Romance isn't dead, it's hiding in the tablecloth drawer

While Sean and I were off, we decided that it was time to clean off our kitchen table of all the dog stuff and various clutter that has been covering it since we moved into the house over three years ago. Upon doing that, I decided that our kitchen table would look more inviting if it had a tablecloth on it. (Our table isn’t ugly, but it’s definitely got more function than form.) I also decided that we would bring the chairs that went with the table back upstairs. (They’ve been in our basement for close to two years since we’ve never really sat at the table due to all the clutter.)

Today, I decided that once I got the tablecloth that gives our table a new lease on life and the chairs that allow us to sit in the same room as the actual table, we could actually eat our dinner at the table! So, once I came back from the tablecloth-purchasing expedition (and they are *expensive*!), I set the table (I only remember how cuz I do it at holidays at my sister’s place), and even got out the candlesticks we received as a wedding present and put together a flower arrangement of fake gerbera daisies that more or less match the tiles and cupboards in my kitchen. As you can see from the picture, my tablecloth doesn’t really match my wall, but it sort of matches my tiles (they are patterned in green and a terracotta-type colour) so I’m sticking with it. Especially since it was on final clearance and was more than 50% off, which was the price range I was hoping for. I even decided to use the good dishes that I inherited from my grandma for this inaugural supper. The only other time I’ve used them was when we had people over and ran out of regular plates. I’ve just never bothered with them.

I spent all my time and money making the place look nice so I stuck to spaghetti and garlic bread for the actual meal. However, everything tastes better on good china and accompanied by tasty wine or beer. (If only Sean drank wine, my place settings would match!) Once dinner was ready, Sean flipped off the football game and switched it to the classical music channel (I told him I wasn’t in the mood for vocals). We weren’t sure if we should light the candles, but Sean said “why not” and got the lighter. That’s when things felt over the top. We ended up having a really nice dinner. We chatted and ate and tried to keep the dog from begging every ten seconds and it felt really good. It was a bit of a jolt when we blew the candles out and the light was turned back on so we could clear the table and I could do the dishes. I don’t know if we’ll eat by candlelight every night, but once in awhile it really is nice to pull out all the stops. Wonder what it would be like if either one of us could cook more than the simplest things?