Christmas Eve & Day Dinners

Christmas has already come and gone. Our household thoroughly enjoyed the holiday but are relieved it's finally over. We celebrated the holiday this year at home for a change. We were joined by Dan's twin sister Dana,husband Steve and their baby boy, Sammy. Very close friends Kerri & Leslie joined us for Christmas eve dinner. I decided to set the table in our back yard under a pavilion I purchased at ZGallerie a couple of years ago. It was fairly chilly so we used 2 outdoor heaters which made the climate perfect. I originally planned a table setting with only white and silver. I purchased all white flowers, Peonies,Hydrangeas & stock. I embellsed the arrangements with silver balls. For the napkins, I used a beautiful silver gray satin ribbon with crystal buckle clips. As nice as it looked, I just couldn't resist adding more color. So, a few hours before dinner, I ran into the garage storage and pulled out 4 pre-lit garlands to string them inside the canopy. I then replaced 2 of the clear cyrstal stems for the red wine hock and green champagne glass. I then included fresh loose cedar to bring more green to the table. The menu was to die for. Pappa Dan made an over the top delicious entree, crab imperial served with roasted asparagus,butter lettuce salad with lemon juice,olive oil and fresh ground pepper.

CHRISTMAS EVE DINNER FOR 6

The following photos are of the white and silver setting I started out with before going color crazy.

CHRISTMAS DAY DINNER FOR 4

For the following Christmas Day dinner, I reused the same floral arrangements but transferred them to different vases and bowl. I also reused the fresh loose cedars. I added the miniature red apples to compliment the dining chairs and plate chargers. There were only 4 of us for this meal. Dan and I with his twin sister and her husband. Dan made prime rib with mashed potatoes,green beans tossed in bleu cheese and butter, whipped cream with horse radish and warm pugliese bread.
























Well, that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed the photos. It's 8:45 am Pacific time at this moment and we are about to have breakfast then off to the movies to see Avatar.

On a side note, the two miniature porcelain figurines on the Christmas Day dinner table were purchased from a fellow blogger friend Judith of The Paris Atelier's Etsy shop. Visit her store for more beautiful finds.

Seasons Greetings From Daniel Frost

Decorative Towels...Yay or Nay?

(first floor guest bathroom)

A great deal of the interior design of our home has been mostly my decision. I love that about my partner Dan. He has quite a bit of faith in my design decisions. Nevertheless, I do not go forward with a decorating or design project without his opinion. There have been times where we don't see eye to eye on how to interpret a certain look. If he's somewhat reserve or neutral on an idea that I'm certain about, I'll chalk it up as Dan just experiencing a creative block and go forward with my vision. But, when he strongly disagrees with a design idea of mine, then I'll defer to his objection.

I do admit that I have an over the top imagination which can sometimes get carried away. Dan is my lineman. His job is to make sure I don't stray too far and make the design overdone. I wonder if Dan is right in the case of the "decorative towels". He is of the opinion that decorative towels are as out dated as those toilet seat covers that match the bath room rugs. He argues that they don't have function because we don't use them and it just looks too staged. Right next to the sink we offer decorated disposable towels for our guests to discourage them from using the decorative towels. It makes perfect design sense to me. The first photo above is of our first floor bathroom which also has a shower that is never used. However, the fact that the shower exists, I felt complete towel sets belonged there even though they aren't intended for actual use. Have I gone too far? Am stuck in a time warp? Does anyone out there still love decorative hand towels as much as me? Or is it time I replace them with usable towels?

A Benefit Auction In San Francisco With A Very Worthy Cause

(click image to enlarge)

Gian-Paolo Veronese , a good friend of mine, is co-sponsoring the "Toast Atop The Pyramid "which benefits the City Of Dreams, a volunteer based non-profit organization dedicated to helping inner city youths in San Francisco's low income housing communities build brighter futures. For me, this benefit is very special because many of the young adults that stand to benefit from this organizations aid are from my old neighborhood, Bayview Hunters Point. I was born and raised in San Francisco and grew up in what is still considered the city's most under privileged highest crime rate area of the city. It's population consists mostly of poor and low-income families who are primarily African Americans followed by Samoan Americans. When I grew up, the only mentoring programs, like the City Of Dreams, were through local churches. In my case, our local parish was All Hallows. However, there were many kids in my neighborhood that did not have access to church programs and their only mentoring took place at our local public schools that were over crowded and run down. The first time I returned for a visit through the old neighborhood, I learned that many of the kids I grew up never made it out of the neighborhood and were either surviving off of government assistance or have died from drugs or a gang related incident. So,whenever I find myself complaining about the things I don't have these days, my past as a child and young adult eventually reminds me about just how fortunate I am to have the people and things in my life today. And if or when I do forget, my ever supportive partner Dan has always been there to remind me.
The City Of Dreams helps hundreds of young people each year foster healthy goals for themselves. You can visit their website to learn more about the program. If you are in San Francisco on the date of this event, I hope you will join us and offer your support to this very worthy cause. If you would like to contact Gian-Paolo further details, send your request to gpveronese@aol.com.
A special thank you to Gian-Paolo and the other sponsors for this benefit.

Sarah, Duchess of York Celebrating The Young Victoria Film

(From Huffington Post)

I married Her Majesty the Queen's best looking son. I agreed to become a naval wife. Two weeks after we were married, we were separated; he went to sea, and I went to the second floor apartment at Buckingham Palace. I was so sad without him. I saw him for 40 days for the first five years of our marriage. I was broken hearted. I missed him beyond words, beyond the description in these writings. I needed my man.

So I immersed myself into the life of Victoria and Albert. I started by a visit to Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. It was the happiest of their homes, where their nine children would act out charades for their parents, and tend the vegetable gardens for the royal table once a month. I became fascinated by the love story of Victoria and Albert. Maybe because my own great love -- my Andrew -- was not at home. But whatever it took I would study with vigour the love story of these two incredible people. Benita Stoney and I worked tirelessly to bring the book to life. Eventually, George Wiedenfeld published it at Osborne House, followed shortly afterwards by The Travels of Queen Victoria and Albert through Europe.

[complete story]

Disgruntled Caller Confronts Psychic Reader Miss Cleo

Anniversaire de vacances en Europe

A week after the New Years Day holiday, we leave for Paris, France followed by Geneva, Switzerland to celebrate our 19 year anniversary (January 25th) as well the completion of our adoption with Daniel (August 6th).

(Exterior of Cotes du Rhone)
In Paris, we're staying in Paris Perfect's beautiful 2 bedroom Cotes Du Rhone apartment located in the 7th district with a wonderful view of the Eiffel tower and only a block away from the Parc du Champs De Mars.

(Parc du Champs de Mars)
We chose Paris Perfect at the recommendation of Claudia of The Paris Apartment. Claudia's expansive knowledge and experience in the city of Paris gave us the confidence we needed to secure our booking.
I contacted Claudia to thank her for the recommendation. She wrote back congratulating me on an excellent choice.

(Cotes du Rhone apartment)
She even went above and beyond to notify her good friend Madelyn, owner of Paris Perfect of our booking. That resulted in a wonderful and welcoming note from Madelyn thanking us for choosing to stay with Paris Perfect and assured me and my family a most enjoyable and hospitable stay.

(Cotes du Rhone apartment)
Although Dan and I have been to Paris several times, this will be the first time visiting with a baby in tow. Furthermore, it will be our first time staying in an apartment as oppose to a hotel. We look forward to this unique experience.

In Geneva, we're staying at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues. In December 2007, I wrote a post about Interior Designer Pierre-Yves Rochon who was the lead designer for the Four Seasons Geneva.
This hotel has been designated as a historic monument by the Swiss. It was Geneva's very first hotel which opened its doors in May of 1834. During that time, it was the largest hotel in all of Switzerland, with boutiques and a café-restaurant on the ground floor, three guest floors and an attic to accommodate staff. It catered to the monarchs of Europe. The hotel's impressive guest list has included Jean Cocteau, the duke of Edinburgh, the queen of Spain, Edward VIII, Liliuokalani of Hawaii, Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elizabeth ("Sissi") of Austria.
Through the years, it became the center of Europe's political landscape hosting the French delegation since the first League of Nations assembly in 1920.

(Geneva,Switzerland)
This will be our very first trip to Switzerland. I cannot wait to visit the city's old town as well as the Plaine de Plainpalais Flea Market. I look forward to capturing as much of our trip as possible and share them with you.
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Holiday Table In The Family Room

Happy Tablescape Thursday. Visit Susan of Between Naps On The Porch for more beautiful table settings. (click image below)












Dinner plate: Noritake
Salad plate: Lenox
Charger: Z-Gallerie
Stemware: Waterford(clear) Faberge(light blue)
Flatware: Oneida