If not every night, it’s most often that I hear the question,
“can I help?”
My hubby does not cook. The BBQ grill is the closest he will come to cooking.
I don’t complain (much) as he is so very helpful in other ways around the house.
The kitchen is just not his thing.
Sometimes I have to direct him to where certain things are in the kitchen.
So making it easy for setting the table is a good thing.
Now this is truly not a new idea.
Many have done exactly this … often on breakfast tables,
maybe not so much on dining room tables.
I do not have a breakfast room.
I turned my large breakfast room into a sunroom.
So we use the dining room that is adjacent to the kitchen every day.
This will stay on the table until I have an epiphany
of a great Winter centerpiece. But for now, my hubby loves this!
I have made a promise to myself to use more of my dishes and glassware
that I usually save for special occasions. So stemware will be used every day
and when a guest is served a drink, they will get stemware.
One of my New Year’s resolutions was to “try” and cut down the sweets.
I LOVE dessert! So I am using these vintage sherbet/fruit cups to minimalize
my sweet portions. A perfect serving size for fresh fruit or frozen yogurt.
Did you notice the sweet blue and white plates underneath the sherbet/fruit cups?
I bought them in a cute gift shop in Martha’s Vineyard last Fall.
Would you believe that they are Melamine? I only bought 2 of these,
not knowing exactly what I will do with them. I wish I had bought more.
They are by QSquared (Cambridge Rose)
So here you have it, everything needed to set the table for the two of us.
Candle …. check! Dishes …. check! Stemware …. check!
Silverware …. check! Napkins and Placemats …. check, check!
Dessert cups with pretty blue and white plates …. check, check!
Flowers . . . . A BIG CHECK!!!!
I wish you a most beautiful and fun weekend.
So happy that we will not be snowbound!! We will be enjoying the warmer temps!

And my husband who also does not cook clears off the table after we eat. ha ha
I’m in the same boat. I get some help with clearing the dishes but his expertise at cooking is extremely limited! I did get him to learn how to make coffee. Your dishes on the tray are so pretty- I wouldn’t have guessed for a minute that those new ones were made of melamine! Im a sweet-aholic…. choosing a small dish is wise!
Before my husband retired about the only thing he did in the kitchen was pour a box of cereal. But now he is eager to learn and has started cooking a little too. He is much neater than I am which is helpful if I do the cleanup after he cooks. We make a great team! I’m so glad he is willing to learn since I have a lot of health issues and many days he’s on his own.
Looks great ! Like your dishes!
I am fortunate in that my husband loves to cook. I love this idea however. I do believe even the “good” dishes should be used, rather than stored for a special occasion.
I think this is a wonderful idea. After 35 years in the same house my hubs still doesn’t know where some stuff goes, but he is always willing to help. When he takes the dishes from the dishwasher if he doesn’t know where it goes he just leaves it on the counter and I handle it when I return. Since he’s retired and I’m not he tries to be helpful when he can. Today….he is packing up the Christmas Village. Yes….I have him trained well ๐ Enjoy your weekend!
Cute cute cute. The green bowls are gorgeous! Happy weekend.
Since our dishwasher broke (and we are waiting until we gut the kitchen to replace it), my sweet husband does all the dishes! Your idea is great–I did the same thing when my kids were little, so they could ‘help’–of course everything was plastic! (There was a lot of dropping of the tray.)
Now, that is a great idea! My husband does cook every once in a while. He makes great spaghetti sauce and yummy macaroni and cheese! He also does the dishes after every meal! I am very lucky.
Hehe…I didn’t marry a chef either! Love what you did though…great idea! I’m using my “good stuff” too more….why not? What am I saving it for? Enjoy your weekend! ๐
My Joe likes to cook….now. He NEVER cooked when the children were growing up. I am very lucky though because it seems I am SO tired of cooking:) However, he will be the first to admit, he makes a HUGE mess when cooking. I do not mind though, I will happily clean up after him. I love your little blue plates. Melamine??? I never would have guessed! Have always loved the sherbert glasses too. I am on a 30 day challenge so no ICE CREAM for me, WAAAAAAHHH!!! I LOVE ice cream. Have a most beautiful weekend!
Absolutely use the stemware and “special” dishes every day! I love using mine, my mom’s and my grandmothers’. They bring back fond memories of days and people who are gone. You are one of The King’s children – you deserve the best!
Best regards.
I have determined to use some of my special occasion things as well, Shirley. It makes me smile. I love your idea of placing things needed to set the table on a tray. My husband will love that. Thank you for a sweet idea. I so enjoy seeing your lovely things and how you pair them. Beautiful! Have an enjoyable weekend, and thank you for always brightening my day!
BLUE, GREEN, AND CRYSTAL. HOW PRETTY IS THAT? LOVE IT.
What a lovely and inviting table! That would perk up a winter day. Which is what is happening here today. I’m cooking ham and bean soup and watching Law & Order SVU reruns.
Brenda
Love those pretty little plates! I can’t believe they’re melamine!
I confess that we dine casually most of the time, but always with a variety of plates and dishes, I love to use everything! Those blue and white plates are adorable! My husband can’t find milk in the refrigerator most of the time ๐ but he does cook and he is a professional grocery shopper, lucky me ๐
I love all your dishes. Green and blue look nice together.
I am blessed my husband likes to cook and does grocery shopping too. However, he does not clean and rarely takes his plate from the table so there are trade offs. He cooks much better than me so I assist when needed.
What a great idea… I’m sure he will miss once you change it up…
name of the napkin fabric or brand nme
What a great idea!!! The little blue and white plates are really pretty! I can’t believe they are mealamine. Beautiful dining room!
~Des