Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

May the spirit of hope that Easter brings, 

Help you find contentment in little things, 

and restore your faith in the Lord above, 

Who gave His life for the ones He loves.

Author Unknown

It seems as though, at least at our house, Easter is almost as busy as Christmas! We are constantly running from here to there – with egg hunts to attend, eggs to dye, and traditions to make.  Lots of cooking and baking and sweet treats to eat- and the Easter baskets!!  Have you seen some of the Easter baskets the Easter Bunny is bringing these days?  Good grief!  But, I love it all.  I know these moments will be gone way too soon, so I try to cram every last bit of fun into the holidays that I can.

On Easter Sunday, most of our family and several of our friends come to our house for Easter dinner.  We have the traditional ham with all the fixins.  One of my cousins is even bringing dressing this year.  We’ve never had that before on Easter, but there’s a first time for everything!  While we’re on the subject, there is a right way and a wrong way to make dressing- but I digress.  I’ll save that discussion for the Thanksgiving holidays.  I wonder if my blogging buddy, Mark Lee, over on the blog Sunday Dinner, would agree with me?  Note to self to discuss this with him.  Anyhow……

As I’ve been getting things ready this week, it occurred to me that a lot of people still wonder how to set the table correctly.  I’m talking about how our grandmothers set it- with china, silver, and crystal- a traditional table setting.    Where is the proper placement for the fork, spoon, and knife?  What side does the napkin go on, etc.  Well, if you have people “Coming Home” for dinner and you’d like to set a 

traditional table, continue reading.

I bought a book when I first married titled “The Good Housekeeping Household Encyclopedia.”  I’m a book lover, and a home lover, so this jumped off the shelf at me.  Yes, this was actually a time when we still went to bookstores and perused the shelves for a book.  It’s about all things home, and although it’s 20+ years old, I still find myself referring to this guide over and over again.  It is where I learned to set a proper place setting.  Well, here and from my friend Debbie Turkett; who also gave me my affection for sterling silver, Waterford crystal, antiques, and all of the finer things worth admiring.  For this, my friend– Barry thanks you!  

Here is how a traditional table setting should look.  Dinner plate on the bottom in the center, service plate on top, and soup bowl on top of that.  Napkin on the outside left, then salad fork, then place fork closest to the plate.  On the outer right is the soup spoon, then tea spoon, then place knife closest to the plate, facing toward the plate.   Dessert spoon and dessert fork are at the top center of the plate.  Salad plate is at the top left, and the wine glass(es) and water goblet are at the top right.  I’ve mixed my everyday flatware with my sterling here so you can see how it should look. 

Now I don’t pretend to think that everyone has all the pieces to set this place setting, but this can serve as your guide whenever do find yourself needing to entertain with a formal place setting.  Using what pieces you do have, you can set it accordingly.  Of course the most important thing about the table and the table setting are those sitting around it.  The love and happiness we feel when we all “Come Home.”  Have a very blessed Easter.

Tip:  Print off your own guide for a traditional table setting to keep for reference here:   http://www.replacements.com/piecetype/formal.htm

Also check my Facebook page for recipes for Resurrection Cookies and Rolls.