Red, I'm busy, BUT, they are sooooooo cute and as you stated we have plenty of time. So I'm in. How tall is your gingerbread man, mine looks dorky???????????????? Rosa

roorezzi, I think a spicy color in your art somewhere would pick up the energy nicely. Your dishes are lovely. You could hang nine squares of fabric unframed on stretcher bars. We have nine small square flower prints on canvas unframed in our MB. I made several tries at googling to find something similar, but didn't have any luck. A place like Hobby Lobby or Michael's though would likely give you some ideas and maybe show you how to do it.

Like romy, I also love setting the table. Our DR table came with 10 chairs (it has 3 leaves when fully extended) and it can fit 12. For holiday family dinners I usually have 20-25, so I set up extra tables in the living room. Our LR and DR are connected with a large opening so we all feel together. I know formal living rooms have fallen out of favor, but I love that I can have a large dinner party and we're all in basically the same space. I really enjoy pulling out the china and crystal and making the tables look so pretty. I'll do that for smaller groups too, like when I have friends over for dinner, because it's pretty and a shame that it's hidden away so much of the time. romy your tables look lovely! I especially love the red. Table cloths can be a challenge for me, as my DR table is 120" long when fully extended and it's wider than typical. I'll have to try some of mamagoose's ideas! Linens can get wicked expensive when they're full price. We don't do a separate "kids' table", especially since many of our younger generation are in their 20's. So I call the extra tables "the young adult tables" and we all want to sit there as the conversation is lively! Sometimes I mix everyone up by having people pick a number out of a bowl (for Thanksgiving, 25 mini pumpkins that I write numbers on; for Christmas I have 25 little carved Santas with numbers.) Then everyone sits where their number is. Funny thing - the first time I did this EVERY married person ended up next to their spouse! So much for mixing us up!

No dining room here. Never wanted one. The house I grew up in had a dining room that was rarely used for dining. The table in it was just a handy place to clutter up with all sorts of stuff contributed by all family members. We kids did our homework there, Dad did his bookkeeping there, Mom folded laundry there. So it did have it's usefulness. The best use of the table was for playing cards and monopoly etc. Our house was the neighborhood kids/friends gathering place. Once all the clutter was removed, we could put 12 players around that table. Those were the good old days! Today's kitchen table. The center piece is metal and holds napkins and salt and pepper shakers. Most usually there is a pair of binoculars on it for handy bird watching while eating. I change the place mats weekly for variety. It is in view of the front door and other than the color of cloth and mats, it doesn't change.EDITED to add...I forgot, I do have another table, but it is not for eating. It is in what we call the 'big room'. The room added on to be just for enjoyment . No TV allowed! Listening to our collection of music, reading, doing jig saw puzzles, and game playing on the table or just quiet relaxation happens in this room. And always something on the table to amuse you if looking out the windows isn't enough. That is a cut glass bowl that was my Grandmothers. It holds a deck of cards and a couple 'mind' type puzzles for one to play with. A marble game and coasters are at hand if needed. The frog holds paper clips.