Smelling Salts, Please!

Get me some smelling salts;
I've got a case of the vapors!

And it's all because of a book.

This week must be package-on-the-porch week for me
(did you see yesterday's post?), because today, wouldn't you know,
another box came skidding across the rain-slicked porch floor,
to go slam! up against the front door.

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I saw the return address, grabbed some fresh coffee,

and got ready for some serious indulgence.

 'Cause what can be better than a box of books?

 Can't wait to turn these pages.
I never pay more than ten dollars for a home decorating book,
and often less, so when this Early American Country Homes was recently published,
it was a challenge to get it at that price.  But I did.  Sweet.

The Irish house book looks wonderful;
the English and Irish have such a natural way of decorating.
I couldn't imitate it, but I can have fun looking at it.


This one I'll bring to the beach house this weekend.

But the book that kept me glued to the study sofa today

for longer than I should have been glued was this:

 It is a book entirely about dishes!

How sweet is that?

Did you know that George and Martha had a half dozen

different china patterns?  Who knew the Father of our country

was a dish devotee?  Now you know.

And here they are:

Guess what is the most popular china pattern ever.

Ha!  You are all wrong.  (So was I.)  Because it is this:

 Spode Christmas Tree, and who in their right mind would have guessed that?

The rest of the Top Ten All Time Best Sellers, below.  Is it sad that I can name every one?

 Among the Top One Hundred:

The book has loads of patterns that I've never seen before,

like these plates with their beautiful fish designs:

Not quite sure what kind of bird this is, but this plate is gorgeous, and it will haunt my dreams.

As my Aunt May used to say, "Could you die?  Could you just die?"

 Mmmm . . . Staffordshire.  Love that transferware!

Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of china patterns, nearly all

dinner plates with a couple of smaller plates tossed in for good measure.

No cups, no bowls, but let's face it . . . it is the plate that makes the pattern.

What a good thing that it's a crock pot dinner tonight, otherwise, it might be takeout Chinese at That Old House.

After all, I have my priorities, and today it's the new toys books.
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Yesterday, the cellar was again assaulted with jackhammers, as the French drain guys (who are decidedly not French)

expanded their little tunnels and -- we hope -- made the basement truly waterproof.

It's been raining all day and so far, so good.

Have a lovely Wednesday!  Go read a good book.  Or two.  That's what I have planned.  -- Cass

Dinner In The Library At That Old House

Only . . . Dinner is not in the Library because A) we don't have a Library, and B) I could call our Study a "Library," but there still wouldn't be a table in it.

So what we have is our Dining Room pinch-hitting for a Library. If I were going to set a table for two in a library, it might look like this. . . .


I'm joining in Tablescape Thursday, at Susan's Between Naps On The Porch blog, and also hooking up with Tales from Bloggeritaville, for Leigh's Thrifty Thursday party! Just click on the highlighted words, or on the icons at the bottom of the post, to flit on over to these great, fun blog parties.

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Yesterday I moseyed on down to my daughter Anne's college, where she is in graduate school. She wrapped up her day at 5pm, and we headed off to Goodwill; Anne needed to shop for some pieces for a play she is costuming.

On the way we stopped at Dollar Tree. Need I say more?

Here, tucked at the end of our dining room table
(so you can't see the dishes waiting to be put away at the other end -- reality check!)
is a Tablescape for Two.
(Another reality check; that poor ivy plant is half dead. Ivy doesn't thrive indoors.)

We can dine by candlelight, although that

makes it hard to read the books in the library. :-)

What's in it? I popped the pieces into a mosaic.

And they are . . .
**Dollar Tree dishes; they were in the Christmas aisle, but they don't look particularly Christmas-y to me.
**Dollar tree tea light holders; I have seen these on other blogs, and I am such a copy-cat.
**The white porcelain "parakeet" I featured yesterday, a Giveaway win. Here.
**A couple of boxes that look like books.
**Dollar Tree placemats and napkin rings; I love the khaki and red together.
**T.J. Maxx bowls.
**Home Goods napkins.
**Crystal Pilseners -- can't remember where we got them, but they pre-date my dedictated thrifting days, so they may have come from (gasp!) a regular retail store.
**And my trusty century-old Georgian pattern silverplate, from Ebay.

Oh! Almost forgot. That candleholder, the one that looks like mercury glass with
a twisted glass stem? $2 at Goodwill. There were two for sale.

Ask me why I didn't take the second, and I can't give you a good answer.

That's it!

I know I didn't need those red and white plates, but aren't they adorable? -- Cass

P.S. I am taking a week off from blogging; see you October 3rd unless I can squeeze in a quick post now and then. Play nice while I am gone! ;-)