.The china and the red goblets look so gorgeous! I love screened in porches. Great post!Visiting from Chari's Sunday Favorites.~Poppy

    http://withadashofcolor.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete

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