Comments : 15

Hello and happy Sunday to you. Hope you are having a great weekend. Hard to believe we are in the middle of Sept. and though I love the carefree days of summer,I absolutely love fall so no complaints on this end.

We are continuing to organize and get settled into our new office/warehouse digs and I will probably do some kind of a post on it soon….its a process and will take some time to fully come together.

Hope you are having a relaxing weekend and always appreciate you sharing your Sunday mornings with me. Here we go with this Sunday’s post-

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1 SNEAK PEEK AT OUR NEWEST MELAMINE PATTERN Though I love blue and white I am also a huge fan of green too! I am really taken with this new pattern that we just got the samples back of. I think its gorgeous and I can even see mixing it in with the blue patterns as well. Would love to know what you think. We will also do the mixing bowls for this pattern as we did recently, they have been a huge hit. Pretty and functional!

One last quick question had a round and a scalloped dinner plate sample done. I am leaning towards ones but would love to know which you prefer?

Round

Scalloped


2 CUTEST TRIO OF PUPS I was visitng my family in Virginia and had so  much fun getting to witness the shenanigans of my sisters three darling pups. Two goldens and on hilarious havaneese. Took so many cute pictures, too cute to not share. They are so entertaining and precious!

These are our beautiful pagoda porcelain dog bowls. Charlie likes to be one of the big boys and drink out of their bowl…I think he thinks the small is for sissies:)

Click here to see our Teddy pet bowls

Cutie pie!

They are the best posers, always camera ready!

Charlie enjoys sneaking up to the “big boys” water bowls when they are not looking and stealing a sip

 

3 SOUP SEASON!! Since soup season is upon us (a season I live for) I am always on the prowl for new ideas. One standby is Ina Garten’s tomato soup….so good and the ultimate comfort food. Give me a grilled Swiss cheese on sourdough on the side and I am a happy camper. This is a winner and can get you through many a gloomy winter day!

 
Yields: 8
Total Time: 1 hour 0 mins
Ingredients

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 1/2 c. chopped yellow onion (1 large)

3/4 c. chopped shallots (2 large)

1 c. chopped leek, white and light green parts only (from 2 large)

3 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

4 c. whole milk

2 c. heavy cream

1/2 tsp. saffron threads

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Grated Parmesan and chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

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Directions
  1. Heat butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onion, shallots, and leek. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, milk, cream, saffron, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until flavors are blended and soup is slightly thickened, 30 to 40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Serve hot, garnished with Parmesan and parsley.

4 INSTAGRAMS OF INTEREST You can feel fall really creeping in by the roundup this weekend though there is still a touch of summer here too, not  ready to say goodbye quite yet. So much beauty out there!

5 FALL FOLIAGE DRIVES One thing I greatly anticipate every year is the changing of summer to fall, and seeing fall foliage in all its glory. Nothing as beautiful especially if you are in New England. We used to take weekend trips to Vermont to see it up close and personal.

Every year I vow that I will go and somehow time slips away. Well this year with more free time on my hands than ever (thanks Covid) I am most definitely going!!! Found a great article on six of the best scenic drives and will have this handy when we go. Thought I would share for anyone for who is in the area or has this on their fall bucket list.  Click here for the full article

 

6 A FEW PRETTY PICS FROM PALMETTO BLUFF Never at a loss of gorgeous subject matter when at Palmetto Bluff. I love taking pictures because the natural beauty is everywhere. It really is such a spectacular place. A few pics from my recent trip there.

And Palmetto Bluff is the prettiest spot for a wedding. We were on the golf cart and got a glimpse of this wedding just getting underway, the swaying moss in the breeze was the perfect finishing touch!

7. SUNDAY’S SURVEY Let’s face it, no matter where you are Covid has had a huge impact on all our lives. I feel like it was a lifetime ago to think about “normal life” before March and what it has been since then.

Granted, depending on where you are determines to what extent that is true. But for us in NY, it has been huge. I often wonder when, and if things will ever get back to that pre Covid normal. I have this conversation often with friends and family, as we just can’t believe how much has changed. What do you think and if so, when?

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And that’s a wrap for this Sunday’s post , hope you enjoyed. Anything in particular resonate with you? Hope you are enjoying a great weekend, thanks for stopping by. Until next time…..

PS All melamine is 30% off until Tuesday! Use code summer, click here to see our fabulous melamine collection


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I never get over how beautiful America is. Those adorable wooden colonial houses, the stunning fall foliage, the lovely southern towns, and the huge trees with moss hanging off. You certainly live in a glorious part of the World.
It seems odd now, in my eyes to see chairs set up close for a wedding.
I live in Victoria, Australia, and we have spent much of 2020 in lockdown. Although my region has been free of COVID for all of those 7 months, we have treated as if we are in the hottest of hotspots with no restaurants or cafes, no beauticians or hairdressers, etc, most non-essential shops closed, no weddings in Melbourne, and only 5 including the celebrant up here, no visitors to nursing homes, no crossing the state border or travelling within our state, no accommodations are taking guests, no visitors to the home, no elective surgery,(our hospitals are virtually empty), no sports facilities, pools or gyms and we are allowed out only for health care, essential shopping, solo exercise, and essential work that can’t be done at home. Most of the year all universities and most schools have been done online. Our state daily numbers never grew beyond 700 a day at the peak, and yet Melbourne was in stricter lockdown with a curfew from 5 am till 8 pm and only allowed to leave the house for 1 hour of exercise. They are only allowed to travel within 5kms of their home. Oddly enough, they didn’t introduce masks to try and halt the spread until they also introduced the curfews and lockdowns. We keep being told that they will give us more liberties as soon as our numbers in Regional Victoria reach fewer than 5 new cases per day, but as all but 2 regional towns have been zero for the whole of the epidemic, we are feeling that our restrictions are rather unnecessary, especially as our region was devastated by 3 months of bushfires at the start of the year. To be able to sit outside and have a coffee with a friend would be delightful, but, even though we have zero cases, it is still forbidden! Today the whole of Victoria had only 37 new cases and none are active in Regional Victoria so I guess we will be given some freedom by Christmas, but we are still being told that we will be in strict lockdown until at least the end of October as we need to have 28 days with no active cases to lift the lockdown. I guess I just need a bit more patience but the devastation to our businesses up here is heartbreaking especially as we have had zero cases the whole time.

I do think it’s so regional. Here in north Florida, life feels mostly ‘normal’ (other than everyone wearing masks)…children are back in school and sports, restaurants, salons and shopping have reopened (albeit at less capacity), etc. Our case counts and hospitalization rates are very low so I feel comfortable being out and about. Our family traveled this summer, both via car and plane, without incidence. We moved this summer from Virginia and from what I hear from friends there, things are much more ‘shut down’ still…specifically schools, kids activities, etc. I do not think I would feel ‘normal’ there for quite some time.

If you will be in Vermont consider also visiting the Mad River Valley and especially the towns of Warren and Waitsfield. There is a fabulous and authentic country store in Warren, VT and it is right across the street from the Pitcher Inn–a charming relais et chateaux. Also, Hen of the Woods is a great restaurant in nearby Waterbury. Enjoy your visit!

I love the new melamine. The scalloped dinner plates are especially pretty, I just wish the salad plates didn’t have such a thick, bold border since that’s all you will see once the salad is on the plate.

Regarding the virus: As our health experts have said, I think it will be about a year after a safe vaccine is available and many people have taken the vaccine, so not until late in 2021.

In your September 4th, Instagram post, there is a brass lamp with a brass shade. Can you tell me where I could buy this?
Thanks,
Lynne

To Elizabeth…I’m in NOVA & yes, it’s still very shut up here. I don’t mind social distancing but I loathe mask-wearing; I just can’t breathe in them ! Can’t wait for more of my fav restaurants to open.

Love the fall colors and as ever, your recipes with pictures included. Palmetto Bluff is a very close second. To heck with covid. Just put on your mask and keep your hands off your face and don’t let the “bug” get you down. Attitude is everything.

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