There is nothing prettier than a wonderfully decorated table for Easter dinner. Easter is usually the first time we get to celebrate spring and incorporating the season's flowers, fruits, pastels and holiday candy can make an ordinary dinner table into an elaborate Easter creation.

I arranged some tulips in a vase that was given to me as a hostess gift, from my friends Cheryl and Michael. This is in the powder room on the vanity, for our pre-Easter dinner.

Easter is the perfect time to arrange beautiful spring flowers around your table. If you are ordering bouquets from a flower shop, remember they are very popular this time of year, so be sure to order well in advance.

If you want to make your own, you can buy individual small pots of prim roses, petunias, hyacinths and a short tulip or two. Arrange the flowers in woven Easter baskets (long and narrow works well for a centerpiece) and fill the empty spaces with floral moss or green Easter grass. Add small vases of tulips around the house. After Easter dinner, these flowers can be added to your garden for a splash of Spring. For a simpler flower arrangement, add a vase of Easter Lilies as the centerpiece or a mixed bouquet of flowers, you arrange in a beautiful vase. I added a butterfly, as that seems to be my Granddaughters favorite at the moment. And even though our dinner was for 5 adults, it reminded me of her, as we sat around the table on our pre- Easter dinner!

For alternative centerpiece ideas, use white or pastel candles in white porcelain or silver-toned candleholders. I used some green votives, that I have had, to match my dinnerware. A large glass bowl can be filled with fresh fruit. Remember to save room on the table for all the serving dishes and make sure the centerpiece is not too high for you to see everyone at the table.

Set your table with a tablecloth, table runner, places mats and napkins in Spring prints or coordinating solids. For napkin rings, use something flowery or themed for the Easter holiday if you can find them. Use your good china, silver and any serving dishes with spring motifs. In my case, I have had these "golf" motif plates for years, they are a pretty Spring green. They make me smile, as my Mother gave me place settings for eight, and so did my sister-in-law, so I have place settings for 16! Nice with our large family and large friendship circle. I found the green napkins and napkin rings on sale at Sur la Table, years ago.

If you are having a children's table, add tiny pastel buckets and fill them with Easter treats like jelly beans. For children's napkins, use pale yellow or blue and tie them with white satin ribbon in place of the napkin ring. For the tablecloth, use a paper pastel one so the kids can draw Easter pictures on the tablecloth to keep them occupied and for some added Easter fun.

The Wine!! The table is set, let's party!! Okay, you still have time to order from wineontheway.com, just click the icon on the right side of this blog, it will take you to Adam and Gigi's site, for discounted 90 points and up wine. Free shipping with any 12 bottle order.

We started with some munchies with the Mer Soleil chardonnay, just some cashews, shelled pistachio's and roasted almonds. I love this wine, and will be paring it with a brie appetizer, for Easter( recipe and pictures will follow after Easter).

2010 Unoaked Mer Soleil "Silver"Chardonnay Wine Enthusiast rating: 90 points $22.00

Silver captures the crisp, pure, mineral essence of the classic Chablis style with the tropical elements found in Chardonnays of the Pacific coastline.

Using Chardonnay grown in special blocks of the Mer Soleil Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey County, they harvest the grapes when just fully ripe, their gold color hued with green, expressing clean aromas of Chardonnay fruit and firm acidity.

The grapes were pressed and fermented in both stainless steel and natural cement tanks imported from France.

Tasting notes:

Mer Soleil's Chardonnay grapes dependably get so ripe, they offer explosive flavors even without the oak. You won't miss a thing without the barrel. The pineapple, orange and golden mango flavors are delicious on their own, and even offer a hint of vanilla. A mouthwateringly fresh squeeze of acidity makes everything bright and clean.

Now let's ham it up!! With a nice pinot noir! Order now, from Wineontheway!

Best Pinot Noir at this price point! A MUST purchase.

2009 Calera Pinot Noir bursts from the glass with expressive fruit, flowers, spices and mint. It shows lovely mid-palate juiciness and an elegant, polished finish. At $23.00 a bottle, it may very well be the single finest value in American Pinot Noir. Adam (owner of wineontheway.com) tells me, he was hardly surprised to learn Emirates chose to serve this wine in their business class cabin last year. Our guests loved the pairing of this fine wine, with our pre-Easter dinner last night. Ruth said, the flavor of the wine and ham, is, mmmmmm. I paired it with ham, but, would be equally good with a "Crown roast of pork" or pork tenderloin. Actually, I am quite certain, this lovely wine would be good with turkey too!!

*As with all our reds, my friend, Jim say's, "open 2 hours before serving and let it breathe."

*Wineontheway order now, the icon is on the right side of this blog! Remember free shipping with any 12 bottles! You could buy 6 Mer Soleil and 6 Calera!!

*This week I will be offering recipes from our pre-Easter dinner. A Jalapeno glazed ham (for a little Southwestern flavor), scallop potatoes, asparagus with pineapple buerre blanc, some red pearl onions roasted with a little balsalmic, and a light mixed berries with custard sauce.

Our weekend was filled with fun! Dancing two nights in a row with "Mountain Man"!! Followed by our lovely pre-Easter dinner! I will be sharing pictures this week!