Chinoiserie Theme Table Setting for Christmas Eve

Hosted a Christmas Eve dinner for Dan's sisters, Kerry, Dana and brother-in-law Steve.

My favorite part of entertaining is setting a table. This year's setting was an homage to Chinoiserie. The dishes are Gump's Imari "Kiku"(Chrysanthemum) pattern which inspired the table's theme.

In the spirit of the Christmas holiday, the red,(wine)gold(water) and green (champagne)colored crystal stemware was added.

To enhance the theme, I added a couple of  colorful Shiwan porcelain figurines,cobalt food dogs and an antique ming vase.

Finally, my favorite part of table decorating was the floral arrangement.   This year's arrangement included Hydrangeas,bougainvilleas,ranunculus,viburnums,alstroemeria,matthiola incana(stock) and orchids.

Tis the 2015 Season!!

Christmas 2015

Happy Holidays!!!

  It's been another crazy busy year around our home.  Our son Daniel, now 8 years old and in the 3rd grade, has really kept me busy between volunteering as a classroom assistant at his school, to his after school activities leaving me almost no time for design inspiration.  I haven't even had time to visit several of my favorite design blogs.

Christmas 2015

 However, a couple of  months ago I finally gave in and committed to putting our home in the neighborhood's 2016 annual home tour fundraiser in the Spring.  This has been a huge motivation for me to get back into the swing of things and polish up the home and take care of a few long overdue projects.  I look forward to sharing those projects with you in the coming months.  In the meantime, I wish you and your loved ones a very joyous holiday season.

Winter Holiday: Vienna, Austria

Grüße aus Wien, Österreich!! Sorry for the late follow up on our last trip to Europe.  As the little guy gets older, his schedule of activities increase, giving Daddy less time to blog.  Anyhow,
we arrived in Vienna on New Years Eve at 5:30pm local time.
 
We stayed at the beautiful Park Hyatt Vienna which, like SFO's Centurion Lounge, opened it's doors in June 2014.  

 The building began construction in 1913 and was originally the Lower Austrian Escompte Bank.  It remained a bank for many years before closing its doors in 2008.  

The luscious interiors is described as contemporary art nouveau inspired.  The rooms and public areas are beautifully appointed with all the amenities that hotel aficionados come to expect in a 5 star hotel.

We're off to explore the city.

Taking the ringstrasse (ring road) streetcar for a quick tour around the Innere Stadt (old city center).

The Austrian Parliament Building.

Rathaus(Town Hall)

Back at the hotel after a morning of sightseeing.  Looking through vault doors that lead into the buildings safe which is now the hotel's indoor pool.

Time for a late afternoon swim before dinner.

Our first dinner out was at the famous Zum Schwarzen Kameel which is about 3 doors down from the hotel.  Aside from the delicious menu, the restaurant/bar and delicatessen has  a rich history which dates back to 1618 when the original owner, Johan Baptist Cameel, acquired the building.

Daniel loved his first ever chicken schnitzel.   After dinner, we retired back to the hotel to catch up on our sleep and get ready for the next day's journey.  Gute Nacht.

Winter Holiday Travel Day

Travel day to Vienna,Austria.  We took the 2:50 pm Air France flight 87 from San Francisco International  to Charles De Gaulle.  Yes, Sheepie came along.

Air France Lounge SFO

This will be Sheepie's 3rd trip to Europe.  We arrived a couple hours early to ensure no problems with check in.  To our surprise, check-in was a breeze.  All the check-in counters were open with no lines.

Image from Boardingarea.com

  With a little more time than expected, we decided to visit the new American Express Centurion lounge which just opened it's doors in June 2014.  The lounge offers gourmet foods and top shelf drinks to its card members.  The vertical garden in the lobby is cool.

 The decor is very sleek and modern.  It was very busy.  We had to wait a few minutes for a table in the dining area.  However, the wait was worth it.  The small bites were delicious and plentiful.

Images from Boardingarea.com

  Our only disappointment is its location  in the domestic terminal.  This required a bit of a walk from the international terminal.  But, with the prospect of 11 hours on a plane, we embraced the stroll.    After trying the offerings, we headed back to the international terminal to the Air France lounge to enjoy its noshes and gather our carry on luggage which we had left with the concierge.

Finally, we board and are off to Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport to catch our connecting flight to Vienna, Austria. Wir sheen ins in Wien!

Stay tuned.....The Junior American heads back to Europe

Yes, the once "little" American is now(7 years old) our "Junior" American and off to Europe again for a winter holiday.  Please join him in the coming days on his latest adventure to Vienna,Budapest and Paris.

2014 Christmas Dinner

On Christmas Day this year, we invited Papa Dan's twin sister Dana and her husband Steve along with our close friends Kerry and Leslie for dinner. 

Although the table was dressed up, the dinner was simple, delicious and fitting for the season.

Papa Dan cooked his favorite organic, uncured honey spiral cut ham,  fresh haricot vert in Kerrygold (Little Daniel's favorite) butter with slivers of almonds and a wild rice casserole. Sister Dana made her famous baked macaroni and cheese topped with buttered breadcrumbs.  The decadent St. Honore cake from Dianda's Italian Bakery was brought by Kerry and Leslie .

The pre-dinner appetizers were a combination of selected gourmet cheeses and the above headliner, potato pancakes with sour cream and caviar. 

Unfortunately, the great company and conversations distracted me so I forgot to capture a photo of the main meal.  However, I managed to capture a photo of the second course garden salad of fresh herbs, tomatoes and avocado with olive oil and balsamic dressing.

Daniel enjoyed being the only young man at the celebration and was the center of attention.  I hope your Christmas holiday was a pleasant and memorable occasion.

Gingerbread House Decorating Party

 Happy holidays!  Our son hosted his annual gingerbread decorating party inviting his friends on the block. This is his 3rd year.  We are so happy he still enjoys this tradition.

To save a lot of time and effort, we purchased pre-built houses making it easier for the boys to focus on getting creative with decorating.  The kits were available at Target for $10.00 and included everything from the icing to a variety of colorful hard candy.

It was entertaining watching and listening to them discuss their design plans with one another.

The table used was our backyard dining table that worked perfectly since the center contained a hole for an umbrella.  I slit the cloth so that I could insert the small pre-lit Christmas tree stand and electrical cord inside.  

Our little guy with his neighborhood friends.

Cheers to a joyous and wonderful holiday season from our family to yours!!