Spring Celebration

Spring green is my absolute favorite color. It doesn’t last long so I drink in its beauty like the bees buzz summer flowers for sweet nectar. It’s too early for bees when the royalty of my garden, the magenta azaleas, bloom. Happy singing birds, building their nests, flit away squawking when I come too close. Delicate daffodils tucked around trees suddenly light up lawns and adorn country roadways. Their trumpet shaped center pedals seem to trumpet and announce the arrival of Spring.

I wanted to bring the joy of the beauty I experience outside to my table, and Noritake helps me do that with their Gourmet Garden pattern. They make me feel like I have a Spring garden right on my table.

First, I placed a white table cloth on my table. It was the one I use on my dining room table so I had to fold it in half (It’s my “use what you have” mentality.). Then I used the sheer shower curtain that I had cut and hemmed so I could use it for a table cover. The fabric has 9 flower blocks with simple crochet border that lays a foundation for the beauty of my table garden.

I stacked a printed Vintage Royal China Green Transferware 12 inch platter for my charger, next I placed the forest green octagon shaped April Comell embossed plates and finally the show stopping Spring garden plates.

The plates were too beautiful to hide with the dessert plate, even though they were beautiful as well. I just widened my garden by placing each dessert plate at the top of the dinner plate.

Then I put bird nests that I made from landscaping burlap, complete with two tiny Cadbury eggs (It was so hard to save those 8 delicious Cadbury eggs, but I did it!) into delicate, embossed stemmed vintage glasses and placed one in the center of my stacked plates.

These are my favorite napkins. Look at the beautiful crocheted lace inlays and edges.

The water glasses are supposed to be vintage cut glass. I hope they are vintage, because that means that someone has used them and lovingly taken care of them before me. It gives me joy to think that they loved beautiful things as much as I do.

Next, I put silk tulips from Michael’s into a pitcher and tucked a single sparrow beside it.

To turn the spring garden celebration into a Resurrection Celebration I added beautiful eggs and two crosses.

I’m sitting at the table now and the sunlight is pouring into the breakfast room and lighting up the tulips. There’s a lizard crawling on the screen outside and the sprinkler is watering the grass. It’s so peaceful…totally quiet, except for the sound of the water bouncing off the leaves and onto the grass.

Sitting here, I think about you. Where do you live and how are you dealing with this Coronavirus that has everyone quarantined? I prayed for you this morning as I prepared my heart to write to you.
This whole Coronavirus situation is crazy scary. So many things have changed…overnight they changed. One thing has not changed…God. He is faithful. He is good. And He cares about you.

Here’s one of my favorite verses. God was talking to Joshua, but I believe it’s a good reminder for you too.

Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV
The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”