I am Catholic too, and no offense taken. My mom was the oldest of 7, and dad the youngest of 7!
Anywho, I love your dishes..and today is our 39th wedding anniv, so thanks for such a pretty table, lol..
I found very nice soup bowls gofortun was the brand..plain white wide rim bowls...want a pic? AND they were a BARGAIN..if you think they would match I could get them for you..
Actually, they are in the pink paisley tablesetting...

It all looks wonderful and very authentic right down to the breadsticks. Love the wine bottle candle holders and your white handled silverware too. Red and white are such a great combination I think, and I'm sure you will get lots of use of the white dishes. Oh, by the way, I had no idea who Maria Agnesi was, so it was fun to hear about her! Luvs

Hey, Kathleen, that's great to hear. Happy Anniversary to you and your hubby. I remember when a few of us here on the forum talked about how we were married in the same year (1970). Was Karen a part of that discussion?

The soup bowls you talked about would go splendidly with my new set. They have the wide rim and shallow depth, just like the ones I have my eye on. You're so nice to offer to get them. Normally, I'd jump at the chance, but I am hesitant because there are so many shades of white. The clerks at WS seemed to think that the sale would be on for a while yet, but if it ends before the first of next month, I just might take you up on your offer.

Have pics of the Communion Luncheon? I can't remember seeing any. What gives?

OA...Love the Story of Maria Agnesi!! ...And I love your Festive - Italian Table, with your WS dishes and that very traditional tablecloth. Everything looks perfect and very inviting. I personally love plain white dishes. They can be 'dressed up or down'..and always look different with whatever you add to them.
Now, being Both - Catholic & Italian, I can relate to your story. My dad, is the only one left (youngest of 7)... My mom was the baby of 18.!! We had very large 'Feasts' like you describe...and always topped it off with Cannolis and Rum Cake! In fact, I was visiting the old neighborhood a couple of days ago (Bronx), and we stopped in at our favorite, Italian Bakery for, (would you believe - cannolis)!.. Our family has gone there for over 75 years.
They were known for the best Pastries and Italian Ices.
Thanks for sharing such an inviting and 'Memorable' table..
Love it.

Kathleen...Happy 39th!! Hope your day was special, and that you're coming down to the finish line on your home projects.

jane

Luvs, I'm SHOCKED you never heard of Maria.

LOL. She's not exactly on the tip of anyone's tongue.

To be honest, I'd never heard of her either until the first year I taught algebra and we turned to page 187 and read a little bio note about her.

Now, go back and read about her again, as there will be a short quiz later this week.

Love the checked tablecloth, and the chianti bottles. You know I LOVE your pull out table. It makes my heart go pitty-pat when I see it. Happy Birthday to Maria and to all those she's inspired. - Gail

Jane,
Your Italian decendant tale made me smile. I love it when I hear people say they went back to the "old neighborhood." It would do my heart good to learn that the Italian Bakery you wrote about is still operated by the family of the original owners.

One of 18! Do you have a snap shot of them all together??? I bet it is something to see. I'd love for you to share it here, right on this post. Or maybe you can find one of them sitting at a long table for one their feasts - like they show in the movies. Although, some people say it's not a good thing to show photographs of people, what with all the stalkers and weirdos and such.
Was St. Joseph's Day big in your family?

Of course, I'm glad you like my dishes. I imagine I'll be using them more as fillers for other colored sets, rather than stand-alone place settings, just as you mentioned. But the all white seemed to remind me of those little Italian restaurants tucked away on side streets in San Francisco, so I went with that for their debut here on the forum.

Gail,
Yes, the chianti bottles are about as trite as you can get, but they are fun, aren't they. I know they used to make candles that dripped different colors all over the place, so you could make an instant I-use-this-candle-holder-all-the-time look, just by burning one candle. (They were big in my hippie days.) Trouble was, they were as expensive as buying a set of 6 individual candles.

You're so sweet to mention my table again. I'm glad to hear someone appreciates the pullout almost as much as I. The basketball play-offs mean that dinner is spent at the bar watching grown men run around the court. (I'm not much of a basketball fan.) But I insist that we sit down at a table (not a bar), in regular chairs (not bar height) at least once a week to eat dinner. To his credit, he agrees that it's a good idea and he does appreciate my little decorations. I'd like to say that I press this point because it is the proper, civilized thing to do. But in actuality, I do it because it's easier to use all my dishes that way!

Oh gosh, Jane. I wasn't trying to type "Italian decadent." I was trying to type "Italian descendant." Sorry.

LOL..OA..I understood 'descendant'..no problem..
I only WISH I had pictures of my mother's entire family.
Unfortunately, not all of them survived into adulthood. There were actually 11 who did. I would have to check to see what pictures are available of them as a group. There are some 'scattered' family pictures from the
depression, and some from WW11 - 4 of her brothers in Uniform. My mother's family was from Ohio. She met my father while he was stationed there and then moved to NY (where my father's family is from)..after the war. We would visit her family in Ohio,every year.
Most of my family 'feasts' were with my father's family,
The bakery that DH and I visited just recently, was sold a year ago, by the Grandson of the original owner, to the present owner. We love the fact, that everything looks the same, even the marble counters. DH & I both grew up in the same Bronx neighborhood..went to the same Elementry School and still have family there.. We're lucky to share the same childhood surroundings and memories.
jane

Great table OA and how nice that viewing tablescapes can be educational too! (Thanks, "Teach"!) I also had never heard of Maria Agnesi and her contributions to mathematics (NEVER a strong suit of mine!) Love the red/white of your table and the "Italian restaurant" feel of it. Your white dishes are wonderful.

DD