As today was a warm and sunny Easter Sunday, it did happen to be a bit more eventful than most of the days this past week. Mom spent the day bustling about the kitchen barking orders and stressing over whether there would be enough food for all 18 guests. The kids took the opportunity to enjoy the weather and busied themselves roughhousing in the yard. My stepfather, unnerved by it all, engaged in his usual Sunday activities of reading the paper, walking the dogs, and allowing the telly to watch him as he napped on the couch. And last, but certainly not least, I, Minky Betancourt, was given the best task of all. A task I have been given year after year since my wrists were strong enough to support the weight of a plate. May I have a drum roll please...I was assigned the the task of...setting the table! Ahem, people please...save your applause until the end.
When called to complete this task, one can usually expect to hear from me a pause and then a grumble, followed by an aggravated sigh, although secretly I enjoy it. If I could describe it with a metaphor, I would say it's like putting together a puzzle without having the picture on the front of the box to clue you in on how the final product should appear. There is not one household chore that thrills me more than deciding which charger to use with which china pattern or how you can add the slightest bit of whimsy to a formal table setting by simply selecting the perfect napkin ring. And maybe it's the snob in me, okay, okay, who am I fooling, it IS the snob in me, but nothing makes me feel more grand than having dinner at home with cloth napkins!!! YES, YES, YES!!! There I said it! Call it superficial, call it crazy, call it whatever you want, but cloth napkins, having Pellegrino with breakfast, and drinking champagne, all in the confines of my own home, for no good reason at all, makes me feel like royalty. Yes, that's me, Princess Minky of the Betancourt Estate. Sigh. If only such visions of grandeur were a reality and not the equivalent to the tea parties of my childhood, festive parties with delicious treats featuring me at the center of attention surrounded by imagined friends and conversations that should have been prefaced with one way only signs. Ahhhh, I deviate from the subject. (no pun intended)
So grudgingly but secretly happily, I went about my task of selecting the runner for the table, the china, flatware, and glassware. I arranged each setting just so, layering each piece, adding and removing accompaniments, so that the finished table top was not busy but had an aesthetic composition that was engaging and visually pleasing. To say that I was happy with the final outcome would be an understatement! So proud I was of this particular table setting, I decided to conduct a photo shoot. Yes, a photo shoot! Maybe it was a bit extreme but hey, my home is my castle and in my castle, I'm Queen. Well...let me rephrase that, because in this castle, I'm actually a Princess, but still royalty nonetheless! See photos below.
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