I put lots of thought into my table especially the holiday tables like Thanksgiving and Christmas. I want my table to be welcoming and inviting. I want it to communicate they are valuable to me. But sometimes, a dish or a centerpiece can talk to me. That’s what happened when I was putting this table scape together. As I was studying the beauty and intricate details of this Johnson Brothers Heritage Hall plate I noticed there was a whole lot of work taking place on the plate. I think the legacy of hard work has been undervalued…let me explain.
Thanksgiving is a huge production! There’s so many moving parts–cleaning the house, shopping, cooking, cleaning some more, decorations…it’s just lots and lots of work. In all that hurrying it is so easy to forget that because Thanksgiving is a family and close friend celebration, you can share the work load. Thanksgiving gives us the opportunity to share the legacy of working together.
I think I’ve been the absolute worst. I hate to make life hard for anyone, so I don’t delegate very well. Yet, I treasure the times where I helped my mother and my mother-in-law in the kitchen. The conversation in the kitchen was always special. The cooking lessons, the sink full of pots and pans with everyone participating in the legacy of working together. It was wonderful!
The Johnson Bros Heritage Hall plates that I used on my table setting got me to thinking about how that’s how people used to survive by simply working together.
Most of the time the most elegant designs are the simplest.
This plain linen tablecloth and napkins are edged with a deep scallop trim. I love color, so I added this homemade runner with paisley swirls of browns and beiges.
My acorn and oak leaf embossed chargers are from Walmart. Yes, Walmart. When I found these the season was almost over and I searched every Walmart in town and some even outta town to find enough for my table. It was worth it though. I love these chargers. The rich walnut color and the embossed design at richness to the table.
Details are very important in a beautiful table.
Textures, colors and shapes of each piece in this table setting
are vital components in this table setting.
I found these Wild Turkey Decanters. (The only turkey we serve in this house will be on a platter, not in a glass; but the decanter is a delightful vase.)
I wanted to use Fall colors without the bright, garish orange tones.
These yellow, fuzzy seed balls on stems and orange and brown seed heads were perfect. I found them at Hobby Lobby too. I purchased these muted brown and beige leaves at Michael’s. The arrangement is more relaxed and natural instead of formal, because the floral elements I used are casual. I made a big burlap bow for the back of each arrangement.
I placed a Johnson Brothers Heritage Hall oval serving platter in the center of table; then I added an arrangement on each side of the platter. I wanted both sides of the table to enjoy the face of the turkey on the decanter. The turkey decanter has the face on one side and the back of the turkey on the other side; the arrangement is two sided. I placed one turkey facing one side of the table and the other turkey facing the opposite side of the table. The bow sits above the turkey backside and streams down.
The dinner plate is a solid cream base for the olive green Tompson salad (8”) plates and the Johnson Brother Heritage Hall bread & butter (6 ¾”) plate.
The edges of Tompson salad plate look like flower pedals and are gently edged with light brown. The ruggedly designed home on the bread & butter plate was a classic design of homes throughout the Pennsylvania countryside. The pastoral scene surrounding the home, the man standing behind the picket fence, the horse and buggy, the dog being bullied by the goose is absolutely delightful.
This scene portrays the beauty of hard work.
Work isn’t a punishment; it is a joy. My mother-in-law was telling us recently that she was making biscuits and cooking breakfast when she was 8 years old. She and her sister worked together; taking turns. One would fry the bacon and eggs, while the other made the biscuits. The next day they would swap duties; the one who made the biscuits the day before would fry the bacon and eggs. Ahh! The legacy of working together is being birthed in these girl’s-and I am thankful.
She is 94 years old now.
Her greatest challenge is wanting to do all the work that she’s always done. What some people would call work, she called loving her family. Making a living was filled with serving people, accomplishing tasks on her job, in her home and her neighborhood that made life better for those around her.
Proverbs 10:4 BSB says “Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.”
I am thankful because she passed that legacy of working hard on to her family.
The diligent hands of my husband’s mother enriched our lives with fabulous meals, a clean, happy home that welcomed us and all who know her. Her cakes are sinfully delicious! And we are rich because she taught her children to work hard and serve well.
The adage “Many hands make light work” is very, very true.
I’ve already said finishing touches are so important, so let me finish my description. I placed the fan folded napkin in a beige colored ceramic embossed napkin ring at the top of the charger. The dull green flatware and the bands of chocolate colors on the stemware seems to blend into the table design like a painting; each piece contributing without drawing attention to its self.
Work is part of the painting of life.
I am thankful for the joys that accompany labor.
The…
sense of accomplishment,
joy of serving,
privilege of making a difference in the world around us.
The hands of the diligent bring wealth.
This beautiful Johnson Bros Heritage Hall Complete Table Setting is for sale.
Ready to ship immediately for your table!
